Fantasy football is a game that is widely advertised but scarcely understood.

Fantasy football is ultimately a game, however it is not 100 percent in your control. The simplest way to explain the game is that regular people get a chance to see what it is like to be a general manager in the National Football League.

To start the year, the player who is in charge and probably created the league “the commissioner” contacts anywhere from eight to sixteen friends and schedules a draft date. The draft is arguably the most important part of the fantasy football process.

The draft is where you build your team. Right before the draft starts, all the players that are currently on a NFL roster are placed in a pool to pick from. Each player is then given a draft spot.

The draft then begins with the player that was given the number one pick. Because this player picks first, he can choose any NFL athlete he wants to be on his team.

As soon as he/she makes his/her selection, the player given the number two pick gets to pick. The process continues on like this. The draft consists of usually 16 to 20 rounds, depending on the commissioner’s preference. This means each player is going to draft 16 to 20 NFL athletes for their team.

During the draft, players are going to draft NFL quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, kickers and a NFL team’s defense. After the draft is completed, each player has their fantasy team and eagerly awaits the arrival of the football season.

During the regular season, players in the fantasy league will have their fantasy teams compete against each other in head-to-head competition. Between the two, whichever team has the most points receives the victory for the week.

The players get points based on how the athletes they drafted do in real life. For example, if someone drafted Aaron Rodgers and he throws for 300 yards and three touchdowns, that would be much better than if the opposing player drafted Joe Flacco and he only throws for 200 yards and one touchdown.

The players also have responsibility throughout the season. They may pick up free agents for their teams or make trades with other players.

After the regular season, usually the four teams with the best records make the fantasy playoffs. The single elimination tournament shortly follows and the winner of the fantasy championship is the winner of the fantasy football league.

This is just a quick summary of what this fantastic game holds. This column will contain tips and suggestions for how to make the best fantasy team possible in the future.