A League for Every Taste

June 15, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

With the decision made to start playing fantasy football, the next question becomes what kind of league you will want to join. This will have an important bearing on the types of players you choose for your team.

There are three main types of leagues: head-to-head, rotisserie and salary cap. In addition, these types of leagues can be set up as just single-season, keeper or dynasty leagues. Single-season is self-explanatory, but keeper and dynasty usually involve you selecting a certain number of players that you can keep from year to year. In the following article, we will look at the setups of different types of leagues in fantasy football.

Head-to-Head Leagues

Head-to-head leagues form the basis of most fantasy leagues out there. They are also the most similar to a regular NFL season. Prior to the season, there will be a draft that will form the backbone for your fantasy season.

Once the season gets underway, you will go up against one team each weak, with whoever gets the most points coming out as the winner. Points are generally awarded for touchdowns, yardage and receptions. Defense and special teams have separate categories; they usually consist of things like sacks, interceptions and touchdowns scored.

Each week, you will set your lineup, which typically consists of one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end, one place kicker and one defensive team/special teams unit. Point totals are added up based on how each player does during the week. Whoever accumulates the most points in a week will then be given the win. Teams in the league will be ranked according to their won-loss record, with either points scored or head-to-head record usually determining any tiebreakers. The goal is to make the playoffs, which usually begin sometime around Week 13 or Week 14 of the NFL's regular season.

One of the reasons that these leagues are so much fun is that you get to go head-to-head against other owners. Unlike rotisserie or salary cap leagues, you will be playing a different owner each week. This could be your best friend (or worst enemy), and let this writer tell you how much fun it can be to run up the score on him or her. On the flip side, if you lose, it can make it that much worse. This type of league, out of the three, often gives you the most competitive feel, though.

Head-to-head leagues are often won not by the best team but by the team that is hottest at the end of the season. You can lead your league all season, but suddenly you could find San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson or New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady both pulled from their Week 17 game, leaving you down a starter or two. Thus, oftentimes the team that wins is not only the one that deals with this late-season quandary the best but also the luckiest. That does take a bit of the fun out of it, but it is more something you have to be aware of and plan around.

This actually mimics what happens in real-life football better than rotisserie leagues, as the team that wins the Super Bowl is not often the team that is the best throughout the entire season. The Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl champions in 2005, did not get hot until the end of the season, winning their last four games en route to a Wild Card berth and Super Bowl championship. This can happen often in head-to-head leagues, which can be frustrating; however, it also adds an element of excitement, and it makes most owners feel as if they're never completely out of contention.

Head-to-head leagues are often the most popular and generally the most fun for the beginning owner. Your knowledge does not have to be as in-depth as for the league as it would in a salary cap league (although it doesn't hurt), and you can get more enjoyment from the weekly matchups than you might in a rotisserie league.

Rotisserie Leagues

Rotisserie leagues are not as popular in football as they are in baseball, but they can be just as fun as head-to-head or salary cap leagues.

In this type of league, you will pick a starting lineup similar to how you would in a head-to-head league. However, instead of going head-to-head, you will get points for rushing yardage, passing yardage, touchdowns, etc. The league will then rank teams based on results from each stat category according to which team has the most (or least if you are using stats such as interceptions) in those categories. The owner with the most in each category will get a maximum amount of points while the owner with the least will get the least amount of points. Each player in between will get a set number of points comparable to where he ranks in this type of league.

For example, if you are in a 10-team league and you have the most touchdowns, you will be awarded 10 points. If you are ranked 10th in passing yardage, however, you will be given only one point. The owner who has the most points after each stat category is added up will win the league. This is done at the end of each week, with the standings at the end of the season representing who won the league.

This kind of league doesn't follow a schedule (as it does in head-to-head leagues), so it can sometimes be a bit dull; you could be out of it in the first half of the season, or it can be wrapped up early if one player runs away with the title. There are usually no playoffs, as in head-to-head leagues, which mean it is a little less suspenseful. Part of the fun in head-to-head leagues is making that midseason trade and seeing your team run off eight or so straight victories to win the championship. There is none of that in rotisserie leagues.

On the flip side, this means that the best team often wins the league (rather than someone getting hot at the end of the season). This is particularly helpful if you have players who are on playoff contenders. No one likes to make their fantasy championship game only to see the Indianapolis Colts are resting quarterback Peyton Manning in the final week of the season. With rotisserie leagues you can avoid this problem.

Rotisserie leagues are also more conducive to owning stud players. A stud player in this type of league can carry your team to victory right from the beginning. Starting well is often crucial in winning rotisserie leagues, as it is hard to come back once you are down. Stud players can help you jump out to the lead. As well, matchups aren't played as often in rotisserie leagues, so having the best players (rather than just best matchups) is often more important.

Salary Cap Leagues

Salary cap leagues are becoming more and more popular, as they are often seen as the toughest to win. They generally attract more experienced owners, as there are more rules to contend with in these leagues. As well, you will need to have a great knowledge of this league in order to snag potential sleepers. This knowledge will help you in giving a value to each player.

Unlike the other two league types, you will have every player available to you. However, each player will carry an artificial salary that will be in relation to his value. You will also have a cap on the amount of salary you can spend on players (hence the name of this league type).

In order to win these leagues, you will have to find good value in players. For instance, if Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh was valued at $12 compared to wide receiver Chad Johnson being valued at $20, you might want to take Houshmandzadeh, as he could very likely bring you better value for your money. Of course, you will also want to stack up on some stud players, but in general, value for money is the name of the game. Borrowing from baseball, apply the principles using by the Oakland Athletics and their general manager Billy Beane (also espoused in Michael Lewis' book "Moneyball") and you should do well.

Salary cap leagues are also similar to auction leagues. There is no real draft for these leagues. An owner "drafts" his or her team by selecting players in order to fill roster requirements while remaining within the budget; each of the players has a predetermined salary. Thus, each player is available to any team; however, you will have to be smart with your money in order to get the best possible team.

Summary

As a rule of thumb, it is best to begin fantasy football by getting involved with the basic leagues. This could be either a head-to-head league or a rotisserie league. These leagues are often more fun for the beginner, as they have simpler rules and less of a learning curve. You will likely also have just as much fun, if not more fun, than in the other leagues.

Joining a head-to-head league with some friends was how this writer got his start in fantasy football. Not only can you learn a lot, you can have fun beating all of your friends in head-to-head matchups. It may not lead you to the championship, but who says having a selective memory was ever bad?

Regardless of which league you are in, learn the rules of your league type in order to get the best competitive advantage you can. It does not pay to ignore them.

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Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.

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