Newb. As defined by Urban Dictionary, newb is a term used to describe an inexperienced gamer/person/etc. Unlike a noob, a newb is someone who actually wants to get better.

Example:
Fantasy sports dude: Why is Kristy drafting players like an idiot?
Other fantasy sports dude: She’s a total newb.

Yep, that’s what I am when it comes to fantasy sports, and it rhymes with boob. Before playing on DraftDay, I’d never played any kind of fantasy sport which is a little odd given that I’m always up for anything my guy friends are doing (playing poker, basketball, or soccer, drinking beer, burping in public etc). That’s probably why I was so excited to start this year!

In the past few weeks, I’ve done a little research and asked my fantasy football fanatic friends for help (how’s that alliteration for ya? BOOM) Here are a few tips/advice I’ve picked up that would be helpful for other newbs:

Check Matchups
By looking at who is playing each other, you can semi predict what kind of strategy teams will take, resulting in a better chance you will draft players who will score high points. Example: If a team is playing another team who has the worst defense in the league, chances are the QB and RB’s are going to score more than usual. Common sense, right?

Follow up on Player Injuries
Just be aware of how serious injuries are and whether or not they have progressed during the week before you decide to draft them.

Use ESPN’s Weekly Fantasy Guide
Every week, ESPN posts a sortable weekly projection guide. Players are ranked in each position. It’s a perfect cheat sheet for beginners.

Watch Kay Adam’s weekly video
Not like it’s hard to convince you to watch her videos because she’s so beautiful, but it’s also full of really good, relevant information that will help you make draft decisions. She also runs competitions for money from time to time, obviously increasing your EV for watching.

Use the DraftDay Bio Tool
The DraftDay client has pop-up bios for you to quickly get stats and info on players. When you’re drafting teams, all you have to do is click on a players’ name and a window comes up. I love it because there are so many players that I never even heard of! Again, newb.

Even though I’m pretty certain that I’m the most clueless player on the site, I actually won a game! See, PROOF!

…. I guess, “Even a blind squirrel finds acorn sometimes.” But hey, I’ll take it!

Just like the Urban Dictionary definition states, I am at least trying to learn. Hopefully I’ll be able to shake the “newbness” off and become a seasoned pro at this by the end of the NFL season.

-Kristy Arnett

Kristy Arnett is a reporter and writer for PokerNews. A serious poker player at heart, Kristy continues to play while providing PokerNews readers exclusive poker insight in weekly strategy articles. Despite a life-long love of all competitive games, Kristy is a complete newcomer to fantasy sports. However, known to be somewhat of a sore loser, she’s sure to learn fast and is excited at facing a new challenge. Follow Kristy on Twitter @kristyarnett.