NFL Week 1 offered the ultimate example of the biggest shortcoming with traditional season-long football. As we now know, whoever had the lucky fortune of drafting David Johnson this fall will be without their #1 pick for 2-3 months. As he’s affectionately known in fantasy circles, ‘DJ’ was a consensus Top 2 pick and now has his season-long fantasy owners scrambling.
Some DJ owners may believe they are destined for the cellar (and last place fantasy league punishments), but if they were quick to pick up Week 1 free agent standouts like Tarik Cohen or Kenny Golladay, they may have found serviceable replacements for their FLEX spot over the next couple months.
Either way, this scenario is typically when the Daily Fantasy Sports operators swoop in and attempt to persuade you to migrate to their format. “Forget about injuries” or “Don’t be stuck with your season-long roster” are some of the common refrains, but while some season-long players may start to dabble with DFS, the latest Fantasy Sports Trade Association statistics showcase the majority of fantasy players stick with the traditional format.
By now, both fantasy formats have clearly been assessed to be games of skill considering 16 of 16 states have assessed them as such through specific fantasy sports legislation. That said, season-long fantasy format proponents argue the traditional format is even more of a skill-based game when you combine all the preseason draft research with free agent & waiver wire pickups on top of the week-to-week roster management.
So how do season-long fantasy players stay engaged? While it is often maintained outside of the game platforms via spreadsheets, High Score of the Week contests are a perfect example of how many season-long fantasy league commissioners take matters into their own hands and keep things interesting week-to-week. Similarly, Side Bets are another common addition to fantasy leagues. As this entertaining thread from Reddit details, these fantasy league side bets can take the form of monetary, entertainment or even humiliation-oriented wagers.
While season-long fantasy operators like ESPN, Yahoo, CBS and NFL.com currently orient their platforms towards a playoff structure and eventual league champion, let’s hope they innovate their formats in the future and ensure all fantasy owners who catch the injury bug have reason to remain engaged throughout the 17-week NFL season.