20/20 Interview with Steve Gill

This week, DLF Dynasty Scout and writer, Steve Gill, spent a few minutes answering some questions so you could learn a little more about him. Enjoy!

 

Where are you from?

I was born in Chicago but grew up in Kansas City. I went to college in Montreal and now find myself back in Chicago.

What do you do for your regular job?

I’m a full-time graduate student with a master’s degree in Analytics at Northwestern University. Once I graduate, I’ll be a data scientist of some sort.

What is the worst job you have ever had?

I took a line cook job at a country club that my sister was working at, with “knows how to grill” as my best selling point. In the next month, most of the kitchen staff turned over, my sister went from a bartender to a de-facto assistant manager, and I was managing kitchen operations practically all on my own. The members were about as happy and pleasant to us as you’d expect. And for some reason, I came back the next summer too.

What is the best job you have ever had?

During my undergraduate degree, I was a sports editor and later a managing editor for my student newspaper. Despite the weird hours that go into such a gig, I had a great time and made tons of great friends.

What do you consider your dream job?

Since grade school, it’s been to be a general manager for a sports team. Unfortunately, student debt doesn’t pay itself, and the sports industry is not a lucrative one.

How long have you been in the industry?

I began writing scouting reports for the 2016 draft class in my senior year of high school. My surrounding projects have changed in that time, but I’ve been doing rookie rankings ever since.

How did you get your break into fantasy football?

That scouting and writing first took place on Reddit’s dynasty fantasy football subreddit. Over time I made some great friends and league-mates in that space, one of which was Adam Tzikas, longtime head honcho of that subreddit and DLF writer. He reached out to DLF management on my behalf (and without my knowledge) and the rest is history!

What tool do you use the most on DLF?

The trade analyzer is my most-clicked fantasy-related link of anything that isn’t ADP or my actual league pages. I can’t say enough positive things about it.

What tool do you use the most outside of DLF?

The sticky board is manned by a DLF-er, but it’s not on the DLF site, so I’ll count it here. It pulls all your MFL league information and links onto one lovely, condensed page for you to quickly process information and take action from. I use it every week for waivers and lineup-setting.

Who was the best sleeper you pegged that broke out?

As someone who’s now done six rookie classes’ (and a couple of devy classes’) worth of scouting and rankings, I’ve had several “guys,” many of which have broken out and many of which haven’t. Here’s a list of some that have aged well: Michael Thomas, Chris Godwin, Michael Gallup, Curtis Samuel, Kareem Hunt, Diontae Johnson, Darius Slayton, Devin Singletary. Gallup followed me on Twitter when I was talking him up pre-draft, so I’ll say he was my favorite.

Who was your biggest whiff?

Carrying on from the last question, here’s a list of some of my worst: Leonte Carroo, Ryan Switzer, Samaje Perine, Equanimeous St. Brown (alongside the rest of the fantasy community), Hakeem Butler (ditto), John Kelly (I once tweeted he was better than Alvin Kamara), Cody Thompson, Justice Hill, Trayveon Williams. Carroo was my first serious rookie crush and thus he hurts the most.

What is the worst trade you have made?

In my main league (Superflex), I drafted Josh Allen as a devy and moved him during the next draft (when he would’ve been a rookie) for the devy-depleted 2.01 – Anthony Miller. I, fortunately, flipped Miller into something more useful thereafter, but it hurts me to think about what Allen would look like on my roster.

Who is your favorite underfollowed Twitter account?

Joseph Nammour’s rankings and evaluations make me second-guess my own unlike anyone else in the fantasy sphere. However many followers he has, it isn’t enough.

Who is your favorite NFL team?

The Chiefs! This felt a little more novel or interesting to say a couple of years ago.

Who is your favorite college football team?

I fell in love with the Oregon Ducks in the 2007 season, the year Chip Kelly exploded into prominence and the Ducks looked like a possible national championship team before Dennis Dixon went down to injury. The first iteration of the cool uniforms, the cool new and explosive offense, and the rapidly-ascending program drew me in unlike any team before. Also, my dad and his family went to UNC, which has been a much less dreadful experience in the Larry Fedora and Mack Brown years. I guess I’m supposed to like Northwestern now too?

Who was your favorite player growing up?

It’s hard to pick one, but Dante Hall captured my imagination with football for the first time. The first game I went to featured an incredible, clutch 90-something yard punt return touchdown to put the Chiefs over the Broncos, and I’ve been a diehard ever since.

Who is your favorite player of all time?

Again, hard to pick just one, even for the Chiefs: Mahomes is a cliché pick, and choosing between other greats means directly judging one against another (Tony Gonzalez vs Travis Kelce, Priest Holmes vs Jamaal Charles, Justin Houston vs Jared Allen, etc.). I’ll throw Cam Newton out there: Human highlight reel, perhaps the greatest physical talent at the quarterback position, criminally underrated processing and understanding of the game, and an enormous gulf between casual perception and ability (for the hipster in me). One of the most interesting career arcs, and probably the closest answer we have to the question of how much a quarterback can consistently create for himself.

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

There’s plenty of common things, but here’s a more fun list of interests: grand strategy games, wild animal Instagram accounts, data journalism, all areas of under-covered history, accents, and geography.

What are some of your favorite movies?

There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men are compelling. American Psycho, Fight Club, and Mad Max all sort of blur the line between seriousness and amusement that are in my movie-watching sweet spot. And Into the Spider-Verse was a joy from start to finish.

Who are some of your favorite bands?

Kanye West has been in a tier of his own since I started high school. Across genres, I’d say some other favorite artists are Outkast, Queens of the Stone Age, Denzel Curry, Lorde, Tame Impala, and My Chemical Romance.