Fantasy Football Games to Play Online for Real Money

The first fantasy football league was created in 1962, and fantasy football games have since grown into a billion-dollar industry. The rise of the Internet has contributed greatly to its success, enabling people from around the globe to compete in a wide variety of leagues. Turn on the television during football season or attend a NFL game in-person, and you'll see constantly updated fantasy statistics and news. And while some friends still operate their fantasy football leagues just for bragging rights, more ambitious individuals have created prestigious (and expensive) leagues where champions can walk away with as much as $100,000.

What Is Fantasy Football?

Fantasy football is an easy game to learn, but it's also impossible to master. Each participant (known as an "owner") will draft a fantasy team. This team will be comprised of real NFL players, and their success or failure on the gridiron will be reflected in the owner's weekly score. The better your players do, the more points you'll be awarded. Most leagues also allow owners to pick up undrafted players as the season goes on or make trades with other owners.

Types of Fantasy Football Leagues

As the popularity of the game has continued to grow, the types of fantasy football leagues have spread out to include a wide range of possibilities. Some are simple, while others are of a more complex nature. And with every passing year, additional fantasy football leagues are created to frustrate and delight their participants. The following are the most common types of fantasy football leagues available, and some of these options may be combined into a single league (such as a redraft and touchdown only league).

Redraft League - In this type of league, each owner drafts an all-new team every season. The direct opposite of the dynasty league.

Keeper League - Each owner gets to keep a select number of players from their previous year's roster. This number could be as low as one player or as high as five. The remainder of the roster is then filled in through the draft.

Touchdown Only League - Fantasy players in this type of league are only awarded points for touchdowns.

Salary Cap League - A monetary value is assigned to each fantasy player, and owners have to build their teams while staying under the salary cap.

Total Points League - Throughout the season, an owner has his weekly scores added together. At the end of the season, the team with the greatest cumulative total is declared the champion.

Head-to-Head League - Each week, a fantasy owner is matched up against someone else from his league. Their scores for the week are compared, and the owner with the highest total is declared the winner.

Dynasty League - If they desire, owners can keep all the players on their roster from year to year. The challenge comes in adding new talent, retaining productive players, and cutting those who are due for a career downturn.

Survivor League - Each week, the fantasy team with the lowest score is eliminated. The champion is the last team remaining.

Simulation League - A computer program simulates games and generates mock statistics. Popular among owners who want to enjoy fantasy football when the NFL season is over.

Auction League - Each owner begins the draft with a preset amount of money. They can bid on any NFL player, with the winner being the person with the highest bid. When the owner's starting amount is gone, he can no longer bid on players. Popular among owners because it allows them a chance to get any player they want (as long as they're willing to outbid the other owners).

IDP League - The IDP stands for "individual defensive player." This type of league throws defensive players into the mix, with points being awarded for sacks, tackles, interceptions, and much more. Its popularity has grown in recent years. \

Weekly Redraft League - Each week during the NFL season, owners get to draft an all-new team of fantasy players.

Draftmaster League - Each week, the owner is given credit for the best scoring players on his roster. For example, a team with two quarterbacks would get credit for the higher-scoring of the two quarterbacks (assuming only one QB counts as a "starter"). The same applies to other positions. This type of league normally doesn't allow trades or free agent moves. \

Fantasy Football Scoring

The scoring in fantasy football can differ greatly from league to league, but the most common forms of scoring are listed below:

Touchdowns count as 6 points (although a QB may only receive 4 points for a passing TD in some leagues).

Each 10 yards of rushing or receiving counts as 1 point.

Each 25 yards passing by a quarterback counts as 1 point.

Some leagues award 1 point per reception by a player.

Kickers receive 1 point for a successful extra point, while field goals may either be scored as a flat 3 points or be based on distance (with longer kicks being worth more points).

The Fantasy Football Draft

In order to build your team, you'll need to take part in a fantasy football draft. This is where owners take turns selecting players to fill their roster. The order of the draft can be drawn out of a hat, although most online league management software allows you to set a random draft order with one click of your mouse.

The most common form is the serpentine draft. Owners select in the same spot each round, but the order goes from top to bottom, bottom to top, etc. For example, the owner who picked last in the first round would pick first in the second round. He would then pick last in the third round and first in the fourth round, and so on.

While trading and free agency can help your team, the cornerstone of any winning franchise is built upon the draft. Some owners rank all available players and create complex systems of analysis, while others stop by a store on the way to the draft, buy a fantasy football magazine, and rely on the cheat sheets contained within. There are many ways to approach the draft, and all give you an equal chance of success.

Fantasy Football Free Agency

If the fantasy football team you drafted struggles at the beginning of the season, you may be able to turn things around by adding free agents. These are players currently unclaimed by other owners, and they may be added to your roster. Given the grueling and unpredictable nature of the NFL, injuries and breakout performances can result in a number of productive free agents being available.

Fantasy Football Trades

During the course of the season, some leagues allow fantasy football trades to take place. This occurs when an owner trades one or more of his players for one or more players on the roster of an opposing owner. Trades can greatly improve a team, but they can also be the source of controversy if owners suspect that one trade partner is getting out much better than the other.

Even if you're not interested in watching multiple NFL games per week, you can still enjoy the challenge of playing fantasy football. The rules are easy to learn, yet the random nature of the game allows even the most inexperienced rookie to have a chance at success. So whether you love the game or prefer the prestige and prize money, find an open slot in a fantasy football league and try it for yourself.

This page was written by John U. Hayes.