Newbie to Fantasy? Here's 5 Tips to Help You Improve

Generally this guide will be used for Fantasy Basketball, but most fantasy leagues have the same concept. Win Categories of X statistic. The league that I've played for approximately 5-6 years uses a Head 2 Head (H2H) Most Categories format. We have a total of 12 categories, and I'll share some tips I use to improve your team over the season.

"If you lose interest, you won't win."

Do Your Research
One thing that most of the people in my league don't do is use Twitter. There is an abundance of information out there and if you're always on twitter like I am, then the resource is invaluable. Having LIVE updates on injury reports is crucial to having an advantage over your peers, and can also secure you sleepers in the waiver wire before anyone else.
Don't forget to watch games! I know it's a chore people, but c'mon people you have to. Don't just watch marquee games, watch games that aren't popular. These games are usually where you can find sleepers. Read box scores of most games, then do your research on those players who could be sitting in the waiver reports. I tend to look for consistent players, not players who have a good game here and there and completely fail at everything else.

Keep a Close Eye on Your Injured Players
Some people like to hold on to their injured players and ride them out. Some like to get rid of them straight away. There is no right answer here and you'll just have to go by your gut. Gathering as much information and reports on these players is important to make the decision to keep or drop the player. If you've been riding on an injured player for a few weeks and there's still no report suggesting of when the player will be returning then it might be time to get rid of that player.

Points Aren't Everything!
Time and time again, I see Fantasy newbies only sorting their rosters and waivers by points. This is a BIG no no. While it's always good to have lots of points, points only count for 1 category. If you're winning 1 category but losing 11 others, that's not exactly a smart move. Think before you select a player to join your roster! Someone who gains 5pts but also does 4 blocks a game could be much more valuable then a player who drops 26pts a night.

Be Social
Constantly talking about fantasy with friends is a great way to stay interested in it. It's super important if you wanna come home with the Ship at the end of the season. You must be able to stay interested through the entire season in order to keep up to date with all the player injuries, free agents and waivers. If you lose interest, you won't win. Simple as that.

Combo Players are Key
If you really want to win your fantasy league. You need to step away from your superstar names (Not all though, most superstars are multi-faceted) and realise that it is the team that wins you categories weekly. A combo player is a player who has the ability to play multiple positions and/or has a unique ability that gains him a stat in an unorthodox position. For example, combo guards who can play both PG and SG are a great way to always have a back up for that position when you need them during the week. My favourite combo's are SG/SF and PF/C. An unortodox stat for a position is for example a 3pt shooter at the PF/C position. These players will gain you those extra stats, while still filling the roles of gaining you high rebounds, likely double doubles and most probably blocked shots. Similarly, guards who can rebound are also big assets.

I hope these tips have helped broaden your knowledge of the Fantasy scene. Please feel free to post some comments below on your thoughts of the tips or if you have more tips to help people. :)