10 Must-Have Football Apps

Football season is upon us. Whether you’re tuning in to watch your favorite team or trying to keep up with the latest player stats for your fantasy league, you’re going to need quick access to the latest news and scores. We've scoured the Web for the best apps to keep you up-to-date on everything football, from college to the pros.

Bleacher Report: Team Stream (Free)

Bleacher Report: Team Stream (Free)

Platform: Android, iOS If you follow sports on the Web, you know Bleacher Report. But you may not know that the outlet has its own sports app. Team Stream lets you select your favorite team or league and get a constant stream of news pumped directly to your Android or iOS device. Opening a stream will give you even more stories and updates from local newspapers, social media sites and Bleacher Report itself. See a story that might impact a friend’s fantasy team? Share it with them through Team Stream via Facebook or Twitter.

College Football Scoreboard (Free)

College Football Scoreboard (Free)

Platform: Android, iOS, Windows Phone The ultimate app for following your alma mater when you’re on the move, College Football Scoreboard gives you the latest scores and news for eight major conferences. News and scores are also available for a host of smaller conferences and leagues, although they aren’t updated in real time. Better still, you can sling some trash talk at your school’s biggest rivals via email, Facebook or Twitter.

ESPN ScoreCenter (Free)

ESPN ScoreCenter (Free)

Platform: Android, iOS, Windows Phone ESPN is the self-described worldwide leader in sports, so what better place to check out your favorite NFL and NCAA football players than ESPN’s ScoreCenter app? Users can personalize the app for updates on their favorite teams, follow live games and get push notifications about scoring drives. You also get news and analysis from your favorite ESPN personalities, as well as a Gamecast widget that provides up-to-the-minute scores.

Fantasy Monster Pro ($4.99)

Fantasy Monster Pro ($4.99)

Platform:Android, iOS Tracking all of your fantasy football leagues can be a hassle, especially if you use multiple fantasy services. With Fantasy Monster Pro, however, you’ll never have to flip from your ESPN fantasy app to your Yahoo fantasy app again. That’s because Fantasy Monster Pro allows you to manage all of your ESPN, Yahoo and even NFL.com fantasy leagues from one app. And when football season is over, you can use Fantasy Monster Pro to manage your basketball, hockey and baseball fantasy teams.

Fox Sports Mobile (Free)

Fox Sports Mobile (Free)

Platform: Android, iOS If you’re looking for NFL and NCAA football headlines, live scores and radio coverage, the Fox Sports Mobile app is just what you need. This app can be customized to provide you with updates on your favorite sports and teams and offers news, video, player stats and live Fox Sports Radio (for iPhone users only). Like ESPN ScoreCenter, Fox Sports Mobile also includes live game coverage via GameTrax.

NFL Mobile ($10/monthly)

NFL Mobile ($10/monthly)

Platform: Android, iOS The ultimate NFL app, NFL Mobile for Verizon Wireless gives users live access to Sunday, Monday and Thursday night games throughout the football season via their smartphone or tablet. You also get access to NFL RedZone, which provides live look-ins of every touchdown from every Sunday afternoon game. NFL Mobile also provides live audio broadcasts of every regular season and postseason game — including the Super Bowl.

Pro Football Insider (Free)

Pro Football Insider (Free)

Platform: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone If you don’t feel like slogging through menu after menu of less manly sports just to get to your precious NFL news and scores, Pro Football Insider may be the app for you. It features a massive amount of content from its parent site, Pro Football Weekly, including schedules, standings, scores, news and rumors. The publication also offers apps geared toward individual teams, as well as fantasy football players.

Pro Football Radio Live ($.99)

Pro Football Radio Live ($.99)

Platform: iOS Want to follow the big game anywhere? If you have an iOS device, you can simply download Pro Football Radio Live and listen in to your favorite sports radio station to hear your team crush the opposition live. Some teams will block radio affiliates from broadcasting games, but Pro Football Radio Live’s developers say they will do whatever they can to make sure you don’t miss a single down.

ScoreMobile (Free)

ScoreMobile (Free)

Platform: Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Phone As a die-hard football fan, you deserve everything you need to follow the game and track your fantasy team. ScoreMobile is here to help. It features push alerts for scoring drives, ends of quarters and big game moments and can be customized to follow any team or player all season long. The Player Card Profiles give users in-depth information on individual players, including recent performances, season stats, biographies and more.

Yahoo Fantasy Football ’12 (Free)

Yahoo Fantasy Football ’12 (Free)

Platform: Android, iOS, Feature Phones Yahoo’s Fantasy Football is the most popular fantasy football destination on the Web. But the app makes it even easier to use the service; setting up a new league is a cinch. This app lets you arrange your starters, follow breaking player news, check in on player matchups and get live scoring information on all of the latest NFL games. If you’re playing Yahoo Fantasy Football, you need this app.

Daniel P. Howley
LAPTOP Senior Writer
A newspaper man at heart, Dan Howley wrote for Greater Media Newspapers before joining Laptopmag.com. He also served as a news editor with ALM Media’s Law Technology News, and he holds a B.A. in English from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.