I love fantasy football. I truly never expected to hear those words come from my mouth, especially since watching football was a once-a-year event for me during the Super Bowl. But when my friends needed more people for their league, I said yes.
Fantasy football allows those who participate to serve as a “manager” who creates their ideal football team. One chooses players from a variety of teams and positions via a draft. Managers can have a total of 17 players: ten are starters, six are on the bench, and one is on injured reserve (which just means that they aren’t playing because they’re hurt). The goal each week is to have the most points, which means that you want to have the best players. Having better players equates to more points because points are determined by rushing yards (how far the player runs with the ball), touchdown rushes and receptions (when the player runs the ball into or catches the ball in the end-zone), receiving yards (how far did the ball travel in the air before the person successfully caught it) and number of receptions (catching the ball). I didn’t grow up watching football and I’m learning all of this for the first time, which is why I started this column. I wanted to be able to impart what I’m learning to those who want to start participating in fantasy football or who just want to be able to follow a conversation with their friends or significant other who participates.
I truly had no idea what I was doing, and I still don’t. However, I think I got the concept after pestering my friends with questions, specifically my key advisor, Owen Dyer ‘27. In my opinion, for anyone starting Fantasy Football, the best way to do it is to jump in feet first and go with it. I can honestly say that I’ve had a lot of fun so far and it’s only the first week. It can definitely get confusing, but I guarantee you that people who participate LOVE talking about it and will be more than happy to show off their knowledge by answering your questions. If that doesn’t work, look it up, you’ll get the answer you’re looking for.
Oddly enough, I found myself watching Thursday night football, and I enjoyed it. Watching D’Andre Swift run into the endzone with the ball was exhilarating and it was nice to have a stake in the game, which I have never had before. There have been so many things that have happened during this first week: players have gotten hurt, trades have been made, and other fantasy team managers have lost, including myself. My loss was in part because I drafted two people who were injured, not realizing that they were injured. I wasn’t able to gain any points from them. Piece of advice– make sure you take a thorough glance at all the players that you are considering drafting beforehand.
Even though I lost, I’d still count this week as a win. I can’t wait to keep participating in fantasy and keep you all informed on what’s going on and what I’ve learned in the coming weeks.
