It is perhaps the most exciting time of the year again, football season. But why do Americans love this season so much? Apart from the fandom, the hometown loyalty and tradition that is football, many people take stock in this season with fantasy football. This may not measure up to the time-honored tradition that football season is, but this is a powerful trend that has swept the country in the past few decades.

Currently, the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) estimates that there are 56.8 million fantasy sports players in 2015, up from 41.5 million in 2014. The average breakdown is 66% male players and 34% female players, with an average age of 37 years old.

24/7 Wall St. has put together a list of the most important and influential fantasy football leagues offered online today. Along with the traditional fantasy setup, a couple newcomers have been making waves in recent years with an innovative platform.

EPSN offers an online platform for fantasy football that has a huge user base. It also offers other fantasy leagues as well (baseball, hockey, basketball). What separates ESPN from the pack is that users do not have to leave the website to do research on their favorite players and teams, as perhaps one of the largest archives of NFL data is just a tab away. Not to mention, the ESPN analysts have up-to-date blogs, injury reports and trade data that is practically direct from the source. In just the past few years, this platform has integrated an online payment system to provide users the convenience of paying their league dues (if it is a cash league) online as opposed to having to pay in person.

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As a side note, a large number of fantasy leagues, approximately 60%, per the FSTA, have a pay and payout system. Members of a league will pay a fee or ante to join the league and select their team, then if a team wins the league its owner will receive a designated portion of the pot.
The National Football League (NFL) offers a popular fantasy football league on its site as well. Although the NFL does not have options for other fantasy sports leagues, its platform makes up for this lack of diversity with in-depth analytics. These analytical tools are very easy to use and provide insightful information on players, teams and matchups on a week-to-week or season-long basis. Some might consider this site the primary destination for all firsthand NFL information. Also, this league provides over 200 different custom league and scoring settings, which allows for an incredible amount of customization so users can make their league precisely how they want it.

Yahoo is somewhat of a mix of these previous two leagues. This platform has dedicated analysts and journalists who cover the happenings in the NFL non-stop and provide updated blogs and player profiles on a very consistent basis. Like ESPN, Yahoo offers a “Fantasy Wallet” that allows users to make league payments or even play in other fantasy contests offered on the site. There is even an option to integrate or link a PayPal account. Many consider Yahoo to be a fantasy headquarters because it offers multiple fantasy sports leagues all at a central hub. So, while you may be reading about 24/7 Wall St.’s posts on Yahoo Finance like America’s Best Companies to Work For, it is a quick tab over to check on the status of your fantasy QB.

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FanDuel is one of the newer platforms for fantasy football. This platform offers one-week fantasy leagues for multiple sports, but football is king. FanDuel does not offer a traditional fantasy draft that most would be accustomed too. Rather, the user is put in the position of a general manager of his or her team and must draft according to a salary cap, with the better players having a heftier price. This is somewhat similar to stock picking because players want to get the most bang for the buck while still looking for a favorable P/E ratio. The platform allows you to play against friends for money or even join a larger pool for prizes up to $1 million for the best picks.

Draftkings is the other major player in terms of this new platform. An interesting stat on Draftkings, as we move through September, is that this company has spent more on TV advertising (through September 7) than any other company in the United States. The company spent roughly $24 million dollars, and the next runner up was AT&T at $23 million. Draftkings’ platform is, practically speaking, the same as the FanDuel platform in terms of the salary cap draft method, and also it offers more than just football to play. There other types of pools that users can enter with payouts over $1 million, as well as a head-to-head option.

Overall these fantasy leagues move a large amount of money during the football season, and many users have a stake in it. Some users might opt for the high-risk high-reward that the newer platforms offer, while some might stick to the more traditional leagues and set their own stakes. Either way, this is a growing market, and as it continues to develop, we can expect more cash flow and an increased impact on football fans in general.

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