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Fantasy Index Reader Column

It seems like everyone has their hand in the cookie jar these days when it comes to fantasy football. Not everyone…in fact, not ANYONE is celebrating 20 years of know-how like Fantasy Football Index. By now, all the television networks are working some sort of an angle to profit from this. And there are enough fantasy newbies to mob a Star Trek convention. And there is something none of those people new to the scene want you to know…

They often don’t know what they are talking about.

Yet, after we’ve read our FFI magazine for about the seventh time, we get the itch to see what some of these lesser organizations are saying. The first thing I suggest you do in order to traverse this traffic jam of misinformation is to determine what skill level you are currently at.

The Beginner: Absorb the basic, less sexy information. Learning player statistics and projections is of little help if you don’t know how to apply them. Start with the basics, such as scoring rules for your league, the number of starters, and the number of bench spots allowed. Then gather information on the history of fantasy football. No, not about Ian and his collection of 80’s music in Seattle. I mean the historical perspective every experienced fantasy leaguer has, such as the scarcity of running backs, the statistical dud most rookie wide receivers turn out to be, etc… Knowing this common knowledge is critical in avoiding big mistakes in this year’s draft.

The Intermediate: You’ve been playing for a while now and you’ve got a good grasp on how to build a winning team. Perhaps you’ve just won your first championship and you’ll be trying to repeat. Unfortunately, you don’t know who you can trust in this world of a thousand opinions. Good news for you! You are ready to create your own opinion, and it will be as credible as anyone else’s. You know how values are determined, so you can make your own statistical projections based on information (not advice) from sources you trust. Now you’ve determined for yourself how you think things will go, and you don’t have to worry about blaming “bad advice” at season’s end.

The Expert: You’ve been through the good and the bad, and most of all you just can’t stand these fly-by-night salesmen throwing opinions around just trying to make a buck. Yet, you are addicted and so you read the stupidity and no matter how hard you try, a few things stick here and there and you allow yourself to be convinced to slide this guy up or another guy down. What I recommend is to find a forum, a buddy, a patient dog…someone to sound off your arguments to. Are you able to logically refute what you consider bad advice? Are you able to make a convincing argument to back up your bold prediction? Trying to persuade someone else is the best way to monitor how valid and how thought out your opinions are.

Now pardon me. I heard that Animal Planet is airing a special of a trained macaw ranking the top 15 fantasy kickers!

Dale Gander
Sun Prairie, Wis.

Reader columns are submitted by Fantasy Football Index readers. Opinions expressed in reader columns are not endorsed by the publishers of Fantasy Football Index. We're just contributing to the marketplace of ideas. Learn more about how to submit your own reader column.

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