20/20 with Mike Havens
This week, writer and a DLF forum mainstay, Mike Havens, took some time to let you get to know him better. Enjoy!
Where are you from?
Born and raised in the Adirondack Mountain Region in New York, but living in Vermont for the last 20 years.
What do you do for your regular job?
High school math teacher
What is the worst job you have ever had?
Telemarketer for a college begging for money. I quit in less than 1 hour on the job.
What is the best job you have ever had?
High school math teacher
What do you consider your dream job?
High school math teacher
How long have you been in the industry?
I’ve been in fantasy football for over 20 years. When I was a teenager I used to create my own fake fantasy teams and count the touchdowns they scored. That was when my only news source was a newspaper. I joined fantasy football when ESPN made a website.
How did you get your break into fantasy football?
I think it was maybe five or six years ago on the DLF forums. Users started to like the stuff I was writing, and then the staff at DLF loved my piece on rookie draft picks and the draft chart I created.
What tool do you use the most on DLF?
The rankings, easily. I like to see how other people value other players.
What tool do you use the most outside of DLF?
I don’t know if I’d call it a tool, but spotrac and pro-football-reference. I like to see player contracts and their historical stats.
Who was the best sleeper you pegged that broke out?
In one of my first articles ever I reviewed rookie running backs ranked 5th through 16th by adp, and I only pegged two guys as an 80% or higher chance to be successful in fantasy: Devin Singletary and Myles Gaskin. This was before the NFL draft. As of today, those are the only two running backs from that list with any real value.
Who was your biggest whiff?
On August 21st, 2019, I said the following in one of my articles: “…this is the last chance you have to sell Jones before his value diminishes to zero”. Obviously that didn’t happen, but I am also not confident that Ronald Jones is worth owning either.
What is the worst trade you have made?
I traded away Lamar Jackson as a throw-in prior to his breakout season. Had I kept him I would have won the league.
Who is your favorite underfollowed Twitter account?
I’m going to sound like a suck up but it’s true; Ryan McDowell (@RyanMc23). His tweets are thoughtful and informative, and almost always football related. Only 45,000 followers yet I think it should be in the millions, and it just might be one day.
Who is your favorite NFL team?
49ers
Who is your favorite college football team?
Castleton University Spartans
Who was your favorite player growing up?
Jerry Rice
Who is your favorite player of all time?
Steve Young. He played so hard every game, he’s thoughtful, and gives great insight. He was happy to be a backup and had a team-first attitude, but when he got his chance to shine he did not disappoint. He once called football “a gentleman’s sport”, and when he got laughed at for it he backed it up with reasoning that struck a chord with me. I truly admire that man.
What other hobbies or passions do you have outside of fantasy football?
- Bowling (I have multiple perfect games and coach the high school)
- Chess (MEuRaH on RedHotPawn for anyone who wants a game)
- Pinball (I own 13 machines and run the local Pinball Co-op here in Vermont)
- Poker (I used to play professionally on the WSOP circuit, now I just play with friends)
- Math (I love math and I love teaching math)
What are some of your favorite movies?
Start of list.
(1) The Big Lebowski
End of list.
Who are some of your favorite bands?
Primer 55, Dry Kill Logic, ikd-sj, Ankla, Skindred, Nonpoint, Slipknot
