Photo: Brad Mills, USA Today Sports

Fantasy football seems to get bigger and better every year. More and more football fans get involved in one of the biggest hobbies in sports, and you love every minute of it. Have you ever wondered if there was a place that celebrated both your favorite game to watch and your favorite hobby and game? Not just pro football. Not just fantasy football. Both – all at once – in a festival-type atmosphere in one of the greatest adult playgrounds of all? You better believe it. Welcome to the Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC) in Las Vegas, Nevada.

THE HISTORY OF THE FFPC

The FFPC was born in 2008, created by high stakes fantasy league players that wanted to both create their own event and also protect the interests (and prizes) of their fellow players. That is why the FFPC was the first major event to provide a prize guarantee backed by an escrow account. It is this kind of players first mentality that first made the FFPC an immediate hit and success. Not only did it hit the ground running, but the FFPC has grown in size and popularity each and every year of its existence. The lineup for 2018 is even bigger and better than ever. Let's take a look:

THE FFPC MAIN EVENT

The FFPC Main Event is the flagship event of the FFPC. Launched in 2008 with 180 teams, the FFPC Main Event has grown into 1,800 teams in 2018 and is currently the largest season-long, high stakes fantasy football event in the world. But being the largest isn’t nearly the only accomplishment. The FFPC Main Event has proven to be exciting and compelling, yet easy to understand format which can easily be enjoyed by first-time participants as well as diehard veterans. The FFPC Main Event offers a well-balanced prize pool with $11,000 in league prizes and a huge $250,000 grand prize. A remarkable $2.2 Million in total prizes will be awarded in 2018 contests and every single penny is placed in an attorney escrow to ensure that your money is secure and protected. The FFPC has expanded the draft schedule with numerous online drafts and 26 live, in-person draft events at Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Whether you are drafting from home or coming to Sin City for all of the festivities, the FFPC Main Event is a can’t miss for any fantasy football fanatic!

EARLY DRAFTS BEFORE OPENING NIGHT

This year the FFPC is offering a few drafts on Thursday, so you can get in early and start the fantasy draft action before Opening Night Kickoff. Whether it is the Varsity League, one of two Super Bracket Tournaments or the Off-The-Grid League, you can start to fulfill your fantasy fix right away. All of these leagues offer their own unique twist on fantasy competition, starting with the Varsity League, which is a total points league rather than a head-to-head weekly matchup league. The Super Bracket Tournaments combine the play of normal fantasy leagues with an eight-league, 32-team bracket style elimination in Weeks 12 to 16 for even bigger prizes. Finally, the Off-The-Grid League puts a spin on selecting your top two round picks with an auction between the 12 teams for draft order. All of these great contests offer a fantastic way to get the big football party rolling on the NFL's Opening Day.

Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino - Home of the FFPC for 2018

THE OPENING GAME PARTY

What better way to celebrate the NFL than with a fantasy football weekend? Well, how about adding an Opening NFL Game Viewing Party! That's right, the NFL kicks off its 2018 season once again with Thursday Night Football as the Atlanta Falcons will travel to Lincoln Financial Field and square off with the World Champion Philadelphia Eagles on opening night. Enjoy the game while trying to figure out which Eagles and Falcons players are rising and falling based on their stats in Week 1. Big screen viewing will be available to NFL and fantasy football fans in the Celebrity Ballroom in the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino, host of the FFPC weekend extravaganza, along with complimentary refreshments, cash bar, and a buffet dinner. This free event for FFPC participants is a celebration of the sport and hobby that we all know and love. The FFPC can think of no better way to kick off their event than with a huge celebration of the first NFL game of the 2018 season.

DRAFTS, DRAFTS, AND MORE DRAFTS

Friday and Saturday have more fun, food, and drafts all day long, from breakfast and registration before the first big drafts as early as 9:00 AM. You can check out more live draft leagues in several formats (including both Draft Experts and Auction formats), with each day closing with an FFPC Main Event Live Draft. Check out all the fantasy players and the beautiful venue.

Of course, who can forget the fantastic city that everyone is in as you have ample time after the Main Event drafts on Friday (between checking up on any Footballguys news updates, of course) to go out and enjoy all that Las Vegas has to offer. What would a trip to Las Vegas be without at least one night out on the Strip? Go ahead and enjoy yourself as you gear up for the big drafts on Saturday.

Saturday marks the official close of the FFPC with two more Main Event Live Drafts, another Varsity League contest and also a $10,000 High Society League where only the big boys (and fat wallets) play. Get a final taste of the fantasy draft action before the rest of Week 1 kicks off on Sunday. One last tour of Las Vegas gets you ready for all the games on Sunday with the epic Monday Night Double-Header that closes out the five-day NFL and fantasy football-a-palooza. This is one of the best parts and times for FFPC veterans and new players alike to hang out and get to meet their friends and rivals face to face while they all enjoy both the live NFL action and the rest Las Vegas has to offer.

Here is a video sample of what the FFPC has to offer.

QUOTES FROM FFPC PARTICIPANTS

Enough about describing the event, let's get some comments from FFPC players from years' past. No one tells it like it really is better than those who go to play in the FFPC and enjoy the Main Event festivities themselves:

"Simply the BEST GAME in the industry. Rapid Payouts! Great players/friends! And most of all, trustworthy! I could say a lot more but that sums it up." – Ormond Rose / KOTRAX

"The Ownership that created the FFPC are players that appreciate the desires and essentials of the High Stakes player. They have the vision and foresight to not only provide those essential expectations but surpass them with superior formatting and guaranteed fast payouts. They have the ability to provide a top line product while still taking into consideration each player's individual tastes and concerns. There is a great community feel that begins at the top. Some of us are very vocal about these desires and we are heard. They are very astute as businessmen and people. As you can tell, I like them but no need to just take my word. We as players do have an input in the quality of the product, from the format to venue, right down to look and feel of the site and leagues themselves. The level of competition here is the best in the world." – Michael Bronte / INVICTUS

"Alex, Dave, and Chris have made this a CLASS act... I can't think of a better organization out there! Looking forward to Vegas." - Laurie Chiles and Warren Craven / Horsehead Bookends

"For me, it was about the level of the competition. I have participated in my local HSFF home league for nearly 20 years and have become bored with it. I wanted to challenge the best players on earth! ....the FFPC was where the focus was the players. It was an easy decision for me to join the FFPC... I'm going nowhere I'm in this for the long haul. Dave said it best "to be the best you must beat the best." – Ed Haupt / GDF

"I liked what I saw on the FFPC boards regarding a community as well as a lot of cool innovation coming from the FFPC. I came out to Vegas to experience it first hand and was hooked. Awesome viewing party. Great food. Great group of players, smiling laughing and having fun. Great customer service with attention to detail. It's now an annual tradition for a few FBG staff to make the journey and play in the FFPC." – David Dodds / Footballguys

"[when] Alex and Dave created "The FFPC", and it couldn't have come at a better time. From year one I decided to give it a shot and I haven't looked back. I agree with everyone's comments above, but I truly look forward to September and my trip to Vegas to see all of my FFPC brothers and sisters. Everyone here respects each other and I can't say enough about the interaction Dave and Alex have with the players. They are one of us. Let's not forget one of the best moves they made by bringing Chris on board. The three of them have made this the best high stakes experience there is, and I will be loyal to the end. I'm proud to be a charter member and look forward to all of the new additions to our, "The Players Championship." – Les Sandlin / Sandmans Time

"Alex and Dave have created a contest with player-friendly rules, innovative ideas, and most importantly in these times, one you can trust. Chris Lambert is amazing and just knows how to make the players here feel special. The message boards, well the boards are something to behold. One thing for certain, the players here love this game." – Glenn Lowy / Glenneration X

"When you start playing in the FFPC you have so much fun that it becomes in your interest to promote it and spread it to friends and favorite competitors. The genius of Alex and Dave's set-up is that, by creating such a player-friendly environment, they convert players to volunteer advertisers and promoters, and all end up profiting by this spontaneous recruitment." – Hudson Kern Reeve / waspguy

"Thanks, guys. Great service. Class outfit!!" - Joseph Dellzenero / Baker Boy