Aside from a few medical advances and the creation of the RedZone Channel, Fantasy Football might be the best invention ever. Nothing could ever be better than having your own team of NFL players, playing your friends, and owning bragging rights when you win.

For those that don’t know, Fantasy Football is a team you draft before the NFL season starts. You can have anyone you want on your team. Each week, your team competes against others’ teams, looking to score more points than your opponent in order to win the game. Your record at the end of the regular season determines your spot in the Playoffs, if you make it.

A standard ESPN roster has, for its starters, 1 quarterback (the guy who throws the ball), two running backs (the guys who run the ball), two wide receivers (the guys who catch the ball), one tight end (the guy who both catches balls and blocks defenders), one “flex” or free-choice player one defense/special teams, and one kicker. On the bench, you can have any seven players of your choosing.

Points are calculated differently for each position. For example, a quarterback is scored on how many completions, yards, touchdowns, and interceptions he has thrown. Obviously, that can’t apply to defense/special teams–they’re scored on their number of interceptions, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries, touchdowns, and punt blocks.

Individuals or team units can also go into negative points. If a quarterback throws an interception on his first pass of the game, or a if a kicker misses a field goal, he will go into negative points.

Aside from giving the pure joy of winning, Fantasy Football provides friends with an opportunity to take their knowledge of football to the next level. Leagues with just four teams are easier than leagues with 12 because there will be more players available to pick up off the Waiver Wire, similar to Free Agency, each week. In a league with 12 teams, Fantasy truly shows who has the deepest knowledge of football.

I am currently in four leagues and loving every second of it. I have been playing Fantasy for as long as I can remember, and it is one of the things that makes football season so special. If you like football and don’t play Fantasy yet, I highly recommend it.

In the junior class, there is a group of 15 of us in a league, and we are all engulfed in it. This year, the buy-in was $60, with the winner getting $540 and the second place finisher getting $180. So, yes, we take Fantasy very seriously, and in the end, it is all worth it.

Football is a conversation starter, too, and it can certainly bring on feuds and rivalries. If someone suffers a bitter defeat, losing by a slim margin, it will affect their mood and attitude towards their match-up’s winner. We are constantly negotiating trades, picking up players off Waiver Wire, and taking shots at other people’s teams.

In summary, Fantasy Football is the best. Did I mention that?