Fantasy Sports - anybody play them here?
 

Talking real sports but fantasy teams consisting of those real players. It's something I've gotten into during lockdown and whilst I only play the contests on PaddyPower, and even then only enter the really low-stakes contests (or the occasional free one with cash payout), I'm finding trying to work out the best selection of players/animals within whatever the budget is and then watching them play out really fun.

It's a shame there don't appear to be any really cheap Baseball contests offered as I actually ended up doing reasonably well at the Spring Practise Wiffle Ball games despite knowing very little about either game (cashed in more contests than I didn't). Sadly there also don't seem to be many really low-stakes Nascar events either but I did find one the other month and just managed to cash in it.

Anyways, currently I have 5/6 of my players in a pay tournament through to the final rounds of the US Masters which gives me a chance of cashing if they do well, free entries to both the UFC and Wrestlemania (neither of which I have much of a clue about tbh) and will be entering the usual lowest-tier pay EPL contests (actually managed to cash in both the UCL days and Friday night game this week) and free horseracing ones over the weekend (only winner gets paid so never much chance but you gotta be in it to be in with a chance ain't ya).

I know Yods and a few on here play fantasy Baseball - anybody else play any of these types of things?

edit: eek, the UFC actually wasn't a free entry, it was 25c - I must have been feeling crazy adventurous that day as no doubts my 'team' will get absolutely thrashed lol

Re: Fantasy Sports - anybody play them here?
 

Ok, just me then :D
Surprisingly I actually cashed in the UFC contest (554 / 7,185) despite my MVP pick being the lowest scoring member of my 'team' :)
Finished 302 / 6,501 in the horseracing which isn't bad but only the winner gets paid so it's always more for fun than hopes of cashing (and it's free anyway).
EPL went completely pear-shaped for me so that little run well and truly came to an end :(
Am off the pace in Wrestlemania (1 win, 2 def from my fighters thus far) but it was a free entry and I hardly did any knowledge-gaining so it's not unexpected.
US Masters is really in the balance, could go either way - currently in the payzone but only by about 5 points which is less than two birdies and I'm a man down.

Re: Fantasy Sports - anybody play them here?
 

As expected the Wrestlemania resulted in nothing but embarrassment (think only two of my six won their fights), finished on 62 pts and the payzone started at 86.30 so not even close to winning some free money :D
Cashed in the Sunday EPL to get back on course with the footie (204 / 958) but it was very much a last gasp charge thanks to having both Martinelli & Lacazette in my team. Highly unusual for my beloved Arsenal to provide me with some joy this season :D
Also cashed in the US Masters (11,062 / 47,281), was in the money from the second round onwards but undoubtedly 'Mister Par' (Jon Rahm) scooting up the leaderboard to finish tied for 5th with a -6 in the final round was a massive help.

WWF/WWE... Wrestling... it's been so long... I remember a time that in 1998, The Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell In A Cell, and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table...

EDIT:

But seriously,

I've always wanted to play Fantasy Sports, etc. but I never knew exactly what it was or all it entailed? Maybe I'll join you if you give me some tips. :)

Re: Fantasy Sports - anybody play them here?
 

Haha, I'm still but a mere novice meself (which is why I only play the really cheap entry or free ones for the time being) so I wouldn't be the right person to ask for tips in general but one I have learned is to double-check your entries close to the starting time and make sure all your 'team' are actually participating (I've had a few footie ones where the player was 'expected to play' but actually is starting on the bench or in Wiffle Ball they simply weren't selected to play at all).

As to how they work though - generally each player has an individual price tag and the 'team' has an overall budget, clearly designed so one cannot simply pick all the best players but has to make trade-off decisions between how much they are gonna cost and how likely they might be to put in a performance and how many points you think they might be able to earn if they do. It also means that there's usually going to be a fair amount of diversity between 'teams' and that's the part I find most fascinating tbh.

Just an EPL entry for me tonight and then UCL entries on the cards for Tues/Weds.

Re: Fantasy Sports - anybody play them here?
 

Baseball/football every year, as you alluded to. Multiple teams if I can get 'em but that's about it. Haven't tried anything else (basketball, hockey, soccer, whatever). Just not enough hours in the day for more than the two sports!

Re: Fantasy Sports - anybody play them here?
 

Would I be correct in saying yours are generally season-long events Yods? I assume those require much more initial analysis whereas I've tended toward the single-event (or multiple events / single day) affairs as they are easier/quicker to develop a read on ..... and I get to do them more often ;) Might look at longer-term stuff in time but for now I think the more 'instant' timelines suit my needs better.

Re: Fantasy Sports - anybody play them here?
 

Oh yeah, all season-long.

I know the industry has moved heavily towards one-day things, Draft Kings and all that. I've stayed away from it, since that's constant, always involves real money/actual gambling. Not condemning it, just think it's the kind of thing I might become obsessive about (or not be able to do well at without becoming obsessive about it). :laugh:

I like the long-haul, I make a lot of hay by not overreacting to stuff, so it's a good fit for me for that reason, too, but I know this stuff is gettin' really popular.

Re: Fantasy Sports - anybody play them here?
 

Managed to cash in last night's EPL. Tonights UCL hopes are pinned on the PSG/Bayern game with six of my squad in that contest and just Rüdiger in my team from the Chelsea/Porto match.

Nice to see a free-to-enter contest with cash prizes for this week's RBC Heritage event on the PGA tour has been added.

Cashed in last night's UCL (finished 366 / 2,395), will work out my squad for the games tonight much nearer game-time.

Have set my team for the RBC Heritage event starting tomorrow already. As it's a free-to-enter affair (which means any prize-money will be limited to very few spots at the top) I've opted for a team that leaves out most of the bigger name players as an experiment. Probably unlikely enough will make the cut (prizes will almost certainly be going solely to teams that get all six through) let alone perform well enough over all four rounds ..... but it's a no-risk situation and if by chance they do all perform really well I doubt anyone else will have exactly the same line-up :D
My team: Matthew Fitzpatrick, Abraham Ancer, Brian Harman, Charley Hoffman, Russell Henley, Michael Thompson

Re: Fantasy Sports - anybody play them here?
 

Another UCL night and another cash, this time finishing 105 / 2,395 :) Playing for peanuts so only winning peanuts, unless one is fortunate enough to get a top 10 finish. I suspect if I were to move up the stakes ladder then competition would likely be proportionately stronger, but as all I was looking for was a cheap time-filler (something other than film/music) to relieve the boredom of the 'lockdowns' this is filling that need nicely just as it is.

Usual EPL contests to come over the weekend (Fri/Sat entries already purchased from last nights winnings). I'll move to just posting a short weekly round-up from now on as there seems to be little interest.

Friday EPL (25c entry) went well with me finishing 28 / 958 and picking up a massive 75c :D (did say I was playing for peanuts).

The weekend was decidedly mixed:

• Sat EPL (25c entry) was dreadful, placing 1,994 / 2,380.
• Sat UFC (25c entry) saw me finish 3,792 / 8,640, really not helped by one of my fighters scoring a big, fat zero (which basically means he got in the ring, got smashed without landing anything meaningful and was carried out :D). I'll probably give up on UFC contests as I just don't have the basic knowledge to be able to form better opinions and all the action happens whilst I'm in the Land of Nod anyway.
• Sun EPL (25c entry) saw me in the top 10 until the final ten minutes where not having Mason Greenwood in my team saw me tumble down the leaderboard, eventually ending up 109 / 958 at the final whistle. Cashed 50c though so at least the short losing run was ended.
• Sun horses (free entry) saw me pick four winners from the seven races but I got little else and although 34 / 5,665 is a very decent finishing position only the lucky winner gets paid (€1,000) so I still walked away with nowt for my efforts.
• The RBC Heritage PGA event (free entry) was a marked success though, with all six of my players making the cut and performing well enough over the four days to just squeeze into the money (190 / 4,969) ... earning me €2.