Your Guide to Fantasy Football (Taylor's Version)
The long wait is finally over: the 2024 NFL season will start this Friday. This means we can look forward to weekends filled with exciting games, inspiration for sporty fashion from the league's WAGs, and the chance to spot our favorite celebrities in the stands. Another enjoyable aspect of the season is the Fantasy Football League, which allows you to play with your friends, follow the games, and earn points based on the performance of real teams and players.
This year, we're hosting our own Fantasy league again, but with a Sportsish twist: it will be Taylor Swift-themed to provide a space for swifties who are eager to follow the NFL on their own terms and with a fun angle. Whether it's your first time playing it or you have experience with it, here's a Sportsish guide to Swiftifying your Fantasy participation.
Taylor Swift (Getty Images)
How it Works
Fantasy Football involves building a team of players from different teams in the league and competing against others. To start, you'll need to draft your players and decide who you want on your starting team each week. Your players' real-life performances will earn you points, and based on how they do, you'll either gain or lose points. Each week, you'll compete against another Fantasy League participant. At the end of the weekend games, the player with the most points wins the match. At the end of the league, the top players move on to the playoffs until only the best one remains.
First Things First, Your Team Name
When playing fantasy football, you have the freedom to manage your team however you like, including giving it a cool name that reflects your interests. In the league, it's encouraged to get creative with words to create a memorable team name, often using puns or funny references related to the league. Given Taylor's extensive lyrics and catchphrases, you can let your creativity loose and find something from your favorite era that suits a football team. To help inspire you, here are some of our favorite Taylor x NFL team name ideas.
Miss Americana and Deantre Prince: If you're a Jacksonville Jaguars fan, you're in luck. The team selected the Ole Miss graduate during the 2024 Draft, just in time to give us a perfect team name based on the "Lover" iconic hit.
Cowboys Like Me: Dallas fans, rejoice. The "Evermore" classic already includes the team's name, so picking this one is anything but a dangerous game.
Dallas Great American Dynasty: The Cowboys' tradition and history have earned them the nickname of America's team, which makes this title the perfect homage to the dynasty they have built over the years.
Touchdown Bad: We hope this season will not have you crying at the gym but rather celebrating every touchdown that will make you the league's best.
Is It Turnover Now?: Two types of turnovers exist in football: a fumble, which you want the other team to commit, or an interception, which is what you want your players to make. This team name will be ideal if you're still learning the rules and plays or are a dedicated fan of the 1989 vault track.
I Knew You Were Fumble: When your team drops the football and leaves it lying on the cold, hard ground, it definitely means trouble.
My Tears Ricochiefs: Here's to hoping Travis' team gives them hell and manages to get the jewels given to them in the shape of a fourth championship ring for him, the fifth one for the franchise.
Wildest Teams: Hopefully, this season will be memorable for you and your team, making you feel like you're staring at the sunset, babe.
TTPD (The Tortured Players Department): Following the season will have you feeling the highs and the lows, with some encounters becoming even torturous. This team name is perfect for those who are passionate enough to stick with their teams no matter what.
Midnight Saint: A nod to both the "Midnights" track and the New Orleans team. We hope this name can manifest you getting just what you wanted rather than feeling somewhat haunted.
89ers: After seeing Taylor rocking Justine Juszczyk's amazing designs last season, this is an unofficial petition to change San Francisco's team name so it can honor two of our favorite WAGs.
So Long, Drake London: The USC graduate is starting his third season as one of the Atlanta Falcons' top wide receivers, hopefully meaning the name is just a coincidence with the Tortured Poets track and not a nod to your season making you feel like you're going down with the ship.
This Jordan Love: Packers fans have a wide range of options to incorporate their quarterback's last name with Taylor-related titles, given that it's one of the main themes in her music. But just like the dream partner she sings about in the 1989 ballad, Jordan showed up just in time to help Green Bay rebuild their offense and make the season something beyond their fans' wildest dreams.
Electric Touchdown: If this is your first season joining a fantasy league, breathe, just relax; it'll be okay. It's all about having fun, and sure, some losses will feel like you've been left in the rain, lost and pining, but once you start getting those touchdowns, it will definitely bring your heart back to life.
Castles Fumbling: A fumble, like the castles in the Speak Now vault track, can make you feel like your bridges burn to the ground, even leave you wondering how it could've ended this way, but we can promise it's not the end of the world, it's just a small bump in the road you can always recover from.
Girl at Mahomes: Pat, the Chiefs' mastermind quarterback, already has a girl at home, and everybody knows that since Brittany is always on the sidelines cheering on her man or sharing a girls' night out with Taylor. This name is perfect for fans of the high school sweethearts' wholesome relationship.
'Tis The Damn NFL Season: Hopefully, you don't have to call it even and instead have a win every game, but from now until February 9, you'll definitely be calling the league "babe" every weekend.
Getaway Carr: A perfect name for Saints fans, the Reputation song fits perfectly with both the black and white (and gold) team uniforms. While nothing good starts in a getaway car, we're wishing your season will be better led by Carr.
Understanding Taylor's Invisible String to the NFL
Way before she was spotted at the Chiefs' suite every other weekend, Taylor had previous encounters with the NFL.
In 2017, when she was about to release "Reputation," Taylor had a deal with ESPN to let them use her songs in their promotional content. She teased a minute of "Ready For It?" in the lead-in to ESPN's Florida State vs. Alabama college football game while also letting them use "Look What You Made Me Do" in a Florida vs. Alabama game teaser.
Taylor was invited to appear in the teaser trailer for the 2019 NFL Draft with her song "Me!" as it was to be hosted in Tennessee, the city where she launched her career.
While she was a dedicated follower of the Chiefs during the 2023 season, she's actually a Philadelphia Eagles fan because it is her hometown team. Just like all the important details about her life, she has also incorporated this fact into her music. In Evermore's "Gold Rush," she mentions, "I see me padding across your wooden floors, with my Eagles T-shirt hanging from the door." During the Philadelphia stop of The Eras Tour, she confirmed that it was a reference to the local team: "I saw some people wondering if it was the band The Eagles or the team The Eagles. Guys, like, come on, like, I'm from Philly; of course, it's the team."
Who to Draft (Measured Entirely on a Taylor-Related Scale and Nothing Else)
Since we are here just for the vibes and this is a judgment-free zone, one of our suggested angles on who to draft for your team is to pick the players who have even the slightest connection to Taylor.
D'Andre Swift, running back, Chicago Bears: Although D'Andre now plays for the Bears, last season he was with the Philadelphia Eagles, which means the running back not only shares a last name with Taylor but was also a part of her favorite team.
Patrick Mahomes, quarterback, Kansas City Chiefs: Travis' teammate and football extraordinaire Pat must be included in the list. Not only has he been open about Taylor's recent support for the Chiefs, but he also joked that she was already drawing up plays to suggest them.
Aaron Rogers, quarterback, New York Jets: The four-time league MVP quarterback is a loud and proud Swiftie. He has attended multiple dates of The Eras Tour in the US and once declared "New Year's Day" as his favorite Taylor song.
Aidan Hutchinson, defensive end, Detroit Lions: Aidan has also opened up about his favorite song, naming "Love Story" as his pick. "It's an oldie," he mentioned in a video for the Lions' social media channels. "It's a classic. I love it." Any fan of the Fearless hit who is also a Heisman trophy winner can be on our team.
David Andrews, center, New England Patriots: When Taylor stopped by Gillette Stadium for the Eras Tour, the Patriots posted a video welcoming her by naming their favorite songs. David surprised everyone when he mentioned "Mary's Song," a title from the debut that is only known to deeply committed fans. This gave him an immediate pass to the "Ultimate Swiftie" drafting category.
Travis Kelce, tight end, Kansas City Chiefs: The mastermind behind this amazing domino effect that led Taylor to get involved with the league definitely deserves a place in the list. Not only is he her boyfriend, but he is also ranked as the no. 1 tight end in the league, making him a safe bet to earn you points each week.
However you decide to build your team, we hope this guide helps you feel excited about the league and serves as a starting point to avoid going into it blindly. Taylor's involvement with the league has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for people who love her but are also eager to follow football games. That's why joining our Fantasy League can be a meeting point for both. Good luck and happy Fantasy-ing!