Fantasy Football is a very popular game that many people across the globe take part in. What essentially happens is that you assume the position of a Fantasy Manager and take on the task of setting up a team made of real-life players.

The players then score points in accordance with their real-world performance in actual matches.

The goal is, of course, to win prizes or cash.

Now, you're probably wondering how to go about playing the game and winning. Well, we've provided you with a guide of sorts. So, let's begin.

The start

To play Fantasy Football, you'll need to first set up a team of 11 players or a squad of 15 players. Now, these are actual real-life players that will represent you every week during the season. As the weeks pass by, your players will score points in your favour. These points will be added and subtracted to a total figure that will be compared to the rest of the teams you have as part of your mini-league or in the Fantasy Game.

Of course, the points you score will result in prizes.

A league is important

You can play the game solo, with managers putting their respective teams up against each other. However, the best option is to enter your team into a private mini-league with known people, such as colleagues and friends.

The right game to play

There are, obviously, a wide range of games to play, so it can be very difficult to find one that works for you and/or even your mates. Even so, just start by looking around and find games that match your commitment level, are affordable, and of course, personal interest.

You can try out a few sites and carry out a comparison for a clearer picture.

Scoring points

The scoring system for each type of fantasy football game varies. So, you need to start by looking at how the games you choose are allowing the team to score points. Typically, it is the players selected by you who go around scoring points for a variety of actions.

For starters, they score points for matches. If a player plays for his actual team in real life, he can earn some points for your fantasy team. More often than not, the player will have to begin the match for these points to be earned. It doesn't apply if the player is simply a substitute.

Next, players earn points by scoring goals. The more goals the players score in real-life, the more he will score for the fantasy team.

Then, we have ‘keeping clean sheets,' where the real-life teams, represented by your selected players, manage to prevent the opposition from scoring. This causes the scores to go up for your Fantasy Team as well.

However, this scoring system is usually only applicable to goalkeepers and defenders in the fantasy team.

Your players can score for you also through Earning Assists. This means that you can score a few points when the selected players make a pass that leads to a goal in a real-life game. Of course, this isn't a default scoring method, and only 50% of Fantasy Football games make use of it.

Finally, you can score points for your fantasy team when selected players provide good performance in their real-life matches. For example, if one of your chosen players win a title, he can boost your points.

However, this is an arbitrary scoring system because judging a player's performance can be subjective.

Losing points

Points can be lost when the players and their respective teams concede goals, score own goals, get booked and so on.

Picking a team

You will be provided with a budget to choose your squad. Now, the budget is rarely generous, which means you'll need to be frugal, but also opt for good players. So, make sure you get in on the action early and try to choose a couple of good players before they're taken.

Typically, you should have:

• Two Goalkeepers
• Five Defenders
• Five Mid-Field players and
• Three Forwards/Strikers

You also have something called a transfer allocation, which means you can make changes to your lineup over the season. Now, the number of changes can be limited and dependent on the game. You may even have to deal with “transfer windows.”

You can choose any player from any team. However, you cannot have more than three players from the same team. This might be a problem if you are a die-hard fan of any club. But rules are rules.

Make sure to keep an eye on the budget when choosing your players. Each chosen player reduces the budget value.

Once you have the initial squad of 15 people, you can start choosing the top 11. This is done by assessing the performances of the players in the actual matches. Amongst the 11, you have to designate your Captain and Vice-Captain.

Once you have your team, just sit back and keep an eye on your points. Based on individual player status, progress and performance, you can decide whether to replace them or not. So, keep an eye on performance and injuries.

If you do note that some of your players aren't performing well, you can use the transfer section to get rid of such players and replace them. Most Fantasy Football sites offer such players, and you can buy them.

However, you cannot cross the two free transfer limits. If you choose to exceed the limit, you will have to pay almost double for each player,

What can you win?

When it comes to winnings in Fantasy Football, there are lots of things you can look forward to. For starters, if you're someone who's playing in a league, be it with strangers or friends, the prize is already determined. The prize money comes through the entry fee.

What happens is that all the money gets collected and pooled into what we call a “cash prize.” The winner is then awarded this money.

However, not all leagues follow the pay-to-play rule. So, you are forced to play simply for respect and thrills. Such leagues are fun if you're looking for something experimental.

In the case of daily fantasy football, there is no league. It is a simple contest, but with the most diverse number of prizes. Once again, the entry fee is what are pooled to create the prizes.

Checklist

Here is a final checklist to guide you.

First, find out about the scoring method. Then, find out the number of transfers left. Determine when you can make the transfers and whether or not transfer windows have been enforced.

Work on your budget to ensure that you have the right people. In fact, split it for each area of the team.

Access the games' player list and selection stats to create a shortlist of players along with their values. Then, narrow things down by taking a look at the season ticker and identifying when teams are likely to have favourable fixtures.

Make sure you go through the bans and injuries list to see if any of your players are on it.

Finally, always have a backup plan.