Consider this—It’s not too early to begin fantasy football prep

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We are just days away from the calendar changing from July to August, which means that we are also just days away from the return of the NFL.

This year’s Hall of Fame Game, the start of the preseason, will see the Houston Texans take on the Chicago Bears on August 1.

Flex positions. Dynasty. Point-per-reception. FAB budgets.

If you don’t play fantasy football, those terms might sound like a foreign language. They mean nothing to you. But, for those of us who take part in the fun on a year in and year out basis, it’s almost time.

If you’re a fantasy football player, maybe you haven’t yet started your preparation for your upcoming drafts, but you’re probably not too far away from doing so. You may already know when your draft day is. If not, maybe you’ve gotten that first text from your league commissioner, in efforts to find a date that works for everyone.

For fantasy players, it’s both the best of times and the worst of times. On the negative side, you’re likely seeing less and less drafts held in person, which can take away from the competitive experience. We are inundated with advertising for sports gambling, which may lead some to detach from season-long fantasy leagues in favor of something with more instant gratification.

From a positive standpoint, technology continues to make advances in the different options for league formats and scoring systems and the ability to share a league with friends all over the world. Fewer and fewer leagues are “standard leagues” nowadays.

You are seeing more leagues be “PPR leagues”, or leagues which award a point for each time a player makes a reception. You’re seeing more leagues incorporate a second starting quarterback, or possibly a “super-flex” position, where a manager can choose to play an additional quarterback, or any other position. You’re seeing leagues eliminate the kicker position, or the team defense position, or move to draft individual defensive players. Many leagues now incorporate keeper players from year to year, or possibly the whole roster in a dynasty format. The options really are only limited by your imagination.

As someone who is a commissioner of three leagues, and a participant in a handful of others, I’ve seen my fair share of different opinions on how leagues should be structured and scored. There’s no one-size-fits-all, in my opinion, for how a league should be run. I think any commissioner should cater their league to the people who are involved in that league. Some leagues will be more casual, and some will be more serious. Every group of fantasy players is different.

If you run a league, or two, or twelve, now is a great time to think about making some changes to your league to differentiate it and make it more of a unique experience. Try something different. Talk to the players in your league about ideas they may have, and you might be surprised with what you hear from them.

If you take nothing else from this column, just know that if you haven’t started your preparation, you’re already late. Don’t fall too far behind!

Brian Attard is a lifelong resident of Hammonton, avid sports fan and host on The Sports Box Network (@SportsBoxSports on all social media platforms).