Twitter has long been an excellent source of instantaneous news and wide-ranging opinions. We ran a series of interviews two years ago to help users new and old get to know some of our favorite tweeters.
Our series is back for 2014. Today we interview JJ Zachariason, editor-in-chief for numberFire.com. Get to know him below.
Imagining a drunk Wes Welker screaming, "I won the Kentucky Derby" while handing out $100 bills...so, so good.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) May 16, 2014
Who Am I?
Name: JJ Zachariason
Twitter handle: @LateRoundQB
Tweeting since: 2012
Number of tweets: 35,700
Follower count: 7,575
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Day job: Editor-In-Chief at numberFire.com
Family life: Engaged and planning to get married in June of 2015.
Quick bio (who you are, site(s) you represent, etc.): I won’t tell you what JJ stands for, but I’m JJ Zachariason, and I’m the Editor-In-Chief over at numberFire.com. I started doing the whole fantasy writing thing after the 2011 NFL season ended (you know, the one where quarterback numbers were so ridiculous) because the masses were leaning towards a new, early-round quarterback draft approach. I didn’t like that because, regardless of how well Aaron Rodgers was in 2011, the game of fantasy football has a lot of unchanging parts. Positions scarcity is one of them.
So I wrote an e-book creatively (no, no it’s not) called The Late Round Quarterback, and started blogging on my own site, LateRoundQB.com. Since, I’ve been fortunate for opportunities to write for sites like Pro Football Focus and Rotoworld, and now love calling numberFire home.
What is something unique about you that few would know about? I was almost a graphic designer. I’ve done front-end development and designed websites since I was about 15 years old, and kind of always thought I’d be working at a creative agency when I was older. I opted to get my degree in marketing instead, and while I did work in the ad agency world out of school, I was a project manager. And that was pretty boring. Photoshop is one of my best friends though (I’ll probably be made fun of for that statement), and it really is another creative outlet for me outside of writing about sports.
What you do for fun during the football offseason: Well, for one, I leave my home office. Golf is a lot of fun – I try to hit the links as much as I can during the summer. I try to go to a lot of baseball games, too. But other than that, I do a lot of the normal stuff – hang out with friends, go to dinner with my fiancée, waste a Sunday watching Netflix…you know how it goes.
Favorite NFL team(s): The Steelers. Period. Done. End of discussion. If you follow me on Twitter, I’m not shy about my love for all things Pittsburgh. And if you’ve never visited the city, go do it. There’s great people, awesome sports and some pretty cool history in the Steel City.
Favorite NFL player(s): Naturally I like a lot of Steelers, and Antonio Brown tops that list. I really appreciate guys who can play at a high level for long periods of time, too – someone like Frank Gore comes to mind. I’ve also slowly started liking the players who people hate for no reason, like Tony Romo and Jay Cutler.
Give us your “must follows” on Twitter: Man, there are a ton. Some of my favorites are @CDCarter13, @FantasyDouche, @LordReebs, @EvanSilva, @SigmundBloom. I think each of those guys bring something unique to the table, and are always tweeting things that make me think in a different, smarter way.
What do you like most about Twitter? Other than starting unnecessary fights? Kidding, of course. I think Twitter is a very powerful tool, and it certainly helped me connect with some amazing football minds. That’s probably what I like best. But the banter is a lot of fun too, as long as you don’t take sports too seriously.
Years playing fantasy football: 12
How many leagues, typically? I was in 12 last year, which was too many given my love for daily fantasy. I think everyone in the industry aims to get it under five leagues, but ends up playing in the double-digits. You can try to avoid it, but good luck.
Imagining a drunk Wes Welker screaming, "I won the Kentucky Derby" while handing out $100 bills...so, so good.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) May 16, 2014
Inside the Guru’s Studio
What is your favorite fantasy word? Value
What is your least favorite fantasy word? Sleeper
DC Comics or Marvel? Wut
What is your favorite film? Probably The Usual Suspects, but I like almost anything from Christopher Nolan, too.
What is your favorite book? Admittedly, I never read fiction. I’m really into Tim Ferriss’ work, and his 4 Hour Work Week really changed my approach to everyday life. It was actually one of the key driving points in me writing my first e-book. I’m a firm believer in doing what you want to do for a living, and that book can speed up the process in getting there.
Cake or ice cream?Ice cream, but I’d rather just eat meat. Cooked meat, though.
Star Wars or Star Trek? Never got into them, if I’m being honest. I know this will anger some people, because it always does.
What sound do you hate? Styrofoam against anything, like when you get a new package and the thing inside the packaged is tightly wrapped with Styrofoam. That’s the absolute worst. Also, I can’t stand Ray Lewis’ voice. But no one from Pittsburgh can.
What sound do you love? I’m a sucker for movie scores – anything by someone like Hans Zimmer is awesome. I know that’s a geeky answer, but hey, anyone answering or reading this fantasy football interview probably fits a nerd profile.
Film or Stats? I could probably talk about this for days with anyone willing to listen, but stats. 100% stats. Film is great for folks who can really understand it, but fantasy football is a numbers-driven game. I can’t see how you’d be competitive without diving into the numbers at least a bit. And I dive into them a lot.
With that being said though, both can certainly help. I kind of hate that there’s such a divide.
I do think it's fascinating that the guys at @rotoViz give serious thought regarding WRs, and some ignore it bc of specific examples.
— JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) May 14, 2014
Predictions and Advice
Favorite fantasy style or combination of styles of play (Dynasty, Redraft, Auction, Best Ball, Daily, Survivor, etc.): Auction redraft leagues are probably my favorite.
Studs ‘n Duds or Value Based Drafting? The way I draft has little to do with season-long numbers. I look at weekly consistency from players, understand the individuals’ floor and ceiling, and draft from a position scarcity perspective. Most make fun of me for being a pretty conservative drafter as a result, but it’s worked for me in the past. I don’t care for a sexy team. I care for one that wins.
What's the biggest mistake you see fantasy players make? Not understanding that fantasy football is a weekly game, and drafting as though you can never manipulate your team post draft.
How much of fantasy football is skill? How much is luck? I’d say it’s certainly more skill-based than luck-driven, but I believe people think of the word “skill” incorrectly. Most would naturally believe a great fantasy player – one who’s skilled – is good at picking the right players in a draft and off the waiver wire. But to me, skillful fantasy owners are ones who understand how to look at the game from a high level, grasping strategic angles to the game that the average player wouldn’t see. There’s still a massive poker-like probability side to fake football, and too often the focus is only on player evaluation. It’s much, much deeper than that, and the ones who see that, to me, are the ones who are skilled.
Go out on a limb—give a wild prediction about the 2014 season that would shock the world if it happened: Jake Locker makes the most of his make-or-break season, finishing as a fringe QB1 in fantasy.
Super Bowl XLIX Teams and Score: Denver over Philly, 142-120. Ok, I’ll be more realistic: 38-28.
2014 Fantasy MVP: Julio Jones
2014 Fantasy Most Improved: Arian Foster
2014 Fantasy Bust of the Year: Zac Stacy