An Overview on fantasy football terminology

Last Updated on Saturday, 07 August 2010 18:41 Written by Erik M. Dell Wednesday, 14 July 2010 10:52

Whether you are a journeyman that has been playing for 15 years or this is your first foray into the world of fantasy football, you are bound to come across a term that baffles you. It’s hard not as fantasy football has evolved from garage drafts to having its own show on Sunday morning ESPN. The growth is astonishing and a projected 30 million people will be playing fantasy football in 2010. Think about that for a minute. Explosion is the only way to define that.

Speaking of definitions. Here is a glossary of definitions for you to grasp the game better and understand what’s going on when someone mutters “I can’t believe that guy took my handcuff, MarShawn Lynch isn’t even on the ADP list. In fact www.babybluemonkey.com says Lynch is going to be a bust and not a deep sleeper, Oh well, guess I’ll grab Donald Brown instead.”

Take a second to thumb through the alphabetically organized 2010 fantasy football dictionary.

A

Auction Drafts – These drafts are gaining popularity where league members have a predefined cash amount for the draft, typically $100. The league then auctions off the players and the highest bidder wins that player. This format is gaining popularity because it gives everyone in the league a chance to own any player.

Average Draft Position (ADP) – Usually this list pops up around the beginning of June and is constantly updated on several fantasy football sites. ADP is where a certain player will be ranked over all the drafts that have taken place at one site or multiple sites. For example: NFFC’s ADP

for Drew Brees is currently at 2.03 which means he is projected to go in the beginning of the 2^nd round. This list is constantly evolving so it is best to bookmark an ADP and check often.

B

Babybluemonkey.com – As in www.babybluemonkey.com. This website offers ingenious articles on fantasy football topics ranging from draft strategies to common football terms… The owner of the site sure would appreciate a bookmark, ad click, page rank, whatever you can do to drive traffic.

Bust – Matt Forte. Simple. When a player has enormous hype heading into a draft causing that player to be drafted high (which may or may not be warranted) and then subsequently sucks eggs the rest of the season making you wish you would have drafted Chris Johnson instead.

C

Cheat Sheets – These babies are the road map to success in your draft. Think of them as an excel sheet breaking down the positions into three tiers. When you are drafting you should be paying attention to the cheat sheets to guide you away from players like Eli Manning and choosing Joe Flacco instead.

Chris Johnson (C2K) – The man, the myth gets his own entry into this year’s fantasy football dictionary. He singlehandedly won leagues across America with his ridiculously long touchdown runs and ankle breaking cuts. Ensure this guy is #1 on your cheat sheet.

Commissioner – This is the head honcho who runs your league. He sets the rules and approves the trades. They send the invites and set up the draft time. Without the Commissioner your league would be sunk so say, Thanks!

Contract Year Player – When a player signs a fat contact they sometimes get complacent and lose some of the hunger that got them that ludicrous contract. But all good things come to an end and when the contract is in its final year a player is said to be a contract year player. This is especially important in fantasy football as contract year players tend to produce good numbers for their ADP.

D

Deep Sleeper – These players often go undrafted by others and are typically waiting for an injury to show their stuff and grab some game time. Miles Austin is a perfect example as very few people drafted him. Those that did draft him drafted him because they believed he was a deep sleeper.

F

Flex – Also known as a flex position. A typical fantasy football roster has a QB, RB1, RB2, WR1, WR2, FLEX, TE, K, and a Def. Depending on where you play the flex can be just a RB or a WR. Some leagues leave it wide open to any offensive player. Read the rules if you are unsure.

H

Handcuff – If your star running back goes down due to injury then you better hope his handcuff is not taken and available on the waiver wire. The handcuff is the backup running back who will assume duties when the lead guy goes down.

Head to Head (H2H) – A league format that is set up similar to the NFL schedule that has league player’s teams facing each other on a weekly basis rotating to ensure everyone plays each other.

I

Individual Defense Players (IDP) – Certain leagues will use IDP instead of the Defense slot on the roster. You are then responsible for knowing more about defensive players than you ever would have liked to have known. This typically adds about 6 spots on the defense to be filled in with individual players.

Injury Status – Something you will become familiar with on game day. Probable = 75% chance the player will play. Questionable = 50% chance the player will play. Doubtful = 25% chance the player will play. And of course, Out = Not playing.

K

Keeper league – Type of league play that requires a long term commitment. At the end of the year each player is required to keep a certain amount of players for next season. Those players that are not kept fall back into the draft.

M

Mock Draft – A free draft simulation. Think of it as practice drafting against real people.

N

National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) – The premier high stakes fantasy football tournament. This is where the big boys play. Entry fees start at $125 and go all the way up to $10,000. NFCC is doing live drafting in 8 cities this year, great event, so check it out.

P

Playoffs – NOT the same as NFL playoffs. Fantasy football playoffs typically start around week 13. It’s important to remember this when drafting. Schedule might come into play once you make the playoffs and face the Raven, Steelers, or Vikings.

Points Per Reception (PPR) – A stat that is used in some leagues. Typically one catch by an active player will yield one point. This stat is most effective when you have a running back that catches a lot (Ray Rice) or a wide receiver that gets a lot of passes but typically not a lot of years (Wes Welker).

R

Rotisserie Scoring – A scoring method that is pretty much the opposite of head to head. You accumulate points on a continuous pace without ever playing another opponent. This format is popular is some leagues on the Fanball website.

Running Back By Committee (RBBC) – The bane of a fantasy football player’s draft, the two or sometimes three headed monster that eats up points. A RBBC is officially formed when both players are good but not great. Think Miami Dolphins Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. Think Ray Rice and Willis McGahee. Think Chris Johnson and… exactly, you get the point.

S

Sleepers – These guys play on a decent basis and are typically drafted with hopes their upside will eventually turn into points on bye weeks or even better, they become go to players.

Snake Draft – A typical format that reverses the direction at the end of the round and starts back towards the original pick. 123456789 10 and 10 987654321. This is a snake draft.

W

Waiver Wire – Guys that nobody drafted. A barren wasteland of discarded kickers and second rate tight ends. The leftovers. But dig deep enough and you may find a diamond in the rough that will win your league.