The following story was published in Issue 1 of The Paolite, 2017
One of the most anticipated times of the year is within reach. Elementary students cannot work without checking their rosters every minute. Adults in the workplace become obsessed with the idea of a perfect season. Fantasy football is finally among us.
All fantasy football leagues are headed by a commissioner, whoever creates the league becomes the commissioner. All you need to start the league is a group of 12 or more football fanatics, and you’re set.
Each member of the league owns a team consisting of a variety of NFL players. How well the player performs in reality determines the number of points they put up for your team. Obviously, the team with the most points performs the best.
Personally, I think fantasy football is a great way to love and even learn about football. Most of the leagues I am in consist of ten or more teams, making it more difficult for each team to have superstar players. Each team has starters every week. The starters include quarterback, running backs, wide receivers, tight end, flex player, defense and a kicker. The quarterback will generally be the player that obtains the most points every week. Touchdowns are worth more than anything in fantasy football and quarterbacks have the potential to have a lot of them. Running backs are the players that have the most potential on the rushing and the receiving end. Running backs statistically have the most touchdowns, giving them the most points some weeks. A good depth of running backs would immensely help anyone’s fantasy team. A good tight end can be hard to find in some cases. There are only a select few who can put up a solid number of points every week, so a tight end should be chosen wisely. Flex players can consist of running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. This position is just an extra skilled player to bring in more points every week. Defenses on a team represent the defense of one NFL team. The best defenses can change from season to season and can vary depending on offseason events. Some weeks, your defense can show up big time and gain a lot of points. However, some weeks, your defense can play awful, giving you negative points. A kicker can have an impact one week and not the next. How much that kicker’s team decides to bring him on the field that week will determine the number of points he puts up.
Fantasy football forces people to make difficult decisions and to trust instinct. While making a wrong choice can affect your team entirely, a right choice can just as well. ‘Tis the season of fantasy football, and everyone knows it.
Story by Jace Ingle
