Friday, December 30, 2011

Ask the Expert Question: If you were writing an "end of the year" recap story, what would be the Fantasy Football story of the season?

If you were writing an "end of the year" recap story, what would be the Fantasy Football story of the season?

The 2011 fantasy football season will forever be known as the “Year of the Injury”. The absence of off-season training activities (OTAs) and abbreviated preseason training camps resulted in more injuries this season. Good owners were forced to suffer through numerous hamstring injuries and the dubious returns of some of the top players.


The waiver wire and injury reports dominated FF performance rather than the start/sit decisions of otherwise sane individuals. This rant comes not from a down on their luck owner who lost one too many bids for a playoff spot, but instead is from an owner who won much more this season than any other. Playoffs in 64% of my leagues (I play with some of the best in Expert leagues and the FFPC and NFFC). Of those I won the championship in 57% of them. Return on investment 260%. But there was too much luck!



I hate luck. I hate good luck and bad luck. Luck in any form. Luck is a cruel mistress. 2011 will be remembered for the fickle hand of fate and how she toyed with fantasy footballers through Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, Darren McFadden, Matt Forte, Jahvid Best, Peyton Hillis, Ahmad Bradshaw, Frank Gore, Felix Jones, Steve Johnson, Ryan Mathews, Greg Jennings, Miles Austin, LeGarrett Blount and DeSean Jackson. And that was just the first two rounds of most drafts. I defy any FF owners to find a starting roster untouched by the mayhem that fate (the lock out) wrecked upon us all. I can only hope 2012 brings some sanity. And less luck… unless it is the rookie QB kind... maybe in Indianapolis?

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly at http://www.fantasyindex.com/
 with answers to a new question posted Thursday morning.

Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips, Fantasy Football Basics and Fantasy Football Almanac 2011, all available at his website, http://www.ffguidebook.com/, at all major bookstores, and at http://www.amazon.com/. He is a 20-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 top players) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Fantasy Football Tip #222: Information management-what you need to know and how to compile it

Unfortunately this is too late for the 2011 season since most leagues have played their championship games this week. I highly encourage week 16 League Championship Games (LCG) because if you play them in week 17 you are much more likely to get players resting or not playing entire games (see GB in week 17). NFL teams do this to prevent an injury to key players when those teams have nothing to play for in the remaining regular season games. This is much more common in week 17 than in week 16. Although in previous years there have been some rare week 16 shenanigans...but I digress. This tip is how to manage the information flow during the week. From the news flashes on Sunday and Monday night to the following Sundays pregame shows, a ton of information is out there and you need to organize it.

I start with a clean sheet of paper and label the top with the week ahead and any bye week teams that will be out.
Next I divide the top 1/3 into 4 columns:
New Starters     ETP (Expected to Play) P (probable)  Q (questionable)

the 2nd 1/3 of the page is labeled with 6 columns:

D (doubtful) GTD(Game Time Decision) NETP (Not expected to play) OUT   DNP-W/Th/Fr   Watch

Finally the bottom 1/3 of the page is for free agents to add and drop, so labels are:

Add: QB RB WR TE K DEF and Droppable

Now as information comes out I can place it under these categories:
If a starter is out he goes in the OUT column and his replacement goes in the New Starters column. Players who miss practice go in the DNP (Did not practice) Column and beside their name is a W for Wed practice; Th for Thursday and Fr for the dreaded miss of Friday practice (never a good sign).

The watch category is position battles or injuries not yet reported or performance/disciplinary issues.

I also have a sheet where I track free agency deadlines each week and lineup decisions. So that I do not forget to do either in a league.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Got gift cards? Use them at Amazon and BN.com to uy Fantasy Sports books!

These great holiday gift ideas are available at Amazon, BN and other online retailers as paperbacks and ebooks. Use your holiday gift vars to purchase them.

Fantasy Football Guidebook
Fantasy Football Tips
Fantasy Football Basics

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners

Fantasy Hockey

Fantasy Soccer

Fantasy Basketball Handbook (coming soon)







Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Monday, December 26, 2011

Fantasy football conundrum with Drew Brees

I am in 3 Championships heading into Monday Night Football and the ATL-NO matchup.
Unfortunately I have Drew Brees in my local league and FACE Drew Brees in the two other leagues.
I also have Roddy White in the local and play him in one of the others.

So I have to root for and against him. ARG! That is what happens when you play in tons of FF leagues.

Good luck to all in the last NFL game that will matter for week 16 and most FF league Championships.
And heres hoping Brees and Roddy scors enough for me to win the local  league but not enough for my opponents to beat me in the other leagues.

I do have Matt Bryant ATL K in one of the money leagues and John Kasay NO K in the other league so I can hope for a ton from them.




Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Sunday, December 25, 2011

ESPN Outside the Lines program exposes World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) bankruptcy

ESPN Outside the Lines program exposes World Championship of Fantasy Football bankruptcy.

Check it out at:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=7357411





Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Week 16 Implications or what is FFGuidebook.com playing for...

Week 16 and I am in 4 of 11 Championships. Sure I am in few other Expert league contests but I am so far behind I do not count them. Here are the 4 I have a shot at winning. I lead in 3 of the 4.

1) NFFC Private Auction League (11-2, 1st H2H, 4 in TP) #1 seed in 3 week playoffs; Leading by 17.19 points in 3 week playoffs which end this week

2) National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) $125 Satellite League (9-3-1, 2nd H2H, 4th in TP) #2 seed in playoffs. Leading by 17.95 pts in 3 wk playoff that ends this week.

http://nffc.stats.com/football/reports/league_home.asp

3) Local League (11-2, 1st H2H, 1st in TP) #1 seed in playoffs (bye in week 14)      League Championship game

4) Pros vs Joes FFPC League 2 "Caspers Ghost Hunters" (Draft Masters) 1st place overall in my league (based on points) (and 5th overall out of 84 teams, 37 points out of first) Last week.

http://leagues.myffpc.com/cgi-bin/welcome_page?UID=q7ko74ga3116fg3wq991ak2egp3p15l&LN=93779&USER=908283&EID1=19316&OPER=1770



Don't forget I already came in 2nd in the FFPC Main Event League and earned $3500.00 from that league. I received the check yesterday! What a great Christmas gift! Thank you FFPC for great customer service and the fastest payouts in high stakes fantasy football.





























Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Friday, December 23, 2011

13 Saturday games tomorrow on Christmas Eve and I will not see any of them...

How in the "wide world of sports" did I miss the fact that 13 NFL games will be played on Christmas Eve?
Tomorow 13 games will decide many playoff seeds and cause fantasy football owners worldwide to react on the day before Christmas. I have promised my wife that I will not watch any football on Saturday (she is Danish and the danes celebrate XMAS on the 24th). I guess it DVD recording time...

But I have negotiated some Internet and pregame show time to set my lineups. LOL



Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Ask the Expert Question: Looking ahead, let's say you expected to be playing a meaningful game in Week 17. Who is one likely available player you'd try to pick up now to be ready for that contest?

Looking ahead, let's say you expected to be playing a meaningful game in Week 17. Who is one likely available player you'd try to pick up now to be ready for that contest?


Most of these RBs should not be available simply because of their handcuff value yet a few are out there. Kendall Hunter tops the list as SF could easily rest Gore in week 17 against STL, but what a great matchup. Another candidate is Ben Tate who faces TEN @ HOU, assuming Arian Foster gets a rest before the playoffs. Of course, if these teams are fighting for a higher seed all bets are off. In the non contender category, Isaac Redman (@CLE) and Evan Royster (WAS RB@ PHI, now we are diving deep) are sneaky plays for week 17 too. Mark Sanchez and Kyle Orton at QB could surprise against tough defenses at MIA and DEN.







ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly at http://www.fantasyindex.com/
 with answers to a new question posted Thursday morning.

Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips, Fantasy Football Basics and Fantasy Football Almanac 2011, all available at his website, http://www.ffguidebook.com/, at all major bookstores, and at http://www.amazon.com/. He is a 20-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 top players) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Thursday, December 22, 2011

FFGuidebook.com and Sam Hendricks remain in 2nd place out of 51 Experts in the 411Fantasy.com contest

Congratulations to Michael Pichan, aka the Fantasy Nomad, who captured his first weekly prize of the season in the 411Fantasy.com Expert’s Contest. Pichan, of Rotoinfo.com, is a Nomad in every sense of fantasy sports. His Blogtalkradio show, the Fantasy Nomad Show, features everything from the NFL to the NBA, to the Arizona Fall League to musicians. But he found a home at 411 in Week 15 when he topped all experts with a score of 18.





Leaderboard through Week 15:
(first numer is adjusted for dropping lowest weekly score; number in parenthesis is the weekly average):

1. Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 16.85 (15.73)

2. Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) 16.0 (14.93)

3. Adam Conn (411Fantasy) 16.0 (14.87)

4. Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) 15.85 (15.33)

5. Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) 15.85 (14.93)

6. Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports) 15.85 (14.87)

7. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) 15.77 (14.93)

8. Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) 15.54 (14.73)

t9. John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink) 15.54 (14.67)

t9. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) 15.54 (14.67)

11. Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 15.31 (14.67)

12. Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) 15.31 (14.47)

13. Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) 15.15 (14.87)

14. Ken Zalis (Fans FF) 15.08 (14.53)

15. Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) 15.0 (14.27)

16. Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 14.92 (14.4)

17. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 14.69 (14.36)

18. Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports) 14.62 (14.07)

19. Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) 14.46 (14.0)

20. Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) 14.38 (14.38)

21. Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) 14.38 (13.73)

22. Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) 14.31 (14.0)
23. Robb Perkins (FF Trader) 14.31 (13.8)

24. Tommy Landry (RotoExperts) 14.31 (13.53)

25. Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus) 14.23 (13.67)






Week 11 article after placing first.

http://411fantasy.com/2011/11/24/hendricks-writes-the-book-on-rankings/




Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Time is running out for an easy gift mailed directly to you or recipient

These great holiday gift ideas are available at Amazon, BN and other online retailers as paperbacks and ebooks. Order today to make sure you (or your gift recipient) can receive them before Christmas!!!

Fantasy Football Guidebook
Fantasy Football Tips
Fantasy Football Basics

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners

Fantasy Hockey

Fantasy Soccer

Fantasy Basketball Handbook (coming soon)







Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

FFGuidebook.com and Sam Hendricks results from Week 15

Week 15

Money Leagues first ("Show me the money")

Fantasy Football Players Championship (www.theFFPC.com) Championship Round 127 of 145

National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) $125 Satellite League  (9-3-1, 2nd H2H, 4th in TP) #2 seed in playoffs                                         Leading by 17.95 pts in 3 wk playoff that ends this week.
http://nffc.stats.com/football/reports/league_home.asp

NFFC Private Auction League                                                                         (11-2, 1st H2H, 4 in TP) #1 seed in 3 week playoffs; Leading by 17.19 points in 3 week playoffs which end this week 

Local League                                                                                                    1sr round bye (11-2, 1st H2H, 1st in TP) #1 seed in playoffs (bye in week 14)                  WIN, now in Super Bowl

Expert Leagues

Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA)  League/Division 3 "Jay Clemons" 18th of 20 in 5 week playoff
(6-5, 3rd H2H, 1st TP) Made playoffs as WC5 (top 10 scoring other teams from 5 league get in)
http://blue.rtsports.com/cgi-bin/display_standings?LN=55559&UID=0zp23f3k07b2f7rn0o3n8qzxxu29r94&TN=4764594&X=1316889097900

Fantasy Football Index Magazine Expert Auction League (Draft Masters but play every team each week)                                                                                                              Win 8-3 (73-91-1), 9th place
http://goalline.rtsports.com/cgi-bin/display_standings?LN=100828&UID=94m1czr95356fbq3406bidw7k8mhu34&TN=4854786&X=1316889246868


Fantasy Football Pro Forecast Magazine Expert League                                  (4-10, 5th H2H, 9th TP)
http://www23.myfantasyleague.com/2011/home/32210#0

Fantasy Football Pro Forecast Magazine Expert PPR League                           (7-7, 3rd H2H, 5th TP)
http://www23.myfantasyleague.com/2011/home/60587#0


Pros vs Joes FFPC League 2 "Caspers Ghost Hunters" (Draft Masters) Win (10-1 this week) 1st place overall in my league (based on points) (and 5th overall out of 84 teams, 37 points out of first)
http://leagues.myffpc.com/cgi-bin/welcome_page?UID=q7ko74ga3116fg3wq991ak2egp3p15l&LN=93779&USER=908283&EID1=19316&OPER=1770








Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Fantasy Football Tip #221: Never give up on a team.

Fantasy Football Tip #221: Never give up on a team, even when it looks bleak, keep fighting on with lineup changes and add/drops to make your team have a chance.

I have a friend (yes one) who recently exclaimed that he no longer had to fight the "waiver wire worries" because he lost in the playoffs. He seemed almost relieved that his team no longer had to play. I can understand this feeling a little bit (we probably all can with all the injuries and suspensions that have hit us this year) since he had no starting RBs left heading into the playoffs. But it made me think about what others should or could do in the few weeks before the playoffs. I can honestly tell you that nothing beats the feeling of being almost mathematically eliminated but then somehow managing to make the playoffs. It is such a great high knowing that everyone dismissed you and then you showed them! But if you give up on your teams that look like they do not have a chance, you will NEVER experience that great feeling. The point of this tip is to always try and win every game, even if you are out of contention and cannot make the playoffs. Try your best! Set the best lineup you can. Give it your best shot and then no matter what, you can hold you head up high, proud in the knowledge that you did everything you could.


I am not suggesting you spend 14 hours a day searching for sleeper RBs and WRs in leagues where you are officially eliminated from the playoffs. That would be taking resources that could (and should) be used more productively in other leagues (where you are in or fighting for the playoffs). I am suggesting that you add players for "out for the season" players and bench players who are "out" or "questionable" for the game and replace them with players who can earn you points.

There is nothing worse than seeing your opponent who you need to lose to make the playoffs playing the last placed team who does not even bench his injured reserve (IR) players (these types of teams are called "dead money" teams because the owners have given up on them and their lost entry fee). You would never be able to come from 4 game behind to make the playoffs if most of the leagues losing teams did not put up a fight. Do not be like that.

And remember, in many leagues everyone starts the same in the playoffs at 0-0. So in these instances, as my father always said, "It does not matter how high you made it over the fence, just that you made it over the fence"

Note: some leagues do allow  the average of the regular season points scored as a starting point-I like this
Note:  Both the National Fantasy Football Championship NFFC) and FFPC (www.theFFPC.com) have a system in place for these "dead" teams.













Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634


Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635070




Monday, December 19, 2011

Fantasy Football Tip #220: Smart flex assignments could win a game for you

Fantasy Football Tip #220: Be smart about who you assign to the flex position, it could win you a game!


Many leagues today have a flex spot or position in addition to the standard 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR and 1 TE positions. So in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) you start 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 K and 1 DEF. In fact the FFPC (www.theFFPC.com) has two flex spots as they start 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 TE and 2 flex positions in addition to the lowly kicker and defense. In most formats the flex can be either a RB, WR or TE. In the FFPC the TE earns 1.5 points for catches and thus are more valuable as a potential flex player, so in those leagues you can expect to see more TEs drafted and used a flex player.

But my tip today is a simple one yet rarely employed by fantasy owners. I suggest you always attempt to make the flex player the player with the latest game. If you can make this happen it gives you great freedom to replace them with some else if needed. For example, you have two TEs one will be the TE, the other the flex player. Put the TE with the latest game at flex. Now if the starting TE gets hurt in warm-ups you can put the flex player in at TE and move another player from RB or WR into the flex position. Another example, you are planning on starting 4 WRs (3 as WRs and one as a flex), put the WR with the latest game (say Monday night) in the flex spot. That way if something happens to another WR before game time, you can replace that hurt WR with the flex player and move another player into the flex position. If you had filled the flex position with a WR who started in the early games (1 PM EST) or a Thursday game then that flex spot is over and done and should you need to rearrange due to injuries, etc you no longer have the flexibility to change positions since the flex spot is taken up by the early game player. 

Since the flex position can be either a RB, WR or TE it is best to keep that position available until the last possible moment, hence the put in a player with the later game. Big picture-you want to keep all your options open as long as possible and that is what making the flex player the later play does.

The best tip is to fill the flex with the latest playing player for the greatest flexibility. Who knows it just may win you a game one day.













Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634


Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635070




Sunday, December 18, 2011

Week 15-Who is in and who is out?



Week 15 Info
OUT FOR WEEK 14:  Andre Johsnon WR HOU, Fred Davis (susp 4 games), Matt Forte, Mark Ingram NO RB, Darren McFadden OAK RB, Jacoby Ford, Scott Chandler BUF TE, Colt McCoy CLE QB, Javon Ringer TEN RB, Greg Jennings GB WR, Kevin Kolb QB AZ (not starting might be QB3), Deion Branch NE WR, Emanuel Sanders PIT WR and Shane Vereen NE RB

Not Expected to Play: Sam Bradford STL QB, Dallas Clark IND TE


Expected to Play: Vick, C Wells, A Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs, Adrian Peterson, Kevn Smith DET RB, Jimmy Graham NO TE, T.J Yates HOU QB, Christian Ponder MIN QB, Tarvaris Jackson SEA QB, Joe McKnight NYJ RB, Matt Hasselbeck TEN QB



Who Knows? Hasselbeck or Jake Locker TEN QB, Matt Moore MIA QB, Ben Rothelisberger PIT QB, Josh Cribbs, Devin Hester, Denarius Moore, Braylon Edwards Montario Hardesty

WATCH: Wes Welker NE WR listed as questionable, Frank Gore not 100% so maybe not a full load on MNF, Rothelisberger unknown and on MNF

Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Fantasy Football Tip #219: Your free agent system should determine your roster for FF playoffs

Fantasy Football Tip #219: Your free agent system should determine your roster for FF playoffs

What I mean by this is your ability to add new players (or lack thereof) will be the deciding factor on what allocation of positions you have for the playoff run. If, for example, there are NO adds, drops or trades allowed after the playoffs begin (a common system in many of the money leagues), then you need to be more conservative in which positions you carry into the playoffs. In this case, always have an extra QB, TE and K on your roster. Yes kicker . Why because in Nov and Dec weather and kicking outdoors becomes more of a factor. There is nothing worse than watching your playoff team lose by 5 points simply because your one and only kicker is hurt or playing in a snowstorm. Same goes for QB and TE. Both can be affected by game time weather and injuries. Look at all the Rothelisberger, Bradford and Hasselbeck owners who are sweating it out this week if they are there only QBs.

I am not advocating dropping a starting RB for these potential #2 QB, TE or K. Instead try and make room for them by dropping the WR#7 or RB#6 on your team that has yet to see your starting lineup since bye week 7. In other words be realistic, do not drop a player you could easily see starting the following week if needed. Instead look to slim down the fat at plentiful positions and stock up on a rainy day/insurance extra QB or K.

On the other hand, if your league allows adds or drops (trades are tougher in the playoffs because who wants to give you any help then), in the playoff it will be a matter of how the system works. If it is first come, first serve right up until the kickoff time of each game then you can ignore the above advice and DO NOT carry an extra QB, TE or K. Why not? Because you can add one from free agency if absolutely needed at the last second. Do not drop a potential RB or WR for the extra kicker in this case. If you find yourself without a kicker or one with a bad match up in a snow storm, simply add the best available before game time.

 One last note of caution, be careful with not carrying an extra QB in leagues where QBs are more valuable (6 pts for passing TDs) or where rosters are so deep that most teams carry extras (or that have so many teams that few QBs are on the waiver wire). In these cases, you may not be able to find a starting QB. In these instances it is best to have a QB#2 going into the playoffs.

Notice also I do not advocate having an extra DEF for the playoffs. Team defenses do not become injured so the worst case scenario is bad weather and often that helps defensive scoring in fantasy leagues.







Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634


Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635070




Friday, December 16, 2011

Fantasy Football Guidebook and Fantasy Football Tips both make great holiday gifts!!!

These great holiday gift ideas are available at Amazon, BN and other online retailers as paperbacks and ebooks:

Fantasy Football Guidebook
Fantasy Football Tips
Fantasy Football Basics

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners

Fantasy Hockey

Fantasy Soccer

Fantasy Basketball Handbook (coming soon)







Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Ask the Expert Question: You just suffered a heartbreaking playoff loss. What do you say to yourself to come to terms with it?

You just suffered a heartbreaking playoff loss. What do you say to yourself to come to terms with it?


I put it all in perspective. I have my health, a loving wife and a devoted cat and in the big scheme of things that is not too bad. So a tough fantasy football loss really does not warrant too much worrying. Of course talk is cheap. Some losses will stay with you for life. I will never forget losing in the 2007 World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) League Championship Game when all I needed was one catch on Monday Night from Heath Miller (A University of Virginia alum no less). I watched PIT battle MIA in week 12 during a torrential rain storm. Heath had no yards and no catches during no targets. Really Heath….no catches.  But I am not bitter.



ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly at http://www.fantasyindex.com/
 with answers to a new question posted Thursday morning.

Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips, Fantasy Football Basics and Fantasy Football Almanac 2011, all available at his website, http://www.ffguidebook.com/, at all major bookstores, and at http://www.amazon.com/. He is a 20-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 top players) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Thursday, December 15, 2011

FFGuidebook.com and Sam Hendricks finish 9th out of 51 Experts in week 14.

Congratulations to Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) who made his move in Week 14 in a three-way tie for first place with 20 points and is now in a tie for third place overall (gross score***). The CBS Sportsline guru was joined by Steve Siniski of College and Pro Weekely and Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) who also had 20 points and it marked the third time this season there has been a three-way tie for the top score in a single week.

I placed 9th this week (I have had 4 Top 5 finishes this year) and remain in second place behind Paul Greco. Paul also scored 17 points and tied me for 9th, so I did not gain any ground on him.

Leaderboard through Week 14:


1. Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 16.21

2. Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) 15.36

t3. Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) and Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) 15.14

5. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) 15.07

t6. Adam Conn (411Fantasy) and Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) 15.0

8. Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) 14.93

9. Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports) 14.86

10. Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) 14.71

t11. John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink), Ken Zalis (Fans FF) and Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 14.64

14. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 14.54

t15. Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) and Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) 14.5

17. Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 14.43

t18. Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) and Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) 14.29

20. Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) 14.14

21 Brandon Funston (Yahoo Sports) 14.07

t22. Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) and Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey) 14,0

23. Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus) 13,93

24. Joe Everett (Fantasy Exchange) 13.92

Week 11 article after placing first.

http://411fantasy.com/2011/11/24/hendricks-writes-the-book-on-rankings/




Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Books on Fantasy Sports make great Holiday gifts!!

These great holiday gift ideas are available at Amazon, BN and other online retailers as paperbacks and ebooks:

Fantasy Football Guidebook
Fantasy Football Tips
Fantasy Football Basics

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners

Fantasy Hockey

Fantasy Soccer

Fantasy Basketball Handbok (coming soon)







Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

FFGuidebook.com and Sam Hendricks playoff results

Week 15

Money Leagues first ("Show me the money")

Fantasy Football Players Championship (www.theFFPC.com) Championship Round 114 of 145

National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) $125 Satellite League  (9-3-1, 2nd H2H, 4th in TP) #2 seed in playoffs
http://nffc.stats.com/football/reports/league_home.asp

NFFC Private Auction League                                                                         (11-2, 1st H2H, 4 in TP) #1 seed in 3 week playoffs

Local League                                                                                                    1sr round bye (11-2, 1st H2H, 1st in TP) #1 seed in playoffs (bye in week 14)

Expert Leagues

Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA)  League/Division 3 "Jay Clemons" 17th of 20 in 5 week playoff
(6-5, 3rd H2H, 1st TP) Made playoffs as WC5 (top 10 scoring other teams from 5 league get in)
http://blue.rtsports.com/cgi-bin/display_standings?LN=55559&UID=0zp23f3k07b2f7rn0o3n8qzxxu29r94&TN=4764594&X=1316889097900

Fantasy Football Index Magazine Expert Auction League (Draft Masters but play every team each week)                                                                                                              Win 9-2 (65-88-1), 10th place
http://goalline.rtsports.com/cgi-bin/display_standings?LN=100828&UID=94m1czr95356fbq3406bidw7k8mhu34&TN=4854786&X=1316889246868


Fantasy Football Pro Forecast Magazine Expert League                                   Loss (4-10, 5th H2H, 9th TP)
http://www23.myfantasyleague.com/2011/home/32210#0

Fantasy Football Pro Forecast Magazine Expert PPR League                            Win (7-7, 3rd H2H, 5th TP)
http://www23.myfantasyleague.com/2011/home/60587#0


Pros vs Joes FFPC League 2 "Caspers Ghost Hunters" (Draft Masters) Win (10-1 this week) 1st place overall in my league (based on points) (and 6th overall out of 84 teams)
http://leagues.myffpc.com/cgi-bin/welcome_page?UID=q7ko74ga3116fg3wq991ak2egp3p15l&LN=93779&USER=908283&EID1=19316&OPER=1770








Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Fantasy Football Guidebook and Fantasy Football Tips make great gifts for Christmas!

All of the books at Extra Point Press are available at amazon.com and BN.com. They all make great Christmas gifts and are in paperback and ebook formats. Pick up more than one and you get free shipping!!!!!! 






Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fantasy-football-tips-sam-hendricks/1017000616

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fantasy-baseball-for-beginners-sam-hendricks/1028503683

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fantasy-football-sam-hendricks/1100639984

Fantasy Football Guidebook(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fantasy-football-guidebook-sam-hendricks/1008633837

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Sam Hendricks finishes 6th for week 13 and moves into 2nd place overall (out of 51) in the 411Fantasy.com Experts Contest.

Congratulations to Matt Schauf (the IDP Guru for Draft Sharks) for winning week 13 with a 24 point effort and coasting to a Week 13 victory.

I placed 6th this week (I have had 4 Top 5 finishes this year)

From 411Fantasy.com

"Tied for 10th last week, Schauf vaulted into third place overall and finds himself an even point out of first.

Schauf may have cruised to victory, but the field did well overall. The average score in Week 13 was 16.41, the second highest this season.

Tied for second last week was Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) and Tommy Landry (RotoExperts) with 21 points apiece. Sarney’s entry wasn’t looking good early on, but he rallied by sweeping the multiple choice section.

In fourth with 20 points was Adam Conn (411Fantasy) and Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus). This was Conn’s fourth 20-spot this season, Miglio’s first and yet they are separated by only .77 points overall….

The following were tied for 6th place last week with 19 points: Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) (who moved up to second place overall), Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts), Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline), Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports), Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) and Michael Pichan (RotoInfo)."

Your leaderboard through Week 13.

1. Paul Greco (Fantasy Pros 911) 16.15

2. Sam Hendricks (FF Guidebook) 15.23

3. Matt Schauf (Draft Sharks) 15.15

4. Jeff Thitoff (97.1 The Fan) 15.08

5. Andrew Feingold (RotoExperts) 14.92

6. Adam Conn (411Fantasy) 14.85


t7. Jamey Eisenberg (CBS Sportsline) and Adam Helbling (411Fantasy) 14.77

9. Eric Karabell (ESPN) 14.58

t10. John Paulsen (Fantasy Shrink), Ken Zalis (Fans FF), Scott Pianowski (Yahoo Sports) and Brad Evans (Yahoo Sports) 14.54

14. Dave Richard (CBS Sportsline) 14.5

t15. Jeff Boggis (Fantasy Sports Empires) and Jake Ciely (RotoExperts) 14.46

17. Jason Sarney (Fantasy Phenoms) 13.38

18. Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) 14.27

t19. Tristan Cockroft (ESPN) and Ross Mandel (NFL Draft Bible) 14.15

21. Alessandro Miglio (Pro Football Focus) 14.08

t22. Eric Dell (BabyBlueMonkey), Mike Gilbert (RotoExperts), Robb Perkins (FF Trader), Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) and Joe Everett (Fantasy Exchange) 13.92


Week 11 article after placing first.

http://411fantasy.com/2011/11/24/hendricks-writes-the-book-on-rankings/




Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Week 14-Who is in and who is out?



Week 14 Info
OUT FOR WEEK 14:  Kevin Smith DET RB, Andre Johsnon WR HOU, Adrian Peterson MIN RB, Fred Davis (susp 4 games), Matt Forte, James Starks GB RB, Mark Ingram NO RB, Darren McFadden OAK RB, Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore OAK WRs, Scott Chandler BUF TE, Rian Lindell BUF K

Not Expected to Play: Sam Bradford STL QB


Expected to Play: Vick, C Wells, A Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs

Playing: Jeremy Maclin PHI WR, Christina Ponder MIN QB but looked bad in warmups
New Starters: Ryan Grant, Toby Gerhart (again),

Who Knows?

Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Saturday, December 10, 2011

FFGuidebook.com and Sam Hendricks versus the best of the best in Fantasy Football 2006-2011

A reader recently wrote me an email and asked how I measure myself in the world of fantasy football? I replied "By height" I stand at 6 feet 1 inch tall so that puts me pretty high (ouch sorry) in the standings.
My compliments to Chevy Chase and Caddyshack for that comeback.

Seriously..How have I done in the six years of playing competitively in the high stakes fantasy football arena?
Well my record speaks for itself.

2006 World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF) 8-3 regular season (#2 seed, winner of $1500)

2007 WCOFF 8-3 Lost in League Championship Game (winner of $2500)

2008 Fantasy Football Players Championship (http://www.theffpc.com/) Neptune League #13 6-5, #2 seed with 2nd most total points (winner of $1500); Overall 7th place of 180

2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (http://www.theffpc.com/) Joe Montana League #10 8-3, Regular season champion-#1 seed (#1 H2H and #1 Total Points)(winner of $1500); Overall 16th of 228

2010 Fantasy Football Players Championship (http://www.theffpc.com/) Clark W. Griswold League 8-3, missed playoffs by 3 points (yes a FG); 5th in Toilet Bowl

2011 Fantasy Football Players Championship (http://www.theffpc.com/) League #58 10-1, Regular season champion-#1 seed (winner of $3500); Lost in League Championship Game; Overall ?? of  720

So in the past 6 years of 12-team high stake fantasy football leagues, playing against the best of the best in the world (if you pay over $1400 to play in these contests, you better be good), I have a combined regular season record of 48-18 (WCOFF 16-6 and FFPC 32-12) or a .750 win/loss record. Some may be better over the last six years but I will stack that up against anyone. One year of missed playoffs in six years of playing competitive high stakes (HSL) fantasy football. Now if I could just grow an inch or two I'd really have the competition....





Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Friday, December 9, 2011

Ask the Expert Question: The playoffs start in most leagues, this week or next. Which one player do you believe will be the key to a lot of fantasy championships over the next three or four weeks, and why?

The playoffs start in most leagues, this week or next. Which one player do you believe will be the key to a lot of fantasy championships over the next three or four weeks, and why?



Aaron Rodgers is so amazing at QB that I cannot imagine having anyone else for a playoff run. MJD has shown a glimpse of the old top 5 RB in the past few weeks. He could be a difference maker. So if I could pick a dream team: Rodgers, Arian Foster, MJD, Wes Welker, Calvin Johnson, Greg Jennings and Rob Gronkowski.

ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly at http://www.fantasyindex.com/
 with answers to a new question posted Thursday morning.

Sam Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips, Fantasy Football Basics and Fantasy Football Almanac 2011, all available at his website, http://www.ffguidebook.com/, at all major bookstores, and at http://www.amazon.com/. He is a 20-year fantasy football veteran who regularly participates in the World Championship of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall (out of 228 top players) in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC).

Fantasy Football Almanac 2011: The Essential Fantasy Football Reference Guide (10.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635003

Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Football Guidebook
(2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95)
www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Football (Soccer to Yanks): The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

What next? Fantasy Football player losses...

REALLY. I mean really. Now Mat Forte is out for the FF season and Fred Davis is suspended for 4 games---the rest of my season. Add this to AP taking time off and Peyton Hillis returning for the toughest 4 games of the Browns schedule and you can understand why FF basketball could look good right about now.
Andre Johnson hurt his other hammy. Come on man!







Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

FFGuidebook.com and Sam Hendricks results from week 13

Week 13 (End of regular season in 14-team leagues, 2nd week of playoffs in 12-team leagues)
Big news is loss in Championship game Fantasy Football Players Championship. I cannot complain there as I won $2000 for finishing first in regular season and as loser of Championship game I win another $1500 so $3500 for season plus I advance to 3 week Championship round playing for $200,000 grand prize.

11 leagues this year. In my defense 5 of the 11 are Expert leagues and the remaining 6 are money leagues.
Some are over and some I am in the playoffs. From now on I will list the active leagues first. One is the high stakes Fantasy Football Players Championship (www.theFFPC.com). Lets see how I did last week. Follow along by using the links to each league.

Money Leagues first ("Show me the money")

Fantasy Football Players Championship (www.theFFPC.com) Main Event League #58 "I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid"                                                                          Loss in Championship game;
(10-1 regular season finish , 1st in H2H, 2nd in total points; #1 Seed entering playoffs in week 12) http://leagues.myffpc.com/cgi-bin/welcome_page?UID=v2w2li9480bh23b65x5k5l1wtir1m1t&LN=102561&U=908283&EID1=27587&OPER=1770

FootballGuys Players Championship (FPC) League 09.07.10b                  NA Loss out of playoffs; playing in Championship round but not H2H anymore
(6-5, 4th H2H, 2nd TP) (#2 seed in playoffs)
http://leagues.myffpc.com/cgi-bin/welcome_page?UID=eaz8jz779lupe4w49551ep5x285949j&LN=92918&USER=908283&EID1=27472&OPER=1770

FootballGuys Players Championship (FPC) League 09.06.10j                    NA now in group toilet bowl
(2-9, 12th H2H, 12th in TP) Eliminated from playoffs playing for pride and the toilet bowl
http://leagues.myffpc.com/cgi-bin/welcome_page?UID=wch618nn98f0rb011b782q922f3662r&LN=102417&USER=908283&EID1=26940&OPER=1770


National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) $125 Satellite League  Win (9-3-1, 2nd H2H, 4th in TP)
http://nffc.stats.com/football/reports/league_home.asp

NFFC Private Auction League                                                                        Win (11-2, 1st H2H, 4 in TP)

Local League                                                                                                    Loss (11-2, 1st H2H, 1st in TP)

Money League Outcomes 2-2 (For the reg season 46-19-1 (.725+ win %) (4-5 in playoffs)

Expert Leagues

Fantasy Sports Writers Association (FSWA)  League/Division 3 "Jay Clemons" NA 18th of 20 in 5 week playoff
(6-5, 3rd H2H, 1st TP) Made playoffs as WC5 (top 10 scoring other teams from 5 league get in)
http://blue.rtsports.com/cgi-bin/display_standings?LN=55559&UID=0zp23f3k07b2f7rn0o3n8qzxxu29r94&TN=4764594&X=1316889097900

Fantasy Football Index Magazine Expert Auction League (Draft Masters but play every team each week)                                                                                                              Win 9-2 (57-85-1), 10th place
http://goalline.rtsports.com/cgi-bin/display_standings?LN=100828&UID=94m1czr95356fbq3406bidw7k8mhu34&TN=4854786&X=1316889246868


Fantasy Football Pro Forecast Magazine Expert League                                   Loss (4-9, 5th H2H, 11th TP)
http://www23.myfantasyleague.com/2011/home/32210#0

Fantasy Football Pro Forecast Magazine Expert PPR League                            Win (6-7, 4th H2H, 5th TP)
http://www23.myfantasyleague.com/2011/home/60587#0


Pros vs Joes FFPC League 2 "Caspers Ghost Hunters" (Draft Masters) Loss (5-6 this week) 1st place overall in my league (based on points) (and 5th overall out of 84 teams)
http://leagues.myffpc.com/cgi-bin/welcome_page?UID=q7ko74ga3116fg3wq991ak2egp3p15l&LN=93779&USER=908283&EID1=19316&OPER=1770

Note the Draft Masters leagues are draft and forget with no trades/adds or drops. The computer optimizes your lineup each week. So it is essentially a draft and forget league with no options to correct for injuries or status changes.

Experts League Outcomes 2-2

Overall out of 11 leagues 4-4 (overall reg season 71-49-1) (playoffs 8-9)








Fantasy Football Guidebook (2nd Edition): Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football ($19.95) http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428650


Fantasy Football Tips: 201 Ways to Win through Player Rankings, Cheat Sheets and Better Drafting ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428669

Fantasy Football Basics: The Ultimate "How to" Guide for Beginners available ($10.95) at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0982428634

Fantasy Baseball for Beginners: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide ($10.95) www.amazon.com/dp/0982428693

Fantasy Soccer: The Ultimate "How-to" Guide for Fantasy Football/Fantasy Soccer ($14.95)
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1936635011