Fantasy Football in Cranford high school is seen as a staple for the first few months of the school year, from September through January. Fantasy Football is where you act like a team owner of your own team, drafting players throughout the different rounds and then creating your own team out of it. After you draft your team you have to hope your team scores enough points each week to make the playoffs. Many drafts take place around a week before school starts, and week 1 is always on the first day of school. And even though the start of school is always ruthless, no matter what grade, fantasy football being there will always make it fun.
Below, find two student experiences with Fantasy Football. Please note, students are not gambling or using money on the game, but rather, they are pretending to have an ultimate football team, for fun.
Student 1 – Nick Sofield: My experience with fantasy football has been a little unorthodox. I first started playing fantasy football with my friends in 2023—my sophomore year. This was my first year and I knew what I was doing, but not well enough. Safe to say I put up a horrendous record, being 2-12 and having starters like CJ Ham as my RB2 due to bad managerial decisions and injuries. After that I joined a second league with some of my other friends, and 2024 was a great year for me. I had two leagues going, I went 8-6 in one and 9-5 in the other. In my first year joining the league I actually won the championship. Now as I’m writing this, I am 4-4 and 5-3. In my senior year fantasy football has made me closer with many of my friends, because we all go on rants about it, make trades and talk about who to pick up as free agents. This is the year I have been the most focused on fantasy football, trying my best each week to try and pick up the best players for the upcoming week. There are still 8 games to go in the fantasy football season before the playoffs and I am hoping that there will be enough space for me to make it, because anything can happen in the playoffs. Outside of me, fantasy football is such a huge talk of school, each monday I hear kids in the halls talking about the big performances players had, and the unflattering others had. These performances bring people together, and that is what it’s all about at CHS.
Student 2 – Zach Ryan: My experience with fantasy football has been a little more victorious. Sitting at a record of 8-0 (wow, right?) this year’s games have definitely swayed in my favor. As an avid fantasy football player myself, I am currently in a large 12 person league. This game has certainly created a competitive environment between my friends and I. Although competitive, this league has become a staple in our friend group since freshman year. With college on the horizon and our friend group eventually going our separate ways, fantasy football is one memory we will never forget. With our vast love for the game we have also promised to continue the league into our college semester and join a video call for each year’s draft. To my friends, fantasy football is not only a game but a staple in our friendships.
Fantasy Football will always have a big impact on both of us, it brings so many people together, creates friendships and friendly rivalries. And even after we all graduate, the fantasy football aspect won’t change. Because no matter what, everybody will still load up their phones or computers and get ready to make that first draft pick they’ve been waiting to make since February. No matter if they’re at home, in their dorm room, or even out of the state or country, Fantasy Football will live on for a long long time.
