Fantasy football struggle? Most give up before week 10

Thriving or hanging in there when it comes to your fantasy football team? Week 10 of the NFL season sees the most people finally give up, according to new research.

A new survey of 2,000 Americans who play fantasy football conducted a health check on how managers are currently coping as they pursue personal and strategic glory. If you’re still playing, you’re doing better than the 16% of managers who already quit as of Week 6.

A further 59% said they are “hanging in there” but still hope they can flourish as the season progresses, while 31% say they’re currently among the leaders of their league and chasing victory.

The poll, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Progressive Insurance, found that Week 7 is the average for managers to quit.

Week 10 is the most deadly to players in terms of quitting in a single week. A staunch 56% said they never give up.

For those throwing in the towel, underperforming players (37%) and injuries (30%) were two of the biggest nails in their managerial coffins.

The average fantasy player regrets three draft choices (2.6), with 69% of all respondents already having to thrust their backup choices into starting roles.

Overall, only 33% of first-round draft picks are performing as well as expected — and one in five are underwhelming or already on the IR.

“Even the best-laid game plans can get sidelined, whether on the road, in your home or even in your fantasy football league,” said Sade Balogun, senior business leader of brand experience at Progressive Insurance. “Much like in real life, having a good backup plan is critical.”

Results also pinpointed huge amounts of effort and preparation that goes into a person’s fantasy football career — the average manager dedicates 4.5 hours a week to their line up selections, researching players and planning their strategies.

Over the course of a full 18-week season, assuming they don’t quit, the typical fantasy manager racks up 81 hours or the equivalent of 10 full working days dedicated to their fantasy football dreams.

If more evidence of dedication was needed, incredibly, one in three fantasy football managers (35%) would rather win their league than have their favorite NFL team win the big game.

The average league buy-in was found to be a cool $60, but the average respondent is still up when it comes to their fantasy finances.

According to the results, the average fantasy football enthusiast has spent $1,014.5 in their life on fantasy leagues but has only won $1,205.6 — giving them a marginal profit of nearly $200.

And where there are fantasy winners, there are also fantasy losers — one of the time-honored traditions of playing fantasy football is having an embarrassing punishment for those who finish dead last.

One in five respondents have participated in a league with punishments, with seven percent of the panel actually receiving the penalties.

The survey asked respondents to reveal what their punishment was and found a slew of hilarious, and downright embarrassing, responses.

One respondent said they had to put on a bikini and walk down the street in the middle of a cold winter day, while another had to shave their head completely bald. Another respondent had to treat the winner of the league to an expensive dinner three separate times.

Win or lose, respondents are split on how much skill you really need in fantasy — 31% of respondents say it’s more skill-based, but 23% say it’s more luck than anything else.

“Fantasy football success is not solely about having the best draft. It’s about the ability to pivot and implement backup plans when faced with challenges,” said Balogun. “Right when players are about to throw in the towel on their season, it’s the perfect moment to call in for backup, and we’re excited to give struggling teams a second chance at a winning season with our Fantasy Backup Plan sweepstakes.”

FUNNIEST FANTASY FOOTBALL LAST-PLACE PUNISHMENTS (Responses edited for clarity)

● “I had to buy dinner for everybody else in the league while wearing an outfit of their choosing.”
● “I had to eat five raw eggs.”
● “I had to dress up like a maid and host a party with friends and family present.”
● “I had to treat the winner to dinner three times.”
● “I had to wear a bikini and walk down the street on a cold winter day.”
● “I had to buy everybody beer for a week.”
● “I had to post something embarrassing on my social media accounts.”

Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 people who participate in fantasy football; the survey was commissioned by Progressive and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 4 and Oct. 11, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:
● Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
● Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in
Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:
● Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
● Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
● Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
● Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once
It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.