Fantasy Football Betting

Fantasy football is, as you might expect, one of the most popular fantasy sports in the United States. Fantasy sports betting is also very popular in other countries, even though most nations prefer fantasy soccer. Today, we are here to talk about American Football and what this type of fantasy sports betting has to offer.

For those of you who know little about it, you’ll be glad to learn that fantasy football betting is something you can do all year long. Due to the popularity of the National Football League (NFL), people love its fantasy counterpart and have made countless leagues you can bet on. Just like most types of fantasy sports, fantasy football is available for an entire NFL season, making it very exciting and rewarding in the long run.

Fantasy football betting is a big topic, and there’s a lot we need to talk about, including how to win real money from it and where to play it. We’ll also cover all the best online betting sites where you can bet on fantasy football. All in all, in this article, we’ll cover the following topics:

What are the best fantasy football online betting sites?
What is fantasy football?
How does fantasy football betting work?
Types of fantasy football leagues
Tips and tricks for fantasy football betting

GG.Bet

9.5

Bonus: 100% up to 200€

GG.Bet

ESPORTS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

GG.Bet

Pros

Variety of Esports Markets

Sleek User Interface

Cons

Luckbox

9.3

100% Bonus Deposit

Luckbox

ESPORTS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Luckbox

Pros

Combo Bet Cash Back

Double your First Deposit

Cons

Doesn't Except US players

No live chat

Top Fantasy Football Betting Sites 2021

If you want to bet on fantasy football and win real money, you need to know the right sites to join. We’ve got you covered there, as my team and I have made sure to check and review all the leading fantasy football online betting sites, from the top ones like Luckbox and FanDuel to countless less well-known ones. After careful tests, we ended up with the following list of sites we believe are by far, the best fantasy football online betting sites in 2021.

Betway

9.8

Bonus: $50 Free Bet

Betway

ESPORTS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Betway

Pros

Reputable Esports Betting Site

Large Esports Market

Cons

Not Esports Focused

Not Available for US Players

Luckbox

9.3

100% Bonus Deposit

Luckbox

ESPORTS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Luckbox

Pros

Combo Bet Cash Back

Double your First Deposit

Cons

Doesn't Except US players

No live chat

GG.Bet

9.5

Bonus: 100% of First Deposit

GG.Bet

ESPORTS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

GG.Bet

Pros

Quality Customer Support

Accepts Over 62 Payment Options

Cons

Not PayPal Friendly

ArcaneBet

9.6

Bonus: 100% of First Deposit

ArcaneBet

ESPORTS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

ArcaneBet

Pros

Accepts Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin

Fortnite Betting is Available

Cons

Restricted in Multiple Countries

Bovada

9.8

Bonus: 100% of First Deposit

Bovada

ESPORTS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Bovada

Pros

Accepts Players From USA

Bitcoin - Deposits & Withdraw

Cons

Restricted in Most Countries

Mixed Reviews Online

EnergyBet

7.9

Bonus: 100% of First Deposit

EnergyBet

ESPORTS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

EnergyBet

Pros

Wide Range of Esports Odds

Valued Welcome Bonus

Cons

Very Basic Odd / Bet Types

No Prop Bets

Galaxy.Bet

9.4

Up to $1000 Bonus

Galaxy.Bet

ESPORTS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Galaxy.Bet

Pros

Accepts: BTC, ETH, LTC

Wide Range of Esports Odds

Cons

Restricted in Bulgaria

Cookie

9.8

Bonus: $50 Free Bet

Cookie

ESPORTS

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Cookie

Pros

Cons

See All

Fantasy Football Explained

Many beginners can easily get lost in all the terminology, rules, and more if they’ve never played fantasy sports or fantasy football. However, it’s all straightforward once you understand what it is and how it works.

First of all, fantasy football is essentially the fantasy counterpart of the NFL. It functions in the same way as all other fantasy sports — you pick a team consisting of real-life players playing in NFL games, and you earn points based on what they do in real-life games. There’s not much more to it than following the sport and getting better and better at picking great players that will bring you more points.

You can choose one of the two versions of fantasy football — daily and draft. Daily fantasy football works like all other daily fantasy sports (DFS), and you get to pick a team for a single matchday and win points based on what they do for that day. On the other hand, draft fantasy football is much slower as it lasts for an entire season and covers many games. You get to pick players at the beginning of a season, and you keep earning points until it ends months later.

Daily fantasy sports are much faster and thus great for fans of fast betting and fast action, while draft fantasy sports are more for big fans of the sport who like to test their knowledge for an entire season and see how much they can win if they play fantasy football for a long time.

How Does Fantasy Football Betting Work?

Now that you know exactly what fantasy football is, let’s cover each step of how it actually works.

First, you need to join a fantasy football betting site and join a league you like. There are many different league types, and we’ll cover all the important ones later on, but for now, let’s assume you chose one and want to start betting and playing.

In most cases, you start by paying once at the start, but there are also systems where you need to pay every week. Regardless of the system, to win money, you have to pay beforehand, as is the case with all other gambling games.

Once that’s done, you need to pick the players and draft your team. Naturally, there are many lineups to choose from, and each has its own advantages that will be of great use if you want to be the winner. You will have to include the following positions:

1 flexible player (running back, wide receiver, or tight end)
1 quarterback
2 running backs
3 wide receivers
1 tight end

When your team is selected, the season begins. With every real-life game in the NFL, you’ll end up accumulating points. You get a specific amount of points for specific things your players achieve in every game of the season, but the exact point system will differ based on the site you join and the scoring system of the league you’ve entered. You can also make a trade at the end of the week if you think you need a better player.

Here are the most common actions for which you can get points:

Touchdowns
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Two-point conversions
Blocked punts
Interceptions
Returns

If you like playing daily fantasy sports games, you can go for daily fantasy football, where you get prizes at the end of every round and bet again on every game for the next week.

Types of Fantasy Football Leagues

Fortunately for all of you interested in betting on fantasy football, there are plenty of leagues out there. Fantasy football has existed for a while now, so it has evolved a lot and now features a wide variety of league types. If you’re going to start playing, you need to know about them and how they work. So, let’s cover the most popular ones.

Standard Scoring

Most leagues today use the standard scoring system, and some even offer small variations on the system. Standard scoring uses a very basic points allocation system, and each point you score has a simple explanation. You can score a point for every ten yards your players rush, for example. Other actions offer more points, so for example, a touchdown pass will award you six points, while a fumble or an intercepted pass will lose you a point.

Touchdown Scoring

Touchdown or touchdown-only scoring is an old-school system where you only get points when a player manages to get the ball to the endzone. It’s easy to learn but difficult to master, as you need to make sure you put players in your team who will score the most touchdowns.

Point-per-Reception (PPR) Scoring

The PPR system is almost the same as standard scoring, with one significant distinction — wide receivers always award you a point if they make a reception. As you can expect, this completely changes the entire strategy for fantasy football players, as you’ll always want to include a wide receiver who is known for regularly receiving the ball. There’s no need for them to reach the endzone for you to get points, like in standard scoring.

Dynasty Leagues

Dynasty leagues work in an almost identical way to the real NFL. You draft a team, and when the season ends, you can keep it in its entirety. These leagues are quite complex, as most players make investments for the future without making changes every season or every week. You have to be careful about choosing up-and-coming players, those who might get much better over time, instead of drafting the best players who could be much nearer to the end of their careers.

Re-Draft Leagues

With re-draft leagues, you get to pick a team whenever a new season starts and run it all season long. Then, when it ends, you have to draft new players to the team. There are different ways to do this, but most players like the method where you get the final pick during the second round if you manage to pick first during the first round.

Auction Leagues

You can probably already guess how these leagues work. Every player starts with a specific amount of money, and they have to keep their team’s total value under it. In this system, you have to be very careful about which players you choose, as you can’t pick only the most valuable players.

Keeper Leagues

Keeper leagues are mixtures of auction and re-draft leagues. In it, you keep a specific number of players from the previous year and draft the rest. Naturally, the system can vary from league to league, with different numbers of players kept and drafted.

50/50 Leagues

These special leagues are interesting as they heavily test your prowess against other players. Essentially, in this system, you win bets by finishing in the top half of the scoreboard. That way, the winners are all the players who manage to be in the top half of the board, while players who end up in the bottom half lose and don’t get paid.

Fantasy Football Betting Tips

Now that you know all the basics about playing and betting on fantasy football, it would be good to learn about some tips and strategies you should use to win money.

Do the research — research really matters in all fantasy sports betting, be it daily fantasy sports or draft fantasy sports. As the whole point is to draft a good team, you need to follow the game, and you need to know the players well. The more you know, the better your chances of creating the best team in your league.
Research the league you’re joining and the points system — besides the fact that you need to know the sport itself, you need to know the fantasy sport better. In other words, you need to learn how the league you’re joining works and the way the points are calculated. The latter is easy, but knowing the leagues well is a bit harder. It’s best to use the things you learned here and explore which league type is best for you. Remember, you’ll be playing all season long, so it’s best to know as much as you can in advance.
Study the competition — the game is much easier if you know how your opponents play, which is why it’s good to study your rivals. You might even learn to predict some of their moves.
Consider the whole team — when you draft players, you need to make sure your whole team is competent. It’s never a good idea to focus on getting one great player while disregarding the rest.
Make the trades — if you’re going to play the game, you really need to play it. This means that you need to throw yourself into the game and make trades whenever you need to improve your team. If you get bored after a while and stop applying yourself, you won’t win much.
Never drink and gamble — if you’re serious about fantasy football, you shouldn’t drink while playing, especially while you’re spending real money on the game. Drinking and gambling don’t go well together, so it’s best to stay sober and gamble responsibly.

Bottom Line

All in all, fantasy football can be a lot of fun. It offers lots of entertainment value for fans because you get to follow the sport itself and use your game knowledge to win fantasy football bets. You can get a lot better at it in time, and you could easily end up winning some serious money from this amazing form of online betting.

With the help of this guide and the online gambling platforms we recommend, you are ready to start your journey and become the best fantasy football player out there. Good luck and have fun.

FANTASY FOOTBALL BETTING F.A.Q.

Can you play fantasy football for free?

Yes, of course. Several sites let players play the game for free, be it daily fantasy sports sites or regular fantasy sports platforms. What's more, you can also organize leagues with friends and play the game for fun, not money. However, bear in mind that the best sites use money, and most opt to go down this route as the cost to enter a league is very low. Plus, the money adds more excitement to the game.

Is fantasy football a type of betting?

It really depends on your location. Some states in the US consider it a form of gambling, while others don't. It's best to check your local laws if you want to know more.

Is betting on fantasy football illegal?

Fantasy football is usually considered a game of chance and not a gambling game. However, this still largely depends on your location. In most US states, fantasy football is completely legal, but in some, it isn't, like in New York. The same goes for other countries in the world.

What is the best fantasy football site?

There is no single best fantasy football site, but there are certainly several great options. You can find all of them in our list of the best fantasy football betting sites for 2021.

30 May, 2022

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