Why Fantasy Football is Better Than Fantasy Basketball

• By: Kenn Ruby
• On: 11/6/2009 7:24:00 PM

Related: Kenn Ruby 


• View Comments : 9

Last week, I talked about how fantasy basketball is better than fantasy football, but the fact of the matter is that fantasy basketball can be just as frustrating as fantasy football, and in many ways, football is the superior product. In fact, many of the reasons I listed last week for why I like basketball more can actually be used as a reason for why football is better. Really.

Head-to-head once a week is awesome. I'm in some head-to-head basketball leagues and the whole category thing is just kind of dull. Hey, I won 5-to-3-to-1 this week! In football, you have one team to beat in points and you can spend all day Sunday watching your match-up. In basketball, you "lose" in turnovers even when you pull ahead in other categories. And with all those games (including late games), most of which aren't on t.v., it's less fun to "watch" your games. You just don't have the time.

The big play can turn your week around. When Kobe Bryant makes a steal and runs down the court for a thundering dunk, you can smile and say "I got credit for a steal, two points, and my field goal percentage went up slightly." That's nice and all, but what happens when your running back explodes for a 50-yard TD? When your defense returns an interception for a touchdown? When your quarterback and receiver happen to be teammates and hook up for score? You can gain big points in a hurry.

Injury Reports. What started as a nice piece of information for regular gamblers has become invaluable to fantasy players as well. You can find out easily if a player is out, doubtful, questionable, or probable, and usually a few days before Sunday. In basketball, you often find out about injuries after the game has started, when it's too late to do anything about. Additionally, a basketball player is far more likely to sit out a game with minor injuries or "flu-like symptoms." That's what happens when you have 82 games instead of 16.

Anyone can play. If you're in just one football league, it's so easy to keep track of it. All you have to remember is what day(s) you can pick up free agents, and you can then spend about five minutes making your moves for the week. You can win a league without doing much more than that. Even better, you can set up a football league very easily. We have one up and running in my office. I guarantee if I tried to do fantasy basketball in my office, I wouldn't get any more than three or four players.

Bye weeks. Ok, I hate bye weeks, but they do add a little strategy. I have a key week 10 battle against a rival, but my QB is on a bye. I had to make a trade to pick up a second quarterback just because I can't let Damian beat me. The closest fantasy basketball comes to this is when a player is playing only one or two games. Still, you wouldn't bench Chris Paul if he only had two games this week, would you?