By Nicolas Esparza, Sept 2, 2025
As the 2025-2026 NFL season nears, many football fans will begin gearing up for fantasy football.
For some, joining a fantasy football league can seem intimidating, but by the end of the season, a new love for the sport is formed. Playing can be exciting but may not necessarily be easy, especially for beginners.
A fantasy football league typically consists of 10-12 teams but can vary. Each participant is the owner of the team.
The league will hold a draft just before the start of the NFL season. During this draft, the owner takes a turn choosing a player for their team. Each owner will have 16 turns to fill their roster.
Starters consist of a quarterback, a tight end, two running backs, two wide receivers, a kicker, a defensive team, and one “flex” player from the position of the owner’s choice.
The fantasy scoring system accounts for an individual player’s performance, meaning a player’s performance matters more than the overall team’s score.
Each team owner will face another in the league each week. As players accumulate points, so do the owners. At the end of the week, the owner with the most points wins.
As weeks go on and teams get eliminated, there will be a final championship game between the top two teams, and the winner will be named.
Although the draft is the key to a successful season, just like Cal Poly Pomona’s add/drop periods, each owner can still pick up, drop, or trade players throughout the season to improve their team.
Uriel Rivera, a bioscience student at CPP, just began playing fantasy football this season. “I really enjoy getting into it because once your friends are into it, it’s a lot more fun,” Rivera said.
During his league’s draft, he and his friends went out to eat and spent time together. He recommends that new participants do extensive research prior to drafting, as he admits to doing all his research the night before.
He also talked about the importance of draft order. For example, the unwritten rules that first-time players may not know, like not “drafting a quarterback in the first round.”
There are several key players to look out for this season, but here are the highly ranked favorites who could help win in a league.
The top quarterbacks on everyone’s radar are Lamar Jackson of the Ravens, Commanders’ Jayden Daniels, and the Buffalo Bills’ MVP Josh Allen.
Lamar Jackson had a record-breaking 41 passing touchdowns, and Josh Allen had a 101.4 passer rating. Jayden Daniels even led his team to a remarkable upset over the Detroit Lions in the NFC divisional round.
Top wide receivers include the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, the Dallas Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb, and Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase. All three of these receivers had over 1,100 receiving yards, and all had over 100 receptions.
As far as tight ends go, 49ers’ George Kittle averages almost 14 fantasy points per game each year. Brock Bowers also looks promising after his breakout season for the Raiders. He broke the record for most receptions and receiving yards amongst rookie tight ends.
“I’m drafting Christian McCaffrey first round,” said kinesiology student Nicholas Lopez.
Certain players, such as McCaffrey, are hot picks at the beginning of the season, but injury-prone players are something to keep note of when drafting.
Last year, McCaffrey was expected to shine. Unfortunately, he was stricken by injuries that included Achilles tendinitis and a PCL sprain, resulting in him only playing three regular-season games. He was deemed a fantasy bust.
Some will opt for a safer pick like Eagles running back Saquon Barkley or Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson to fill the running back position. They are not as injury-prone and can still produce an average of over 20 fantasy points per game.
“Sleepers” are players who aren’t getting as much attention as the top stars but have the potential to put up numbers.
Fantasy enthusiasts such as Daniel Song, a business marketing student, are more likely to have sleeper picks, “I’d say TreVeyon Henderson.” The new Patriots running back flies under the radar for now, but experts who have studied his college statistics predict high potential.
Picking these players can set a team apart from an owner who may want to play too safely. “I like the gambling aspect,” said computer science student Archibald Velasco when discussing underrated players. Taking a gamble on a player who’s considered a sleeper or injury-prone can potentially pay off, resulting in a win.
Leagues can play for bragging rights or money. Prior to the draft, all participants will have to agree on a set of rules. Some leagues even agree to a last-place punishment. Gregory Wong, a second-year mechanical engineering student at CPP, said last place in his league completes a mile run.
Whether leagues choose to have few rules or many, studying the game and embracing the journey can be enjoyable for die-hard fans as well as casual and new fans alike.
Feature image courtesy Connor Lālea Hampton