FANTASY SPORTS: Fantasy Football vs. Simulation Football

By Peter Gloviczki, Jr. Sports Central, e-sports.com Columnist

With the NFL season right around the corner, football fans across the country are gearing up for one of the biggest things in years, fantasy football. Fantasy football has some variations, one of which is quickly gaining popularity in the online community: simulation football.

Fantasy football and simulation football are two very different games with two very different sets of rules. Simulation football relies on a computer generated program to create statistics based on past performances, player ability, matchup conditions, and a host of other factors. While simulation football uses a computer generated set of conditions to simulate game play, fantasy football uses actual "live" statistics from NFL games.

"I enjoy fantasy football because it's like your managing your own team. You can trade players, cut them, and you win and lose games every week," noted e-sports.com author Zack Cimini.

Brian Walker, a six-year veteran of fantasy football, has been participating in the so-called "sim" football leagues for four years.

In search of a broader explanation as to the differences between "regular" fantasy football and "simulation" football, I asked Walker for his take on the issue:

"Simulation, or "sim" football does not rely on actual player stats to determine the outcome directly like fantasy football. Player are "rated" according to their stats (usually 1-10). Injuries also play a part in "sim" football as players who were injured the previous year have a significant injury risk for the coming year"

Walker then went on to describe how players are valued in the Simulation league:

"Ratings are determined by last year's stats and the sim(ulator) takes those ratings and if you have a OT tackle that's rated an 8 (on a scale of 1-10) against a DE rated a 6, the DE won't be as effective and if the running back chooses that side to run, the play has more of a chance of being a success," said Walker.

Although the game may be simulated, the experience is anything but. Sim football provides real fun for all. Check it out!

Article courtesy of Sports Central