There are so many ways to play fantasy football on ESPN, but many fantasy managers might not be aware of the numerous customizations that can be made to make your league as fun as possible.
When you go to create a league as a League Manager (LM), you are given a choice of three play styles -- PPR, non-PPR and our newest offering, Knockout leagues, where the lowest-scoring team each week is eliminated -- but that's just the beginning of setting up your league.
If you'd like to "make the league your own," the possibilities are nearly endless, but we are here to highlight some of the most popular tweaks with regard to draft type, rosters and scoring options.
NOTE: All of the customizations below are accessible in League Manager leagues via the "LM Tools" option, which is located near the top of the screen on desktop and under the "League" tab in the ESPN Fantasy App for anyone with LM powers (which can be granted to other league members by the original League Manager).
Add a superflex (OP) slot to your league
OPs can be a QB, RB, WR or TE. Ideally, this gives managers the ability to start two QBs, which changes the draft significantly because top signal-callers are often the highest scorers from week to week.
How to: In the "Rosters" area of your league settings, use the dropdowns to determine the number of starting OP slots you would like to have. Some leagues that use the OP slot keep the flex spot, giving them one more player in the starting lineup, while others replace the flex spot with the OP.
Salary cap drafts
If you don't enjoy getting a late draft slot and being unable to pick the superstar you covet, this is one way to level the draft playing field. In salary cap drafts, everyone can bid on all players and the manager with the highest bid wins that player for their roster.
How to: In the "Draft" area of your league settings under "Draft Type," you can select "Salary Cap" and then, under "Draft Settings," you can type in the salary cap for each team (the default is 200).
Free agent budget (FAB) waivers
Instead of claiming free agents via traditional waivers (in reverse order of standing to begin each week in most leagues), managers input an amount they are willing to pay to sign that player. When the waiver process runs, the team with the highest offer will sign that player.
How to: In the "Transactions and Keepers" area of your league settings under "Acquisition and Waiver Rules," there are two types of Free Agent Budget options.
In leagues with continuous FAB, all free agent pickups are performed by making offers, and there are no first-come, first-served pickups.
In leagues that utilize a one-time weekly FAB, the waiver process runs overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning. Once the process is complete, all unrostered players are free agents and available to be picked up on a first-come, first-served basis.
TE premium scoring
Rewarding tight ends with an extra point for each reception is a way to make them more impactful contributors each week.
How to: In the "Scoring" area of your league settings under "Receiving," click on the dropdown menu and select "Customize by position." Then, scroll down to tight end and change the number of points awarded for each reception.
Bonus wins/losses
This feature awards an extra win each week to the teams in the top half of the league in points scored and an extra loss each week to the teams in the bottom half of the league in points scored. It aids in mitigating the "luck factor" associated with fantasy football.
How to: Checking a box in the "Schedule" area of your league settings under "Regular Season Setup."
Deeper benches and/or more IR slots
Increasing the size of the bench will make for a longer draft, while adding injured reserve spots will provide greater flexibility to managers when players are listed as "out" (O) or placed on the NFL injured reserve list.
How to: In the "Rosters" area of your league settings, use the dropdowns toward the bottom to edit the number of bench and/or IR slots.
Play using individual defensive players (IDPs)
Using defensive players gives managers more players to root for each week, with more ways to accrue points.
How to: In the "Rosters" area of your league settings, use the dropdowns to determine the number of starters and maximums at each desired position. You can use general positions (DL, LB, DB) or be more specific (DT, DE, CB, S). In addition, the DP (defensive player) slot can be used as a "defensive flex" similar to the OP slot on the offensive side. Most leagues that use IDPs do away with D/STs, so if your league wants to do that, simply adjust the dropdown for D/STs to zero.