Every fall, millions of fans turn into team managers, and fantasy football has turned Sundays into a high-stakes drama between family and friends.
Over the last 10 years, there have been 50 million people playing fantasy football, a family-friendly game where you build a team with real NFL players. Another 20 million play PigSkin Pick’ems, where you guess which NFL team will win that week.
Fantasy football has officially started being a hot topic this fall season, starting with people already creating their fantasy punishments, like people having to go sit in a waffle house, milk mile and a cold plunge. Some players use a draft grade to evaluate how well they think they drafted at the start of the season.
“My draft grade was a C, but I am still putting up good numbers against my opponents,” said sophomore, Cam Ingram.
Many people have predictions of who will break out this year.
“I think George Pickens will start slow but pick up the pace and beat out Ceedee Lamb.’’ said junior Alex Dyer.
He had disagreed with others who had said Lamar Jackson. Fantasy leagues can vary in size depending on how many classmates or friends join.
“It has eight people in the league, and we did a regular draft,” said senior Ricky Smith.
When it comes to sleeper picks, some players believe that they have found the hidden gem of the league.
“I had thought Kyle Pitts would be sneaky good and stay under the radar. He was surprised that nobody else had thought of him,” said Gordon Hilberg, LHS counselor. Fantasy football has become a great conversation starter for most, becoming the hot topic of debates, Fantasy Football sparks debates over player
performance, trade decisions and
roster changes. Fans put in $7 billion
into fantasy, splitt ing up between
subscriptions, extra drafts, and
league fees.
One issue with fantasy football,
like in real football is injuries. Many
players have season-ending injuries,
like Malik Nabers, drafted in the
fi rst round, which now left fantasy
managers with a wasted pick. This
shows the loyalty of the fans and
how much they will do to bond with
their friends and family over a sport.