The 2022 predictions on Fantasy Football

September 1, 2022

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A fantasy football team typically consists of eleven players. A typical lineup includes one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, one tight end, one kicker, and eight defensive players. The players on a fantasy roster are typically selected from different NFL teams.

In the early 21st century, fantasy football became part of American culture. The first season of ESPN’s NFL Primetime produced a league in which the game between participants was subject to the outcome of the entire NFL season and not entirely predicated on statistics (i.e., points, yards, touchdowns, and receptions).

Many young Americans have embraced fantasy league to express their passion for sports and their acceptance of risk (some may even call it gambling). It has also helped educate young Americans about the importance of teamwork and has developed a sense of community among others participating in the league.

What are 2022 predictions?

In 2022, the frequency of fantasy football leagues will be 96% (96% of all fantasy football leagues will have a league commissioner in place). The average number of people participating in a company will be approximately 750 as opposed to about 540 (324 teams) in a regular season.
There will be approximately 12.8 million fantasy players engaged in a fantasy league (an additional 2.2% over 2019) as opposed to about 11.3 million (a decrease of 2.3%) in 2018.
Seven out of ten Americans will be engaged in some fantasy league as opposed to only two out of ten in 2019, mainly because the average number of people participating is expected to have increased between 2018 and 2022 by almost 3%.
In 2022, an estimated 68% of all fantasy football players will be Caucasian, 13% African American, 8% other races, 6% Hispanic, and 2% Asian. Approximately 83% of commissioners will also be Caucasian, proving no substantial change between 2019 and 2022 from the current percentage (82%).
There will be approximately 8.5 million fantasy leagues with a playoff format instead of 5.6 million in 2019. The number of remaining clubs that do not have a playoff format will increase from 2019 to 27% and will be expected to reach 91% in 2022.

The median fantasy league size will increase from 2019 to 2022 by approximately 30% (for the higher-end leagues) and 20% (for the lower-end clubs). The average height will increase by around 24% (for the higher-end companies) and 11% (for the lower-end leagues).
The number of people participating in online fantasy league streams will reach approximately 1.2 million instead of 803,000 in 2019. The number of people participating in live fantasy league streams will decrease from 2019 by 7% but should still reach approximately 925,000 in 2022.
The number of people who will win the top prize (1st place) in a fantasy league with a payout of $105,000 per person will be approximately 97,000 instead of roughly 7,500 in 2019.
The average salary cap (for all fantasy teams) will be approximately $162 million as opposed to $141 million in 2019 (a difference of $21 million over ten years [2019-2028]).
Approximately 4.7% of all leagues will have an entry fee (from 2019 to 2022), and the average entry fee will rise from $60 in 2019 to approximately $70 in 2022. The median entry fee will increase from $35 in 2019 to $45 in 2022.
Approximately (42%) of all fantasy leagues will allow teams to trade players, and approximately 55% of all commissioners will enable trading of some sort. About 76% of all commissioners will ban trades during the playoffs, with the remaining 24% allowing trading throughout the entire season.
Approximately 70% of leagues will have as few as three scoring categories, and 20% will include six or more scoring categories. In approximately 41% of institutions, there will be a minimum number of passing touchdowns to remain in the same category throughout the week.