It’s that time of year again. Aside from March Madness, Fall is my favorite “season.” There’s something about professional football (NFL & NCAA) that gets me going. Gridiron games really grind my gears.
I have always favored college football; however, with the founding of Fantasy Football the NFL gets more and more of my attention each year. Given my love of gambling, fantasy leagues have become a second source of income for me.
For those readers not so familiar with Fantasy Football, here it is by definition:
According to Wiki:
“Fantasy football is an interactive, virtual competition in which people manage professional football players versus one another. Fantasy football allows people to act as general managers of a pseudo-football team. The players that an individual is able to manage are professional American Football players in the National Football League. The different actions people are able to make are: drafting, trading, adding/dropping players, and changing rosters. Due to the growth of the internet, fantasy football has become far more popular in America today than ever before.”
Today kicks off my multiple days of drafting. Although the championships aren’t played for a few months, TODAY is when I win.
Since drafting players is similar to picking stocks, nothing is ever guaranteed. It’s a game of minimizing risks. After an incredibly long introduction, here is how to use investment objectives to win your fantasy football league.
Preservation of Capital
Investing
Translation: you’re a wuss. Not really, you’re probably just old. I kid, I kid!
Low Risk, Low Reward. With the markets so volatile, this isn’t a terrible strategy at the moment. US Government Debt has always been said to be the sure thing. Even after the debt-crisis, people flock to the treasuries for safety.
Fantasy Football
You don’t know what to do because things are volatile, so what do you do? Find the sure thing. Remember the guys like Hines Ward. Year-in year-out, you know what you’re going to get. It makes it easy to sleep at night.
Growth
Investing
Growth of capital is most closely associated with equities (common stock). You’re not going to see high yields but the opportunities of increasing values will be rewarding.
Fantasy Football
There are two ways to go here. Blue chips like Peyton Manning and Andre Johnson will continue to be studs but may be expensive; while speculative Sam Bradford could lead to high returns while requiring a small investment.
Income
Investing
I’m going to call you Miley Cyrus because you want The Best of Both Worlds. Unhappy about the 1% of your money market, you decide to take on a little bit of risk. Bonds are where it’s at. Whether it’s AAA, AA, or A you’re going to be relatively safe, but get that higher return you’re looking for.
Fantasy Football
I’m sticking with the Colts and calling on Reggie Wayne. Reggie is known to be consistent. There is the risk that he’ll go a few games without a touchdown, but his targets will still make you feel secure.
Tax Minimization
Investing
Translation: You’re living comfortably. You’re making money. Only problem is Uncle Sam taking his share. Stick with the Muni’s!
Fantasy Football
Be selective on who you are adding/dropping from your team. If you’re paying X dollars per pick-up, you want to make sure you aren’t grabbing the receiver who caught 2 balls for 96 yards (one being a hail-mary). You don’t want the “taxes” to eat up your winnings at season end.
I could’ve made this post 400 pages long. In the interest of your time and eyes, this is the abbreviated version. Reading this won’t win championships for you, but if you begin viewing fantasy players as stocks, I think you’ll get some clarity.
Draft like you invest.
Invest wisely.
