By Murphy Grant
Co-Editor-in-Chief

As millions of people tune in to watch the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos duke it out in Super Bowl XLVIII, the final game of the 2014 NFL season, I’ll be thinking about a Super Bowl that already happened this year. The Fantasy Football Super Bowl.  

No, my team isn’t in this Super Bowl either.

Being a girl often comes with one stereotype that has always pained me—we know nothing about football. Not this girl.

As a devoted Washington Redskins fan, I knew before the season started this year was going to be filled with more disappointment than defensive stops, so I would need something to distract me on NFL Sundays. That’s when I turned to fantasy football.

I jumped at the chance to join a league of nine guys on the night of the draft when I heard one of the guys had backed out, making me the only female team owner. As soon as I paid my $20 to join the league, the draft started. Only then did I realize the guys had been planning and agonizing over their teams for weeks. Now I had just five minutes to prepare to draft my team.

How hard could it be, right? The computer tells you all the stats and rankings of each player, even giving suggestions on who to play. How much work would I really have to do? Boy, was I in for a surprise.

To understand the intensity of fantasy football, you have to first understand the rules. So, here’s a look at how it works.

First each team owner selects a team of nine NFL players to play the positions of quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and kicker plus a flex player and a defensive team. League participants also choose up to seven back-up players for their teams.

Team owners set their starting lineups each week from their 16 players. These decisions are based on bye weeks, injuries and matchups for each NFL player. The league member has to decide the best player to play for the open position based on his performance in prior games.

If a “team owner” decides that one of their players isn’t performing, there is always the option of trading or dropping the player and picking up a free agent. Trading is good when two team owners have players that would benefit each other. Sometimes forming an early alliance is the key to success. Free agents are especially useful when a team owner needs a replacement player in a hurry.

Each week two members of the league go head-to-head with their teams. Once an NFL player starts playing in a “real life” game, he can’t be moved from the bench or starting lineup of the fantasy team. Players can only be moved after the total points have been calculated at the end each week. The next week’s lineup decisions begin early in the week.

The number of points awarded to each fantasy team depends on how well that team’s NFL players did that week. In the weekly head-to-head matchups, the team owner with the most points gets a win while the other participant gets a loss. A team can do really well against one team while doing poorly against another. Teams are ranked at the end of each week’s games based on their overall records.

The wins and losses decide which team owners will make the four-team playoff in the final four weeks of the regular NFL season. The Fantasy Football Champion is crowned before the NFL playoffs begin.

The guys in my league got a head start in the draft, but I soon learned the importance of watching ESPN’s Sportscenter to find out about player injuries and how the team matchups would affect each player on my team. Depending on whether or not I had a player involved in the weekly Thursday night game, my teams would have to be set before kickoff on Thursday night or Sunday afternoon.

After stressing over all the possibilities and changing my lineup several times only to change it back again, I would finally have my team set each week. With just a little strategy, I won my first game in week one and began a five-game winning streak. I even moved into a tie for first place in the league.

Injuries and other problems took my team out of the hunt for a playoff run. As the Redskins ended their season, I ended mine. With a final record of 7-6, I finished fifth out of 10 owners.

When the 17 weeks of excitement, heartache and broken friendships ended, I realized I had actually learned many life lessons.

Just because your favorite team is playing, doesn’t mean you won’t cheer for a player on the opposing team to get a touchdown. Yeah, I love the Redskins but when Jamal Charles makes my fantasy team win while beating the Redskins, it’s hard not to smile

You can’t always trust the trade. Once a league member has been established as the weakest link (usually the person with the worst record or the one who is the least knowledgeable about football), bogus trades pour in. When someone doesn’t know the difference between a good and bad trade, it’s hard not to take advantage of him when you are in desperate need.

Finally, don’t expect to remain best friends with the other league members, especially if you’re watching the game at their house.

When it was all said and done, I had lost $20. But I gained a whole new excitement for football. And next year? Next year will be my year with all the plans and research needed to have the best fantasy football lineup. With the Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning on my team, I’m hoping we both win Super Bowl titles.

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