20/20 Interview with Tan Ho
This week self-proclaimed Excel nerd and R enthusiast, Tan Ho, participated in our weekly 20/20. Get to know one of the great minds behind the scenes at DLF. Enjoy!
Where are you from?
Ottawa, CanadaÂ
What do you do for your regular job?
I’m a data developer and analyst for a local home building company. Â
What is the worst job you have ever had?
In a past life, I worked in affordable housing – while most people and places were great, there are always some nightmare tenant stories that have a seed of truth!Â
What is the best job you have ever had?
I’m very pleased to have made the switch into data work, and especially combining it with an area I have some domain knowledge in and is a huge blessing!Â
What do you consider your dream job?
I’d like to be an NFL GM one day!Â
How long have you been in the industry?
I’ve been dabbling in dynasty analysis and tools since at least 2017 and was hired by DLF in January 2019.Â
How did you get your break into fantasy football?
Like many budding analysts, I started with building Excel sheets to track my leagues (and shared some free copies to others on Twitter and Reddit). As my technical chops improved, I added more and more features until I began outgrowing the Excel platform as a whole – eventually moving to R/Shiny data/development. From there, I’ve been building and releasing tools under my personal site DynastyProcess.com and now for DLF!
What tool do you use the most on DLF?
I find myself gravitating to the ADP/Rank/PPG tools a lot: https://dynastyleaguefootball.com/adp-rank-vs-ppg/Â Â
What tool do you use the most outside of DLF?
I build many (both under the DLF and my personal DynastyProcess labels) so it’s rare for me to use many other tools. The “My Playbook” tool from FantasyPros has been very pleasant to use for lineups and waivers in-season across many different platforms, enough so that I haven’t gone ahead and built my own scripts for it yet!
Who was the best sleeper you pegged that broke out?
I was very pleased to see Darren Waller skyrocket to a top-five TE finish last year!Â
Who was your biggest whiff?
I’ve struck out on many – Corey Davis is still haunting me in so many places.Â
What is the worst trade you have made?
I once traded a first, third, and Matt Breida for Theo Riddick and Jeremy Maclin. I documented my rationale at the time, and every word of these notes still haunts me:Â
> **Riddick **is what Alvin Kamara’s ceiling looks like: a proven satellite back in his prime (26) in a pass-heavy offense. **Maclin** is still primed for at least two years of WR2/WR3 production or better at age-29 in Baltimore.
Who is your favorite underfollowed Twitter account?
When I see any of Adam Harstad’s (@AdamHarstad) or Dwayne Brown’s (@DwayneB13) thoughts on Twitter, I stop and reflect on them – I love the strategic, contrarian, and game-theory elements that challenge my assumptions. Â
Who is your favorite NFL team?
I’ve been a Steelers fan since I jumped on the bandwagon in 2004 (the year that rookie Ben led them to a 15-1 record).Â
​Who is your favorite college football team?
​I don’t have one (and don’t really follow CFB at all).Â
​Who was your favorite player growing up?
Hines Ward was easy to identify with as the heart and soul of the Steelers – and one of the few Asian-Americans to play in the NFL. Huge blocks, obviously, but also tough, great hands, and fast enough to outrun DeAngelo Hall with only one shoe on!Â
Who is your favorite player of all time?
Troy Polamalu – the man, the myth, and the legend. I don’t think there’s another defender since who has been entrusted with the same freedom of role, and the Steelers were immensely better for it.
What other hobbies or passions do you have outside of fantasy football?
I’m an R/Shiny enthusiast and a contributor to R4DS Slack Community. Away from my keyboard, I’m a rower and a lead coach for the Ottawa Rowing Club. Â
What are some of your favorite movies?
Zootopia, Moana, Inside OutÂ
Who are some of your favorite bands?
Ripe, Linkin Park, OneRepublic, Pentatonix
