How to Draft a Winning Fantasy Soccer Defender

Before crowning a champion in fantasy soccer, the owner must do well in the fantasy soccer draft. Each year the draft is different in that teams trade or cut players and players retire or change leagues. However, there are draft methodologies that hold true year in year out regardless of the players available in the draft.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Read the rules of the fantasy soccer league thoroughly. If an owner does not know the rules of league, this can lead to drafting errors that can doom a team before the season begins.
2. Check for any errors in a player's position listing. Sometimes a player classified as a defender is really a forward on the field. Forwards usually score more fantasy soccer points than defenders. These listing errors can lead to finding that winning fantasy soccer defender by giving an owner a scoring advantage at the position.
3. Choose a defender from a team that will challenge for a league title or the very least be competitive for the entire season. Teams that are not competitive are notorious for their unpredictable line-ups. Therefore, an owner may draft a starter from a bad team only to find out a few matches into the season that the player is being benched in favor of a younger player, thereby wasting a valuable draft pick.
4. Select defenders that take penalties and free kicks for their respective teams. Both penalty and free kicks are often excellent scoring chances that the defenders otherwise would not receive.
5. Research a defender's history on the field in terms of suspensions. A player may score when they are playing, but if they are sidelined with a suspension for multiple games every year it can spell trouble for a fantasy soccer team.
6. Rank each defender based on steps one through five prior to the fantasy soccer draft. Making a list before the draft helps an owner from committing a draft day mistake on an overrated defender.