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Bob Henry wins 4th Experts Poll championship

Bob Henry of Footballguys.com is the winner of our annual Experts Poll, becoming the first four-time winner in the history of the competition.

This is different than a traditional experts league. There are no draft picks, rosters or starting lineups. Instead, each expert – 20 content generators from the industry – submits a top 20 at each position. The higher a player is ranked, the more he counts towards their overall score.

Using our complex scoring grid, Henry put together the best player list, edging out Michael Nazarek (Fantasy Mastermind) and Jeff Ratcliffe (FTN Fantasy). It’s Henry’s first win in 10 years, but his fourth overall, moving him ahead of Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) and Sam Hendricks (Fantasy Football Guidebook), who have each won three titles. Pianowski took 4th this year.

Henry won at the quarterback position, where his difference-making picks were Jayden Daniels and Baker Mayfield. Henry ranked Daniels 12th (only Brandon Funston slotted Daniels higher), and was one of only six who included Mayfield among his top 20 quarterbacks. Without Daniels and Mayfield, Henry would not have placed ahead of Nazarek.

Henry also scored well at tight end (4th) and kicker (5th). He finished 8th at wide receiver, 11th at running back and 18th in the defense and special teams category.

The field included three at-large berths, awarded to Fantasy Index readers who performed well in similar contests at our website, but none were put together contending entries. Mike Piotrowski and John Knebels (the top 2 finishers in the Fantasy Index Open a year ago) both finished in the bottom 5. Blackout champion Dennis Thurman placed 14th.

Injuries factor heavily in this style of a competition. When a player misses half the season, it can really gut the score of those who high on him. Other injuries tend to wash out (everyone was high on Christian McCaffrey, for example, so it didn’t matter so much when he hardly played).

Tony Holm and Cory Bonini both finished in the bottom 3 of the competition, underscoring the volatility of this kind of endeavor. Holm (Fantasy Sharks) placed 3rd in the overall last year; Bonini (USA Today Fantasy Sports) placed 5th last year and is a former winner).

Aaron Bland was the only contestant to win two different categories (wide receiver, tight end) but finished in the middle of the pack. Luke Wilson of the Fantasy Index Podcast had the most volatile entry, finishing 1st or 2nd at running back, tight end and defense, but just 14th, 17th and 19th at the other three positions.

FANTASY INDEX EXPERTS POLL, 2024 RESULTS
ContestantQBRBWRTEPKDefOverall
Bob Henry11184518366,909
Michael Nazarek9611949366,695
Jeff Ratcliffe641210216366,480
Scott Pianowski412161113365,353
Andy Richardson518212315364,831
Jason Wood131036121364,803
Lenny Pappano1529894364,440
Jody Smith21713778364,205
Sam Hendricks127143116363,934
Aaron Bland1013112017363,839
Tom Brolley85751913363,837
Jeff Erickson3145151312362,869
Brandon Funston784181620361,671
Dennis Thomas1491513157360,179
Luke Wilson191172142359,969
John Knebels1132014175359,083
David Dorey171910191014356,359
Cory Bonini18161916611355,442
Mike Piotrowski161518171810354,382
Tony Holm2020620819346,829

Our Experts Poll is the oldest in the industry. It debuted in 1991, with scoring beginning the next year. The all-time list of winners appears below. Contestants who participated in last year’s poll are tagged with black dots.

EXPERTS POLL, ALL-TIME WINNERS
Year name company
1992(tie) David SturmsD & V Sports
1992(tie) Paul BarnesB2 Sports
1993Mitch ShefflerSandlot Shrink
1994John LaubAudibles
1995Brian FranciscoTFL Report
1996Dick GiebelFFFL
1997Chris ReasorFantasy Fanatics
1998Josh AlbertJTD Publications
1999James SerraFirst Place Sports Software
2000Tom StewartFantasy MVP
2001Jon MillmanFantasy Football Champs
2002• Bob HenryRed Eye Sports
2003• Bob HenryRed Eye Sports
2004• David DoreyThe Huddle
2005Ian MillmanFantasy Football Champs
2006• Scott PianowskiFantasyGuru.com
2007Dan BakleyThe Fantasy Point
2008Roland WoodDynasty Rogues
2009James SerraFirst Place Sports Software
2010Pretzel MayFantasyDraftMaster.com
2011• Scott PianowskiYahoo! Sports
2012Scott SachsPerfect Season Fantasy Football
2013• Scott PianowskiYahoo! Sports
2014• Bob HenryFootballGuys
2015• Cory BoniniUSA Today Fantasy Sports
2016Chris LissRotoWire
2017• Jeff RatcliffePro Football Focus
2018• Sam HendricksExtra Point Press
2019Paul CharchianLeagueSafe
2020• Sam HendricksExtra Point Press
2021Chris LissRotoWire
2022• Sam HendricksExtra Point Press
2023• Brandon FunstonThe Athletic
2024• Bob HenryFootballGuys

—Ian Allan

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