LABARINTH

I have never played before and have no idea what I am doing.

Here is my team:


I obviously tried to pick who I thought was best. I also tried to cover every position during bye weeks.

In the picture you can see all sorts of stats. What is important? What should I be looking at? How do I decide who to play each week?

Any other tips? I am a complete noob at this.

JGordon

Looks like a pretty solid team. How many teams in your league? I find that bigger leagues are a bit more fun, because you run out of stars and have to fill some holes with no name guys or people who can play multiple positions.

With a solid roster like you've got, I'd play matchups most weeks. Try to sit people who are going to go against the monster defenses (Steelers, San Diego, etc.) and start the guys going against the scrubs. A couple of weeks in you'll have a better handle on who is going to be having a great year and who the week defenses are. Due to bye weeks and injuries, you often won't even have to make decisions about who to start because you'll only have 1 guy available.

As far as stats go, just keep an eye on who is getting a lot of points each week and remember that Touchdowns are more important than yards. For example, Vernon Davis doesn't get a ton of yards, but he's a favorite redzone target, so he's good to start. My favorite example of this is BenJarvus GreenEllis (sp?) on the Patriots. They love to use him in the red zone but very rarely otherwise. His stats for the game will often be 28 yds, 2 TDs or something similar.

I think you've got a good lineup for your first week. I wouldn't change any of the guys you have starting. But make sure to check your lineup on Thursday and early Sunday morning -- sometimes last minute injuries happen (even before week 1) and you don't want to have anybody starting who isn't going to play that day.

Edit -- nvm, you don't have anyone playing in Thursday's game so you won't have to check in on Thurs. h:

Also, does your league get points for special teams yardage? Picking up a good punt/kick returner can be a good backup guy, as they are often listed as both WR/RBs and can be a good guy to have around in case one of your main guys goes down.

LABARINTH

There are 10 people (including myself) in the league.

I have no clue if we get points for special teams yardage. Any idea where to look? We are playing on ESPN.com

flipped cracka

protip: play the best people you have, and get more points than the other guy.

JGordon

There should be a tab you can click through that will show you how many points you get for yardage and other plays. On yahoo it's the "scoring and settings" tab, but I don't know what it would be on espn. For example, in my main league you get 1 point per 30 passing yards, 1 point per 10 rushing yards, 1 point per 12 receiving yards, and 1 point for 20 return yards. This commish has added return yards, as they are typically worth nothing if you stick with standard yahoo scoring. But the commish likes return yardage and he sets the rules, so I've gotta pay attention to kick returners.

NOPD

I would play your stud players no matter what the match up is. But if it's between a starter and a bench player on your roster that is a toss up, I'd play the player that is playing against the weaker defense.

k3ifers

what does the 'P' in red next to stafford mean?

i also have some 'O''s next to some of my players.

k3ifers

out and probable?

k3ifers

and q for questionable.

figured it out

NOPD

yes. keep yourself updated on those players on game day. so you would have time to change your roster if need be.