(NECN: Rachel McNeill) - Lots of guys take part in fantasy football leagues around the country every season, but these days, more and more women are joining fantasy football leagues too, making it a family affair.
As fantasy football championships draw closer, setting this week's roster is serious business in the Cecil household.
According to the fantasy sports trade association, out of nearly 24 million people playing the game, about 20 percent are women.
"It's a great way for my husband and I to come together on a different level. Talk about something that's a little less stressful than the things that are going on, or what's going on with our daughter," Daniela Cecil said.
Their daughter, Ellie, is the whole reason Daniela got involved in a fantasy football league with other women to begin with.
"We met through a pregnancy app, and we had babies in either December or January in 2011 or 2012, and we've just kept in contact through that app. We created a Facebook group. There are 134 of us. 8 of us that still talk and decided to join a league again this year," Cecil explained.
Cecil says the league is as much about bonding with the girls, as it is about getting baby advice or a leg up on this week's opponent.
While some leagues have cash prizes, bragging rights are the ultimate payoff.
"I’m the reigning champion. I want to win again. It's a lot of fun and it’s bragging rights. And I want those back," Cecil said.
If you don't know that much about football, she says don't let that scare you off. Even though Cecil is dead last in her league this season, she says the quality time spent with her friends playing the game is priceless.
