It’s almost football season, and that means it’s time for fantasy football leagues! You are thinking about playing this year, but don’t even know where to start. Well, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. Here’s a beginner’s guide on how to play fantasy football when you join an NFL fantasy league this fall.
Getting Started: What is Fantasy Football?
What exactly is fantasy football? It’s a point-driven game where you select real NFL players and earn points based on how well they perform each week. You take control and draft a roster at the beginning of the NFL season. Each week, you match up with other teams in your league. If you have more points than your opponent, you win.
There are fantasy football playoffs at the end of the season, usually weeks 15-17 of the NFL regular season. The best teams in your league’s standings in the fantasy season earn spots in the playoffs for a chance to become a fantasy football champion.
Read More: What is Fantasy Football
Where to Play
There are plenty of free websites that allow you to play fantasy football from standard leagues to dynasty leagues. Sites like ESPN, Yahoo, NFL Fantasy, and more are great options. There are also daily fantasy sports, or DFS, that are popular on platforms like DraftKings and FanDuel.
If you are playing with friends or family, the commissioner usually will decide the platform for your league. Commissioner is just a fancy name for the person who decides to set everything up for the league.
The Draft
If you are in a re-draft league, you select a brand new team every single year with a fantasy football draft. The draft usually takes place within a week of the NFL regular season. A common draft format is a snake pattern. The owner who selects last in the first round selects first in the second round. Leagues can also have a randomized draft format.
For a standard fantasy football team, you usually select the following players:
1 Quarterback 2 Running Backs 2 Wide Receivers 1 Tight End 1 Flex 1 Kicker Team Defense/Special Teams (Example: The Chicago Bears) 7 bench playersScoring Formats
There are different scoring formats in fantasy football that might impact your draft strategy. Most leagues have standard scoring.
Rushing/receiving touchdown – 6 points Passing touchdown – 4 points Every 10 rushing/receiving yards – 1 point Every 25 passing yards – 1 pointThis is a pretty common scoring system in most leagues, but it can vary if your commissioner wants to make changes to the points system. Also, some leagues have PPR scoring. This means standard scoring applies, as well as every reception made by a player on your team earns one point. This creates higher-scoring leagues for fantasy managers.
So in a PPR league, players like Ja’Marr Chase and De’Von Achane are extremely valuable. Achane had 900+ rushing yards and led all running backs in receptions in 2024. Chase was the NFL’s leader in receptions in 2024.
If you are in a PPR league, you will likely value receivers, tight ends, and pass-catching running backs more when you are building your NFL team and hoping to make the fantasy playoffs.
Before Gameday
You’ve drafted your team, understand your scoring system, and are ready for the season. Before gameday, you need to make sure your starting lineup is solid. Here are a few things to remember.
Make sure all of your starting positions are filled. Be sure you start the best players at each position so you can earn as many points as possible. Know the NFL schedule so you have your lineup set before Thursday night games.If you are in a standard re-draft league, you will have to check your team each week to make sure you have the best players starting. Also, remember bye weeks mean you might not have a player available because their team is off. These are all things to keep in mind each week as you set the best lineup.
The Waiver Wire
The waiver wire allows you to acquire players who are not on any team in your fantasy league. This is a good way to add an RB, WR, TE, QB, and others if your team needs some help.
Each league has a waiver priority for claiming players. This means that if multiple owners in the league claim a player, the owner with the best waiver priority gets the player. Also, if a player is dropped from a team in your league, he usually isn’t available to claim for 2-3 days, so each owner in the league has a chance to add the player.
In some leagues, there are free-agent budgets where you can add players based on your budget system.
Trades
Along with the waiver wire, you can make changes to your team by trading. This is another way to acquire players throughout the season. If your team is not putting up the fantasy points you hoped for, you can make some moves if other owners in your league are willing.
Be careful not to get ripped off, give up too much, or make unfair trades. Remember what your team needs throughout the fantasy football season and add the right players if needed.
League Types
There are plenty of different league options when it comes to fantasy sports. Here are some of the most common leagues.
Re-Draft
In a re-draft league, you select a new team every season by drafting. This is one of the most popular types of leagues, as players get to start with a new roster every year as they compete for a championship. There is a waiver wire, and trades are allowed.
Draft Only
For a draft-only league, there are no in-season roster moves, management, or trading. You draft a team and let the team run its course. This puts a lot of pressure on the draft process for the owners at the beginning of the season.
Best Ball
In a best-ball league, you don’t have to keep track of your lineup week in and week out. The league determines the winner each week by taking the highest-scoring players from your team each week. With a best ball league, you don’t have to keep track of injuries or the latest news. Draft your team and sit back.
Custom Scoring
A fantasy commissioner assigns his or her own scoring system in a custom scoring league. This would be in place of the standard scoring system. These changes in scoring can have an impact on how owners draft and value players in your league.
Dynasty
In a dynasty league, your roster is carried over year after year. This has a huge impact on the draft process as you are looking for players who will be around for a long time. In a dynasty league, you have a rookie draft each year and can make transactions with the waiver wire, trades, etc.
In 2024, you might have selected Jayden Daniels in your rookie draft, and now you are feeling good about him on your fantasy team as he had a stellar rookie campaign, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Read More: What is a Dynasty League?
Keeper
A keeper league is similar to a dynasty league except you are carrying over a select number of players each year. For example, your league might keep four players each year. Fantasy owners then re-draft the rest of their team at the beginning of the season. The number of keepers is up to the fantasy players and the commissioner.
A Few More Tips for Your Fantasy Team
Here are a few more tips to round out our beginner’s guide for new fantasy football players.
Play in leagues with people you like and will have fun with. Do your research so you can dominate the draft and regular season. Look for the latest trends and be sure to check the stats. Stay away from injury-prone players.All in all, enjoy the process and have fun playing fantasy football. Set your starting lineup for your weekly matchups and enjoy football season!
*This article was originally written in July 2024, it was revised and updated on August 4, 2025.
How to Play Fantasy Football FAQs
What is fantasy football?
Fantasy football is a points-driven game where you select real NFL players and earn points based on their performance. You build a team and compete against other owners in your league in head-to-head matchups.
What players do I draft on a fantasy team?
In most leagues, you draft a quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, a flex, a kicker, and a team defense/special teams. There are leagues where you can select individual defensive players who can earn points for interceptions, tackles, sacks, and more.
When do I need to have my starting lineup set?
Be sure to be on top of the NFL schedule and when your players have games. This is most crucial if you have a player who has a Thursday night game. Your lineup would need to be set before the Thursday night matchup, even if just one player is playing on Thursday and the rest of your players have games on Sunday.
When does fantasy football start?
The fantasy football season starts with a draft before the first week of the regular season, and matchups begin when the NFL season kicks off. The fantasy playoffs are usually the last couple of weeks of the NFL regular season.
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