How fantasy sports have altered reality of Broncos, other NFL players – The Denver Post

The insults were expected after the Broncos’ 29-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs last Sunday. But a false accusation prompted kicker Brandon McManus to speak up.

“thanks for the 0 points you loser,” an angry fantasy player messaged McManus on Twitter. “Just like the same amount of TDs that trash QB of yours had today.”

McManus politely tweeted back, “You’re welcome.”

“He was wrong. I obviously had one point,” McManus later said, referring to his extra point on a fourth-quarter touchdown.

NFL players have grown accustomed to being pawns in the chess game of millions of fantasy general managers. In recent years, most have purposely stayed on their side of a line that has become increasingly blurred by the billion-dollar daily fantasy sports (DFS) world, led by the Boston-based DraftKings and New York-based FanDuel, which control 95 percent of the fantasy sports market.

The two sites have inundated the mainstream media with advertising and promotion. Although the legality of such sites has been challenged, it hasn’t precluded pro sports teams, including the NFL, from becoming partners.

The conflict of interest is apparent and growing. Money talks, though, and the eye-popping value and popularity of fantasy sports betting sites has spoken loudly.

As have the players.

Lack of regulation

All NFL personnel are banned from betting on sports. Fantasy sports are fair game, however, so long as employees do not accept prizes of more than $250.

“This prohibition is intended to avoid any appearance of impropriety which may result from participation in fantasy football games by individuals perceived to have an unfair advantage due to their preferential access to information,” the league’s policy states.

Although DraftKings and FanDuel have remained adamant that daily fantasy sports do not constitute gambling — they’re games of skill, they say, not chance — the real players fail to see the difference.

“I think it is a conflict of interest, for sure, because of the fact that we do have inside information,” said Broncos tight end Arthur Lynch. “I don’t think the fantasy league would come after us, but I think the NFL could. I know we’re not allowed to gamble, and it’s essentially the same thing.”

Michael McCann, a legal analyst and writer for Sports Illustrated, believes the bigger issue is the NFL’s regulation, or lack thereof, of fantasy sports participation.

“If you play for the Broncos and you know one of the running backs may be a little more injured or might get more playing time, that would be beneficial,” McCann said. “But if you’re only going to get $250, I don’t know what the incentive is there to really exploit that. But that assumes that this $250 rule is actually enforced.”

According to the league, responsibility to report to the NFL any known or suspected violations is essentially on the honor system. If there is reason to believe any employee has violated the policy, the league will investigate. But there is no policing and feasibility of doing so, with online aliases and different IP addresses, would make it nearly impossible.

Most Broncos players say they do not participate in fantasy sports.

The advent of social media, though, has given fantasy players a direct connection to the real players.

“I see people get blown up about it all the time,” McManus said. “Even our fans go into the game and say ‘Oh, I need so and so.’ You know you’re going to get it. I don’t think they realize their fantasy is our reality.”

Running backs C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman, whose names and images are typically front and center on weekly fantasy projections, have attempted to make it clear, on numerous occasions, that they have little regard for fantasy football. Broncos wide receiver Andre Caldwell said he does not engage with fans playing fantasy football.

“They talk noise and try to figure out who’s playing and who’s starting,” Caldwell said. “They hit us up all the time and talk noise when you don’t play well.”

Tight end Owen Daniels has received his fair share of insults too. Applying logic rarely helps, so he usually opts to keep quiet.

“Some people have been like, ‘You cost me such and such money, you cost me $1.2 million!’ I’m like, ‘If you would have won $1.2 million, would you have given me any amount of that money?’ ” he said. “If you’re saying I didn’t earn it for you, then if you had won, I did earn it for you. So I need a cut.'”

Rise fast, but not smooth

Advertisements for DraftKings and FanDuel often run back to back during commercial breaks of NFL telecasts. Billboards, signage on public transportation, radio spots offering promo codes and promising big payouts are hard to miss. Plastered on the Broncos’ videoboard at Sports Authority Field, right next to the game score, is the DraftKings’ logo, with block lettering that reads “PLAY FREE.”

Although the NFL forbids teams from owning a stake in the fantasy betting sites, team owners are allowed to personally invest in them, and their franchises are allowed to sign advertising deals with them. Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have personal stakes in DraftKings. Twelve NFL teams, including the Broncos, have advertising agreements with DraftKings. Sixteen others are aligned with FanDuel.

According to research firm IEG, the partnerships with DraftKings and FanDuel are worth an estimated $6 million to $7 million for each team.

In September, the NFL Players Association agreed to a partnership with DraftKings that allows the company to use active players for both in-product and advertising campaigns. DraftKings also gained the right to negotiate separate deals with players, which it did with Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The rise of DFS, which is projected to have five million people playing for money in the U.S. this year, has been swift. But it hasn’t been smooth.

Five states have banned participation, the New York attorney general is pushing to shut down DraftKings and FanDuel, and Massachusetts has sought regulation of DFS. Many other class-action lawsuits have been filed, including one by Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garçon, who is suing FanDuel for using his likeness without permission. Garcon has encouraged other players that appear on FanDuel’s site to join.

“I would,” said Broncos defensive end Malik Jackson. “I mean, that’s like me using your name and your likeness and not giving you anything. But that’s the league. They feel they pay us enough so they can do whatever they want.”

For better or worse, fantasy sports has created a new reality for the real players.

Nicki Jhabvala: njhabvala@denverpost.com or @NickiJhabvala