I’m John Evans 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!

Your name

John Evans

Your Twitter handle

JE: @JohnF_Evans

Your location (city/state)

JE: Los Angeles, CA

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Current day job

JE: Copywriter

Current fantasy job(s)

JE: Co-Host of the Xs & Ys Podcast: A “His and Hers” Guide to Fantasy Football

One word that best describes how you play fantasy football

JE: Aggressively

Who is your favorite (non-current) NFL player? Why?

JE: Bo Jackson. He had that men-among-boys size and freakish athleticism, he played for my favorite team, and he had legendary highlights like his into-the-tunnel touchdown run vs. Seattle. The fact that he was also a great baseball player was mind-blowing. His volcanic talent captured my imagination.

Current mobile device

JE: iPhone 6

Current computer

JE: MacBook Pro

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?

JE: In grad school, I lost interest in football for a while but when I moved to L.A. most of my work friends were big fans and we began catching games. It made sense to form a fantasy league — with four teams! — and we did so back in 2006 or 2007. Our site host was Fox, and Mike Harmon was basically the only fantasy analyst I was aware of. Of course the league grew quickly and with it my interest in fantasy. By 2010 or so I was a junkie looking for new fixes. One of those same friends introduced me to Liz Loza in 2012 and we launched Xs & Ys. Becoming an “expert” only put more pressure on me to delve deeper into this, so I added IDP, dynasty and devy, becoming a true degenerate.

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

JE: Use the Footballguys MyFBG tool. It allows you to compare your league rosters to their rankings, highlighting players who are available on waivers. At a glance you can get a feel for who your obvious starters should be and where your fringe-flex debates will rage that week.

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

JE: During the mad dash of the season, I’m a good aggregator of information and player of percentages. I can sift through a lot of expert rankings in a short period of time, get a feel for the prevailing sentiments, and decide where I stand. When I have more time I like to analyze analysis, meaning that I examine the reasons why people back this player or distrust him and compare opposing arguments. (This is one reason I love the offseason, because I can generally apply this method to all major draft prospects or notable free agents.) But in-season or not, assessing the wisdom of crowds and developing informed opinions is my best attribute.

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

JE: 12 leagues that require roster management. My favorite remains that redraft league I co-founded back in the day, the only league I’ve ever been the commissioner of. Called “The Hollywood Beer League” (we were all employed in the entertainment industry when we started) it’s had very little owner turnover and it’s fair to call it my “home league.” However, we’ve evolved over the years and now start two QBs, use IDPs (and D/STs, which I know is ridiculous) and have big-play/big-game bonuses. I do a pretty detailed annual report every year, with lots of photos and awards for best/worst moves by each team.

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How would you describe your fantasy football philosophy?

JE: To win, you can’t be afraid to lose. Make blockbuster trades. Cycle through the bottom of your bench to find that out-of-nowhere league-winner. It backfires on me sometimes and I’ve become shrewder about when to roll the dice, but I’m generally the most active trader and roster churner in any given league. Looking stupid or rash isn’t a concern for me; I would rather get the high-upside guy people aren’t sold on yet or bet on a bounce-back from an underperforming stud. For me the worst feeling is when I didn’t go with my gut on one of those guys and then I see him blow up, on someone else’s team. You almost never just draft a team and win the league with it, so approach every week with the attitude that there’s a player to be had who can be your surprise MVP. Find him and get him.

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

JE: I play the wire well. I don’t think my efficiency is great with start/sit decisions, but there are no wasted spots on my rosters. I balance a player’s projected contributions over the next couple of weeks with their upside/stash value and generally optimize that with a balance between longer-term plays and spot starters. I use IR spots to my advantage and make sneaky FCFS pickups that pay off. Being in a number of leagues helps because owners’ approach to one waiver run provides actionable intelligence for the next.

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

JE: This offseason I wrote a kind of “This Is Your Life” piece on Michael Crabtree that was both in-depth and accurately predictive (thus far).

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

JE: This one is a tie. Matthew Swenson and Mark Weiler are the best owners I’ve played with. Mark has a comprehensive knowledge of depth charts and opportunity. He approaches the wire with military precision. Matt has a jeweler’s eye for IDP talent and is a brilliant trade negotiator. If you put their talents together they would be literally unstoppable.

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

JE: Probably shouldn’t say this but like many worker bees, the office is my fantasy headquarters.

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

JE: My iPod, because listening to podcasts is 75% of my fantasy research.

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

JE: Footballguys MyFBG, PlayerProfiler.com, DLF for dynasty/devy content, FantasyPros‘ Who Should I Start?

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

JE: 4for4.com. While I like to cross-reference between as many rankings as possible, I trust John Paulsen’s process more than anyone’s. When I’m certain whatever decision I make is bound to be the wrong one, I’ll just defer to his judgment.

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?

JE: Footballguys, primarily because I would be terrible at IDP without the guidance of Jene Bramel and John Norton. They also have a player’s snap counts close at hand, which I find very helpful with difficult IDP decisions.

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

JE: MFL (for my leagues), Rotoworld, RotoPass

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What podcast is currently queued up on your phone?

JE: The Harris Football Podcast

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

JE: Read? What is this reading that you speak of? I read the actual, printed L.A. Times newspaper 3-4 times a week. Awaiting my attention on the computer is Matt Waldman’s weekly column “The Top 10.”

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

JE: Pandora. However, I do love silence. I’m not one of these multi-tasking Millennials; I like to focus without any outside distractions.

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

JE: No superstitions, though I wear a Raiders t-shirt (or jersey) when I watch games away from home. My current favorite includes Jason Voorhees in the design.

How do you recharge?

JE: During those little windows of the week when I don’t have to worry about waivers or lineup decisions I like to listen to podcasts like Film Junk, The Faculty of Horror and Hardcore History. I also watch a lot of Trailer Park Boys with my girlfriend. It’s like The Office with small-time crooks. In Canada.

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

JE: My body clock demands consistency. I get up at 7 a.m. six days a week and it’s difficult to sleep in for more than an hour on Saturday. I’m fine on 6.5 hours a night.

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

JE: Liz Loza

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

JE: Don’t play fantasy football for real money. Not only will that take all the fun right out of it, it could make you a jerk to play with (or be around), too. I don’t mean that you have to play for jellybeans, but don’t risk more than you would spend on some other hobby or source of entertainment if it wasn’t this. If you have lots of disposable cash, fine, play in big-money leagues, so long as you’re not sweating the outcome. If you’re broke, don’t play for $400 because you’ll need it for rent. I get that some people can turn DFS into a full-time job but even with that, you’d best be gambling only what you can afford to lose.

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

JE: Fantasy football analysis is infotainment. Nobody can predict what happens on the football field with any degree of certainty. If you want to abdicate responsibility for outcomes by trusting fantasy experts to make decisions for you, that’s fine, but remember that if this game was truly predictable it wouldn’t be any fun.

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 with him on Twitter.