Offseason vs In-Season for Fantasy Football

By Tod Burros

It is an interesting question right? When the question came to me my first thought was if I ask this on twitter it could be anything from 100 percent to zero in favor of in season. I figured about maximum two thirds to one third in favor of in season. My first attempt at the question I wasn’t that happy with. But for transparency here it is. Also please note that the reason this question came to me was because of how much I myself enjoy the offseason.

In this version it was pretty clear I was including everything and yet 21 percent of all respondents thought the off-season was more fun than actually watching football!

In the revised version where I made it clear that for Fantasy Football purposes which do you like more the results were even more startling.

Not only didn’t I expect more than one third of all respondents to choose the off-season but something amazing happened. Look at the number of votes this got in a 24 hour period? 900! This in itself is pretty amazing and makes the subject worth discussing further. There were also loads of great comments by people explaining what they liked and why. All in all by far it was the most fun poll I have ever run.

Why so much love for the fantasy football off-season

Here is a list of some of the great things to do in the offseason
1- Trading in Dynasty leagues- More and more people are playing in Dynasty leagues and pretty much as soon as the Super Bowl is over you can start trading and looking to improve your team(s). There is a ton of strategy involved in this and it is FUN.
2- NFL Free Agency- One of the highlights of the year. While NFL free agency isn’t as fun as some other sports because teams tend to lock up the big names with contracts or by using the franchise tag every year both your real life team and your fantasy team will see movement. Adjusting and analyzing based on the results of this are something that keep us involved in what used to be a slow month for Football
3- Best Ball leagues- You should know by now I am big into best ball leagues. Last year they started in late February. Once upon a time you could only draft as many teams as you felt you could manage in season. Now through Best ball leagues you can draft as many teams as your time/interest and budget can afford
4- Combine/Predraft period- Hearing about the rookies and preparing for the draft has become as much if not more fun than the draft itself. There is a ton of content out there both free and pay on the rookies and getting to know them early can be a huge boon especially if you are in Dynasty leagues
5- The NFL Draft- Not much needs to be said here. It has become a huge phenomenon with cities fighting to host it. Back in 1987 I walked up to the Marriott Marquis in New York City about 2 hours before the draft and was about 40th person in line. Now it is bedlam. Watch the draft talk about it on Twitter and then once again figure how ADP has affected both the rookies and the other players based on where the rookies have or haven’t been drafted.
6- Camp and Pre-Season-Following camp news is also big business these days. Every pass is under scrutiny. There is Hard Knocks every year on HBO and you can through the NFL Game Pass watch every pre-season game and look for sleepers
7- Traditional Auctions and Redraft- Finally we get down to it. Draft Day. Grab the beer and the wings and either meet up with friends or draft online. Fast draft or Slow draft, playing for pride or the big bucks at FFPC everyone loves draft day

I don’t feel the need to go through all the reasons to like the in-season do I? Everyone loves football or face it we wouldn’t be here. The joy also of following your teams points as they either accumulate or don’t accumulate each week for Fantasy while watching the games. We have come a long way from adding up our scores for our one fantasy league using the newspaper like I did when I first started

There is also the emerging game of Daily Fantasy and studying to make out lineups. Start/Sit decisions and the crucial waiver wire. And if you are like me trading right up until the deadline. As much fun as the offseason is the season is amazing and 62 percent of people still chose it number one.

Conclusion

Thankfully we don’t need to decide between the off-season or the in-season for Fantasy Football. We have the opportunity to enjoy it all. Whatever your favorite is or isn’t Fantasy Football has become a staple of many of our lives. From the casual fan in one league to the Dynasty guys who are somehow managing 20 or more teams there is something for all of us to love in this great game. And that is something to be thankful for!

So where would you come in on this discussion? You can read other’s responses or give me your thoughts on my timeline on Twitter @TodfromPa. And good luck in your games!