Though the beginning of the NFL season captivates millions of fans, a large number of those fans are invested in another league: fantasy football. This week-by-week game has participants feeling as if they’re a GM of a team.
Freshman Adam Pelberg said, “I like fantasy football because it gives me another reason to watch games all week. Also, I can play and compete with my friends.”

How it works
After joining a league, which you can do at practically any sports hub’s website, you are set to draft where you pick up quarterbacks, running backs, receivers, tight ends, kickers, and defense/special teams from around the NFL.
Once you have your team, you set your lineup every week and go up against other teams from your league. All players are rewarded fantasy points for things such as offensive yards and touchdowns and are subtracted points for turnovers and negative yardage.
Throughout the season, all teams are allowed to add players and drop players as long as their roster size fits the league maximum. Trades are also performed between teams, but are much harder to pull off because there needs to be an agreement.
Junior Matthew Miller said,“I like to utilize the trades and add/drop players a lot. I am able to add whoever is doing better than I expected to my team.”
As the NFL season progresses, so do fantasy football seasons. With about three or four weeks to go in the NFL season, playoffs start for for fantasy football. Before the playoffs begin for the NFL, a champion is crowned in every fantasy league.

Numbers to know
33: million fantasy football participants annually

2-5: billions dollars generated in ad revenue on fantasy football programs

342: fantasy points scored by Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who led the NFL in fantasy points last season

Preseason Effect
The preseason is a four-week period before the NFL regular season where teams play four exhibition games to get warmed up. See how this could present some problems?
When the preseason begins, fans get excited and are eager to draft their teams immediately. Yet, during the preseason, injuries occur and suspensions are handed out, reduced or taken away. If participants draft before these injuries and suspensions, they may draft someone who does not play all year.
Junior Jay Fields said, “I think that the preseason should either be shortened or abandoned. Too many injuries ruin seasons for talented players.”