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Fantasy Index Reader Column

In the past 15 years, we have witnessed a significant transformation in fantasy sports. In 1992, most leagues were still run by commissioners who used the weekly USA Today or local paper to compute stats followed by a typed newsletter that got faxed to all the league owners. By the end of the millennium, most leagues were on the web (even if the site was bland, it was better than the "old days"). Today, when perusing online fantasy forums you see more and more ads for auction and/or dynasty leagues. This is the next wave of fantasy sports.

Until a couple of years ago, I was in the typical 1QB, 2RB, etc. leagues. After joining a baseball auction league I was hooked forever. The shear excitement and adrenaline of bidding against other GM's was far superior to the traditional serpentine draft. The auction is the ultimate experience for any GM who wants to test their skills. There are no excuses -- you can't say "well, Larry had the first pick and he got LT." There are generally three approaches to an auction (all of which have various names depending on what you read): Bid and win on 2-3 studs and look for bargains, implement a "max" bid for any player and draft a bunch of really good players, or draft a mega-stud like LT or Larry Johnson and try to find the best remaining bargains. Each strategy can be successful if implemented properly and this is what makes the auction so great. Unfortunately, the online hosting sites haven't really caught up to the auction phenomenon, but it's coming.

Recently, I've joined both dynasty leagues and leagues that incorporate Individual Defensive Players (IDP's) and had the most fun of any fantasy league I've participated in. Imagine, being down 8 points, but you still have Ray Lewis left to play on Monday Night Football. You need 6 tackles to win for the week or 2 tackles and one sack. It's just as thrilling to watch your IDP help you win with a stud-like 15-tackle game as it is to watch Eddie Kennison catch 3 balls for 30 yards isn't it? I will admit that the IDP aspect is probably more entertaining for those who have the NFL package because there is no such thing as a game with no meaning. There is no reason for the fantasy football community to keep drafting players like Nate Kaeding, but we continue to ignore the players like Shawne Merriman, Troy Polamalu, and Demeco Ryans -- who make the NFL what it is.

Dynasty leagues are cropping up more than ever. Recently, I saw an online poll with over 90 respondents asking which format they prefer (redraft or dynasty/keeper). The results were 54 percent for the dynasty / keeper aspect. A dynasty / auction league is the ultimate test for a GM to not only know the top 40 players at a position, but the top 80 plus the best college prospects, including college linebackers. Most dynasty leagues have 16-20 teams with 40-50 players per team.

Whatever format you decide to play, I would encourage those who prefer the typical 15 players, offensive players only, to take a chance and expand your horizons. I did and it was the best decision I've ever made.

Neil Parker
Harrisburg, Pa.

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