I’m Josh Moore and This Is How I Play

Eric Dickens

Several years ago I began working remotely for a startup non-profit after spending most of my career in retail and corporate offices. As any quality researcher would do, I immediately began looking into tips and tricks of how to be successful working remotely. I stumbled across an article series by Lifehacker, called “How I Work,” which essentially was a collection of interviews, focusing on best practices, workflows, workspaces, and gadgets used by successful business people.

This new article series is a nod, or rather a direct copy of their idea, from a fantasy football perspective. I’ll seek to interview the most interesting minds in fantasy football, procuring their secrets, routines, bookmarks, and more in an effort to pull back the curtains and provide you with resources and information. I hope you enjoy the first of (hopefully) many interviews.

Your name

Josh Moore

Your Twitter handle

JM: @4for4_Josh

Your location

JM: The East Lansing, MI

Current day job

JM: 4for4 Fantasy Football: Owner, Editor

Current fantasy job(s)

JM: 4for4 Fantasy Football: Owner, Editor

One word that best describes how you play

JM: Analytical

Current mobile device

JM: Iphone 6 minus

Current computer

JM: 2015 Retina MacBook Pro w/external display

First of all, tell us a little about how you got your start in fantasy football. How did that evolve to what you’re doing now?

JM: Like many of you, I started playing fantasy football at work. I worked in a State of Michigan sanctioned resource room where we helped recently unemployed people get their resumes online and ultimately find new jobs. If you can believe it, at 18 years old my initials were required to get an unemployment check from the state. The job was very rewarding, but also had a lot of downtime (aka fantasy researching time) and great internet connection at a time that was not standard. My co-worker and I began playing a salary cap, stock market based game run by Small World (later to be acquired by The Sporting News). I still believe that to be one of the best formats I have ever played. If any readers want to bring this format back to the mainstream, I’ll help you with a business plan.

From there, I started playing in season-long leagues. The first league I played in was with a group of guys from the DVDTalk Other Forum. The Mighty Wingmen took home the trophy on the back of Marshall Faulk and Torry Holt, and I was hooked. Unlike many of the people in this industry, I never really planned to work in fantasy football. I played a good amount of fantasy and consumed a lot of sports media, but after I graduated from NC State University with a Computer Science degree, I went into web development full time and the thought of doing fantasy full time never crossed my mind.

In 2003 I was working at Praxis Design Studios, a small web development company in Raleigh, NC when Greg Allan, founder of 4for4 Fantasy Football, came to us as a client. Over the next few years I worked on some small projects and developed what is now the Discuss Your Team forum over at 4for4.com. In 2006, my now wife and I made a big life decision to leave everything behind and move to New Zealand for a year. While my wife was working in pubs and doing hard labor in vineyards, I was paying for life by playing poker online, running casino bonuses, exhausting my Neteller bank card and doing contract work for 4for4 and other clients.

We eventually moved to Australia, where I landed a real job working for another development company who outsourced me to Lonely Planet for the rebuild of their web site. Around the time that project was finishing up, it became apparent to me that my Australian job wouldn’t be lasting too much longer. Our residency was tied to my visa, so it was time to begin planning our exit. Around the same time, Greg Allan was looking to get out of the fantasy industry, and he saw me as the perfect person to take over the business (his words, not mine). We negotiated for what seemed like an entire year, and eventually in 2009 I entered a purchase agreement to buy 4for4.com. The wife and I moved back to the United States where I began working full time in the fantasy industry.

What’s your best time-saving shortcut or fantasy hack?

JM: Command-F (Or Control-F for Windows masochists)

What everyday thing are you better at in fantasy football than everyone else? What’s your secret?

JM: I’d say I excel at figuring out who to trust through all the noise. Our biggest strength at 4for4 is our people, and I have been instrumental in hiring them all.

How many fantasy football leagues do you currently play in? What is your favorite league and why?

JM: Because of all my site-related responsibilities throughout the football season, I try keep my in-season leagues to a minimum. I play in 4 or 5 each year, and honestly, I like them all for similar reasons… I get to play with a group of friends I wouldn’t otherwise get to interact with much, because, well… you know, they all have wives and children and live hundreds of miles away.

How would you describe your fantasy football philosophy?

JM: Trust the rankings.

What’s your greatest strength in fantasy football? Startup drafts, mining the waiver wire, making trades, lineup decisions? Weakest?

JM: I’d like to think I’m a pretty good drafter, but really each league is different. In the one dynasty league I play in, I am an active trader.

What’s your favorite article you’ve ever written? Why?

JM: If you like what you’re reading now, you might like this one as well. I really liked this article because I got to learn and share how other seriously good fantasy football players use 4for4 to on draft day. It’s also a similar concept to this article you’re reading now, so I figured it appropriate.

Who is the best fantasy football owner you’ve ever played with and why?

JM: I’m going to go with John Paulsen here. Not only does he draft great teams and play them well throughout the season, he also ranks every player, every week, with an incredible track record of accuracy.

What’s your current workspace (for fantasy football) like? Coffee shop with laptop and headphones? Home office with a standing desk?

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JM: I have a large home office with lots of natural light and a lazy office mate named Melbourne (seen in photo). Perhaps my best ever work purchase was my StandDesk, which goes up and down at the push of a button. It took some getting used to, but now I am a big fan of standing while I work.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without and why?

JM: The espresso maker. None of this would be possible without it.

What apps, software, or tools can’t you live without?

JM: Google for just about everything – Gmail, Google Voice for phone, Google Drive

Mailboxforwarding – This is an incredible service that receives my snail mail, scans it and stores it until I request it be forwarded somewhere.

Sleeperbot – All the fantasy football push notifications you’ll ever need.

Databases – I have no idea how to use a spread sheet.

RescueTime – Monitor how much time you are spending on the computer and how efficiently you are using that time.

RunKeeper – Staying physically fit has been huge for my overall wellbeing. I run quite a lot, and find the act of logging my activities and charting my progress helps keep me motivated.

Soylent – Easy meals for busy people.

Productivity/GTD Apps – Asana, JIRA, Basecamp, NirvanaHQ, Wunderlist.

What is your go-to site for your tough start/sit decisions?

JM: 4for4.com

If you could only read one website (other than those you contribute at) for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

JM: I don’t want to imagine a world with only one web site.

Take a quick peek at your bookmarked sites. What are the top 3-4 sites on the list?

JM: They are all work productivity apps… Asana, JIRA, basecamp.

What podcast is currently queued up on your phone?

JM: DFSMVP, Week 5. I also enjoy Freakonomics, The Tim Ferriss Podcast, This Week in Startups & the ones from 538.

What are you currently reading? A novel, comic book, website, magazine?

JM: End of Watch, Stephen King’s latest novel and the 3rd in his Bill Hodges trilogy. I recommend. Also a big fan of John Sandford and Michael Connelly for fiction.

What do you listen to while you play? Got a favorite playlist? Maybe a podcast? Or do you prefer silence?

JM: I am listening to Spotify pretty much all the time. The Discover playlists are great. But it really depends what mood I’m in. I generally listen to albums… some I’m listening to lately: Miles Davis – Everything’s Beautiful, Avett Brothers – Live Vol 4, The Movement – Golden, The Expanders – Hustling Culture, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead… – IX, Boards of Canada – Campfire, Headphase Oddisee – The Good Fight, Spotify’s Trapaholics playlist when I want to party, Spotify’s Mellow Beats playlist when I need to focus.

Do you have any superstitions on game day? Wear the same lucky T-Shirt? Always make homemade chili before the games?

JM: Nope. Just get up and get to work.

How do you recharge?

JM: I live in Michigan now, and the winters are terrible. One of the great things about working in football only is we are very flexible in the offseason. I try to leave every February or March and go somewhere warm for several weeks. Mexico is nice.

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What’s your sleep routine like? Are you a night owl or early-riser?

JM: Neither, really. I just need a good amount of sleep (at least 7 hours, preferably 8.5 or more) to be optimally productive. In generally I go to sleep around midnight and wake up around 8:30 or 9:00.

Fill in the blank: I’d love to see _________ answer these same questions.

JM: Brian Quinlan

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

JM: Don’t believe the hype.

Is there anything else you’d like to add that might be interesting to readers and fans?

JM: I’m sure there is, but I’m spent.

The How I Play series asks writers, developers, editors, and fantasy football degenerates to share their secrets, bookmarks, routines, and more. Have someone you want to see featured, or questions you think we should ask? Email Eric Dickens or start a conversation on Twitter.