Fact or Fantasy: Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin

by | Apr 22, 2016 | Fantasy Football

Through nine games in 2015, Seattle was struggling along at 4-5, with Marshawn Lynch having an injury-plagued fact-fantasyseason and seemingly nothing clicking.

Then the coaching staff took the training wheels off QB Russell Wilson and the fourth-year starter turned his and the team’s season around.

Wilson threw 24 of his 34 TDs last season during the 6-1 stretch that pushed the Seahawks back into the postseason. On the receiving end of 11 of those scores during the seven-game stretch was Doug Baldwin, who’d had a pedestrian three TDs during the first nine games.

Can the duo repeat the success it posted during that magical seven game run? Or was it just one of those stretches where everything goes right?

Tony: Wilson & Baldwin Fiction (more…)

Fact or Fantasy: Aaron Rodgers

by | Feb 19, 2016 | Fantasy Football

Editor’s Note: The end of the 2015 season does not put football to bed. Now is the time to start examining what you did right and what you did wrong, so you don’t repeat mistakes in 2016. We’ll be taking a look at several players whose seasons surprised us and analyzing whether they are an indication of what is to come – Fact – or an aberration – Fantasy.

When Jordy Nelson got hurt during the preseason, everyone knew the offensive task for Green Bay would be more fact-fantasydifficult during the 2015 season. But none of the projections I saw projected the degree to which the Packers would struggle.

Aaron Rodgers‘ quarterback rating dropped from 112.2 to 92.7, nearly 20 points, which was his lowest output since becoming a starter. His yardage count dropped by more than 500 yards and he threw just 31 TDs, down from 38 in 2014.

So were injuries the crux of Rodgers’ falloff? Will he regain his status as a top two fantasy QB in 2016? Or are the problems he and the rest of the offense suffered through last season a sign of things to come?

John: Fact

Aaron Rodgers went from fantasy stud to average Joe this season, finishing as the QB9, bunched up with other fantasy stalwarts such as Kirk Cousins and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Not exactly the output fantasy owners were hoping to get from a second-round pick. (more…)

4 Things To Know About Daily Fantasy For 2016

by | Jan 6, 2016 | 2016 Season, Daily Fantasy, Fantasy Football

At the beginning of 2015, daily fantasy was a glorious industry packed with avid sports fanatics and it seemingly advertised more than all beverage companies and fast food restaurants in history combined. You couldn’t turn on the TV or visit a sports-related website without seeing a DraftKings ad or a FanDuel banner. The industry was absolutely booming, with millions of users and billions of dollars at play.

Then the elephant in the room finally woke up—if the elephant is state legislatures and the room is a country in which sports gambling is technically illegal. Seemingly all at once (and in part due to a “scandal” in which a DraftKings employee won a major FanDuel contest), state governing bodies began to sniff around the DFS industry and question whether or not it constitutes sports betting. The debate is pretty simple: either DFS is a skill-based game as its top sites’ proprietors argue; or it’s chance-based and therefore no different from betting on a team to win a game, and therefore illegal.

While it’s simple to lay out that debate, it’s far more complex for lawyers and government officials to come to a consensus regarding the answer. The result is that heading into 2016, DFS suddenly seems to be threatened, and there’s a great deal of uncertainty regarding its status and legality. Just to make sure you’re not depositing money on a site that’s about to be banned (or really if you’re just curious), here are four things to know about the specifics of that uncertainty.

1. The Advertising May Stop

According to this report about sports media with regard to DFS, DraftKings and FanDuel were among the top spenders in all of advertising in 2015 (as alluded to previously). But with both companies under fire in various states, there are also reports that they’re looking to delay payments and potentially cancel future media deals. That means that the ads we were bombarded with in 2015 may disappear. However, this is more of a precaution than an indication that the companies are in serious long-term jeopardy.

2. The Sites Are Getting Stricter

In part to project the image that they’re being more carefully regulated and monitored, daily fantasy sites are getting stricter with regard to their user requirements. For instance, if you’re a FanDuel user you may have noticed recently that you can’t play without verifying your information and adding your social security number to your account. Expect this sort of thing to continue as these sites seek to establish themselves as more legitimate.

3. Seven States Have Banned DFS Players

It can get confusing keeping track of the constant reports about which states are involved in legal disputes with the top DFS sites, but this map of legality shows that there are seven states that have already completely banned DFS play, at least until further notice. Four other states have some form of legislation in place regulating the industry, and four more are considering such legislation. The other 35 states have no current restrictions on DFS play.

4. DFS Is Still Growing

Everything up to this point paints a picture of concern regarding the industry, but this report on growth from mid-October indicates “the death of daily fantasy sports is not a concern.” Things have grown a bit more grim since then, but the fact is DFS sites still performed extraordinarily well in the midst of legal battles and growing skepticism about legality and financial security.

That last point is probably the most important. There may well be states that keep DFS illegal, and more are likely to implement some form of legislation or another. But for now, the industry as a whole is safe and sound, despite how it may seem in the news.

Maggio’s Week 16 Fantasy Football Position Rankings

by | Dec 22, 2015 | Fantasy Football

Here it is, folks. My FINAL weekly rankings of the 2016 season. It’s championship week, so let’s go win some titles!

Adjustments will be made throughout the week to account for news, injuries, etc. Post questions in the comments below or on Twitter @MPLSMaggio.

This is also the final week of FantasyDraft.com hosting a Pants Party listener league, so get in and show Bo and I what you’ve got! It’s still $5 to play, and the top five of 15 entrants in the payout zone, with $21 to first place!  Click this link to get in, and do it before the contest fills up! And if you’re a first-time player at FantasyDraft.com, deposit $10 when you click this link to play and you’ll get $5 fantasy cash to use as a free entry into our contest!

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Fantasy Top 3 – Who to pick in 2016

by | Dec 18, 2015 | Fantasy Football

While roughly 40 percent of fantasy footballers sweat this weekend’s results to see if they advance to their finals, fantasy-football-logo1many of the rest of us are left to ponder what might have been – and what might happen next year.

It’s obviously early. There are still a couple months of the 2015 season left, counting playoffs. Then free agency and the draft will dominate the headlines.

But it’s never too early to start looking ahead. We convened a roundtable of Fantasy Editor Anthony Maggio, Senior Contributor John Vomhof Jr., site Co-Founder Tony and Editorial Director Andy to see if there was any consensus on who the top three picks would be if drafts for 2016 were held right now.

And consensus there was not. See below:

Anthony, fantasy editor (more…)

Maggio’s Week 15 Fantasy Football Position Rankings

by | Dec 15, 2015 | Fantasy Football

Hopefully you survived last week’s injury carnage and are in your league’s semifinals this week!

Here are my weekly position rankings to help you set your fantasy lineup. Adjustments will be made throughout the week to account for news, injuries, etc. Post questions in the comments below or on Twitter @MPLSMaggio.

Also, in honor of the fantasy playoffs, FantasyDraft.com is changing up our weekly league to a tournament-style contest instead of a 50/50 for the final three weeks. It’s still $5 to play, and now the top five of 15 entrants in the payout zone, with $21 to first place!  Click this link to get in, and do it before the contest fills up! And if you’re a first-time player at FantasyDraft.com, deposit $10 when you click this link to play and you’ll get $5 fantasy cash to use as a free entry into our contest!

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