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3 Reasons the NFL should not expand to 18-game schedule

By Colton Pickard

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Executive Vice President Charlotte Jones Anderson visit with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Executive Vice President Charlotte Jones Anderson visit with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 15: (L-R) Draftstreet co-founders Mark Nerenberg, Jeremy Elbaum and Michael Klbort, 2nd place winner Matt Sidla, 3rd place winner Matt Renkwick and Draftstreet co-founder Brian Schwartz pose with a $1,000,000 check during the $1,000,000 Draftstreet Fantasy Football Championship 2013 at Legasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo Las Vegas on December 15, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for DraftStreet)
LAS VEGAS, NV – DECEMBER 15: (L-R) Draftstreet co-founders Mark Nerenberg, Jeremy Elbaum and Michael Klbort, 2nd place winner Matt Sidla, 3rd place winner Matt Renkwick and Draftstreet co-founder Brian Schwartz pose with a $1,000,000 check during the $1,000,000 Draftstreet Fantasy Football Championship 2013 at Legasse’s Stadium at The Palazzo Las Vegas on December 15, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for DraftStreet) /

3. Fantasy Football

Fantasy football is growing exponentially still every year, along with sports betting. With a change in the NFL schedule, it could mess everything up. When you think of an 18-game schedule affecting fantasy football, you may not believe it’s that big of a deal. However, with gambling becoming a larger part of the gam,e this could have huge implications for daily fantasy and, of course fantasy football in general.

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Bye weeks are already a big problem with fantasy football, having to sit players with the week off. Now, imagine your fantasy team’s quarterback is on a bye in Week 6 and your starting running back and wide receiver are sitting out due to the new rules.

In fantasy football, that type of last-minute decision-making to try and alleviate the physical toll of a season could wreak havoc. It’s difficult enough to have money on the line in fantasy, which is more prevalent than every, and then have a player be a late scratch. That will be more common with an 18-game schedule and the 16-game limit on players.

A lot of NFL fans gamble, whether that’s betting on games or simply with fantasy football. The easiest way to upset football fans is to mess with their money. And once they start losing money due to the effects of an 18-game schedule, things won’t go well.

The NFL and fantasy football are undoubtedly married at this point and severely altering the way that fantasy owners must monitor things is only going to cause issues, likely sooner rather than later should a change take place.

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