Casino Connection Atlantic City

Dream Team

Picking the winners for your fantasy football league

by Dave Bontempo

Let the nail-biting, fist-pumping journey begin. Nearly 15 million fantasy football owners walk the tightrope of tension and exhilaration during the real NFL season between September and February. Many consider the roller-coaster fortunes of NFL games fun. Even within that context, it's fantasy in name only. Real money and stakes have been attached to an activity that began on a grass roots level 15-20 years ago. ESPN places real emphasis on fantasy statistics during its NFL Prime Time show. Statistics for fantasy owners scrawl across the bottom of the screen even while analysts describe the game. Fantasy sports were probably the forerunner of reality television. Its appeal centers on the public's participation in a game and the money continues to grow. Up steps the Atlantic City-based Roto Bowl, which debuts with a September 10 draft and will contain up to 300 teams in 25 leagues. The contest offers $60,000 in prizes including the grand prize of $20,000 and a four-day trip for two to the Super Bowl with tickets included (www.rotobowl.com). No wonder fantasy participants need tools. [OVERVIEW] Owners in fantasy leagues field imaginary teams assembled with actual NFL players. A draft establishes the league and weekly head-to-head matchups occur throughout the fall. Players in positions ranging from quarterbacks and running backs to wide receivers and defense obtain points for an owner's team. Fantasy owners decide weekly lineups and make several decisions. Like real administrators, they react to injuries, ineffective stars, breakout players and the waiver wire. They observe defensive schemes, bench players with unfavorable matchups and squirm through the intangibles; the referee's bad call, the goal-line fumble or the pass-interference play which puts a team on the one and gives your opponent's running back a gift touchdown. Scoring comes from field goals, touchdowns, safeties, sacks and yardage. Many weekly matches are close. They can be decided by less than a point (a couple of yards) and become a game outside the NFL contest. Why can it drive someone crazy? An owner roots for a team to drive down the field and score, but then only with his or her player. An owner with a running back for a team sitting on the 3-yard line roots for the pass play to fail, so that the next play might be a handoff to his back. Fantasy provides the NFL another niche in its captive audience. "Because the growth in fantasy has been steady throughout the years, it's not going to be regarded as an overnight sensation that can then go away," says Roto Bowl co-sponsor John Hansen, the Absecon, N.J.-based entrepreneur who pioneered fantasy's information age with the Fantasy Guru magazine and an internet-based Guru Report. (www.fantasyguru.com) "A safe estimate now is between 10 million and 15 million players," he explains. "Besides the lure to the players, it's been very good for the NFL. You may tune in on a Monday night in Week 15 in a game that looked to be a great matchup months ago when it was drawn up, but now isn't worth much because the teams are out of it. Well, it means a lot to the fantasy owners with players involved in the game. The fantasy impact can produce a good rating for a game that otherwise would not have received it." [INSIDE THE GAME] Fantasy's operation has become complex. Hansen's magazine includes draft-day "cheat sheets," which rank 242 players and 32 defenses in order of anticipated effectiveness. Other categories include lessons learned from last year, breakout backs, impact of off-season trades, coaching changes, a draft plan, potential sleepers and a rookie report. New software exists to enable owners to change players during the games and may become universal soon. The deep information level forces players to dig deeper to beat their opponents, yet also encourages those with no experience to try the game. Hansen's biggest tip? "Surround yourself with impact players and then keep an eye on the waiver wire," he says. "If you like a player and you feel he will have a good season, just take him. There are so many things that happen during a season. You can't always see where the next sleeper is coming from, but if you have a foundation of top players, you will still do very well." Therein lies the decision-making prowess of fantasy sports. It is strictly a matter of opinion whether Lamont Jordan, for instance, has the anticipated big year in Oakland now that he's been given the starting job. Another key perception is the erosion of running backs. Some play hurt, which is worse than sitting. Perhaps the biggest fantasy tip is selecting one's environment. Casual players can find free Yahoo leagues or settle into a low-pressure setup with friends. The activity can be social, a means of keeping in touch with people. Serious players can find big-money leagues. The key for everyone is finding the mix that fits one's approach to the game.

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