Fantasy sports are wildly popular and chances are your friends are constantly talking about their team and scores. If you’ve never played before or need some tips on improving your game, here’s how you can draft the best fantasy league and chart your way up the leaderboards. Bear in mind that all these tips are for European soccer (what most of the world calls football) leagues:
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Smartly choose formation
Most football experts argue that formations don’t matter much in the real world. All you need is a balanced formation for key players, but the exact dimensions make little difference. In fantasy football, that’s simply not true. Your players can pick up points for goals and assists while defenders can lose points regardless of who’s winning the actual game. Intelligent formations count for a lot in fantasy matches.
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Beat the system with research
Most fantasy football platforms are created on the basis of the three traditional player categories – midfielder, defender, and striker. However, modern football is much more specialized and nuanced. A little research will help you uncover these hidden gems.
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Use your transfers diligently
Transfers are like investments. Sure, you can follow the crowd and overpay for the most popular players, but sometimes it makes sense to look for underrated players or former stars who still have some energy to pull their own in matches. Paying less for outperformance is usually the key to success in fantasy football leagues.
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Diversify
We all have our favourite teams, but that doesn’t mean you take all your players from the same group. Pick a mix of defenders and midfielders, and don’t keep too many of your players in certain parts of the field. Diversify the talent and positions in your team to maximise the potential score.
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Keep checking in
Playing fantasy leagues requires commitment. You need to stay ahead of the game, and the only way to do that is to watch as many matches as you can, and pick out all the statistics you can get your hands on. This data will help inform your transfer decisions and player formations, helping you score well.
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Pick a great name
Don’t forget to have fun! This is, after all, fantasy sports, so you might as well have a colorful name that can make all your friends laugh. Be original and be creative with the name so that you enjoy playing for the whole season.
For dedicated sports fans, playing fantasy football is probably the best way to experience the game with all your friends. If you’re feeling a bit competitive, do your research and create a formation based on data to maximize your chances of winning.