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by John Laub
College Fantasy Football
Player Rankings: QBs, RBs, WRs & TEs
Week 1
QB Drew Lock, Missouri #21
RB Kalen Ballage, Arizona State #26
Rank
Quarterbacks
...

by John Laub
College Fantasy Football
The Scholar's Surreptitious Starters
Week 1
Quarterbacks
Zach Abey, Navy vs. Florida Atlantic: O/U 69
The Owls ranked among the bottom-dwellers against the run in the FBS last season, surrendering ...

by Adam Hall
How the final conclusion was reached.
The statistics set out in my first article in this series was an incomplete picture. Although, the pure acquisition adjusted strength of schedule via defensive productivity explains a majority of the product in the NFL from year to year, it is not the whole ...

by Alex McCarthy
To get the most bang for your buck in a dynasty startup, you want to target players whose potential value is higher than their current price. Since I tend to avoid rookies, my favorite way to find these bargains is to look for players who have “red flags” that I feel have been unfairly applied and ...

by Alex McCarthy
ADP= Average Draft Position
ECR= Expert Consensus Rank
MBO= My Biased Opinion
Disclaimer: The VORP statistics referenced in the Aaron Rodgers and Rob Gronkowski sections below can be misleading if applied or interpreted incorrectly. VORP analysis does not take into account age or any factor ot...

by Alex McCarthy
ADP= Average Draft Position
ECR= Expert Consensus Rank
MBO= My Biased Opinion
Jordan Howard
ADP: RB8
ECR: RB8
MBO: RB4
Why He’s Being Doubted:
1. His athletic measurables are unspectacular and he doesn’t have breakaway speed.
2. He will likely be facing stacked boxes due to a la...

by Tod Burros
What should be believe and what is just preseason noise? That’s the fine line we walk when analyzing preseason action. Here are some of my key takeaways from last week’s games.
LOS ANGELES RAMS
Jarred Goff had an awful rookie season. This we can all agree on, and most experts coming into the pre...

by Jen Ryan
The daily fantasy football community collectively erupts when the major sites release player salaries for Week 1 of the 2017 season. It is an exciting time and we all can’t run to our lap tops fast enough to download that salary .csv so that we can start the initial process of looking at our Week 1 ...

by Armando Marsal
Over the years there is one question that I consistently get asked as fantasy drafts approach. That question is, “what is your draft strategy in your leagues?” Truth be told, I have always been one to focus on receivers in the early rounds, even before the zero running back approach became a thing a...

by Adam Hall
Who you should target
This model allows us to find who has the easiest path to success and which teams are most likely to have a breakout candidate amongst them. This article runs down a slew of my favorite players to target this year based on the statistics. Many of these will be values, or indi...

by Armando Marsal
The zero running back strategy is one that is trending in today’s fantasy draft. This is when fantasy owners hold off on drafting a running back in the early rounds and focus their attention on other positions, mainly wide receivers. If you are taking this approach on draft day, you may want to take...

by Adam Hall
Who you should target
This model allows us to find who has the easiest path to success and which teams are most likely to have a breakout candidate amongst them. This article runs down a slew of my favorite players to target this year based on the statistics. Many of these will be values, or indi...

by Adam Hall
What’s the best way to succeed that no one considers?
When you close your eyes and think hard about what makes for a successful fantasy team what comes to mind? An elite quarterback, a receiving corps like the Giants perhaps? Or maybe it’s an offensive line like the Cowboys from last year? All of...

by Jen Ryan
We all love our home leagues and they are near and dear to us, but the Football Diehards staff league is as close to my heart as my family league. I am fortunate to be surrounded by and work with (and for) some of the most brilliant minds in fantasy football. When we participate in our staff draft e...

by Gary Davenport
What It Is And Why You Need To Know About It In 2017
I’m as big a backaholic as anyone. An old-school fantasy football enthusiast who places a lot of importance on assembling a strong stable of running backs on draft day. While it’s become trendier to draft one or even two wide receivers in the f...

by Armando Marsal
Some Basic Information For Those
Ready To Dive Into The Daily Game
Daily Fantasy Sports, also known as DFS, continues to grow at a rapid pace despite some bumps in the road. On DraftKings, there are tournaments that pay a million dollars for first place in both football and golf. In football, th...

by Jen Ryan
This year, I am back on the grind chasing those elusive million dollars that have eluded me since I saw the commercials promising to make me a millionaire by playing daily fantasy football. I love every aspect of chasing that top prize, and every other prize in between. The Sunday sweat is fun and r...

by Emil Kadlec
Here’s another video using the stomp draft tool. I have a draft tonight in the SB FFC, Southern Bluegrass Fantasy Football Championship in Kentucky -- I’m drafting online. My top plan right now as I go into the draft is I’d like to get Michael Thomas who’s been going basically the last pick in the f...

by Emil Kadlec
Football Diehards Staff PPR 2017 Draft with Analysis
With experts Bob Harris, Mike Dempsey, Gary Davenport, Jen Ryan, Brad Kruse, Armando Marsal, Justin Lonero, John Laub, Lisa Ann, Evan Tarracciano, Chad Stapley and Emil Kadlec
Here is a video of Football Diehards Staff PPR draft 2017. Jen Ry...

by Chad Stapley
Deshaun Watson came out firing like he isn’t a rookie QB playing in his first NFL game ever. Watson went 15/25 for 179 yards and he added 24 yards rushing with a TD. Watson looks like a draft able QB in the later rounds for fantasy football, as he is most likely going to start the season as QB2 for ...

by Michael Valverde
Click to: ESPN Draft Analysis part 2
Click to: Check out the draft video
Doing a free mock draft usually leads to the thought so famously given by Forrest Gump, “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get?” I joined one of the better master minds...

by Michael Valverde
Click to: ESPN Draft Analysis part 1
click to: Check out the draft video
ROUND 11
Adam Thielen came on strong late last season. He could continue to surprise or just slip into oblivion. Kareem Hunt fits the Kansas City Chiefs system like a glove, however, he is just a rookie. How ...

by Emil Kadlec
Video of Football Diehards 8/11/2017 live ESPN Draft Review
with Mike Valverde and Emil Kadlec.
See where Z. Elliott was drafted.
PPR
10-team ESPN League
...

by Emil Kadlec
STOMP Draft Tool Tutorial Video using the Football Diehards staff PPR draft an example with Emil Kadlec.
Click here for: STOMP Draft Tool
...

by Justin Lonero
(Salary is not a factor) Wednesday/Thursday slate
Quarterback
Jacoby Brissett
The Patriots only carry Three Quarterbacks and it's unlikely we'll see Tom Brady or even a ton of Jimmy Garoppolo for that matter. Brissett could play over 60% of the snaps. Brissett's future with the team is uncer...

by Alex McCarthy
The Young and The Restless
While we can use expert rankings and ADP data to try and establish “market value” for players, at the end of the day every league (and therefore every trade market) is different. By identifying the bias within yours you can target undervalued players and gain a distinct ...

by Alex McCarthy
Respect Your Elders
While we can use expert rankings and ADP data to try and establish “market value” for players, at the end of the day every league (and therefore every trade market) is different. By identifying the bias within yours you can target undervalued players and gain a distinct compe...

by Michael Dubner
Rewarding the champion of a fantasy football league is already ubiquitous. However, there can be issues with teams giving up and not paying attention to their league once they are eliminated from playoff contention. The worst thing in fantasy football is when these eliminated owners don't check thei...

by Chad Stapley
Leonard Fournette – RB – Jacksonville Jaguars
Fournette comes in right away and offers starting RB capabilities coming off two monster seasons at LSU. Most of the time Fournette was unstoppable while at LSU, and the Jaguars are hoping he can bring that type of production to the NFL. He should get c...

by JJ Buck
Cincinnati Bengals
Talent - Joe Mixon
Head coach Marvin Lewis is all in on Mixon saying, "He's off the charts talent-wise," Lewis said. "Big, fast, catch, run, see, smart -- and he's a 20-year-old kid. He's as smart as a whip. You know, I mean, those things are fun. And I keep reminding everybody...

by Michael Valverde
The strength of schedule is an interesting instrument to use in fantasy leagues. It can be an incredibly useful tool or something that you toss out the window after Week 3. What it does very well is help a fantasy owner set a blueprint for success. By plotting each week, we can see how well (or not ...

by Armando Marsal
As fantasy owners, we tend to place a lot of emphasis on the previous season statistics in our decision making process and sometimes a little too much, if you ask me. Yes, it is very important to look at last year’s numbers, but before deciding on whether or not to draft a player, make sure to dig d...

by John Laub
Click to go to: Crafting a 2 QB Fantasy Football Feast part I
Crafting a 2-QB Fantasy Football Feast
part II
Team 3: June 21, 2017
Round
OVR
...

by John Laub
Ten Terrific CFB Sleepers in 2017
For well over 100 years, college football fans have gathered on campuses across the nation to cheer for their favorite team. During the past twenty-five years, cable television has promoted a 12-hour marathon of pigskin glory on Saturday...

by Armando Marsal
Being in the limelight might be something that some athletes enjoy, however, when the attention is mainly negative, it can become quite the opposite. Ezekiel Elliott continues to get buzz, but for all the wrong reasons. He is dealing with a domestic violence allegation, an alleged assault, and is re...

by Armando Marsal
What is ADP?
Average draft position, also known as ADP, can be defined as a report that lists players by the average spot that they have been drafted over a range of multiple fantasy football drafts. This report generates numbers such as an overall average, highest pick drafted, lowest pick drafted...

by Tod Burros
It is an interesting question right? When the question came to me my first thought was if I ask this on twitter it could be anything from 100 percent to zero in favor of in season. I figured about maximum two thirds to one third in favor of in season. My first attempt at the question I wasn’t that...

by John Laub
College Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
2017 Rankings, Profiles and Projections part II
8. Cedrick Wilson, Boise State
During the past decade, the Broncos have been one of the preeminent offensive teams in college fantasy football. Coach Bryan Harsin h...

by John Laub
College Fantasy Football Wide Receivers
2017 Rankings, Profiles and Projections
Summa Cum Laude
1. Richie James, Middle Tennessee State
Power Five and elite NFL prospects do not always dominate college fantasy football rankings. During the p...

by John Laub
College Fantasy Football Running Backs
2017 Rankings, Profiles and Projections part II
8. Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic
For college alternative-reality footballers, Florida Atlantic is not historically a gold mine of elite performers. The Owls...

by John Laub
College Fantasy Football Running Backs
2017 Rankings, Profiles and Projections
Summa Cum Laude
1. Derrius Guice, LSU
Is Derrius Guice a better prospect than former teammate Leonard Fournette? At 5’11” and 212 pounds, the electrifying runner is de...

by JJ Buck
A theme of my early fantasy articles has been depth. The players you need to know in case of injury or standout camp performance. Hit the waiver wire and win the weekend. Veteran running backs are the ultimate gamble, in real life and fantasy football. There are known names this year that will slide...

by Tod Burros
Enthusiasm is wonderful and often contagious. Sometimes it is the roar of the crowd pressing forward that motivates and other times it is our natural desire to get ahead of the pack and to find an edge that drives us further than we reasonably should. How do we temper our enthusiasm to ensure that ...

by Armando Marsal
The quarterback position is typically one that I wait until later in my drafts to address. Granted, everyone wants the Aaron Rodgers of the world, but I am not willing to invest an early round pick on this position as the margin in fantasy points between QB1 and QB10 is usually not that wide on a pe...

by Michael Dubner
There is always a point during the NFL (and fantasy football) off-season where I like to take a step-back and relish on past greatness. As we get closer to the start of the NFL season and fantasy football talk continues build, I want to take a second to look back at the best single-season running ba...

by John Laub
College Fantasy Football Quarterbacks
2017 Rankings, Profiles and Projections part II
8. Sam Darnold, USC
Since the new millennium, the Trojans have trotted out a number of quality fantasy quarterbacks: Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkle...

by John Laub
College Fantasy Football Quarterbacks
2017 Rankings, Profiles and Projections
Summa Cum Laude
1. Lamar Jackson, Louisville
College fantasy football diehards are relishing a Golden Age of quarterback production. Since Tim Tebow’s incredible sop...

by Tod Burros
Tyrod Taylor is being drafted 18th QB off the board according to recent ADP. This despite finishing much better than that ADP each of the two last years. In this article we are going to look at both why everyone seems to hate Tyrod and why taking advantage of this bias is in our best interest.
...

by John Laub
2017 CFB Player Rankings:
QBs, TEs, Ks & Defense
CFB Quarterbacks
Rank
Player
Team
Rank
Player
Team
...

by John Laub
2017 CFB Player Rankings:
RBs & WRs
CFB Running Backs and Wide Receivers
Rank
Player
Team
Rank
Player
Team
...

by John Laub
CFB Summa Cum Laude Mock Draft
2-QBs and 1/2 ppr. scoring league
June 12, 2017
Pick
Head Coach
Round 1
...

by John Laub
CFB Summa Cum Laude Mock Draft Part II
2-QBs and 1/2 ppr. scoring league
June 12, 2017
Pick
Head Coach
Round 9
...

by John Laub
2017 Summa Cum Laude League: Post-Draft Analysis
Draft Date: June 13, 2017
We assembled some of the finest CFB prognosticators in order to provide insight for college football diehards on the upcoming season after the fourth annual Summa Cum...

by JJ Buck
The first instalment of going deep previewed AFC receivers. Now it’s time to look at the NFC rosters and fish out potential WR3 or future options; players in line for an increased role due to injury, cuts or positive camp performance.
Arizona Cardinals
You’re not alone in wondering which Brown ...

by Michael Dubner
While many members of the fantasy football community are unquestionably expecting certain players to have large roles in their respective offenses, I have some concerns as to whether these assumptions are, in fact, accurate. Below are four questions I will be pondering this offseason.
*All ADP is b...

by Tod Burros
Know your league’s rules and your fellow league members.
One of the lessons you’ll learn in this series is that to be good at trading, you have to access and put into practice good advice. Even if you’re in a league that doesn’t allow trading, these lessons will help you to be good at fantasy footb...

by Michael Dubner
Every year, there are a handful of players who have insanely efficient or laughably inefficient metrics. While some of these facts and projections are strictly for comedic purposes (i.e. Derrick Henry) and some are more realistic (i.e. Michael Thomas), all are interesting to say the least.
Adri...

by Alex McCarthy
Every fantasy football prospect has their proponents and their detractors. If you want to hear exactly how and why a given player will become the next dominant force at their position, odds are you can find an analyst to tell you. Conversely, in most cases you can find an equally credible and ferv...

by Alex McCarthy
Every fantasy football prospect has their proponents and their detractors. If you want to hear exactly how and why a given player will become the next dominant force at their position, odds are you can find an analyst to tell you. Conversely, in most cases you can find an equally credible and ferv...

by Jen Ryan
I know it’s only April, but many people are actively drafting, some of us at a feverish rate. You can follow along with all of my best ball drafts on our homepage, and read up on some best ball basics here: (https://www.footballdiehards.com/fantasy-football-columns/html/There-is-No-Offseason-MFL10s-...

by Alex McCarthy
The media, as we all know, is overrun with fake news. It’s a huge problem- HUGE. This being the case, why should our sports media (or more specifically, our fantasy football media) be any different? The answer, of course, is that it’s not. Sports media is as susceptible as any other sort to grou...

by John Laub
The Gridiron Scholar
Mock Draft
April 7, 2017
S Jamal Adams, Cincinnati Bengals #9
Pick
Team
Player
College (Pos.)
1
Browns
Myles...

by Alex McCarthy
If you’re reading this, you’re not completely new to fantasy football. You’ve played the classic, traditional format also known as redraft, and you enjoyed it enough that you’ve decided to try out a more complex, involved, and (in my opinion) infinitely more entertaining format- dynasty. You’ve al...

by John Laub
2017 Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft
I gathered eleven Dynasty Fantasy Football Diehards to partake in a Rookie Mock Draft. All 36 selections are provided to survey in order to get a jumpstart on the competition in upcoming Dynasty leagues.
The Dynasty Football Diehards Panel:
Benjamin...

by John Laub
First Down
2017 College Fantasy Football
Expert Rankings Part II
QB Sam Darnold, USC Trojans
Bainbridge
Laub
Nystrom
...

by John Laub
First Down
2017 College Fantasy Football
Expert Rankings
Can’t get enough college football? Me neither…luckily on campuses across the nation, it is nearly kickoff for spring practices and inter-squad games and I am already looki...

by John Laub
2017 NFL Draft:
Under-the-Radar Prospects
The annual allocation of college talent takes place in late April, and NFL general managers, scouts and coaches are examining the prospects.
Despite the enormous scrutiny and analysis, players are ...

by John Laub
2017 Wide Receiver Prospects
Part II
7. Malachi Dupre, LSU
An elite athlete with outstanding ball skills, who toiled in a run-oriented offense with subpar quarterback play. Limited opportunities and production on campus: Led Tigers in re...

by John Laub
2017 Wide Receiver Prospects
The 2014 WR Class may not be replicated for another decade: It was a generational group of playmakers, who are currently dominating the NFL. The Class of 2017 does not have the panache of its predecessors; nonetheless, it is deeper than the casual ...

by Jen Ryan
Do you get that empty feeling on Super Bowl Monday? I do. The finality of the football season hits me like a ton of bricks. Sixteen games are not enough. The 27 weeks of daily fantasy football, which include the pre and postseason, still does not feel like enough. There is a dread that comes with th...

by John Laub
2017 Tight End Prospects
With the escalation of the dominate pass catching tight end over the past decade, all general managers and coaches seek the next phenomenal power forward-like game breaker who can defeat Cover 2 defenses. Luckily, for NFL teams (and fantasy diehards) in searc...

by John Laub
2017 NFL Quarterback Back Prospects
During the past three seasons, franchise quarterbacks adorned the top of the draft rankings: Blake Bortles (2014), Jameis Winston (2015), Marcus Mariota (2015), Jared Goff (2016) and Carson Wentz (2016).
Unfortunately for teams in desperate need of ...

by John Laub
2017 NFL Running Back Prospects
How do teams value running backs? The answer to this question determines each club’s draft board and its philosophy. The Super Bowl Champion Patriots have scouted, drafted, groomed and started a wide variety of ball carriers—LeGarrette Blount, Dion Lewis, James...

by John Laub
2017 NFL Running Back Prospects
Part II
7. Joe Mixon, Oklahoma
One of the more polarizing prospect evaluations in the Draft. Off-the-field issues well documented after video surfaced punching a woman: Suspended for entire 2014 season and avoided jail time after plea agreement. On t...