Currently, I am in three fantasy football leagues, which makes me the owner of 43 different players (I’m counting the defenses as just one, and I have five players that are on more than one of my teams). Remember that there are only 11 players on the field on any given play, which gives me about four total starting teams. So where do you draw the line?
I was asked to be in six different leagues. While that sounds awesome, I turned down three of them.
I decided that I only wanted to fall in a middle category in the chart below:
One Team Boy:
This is how I operated until this year. I had one team in a league with all of my best friends. Being a one-team boy is a very personal experience. You can focus all of your fantasy football expertise on one well-crafted team, but if that team sucks, you can’t fall back on another. You are stuck with the cards you are dealt, unless you can spot the next big thing on waivers and build a team of backup players that are replacing starters as they get injured throughout the season (see Miles Austin of 2009 and Ryan Grant of 2007).
The fewer teams you have, the more competitive you will be. All of your eggs are in one Hank Baskett. Remember, if your team sucks, you are going to have to wait till next year. If it’s a league with friends or co-workers, you aren’t going to stop hearing about how terrible your team was until next June.
This style of play is for a beginner who is learning how fantasy football works. It’s is also good for someone who wants to play in a very competitive league comprised of people whom they can brag to or hide from depending on the outcome.
Two Team Man:
Look at you. You’ve hit the big time. You think you can manage two teams, do ya? Well remember, with great power comes great responsibility. You can win two championships this way, or you can neglect one team and put all your power into the other. But nobody wants to see a team go uncared for. Why did you get into fantasy football in the first place and why do you like professional football? Because you want to see your teams win. So keep up with your competition, watch the waiver wire, keep an eye out for injury updates, and for Pete’s sake–don’t forget to set your rosters!
The pay off is huge if you can handle 2 teams. You have the possibility of winning a championship in two leagues. This would make you twice the man of any person who participates in just one league. Just imagine that you are sitting in a sports bar watching the Super Bowl and some dude next to you is bragging about winning his fantasy league. Then, at just the right time, you can casually mention that you won two championships this year. Expect a round on the house, you earned it.
This style of play is meant for competitive and experienced fantasy football pros. It’s good for someone who has played a year or two and is ready to up the ante.
Three Team Warrior:
This is where I reach my limit. I am already experiencing a little pre-Week 1 anxiety about my three teams. I know that there will be conflicts every week, and I won’t even know who to cheer for. For example, with Tom Brady, Randy Moss and the Ravens’ defense all on one team, who do I cheer for in Week 6 when the Ravens play the Patriots? To complicate that, I have Joe Flacco and Derrick Mason on another team along with Wes Welker. Plus, my third team has Randy Moss, Derrick Mason and Anquan Boldin. Herein lies the problem of having so many teams. There is really no best-case scenario for all your leagues to work in unison unless you can manage to draft the same team in all leagues.
Winning three championships is very difficult. However, a good team manager can get all three of his teams into the playoffs, and that is a pretty good bragging point on its own. You play to win championships, so why not? Get three teams and immerse yourself in the football season.
This style of play is only for veteran fantasy football players. It is ideal for someone who has a good amount of time on his or her hands. Only draft three teams if you are willing to take care of all of them.
Four-Plus Team General:
There is no way you can win that many championships, or can you? It seems that if you draft more teams, the better your chances at winning a championship, right? Wrong, the best fantasy football managers make strategic adjustments throughout the season. If you really have that much time on your hands and you can take the time to go through each team with the care it requires to dominate each league, then more power to you. But the fact remains that you can’t be as competitive in that many leagues. You can’t look forward in your schedule and plan week-by-week strategy unless you have a calendar designated for your fantasy football endeavors. This is where I draw the line.
I know how much time I spent on my ONE team last year and if I multiplied that by four or more, I wouldn’t be able to get anything done.
This style of play is best for people who have a lot of free time.
I hope that my guide served as a lesson in limitation. If you are in 20 leagues and you think that you are going to be the best fantasy football player ever, you probably wont be. Stick to two-three leagues and you will actually have a chance at winning them all.
(And if you’re curious as to the five players I drafted in multiple leagues, they are: Randy Moss, C.J. Spiller, Malcom Floyd, Derrick Mason and Mike Williams)
