Fantasy football is an interactive simulation for football fans to manage or “own” a team of their choice, and compete in various leagues of their creation. The first 16 weeks of the regular NFL season, Sept. to Dec., fantasy football takes place.
Senior Jared Pomerantz began playing fantasy football four years ago and has created multiple leagues with his friends during their high school years. For Pomerantz, fantasy football is a fun way to connect with peers and participate in a sport he has enjoyed his entire life.
“I thought it’d be really fun to test my knowledge of the players and I wanted to do something fun with my friends,” Pomerantz said.
The goal of fantasy football is to build a team out of existing NFL players from different teams and win your division. Seniors Alex Do and Coleton Evans have been in a fantasy league together since freshman year. They agree that one of the most important- but overlooked- aspects of fantasy football is the waiver wire. This is when a player that wasn’t picked during the draft becomes available to be drafted onto a team mid-season.
Winning is determined by the points that each player on one fantasy team earns. For example, a fantasy team would lose points if its quarterback threw an interception during a game, but gain points if its receiver caught a touchdown. The team in the division with the most points at the end of the 16 week season wins.
“Your draft is pretty important, but mostly pay attention to the match-ups,” Do said. “There’s certain match-ups each week that determine how many points your team will get.”
What they win varies. While most participants do this for fun, however in more competitive leagues, the prizes can consist of cash, prizes and tickets to NFL games.
“We don’t really win anything, just bragging rights and pride,” Pomerantz said. “My brother sometimes bets in the leagues, but he doesn’t win anything.”
The fantasy football season begins with building a solid team. This is done by scouting players during the pre-season to make educated picks during the draft. However, a skilled roster can only carry a team so far. Unforeseen complications such as injuries, position battles, and suspensions can be detrimental to any fantasy team.
“I try to look at the player’s talent and also the potential volume that a player could get in the situation around them,” Pomerantz said. “I really analyze the team and player by looking at other players on the team and seeing how good the pieces are around them.”
However, the draft can be challenging, as every team in a single league is competing to pick the best players from one pool (no two teams in the same league can have the same players). Therefore, fantasy leagues often conduct drafts in “snake” or “auction” formats so that each owner has the chance to make one pick at a time before their opponent does, which can quickly become heated.
“ it gets really competitive,” Evans said. “Especially with your friends.”
Pomerantz won his league last year and maintains that even though the competition is intense at the higher levels, his league is always centered around having a good time with friends.
“We just have fun,” Pomerantz said. “But if someone is doing really bad we kind of make fun of them. It’s so much fun to do well, but it’s not really competitive.”
