When Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants caught a 43-yard touchdown pass last Sunday by snagging the ball from behind his head with one hand, among the beneficiaries of his impressive skill was Kim Meyer, head of public relations for Christian Dior Beauty.

Ms. Meyer, 33, is a fledgling but rabid player of fantasy football, whereby participants select a roster of National Football League players that they often draft under the limit of a salary cap, earning points based on the individual players’ performances. Those who triumph in a fantasy league win money or bragging rights — particularly sweet when the losers are guys who have been playing fantasy football since they were kids. “It’s so fun to beat them,” Ms. Meyer said.

For last weekend’s round of games, Ms. Meyer picked Mr. Beckham, a wide receiver. She did so on a lark. “I like to have a Giants player on my roster — bonus that he went to school in Louisiana like me — and ended up with the ‘Greatest Catch of All Time’ in my lineup!” she said by email.

The fast-growing fan sport of fantasy football has largely been portrayed as a male pastime, but a surge of women are grabbing the ball as well. The number of women playing fantasy football in the United States and Canada has more than doubled since 2007, to 8.3 million this year, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association. Women now compose 20 percent of all players, an attractive and growing business: In a four-year period, their spending on related magazines, memberships and other content has more than doubled, to $334 million in 2012.