Fantasy football is one of the most popular communal pastimes for sports fans in the United States. From dedicated tape eaters to casual fun players, leagues with friends to coworkers to strangers, anyone can have fun with fantasy football. Whether you’re an experienced fantasy player or new to the world of fantasy sports it’s important to understand the deadlines you may encounter in your fantasy season. Here are the important start and end dates for you to know when preparing for the upcoming NFL and fantasy football season.
When Does Fantasy Football Start?
Fantasy football leagues don’t count stats in the preseason, just like the real league, which means that the start of nearly all fantasy football leagues is on the first week of the season, scheduled to begin with the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles taking on an as yet unnamed opponent on Thursday, September 4th, before the opening Sunday of games on September 7th. While this represents the opening game week for the season, your league will need to hold its draft prior to this.
Your fantasy draft, in which you and other owners draft players for your teams in the year ahead, is where you acquire your players, or add to the players you already retained in a dynasty league. At the start of your fantasy season, choosing wisely when setting a date for your fantasy draft is essential.
An earlier draft date helps you ensure you have your teams settled well before the NFL season, and may make planning easier as it provides wiggle room should you need to make changes to the plan later. Many leagues prefer a later start date, however, holding the draft as close to opening week as possible. Delaying the start of your fantasy season helps provide owners with as much information as possible, as you can see players and teams showing indications of strong or weak seasons, and respond to any injuries or roster moves that affect the value of players.
When Is The NFL Draft?
The NFL draft is held every year in April and provides an opportunity for NFL teams to select college players to join their squad. As a fantasy player this can be important in two ways. In a traditional league, the top rookies will be viable starting options right out of the gate so knowing where they go can be important.
In a dynasty league, you may even participate in a league with its own college draft where you can lay claim to the rights of incoming players, maybe even choosing someone with high upside but low rookie expectations who can grow into a valued part of the team. The NFL Draft for the 2025 season was held from April 24 to April 26.
When Do Fantasy Football Playoffs Start?
While the NFL postseason extends well into the new year, fantasy seasons usually only run for the regular season, and that means the fantasy playoffs begin during the season. There are several weeks your league may choose to begin the playoffs based on a few considerations:
- Week 18: Although part of the regular season, many leagues avoid the final week of the season when many teams rest players, meaning you have to start your playoffs a week earlier
- Championship Length: Most leagues play all playoff matches as single games, however some leagues opt for a two-week combined total championship requiring an extra week or one round fewer in your playoffs
- Field Size: How many teams you let into the playoffs will also dictate your first playoff week. Assuming a single-game championship then a playoff with three or four teams needs two weeks but a move to a larger size, such as the common six- and eight-team versions, requires an additional week of playoffs
Most leagues will choose to begin the playoffs on either the 15th or 16th week of the season. The key dates for likely playoff weekends are:
- Week 14: Thursday, December 4th to Monday, December 7th
- Week 15: Thursday, December 11th to Monday, December 14th
- Week 16:Â Thursday, December 18th to Monday, December 21st
- Week 17:Â Thursday, December 25th to Monday, December 28th
- Week 18:Â Saturday, January 3rd to Sunday, January 4th
When is Fantasy Football Championship Week?
The most common date for fantasy football championship weeks is Week 17, beginning on Christmas Day. This is the championship week for any leagues running a one-week final and choosing not to hold meaningful games on the final week of the NFL season.
Championship games may also occur on Week 18 on January 3rd and 4th. This may be as part of a two-week final or for a league which does not skip the final week of the season.
Can You Play Fantasy During the NFL Playoffs?
Although most fantasy football leagues start and end during the regular season, that doesn’t mean you can’t also play fantasy football after the regular season ends by extending your fantasy football season to the playoffs. Some options for playing in the playoffs include:
- Daily Fantasy: In daily fantasy challenges players are tasked with buying players for their team in a given week of games, with different players costing different amounts and a hard spending cap. Online sites run large pools of daily games, however you can also play with a smaller group, such as your fantasy league.
- Full Playoff Fantasy: Another option for a playoff fantasy system is to have all players compete to compile the most total points by the end of the playoffs instead of in head-to-head matches, as this minimizes the impact of losing players to elimination.
- Tournament Challenge: While the short nature of the playoffs means you can’t host a full season, you can set up a bracket up to four rounds long of head-to-head matches with players competing in a daily fantasy format to keep rosters full in each round.
Fantasy football season is one of the most fun times of year for sports fans around the US and around the world. With the start and end dates of this year’s season locked down you can begin preparing to draft your winning squad so that you can raise the trophy when your fantasy football season ends.
Published: Apr 30, 2025 02:59 pm