Popular fantasy football websites

The 2010 NFL season opens Sept. 12, meaning the start of one of the country's most popular activities is about to get under way. No, we're not talking about the actual NFL. We're talking fantasy football. Some estimate that more than 27 million Americans play fantasy football, in which "owners'' draft real players and have games and leagues based on what those players do in actual games. Fantasy football has become such a big deal that network and cable television stations run tickers during games specifically geared to let fans know how their players are doing. We at Two Cents aren't fantasy football experts, but we can direct you to where you need to go to find them. So for those who are about to hold their 2010 drafts or those looking for the latest fantasy news and advice, we've compiled a list of some of the more popular outlets on the Internet for fantasy football.

Yahoo Sports

Quite simply, the king of fantasy football Web sites. According to Yahoo, nearly 5 million people will play fantasy football through it. You can create your own league with people you know and let Yahoo compile the stats and standings. Or you can join a league that already exists with strangers from around the country. And it's all free. The site has expert columnists providing daily content as well as the latest injuries and news from around the league in both written and video form. It also has applications for iPhones and Android users, so players can manage their teams from their smart phones. Now you see why Yahoo is the undisputed leader in fantasy football.

football.fantasysports.yahoo.com

Sports Illustrated

The magazine's Web site has a page dedicated to fantasy football, including leagues you can join. The site includes a staff of football and fantasy writers with the latest updates and news. It even has a fantasy guru named Jay Clemons, who answers questions on twitter.com from owners wanting to know, for instance, what's up with Bears quarterback Jay Cutler or why taking Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers at quarterback might be a better option than Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. In addition, the site offers updates for Facebook and mobile phones, free live scoring and breaking alerts.

sportsillustrated.cnn.com/fantasy

ESPN

Like most major sports Web sites, fans can either create or join leagues through espn.com. In addition, there is plenty of news and updates as well as up-to-the-second news on Twitter. The best information — and quite possibly the best fantasy information — can be found on espn.com, but it's behind the "Insider'' wall, which subscribers have to pay for. But the information provided by writers such as Eric Karabell on his excellent KaraBlog is a must-read for the serious fantasy player.

games.espn.go.com/frontpage

FantasyFootball.com

This website has all of the bells and whistles of joining or starting a league that all of the other sites have as well as breaking news and advice. But it also has something called "Fantasy University,'' which is set up like a college. Freshmen learn the basics of fantasy football — from how to draft to how to score and, essentially, how fantasy football works. Sophomore and junior courses cover more advanced strategies, and the senior and masters classes are for the diehard fantasy player. And it's all free.

fantasyfootball.com

DirecTV

If you order the NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV, which allows you to watch games from around the league, there is a channel in the package that allows you to track up to 18 players in real time right on your television screen.

Twitter.com

Hey, Twitter is good not only for telling people how pretty the sunset is or how good your fried eggs are. It is a great tool on Sunday mornings during the season as you try to finalize your starting lineup. Do I start this really good running back against the tough Jets defense or this so-so back against the crummy Rams defense? Is this guy hurt or that guy benched? All you do is type in a player's name in the Twitter search field and there will be literally hundreds of tweets about that player as people from around the world agonize in real time over whether or not to start him. It also makes it virtually impossible to miss any late injuries or inactive transactions.

Other sites

Some of the other sites that host fantasy football leagues and offer expert advice and news:

• CBS Sports (fantasynews.cbssports.com)

• Fox Sports (msn.foxsports.com/ fantasy/football)

• USA Today (usatoday.com/sports/

football/fantasy)

• NBC Sports (nbcsports.msnbc.com and click on NFL Fantasy page)

• Roto World (rotoworld.com and click on NFL page)

• Roto Hog (rotohog.com and click on Games)

• Roto Wire (rotowire.com and click on NFL)