Ever felt like all the best sports in the world have already been invented, but you’re stuck here yearning for a new game to play. Well, look no more, as fantasy football is here to combine one of the most popular sports ever with your own personal preferences, customizing your every experience.

It is imaginary, not played in real life. Nonetheless, globally, there are millions of interested people.

If you want to play this game, you are supposed to assume the role of coach and general manager combined in a single person. Moreover, you go through the players of the NFL and choose the ones which you deem best. The team you have created basically ‘clashes’ with another team created by a different coach/general manager according to real life schedules. And, as a result of real life events, one of the teams wins and the other looses. Of course, there are complex mechanics which take place before this final deduction, as each player you’ve chosen and each of their actions, passes and injuries influence your fantasy team.

The idea for this sport came more than half a century ago, and it occurred to a certain Wilfred “Bill the Grill” Winkenbach, who had been a limited partner in the Oakland Raiders, and a well-known businessman of the same area. In the Oakland’s 1962 cross-country trip, Wilfred, along with Bill Tunnel, then in charge of the Raider’s Public Relations, and Scotty Stirling, a reporter from Tribune, were situated in a New York hotel room.

Their organization and the rulebook which they constructed turned out to be the basis of today’s modern fantasy football. Nonetheless, to make things clear, it’s best to distinguish the phases of playing this sport.

1. Join a League
Since these come both free and at a certain price, it’s important that you choose wisely. The free leagues can help you practice and learn all the knick-knacks. On the other hand, you need to get an invitation for a private league, and, moreover, you need to have some real money in some situations in order to handle it.

2. Scout Around
Before you start choosing players, check out the offerings and see which variant suits you best. The important thing to remember is to understand your league, its scoring system and roster setup.

3. Draft Away
For drafting, each “coach” selects on a NFL player until the rosters are complete. Drafting the right players for the corresponding positions is crucial to creating a sustainable team.

4. Weekly Matches
As real-life teams clash on the field, fantasy ones use their current points and Bet365 review of statistics to determine the points using their flesh-and-bone counterparts. Ultimately, teams fight to win enough games to make the playoffs.

5. Use Your Power
Since you’re the coach/GM, there’s no need to tell you who’s in charge. You can trade or sell players, or at least bench them as you wish.

All this is done in order to reach the playoffs where the winner is decided by a single eliminatory tournament and the prize couldn’t matter less.