20/20 Interview with Jason King

This week, DLF writer and IDP expert Jason King spent some time with us so you could get to know him just a little better. Enjoy!

 

Where are you from?

I’ve lived in North Carolina my entire life. I grew up south of Greensboro, and now live near Raleigh.

What do you do for your regular job?

I’m with a nonprofit membership organization that serves North Carolina’s county governments, where I primarily organize conferences and trainings.

What is the worst job you have ever had?

It had to be as a member of the post-concert cleaning crew at an amphitheater. I did that for a few months in college, and it was great motivation to get that degree.

What is the best job you have ever had?

It’s definitely the one I have now. I worked sports websites for several years in my 20s, and that was fun for a bit, but the shifts (all evening into the early morning, with Sundays and Mondays off) left a lot to be desired in terms of a social life.

What do you consider your dream job?

Travel photographer. Get paid to travel all over the world and take pictures? Sign me up!

How long have you been in the industry?

I started writing for DLF in early August, so just a few months.

How did you get your break into fantasy football?

I’d been looking for an excuse to spend more time writing about something, so I simply applied when I saw DLF was looking for IDP writers. I love digging into the all-22 to learn more about players, and I felt like this position would give me a chance to do both.

What tool do you use the most on DLF?

It has to be the trade tools – both the Dynasty Trade Analyzer and the Trade Finder. They’re both great starting points for formulating offers or counters.

What tool do you use the most outside of DLF?

I don’t like to overthink lineup decisions, but we all have weeks where we just can’t decide. Recently I’ve started using the pace, plays and tendencies data that Graham Barfield has been publishing at FantasyPoints.com in order to break tough lineup decisions. Also, I’m not sure if it counts as a tool, but I’m grateful for access to the all-22 on NFL GamePass.

Who was the best sleeper you pegged that broke out?

It hurts a little because he’s injured, but George Kittle. His testing showed how great an athlete he is, he just never got the volume of targets at Iowa to showcase how dangerous he is as a receiving threat. I liked the fit in San Francisco with a smart head coach in Kyle Shanahan.

Who was your biggest whiff?

Breshad Perriman has come around but that was a bad investment as a mid-first round rookie pick. How’s this one? In a contract league I’m in where linebackers are highly valued, I was in need of one in 2017 and at 1.11, I selected Haason Reddick over Alvin Kamara. I’ll never forgive myself.

What is the worst trade you have made?

I’ve taken on many an orphan over the years, and doing so has led to some good, great and outright bad trades – typically within the first week of franchise ownership. One of those teams (in a 32-team league with two copies of each player) had Jamaal Charles, Dez Bryant and not a ton else, so I dealt Bryant for Josh Gordon, Justin Blackmon and Ben Tate. Gordon and Blackmon had brief moments of greatness, but each battled great demons.

Who is your favorite underfollowed Twitter account?

I don’t have a good answer here, so I’ll simply plug the work done over at Saturday2SundayFootball.com. I really appreciate the work that Paul and Matt do on the college side to help get me ready for drafts.

Who is your favorite NFL team?

Pittsburgh Steelers

Who is your favorite college football team?

N.C. State Wolfpack. I’m a proud alum.

Who was your favorite player growing up?

I can’t say I had one. My father was not a football fan, and if he wasn’t going to watch it, he wasn’t going to let you watch it. We had family friends from western Pennsylvania who were Steelers fans, and when I watched football with them, I was going to pull for the Steelers (or I wasn’t going to watch with them). So what I knew of football growing up came from books, the newspaper, and brief highlights on the morning news.

Who is your favorite player of all time?

I have some admitted N.C. State bias here, but Torry Holt was such a good receiver, and those “Greatest Show on Turf” offenses were great fun to watch.

What other hobbies or passions do you have outside of fantasy football?

Photography, hiking, and I’m still trying to learn to play the guitar. Prior to this season, which has been interrupted by the coronavirus, I’ve coached youth basketball for several seasons at my YMCA as my two kids have come up through the various levels.

What are some of your favorite movies?

I’m not a huge movie buff – I have a hard time sitting down and relaxing – so I don’t have the most extensive knowledge of films to start with. I’d say Bull Durham, Major League, and Tommy Boy are the three movies I’ve probably seen and enjoyed the most.

Who are some of your favorite bands?

The Jayhawks, the Connells, Lucinda Williams and Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ are four longtime favorites. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, and The War on Drugs are two current faves.