16-Team Leagues: Where Real Fantasy Football Is Played

How realistic is fantasy football if you have Peyton Manning and Drew Brees both on your team? How about having L.T., Marshawn Lynch, and Brandon Jacobs to choose from? C'mon, is a 10 or 12-team league really a challenge? Is it even fun?

The real fantasy football challenge is the 16-team format. If you draft L.T. with the first pick, your next sniff at talent is at No. 32. No Manning, no Brees, no Lynch, and no Jacobs left, you better know the second and third-tier players.

By round six of the draft, you better know who the No. 2 receiver is for the Seahawks, and you should be ready to pick your 12th-ranked TE because he is going to be your starter.

In our league, we limit our roster to a maximum of two QBs, TEs, DSTs, and K's, so there are always starters available, even if that starter is Seneca Wallace. The league is won by the owner that finds the No. 3 WR that becomes a star, or the backup RB that produces eight to 10 points each week. If you don't get a top 10 TE, you're happy to find four to six points a week from the Panthers' starter.

During the season, with a 14-player roster limit, be prepared to drop a starter during your bye weeks if you haven't planned for byes during the draft. Some owners even play without a TE during a bye week so they don't have to drop a player they like.

When Jason Witten goes down, you don't have Jeremy Shockey on the bench, you have last year's rookie starter, what is his name?

When you are ready to play in the ultimate fantasy football league, join a 16-team league. If your league is getting stale, step up to the challenge of the Sweet 16. If you think you know fantasy football, 16 is the only number you need to know!