Consider the Source

Doug Veatch

media

In today’s world of fantasy football (even in the off-season), information is being produced every single day at an astonishing pace.  Social media today has given us an untapped resource to an information superhighway fantasy footballers only dreamed about in the past.  In this article, I’d like to focus on what information should be processed, stored and used at a later date, while at the same time help you decipher what information should be quickly disregarded as irrelevant.

First things first, if I’m reading a supposedly juicy tidbit from an NFL Head Coach or GM – I’m definitely taking it with a grain of salt.  I mean realistically, what are they supposed to say? “This player isn’t where we’d like him to be at the moment, and it looks like he’s got a lot developing to do before he sees significant playing time.”  It just doesn’t happen.  Coaches and GM’s keep things very PR friendly for their fan base (as well as the media), but that’s what they are paid to do.  After all, they’re the ones that scouted and ultimately drafted these players.  Of course they want to paint a pretty picture for you to make it seem like they are doing a great job.  They are what I like to call the ultimate sugar coaters.  When using information given by this source, my general rule of thumb is to proceed with extreme caution.  If it feels, looks, smells and tastes like sugar, it’s probably sugar and is too sweet to be true.

Here is a great example of how Coach/GM talk may have burned dynasty owners last season.

Remember the reports coming out of Detroit’s training camp last off-season?  You know, the reports that stated Titus Young looked “uncoverable” in practices.  Statements like that caused Young’s ADP and trade value to skyrocket last off-season.  If you were a Young owner, the news couldn’t have been any better for you, especially if you ended up trading him and getting a small fortune in return.  If you were the guy that ended up trading for him, well, you know the rest of the story, so I won’t elaborate.  You already feel bad enough as it is.

Personally, I like to focus my attention on non-biased opinions from people who are paid (and paid well I might add) to report what they believe to be the truth regardless of how brutal it may be.  Usually that consists of Local Beat Writers, Radio/Podcast Personalities, Television Analysts, Internet Sources and former Scouts, Coaches and GM’s.  The list could go on forever, but I think I’ve covered the major sources of solid information.  These are the guys (and gals) who give it to us straight and tell us the information we “need” to hear, rather than what we “want” to hear.

Needless to say, I talk dynasty football constantly with league mates, as well as anyone that will listen.  So I was having a conversation not too long ago with someone I have been playing dynasty football with from the very beginning. During that conversation he said something to me that actually inspired this article.

Towards the end of the 2009 season (while Steve Slaton was still considered the lead back in Houston, mind you) this particular owner plucked Arian Foster off of the waiver wire. This definitely raised some eyebrows, considering how well Slaton had performed in his rookie season and what his ADP was at the time.  He told me one day he was driving to work listening to a broadcast by former NFL Quarterback turned Radio Personality Jim Miller on Sirius Radio.  Miller kept going on and on about Foster and how good he looked while still on the practice squad.  He also offered an in depth scouting report and talked a little bit about what Foster did in throughout his collegiate career at Tennessee.  So like any good dynasty owner would do, he thought to himself “why not pick this guy up?  I could use a good running pack prospect.” Couldn’t we all.

As it turns out, Miller was really on to something.  A few weeks later, Slaton ended up suffering a serious neck injury and was put on the IR ending his season.  Foster ended up playing in six games that season (started one) and put up a stat line of 54/257/3 (good for 4.8 yards per carry) and left the dynasty community wondering “what if?”

Heading into the 2010 season, Houston ended up drafting Ben Tate in the second round which left Foster owners cautiously optimistic at best.  However, luck again was on Foster’s side when Tate was placed on the season ending IR after breaking his ankle.  The rest is history as Foster took a stranglehold on the starting gig and never looked back.  Foster is now one of the (if not THE) premier running backs in the NFL, has put up gaudy numbers for three straight seasons and has to be one of the absolute best waiver wire pickups in the history of dynasty football.

Listening to the right people in the industry will help you fight the good fight.  As highly competitive teams know, getting the latest waiver wire gem isn’t likely due to waiver position – it’s imperative to stay ahead of the curve.  The only way to do that is by digging deeper than your league mates and acquiring these players before they make a lasting impression.  It never hurts to handpick a few trustworthy sources to get your information from.

I implore dynasty owners to “consider the source” when taking advice that could cause you to make a move which could change the outlook of your franchise.  In the next few months, there will be reports coming out of the woodwork.  It’s up to you to sort through this information, process it and decide what is reliable.  The future of your team may depend on it.

Do you have a story about a piece of information that either burned or rewarded you?

Follow me on Twitter @harahduh2

doug veatch
Latest posts by Doug Veatch (see all)