The development of fantasy sports and sports betting has created a whole new market for sports fans. Whether it is making NFL picks in a survivor league, betting on games each week, or rostering players on a daily or seasonal basis, there is content to be consumed to ensure the best performance.
But that research looks different for each person. Casual players in free leagues may not care to spend time researching information. Others have made a career out of playing fantasy sports in high-stakes leagues or have become so good at sports betting they can focus on that as if it were the stock market.
There are also people who exploit the market, disguising their NFL predictions as people to have to pay for. With all the information available for free, there is no reason to pay for that content.
Across all different sports, there are people who are paid to generate content for sports fans. Whether that is injury news or analyzing fantasy matchups, there is enough free content to read for those who don’t opt for their own research. But there are also some quick and easy ways to research games and formulate one’s own plan.
Here are a few tips for researching and crafting your own betting and fantasy predictions.
Follow Injury Reports
The NFL mandates injury and practice reports on a daily basis. Those come out on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Occasionally there will be additions to injury reports on Saturdays or Sundays, but the official actives and inactives report come out 90 minutes before kickoff.
Those who cover the team for different outlets will be at practice and are able to report on how players are progressing toward playing or are limited. Coaches will sometimes offer additional notes on how players are progressing or hint at who may or may not play.
Take into account the importance of the player. Linemen depth is a key to watch aside from the obvious skill players.
Law of Averages
There is plenty of betting data available. Checking how teams fare against the spread tells people the expectations of those teams and whether they are exceeding or falling short of those expectations. But the other thing to watch is the market correction as oddsmakers adjust to how those teams are performing over the course of the season.
As public betting data becomes available, there can sometimes be obvious plays. But the alternative is going against the grain of what people believe if the public betting data is overwhelmingly in one team’s favor.
Remember Money Makers
The reason for that is to remember where the money is going. The casinos aren’t built in a day, but they can secure the funding. If something seems off, there could be a reason for it. The oddsmakers and their NFL expert picks will often run their computer models thousands of times to come up with betting lines, so if something seems off, it could be that the surprising projection will end up correct.
There isn’t an exact science to it because sometimes the projections are wrong, but the oddsmakers are generally so good that it’s hard to ignore. Don’t be afraid to go against what seems like an obvious play, which will sometimes go hand in hand with going against the public.
Finding Roster Holes
The fantasy sports world is built on roster management. There is plenty of fantasy sports content available to consume that aptly breaks down where teams rank in statistical categories and why that may or may not benefit a specific player given that week’s matchup.
But there are also game theories that need to be explored based on the available data. While points need to be scored for a team to win, there is also a theory that teams trailing will need to pass more, so it isn’t a bad thing to have a quarterback from a losing team.
Remember the injury reports? Skill positions are easily replaceable, and in this era of football, where teams are using multiple running backs and wide receivers, it may mean a bump in production for a player already getting touches. Following the injury, reports could be the ticket to a fantasy sports championship.