How will COVID-19 impact fantasy football leagues?

How much of an impact will the coronavirus have on fantasy football?

We’re gearing up for the 2020 NFL season. It will be a season unlike any other, as we will be getting back our country’s favorite professional sports league in the middle of a global pandemic. There was too much money at stake and too many people who wanted to see the product on the field that it wasn’t going to happen. So if there are games, will there be fantasy football?

Of course, there will be. People watch insane amount of NFL football because of fantasy implications. Yes, people will tune in to watch their favorite team play each week, as well as a primetime standalone game or two each week. However, why else would you pay attention to two bottom-feeders duking it out on the No. 5 game for CBS or FOX on an earlier Sunday afternoon?

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So yes, there will be fantasy football, but there is a chance it could look different than any league you’ve ever been a part of. Because will contract the virus, players that were perceived as perfectly healthy won’t be able to play for an undetermined amount of time. Instead of going on IR, they will be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list for an indefinite amount of time. How will that work?

What can you expect to get out of your fantasy football season in 2020?

A player may miss a game or three or even a month, depending on how his bout with the virus goes. This means using the waiver wire may be more important than ever in fantasy. What needs to happen in your league is for you to have your commissioner allow as many IR spots as possible. That way, your roster isn’t decimated. Once a star player is healthy, you can drop someone else.

What is promising is in the Orlando bubbles for the MLS and NBA, there have been next to no positive tests for COVID-19. The MLS is Back Tournament is has completed group stage and now will enter the knockout round portion. The NBA will start playing its final regular season games at the end of the month. Maybe the virus won’t run as rampant on the gridiron as we thought?

Testing protocols are key here. The players obviously want to play. It may be expensive for the NFL to test all of its players every day, but it will be more expensive not to have a season. As for fantasy, this may be a year where maneuvering the waiver wire is more critical than it ever has before. Drafting well is always your best friend, but adaptability is a close second these days.