Fantasy football is a way for NFL fans to stay in touch with the game.

What began in the late 1980s by small factions of fans has turned into a multi-million dollar business that is played by thousands of fans worldwide.

Fans usually play fantasy football on the internet for free to feel like they are actually on the field coaching the pros such as Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck. Anyone you would like to have on your team you have to draft these guys before other guys do though.

In most fantasy leagues, you draft your team and you can enter a league with only people you know or an open league. Most sports sites like ESPN.com, CBSsports.com and even the Indianapolis Star has free versions of fantasy football anyone can enter.

There are different types of fantasy football. One is a Head-to-Head league. In head-to-head leagues, a team matches up versus a different team each week. The team who receives the most points of the two receives a win for that particular week.

Points are determined by the scoring system that is either standard set by the website or custom set by the commissioner. A team’s total is the sum of all players’ points in the starting lineup.

Jason Waite plays fantasy football with a couple of his friends Shawn Morris, Bob Johnson and Bernie Jones.

“We have been playing about 18 years all together,” Waite said. “It takes us about an hour a day each week to pick our players.”

For most fans, playing in a fantasy league is just a way to enjoy the NFL game a little more.

“If you love the game and love watching the game, it’s great fun,” Morris said. “It keeps us involved in the game.”

If interested in playing in a league, check out any sports-related web site. ESPN.com and NFL.com are two of the more popular free sites.