Why Join a Fantasy Football League?

Some people don't need to join a fantasy football league. They get their football fix the old-fashioned way: by watching it on TV. For others, the best way to get the most out of a weekend of NFL football is by taking part in a fantasy football league.

What is a fantasy football league and what's the big appeal? Let's start with what exactly a fantasy football league is all about. Basically, it's a team made up of individual players from around the league that you draft. Points are given for your players accumulating yards or scoring touchdowns. For example, in most fantasy football league systems, a quarterback gets 1 point for every 20 yards of passing, and six points for throwing a touchdown. If a player goes off for 300 yards and two touchdowns, he just earned you 27 points. It's the same idea with other positions in a fantasy football league, with running backs usually getting a point for every 10 yards rushed and receivers for every 10 receiving yards. Everyone usually gets six points for scoring a touchdown.

Kickers and defense are treated differently in a fantasy football league, since they don't play on offense. Kickers usually get three points for field goals made from 8 to 39 yards, four points for a 40-plus yarder and five points for a 50-plus yarder. A defense gets points based on how many points they allow, and on how many sacks, interceptions and fumbles they produce. A good defense can get you as many points as a good receiver or running back, while a good kicking performance can make or break your day. Of course, with kickers in a fantasy football league, it's hard to predict the kind of game they'll have.

After Monday's game, the final point totals for all players and defenses in a fantasy football league are totaled up. The person with the most points is the winner. Eagerly tracking your players as they score points and rack up yards is part of playing in a fantasy football league. Maybe, for example, you don't care about Sunday night's Arizona-Seattle game. But if your starting running back plays for the Cardinals, and you're down by 8-10 points in your league, chances are you'll stay up late and root for your player. That's the thing about a fantasy football league, you pay attention and follow games that you wouldn't normally.

But it's not just about picking and following players that make playing in a fantasy football league so much fun. After a while, you start to feel like an NFL general manager. You find yourself scouting the waiver wires, looking at trends and trying to forecast match ups. Chances are you'll have to make a decision on trades and other player moves. For help with all these complications, web Fantasy Football Starters.com provides you with online tools to expertly manager your team.

Aside from the fun of following players and competing against your friends/co-workers, playing in a fantasy football league is a social exercise. Maybe you don't talk to Bob in accounting, but if everyone is in a fantasy football league, you'll have something to talk about.

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