Free 8-week unit + printables

Fantasy football lesson plans for grades 3–8

This is an 8-week fantasy football unit: one football week of the season maps to one lesson, and each lesson pairs a math skill with a reading or writing skill and a short discussion - about 30-45 minutes, or trim to a focused 15-minute core when that is all your week has room for.

A parent runs it at the homeschool table with one child or a few siblings; a club leader runs the same outline with a team-based after-school group. Either way, it is parent- or leader-led, not self-paced screen time.

All you need is a fantasy team on any platform - LitZone, ESPN, Yahoo, Sleeper, or a league you already run - or just the printables and a real game to read from. Nothing here requires an account.

See the 8-week outlineRead the FAQs
Length
8 weeks, one lesson per football week
Time
~30-45 min, or a focused 15-minute core
Runs on
Any fantasy platform, or no app at all
Printables
One US Letter page each, free

Every printable below is one page, with its own "Print this sheet" button, so you only print the week you need.

Built for ages 8–13

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The unit

The 8-week outline

Same sequence every week: an objective, a math skill, a reading or writing skill, a 15-minute plan, a discussion prompt, and one printable that fits on a single page.

Week 1 of 8

Week 1: Draft day - building a roster

Compare players using averages and ranges to build a starting roster.

Math skill - Averages and ranges

Comparing two number ranges to decide which is the steadier pick and which is the bigger boom-or-bust swing.

Reading & writing skill - A "what is a draft" passage + vocabulary

A short informational passage on how a draft works, plus new vocabulary: roster, draft order, starter, bench.

15-minute plan

  • Read the "what is a draft" passage together (5 min).
  • Compare 2-3 sample stat ranges side by side - which is the safer pick, which is the bigger swing? (5 min).
  • Fill in round 1 of the draft board and write one sentence: "I picked ___ because ___." (5 min).

Discussion prompt: Would you rather draft a player who scores about the same every week, or one who has huge weeks and quiet weeks? Why?

LitZone tie-in: LitZone leagues draft in groups of eight, which is why this board defaults to an 8-team grid - resize it for your own group.

This week's printable: Draft board template + "my picks and why" sheet - A 12-round draft board grid, plus a compact "top 3 picks and why" sheet underneath.

Free printable · Grades 3–8

Draft Board & My Picks

A 12-round draft board for an 8-team league - write a player's initials or a made-up label in each cell as picks happen.

RdTeam 1Team 2Team 3Team 4Team 5Team 6Team 7Team 8
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12

My top 3 picks and why

PickPositionWhy I picked them

Week 2 of 8

Week 2: How scoring works - PPR math

Turn a stat line into fantasy points using multiplication, division, and decimals.

Math skill - Multiplication, division by 10 and 25, decimals, negatives

Touchdowns and receptions multiply into points, yardage divides by 10 or 25 (leaving decimals), and turnovers subtract as negative numbers.

Reading & writing skill - Reading a scoring rules table

Reading a rules table and restating one scoring rule in your own words.

15-minute plan

  • Look at the scoring rules table together (3 min).
  • Try two stat lines in the scoring calculator with "show the math" turned on (5 min).
  • Fill in the blank "score my player" sheet using stats from any real game, or made-up ones (7 min).

Discussion prompt: Why might a team want a player who catches a lot of short passes, even if another player gains more total yards?

Fantasy football scoring calculator + rules table →

This week's printable: Blank "score my player" sheet - A blank stat-line-to-points worksheet - the scoring worksheet with the answer key lives on the scoring calculator page, linked below.

Free printable · Grades 3–8

Score My Player

Fill in a stat line for two practice players - from any real game or made up - then work out the points for each rule.

Player A

Scoring ruleStat valuePoints
Rushing/receiving yards ÷ 10
Passing yards ÷ 25
Touchdowns × 6 (× 4 if passing)
Receptions × 1 (PPR) / × 0.5 (Half-PPR) / × 0 (Standard)
Interceptions or fumbles lost × -2

Total: ______ points

Player B

Scoring ruleStat valuePoints
Rushing/receiving yards ÷ 10
Passing yards ÷ 25
Touchdowns × 6 (× 4 if passing)
Receptions × 1 (PPR) / × 0.5 (Half-PPR) / × 0 (Standard)
Interceptions or fumbles lost × -2

Total: ______ points

Week 3 of 8

Week 3: Reading a box score

Locate information in a table, compare two lines, and summarize what happened.

Math skill - Comparing two lines in a table

Reading two rows side by side and identifying which number is bigger, and by how much.

Reading & writing skill - Locating facts in a table + a two-sentence summary

Finding specific information in a table and writing a two-sentence summary of what the numbers show.

15-minute plan

  • Look at a real box score together - any game, from a newspaper, an app, or a recap article (5 min).
  • Fill in the blank box-score table from that source (5 min).
  • Answer the 5 comprehension prompts (5 min).

Discussion prompt: What's one thing the box score tells you that the final score alone doesn't?

LitZone tie-in: LitZone publishes kid-friendly NFL game recaps that work well as this week's source - no account needed to read them.

This week's printable: Box-score reading sheet - A blank table to fill from any real game, plus 5 comprehension prompts.

Free printable · Grades 3–8

Box Score Reading Sheet

Fill in this table from any real game's box score, then answer the comprehension prompts below.

TeamQ1Q2Q3Q4Final
Home team
Away team

Comprehension prompts

  1. 1. Which team scored the most points in a single quarter?

  2. 2. What was the final score, and by how many points did one team win?

  3. 3. Name one player from the box score and one stat next to their name.

  4. 4. Compare the two teams’ stat lines: what is one thing they did differently?

  5. 5. In two sentences, summarize what happened in this game.

Week 4 of 8

Week 4: Waiver wire and budgets

Turn a waiver bid into a percentage of a budget and decide if it is worth it.

Math skill - FAAB percent math

Turning a dollar bid into a percent of a budget, and comparing bids as percentages instead of raw dollars.

Reading & writing skill - A decision-writing prompt

Writing a short, reasoned decision: who would you add, and why.

15-minute plan

  • Read the FAAB explainer and try two bids in the FAAB calculator (5 min).
  • Work the quick percent-of-budget check on the sheet (5 min).
  • Write the "who would you add and why" decision paragraph (5 min).

Discussion prompt: Would you rather spend a big percentage of your budget now on a player you are sure about, or save it for later? Why?

FAAB bid calculator + printable worksheet →

This week's printable: Percent check + decision-writing prompt - A short percent-of-budget check plus a "who would you add and why" writing prompt - the full FAAB worksheet with its answer key lives on the FAAB calculator page, linked below.

Free printable · Grades 3–8

Waiver Wire Decision Sheet

A quick percent-of-budget check, then a decision to write and defend. The full FAAB worksheet with its answer key is on the FAAB calculator page, linked below.

Quick percent check

Budget leftBidPercent of budget used

Who would you add, and why?

Name the roster spot you'd bid on, how much of your budget you'd spend, and one reason it's worth that percentage.

Week 5 of 8

Week 5: Bye weeks and planning

Read a schedule table, count weeks, and plan ahead for a bye week.

Math skill - Counting weeks on a calendar

Reading a schedule table and counting how many weeks until an event, and how many remain after it.

Reading & writing skill - Reading a schedule table

Locating a specific week in a schedule table and reading it for a specific detail.

15-minute plan

  • Look at a real season schedule (any team) and find the bye week (5 min).
  • Count how many weeks until the bye, and how many are left after it (5 min).
  • Fill in the bye-week planner: which roster spots need a backup that week (5 min).

Discussion prompt: Why might a fantasy team plan ahead for a bye week instead of waiting until that week arrives?

This week's printable: Bye-week planner grid - An 18-week planner grid to mark bye weeks and backup plans ahead of time.

Free printable · Grades 3–8

Bye Week Planner

An 18-week planner grid - mark each roster spot's bye week and whether a backup is lined up before it arrives.

WkBye?Backup planned?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
WkBye?Backup planned?
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Notes:

Week 6 of 8

Week 6: The injury report - reading for reliability

Learn what "questionable / doubtful / out" mean and evaluate whether a source is reliable.

Math skill - Likely vs. unlikely, in plain language

Talking through what "likely," "unlikely," and "even odds" mean in everyday language before applying the words to a report.

Reading & writing skill - Vocabulary + evaluating sources

Learning report-status vocabulary and comparing an official source to a rumor to decide which to trust.

15-minute plan

  • Introduce the vocabulary: questionable, doubtful, out (3 min).
  • Compare two sources making the same claim - an official report vs. a rumor or social post (7 min).
  • Fill in the source-check worksheet: claim, where it came from, can we verify it, decision (5 min).

Discussion prompt: If a report says a player is "questionable," should you assume they will play, will not play, or something in between? Why does the wording matter?

This week's printable: Source-check worksheet - Claim / where it came from / can we verify / decision - one row per claim.

Free printable · Grades 3–8

Injury Report Source-Check Worksheet

Define the vocabulary, then practice checking a claim against where it came from.

Vocabulary: what does it mean?

Questionable
Doubtful
Out

Claim check

ClaimWhere it came fromCan we verify it?Decision

Week 7 of 8

Week 7: Standings and data - graphs

Turn weekly points into a graph and find the mean and median of a season so far.

Math skill - Bar or line graphs, mean and median

Plotting weekly point totals on a graph, then finding the mean and median of the season so far.

Reading & writing skill - Interpreting a graph in words

Writing what a graph shows in one or two sentences, not just reading the numbers off it.

15-minute plan

  • Record 4-6 weeks of points (real or made up) in the small table (5 min).
  • Plot them on the graph sheet (5 min).
  • Find the mean and median, then answer the "what does the graph show" prompts (5 min).

Discussion prompt: Does the mean or the median better describe a player who had one huge week and several quiet ones? Why?

LitZone tie-in: On LitZone specifically, reading and math are what earn the stat boosts that decide the week - the same idea this graph is tracking.

This week's printable: Graph sheet - Blank axes to plot weekly points, plus "what does the graph show" prompts.

Free printable · Grades 3–8

Standings Graph Sheet

Record a few weeks of points, plot them, then find the mean and median.

Wk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6

Plot it

Points

Week

Mean:

Median:

What does the graph show?

  1. 1. Which week had the most points, and which had the fewest?

  2. 2. What is the mean (average) of your weekly points?

  3. 3. What is the median (middle value) of your weekly points?

Week 8 of 8

Week 8: Championship and reflection

Write a persuasive paragraph about your best decision this season, and reflect on what you learned.

Math skill - Reviewing a season of numbers

Looking back across the season's printables and using mean/median (from week 7) to decide which week was really the best.

Reading & writing skill - Persuasive writing + reflection

Writing a persuasive paragraph and a short reflection on what was learned over 8 weeks.

15-minute plan

  • Look back at the season's printables together (3 min).
  • Draft the persuasive paragraph: "My best decision this season was ___ because ___" (7 min).
  • Fill out the reflection page (5 min).

Discussion prompt: What's one thing you'd do differently if you ran this team again?

LitZone tie-in: If you ran this unit through LitZone, the progress dashboard shows the season's completed activities to look back on together for this reflection.

This week's printable: Reflection journal page + certificate template - A short reflection page plus a certificate with a blank name line - no signatures, since none would be real.

Free printable · Grades 3–8

Reflection & Certificate

A short season reflection, plus a certificate template with a blank name line.

Season reflection

  1. 1. My best decision this season was...

  2. 2. The math skill I got the best at was...

  3. 3. One thing I would do differently next time is...

Certificate of Completion

This certifies that

completed the 8-week fantasy football lesson plan unit.

Date:

Free Grade 3 football math worksheets

Eight skills using real Seahawks and Patriots game stats. Each activity has one student page, a separate answer key, and a teaching guide.

Download all eight worksheetsDownload all eight answer keys

Where to go next

More ways to run the unit, play, and learn the math behind fantasy football.

FAQs

Grades 3-8 (ages 8-13). Each week's math and reading skill can flex up or down - a third grader can stick to the core plan while an eighth grader tackles the full 15-minute version.

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Turn one football season into 8 weeks of lessons.

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