As fantasy football continues to explode and become even more mainstream, there have never been more ways to play the game as new apps and sites pop up every year. This is only natural for a popular market — everyone wants a piece of the action, and that breeds competition that raises the bar in terms of functionality every year.
For the consumer, this is great. However, not all apps are created equal, and finding the one that fits your needs can be a bit of a hassle. Of the seemingly hundreds of apps and sites, here are five of the best fantasy football apps that are worth downloading in 2024 as you look to take your skills (and enjoyment in playing the game) to the next level.
Best Fantasy Football Apps To Use in 2024
If the surge of fantasy football apps has done one thing, it’s created immense options in terms of features, alerts, and/or user interface (UI). With that said, this list simply features five of the best apps and their benefits rather than a definitive ranking. However, one stands out above the rest, and it doesn’t come from one of the major media outlets that dominated this scene early on.
Sleeper Is Currently the Best Fantasy Football App
For my money, Sleeper is the best fantasy football app on the market. Initially an alert-based app, Sleeper has built its platform into an all-encompassing fantasy juggernaut that has reshaped the market and become the benchmark for others to match.
For those who watch their games on NFL RedZone, Sleeper’s alerts come on so fast that they tend to be ahead of the broadcast. In 2021, Sleeper added Best Ball and auction leagues to their options. They also included the “squads” feature, which allows you to play prop contests against leaguemates or fellow Sleeper players for real money.
The app is where Sleeper shines, as it is a fantasy site built for the 21st century. From drafting and roster management to game days, the overall experience is top-tier. It’s clear that this product was made by a team of people just as invested in this game as we are. As a result, it has an answer to almost every question you could ask.
Functionality and the UI are at the top of Sleeper’s priority list. Everything can be done with a click on your phone. But the company also offers desktop support as well for those who are at a desk all day, meaning you’ll never miss a pick in a draft.
Add in its continual upgrades and unprecedented willingness to listen to the community, and Sleeper is the single best app for fantasy football players in 2024. Barring Devy support, it checks every box of what a modern fantasy football app should be.
Underdog Fantasy
The rise of Best Ball has been meteoric, especially over the last three years, and Underdog Fantasy is leading the charge.
- Best Ball: No lineup setting week-to-week; your optimal lineup is automatically started.
Underdog has become the pinnacle of the Best Ball industry, with thousands of players drafting teams daily. Users from all skill levels will quickly find the interface extremely intuitive.
Not only are there drafts essentially year-round, but it’s also not uncommon to see prize pools of over $1 million floating around. Who doesn’t like the opportunity for life-changing money?
No one else in the industry is all that competitive in this regard, giving them a stronghold on a growing product. Underdog also features a Pick’em style contest where users can create prop-based picks.
And if you’re like me and enjoy other sports, Underdog likely has you covered. The organization offers contests covering multiple sports, including the NBA, MLB, NHL, and more.
Even if you’re not versatile with your sports fandom, you should want your platform to be. While you may not play in the NBA games, this app is at the top of the company’s mind at all times. It ensures that any issues are dealt with in a timely matter, as opposed to pushed off until football season.
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Like many, I find myself playing in more Best Ball leagues than anything else, given the hands-off approach it takes during the season. Although I still love my dynasty and redraft leagues, I’m opening the Underdog app this time of year more than anything else. Based on how quickly it has risen in its short time as a company, I’m not the only one frequenting the app.
As mentioned, this app is an elite option, no matter your level of interest in the game. Underdog’s put together a nice combination of in-depth options and the basics that make playing easy. Now, all you have to do is pick the right players!
ESPN Fantasy Football
For many of us, ESPN is how we were introduced to fantasy football. The “worldwide leader” has the backing of the mouse and the resources to produce a great experience for fantasy football — as long as you want to play only redraft, as ESPN does not offer dynasty leagues. You’ll also likely be stuck to the standard league settings unless you’re creating a private league.
From a user experience perspective, be aware that ESPN’s default (“standard”) setting is full-PPR and has playoffs that run through Week 18 (championship: Weeks 17-18). Maybe you want your league set up like this, but if not, make sure to tweak your settings ahead of time via the League Manager tool.
This app offers some nice chat features and alerts. It may not be the most sound product on the market, but for casual players who are just getting started, it gets the job done.
Beyond that, the app is clean, simple, and straightforward. It’s a perfectly fine app to use if you’re in an ESPN fantasy football league. Just don’t expect any extra bells and whistles or extras. It does one thing and does it well, just not to the level of an app like Sleeper.
Yahoo Fantasy Sports
Yahoo, despite being one of the largest players in the fantasy space, is a site you don’t see many people talking about when discussing platforms. With that said, those who do use it swear by it. Every year, I will join a couple of random leagues on Yahoo because, like others, I enjoy the site/app. Plus, I enjoy seeing the ADP difference from site to site.
You can create and join public leagues and tweak scoring and roster settings. Yahoo even has a dark mode, which is how I live my life. Furthermore, it has a ranking system that keeps track of your wins and stats over time.
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One of the reasons I still use Yahoo is that it’s addicting to see where you rank. It gives you an idea of where your skills as a manager sit compared to the masses or just the others in your league.
The one catch with Yahoo is that to unlock all the features — the research assistant, advanced stats, expert rankings, start/sit advice, and recommendations — you will need to pay a monthly subscription, which is $34.99/year, a $10 increase from last year.
This is not a deal-breaker for me personally, as you can have a great experience on the app for free (scoring updates when your players make a big play are fun), but it needs to be mentioned.
NFL Fantasy
It should surprise no one that the NFL has its own fantasy site and app. It’s a simplified, no-frills experience, sitting somewhere between Yahoo and ESPN. Leagues can accommodate 4-20 people, and there is basic scoring customization with receptions and a few bonuses.
NFL Fantasy has a wide selection of data to comb over when making a decision. If you want a no-nonsense app that comes with solid analysis from some of the best experts, the NFL fantasy football app is a great choice.
That said, like Yahoo, there is a paywall to consider. Last season, many of its best features were hidden behind a $9.99 paywall. These include the “best available tool” that helps search the waiver wire, lineup optimization, an inactive auto-swap function, a trade machine, and an adaptive draft rank tool.
The NFL Fantasy app is a good choice from a pure experience standpoint, and for many, that’s more than enough. All of these apps have a consumer base that they best serve.
Play around and decide which is the best fit for what you need/want. You’ll want the app for whatever platform you play on.
This game is addicting, and as you change, your app preference may change as well. Our society is becoming increasingly dependent on apps, and a bad fit in this regard can result in a loss of interest for some.
As you can see, all of these apps have their strengths. Discuss them with your leaguemates and find your best home. The only wrong way to play fantasy football is not to play at all!