New to fantasy Arena Football?
By Paul Celmer
So you have decided to take the plunge and join a fantasy Arena Football league. You have made the right choice. And you are in for a wild ride.
Scoring
The first thing to realize is that there is more scoring in Arena Football than in the NFL. Much more. Where a great quarterback in the NFL might throw three TDs in a game, a quarterback in the AFL who only threw three TDs a game would be laughed out of the league. A good Arena quarterback will throw for at least five scores each week. The same increase in scoring goes for wide receivers. A good Arena Football wide receiver will catch at least three TDs a game, and five is not too far out. Get used to those numbers, because you are going to see a lot of them.
Running Backs
The other big change from the fantasy NFL is the running backs. Well, I should say fullbacks, because technically there are no running backs in the Arena Football league. But in any case, unlike the NFL, where running backs are the backbone of your fantasy team, Arena Football fullbacks are generally an afterthought, much like most tight ends in the outdoor game. A good Arena Football fullback will rush for only one TD and might get only 10 or 20 yards per game. But there are of course exceptions (like Dan Alexander, for example, who profited from a beefed-up offensive line due to the new substitution rules, but more on that in another article).
Two-way Players
The last thing to remember is that some on your roster will play both ways. That’s right, they will be on both offense and defense. While you might only rarely see this in the NFL (Mike Vrabel comes to mind, or Randy Moss put in to defend against a last second Hail Mary), this 2-way play is very common in the AFL. So if you see a player listed as WR/DB, for example, don’t panic. It simply means the player is a two-way "Ironman," in this case a wide receiver/defensive back. Still, there are a few players that only play on one side of the ball. The quarterback only plays offense, and there are usually two Defensive Specialists (DS) who, as the name implies, play only defense.
Rosters and Points
Now, how does the scoring work? Following is a typical scoring system. You will see that in many ways it is not that different from what you are used to seeing in your NFL fantasy leagues. A typical fantasy lineup might look like this:
1 QB (Quarterback)
3 WRs (can be WR/DB or WR/LB)
1 FB/LB (Fullback/Linebacker)
1 K (Kicker)
2 DS (Defensive Specialists)
And here are the essentials of the scoring system:
Fantasy Points
Every 20 yards Passing = 1
Touchdown Pass = 3
Interception Thrown = -2
Every 3 yards Rushing = 1
Rushing Touchdown = 6
Every 10 yards Receiving = 1
Touchdown Catch = 5
Reception = 1
PAT (kicking) = 1
FG (less than 31 yards) = 3
FG (31 to 49 yards) = 4
FG (over 50 yards) = 5
INT return for TD = 6
Fumble Recovery return for TD = 6
Kick Return for TD (missed FG, kick off) = 6
INT (Defensive) = 3
Fumble Recovery (Defensive) = 3
Sack = 3
Tackle = 2
Assisted Tackle = 1
Leagues
So where can you join a league? There are a number of websites that offer fantasy Arena Football. The staff here at ArenaFootballOnline have been in leagues for nearly ten years, and we have had great success with Goal Line software. Arena Fan also hosts fantasy leagues. The Arena Football season starts in late February, so check back with us over the next few weeks for more detailed information on who will be the league studs, duds, and sleepers for 2008.
Now all you need to do is to recruit a few of your buddies who are willing to take a chance on the indoor game. And after the Patriots win the big game in February, you won’t have to go into withdrawal for 6 months. Fantasy Arena Football will keep you going all year long. And once you start, you will never understand how you were able to survive without it...
Paul Celmer, aka The Philosopher of Arena Football is a member of the Arena Football League Writers Association and a founding member of Arena Football Online. Contact Paul at pcelmer@arenafootballonline.com
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