Fantasy Listings

Review

Basics
As mentioned earlier, the WCOFF really focuses on the main event, which each year crowns the World Champion of Fantasy Football. Around 800 teams compete each year for this prize. The vast majority of these teams draft live in Las Vegas on the Saturday after the opening Thursday game. Teams are divided into leagues of 12. Each member of a 12 man league plays each other in the first 11 weeks of the season. Then the top four teams in the league make the league playoffs in weeks 12 and 13. League winners and the next top 40 high scoring "Wild Card" teams advance to the Championship Playoffs in weeks 14-16. The Championship Playoffs have a brilliant scoring system, detailed as followed: Your average score for the regular season (weeks 1-11) plus your average score for the league playoffs (weeks 12 and 13) plus each individual score in weeks 14, 15, and 16. These five total scores are added together, and the team with the most points at the end wins top prize and all the glory. WCOFF champions truly receive the red carpet treatment - you're a celebrity at all future events, you get a huge banner with your picture on it in the draft rooms, dozens of interviews and appearances, etc. While the prize pool is very top heavy, the top 20 scorers in the Championship Playoffs all receive a prize. Second place is $50,000, all the way down to an extra $1000 for finishing 20th.

Scoring System and League Rules
The WCOFF uses a pretty standard PPR scoring format. QBs get 1 pt per 20 yards passing and 4 pts per TD. Receptions are worth 1 point. 1 pt per 10 yards rushing/receiving and 6 pts per TD. Starting lineups consist of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 WR/RB/TE flex, 1 K, and 1 Team Def. During league play in weeks 1-11 all participants receive $1000 for Free Agent Acquisition Blind Bidding. Once a week on Thursday waiver claims are processed and players are awarded to the person who bid the highest. A breakout WR, such as Miles Austin in 2009, is known to go for as much as $920 of the $1000. Free Agent Acquisition stops after week 11. From that point on you are stuck with your team, so be sure to have 2 kickers in case yours gets cut or injured!

Strategy
If you have never played high stakes fantasy football then the WCOFF draft will take you by surprise. While a lot of people are there just for fun, many of them are professional players that take this very seriously. You are literally playing against the best players in the world, and the draft will reflect that. Your sure fire sleeper that you got in round 8 of your other drafts may go in round 4 here. Don't be afraid to reach for your sleepers. Also remember that you are really playing against 900 people, not just the 12 in your league. Draft to win the championship - take the big gambles. Draft young, high upside players as your starters or shallow backups. Don't be afraid to stock up on WRs early - WRs are taken off the board faster than usual in these drafts, so if you wait you will be left with nothing. Definitely wait on QBs - WCOFFers realize there is not a lot of separation between QBs in this scoring system - get a teir 2 guy in round 7 or 8 while you stock up on WRs early. The draft is deep - 20 rounds - just draft one defense and one kicker and then dig for the super sleepers with your last five picks. Young second string RBs or breakout WRs drafted in these rounds can pay big dividends as you fight for the title in weeks 14-16.