Note: The following article has been published in collaboration & sponsored by DraftBuff.

One of the most important aspects of the development of esports around the globe is increasing the number of ways esports can be enjoyed by its fans, and a premiere form of emerging fan engagement is fantasy esports. 

DraftBuff is a fantasy esports app that allows players to compete in standard season long fantasy leagues as well as a short-lived, salary style fantasy tournament called Draft Royales. Both forms of competition feature premiere esports leagues from four of the largest team-based esports in the world.

Riot Games’ multiplayer online battle arena League of Legends is featured on DraftBuff with both the League of Legends Championship Series and the League of Legends European Championship. In addition, the Overwatch League, Call of Duty League, and various Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competitions, are also available for both standard league play and Draft Royale.

The first step into your fantasy journey on DraftBuff is creating or joining a league. Your league is your community of three to nine other passionate esports fans where you’ll be playing heads up every week, battling it out for guts and glory. Once your league is created, your league commissioner will schedule your draft.

The goal of the draft is to select players to create the best lineup possible. There are various approaches to building a lineup - some players like to build a well-balanced team while others will put their eggs in a single basket by prioritizing a high-value pick. Pick value is based on the player in question's perceived scoring ability based on previous performances. Matchups, patches, and other game updates also play a part in esports fantasy scoring.

Once your lineup is selected, you will be paired against different players in your league in a round-robin format. Matchups will be scheduled to coordinate with the esport your league centers around.  The goal of a fantasy matchup is to have your lineup score more points than your opponent’s lineup. Of course, because nothing feels better than dunking on your opponent after winning, DraftBuff also has a chat feature for friendly banter between leaguemates. 

Players are able to trade, drop, and swap out unclaimed picks to switch things up should your lineup lose its mojo. Slumps are common in all forms of competitions, and players will have to watch closely for which parts of their lineup are bringing them the value expected, and those that are not.

If you're looking to gain an edge over your opponents, in addition to stats in their app, they have in-depth stats with box scores and aggregated news on their website. The insights from this content can help users make more informed decisions on setting their lineups based upon weekly matches and season-long trends.

Having a better understanding of the goings-on in the league, both in terms of narrative development and competitive results week by week, could be the edge you need to get a leg up on your competition.

The aggregate also pulls in roster-related news, so if a pick in your lineup is not starting, make sure to replace them with another pick. Rosters lock when the matches begin, so if a player is too late to change their lineup by removing non-starter picks from the active lineup, then a spot in that player's lineup is guaranteed to earn no points. Ensuring your roster is in tip-top shape week to week will improve consistency in performance.

DraftBuff is available for download on iOS and Android. For more information, follow DraftBuff on Twitter.