Fantasy Football for Dummies

With fall comes football season, and apparently, fantasy football season. You may be wondering, what is fantasy football? I was once wondering the same thing, so I decided to create a guide to fantasy football for the uneducated, like me.

To write this article, I needed an expert’s insights. So I called my friend Kevin to help me out. Kevin is not only a member of the Valencia varsity football team, but he is also part of a fantasy football league, meaning that he knows his stuff.

So what is fantasy football? Well, to put it simply, it's an online game that allows you to be the owner and coach of your own football team while using real players. If you wish to play fantasy football, these are the steps you need to take.

First, you need to join a league. This is the group of people you play against. You can either join a public online league with strangers, or you can create your own private league with your friends, family, teammates, co-workers, etc. Kevin is in a league with some of his teammates from the football team.

Next, the creator of the league sets up the draft which is when you take turns choosing your players from real NFL teams. You want to pick the players you predict will be the best during the season. Make sure the draft is at a time when everyone is free and if playing with friends, a popular way to draft is meeting up at someone's house to draft together.

Now that you have your team set up, it’s time to play. Your job is to manage your fantasy team. In between games, you look over your roster and determine which players you want in your starting lineup. Depending on injuries, matchups, or a player simply not performing at the level you need, you have the option to trade, bench, or even drop players. Each week, you will be matched against someone in your league. To win, your players need to perform well in their real-life game and the better their performance, the more points the player gets. The cumulative number of points from all your players makes up your score. Whoever wins the most games is the ultimate champion.

Some leagues reward the winner with money while others just get bragging rights and avoid the fate of losing, which could result in various punishments. Some punishments include chugging a gallon of milk then running a mile, buzzing your head, or even taking an 8-hour bus ride; the possibilities are endless. For Kevin’s fantasy league, the loser will be locked in a cage and covered with milk, flour, eggs, basically any food items found in the house.

Overall, fantasy football is a fun way for friends and family to come together and bond over their love for the game. While some are more passionate about it than others, everyone can agree that there's no better way to enjoy football season than with fantasy football