How BIFU Plays Fantasy Football

Set…hut! As the National Football League’s (NFL) season begins, millions of fans across the world eagerly watch—and draft their fantasy football rosters— as their favorite teams lace up their cleats once more.

Fantasy football is a simulation-style game in which a player becomes the general manager of a virtual team composed of player-drafted NFL athletes. “Leagues” in Fantasy football commonly contain between eight and fourteen teams, and each week, players compete head-to-head to see whose team can score more. The number of points each manager scores in a week is related to the performance of the real-life players themselves. Scoring systems can vary from league to league, and while some leagues offer a point every time a player catches a ball (PPR leagues), others only offer points based on how far a player runs after the catch. Just like in the real NFL, you can trade players or even pick up players who aren’t on any teams currently, known as “free agents”.

With an estimated 30 million Americans taking part in the Fantasy Football craze each year, it’s no surprise that many BIFU students and faculty take part in Fantasy leagues.

This overview of the first two weeks of the NFL season will break down scoring using a sample fantasy league, following the popular PPR system on the Sleeper app.

This season’s inaugural week came blazing.

Josh Allen, quarterback for the Buffalo Bills, was the week’s top scoring player, with 38.76 points, leading the Bills to a close 41-40 victory against the Ravens.

Emeka Egbuka, a wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, stood out in his first professional game. His rookie debut came with 4 catches, 67 yards, and 2 touchdowns.

Unfortunately, each week tends to come with a share of injuries as well. George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers faces a hamstring injury and is expected to be on the team’s injury reserve for at least 4 weeks.

The league’s second week emerged with different results than the first.

Amon-Ra St. Brown, the primary wide receiver of the Detroit Lions, emerged from his match with the Chicago Bears with 39.20 points, making him week 2’s highest scorer.

The standout rookie this time around was Tetairoa McMillan, the primary wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers. Although the game was only his second League match, he emerged with a strong 16.00 points.

This week, two notable quarterbacks received injuries. Cincinnati Bengals veteran Joe Burrow left the game early with “turf toe” and will be out for at least 3 months, including surgical treatment. Conversely, sophomore Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders suffered a sprained knee, with an indefinite—but not expected to be long-term—hiatus.

Fantasy is consistent in its ability to bring people together. Teacher Jasica isa newer member of the BIFU staff fantasy league, and described fantasy as “a little sport and a little giggle with my friends, my coworkers”. They described their favorite part of the experience: “The best part about this fantasy football experience has definitely been Sundays, just like watching all the games. And just, I don't know, friendly competition.”

With 16 weeks of the NFL football season left, no fantasy league winner or loser is set in stone yet.

“I'm pretty confident. In my ability to turn the season around,” says Mr. Mariscal, an avid fantasy football player since his teenage years. As he says, even players who start their league 0-2 have a chance to win it all.

Mr. Mariscal, mentioned how Fantasy brings him and his friends closer: “I would say closer in competition, yes. No, but with the staff, it is a fun little thing we get to do on the side. And it is fun because we're not talking about work. We're just talking about football.”

The initial two weeks of the NFL season have received plenty of attention as fans have long-awaited the league’s return. Still, expect the upcoming sixteen to come with their own share of excitement and hype.