RSS 2.0 FeedVol. 4, No. 8, August 2008, Sports
Cross the Goal Line
• Be realistic. It has become much harder to win, because, in many cases, the number of entries has grown faster than the prize money.
• A winning team will have made a successful stab at a late-round player who panned out. Greg Jennings was a great example last year. The Packers’ wide receiver has blazing speed and the ability to score long touchdowns, although he was injury-prone two years ago. He delivered big last year, rewarding those whose leap of faith meant banking on him staying healthy. That, by the way, bucks an industry trend. Once players start getting hurt, they usually remain jinxed.
• It’s worth sacrificing some attention. Marvin Harrison is better when Reggie Wayne takes pressure off him. T.J. Houshmanzadeh’s stock rose because of the threat of Chad Johnson. He was an especially sweet deal because Johnson usually did most of his damage in the first quarter. The same scenario applies for running backs. It’s nice to have 30 carries a game from someone, but that’s a few too many. That means the back has carried the ball in some obvious running situations and taken some huge hits for a couple yards.
• Don’t make yourself crazy. A defensive coordinator can ruin your best plans with eight in the box or heavy coverage. Then there’s over-protection. Carson Palmer was a fantasy bust last year, as the Bengals ran the ball more to make sure he avoided a leg injury similar to the one that crippled him and them in the previous playoff year. You can’t predict that.
• Use rankings and cheat sheets as a guide only. Everybody has “inside” information. Everybody knows who the published experts like. So know you must dig deeper. It is your ratings system that will determine your outcome. More than at any time in fantasy history, you have to go with your gut.
• Brace for unpleasant change. Motorists hate $4 and up gasoline prices. Fantasy owners abhor the current running-back-by-committee trend. There is no real solution for it, except perhaps to focus more on other positions. Just as in real life, committees don’t get much done.
Extra Point
Subscribe to an important newsletter service like the Fantasy Guru (www.fantasyguru.com). Its most valuable asset is the Sunday injury report, in which it delivers minute-by-minute information throughout the final hour leading to kickoff. This is your most important hour of every week.
• A winning team will have made a successful stab at a late-round player who panned out. Greg Jennings was a great example last year. The Packers’ wide receiver has blazing speed and the ability to score long touchdowns, although he was injury-prone two years ago. He delivered big last year, rewarding those whose leap of faith meant banking on him staying healthy. That, by the way, bucks an industry trend. Once players start getting hurt, they usually remain jinxed.
• It’s worth sacrificing some attention. Marvin Harrison is better when Reggie Wayne takes pressure off him. T.J. Houshmanzadeh’s stock rose because of the threat of Chad Johnson. He was an especially sweet deal because Johnson usually did most of his damage in the first quarter. The same scenario applies for running backs. It’s nice to have 30 carries a game from someone, but that’s a few too many. That means the back has carried the ball in some obvious running situations and taken some huge hits for a couple yards.
• Don’t make yourself crazy. A defensive coordinator can ruin your best plans with eight in the box or heavy coverage. Then there’s over-protection. Carson Palmer was a fantasy bust last year, as the Bengals ran the ball more to make sure he avoided a leg injury similar to the one that crippled him and them in the previous playoff year. You can’t predict that.
• Use rankings and cheat sheets as a guide only. Everybody has “inside” information. Everybody knows who the published experts like. So know you must dig deeper. It is your ratings system that will determine your outcome. More than at any time in fantasy history, you have to go with your gut.
• Brace for unpleasant change. Motorists hate $4 and up gasoline prices. Fantasy owners abhor the current running-back-by-committee trend. There is no real solution for it, except perhaps to focus more on other positions. Just as in real life, committees don’t get much done.
Extra Point
Subscribe to an important newsletter service like the Fantasy Guru (www.fantasyguru.com). Its most valuable asset is the Sunday injury report, in which it delivers minute-by-minute information throughout the final hour leading to kickoff. This is your most important hour of every week.
Casino Connection Sports Editor Dave Bontempo is an award-winning sports writer and broadcaster who calls boxing matches all over the world. He has covered the Philadelphia Flyers in the playoffs, as well as numerous PGA, LPGA and Seniors Golf Tour events, and co-hosted the Casino Connection television program with Publisher Roger Gros.
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