If you are a sports fan in the US there is a good chance that you have also taken part in some kind of fantasy sports competition over the last few years. These have become incredibly popular in the last decade or so and the biggest names in the business have now become some of the most well known in the world of sports.
You can put your sports knowledge to good use by making your picks on a sportsbook like BetUS. But you can also take what you know and play a variety of different fantasy sports competitions. Football and basketball are particularly popular in the US but it is soccer that rules the roost in many places across the world.
Fantasy soccer contests can be found everywhere and the most popular cover the biggest leagues in the world, like the EPL, La Liga, and even MLS. But what do you need to know before you start picking your fantasy roster? How can you prepare to become a winner at fantasy soccer?
Know the Game
It may seem obvious but the first thing to know is the game itself. You might be able to fall back on an encyclopedic knowledge of the NFL or retain obscure statistics about baseball – but if you don’t know as much about soccer, then you should really start doing your research. You can’t really expect to do well without having a grounding in the sport.
If you already have a good level of knowledge about soccer then you then need to know how to narrow down on the right competitions. Even European soccer fans well versed in the game might not know the ins and outs of the EPL unless they are closely following the action. Play what you know and you won’t go far wrong.
Understand the Game Rules
Knowing all about soccer – and having a particular league to concentrate on – is a good start. But you will also need to know how you can amass those all-important points to win your fantasy competitions. This starts off with knowing whether you are playing a season-long fantasy game or playing a DFS-style contest.
Different fantasy competitions will have their own rules on how you earn points with your chosen players. So, look out for how you can pick up the best scores in the game you are looking to play. For example, some games only award points for goals and assists – so a brilliant defensive midfield player may not earn you many points, however good every soccer fan thinks he is.
Pick the Best
Here comes another obvious fantasy soccer tip. You should always look to pick as many of the top players as possible. You will have some budget restrictions, of course. But if you are not picking the top scorers, you will not be getting enough points to win the contest. That is why Manchester City’s Erling Haaland should be the first name picked if you are playing an EPL fantasy game.
The trick in putting together your team for fantasy soccer is fitting in as many of the top players as you can without blowing your budget or having to populate the rest of your team with nobodies. Identify the players you cannot do without and then look for bargain buys elsewhere to complete your team.
Look for Differential Players
We have literally just told you to pick the top players but there is another way to become successful at fantasy soccer – and it won’t break your budget. Identifying differential players is the real skill when it comes to the majority of fantasy soccer games. These are very good players who somehow are not picked by many of the competitors.
This tip only really applies to the season-long fantasy contests, as daily games are a little bit more straightforward. With the longer games, you really need to know your soccer and be able to pick players who you know will pick up points. This can be defensive players on poor teams who score goals or midfielders who take penalties and free-kicks and can boost their points tally that way.
Team Schedules
This tip is for the season-long players again. Usually, you will have the opportunity to trade in and out players during the season. This allows you to discard injured players and bring in names that are enjoying a particularly successful time. But you can also get ahead of the game by, well, getting ahead with your games.
Don’t just look at the next weekend’s schedule for inspiration on your trade selections. Take the long view and check out the schedule for the next three or four weeks. You will then be able to see if your potential new player has some easier games coming up. If so, bring him in to rack up the points. If his team are playing all the top teams in the league, it might not be the kind of trade you thought it could be.
Remember Double Game Weeks
Unlike the NFL, most of the big soccer leagues in Europe have a number of midweek games throughout the season. These can either be scheduled well in advance or come at you at short notice because of postponements and other rearrangements. You definitely need to know how many games are happening every week to be successful at fantasy soccer.
For example, you may have picked a team with a good number of Manchester City players, as this is one of the best teams in the league. But if both Aston Villa and Spurs have a double game week, you should be looking to trade in their players to maximize the chance of points. This is just another example of how knowing soccer – inside and out – is the best way to be successful at fantasy games.