Fantastical figures

Fantasy leaguers are costing their employers more than $1.1 billion a week in lost productivity, according to a study released Wednesday.

As the NFL season is set to kick off, so too are 37 million fantasy football players ready to do battle in make-believe leagues, and leave work aside for an average of 50 minutes a week, consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas said.

What are fantasy leagues you ask? An average-joe participates in a league of other average-joes and becomes the owner of a fantasy "team." The league holds a simulated draft in which said average-joes each choose professional athletes from a particular professional league to be part of their roster. Then the team owner earns points based on the pro athletes' statistical performances each week. Sounds fun, right? Ultimately, it's a forum for wannabe jocks to put their knowledge of useless sports statistics and graphing calculators to good use.