The joys of fantasy football are almost upon us once again as the NFL season creeps closer and closer into view.
Fans of the league every year look forward to their fantasy draft where they take on friends and family and even wager money on the outcome of their team come the end of the season.
There are a number of key providers of this great game, where you draft real life players and their performances on the pitch in the NFL count to your team.
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com
The NFL produces its own Fantasy Football game which can be accessed on their site or through their app. Founded in 2010, it wasn’t the first on the market, but has capitalized on the interest it was gaining through other sites. They offer a free-to-use app and game which can be adapted to your league’s needs.
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Yahoo
One of the first fantasy football leagues to be introduced was on Yahoo which has helped keep a dedicated fanbase and regular users who enjoy their real-time stat tracking.
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ESPN
You can customize your league and experience, which makes this a little more complicated than Yahoo and the NFL.com option, but one some of the keenest and more experienced of players enjoys.
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DraftKings
DraftKings is a leader in Fantasy Sports betting. You can win real money with this great fantasy football platform which offers you the chance to compete each week. Rather than competing against friends, this system lets you put your NFL knowledge to the test drafting players each week with tempting odds being offer.
Fantasy Football Origins
In 1962, Bill Winkenbach who was a part owner of the Oakland Raiders, gathered some friends in a New York Hotel and developed the first ever fantasy football league. His idea has been developed and modernized year-on-year to the game it is today.
The game was able to explode with the invention of the internet which made it so much easier for people to play. Now, more than 60 million people play fantasy sports in North America which NFL Fantasy Football is played all over the world today.
No longer are you restricted to playing against those in a close geographical distance, the game can keep going as people more often move from their hometowns as they grow up.
Why is Fantasy Football so popular?
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Social
Drafting your team and competing with your friends as a further factor to the sport which can build interest and engagement. Fantasy football provides that link between gaming and sports which can reach a wide range of fans.
The Draft is a great social event to start the season, and with matches against each other and trade opportunities, the season keeps people engaged and the fun flowing.
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Test your Knowledge
As the NFL continues to reach out and offer more international games to its calendar, fans from around the world can test their knowledge against their friends or in leagues with people from around the world, as well as for money.
Drafting Tactics
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Get your running back early.
If you’re drafting early in the first round, your running back will be first off the board. Getting a player who will start regularly and be used frequently will rack up the points from the backfield and give you a consistent player to help week to week.
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Tight Ends are often short in supply
If you see some of the top two or three tight ends go early, don’t rush to bring one in. While there are a few select tight ends who are used regularly in the passing game, many others will all bring in similar totals throughout the season, you can pick them up week-to-week if necessary.
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Identify players with good running mates
If a team has one star wide receiver, but no other talent on offense, they will probably be focused on by opposing defenses. Try and find the players at wide receiver who have hard workers around them who draw attention from defenses but don’t steal targets too much from the quarterback.
Top Picks for 2023
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Running Backs – Christian McCaffrey and Austin Ekeler
These two have consistently been explosive runners but are also factors in the passing game as well. Having this dual threat further adds to their potential for touchdowns, long runs, and huge fantasy football points each week.
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Wide Receivers – Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase
Jefferson and Chase racked up big totals last season with quarterbacks who like to move the ball down the field.
Both had speed, power, and are big targets down the field which make them so difficult to cover. As well as this, the rest of the offense on their teams are dangerous, though they are still clear number one targets for their quarterbacks.
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Quarterbacks – Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen
Quarterbacks on good teams get points, but these two can also do things with their legs as well which keeps adding to their points totals for your fantasy football team.