What is Fantasy Football ?
Explains the Basics of Starting a League, Drafts, and League Play
Aug 28, 2009
Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) projects that 27 million Americans will participate in Fantasy Football League play this year contributing to an estimated 3 billion dollars in revenue for the entertainment gaming industry. Fans are invited by siblings, friends, or coworkers to become an owner and join in league play with typically 8-12 other teams. Some leagues are free of charge to play while others cost less than $250 according to an interview with Paul Charcian, President of FSTA in USA Today’s article Marketers See Winner in Fantasy Football by Theresa Howard (August 23, 2009). After drafting their dream team, team owners play each week in head-to-head matches or total point leagues vying for the championship and the opportunity to win cash or prizes.
Starting a Fantasy League
Before the NFL’s opening season kick-off , preparation takes place to form each owners’ team. Most teams have a league commissioner who coordinates the league and monitors the administration of drafting, trading, and scoring. Online playing is facilitated by providers such as ESPN, CBS Sportsline, and FOX Sports. Commissioners can create the parameters of the league by utilizing custom templates that feature the essentials to draft, manage, maintain, and archive league play. Often a forum for displaying rivalry and banter, owners communicate and coordinate league play through message boards.
There are numerous ways to structure a league. Determinations are made about implementing a scoring system such as scoring plus yardage, a touchdown only league, or points per reception (PPR). Decisions regarding how points are accumulated to secure a spot in the playoffs and ultimately how to determine the champion are made.
Rules are established about how and when trading can take place, for instance up until to the 5th week , all the way until the playoffs, or not at all. Some leagues institute the waiver wire. The waiver wire is a way for owners to acquire better performing players that were not drafted and unload injured or underperforming players.
Snake Draft Versus Auction Draft
Owners select players during the draft prior to the season start. The actual draft may take place online through a provider such as ESPN populating the owner’s team in real time as she/he drafts. Offline drafts take place in person. These face-to-face drafts often involve parties and use large boards or laptops and projectors to track the draft. After an offline draft, the commissioner or administrator enters the team rosters into the online forum.
There are two types of drafts: snake and auction. In a snake draft, the owner is assigned a draft number and that slot is when the owner chooses their next player. This type of draft typically starts with 1-10 (for a ten-team league) and then continues to snake back and forth until all spots on the roster have been filled.
In the auction draft, each team is given a predetermined salary cap, $200 for example, and must fill their team by bidding on players within their cap constraint. As the draft winds down to the last few roster spots, owners who spent early to secure a good pick are left with only a few dollars to draft the remaining players.
Once the league is set up, rules are established, and the draft takes place, everyone waits for the season to kick off. Because most NFL teams that have clinched a playoff berth cannot improve their position, they bench their top players after week 16. Therefore, head-to-head fantasy leagues typically run until the 13th week with playoffs taking place week 14-16. Total point leagues run until week 17.
Online Fantasy Football is a multi- billion dollar venture played by millions of fans. The team owners use their skills to select the best team and manage them weekly hoping for victory and a shot at the championship.
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