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Fantasy football can take a lot of time away from the office, work, or even household chores. But fantasy football can be a lot of fun. Using virtual representations of football players in the real world, anyone who loves the game can be an owner, manager, and all-out trainer and know-it-all in the virtual arena. All that an owner needs is a draft, a competition, and some time on his or her hands.

Fantasy football is exactly that: playing virtual football games with other teams online. You need only a starter lineup of players at the start of your playing season, and you pit these players against other players as the season goes on. These players are real, at least in the real-world sense: the stats of real players off the field carry over into the virtual arena, and these stats serve as game points. Whoever wins at the end of the fantasy football season wins because his or her players had a good deal of real game play offline.

Simple, isn't it? It gets much harder to understand, actually, and it can be fun to play around with when you're into fantasy football. First, you need to assemble a team; then, you need to know how to score.

Starting the Year Right

The roster of your team is made up of quite a good number of players. For each team that you have, you have a pre-determined number total, including a number of players that you can put in each position (or your starter players for each of your game). It is entirely up to you when you want to set some players free, when you want to bench others, and who you want on the field with whom. You are given a deadline each week to determine who you want to be your starters.

Who you place on your starting lineup depends on your play strategies. You need to know who your quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, kickers, and defensive players are. Some fantasy football sites even have variations on the conventional lineups, and instead have punters, more defensive players, and the like. Again, the kinds of players you put on your team rests entirely on your good judgment.

You Score, You Win!

Every player you have wins you points depending on scores in weekly games. Touchdowns, for instance, can count for five points, while yards gained will count for two points. Players can also earn points for a variety of work, like passing and receiving yards. However, as you earn points, points can also be taken away from you for turnovers or missed kicks.

You can also get bonuses for extraordinary feats of athleticism, like a throw that goes over three hundred yards, or a field goal that makes it thanks to an exceptional kicker. In some leagues, only yards are counted and touchdowns don't come into play. On the other hand, other leagues score only touchdowns and field goals. The variations depend on the site that you visit.

There are also different ways that you can play against opponents. You can be arranged in leagues, depending on your record in the previous season. Within each league are the playoffs, where you are pitted against a different league member every week. Some fantasy football sites, however, don't do league divisions beforehand, and instead pit players against each other in a sort of round-robin. Still other fantasy football sites divide players into major groups, then take all winners through eliminations, then to quarter-finals, to semis, and then to the finals.

Because everything happens online, you see nothing of your rival owners, and the only things that you know about are stats and final scores. This has led to criticism of fantasy football as pushing fans to cheer for players rather than for teams; as well as pushing fans to do more online football than appreciate the real game. Whatever the real score, fantasy football is still going strong.

If you are interested in playing fantasy football, hop to any of the many fantasy football sites online. Read the rules and regulations, since competition mechanics can vary from site to site. Keep a schedule on hand, since playoffs will happen at different times for different sites. With your knowledge and love of the game, you can enjoy fantasy football!