Curious to hear some thoughts on this but fantasy football seems to be one of the few games out there that has a very stark illusion of skill/control that is hard to overcome. If you lay out games in a spectrum, with things that require 100% luck (bingo) on one end and things that require 100% skill (chess) on the other end, fantasy football is firmly on the luck side (I’d say it’s probably 99% luck or more if you are in an active league) but the odd thing about it is that it still feels like there is a lot of skill involved.
The best comparison I can come up with is going to the casino to play slots with your buddies, but you’re always spending a few hours beforehand doing research on what slots pay out the most over the last 3 months, how to precisely time the lever pull, etc… And then after you win/lose money, you start analyzing what you did right/wrong for the night. It’s like you know in the back of your mind that slots is all luck, but the illusion of control/skill is so high that you keep doing research, browsing forums, asking “experts” their opinion, etc…
To close this post out, all the above makes this game oddly frustrating since you are winning/losing a game of bingo but it feels like you won/lost a game of chess.
Whether it is skill or luck, does not matter. We all play it to have fun. Recognizing that there is at least an aspect of luck is part of not allowing this game to consume you too much. I have been playing for 10+ years and after recently (3 years ago) realizing I can’t control too much other than my lineup decisions and who I draft/waivers, you enjoy it a lot more.