Two Words, One Answer.
Fantasy Football
 Why Fantasy Football Matters: (And Our Lives Do Not) $12.95 This book has fantastic reviews and I am horribly disappointed. It seemed to take everything that people have heard happening in a fantasy league and condensed it all into one season. It reminded me of the ESPN show "Playmakers" where every cliched NFL event from the last 10 years happened to one team during one season. Unrealistic. I also had trouble buying the email sent out by one of the team owners venting. Anyone who has read this will know what I'm talking about. His venting email read like an ESPN article, not one someone would actually write. After finishing this book, I read "Committed: Confessions of a Fantasy Football Junkie" by Mark St. Amant, which is a much finer book with a similar theme. I struggle to understand anyone who has read "Committed" can honestly rate this book as high as 5 stars. To each his own I guess.  My NFL Players Monopoly $39.99 Introducing the only customizable Monopoly game where fans get to build their own NFL All Star Fantasy team -- and decide who gets Boardwalk. This fan-favorite game features 105 removable and reusable static cling labels featuring the best athletes from every NFL team, allowing each player to personalize each of the 22 Monopoly properties with their favorite athletes. Includes six custom football-themed pewter tokens: Lineman, Helmet, Cheerleader, Quarterback, Football and Whistle. For 2-6 players.  Your Official Guide on How to Dominate Fantasy Football $18.95 First, let me state that Randy Giminez has written a great book for the fantasy football fan. I highly recommend it as an addition to your fantasy football collection. While I do not agree with everything he writes (see below), I found myself highlighting much more in the book than I did placing question marks. In fact, after reading his bio at the end of the book, I think we have much in common. Dominate Fantasy Football (DFF) offers a tried and true method of instruction (Tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them and then remind them what you taught them). He uses bolded text to bring attention to his subject and italicized text for his personal experiences. DFF is a flashy, fun, illustrated book that examines fantasy football and specifically one season in the CBS Sportsline leagues. Much of the statistics are from his 21 leagues and 3,500 games from 2005. I found his ranking system to be innovative. Likewise, his data about draft position and winning in a normal serpentine draft coincide with my own observations. The draft as we know it is flawed in that the top teams have an obvious advantage even with the second round reversal of order. Much of his insight is right on the money. I totally agree with his `assistant coaches" chapter and his choices for web sites as resources for help. I also found his chapter on "claiming your winnings" to be expertly explained. While Randy goes to great pains to point out on numerous occasions that his strategies are for the leagues at CBS Sportsline; the reader must do his own work to decide which concepts are appropriate for his or her league. I have attempted to help with that below: I have some issues with the CBS Sportsline leagues. 1) Limits on numbers of players you can draft at positions. Leagues like CBS Sportsline where you are limited in the number of players at certain positions (QB, RB and WR) make it much easier for someone to dominate through luck; if I can only have 6 RBs than later when a injury occurs the fast team or worst team can pick the new RB from the waiver wire. As opposed to allowing the skilled owner draft him in the draft. These leagues handcuff an owner which I think is a bad thing if you truly want to compete against the best players. None of the large High Stakes leagues (WCOFF or NFFC as examples) place any limits on maximum number of players at any positions. 2) Roster lockdowns occur very early in the week. This essentially makes any information you can glean on your own through hard work useless since you cannot change your roster based on the information. This rule helps the lazy and hurts the skilled player. 3) Waiver wire priority based on worst teams first. Helps the lazy team, penalizes the good players. Why should a team be penalized for winning? And another rewarded (with a higher waiver wire priority) for losing? 4) Trades allowed. Allows the possibility of collusion. Anytime I play for the kind of money Randy won ($3,500 top prize, $1,600 runner up; entry fees had to be $425 or more) I make sure the league has a no trade policy. In fact if I play for more than $50 entry fee I make that a rule. 5) Players play in multiple leagues and then dump teams they do not like early into the season thus leaving leagues with a few great teams that can ....dominate. I disagree with Randy on only six of his over 100 tips and strategies. 1) That TD only leagues are "expert" level leagues. NO! TD only leagues are much more "luck" based because all of the scoring comes from a TD (versus yards or receptions) and many times the scorer is based on luck. A Peterson runs 75 yards down to the goal line and then Mewelde Moore takes it in for a TD. AP's 75 yards of tough work are for naught and Moore gets 6 points? Give me a break. TD only leagues are nothing more then fun, lucky leagues where skill becomes minimized. 2) He suggests pairing a QB and WR from a strong passing team together on your team. NO! You maximize the damage to your team by injury with this strategy. Imagine if you pick T Brady and R Moss. Now if T Brady is injured you have crippled two players-Brady at QB and Moss at WR is not going to be anywhere near as good with the back up throwing him the rock. Just look at S Smith WR CAR every time J Delhomme would go down. Smith's numbers plummeted. 3) He states do not draft troublemakers on your team (specifically T Owens and R Moss). I would have loved to have either or both on my teams in 2007. Owning them meant you "Dominated"; restricting them as options from your team meant you lost. I never rule out any player. I just lower my ranking of them based on all the factors, but if they are on the board and I think they are worth value I draft them!!!! 4) He suggests that RB is easiest to fill due to frequent injuries. Yes, this is true IF you play in a 12-team CBS Sporsline league where every team is limited in the number of RBs they can carry. Fortunately, most leagues are not based on this terrible rule. So most teams have lots of RBs and the new RB that takes over for an injured stud is NOT going to be available to you on the waiver wire. The more bench players allowed, the more skill involved in playing that league. 5) Most important position to draft is TE. Disagree. With the addition of so many good TEs recently it is important but NOT the most important. 6) He states that the "war room" (draft) is least important when compared to rankings and waiver wire/trades. Again maybe in CBS leagues with their rules but in most leagues the draft is where you can really get a jump on a Championship. You may not win it at the draft but you sure can lose it at the draft. Yes, you must constantly improve your team through the waiver wire and trades (although most truly competitive leagues do not allow trades in order to eliminate any possibility of collusion). Finally, he mentions that much of this game is luck. I disagree. I think if you play in competitively constructed leagues (look at the High Stakes leagues (WCOFF and NFFC) for great examples of rules designed to minimize luck and cheating) then you will truly be playing against the best in the best possible environment. I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it; just be careful and think about everything in relation to your league. Sam Hendricks, author of "Fantasy Football Guidebook: Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football" and the soon to be released "Fantasy Football Almanac 2008" |
|
