20/20 Interview with Brian Malone
This week, DLF Honorary Contributor, Brian Malone, took some time so you could get to know him a bit more. Enjoy!
Where are you from?
Indianapolis, Indiana
What do you do for your regular job?
Lawyer
What is the worst job you have ever had?
Big firm litigation associate. It’s a weird thing to feel overpaid and underpaid at the same time. I was 25 years old, fresh out of law school and a clerkship, making more money than I was worth to the firm. At the same time, the hours were brutal, I had no control over my schedule, no sense of purpose, and no expectation that things would get better.
What is the best job you have ever had?
My current one. The job is hard to describe, and I have to be careful about what I say in public anyway. The simplest (but incomplete) explanation is that I work for the judges, not either side. But the job is great because of the people I work with. From the chief judge down, everyone cares about the work and each other. My office mates, in particular, have formed an unbelievable community. I would say it’s like a family, but we have way less drama than most families, I think.
What do you consider your dream job?
It’s possible there’s a real job out there that I would like better than my current one. I certainly don’t know of any. But I could make one up. For starters, I’d be doing the same thing with the same people, but with a slightly smaller caseload, a mandatory 2-hour lunch break, and a 50-percent salary bump.
How long have you been in the industry?
Almost exactly 6 years. My first post was published on DLF in July 2015.
How did you get your break into fantasy football?
I was active in the DLF forums—so active that I eventually became an administrator. I wrote some serious posts, complete with data viz. Shared some of those on Twitter, and a site called The Fake Football reached out looking for a dynasty writer. I asked Ken Moody what he thought, and he said, “Why don’t you come write for us instead?”
What tool do you use the most on DLF?
It’s probably not the one I use the most, but a secret gem is the Change in Player Value App. I’m big on using history as a guide for decision making, especially when it comes to how dynasty managers will behave.
What tool do you use the most outside of DLF?
The RotoViz Screener is a workhorse.
Who was the best sleeper you pegged that broke out?
Weird describing Chris Godwin as a sleeper because he got a lot of hype, but I was high on him as a late-second-round rookie pick. Going a bit deeper: Tarik Cohen.
Who was your biggest whiff?
In 2010, I was too narrow minded to consider that a team could have two valuable fantasy tight ends. I’d snagged both Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez at cheap prices, and when Hernandez crushed the first half of 2010, I dropped Gronk for journeyman running back Danny Ware.
What is the worst trade you have made?
Oh, boy, this was a showstopper. I had taken over an orphan in a friendly dynasty league, blown it up, and was ready to contend the next season. So I traded away the 1.01 and a future first for the prior season’s overall RB2 and WR1. Put differently, I traded away Saquan Barkley and a future first for Le’Veon Bell right before he held out for the season and Antonio Brown one season before he decided to let his crazy shine.
Who is your favorite underfollowed Twitter account?
@7RoundsInApril
Who is your favorite NFL team?
Colts
Who is your favorite college football team?
N/A
Who was your favorite player growing up?
Marshall Faulk
Who is your favorite player of all time?
Brandon Lloyd
What other hobbies or passions do you have outside of fantasy football?
Pickleball
What are some of your favorite movies? Who are some of your favorite bands?
Lumping these two together, because I don’t spend much time thinking about music or movies. I enjoy both, and I tend to gravitate toward movies with dark twists—or just dark themes throughout. But I’m not re-watching anything, and I’m certainly not about to cape up for a favorite band.
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