Are you new to dynasty?
Are you about to join your first dynasty startup or are you taking over an orphan?
We remember when we took the first step down the dynasty path and, at times, the vocabulary was a bit foreign. Here is a list of a lot of the words you will hear on Podcasts and see in your league chats.
If you have any suggestions for additional dynasty startup, fantasy, or even NFL football terms, leave them in the comments!
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| 2QB | fantasy football format requiring managers to start two quarterbacks in their lineup each week; increases the value of quarterbacks due to scarcity |
| 3RR | Third Round Reversal - a type of draft where the first two rounds snake (1-10, 10-1), the third round repeats (10-1) and then snakes for the rest of the rounds |
| Add/Drop | general term for adding or dropping a player after a draft |
| aDOT | Average Depth of Target - the distance from the line of scrimmage to where the ball is caught |
| ADP | Average Draft Position - the mean point at which a player is drafted in a given season across a certain format; this helps you decide when a player will be selected in a dynasty startup draft or a rookie draft |
| Analytics | the use of statistics and numbers to evaluate players or teams; considered "nerds"; never grinders |
| Auction Draft | an alternative to a regular draft; each manager has a budget and players are auctioned to the highest bidder |
| Bellcow | a running back who receives the majority of the touches |
| Bench | the players on your roster who are not in your starting line-up |
| Best Ball | a fantasy football format where you do not set a lineup, rather your best players are selected by the platform based on results |
| Blind Bid | a type of waiver process where managers can place a blind bid on free agents |
| BPA | Best Player Available - a draft strategy that ignores position and focuses on picking the most talented players |
| Breakout Age | the age that a wide receiver first achieved 20+% Dominator Rating in college. |
| Bust | a player who has underperformed in relation to his draft capital |
| Buy Low | a player who's value has dropped and may be available for a smaller cost compared to his potential value |
| Carry | a rushing attempt |
| Ceiling | the most a player will be able to score, based on tangibles such as previous scoring, ability, team and team mates |
| College Dominator | the percentage of a wide receivers total team receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in college. |
| Commissioner | the entity running a league; generally the commissioner is one of the managers |
| Consensus Rankings | a collective ranking of players based on a specified set of individual rankings. Helps remove any variance caused by one ranker varying drastically from the norm |
| Cornerback (CB) | a position in IDP leagues for players who cover receivers; do NOT draft corners |
| Cuts | the time of season when rosters are reduced to in-season levels |
| Deep Benches | a fantasy league feature where there are many bench spots; creates scarcity and requires planning |
| Deep Sleepers | players who may not be selected in a draft but are believed to hold value |
| Defensive End (DE) | a position in IDP leagues also known as an Edge; player who lines up outside the tackles and rushes the passer |
| Defensive Tackle (DT) | a position in IDP leagues for players who lineup inside of the tackles, generally over the guards & center; also called IDL (interior defensive lineman) in some circles |
| Depth Chart | an unofficial ranking of players based upon their playing time |
| Devy League | Developmental Fantasy League - a fantasy football format where you draft players who are still in college |
| DFS | Daily Fantasy Sports - a variety of different contests that focus on weekly picks |
| Dispersal Draft | type of draft where a pool of players is drafted by a subset group of managers; generally used when a league is replacing multiple managers |
| Downhill Runner | typically a bigger running back who uses his physical size to run in a direct line toards the goal |
| Draft | an event where players are distributed to teams via a selection process |
| Draft Capital | the pick value required to acquire a player. A player picked early will have higher draft capital than a player picked later |
| Draft Class | the players drafted in the same year |
| Draft Order | the order in which managers will select players; generally the reverse order of how managers finished the previous season |
| DST or D/ST | a roster position for a team's defense and special teams; don't join leagues with team defense |
| Dues | annual payment for a fantasy league |
| Dynasty | a fantasy football format where players are retained from year to year, rather than drafting a new team annually (redraft) |
| Dynasty Rankings | an analysts opinion on the best players at each position in the dynasty format; generally this is a 3 projection |
| Edge | a defensive player who lines up outside of the tackle; generally a pass rusher |
| Empire League | a dynasty league with a multi-season goal which when achieved triggers the end of the league |
| End Zone | 10 yard area at each end of the playing field, scoring plays occur within this area |
| FAAB | Free-Agent Acquisition Budget, in app cash used to secure players from the waiver wire. Used as an alternative to position based waiver priority |
| FCFS | First Come, First Serve - a type of waivers where free agents can be acquired for no cost |
| Film | video footage of a player; generally used with the word "grind" or "grinder" to denote hard work |
| FleaFlicker | a fantasy football platform; free |
| Flex | a roster position for multiple positions; generally the flex is for running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends |
| Floor | the lowest amount a player is expected to score, based on tangibles such as previous scoring, ability, team and team mates |
| Free Agents | players not currently rostered |
| Gap | the space between two offensive linemen; labeled with letters |
| Guillotine League | a fantasy format where the lowest scoring team weekly is eliminated and its roster placed into the free agent pool |
| Handcuff | a backup to a player you have on your roster; generally drafted as an insurance policy |
| Hold | to retain a player; sometimes refers to retaining a player after a poor season |
| Hot Take | a controversial opinion that varies drastically from the norm |
| Hype Train | a situation where a group of fantasy writers all begin to like a player and the player's value increases |
| IDP | Individual Defensive Postion - teams draft defensive players in the same way they draft offensive players; used to replace Team Defense |
| Injured Reserve | also known as IR - an injury designation in the NFL that is often replicated in dynasty leagues; allows you to add a replacement without losing the original player |
| JAG | Just Another Guy - a replacable player; nothing special. |
| Keeper League | a fantasy football format where you keep a limited amount of players each year; a hybrid between redraft and dynasty |
| Kickers | the position that divides every home league between those who hate them and those who love them |
| LeagueSafe | fantasy football based payment site; used to hold money for leagues to avoid issues |
| Linebacker (LB) | a position in IDP leagues for players who lineup behind the defensive line |
| Lineup | your weekly submission of starters for your team; will vary depending on league rules |
| London Games | series of games early in the season played in London, England. Managers, especially on the West Coast need to be aware of the early kick off times |
| MFL | My Fantasy League - fantasy football platform; most customizable but expensive (JJ's favorite!) |
| Mock Draft | a simulated draft created seemingly to begin arguments |
| On the Clock | when your team is drafting; refers to the timer to make your pick |
| Orphan | a team in a dynasty league without a manager |
| PFF | Pro Football Focus - industry site that provides player grades based upon their metrics |
| Pool | group of players not on a roster |
| Potential Points | total number of points if lineups were set perfectly |
| PP1D | Points per First Down - players receive a set amount of points for each first down attained |
| PPC | Points per Carry - players receive a set amount of points per each carry; generally .25 points or lower |
| PPR | Points per Reception - players receive a set amount of points per each reception; generally either .5 points or 1 point per reception |
| Projections | a forecast of the number of points a player will score |
| Quads | Quadriceps - a muscle that AJ Dillon has in abundance |
| RBBC | Running Back By Committee - a football team who uses multiple running backs rather than a single back (bellcow) |
| Reality Sports Online | a fantasy football platform that provides a more realistic team management experience; paid |
| Receiving Back | a running back who is mostly used on passing plays |
| Red Zone | the area of the field between the End Zone and the Twenty Yard Line |
| Red Zone | live highlights program broadcast on a Sunday, shows all scoring plays from that days games |
| Redraft | a fantasy football format where you draft a new team annually |
| Regression | statistical theory that the season following an outlier will fall within norm |
| Rookie Draft | annual event where dynasty managers select incoming rookies to their rosters |
| Route Tree | a visual representation of the basic routes run by wide receivers. All routes branch from one central vertical route giving the impression of a tree |
| Safety (S) | a position in IDP leagues for players who generally lineup behind the linebackers; deep position group and difficult to forecast |
| Salary Cap League | a fantasy format where each team has an annual budget for players; meant to replicate the NFL process |
| Satellite Back | a running back who is mostly used on passing plays; see Receiving Back |
| Scat Back | a running back who is mostly used on passing plays; see Receiving Back |
| Scott Fish Bowl | a massive tournament run by Scott Fish to benefit Toys for Tots; fantastic way to meet people |
| Sell High | a Player who's value is at it's highest, selling at this point should return maximum value |
| SF | Superflex - a flex position that can be filled by a quarterback as well as a running back, wide receiver, or tight end |
| Shutdown Corner | an elite cornerback, often shadows the opponents best wide receiver; receivers facing a shut down corner are likely to have a disappointing fantasy week. |
| Sleeper | players who may be selected later in drafts who may hold some value |
| Sleeper | an app-based platform for playing fantasy football |
| Slot Receiver | a receiver who primarily lines up between the tackle/tight end and the outside receiver |
| Slow Draft | draft format where teams have up to 8 hours to make a pick (league dependent) |
| Snake Draft | type of draft where the order reverses every round, rather than repeating the same order |
| Snap Count | a statistic tracking the number of snaps played as a number and a percentage of the total possible snaps; used to understand opportunity |
| Stack | a fantasy strategy where you pick players from the same team to capitalize on an offense's strength; generally a QB/WR combo |
| Standard League | refers to a non-ppr league |
| Start Up Draft | the first draft used to set up a dynasty league, all players actively playing in the NFL are available for selection. |
| Start/Sit | type of article where experts provide their picks for players to start and players to bench |
| Stash | a player that is not expected to be valuable during the current season but has the talent to be valuable in the future; held on a roster to prevent other teams from picking the player. |
| Sweetener | an extra piece added to a trade to close the deal |
| Tables | a plotting of numbers in a chart, normally on Excel or Google Sheets; or an item through which some Bills' fans like to be thrown |
| Target | an attempted pass to a player; or a player desired by a manager |
| Taxi Squad | a league feature where young players can be kept; varies depending on league rules |
| TE Premium | Tight End Premium - a league which rewards tight ends with either extra points per reception (PPR) or extra points per receiving yard |
| Team Defense | a roster position for a team's defense and special teams; don't join leagues with team defense |
| Third Down Running Back | a running back who is mostly used on passing plays; see Receiving Back |
| Three Down Linebacker | the most coveted of linebackers; a player who remains on the field for passing downs |
| Three Down Running Back | a running back that has ability to rush the ball and can be involved in the passing game |
| Tiers | an approach to ranking where players are grouped by their perceived potential |
| Toilet Bowl | an end-of-season tournament between non-playoff teams to determine the worst team; a means of keeping all players active in the league; often requires the 'winning' team to carry out a forfeit |
| Touchdown Vulture | a player who replaces the main running back near the endzone and scores a touchdown |
| Trade | a transaction when two teams exchange players and/or picks |
| Trade Bait | a feature in most fantasy football platforms where a manager can list players and/or picks they are willing to trade |
| Upright Runner | a running back who runs in an upright position (ie Eddie George) |
| Vampire League | a fantasy football format where one team manager does not participate in the draft; this "vampire" team must make up their roster from the remaining pool of players and if the vampire wins a week they are permitted to take a player from their opponents roster |
| Vertical Runner | a running back who runs in an upright position (ie Eddie George); a running back that uses his size to run the football in a direct approach to the end zone. Often looks to initiate contact with defensive players. See Downhill runner |
| Waivers | the process for adding a player after the draft; managers place blind requests for players and at a specified time waivers are processed according to league rules |
| Yardage Bonus | scoring format where players receive a bonus for achieving statistical goals (ie 100 rushing yards or 300 passing yards) |
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