Fantasy Bro Sports

Tuesday Mornings Will Never Be The Same

This is an online guide for the do's and don'ts of Fantasy Football. We dive into morality and social manipulation while steering you away from the common pitfalls of the virtual gridiron. Mastering trades, lineups, the waiver wire and free agent pickups are only the tip of the iceberg. 

Off Topic: NBA All Time Records - 3 Pointers Made End Season Recap

This will be a quick and dirty version of who finished where on the NBA All Time 3 Pointers Made List for the 2018-19 regualr season.

First I’d like to give a hats off salute to Steph Curry for taking the lead spotin the most 3 point makes in NBA Playoffs History. But now back to business.

#3: Stephen Curry v. Reggie Miller

Steph finishes the 2018-19 season ranked 3rd on all-time list but only needs 78 more 3’s to take sole posession of 2nd place all-time.


#4: Kyle Korver v. Steph Curry

Currently 132 treys behind Curry, Korver is unlikely to catch up but may have a shot at Reggie Miller.


#6: Vince Carter v. Jason Terry

Vince has an outside chance to take over Jason Terry’s spot at 5th overall. He needs 54 three pointers to take over 5th.

#7: Jamaal Crawford v. Vince Carter

The ageless Jamaal Crawford is only 10 3’s behind VC and is my bet to finish his career in sole possesion of 5th place.

#9: James Harden v. Paul Pierce

James Harden has bene dropping highlight reel step-backs from beyond the arc with regularity for a few seasons. Only 119 to go to pass Paul Pierce.

#11: Dirk Nowitzki

Dirk finished a legandary career 6 3’s behind Jason Kidd finishing at a solid number 11 on the all-time list.

#12: Joe Johnson v. Dirk Nowitzki

Joe Johnson sits only 4 behind Dirk and 10 behind Kidd. Both will be easily leapfrogged bearing any early season injuries.

#13: J. R. SMITH v. Joe Johnson

J.R Smith needs 50 makes behind the arc to surpass Joe Johnson. But the larger question is ifhe will return to action for the 2019-20 NBA season. 


#16: Klay Thompson v. Kobe Bryant

Klay Thompson only needs 30 more threes to jump ahead of Kobe Bryant. This half of the Splash Brothers should accomplish this within the first few weeks of the 2019-20 NBA season.

Other Notable List Climbers:

Lebron James v. Peja Stojakovic: 34 to go.

J.J Redick v. Dale Ellis: 16 to go.

Kevin Durant v. Mike Miller: 21 to go.

Wesley Mathews v. Glen Rice: 5 to go.

Kyle Lowry v. Tim Hardaway: 11 to go.

Damian Lillard v. Mike Bibby: 12 to go.

Trevor Ariza v. Manu Ginobli: 38 to go.

Eric Gordon v. Ariza: 2 to go.

Paul George v. Michael Finley: 22 to go.

Carmelo Anthony v. Antoine Walker: 25 to go.

Ryan Anderson v. Mitch Ritchmond: 3 to go.

Kemba Walker v. Mookie Blaylock: 1 to go.

Chris Paul v. Kemba Walker: 16 to go.

Lou WIlliams v. Dell Curry: 6 to go.

C.J Miles v. Lou Williams: 2 to go.

Next season should be very exciting to see who climbs and who falls on the All-Time leader board.

Off Topic: NBA All Time Records - 3 Pointers Made PT2

We had a bit of movement on the NBA All Time 3 Pointers Made List this past week.

#3: Stephen Curry

Currently ranked 3rd on all-time list with 2459 career 3 pointers. Dropping 17 treys since our last blog post. Steph only trails Reggie Miller by 101.


#4: Kyle Korver

Behind Steph in the number 4 spot, we have Kyle Korver with 2351 career 3 point makes. Korver only hit 2 three pointers since our last blog post. Slow and steady wins the race? Maybe not this time.


#6: Vince Carter

Sitting in the 5th spot all-time is Vince Carter with 2225 3’s . Vince has a chance to take over Jason Terry’s spot at 5th overall. But his chances dwindle if his minutes per game get cut next season. Terry currently holds sole possession of 5th with 2282 makes from behind the arc.

#7: Jamaal Crawford

Jamaal Crawford on the other hand may have some more seasons under his belt before it’s all said and done, but he’s averaging less than (3) 3-point attempts per game and less than one make. My best guess is that they both overtake Terry, but we shall see what the basketball gods have in store.

#9: James Harden

James Harden recently overtook Jason Kidd for 9th overall crossing into the 2k land of career makes from behind the arc. He will next be closing in on Paul Pierce by the all-star break next season with only 144 treys take posession of 8th place.

#12: Dirk Nowitzki

Let’s not discount the great Dirk from also finishing ahead of Kidd, but at 19 three’s away on his farewell tour. It’s a feat I’m rooting for but may not necessarily see happen before the end of this season. Dirk only needs another 9 three’s to overtake Joe Johnson and slide into 11th place.

#13: J. R. SMITH

J.R Smith is not far behind Dirk with 1929 makes, but his return to the hardwood is anyone’s guess. 


#17: Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson only needs 6 more threes to jump ahead of Rashard Lewis who finished his career with a total of 1787. 


The big question: Am I a psychopath for even caring about the all-time ranks?

The succinct answer: Yes, I am.

With the 2018-19 NBA season ending on April 10th there isn’t much time left to clear those hurdles. 

Off Topic: NBA All Time Records - 3 Pointers Made

Just for a little change of pace we’ll be doing periodic updates through out the rest of the NBA season on veterans who are overtaking the legends on the career records list.


Considering that the National Basketball Association is one of the newer leagues when compared to America’s favorite pastime: Major League Baseball. History is being made on a nightly basis. 


One of the most exciting records (in my opinion) to keep track of is the 3 pointers made historical leaderboard. 

I grew up watching Ray Allen and Reggie Miller splash treys with regularity. The shooting the 3 ball was always the skill set I was most infatuated with. That being said let’s take a deep dive into the active NBA players who are overtaking the leaderboard.

#3: Stephen Curry

Currently ranked 3rd on all time list with 2442 career 3 pointers. Only trailing 118 behind Reggie Miller. It’ll only be a matter of time before we see Steph sitting in the first spot onboard the active and all time 3 point leaders board. We will likely see this feat early into the 2019-20 NBA Season.

Crunching the Numbers: Even if we estimate Curry playing a healthy 75 games over the next 2 seasons while averaging a modest (4) 3-pointers per game, he will far surpass Ray Allen’s 2973 3-point career total. As of today (3/26/19) he will take the number one spot in 126 regular season games.


#4: Kyle Korver

Behind Steph in the number 4 spot, we have Kyle Korver with 2349. total 3 point makes. Another threat to eventually overtake the king of on-court trash-talk. At 38 years old, there may not be much left in the tank for the veteran sharp-shooter. He’s currently avergaing (2) 3-pointers per game, as he finishes out this season as a member of the Utah Jazz.


#5: Vince Carter / #6: Jamaal Crawford

Sitting in the 5th and 6th spots all-time are Vince Carter and Jamaal Crawford with 2218 and 2199 respectively. Both have a chance at Jason Terry’s spot at 5th overall. Terry currently holds sole possesion of 5th with 2282 makes from behind the arc.

Crunching the Numbers: With Carter primed to give it a go for one more season, we can see him dropping another 100 or so 3-pointers before he rides off into the sunset. At 42 years young, Vince Carter is still logging an admirable 17 minutes per game with the Atlanta Hawks.

Jamaal Crawford on the other hand may have some more seasons under his belt before it’s all said and done, but he’s averaging less than (3) 3-point attempts per game and less than one make. My best guess is that they both overtake Terry, but we shall see what the basketball gods have in store.

#10: James Harden

James Harden is only 2 treys away from overtaking Jason Kidd for 9th overall.

#11: Joe Johnson

Joe Johnson is only 11 away from over taking Kidd as well.

#12: Dirk Nowitzki

Let’s not discount the great Dirk from also finishing ahead of Kidd, but at 23 three’s away on his farewell tour. It’s a feat i’m rooting for but may not necessarily see happen before the end of this season.

#13: J. R. SMITH

J.R Smith is not far behind Dirk with 1929 makes, but his return to the hardwood is anyone’s guess. 


#17: Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson only needs 10 more threes to jump ahead of Rashard Lewis who finished his career with a total of 1787. 


The big question: Am I a psychopath for even caring about the all-time ranks?

The succienct answer: Yes, I am.

With the 2018-19 NBA season ending on April 10th there isn’t much time left to clear those hurdles. 

Why the NFL Preseason Doesn't Matter

Cautionary note: Don't read too much into preseason games. A) It's a tiny sample size. B) Coaches use preseason games as an opportunity to experiment, so they may force-feed certain guys the ball and try whacky play-calls. C) Because it's so early, we don't know whether a poor fantasy performance from a RB or QB results from poor talent, or a great defense. Still, there's plenty that one can learn by watching preseason games. We know you're not watching all 60-something games, and honestly, no one needs to psychoanalyze each preseason game. If you actually do watch each and every preseason game, you are number 1, a psychopath and number 2, an intense number crunching fantasy nerd. And while these allegations may be harsh, if you are successful and win leagues with consistency then kudos to you. However, the easier route is glancing at the boxscore when it's all over. Nevertheless, there's a lot you can't learn unless you watch the games. So here are observations you won't pick up from the stats alone.
1. Which, if any backup Running Backs are worth a damn? Sure, the preseason doesn't provide top-tier talent on either side of the line of scrimmage in most games, but occasionally you can catch a glimpse of a player with fantasy roster worthiness. While meaningful touches are limited in the preseason, you will retain that first impression and may have an edge if that team ends up in a Running Back By Committee situation (RRBC). They say the early bird gets the worm. Some prefer to pick up of the scrap heaps the following day. But if you want the inside track on potential RB1 incumbents then the preseason is where you can begin scouting.
2. Who are the Quarterbacks with the best weapons? Receiving cores are also a great place to invest your attention because that is where you are going to see an undervalued WR1 blow past the coverage of a practice squad cornerback. You may also find the opposite where a tried and true player appears to have lost a step and can't get a lick of separation between himself and the secondary. And remember, because the level of talent is low, the 3rd string QB is probably going to miss some wide open receivers and a 6th round draft pick WR can turn a touchdown pass into a pick-six.
3. Debunk the over-hyped: To much acclaim by scouts and analysts, there are rookies who simply fail to hit the marks they were projected to. Fantasy Football is serious business for the most of us. And that being said, no one wants to invest heavily via the draft in a player who turns out to be a complete bust. Use the preseason to see how much activity the team gives him. If he doesn't see a snap the entire preseason then chances are he won't see the light of day in his rookie campaign with the team. You draft picks are must better spent on veterans who can be difference-makers for you down the playoff stretch, rather than betting on young bench riding hopefuls.


 

The Big Pivot - Part 1

About 3 years ago I began this journey with the goal in mind to start Fantasy Bro Sports as a software company that was going to turn the way we play fantasy football on its head. Who doesn't want to be a 20-something entrepreneur who creates an app that could disrupt the fantasy football industry? With the momentous rise in popularity of mobile apps, it was a no-brainer to try to ride the wave to fame and fortune. *Spoiler alert* It didn't quite work out exactly as expected...

I knew the road ahead was going to be a tough one. I was attempting to learn a new coding language and to create a beautiful and functional app at the same time was a huge undertaking. With all this considered, I still marched forward fearlessly. With the right work ethic and determination, anything can be achieved right?  The truth of the matter is that those two (while essential) building blocks can only take you so far. 

The first year was very exciting. Anytime you venture into new territories, everything is great. Watching my Fantasy Bro Sports iOS app grow from a wireframe on scrap paper to a functional albeit barebones app put me on cloud nine. I couldn't believe it was happening, every day a 1% improvement. Not to say I didn't have plenty of days filled with banging my head against the wall troubleshooting code that was making my app suddenly crash. Learning and growing pains aside, the hype was real and growing by the day. It was all I could think about and all I could talk about. This app is my baby, and I wanted to be just like those annoying new mothers on Facebook and drown every friend, family, and acquaintance with all the intimate details of it all.

I really have to say that the amount of support I received was awe inspiring. I was getting calls and texts from friends of friends who wanted to try it, test it or even buy it. This was word of mouth marketing at it's finest. The only problem was that I wasn't even close to having a minimum viable product, yet a product I could feel comfortable accepting money selling or had the time to support.

Success was imminent, the user interface was becoming much better, I was implementing a cool new feature a month. And best of all, the decision algorithm was improving. The app was predicting the optimal lineups with approximately 78% accuracy. This, of course, was an acceptable starting point to start field testing with my own fantasy teams. 

The real-life walks over and kicks me right in the groin. I had a huge issue that I had been ignoring since I started developing Fantasy Bro Sports, I had to update the injuries and depth chart changes by hand. This task alone became a full-time job and a tedious one at that. This cut into the time I was able to spend on all other aspects of the development, not to mention all the other facets of building a viable business.

Surely, the answer to this problem is to automate these tasks. And this brought me face to face with the fantasy football gatekeepers. Stats LLC and other similar services offered both live streaming scores and stats as well as weekly after the games boxscores. Sounds like a simple solution to my issues, but at a $1,200 per month price point, I declared myself dead in the water. There is no way an amateur part-time app developer could crack the nut on this tremendous overhead. 

For months I pondered how I could construct a pricing model which a consumer would happily pay and would keep my head above water. I read over 1,000's of different marketing and sales strategies to find a way to keep my dream of bringing this invaluable fantasy football tool to market. I knew that no combination of tiered subscription plans could make this venture financially feasible. 

I need to take back control of my own destiny. Although I less than gracefully bow out of the fantasy football app development race, it's time to prove that I'm not just a one trick pony. If a football player can recover from multiple ACL injuries I know I can pivot into something amazing.

The starting point of any adventure pairs nicely with tequila and a handgun, but after blowing your load you need to act differently, more strategically if you're going to achieve your goal. Shit, this means I need another worthwhile goal to chase after. I’d consider myself a subject matter expert at fantasy football, but outside of playing daily fantasy sports (DFS) or blogging I don’t have anything going for me.

Over the next following few months, I was on an emotional roller between the mixed sense of relief and regret the fact that I didn't have my next strategy figured out and left me stressed out and anxious. No one hates the unknown more than me when it comes to progress and development. When it comes to something like Fantasy Football each week invites a great deal of uncertainty and feel over the great unknown status approaching. According to the movie the Bronx tale, there's nothing worse in the world than wasted talent. The idea that my progress in life had stagnated had me convinced that I never reach my full potential. A life and prosperity, wealth and happiness was slipping through my fingers like a Mark Sanchez butt-fumble.

If I was ever going to overcome the lingering fear of failure I would need to totally reinvent myself. Once I shed my “coder” identity, the possibilities seemed endless. I first considered becoming a Fantasy Football Commissioner for Hire. What could go wrong? I could be impartial and serve a much needed service to the game I love.

The first challenge to take on getting a fantasy league to allow a complete stranger to oversee their pending trades. I'm not sure I would want that. When it comes to something as personal as fantasy football, trust is everything and I had none of it.

 

To be continued ...

Be Where The Ball is Going To Be

Yes, the title of this blog post is a blatant ripoff of Wayne Gretzky's "I skate where the puck is going to be, not where it is". Are you not entertained? That's the big question that I've been racking my mind with lately. What can I do better to serve this community?

1. Should I create a Facebook Group where we can argue over who to sit and start for the upcoming week? 

2. Should I finally start that Fantasy Football to help you fall asleep at night?

3. Should I start a weekly Facebook Live to spam your notifications list?

4. Would you prefer a traditional webinar where I coax you into buying things you don't need?

5. Perhaps an Instagram dedicated to documenting all of the terrible trade proposals I receive and the hysterical faux pau's that owners do.

6. Maybe something new and different like Raccoon, where I can praise the fantasy heroes of the week and curse out the letdowns.

7. I'm also tinkering with the idea of posting a "Today in Fantasy Football History" segment where I break down all of the noteworthy performances that have occurred on today's date.

I'm open to ideas, tweet me @fantasybroapp and let me know what you think!

Thanks again,

Muss

Is Using Fantasy Football Calculator An Unfair Advantage?

Why Fantasy Football Calculator is F'n Awesome!

What I love most about Fantasy Football Calculator is their Mock Draft Simulators.

  1. It tracks your draft tendencies in real-time
  2. It allows you to print out custom draft cheat sheets
  3. They have support for Keeper Leagues
  4. You can save every Mock Draft to review at a later time.
  5. Weekly sit/start recommendations based on your draft

After reading all those benefits it sounds silly not to at least check out those premium offerings. Nevertheless, let's dive further into their free offerings.

Player Profiles: Zoom into the details (injury history and outlooks) of every player in the NFL with fantasy relevance and track their ADP as it fluctuates day by day.

Their Scenario Calculator is a pretty nifty tool to help gauge which players will fall to you at certain spots and rounds in the draft. With information like this from your mock drafts at your fingertips, you can perfect your draft strategy. Data is also collected by all the other owners using this tool, and what better information than that gathered from your potential opponents? Having the option to customize your mock draft format, the number of teams and draft position is invaluable when it comes to draft prep. Last but not least, you can pre-set which positions to target in each round. This is a unique feature I haven't seen anywhere else. I am truly excited to try this as I prepare for draft day.

Considering that Fantasy Football Calculator has been doing this for over a decade only gives you more reason to trust them for your fantasy needs.

I have no affliate links or call to action that benefit Fantasy Bro Sports in any way. I just want to drive fantasy owners towards the best resources out there.

 

Fantasy Information Overload: Is More Really Better?

Fantasy Information Overload: Is More Really Better?


For many fantasy enthusiasts, information overload has hindered their effectiveness. We are constantly overwhelmed with information that it becomes increasingly difficult to draw conclusions and make tough decisions. But before we address how to relieve ourselves from the noise surrounding us, we must have a clear understanding of what information overload is, and isn’t.

Wikipedia defines Information Overload as "Information overload occurs when the amount of input to a system exceeds its processing capacity. Decision makers have fairly limited cognitive processing capacity. Consequently, when information overload occurs, it is likely that a reduction in decision quality will occur."

Information overload is … 
- Radio Talk Show personalities pontificating about recent events that do not correlate to success on the football field. 
- Sports Television analysts citing cherry picked statistics that suit their narrative. 
- Your friends, family, and co-workers who misquote the radio and TV personalities. 
- Everyone on Social Media who regurgitates what they read and hear and then argues with each other about it. 
- Reports of off the field issues and contract disputes

Information overload isn’t … 
- Blogs with well-supported stances who aim to be unbiased
- Player profile updates
- Historical Stats and Splits
- Depth Chart and Roster Changes

- Injury Reports

Why is information overload an issue for fantasy owners? Mainly because the human mind has a small capacity for memorizing stats, projections, ADP's etc. Ironically, we throw ourselves into every sports debate, devour every contract dispute, ingest every projection and roll our eyes at every holdout. Now all of those things are more so entertainment than research. At the end of the day, you will not be able to recall 90 percent of the who, what, when, where and why.

So, if we can't remember it, why spend so much time, consuming information that is not crucial to fantasy football success? If gathering information that renders you unable to remember any of it then how will you ever become a maven of fantasy sports? Or a better question is how does one become a maven?

The solution to all this is two-prong. The first being that they are in fact knowledgeable and for the most part accurate. Secondly, they use the same skill-set to evaluate all talent and their opportunities. For example, a scout can see a great talent in Randy Moss, Terell Owens or Antonio Brown by focusing on their hands, speed off the line and lateral quickness. This method of appraisal never goes out of style.

Scouts don't get caught up in the things that don't matter much such as: what shoe company an athlete signs with, nonsensical NFL fines or what place they finished on Dancing With The Stars. Any information that does not have a direct correlation with production on the football field is immediately dismissed. The best fantasy owners have a myopic focus on what matters most and ignore nearly everything else.

If you are looking to jump start your success on the virtual gridiron you need to be very picky with what information you allow to manifest in your mind. Allow target percentage to trump the twitter-sphere drama.

There seems to be a great deal of cognitive dissonance when it comes to fantasy related information. Owners believe that the more information you have at your disposal, the better it will serve you. Inversely, too much information forces the important nuances of the game to be lost among the sea of noise.

"Unless you have the mindset, skill set does not matter" - Tim Grover

 

 

Can you enjoy being a Fantasy Football Commisioner?

Yes, it is possible, but if you don't know what you are doing it can be a miserable experience for you. I've seen it first hand where the commissioner abandons the league midseason over unnecessary drama. Here is advice on how to keep your stress levels low and enjoy being the commissioner of your league.

1. Communication

You need to be on top of communicating with your league. Keep track of who you’ve invited, who is yet to reply, and have standbys. You don’t want to have 18 people confirm at the last minute, you don’t want only 6, and you don’t want an odd number. Also, communicate to them the buy-in if there's one (which always keeps things interesting) and any abnormal rules, especially if they’ve changed since last season. Beware that every rule change comes with its own dose of skepticism from the owners who were perfectly happy with the old rule(s). 

2. Majority Rules

In fantasy football, you need to have a strong heart and a strong stomach. Without either you will likely be trampled upon by the other owners. Worst of all is a power-hungry commissioner looking to control every transaction. So as the commissioner, you shouldn’t give yourself too much power. Let the league vote on any scoring or roster changes. I like to let the league vote on trades too, rather than trusting in the commissioner's opinion on the trade. And don’t edit another owners roster, even if someone is starting inactive players. Let owners fall victim to their own inertia rather than helping them stay afloat. 

 

3. Collect the league dues before the draft.

Otherwise, you become debt collector harassing people who you rarely see and may have to travel to the end of the earth to track them down. In my experiences, you will have to cover whatever dues you fail to collect. This alone can tarnish your relationship with that owner who ducked out on you. But it's okay because "The North Remembers" for all you Game of Thrones fans out there. Anyways, back to business. So, collect the league dues early so you can enjoy the fantasy season without worrying about shaking people down.

4. The Fantasy Draft

Again, you must communicate with your league mates about when and where you’ll draft because you shouldn't schedule a time when someone is unavailable. Auto-drafting kills reduces the chance that the owner will stay involved in the league throughout the season. Online drafts are convenient, but live drafts at someone’s place (rather than a loud and crowded sports bar) are most fun. There are many cool ways to pick draft order: some draw numbers from a hat, play a preliminary poker tournament where the winner picks his draft spot, and others use the reverse order of last years standings. Also, enforce a time limit to keep the draft down to a reasonable time frame. I like to go as fast as 90 seconds per pick. 

5. Scoring and Roster Settings

Don’t make a radical change such as having PPR points awarded differently to each position without notifying your league, and voting on it. Leagues with between 12 and 16 owners are in the Goldilocks area where the level of the competition is high and if one owner gives up mid-season it doesn't skew the standings in any one's favor. When playing with 8 owners, it doesn’t matter if you find the diamonds in the rough because every roster is jam packed with elite talent. So if your league is 10 owners or less, I recommend adding roster spots – make it a 2 QB league or add a super flex (QB/W/R/T). Anyone who objects to any of the above is welcome to go join a rotisserie league with 11 other inactive owners.

6. Playoff Spots

The number of playoff spots in your fantasy league is a big freakin deal. It can single handedly determine whether it's worth it to play in the league. For example, if your league has 10 owners and 8 playoff spots then you might as well skip the 12 weeks of intermural football and just show up for the last few weeks in pursuit of a flashy fantasy trophy. On the other hand, having only 4 playoff sports in a league of 12 or more is equally frustrating. Find your healthy middle, as each fantasy owner will have their own misguided opinion on the matter. Also, give the top 2 owners in the standings a 1st-week playoff bye. This way they don't get upset by a 6th seed in the first week. It's funny when this happens, but it's beyond tragic to those who went the distance throughout the regular fantasy season.

Hopefully, these tips help you kick-off successful and fun fantasy football leagues. We all have had our share of in-house fighting over rules and he said she said trade negotiations. 

Thanks for reading!

Mike Muss

Why We Fail at Fantasy Sports

  1. Our willpower is limited and easily sapped.

  2. Our minds are easily inseminated with the opinions of others.

  3. We quit instead of weathering the storm.

  4. We fail to accurately appraise value and mitigate risks.

  5. We fail to adapt to the ever-changing fantasy landscape.

Draft Around the Red Flags

A common mistake owners make is disregarding the red flags and hesitating to skip over a big name with injury concerns. FFToolbox.com suggests staying away from Running Backs who are over the age of 30. Along with age, you should be cautious when drafting Running Backs with large workloads over the past few seasons. Identify the red flags early on, because even Feature Backs who historically have been workhorses will eventually falter.  

Common red flags:

Failed Drug Tests – Both allegations of performance enhancing or recreational drug use are not conducive to production on the football field. When players are busted for PEDs, it’s an indication that the player may never play at that level again when he returns from suspension. Illicit recreational drug use is a telltale sign of character flaws. Regardless of how tremendous the talent is, suspended players cannot help you win games. Avoid players who seem to gravitate toward drug charges, scandals, and other off-the-field issues. Let the Justin Blackmons and Josh Gordons of the National Football League take up space on someone else’s roster; save yourself the headache.

Holdouts – During a contract dispute, players will hold out from Mini Camps and Organized Team Activities (OTAs). Although players receive harsh financial penalties for holding out, this does not deter them from remaining absent for mandatory team activities. The writing is on the wall, as less practice and less offseason preparation will spill over into the regular season. It’s not uncommon to see a player who holds out to seem to be out of sync with his team upon his return. One step slower off the line, unrefined route running and a lack of team chemistry is the recipe for a declining fantasy performance. 

Pay close attention to players who are added to the Physically Unable to Perform List (PUP) and who miss out on Training Camp and Preseason. Players who return to action who are not completely healthy at the start of the season are more vulnerable to future injury, whether it be due to re-aggravating a healing limb or subconsciously favoring another body part to compensate for a weak muscle. 
A 10-year veteran who skips OTAs is less of a concern than when a younger player does because veterans generally stay in game shape even while holding out. Players like Marshall Faulk, Emmitt Smith and Shawn Alexander were all able to return to the field when their contract disputes were settled and they continued to dominate the league. However, for a young player entering the prime of his career, the results of a holdout can be catastrophic. Holdouts rarely yield exceptional results, so keep these players off your draft board. At a minimum, knock these holdout players down to the later rounds on your draft boards.Let another owner fret when they return to action in a reduced role or in poor physical condition.

Players who have experienced significant declines in performance or who have uncharacteristically gotten injured due to holding out include the following seven examples:

JaMarcus Russell
Kelly Stouffer
Darrelle Revis
Eric Dickerson
Chris Johnson
Larry Johnson
Steven Jackson


“Holdouts never go well.”
– Antonio Brown, Steelers Wide Receiver

Midseason Trades – Midseason trades are becoming increasingly rare in the 21st century of the National Football League because of salary cap constraints. When they do happen, it’s usually a salary wash with two or more misfits changing hands in the hopes that they may benefit from a change of scenery. With the change of scenery, the biggest challenge these players face is learning the playbook on the fly and building team chemistry. See the Percy Harvin trade between the New York Jets and the Seattle Seahawks in 2014. Seattle traded away a quality playmaker in Percy Harvin, albeit a talent with some significant baggage.

Seattle received a late-round draft pick in return for Harvin, and executed the trade seemingly overnight. You shouldn’t be surprised that Harvin didn’t proceed to set the world on fire when he put on a green and white uniform. While his performance was not terrible, it was subpar in comparison to his previous years with Seattle and Minnesota. Surprise dominance for Harvin in Gang Green’s lackluster receiving core was a longshot at best. To be fair, developing second year Quarterback Geno Smith didn’t do Harvin any favors. In eight games with the New York Jets, Harvin amassed an unspectacular 29 catches for 350 yards and one receiving touchdown. This was quite a disappointing performance from the 2009 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. The combination of a midseason trade and having played for a mediocre team alone should have raised a few red flags to stay far away.

If you are still considering acquiring players who were traded midseason, let’s take a look at how well Trent Richardson played when he arrived in Indianapolis in early 2013. Replacing the injured Vick Ballard, Richardson played in 14 games and carried the ball 157 times for 458 yards, with only one rushing touchdown. The Running Back’s performance was strikingly poor, especially for a player coming off a strong rookie campaign in Cleveland. These are classic examples of a team cutting ties with a player and taking the best offer available. For a franchise to part ways with a young star on the cheap, it’s an indication that there must be a red flag that they’ve discovered but that isn’t yet available to the public. It wouldn’t take long for the Colts to realize that the highly touted Running Back for whom they traded was far less spectacular on the field than they had hoped. Another man’s trash still will probably be trash regardless of the flashy name attached. 

Honorable mentions: Randy Moss, Carson Palmer, Roy Williams and Deion Branch

Player Cuts – When a player is released from his team, it’s often an indication that his best performances are behind him. Rarely will a player with high production and future potential be released from an NFL roster without justification. Lifestyle choices, locker room presence, disputes with ownership and poor conditioning are taken into account when determining the value a player has to his team. However, not all players who are cut from their teams are damaged goods. Some players are cut for salary cap considerations; they excel in new environments and continue to contribute to their new teams. Don’t chase lightning in a bottle with an injury-prone player entering the twilight of his career; allow another fool to make that mistake.

If another team is daring enough to sign a recently released player, it’s usually to add roster depth rather than to insert the player into the starting cast. Teams will kick the tires before signing these players, discovering whether they can physically perform at the NFL level. The players with gunshot wounds don’t fare as well as the able-bodied Free Agents. History shows that most players who were cut no longer warrant a spot on any NFL roster. Both NFL and Fantasy owners alike fall victim to nostalgia, holding onto a big name or a Super Bowl hero until their play becomes an obvious liability. Some player cuts are, in essence, addition by subtraction for their former teams. Players who upset the harmony of a locker room or are in constant trouble with the law wear out their welcome quickly. 

There is a surplus of hungry young players fighting for roster spots and playing time, and it’s essential to focus your attention on learning who will benefit from the additional playing time in the offense. Instead, it’s easier to remain focused on the released player, watching closely for where they will land next as you waste time consuming media speculations. Can you name a player who resurrected his career after being released? A rare handful of players may continue to prove useful and even return to being Pro Bowl-caliber athletes. Learn to identify the difference between a young, talented player (like Desean Jackson) and a player who has had a modicum of success in a starting role and is searching for his next paycheck. You haven’t seen the last of these players; they will linger around the league as overpriced backups and may even resort to appearing at the Veteran’s Combine.

Below is a list of players who preserved their NFL relevancy post-exile.

Desean Jackson
Peyton Manning
Darelle Revis
Wes Welker
James Harrison
Jake Delhome
Kurt Warner
Johnny Unitas

Here is a list of players who were cut and who may never deserve a fantasy roster spot again.

Tim Hightower
Brian Hoyer
Steven Jackson
Ted Ginn
Anthony Fasano
Reggie Bush
Lance Moore
Shonn Greene

Legal Issues – In fantasy football, talent and production overtake morality every time the ball is dropped in an off-the-field altercation. Just because a player is involved in a flame war on Twitter and sends controversial, ill-advised messages doesn’t mean you should run the other way. In contrast, when NFL players become involved in bigger scandals and legal issues, it’s time to dump their stock like it’s ENRON. It should not be a monumental surprise that NFL players find themselves in a heap of legal trouble. An epidemic is developing among young players with bright futures to selfishly compromise both their football careers and your fantasy season.

It’s time to part ways with players accused and/or convicted of the following. 

Murder
Dog Fighting/Animal Abuse
Rape/Sexual Assault
Child Abuse
Domestic Abuse
Weapons Charges

To a lesser extent, it’s also advisable to avoid players accused of the following obscenities, regardless of talent and fantasy output. 

Illegal Gambling Rings
Unsolicited Dick Pics
Substance Abuse
Gang Affiliations

Age, Wear and Tear – Due to the physical nature of football, the number of years a player can produce at a high level is limited. While the concept of wear and tear pertains more so to Running Backs than to Quarterbacks, many stars don’t ride off into the sunset until it’s too late. Fantasy owners draft older players every season even after they no longer warrant roster spots; this includes the likes of Isaac Bruce, Randy Moss, Brett Favre and LaDainian Tomlinson. Even Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Jerry Rice remained on rosters through his last NFL season with the Seattle Seahawks as the third Wide Receiver. Rice hauled in a whopping 30 catches and three touchdowns in his final season, far from a fantasy-worthy option. No matter how talented the player is, playing through a career filled with concussions and multiple surgeries surely takes a toll on the final product. All good things come to an end, and both players and fans are guilty of holding on too long while praying for a sudden resurgence. The correlation between a player’s age and performance is not rocket science, it is rather a fundamental of biology.

Huge Contracts – Players who have recently received excessively large contracts raise a red flag. The overwhelming pressure to perform and live up to the contract they received can often have negative effects on both their physical and mental preparation for game day. More money, more problems; huge contracts often lead to players taking their feet off the gas. Players train a large portion of their lives in hopes of achieving that big payday. Achieving a lifelong endeavor can lead to complacency both in the weight room and on the football field. While most NFL players chase immortality with single-season and career accolades, not every star will continue to produce at the same level he did prior to signing a huge contract. Satisfaction is the death of desire.

Same Name, Different Game – Keep an eye out for NFL players who share the same exact name. Ensure that you are drafting Adrian Peterson the Vikings Running Back and not the Cardinals Cornerback. Watching an owner celebrate his selection of Ricky Williams in the 10th round of the draft, only to realize that there is an impostor fourth-string Running Back on the Saints with the same name can be very entertaining. Are you drafting Cameron Jordan the Defensive End or Jordan Cameron the Tight End? In an IDP league this same-name risk is heightened, and you should double check that you are drafting Brandon Marshall the Wide Receiver and not the Linebacker. The difference between Steve Smith and Steve Smith Sr. can have dramatic season-altering effects that aren't in your favor.

The draft is based on craft, guile and a little bit of luck. Counting yourself out or declaring victory on draft night is a mistake. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. Stay focused and sober and avoid drafting the wrong player with the right name or captivating moniker. Be patient and strike when the time is right; don’t let other owners derail your draft strategy. Longtime Charger and Panther Mike Tolbert was an superb touchdown vulture throughout his career. Follow his lead and snatch up the value that others have repeatedly overlooked. The off season is too long to live with the regret of missing out on the sleepers you should have pounced on.

10 Telltale Signs You Aren't Good at Fantasy Football

 

"never underestimate the man who overestimates himself"

- Franklin D. Roosevelt

 

Fantasy Football is like dancing, driving, and intelligence. We all perceive ourselves as above average, despite this being a mathematical impossibility. When owners do well they continue to repeat the steps involved to try to replicate the favorable results. The problem is that there is the variable of luck that can allow even the worst fantasy owners to have above average seasons. When we have poor seasons we deny the truht that we might actually be terrible and we distort the facts and find excuses why things didn't go our way. 

So we must ask ourselves. Are we as good at fantasy sports as we think we are?

However, if you are guilty of any of the following 10 items then you likely aren't quite as good as you think you are.

1. You prefer to Autodraft.

2. You only play in fantasy leagues with less than 10 teams.

3. You don't name your fantasy team.

4. You refuse to trade with anyone.

5. You only play in public redraft leagues.

6. You only play in standard scoring leagues.

7. You draft according to how good a player is in Madden.

8. You forget to set your lineup or roll out the exact lineup every week.

9. You talk trash at the beginning of every season but never make the playoffs.

10. You stop playing in competitive leagues because it's too frustrating.

Remember that it takes a good habit to replace a bad one. You can say "Yeah I do that" and expect the problems to go away. 

If you agree or totally disagree with one or more of the above items let me hear about it on Twitter @FantasyBroApp

Thanks again for all your support!

Michael Muss

Should Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) matter in Fantasy Football?

 

If other fantasy sports incorporate an average / percentage based statistic, why shouldn't there be one for Fantasy Football?

Fantasy Baseball includes batting average, K/9, WHIP, ERA and Fantasy Basketball uses PPG, FT %, FG%. 

Before we decide if QBR is a stat worth including in Fantasy Football we should first find out how is QBR calculated.

Total Quarterback Rating (QBR) is an ESPN created metric that measures the degree that the Quarterback contributed to the points scored by his respective team. QBR weighs plays based on how they affect the probability of the team winning. To calculate QBR a quantified "win probability" function is applied which examines each play and determines the expected value of the points scored. QBR takes into account events like; throws while under pressure, the distance of the pass, first downs converted, remaining time on the clock, sack evasion, rushing yards and comebacks versus maintaining leads. The results of the win probability function is then used to compute a "clutch index". The QBR has a range from 0 to 100, where 50 is considered average. This seems to be the only part of the QBR metric that is straight forward. ESPN has not released the exact formula that they use to calculate QBR. The methodology spans 10,000 lines of code to compute, which means it's either terribly convoluted or they need more efficient computer programmers.

NFL-QBR-Football-Formula

Confused yet? Basically, it's easier to file your taxes long form by hand with all of the instructions written in Braille. Considering the amount of mystery surrounding the metric and difficulty for a fantasy football layman to compute we can safely dismiss QBR as a reliable metric to include in fantasy football scoring.

So, if not QBR, how about using the NFL Passer Rating?

The NFL Passer Rating is the "official NFL measure of passing performance". The NFL Passer Rating is calculated using pass attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and interceptions. Passer Rating ranges from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 158.3. So not only is the NFL Passer Rating a much easier metric to calculate it also leaves nothing left to subjective tinkering. 

nfl-passer-rating

What parts of NFL Passer Rating are already accounted for in Fantasy Football?

Well, passing yards, Touchdowns and interceptions are already incorporated into nearly all standard and custom league scoring settings. So that leaves us with Pass Attempts and Completions. Should we reward the Quarterback for throwing the football? We don't reward receivers for targets or running backs for touches so it's illogical to reward fantasy points to Quarterbacks for simply throwing the ball. 

But rewarding fantasy points for Completions is an intriguing concept. If anything if could be rewarding to the traditional pocket passer in a modern day NFL where the amount of run-option Quarterbacks seems to be on the rise. 

To award fantasy points to the league leader in pass attempts and therefore likely the leader in completions changes the dynamic of the Quarterback position. Sure, the Bell Cow and the WR1 benefit from the volume bit awarding points per completion could become lucrative. At a full point per completion we could see the average point production more than double. Even at a half point or a quarter point per completion we can see the amount points scored rise enough to upset the balance of power. It's not unreasonable for the top WR in PPR to share the same standing room with the top Quarterbacks in the league, but the 15th best Quarterback shouldn't be outscoring the top position players in the league. Any bonus points for completions won't contribute to a level playing field and disrupt the parity we are aiming for.

So how to create more variance between the good Quarterbacks and the mediocre ones that play poorly yet still mange to have good fantasy point production? We can incorporate a completion percentage bonus. It seems fair that the Quarterback should be rewarded for high efficiency in the passing game. It might not be a great idea to award bonus fantasy points based on completion percentages because there is no distinction between the Quarterback who completes 25 out of 50 pass attempts and the Quarterback who completes 15 out of 30 or even the Quarterback who completes 10 out of 20 pass attempts. Going strictly by percentages doesn't work and neither does awarding a point per completion.

Looks like our only other option is to up the ante on the fantasy points awarded for each touchdown thrown. Raising the points per touchdown thrown from 4 to 6 seems like a great solution at first glance, however when we consider the frequency that a Quarterback throws 4+ touchdowns in one game it can be an instant "win". I tend to shy away from any scoring settings that allow for one player to single-handedly carry your team for victory. 

The overall goal is to bring parity to the Quarterback, Wide Receiver, Running Back, Tight End and Team Defense (D/ST). Notice I left out Kickers? That's another story for another day in another blog post.

So we return to completion percentage paradox once again. What if we award fractional points for completions and penalize inaccurate Quarterbacks with the same amount of incomplete passes? It definately adds more action to the scoring aspect as every completion, spike or throw-away now count that much more.

How would an implementation of fantasy points awarded for Completions / Incompletions affect the current Fantasy Quarterback rankings?

  

 

 

 

Looks like the change helps the traditional pocket passer in most cases as Big Ben, Drew Brees and (le sigh) Kirk Cousins jump spots on the Average Fantasy Points per game ranking. Nothing too upsetting fantasy points wise, if we ran the same calculations with half or +/- 1 point per completion we could see as high as an extra 100 fantasy points being tacked onto the season totals which could totally overpower the Quarterback position.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter,

Michael Muss

 

Week 16 WR Fantasy Football Rankings

Week 16 Wide Receiver Rankings:  
1. Hopkins
2. Jones
3. Jeffery
4. Robinson
5. Watkins
6. Green
7. Maclin
8. Baldwin
9. Marshall
10. Thomas
11. Hilton
12. A. Brown
13. J. Brown
14. C. Johnson
15. Fitzgerald
16. Cooks
17. Decker
18. Evans
19. Sanders
20. Hurns
21. D. Jackson
22. M. Bryant
23. Floyd
24. Landry
25. Cooper
 

Week 16 RB Fantasy Football Rankings:

Week 16 Running back Rankings:
1. Peterson
2. D. Johnson
3. Martin
4. Williams
5. L. Murray
6. West
7. Robinson
8. Freeman
9. Gurley
10. McFadden
11. Ivory
12. Hightower
13. Miller
14. Forte
15. R. Mathews
16. Lacy
17. Abdullah
18. Michael
19. K. Williams
20. Bernard
21. Woodhead
22. Allen
23. Jennings
24. Powell
25. Andrews
26. Gore
27. Sproles
28. White
29. Hillman
30. Langford

Week 15 WR Fantasy Football Rankings

Week 15 Wide Receiver Rankings:  
1. Hopkins
2. Jones
3. Jeffery
4. Robinson
5. Watkins
6. Green
7. Maclin
8. Baldwin
9. Marshall
10. Thomas
11. Beckham
12. A. Brown
13. J. Brown
14. C. Johnson
15. Fitzgerald
16. Cooks
17. Decker
18. Evans
19. Sanders
20. Hilton
21. D. Jackson
22. M. Bryant
23. Hurns
24. Landry
25. Ginn
26. Cooper
27. Tate
28. Floyd
29. LaFell
30. Lockett

Week 15 RB Fantasy Football Rankings

Week 15 Runningback Rankings:  
1. Peterson
2. Gurley
3. Miller
4. D. Johnson
5. Martin
6. McCoy
7. Robinson
8. Hill
9. Lacy
10. Freeman
11. Williams
12. Ivory
13. L. Murray
14. Forte
15. Bernard
16. Allen
17. West
18. Bolden
19. Brown
20. Hightower
21. McFadden
22. Draughn
23. Gore
24. Artis-Payne/Whittaker
25. Hillman