Want to prove that you're the smartest, best fantasy scout in all of the land? Then enter our free Fantasy Index Open competition. Picks are due before the kickoff of the first preseason game on Sunday.
We've long received requests from readers wanting to compete in our "Experts Poll" in the magazine. That's the inspiration for this competition. It's just like the Experts Poll, but it's open to everyone. Many fantasy analysts will enter (the winner last year was Sam Hendricks, who's written some fantasy football books), but it's also open to anybody who cares to take the time to enter.
For this one, you provide your top 20 at each position -- QB, RB, WR, TE, K and Defenses. We score all the picks, using a complex matrix. Well, not that complex -- the higher you rank a player, the more he counts towards your score. After we score all the picks by all the entries, the high scorer is the winner.
The winner takes home a gigantic trophy designed by the team at Affordable Trophies. (The 2012 trophy won by Hendricks is pictured.)
Furthermore, the top two finishers (the winner and one more) win spots in our regular Experts Poll, where they would compete against industry experts in the same kind of competition. That one will be written up in the 2014 edition of Fantasy Football Index.
So get in on the fun. Entries must be received at fantasyindexopen@gmail.com prior to the start of that first preseason game. If, halfway through the first quarter, your entry trickles in, you will not be eligible to win.
For more info on this contest, download the two files below. One is the Excel form needed to submit your picks. The Word file discusses the contest in more detail.
We've received 90 entries so far. Many more entries, no doubt, will trickle in over the next 48 hours. How many, exactly, remains to be seen. 200? 300? We'll see.