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Or
alternately titled "Reading The Fine Print"
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Choosing
The Game For You
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There are dozens of fantasy football leagues now available,
each with their own rules, game format, and prize structure.
We're not here to say that everyone who does it differently
than HeySportsFans is wrong. Absolutely not. With millions
of fantasy sport enthusiasts, there's certainly room for
variety (Hey, that's what makes America great) and there are
many fine contest providers out there, in addition to
HeySportsFans, worthy of your consideration. With that said,
there are also many contests with an extreme degree of
risk/reward that deserve careful study before joining. Each
contest has it's own strengths and weaknesses, and it's up
to you to find the one that matches your personal needs in
regards to budget, time requirements, style of play, prize
expectation, and ultimately, fun factor. What he wish to do
here is present some of the common key points you should be
aware of as you shop around for a league. These can have a
significant impact on your total cost, your winnings, and
your general satisfaction. Be sure you are able to get
answers for each of these key points before you signup. An
informed shopper is a happy shopper.
It may seem obvious, but read the Official Rules. That
means before you join and carefully again before the start
of the season. Flashing graphics and bold print with
exclamation points may grab your attention on a website, but
this is the real meat and potatoes of what you're commiting
yourself. In it you should find everything you need to
participate, including: costs, how to play, scoring system,
prizes, eligibility, technical issues, and how disputes are
handled. Some
sites will have a basic set of rules pages, then a link to
Legal Disclaimers. Be sure to read
both.
- At
HeySportsFans, the official rules may be found in the
left-hand menu of each individual game, using the link
"Terms & Conditions."
Before we get into details, you better be sure you're even
eligible to win prizes. Know your state's or province's
eligibility rules regarding participation in skill-based
contests such as fantasy sports. Ultimately this is your
legal responsibility, not the contest provider's. Many
contest official rules just say "Void where prohibited by
law" and are more than happy to take your money and let you
sign up. But guaranteed, if you are 17 years old, reside in
Florida and happen to win the Grand Prize at any number of
sites you WILL NOT be getting a check from them. These
eligibility rules are fairly standard to all reputable
contests. If you're unsure about your own circumstances,
contact your state's Attorney General office for
clarification. If you are ineligible to win prizes, then
find an inexpensive contest that will let you enjoy an
exciting game with some good competition. We have many
players who realize it's better to play for fun than not to
play at all. And then contact your local state
representatives to see about changing those laws that forbid
you from playing for prizes.
- At
HeySportsFans, we explicitly list in the Terms &
Conditions states and provinces where you may play but are
not eligible to win prizes.
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Trade/Player
Transaction Fees
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This is the one that can nickel and dime you to death. Many
games offer a low entry fee, such as $9.95, but then charge
for each trade or player transaction you make. Costs can
range up to $2 per trade to $10 for picking up a free agent.
They have your credit card number and each time you make a
move, cha-ching! Over the course of a season, it's not
unusual for this to total $100 or more. If you choose to
play in a league like this, it's important to set a budget
and pace yourself. It's no fun getting in over your head,
paying out more than you intended in the hopes of a miracle
finish nor using up the majority of your self-allotted moves
in September only to find yourself hamstrung in December in
the midst of a tight playoff hunt.
- At
HeySportsFans, trades are always unlimited and always free.
May the best fantasy football manager win, not the one with
the deepest pockets.
Here's an example based on an actual contest. $25,000 Grand
Prize. Sounds nice. What they don't tell you and you would
only know if you've read the Official Rules (you've already
done that, right?) is that the Grand Prize and every other
prize is based on 2000 entries. If there's less than 2000
entries then all prizes are prorated, in other words, paid
as a percentage based on the number of entries actually
received. So in this case, if they only receive 200 entries
then the grand prize would be one-tenth the publicized
amount, or $2500. That's a significant difference and could
lead you to be surprised, shocked, and/or angry if you're
the #1 team at the end of the season and weren't aware of
the situation.
Prorated prize structures are quite common and allows web
sites to promote a seemingly large Grand Prize with no risk
to themselves and without any qualification as to whether
it's even realistic they will get the required number of
entries to pay the publicized Grand Prize amount.
- At
HeySportsFans, all overall Grand Prizes are guaranteed
amounts.
This is a measure of how much of the total game fees
collected get paid back in prizes at the end. So $10,000 in
prizes divided by $20,000 in game fees would by a 50% prize
payout percentage. This percentage can vary wildly from
under 40% to over 90%. Although it can tell you a lot, it's
a relative measure and shouldn't be used just by itself. You
may find it perfectly acceptable to participate in a fantasy
game with a low payout percentage if the prize amounts
themselves are satisfactory to you or they are providing
some other service or game feature that outweighs pure
winnings. However, it's food for thought if you're comparing
two similar contests and one has a higher prize payout
percentage than the other. Often this percentage can't be
determined by information on the website alone. If it's not
specified, contact the contest provider and ask about
previous seasons, other recent contests they've held, and
what are the expectations for the upcoming contest.
- At
HeySportsFans, the prize payout percentages for Fantasy
Football are clearly posted and reach as high as
90%.
This is a measure of what your chances are of winning,
anything, of any size prize. Simply divide the number of
prizes by the number of entries. This is easiest to
determine when prizes are distributed via leagues with a set
number of teams in each. So if there are 5 total prizes
awarded per each 25 team league, the odds of winning for
that league would be 1 in 5. Again, it's a relative measure,
not to be taken by itself. Perhaps you're content with
relatively low odds, such as 1 in 40 (even California Super
Lotto offers overall odds of winning of 1 in 23) because the
prize amounts are substantial. Of course, every person
assumes that they are "The One", so in the unlikely event
(ahem) you're just one of the other 39 non-winners
(otherwise affectionately known around the water-cooler as
"losers") who walk away with absolutely nothing, are you
going to get enough enjoyment just from playing the game
itself to justify your participation? Again, this is often
not posted or possible to calculate from information
available on the website, so contact the contest provider
for examples of past performance.
- At
HeySportsFans Fantasy Football, at least half of all teams
win. You're an above average team, you deserve something for
your efforts.
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Company
Reputation, Integrity & Support
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At it's heart, when you join a fantasy football league, you
are really paying for a service. For the contest provider to
manage the game in a fair and accurate manner, provide the
entertainment value you expected, with excellent customer
service, and distribute all prizes promptly and completely.
Take the time to learn about the company you are entrusting
your hard earned cash and investment of time and energy.
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HeySportsFans has been in business since 2000, has paid out
tens of thousands of dollars in prizes to hundreds of
winners, and offers quick, friendly personal service. The
ever increasing number of returning players who recommend
HeySportsFans to their friends and family speaks for
itself.
So before you run a mock draft, mark your cheatsheets, or
check the injury reports, do yourself a favor and do a
little research on not just the players, but where to play.
We encourage you to use HeySportsFans as a baseline and do a
hard feature-by-feature comparison with other similar
contests. Remember the key questions:
1. Am I elegible to win prizes?
2. Are there extra costs, such as for trades?
3. Are the prizes prorated?
4. What's the prize payout percentage?
5. What are my odds of winning?
6. Do I trust the company to pay out at the end of the
season?
No matter where you end up playing, you'll have the
confidence that comes of an informed decision, with no
unwelcome surprises awaiting you during or after the season.
We hope these tips help bring more fun to your fantasy
football experience!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact
us.
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