As the stretch to the NFL's official season kickoff shortens, football fans are gearing up — parked on their couches, eyes glued to the television, hands gripping mobile devices to constantly monitor player performance in multiple preseason games. These are fantasy sports fanatics, who have the dual task of rooting for their hometown favorites and making picks for their fantasy franchises before the season starts — Sept. 10 with the New England Patriots hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fantasy sports league participation swelled to more than 56 million players in the U.S. and Canada this year, up more than 15 million from 2014, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association.