Fantasy lacrosse has gained popularity among lacrosse enthusiasts, providing an interactive and engaging way to follow the Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) season. Building a successful fantasy lacrosse team requires a combination of knowledge, strategy, and a keen understanding of player performances.
What is PLL Fantasy: PLL Fantasy uses a weekly “Salary Cap” system where you get 200 coins to make the best team you can. Players are valued a certain amount depending on their previous fantasy scores for each game. You can join groups and face off against your friends in “Challengers”. It is a great way to feel like a part of the game.
Understand the Scoring System: This is the most important thing to understand in PLL fantasy lacrosse. Because of the way the scoring system is set, high producing offensive players will get the most points. Typically, attackmen score the highest, with goalies next, middies, and defense last (I’ll get to fogos later). The best goalies will score more than a majority of the rest of the league because of saves gaining that player 3 points.
Below is the scoring system for the PLL Weekly Fantasy. (https://premierlacrosseleague.com/fantasy#royale-scoring)
FOGOs: For this 2023 season, faceoff guys are tricky because some teams don’t have a faceoff guy at all. Picking a fogo that is playing against a team that isn’t fielding a fogo at all is going to earn you a lot of points. Fielding Trevor Baptiste every week isn’t a bad idea, but this week he goes against Sisselberger and I think they’ll be pretty even, so just picking him isn’t always the best idea. Beware of defenders and LSMs that take faceoffs. If you choose those players at defense, they will lose you a ton of points.
Utilize Low Player Costs: As mentioned earlier, PLL fantasy uses a “Salary Cap” system for fantasy coaches to pick their players each week. Each PLL player is valued on their average fantasy points of all games. This means if they don’t play that week they get a zero regardless of if they were on the roster or not and this is added into their average. The top player costs 50 coins, with every other player’s cost based on their average against the top player’s average. This can be a huge advantage when good players have a bad game or two, or miss a few games. They cost lower than they should be valued because their average is lower. Some players just have bad seasons, so be sure to pick lower costing players who have the potential to do really well so you can save coins for players who are currently hot.
Pay Attention to Matchups and Game Schedule: Look at player matchups and the PLL game schedule. Which teams have faceoff guys and which teams don’t? Has this goalie or defense struggled against this offense? Who is going to be guarding the player I’m putting in? These are questions that will be beneficial to answer before picking your players. This can take a lot of time to research, but if you want to win this will be immensely helpful.
Look at Injury List and Active Rosters: The injury list and rosters for each team are posted each week on their social media accounts. Look at these to make sure the players you choose are actually playing that week.
Engage with the Lacrosse Community: Engaging with the lacrosse community can provide valuable insights, tips, and perspectives. There are various X and Instagram accounts that analyze the PLL as their job. Dan Arestia and Joe Keegan are two that I follow in order to get good information.
PLL fantasy lacrosse offers an exciting opportunity to immerse yourself in the sport and compete against fellow lacrosse fans. A good understanding of the sport and how the PLL fantasy system works is key to do well against your friends. Watch the games on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN+ every weekend to learn which players would be the best for your team!
