Fantasy football approaches even quicker than the NFL

With the NFL season approaching within the next week, many students on campus involve themselves even deeper into the NFL season than just watching their favorite team play. One very popular way: Fantasy football.

Fantasy football is a week to week statistical competition between two “fantasy” teams where you are the general manager. The team to score more fantasy points in a particular week is the winner.

Winners are decided by many factors in which a team can total up points. A general fantasy football roster includes one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one flex position, a kicker, and a defense. 

Each position earns points based off of their production in a particular week’s NFL games. Quarterbacks earn points based on yardage thrown, touchdowns thrown, yardage ran for, and touchdowns rushed. Running backs and wide receivers earn points for touchdowns, yardage run and caught for, and number of catches (in a point per reception league, or, PPR).

If you are looking to get more involved and get to know people on campus, a fantasy football league would be a great way to share interests and have some fun this fall. Starting a league is very easy, and there are several websites that offer a fantasy football platform.

Two of the fan favorites are Yahoo and ESPN, who both offer mobile apps to make it easier to follow your team. So what’s next if you are ready to make a team? 

Once you gather enough members to have a full league, you will be prompted to make a time for your fantasy football draft. Draft day may be daunting, but all fantasy football platforms help you understand a player’s projected stats and average draft position from all other leagues on their platform.

From there, all you need to do is draft the players for your team and once each NFL week rolls around, you can watch your players compete. It is important to note, though, that there are a few different types of scoring systems you can use throughout the season that may change when and where you draft your players.

The main three scoring systems are standard, half PPR, and full PPR. Make sure you know which scoring system your league will be using so you draft the players that will give you the best chance of winning this season.

Fantasy football is a great way to get to know more people on campus. Whether you do it with a group of people you just met, or with your floor in your dorm hall, there will always be people willing to play fantasy football!