This Thursday night, the New England Patriots will host the Kansas City Chiefs to kick off the NFL season. While some might be watching the game because they are Patriots or Chiefs fans, others will be watching for their fantasy teams. Fantasy football is a 70 billion dollar industry, according to Forbes magazine, and draws millions of participants every season.
Last week we had a
Spectator
sports section meeting; I was almost late and had to run over because of a fantasy football draft. Over the summer, I thought I was not going to be in any fantasy leagues, but that draft was the first of three. One league is with my family, another is with friends from high school and the third is with Hamilton friends. I was wondering, is it worth it or is it a waste of time? Well, clearly I think it is fun and valuable; I think it’s a great way to stay connected with friends and make the football season more enjoyable. I spoke with some students about their views on fantasy football, and the feedback was very mixed.
Ishan Bhatia ’20 plays fantasy football, “because it’s fun with friends, and it helps me keep up with the NFL season when there is money on the line.” I followed up by asking if he was concerned that it was a waste of time. He did not think so, saying, “And it’s never a waste of time if you can make money from it.” Jack Carroll ’20 agreed with Bhatia. He added, “I usually play and enjoy it. I’m not sure why I’m not playing this year, I’m sure in a couple weeks I’ll wish I was in a league.”
On the other hand, Cam Baker ’20 and Cole Kroninger ’20, are not fans of fantasy football. Baker said, “I don’t play and I’m not very interested. I’d rather spend my time doing something else I’ll enjoy more.” Kroninger emphasized this point and added, “I watch the Patriots games, but don’t want to feel like I have to watch all the other ones too.” Keith Ruggles ’20 was somewhere in the middle. He said, “I dabble with fantasy football. It’s a fun way to pass some time and be invested in otherwise meaningless football games. I used to just follow the Patriots, but now I find myself checking the box scores of all the games.”
Fantasy football can get really intense, competitive and personal. When asked why he plays, Ben Katz ’20 responded, “I play to see the wonderful feeling of defeat on the faces of my enemies. I play to laugh at my friends for being inferior to me. It’s like a high that other people should really try.” Well that certainly is an interesting take on what most people consider a fun thing to do with friends. Cesar Guerrero ’20 had a much more mainstream take on fantasy football. He explained his neutral stance, “I love football, don’t get me wrong. I grew up playing and played all through high school. I am a huge fan and watch as many games as I can. I can devote a chunk of my Sunday to watching games, but I don’t want to spend the week thinking about it. At the same time, I don’t want to throw away money playing in a league, but not being competitive. There is only a 1 in 10 chance of winning, and I don’t think it’s worth it to spend the time to be so invested to make my team the best. I have been convinced to play this year, and am excited to see what it’s like.” Guerrero’s explanation starts to get into the strategy side of the game.
I certainly would not call myself a young Matthew Berry, but I am proud of my success over the last couple years. Honestly, there is so much luck involved that I cannot say my strategy always works, but I do have some consistency with my approach.
The draft is huge. I like to draft high-end running backs early. There are only a couple running backs that produce in the league today, and having at least one on your team is huge. Wide receivers, on the other hand, are very deep. As more teams become more and more pass-happy, more second and even third receivers can put up big numbers. I love taking a young receiver in the late rounds; that, I think, has an upside. For quarterbacks, I do not think it’s worth taking an elite one early. Instead, I wait until later in the draft and like to take two solid quarterbacks. This allows me to play whichever has the better matchup in any given week, and also provides a back-up incase of a major injury. I think tight ends and defenses are more important than most people. You are going to start one of each, so you might as well get a good one. I think there is more value in drafting a top five tight end and a top five defense than in getting another backup wide receiver or running back. For kickers, I just try to pick a team that I think has a great offense.
During the season, the waiver wire is key. If a big player gets hurt, you want to pick up their replacement. If a young player is having a breakout season, you want to snag them. I also love making trades. Try to find one person in the league that is just a huge fan of one team, normally the Patriots on this campus, and see if you can trade them a Patriots player for someone that is better. Trades are also fun to talk and banter about.
If you see me around campus, please feel free to stop me and talk shop. Best of luck to all those playing this year!
