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This article will be updated throughout the Summer to show the most recent addition to the list.
The writers on the list below are people that I have come across either by their work as a fantasy writer or their presence on social media, which led me to their work. The goal of this piece is to share my appreciation of fantasy writing with others in the fantasy industry. There are a ton of good, quality writers that you may or may not be aware of. Hopefully this article will lead you to some new faces and their exemplary work.
June 14 - Regan Yant @ReganFP. One of my favorite stories of a writer who made a name for himself is Regan Yant. Like many of us, Regan is a die hard sports fan with an affinity for fantasy sports. In a few short years, Regan went from freelance writer to co-owner/GM of fakepigskin.com (@fakepigskin). For those looking to broaden their horizons on fantasy writing as more than just a hobby, look no further than what Regan has accomplished.
June 15 - Rich Hribar @LordReebs. Funny name, great guy! I have a short list of writers in the fantasy football fraternity that I religiously read their work and value their opinion. Rich is in that category for me. He has made a name for himself at Rotoviz, FakeFootball and most recently, RotoWorld. Everytime I read one of his articles, I learn something and take with me information I didn't know prior. His weekly Worksheet pieces during the season are invaluable. In addition to his football expertise, Rich is the type of guy that you can sit down and talk football over a beer with. He's a must follow in the Fantasy Football Community.
June 16 - John Paulsen @4for4_John. If you are not familiar with John's work, you need to do yourself a favor and put him into your list of MUST read writers. John writes for 4for4.com and also has the claim of being FantasyPros most Accurate Fantasy Football Expert in 2010 and 2014. He has finished in the Top 5 in projection accuracy in five of the last six years. To say the least, John knows football, but what's even better is that he shares his knowledge on twitter, as well as with those who read his work.
June 17 - Joe Redemann @JayArr_FF Joe brings a wealth of fantasy football knowledge to twitter and you can find his work at Numberfire.com. What I like about Joe's style of writing is that he incorporates need-to-know stats into his articles, but then explains how it can translate into fantasy success. His specialty is dynasty as well as IDP, which means he has a grasp on the total football package. Give him a follow and be sure to check out his work.
June 18 - Matt Harmon @MattHarmon_BYB When it comes to wide receivers, Matt's your guy. He has a vast knowledge of other fantasy related positions, but wide receiver is definitely his bread and butter. When Matt talks big about a particular wide receiver, I listen. His continuous work on the receiver-driven piece, Reception Perception, is always a good read. Matt is well-liked by several and appreciated by many. If you haven't had the chance to read Matt's helpful and informative work, you can find it at NFL.com as well as right here at Footballguys.com.
June 19 - Mike Clay @MikeClayNFL There's few people in the fantasy industry that work harder and provide more insight, opinions and analysis than Mike Clay. What's even more impressive is his award-winning track record of success. Few are more capable of compiling stats, interpreting specific glaring outliers and translating them into fantasy success. If you want to learn and be more aware of the fantasy landscape, listen to Mike and read his work. It's among the best in the industry. You can find Mike's work at ESPN NFL Fantasy.
June 20 - Bucky Brooks @BuckyBrooks Bucky Brooks is a former player (wide receiver) and scout who has turned his career to analyzing and interpreting the game as well as it's players. He is not a fantasy writer, but his background in the league and his ability to put his thoughts, opinions and advice in written form, does relate to us fantasy owners. A key factor in having success in fantasy football is predicting positive outcomes based on known criteria. Bucky does a phenomenal job when it comes to player evaluation and predictive insights based on his thoughts and beliefs. You can find his incredibly helpful articles at NFL.com, Bucky Brooks Columns.
June 21 - Gary Davenport @IDPSharks. Gary is a career writer and it shows in the quality of his work. You can read his countless articles on Bleacher Report as well as FantasySharks. His expertise in the fantasy landscape is all-encomposing, but his niche, and the area that sets him apart from others is his vast knowledge of IDP style format (Individual Defensive Players). Gary is an award-winning writer and regular on Sirius XM radio. He's an avid contributor on twitter and is very approachable to conversation. Aside from being one of the preimer IDP experts in the industry, Gary is a standup guy worthy of all his accolades.
June 22 - Dave Richard @daverichard. Dave has been breaking down film, analyzing players and sharing his fantasy strategies for 15+ years. Many of the charts, tiers and tools we use to simplify the game were developed by him. He's a pioneer in the industry with a brilliant mind for football that translates in his writing. Dave explains his written thoughts as if he's talking to you, which makes it easy to comprehend. In 2013 he won the FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year Award and often makes appearances on national television and radio. You can read his articles on CBSSports.
June 23 - JJ Zachariason @LateRoundQB. JJ is a diehard Steelers fan who is driven by stats to assist him in compiling various fantasy analytics. He lives by the strategy of finding value in all positions, particularly the quarterback position - hence his twitter name @LateRoundQB. When JJ discovers a good value or strategy, he latches onto it and shares his beliefs with others. He is the Editor-In-Chief at NumberFire.com and written articles for several other fantasy sites. Finding diamonds in the rough on a consistent basis will elevate your fantasy game. JJ's expertise in this area is invaluable. Be sure to check out his podcast too, "Living The Stream."
June 24 - Sigmund Bloom @SigmundBloom. Footballguys' own Sigmund Bloom is one of the premier fantasy analysts in the industry, with accuracy results and glowing testimonials to back it up. One facet to his presence that sets him apart from others, is his genuine interest in helping people who seek out his advice. Sigmund is a co-owner and stakeholder of Footballguys.com. Despite his lofty place in the industry he is extremely humble and approachable. Aside from his written expertise on Footballguys, his weekly podcasts On the Couch and The Audible are two of the most helpful and educating podcasts in the game today.
June 25 - Jody Smith @JodySmithNFL Jody is the Co-owner and Managing Editor of gridironexperts.com. He is consistently among the top experts in FantasyPros fantasy accuracy contests, finishing first in Inseason Overall Accuracy in 2012. His presence in the fantasy community is felt on twitter as well as countless podcast segments. He even wrote a book chronicling his fantasy football experience in the 90's. Follow him on twitter, read his work at gridironexperts and be a smarter fantasy owner as a result.
June 26 - Shawn Siegele @FF_Contrarian. I follow certain fantasy analysts and writers on twitter so I can get further knowledge of their insight, opinions and advice. Shawn's contributions on Rotoviz as well as ProFootballFocus have elevated my fantasy game simply by reading his articles. He has a way of painting a picture with his writing that explains the benefit of what he's selling. He does this by watching game film, coming to conclusions, compiling relevant stats and charts and framing it all together in writing to solve various fantasy-related questions. Not only does Shawn have the knowledge himself to be a fantasy success, he shares it with others.
June 27 - Jeff Ratcliffe @JeffRatcliffe. Jeff is the newly appointed Director of Fantasy for ProFootballFocus.com, so you can bet he's a busy fellow. His posiiton doesn't keep him from writing insightful and informative articles and providing quality tips and advice on social media. Jeff's fantasy repertoire is widespread to include all avenues of fantasy awareness, including dynasty and IDP. He is a swiss army knife of fantasy knowledge and is one of sharper analysts in the industry.
June 28 - Evan Silva @evansilva. Evan's contributions to Rotoworld are significant, helpful and accurate. His knowledge of each team's structure and capabilities, gives him the ammunition to provide superior analysis and fantasy prognostication in one of the best in-season articles in the industry. Evan's weekly Matchups feature on Rotoworld is a must read for fantasy preparation. He is also one of the better fantasy analysts when it comes to DFS strategies and execution. His dedication and hard work for your benefit is one of the most valuable fantasy tools available.
June 29 - TJ Hernandez @TJHernandez. If you're not familiar with TJ's writing or the site he writes for, 4for4.com, I highly recommend checking it out. His writing style, which is right up my alley, usually includes a lot of data and stats-based information. This leads to a conclusive evaluation or strategy that will benefit your fantasy game as well as your DFS decisions. I also recommend listening to his in-season DFS podcast with co-host @ChrisRaybon.
June 30 - Cian Fahey @Cianaf. It's truly amazing when you think about what Cian's life must be like. He lives in Ireland, which is 5 hours ahead of eastern time. Amazingly, he watches a ton of american sports, football in particular, including primetime events. He's active on twitter (over 168k tweets) and he writes countless, well-written, thoroughly descriptive, data-filled articles. He lives, eats and breathes football and it shows. His offseason publication on Pre-Snap Reads Quarterbacks is an awesome piece that covers so much detail and hard-to-find stats on every quarterback in the league. It's well worth the investment. You can find Cian's work here at Footballguys, but also on his site, presnapreads.com.
July 1 - Denny Carter (C.D. Carter) @CDCarter13 What's not to like about CD Carter? When he's not writing for 4for4.com, xnssports.com or thefakefootball.com, he is running his own site, draftdayconsultants.com, a fantasy consultant for-hire business where you can hire a consultant to assist you with your draft, league, in-season management, etc. Carter and his panel of consultants are skilled individuals who can make this business model perform well. In short, he knows his fantasy football. If others rely on him for advice, information and opinions, you should too.
July 2 - Scott Kacsmar @FO_ScottKacsmar. If you like fantasy articles with heavy analysis, charts, graphs and stats, then you need to check out Scott's work at FootballOutsiders.com. The entire site focuses more on stats-based analytics and Scott's writing fits right into the equation. If you're looking to step up your game and learn more about football-related statistical acronyms such as DVOA, DYAR, ALY or DSR, do yourself a favor and read his articles. His most recent piece focuses on 2015 YAC (yards after the catch) analysis from all receiving positions. It's a great read with a wealth of information that will help you sharpen your game.
July 3 - Chase Stuart - @fbgchase. I've known Chase for nearly 10 years. He's one of my favorite writers for football analysis and research based on analysis. It's difficult to pinpoint a specific area of his expertise, because his background is so diverse, but if I want to learn about a particular stat or reasoning behind a stat, Chase is the person I ask (he may have already thought of the same question and researched it already). In addition to his presence on Footballguys, Chase is consistently updating his site, FootballPerspective.com with thought-provoking, data-filled analysis on countless football-related topics. It's always a good read and in many cases, I come away smarter after reading it. This piece from 2013 is a great example of what Chase has become and how others can learn from his example.
July 5 - Chet Gresham @Chet_G I've been reading Chet's articles for years, for several different publications and websites, most recently WalterFootball.com. I value his opinion on various strategies and evaluations and have occasionaly changed my viewpoint on a player or process after reading one of his articles or write-ups. He writes with purpose, to inform the reader with details, facts and analysis that would be helpful to their fantasy craft. Check out his archive of recent articles at WalterFootball - they're well worth the read.
July 6 - Heath Cummings @heathcummingssr Heath is a catch-all fantasy analyst and writer, specifically focusing on DFS in a variety of sports. His fantasy accumen doesn't stop there. He also has an affinity for dynasty leagues and the occasional season long challenge. I had the pleasure of working with Heath during his time with Footballguys and co-hosted a Sunday morning radio show with him on ESPN Radio a few years back. He hosted, I was merely the ride-along. It was fun while it lasted, especially if you like fantasy analysis with a side of humor. We often have differing opinions on certain players, but I have always respected his work and advice. You can view Heath's archive of material at CBSSports.com
July 7 - Ryan McDowell @RyanMc23. You will be hard-pressed to find a more helpful and approachable resource for dynasty football related topics than Ryan McDowell. He's a known commodity in the dynasty ranks and is commissioner of several dynasty leagues including the popular Hyperactive Dynasty Leagues. Ryan can recognize talent and opportunity and explain how to build a successful dynasty team through various strategies and trade guidelines. Check out his work at dynastyleaguefootball.com and give him a follow on twitter.
July 8 - Eric Moody @EricNMoody. Eric's presence on social media, specifically twitter is right up my alley. He loves to study stats, particularly stats that stand out. His timeline is often filled with helpful nuggets, stats and tidbits that are informative and appreciated for any fantasy enthusiast. He's also very open and responsive to conversation. Eric is a member of the FSWA and has contributed writing to Rotoviz, GridironExperts and most recently FantasyPros
July 9 - Chris Wesseling @ChrisWesseling When it comes to overall football knowledge, analysis and fantasy advice, Chris Wesseling's name is among the top in the industry. Chris has been a stalwart in the fantasy scene for years and has written countless articles for NBC Sports, Rotoworld and most recently NFL Media, particularly Around The NFL. Chris writes about current NFL events and news in addition to fantasy evaluations and strategies. He's an NFL Insider with an eye on fantasy, which translates to superb advice based on factual and analytical findings. Follow him on twitter and be sure listen to his Around The NFL podcasts.
July 10 - Salvatore "Sal" Stefanile @2QBFFB. For those who play in SuperFlex leagues or two-quarterback leagues, you have to check out Sal's work on the subject at Twoqbs.com. His strategies and case histories on the subject are widely known in the fantasy industry. Those who are participating in the ScottFishBowl 480-deep Pro Am tournament #SFB480, which is a SuperFlex league, be sure to check out Sal's articles on various strategies and analysis.
July 12 - Jene Bramel @JeneBramel. Dr. Jene is a licensed pediatrician who also has an affinity for football. His knowledge of medicine, anatomy and sports injuries, combined with his vast knowledge of the game, results in a skill set that is perfect for fantasy football analysis. Jene does an outstanding job of analyzing and diagnosing player injuries usually followed by an insightful explanation behind the fantasy impact it creates. In addition to his injury expertise, Jene is also one of the most knowledgeable analysts in the IDP world. His column Reading the Defense is a must for anyone playing in IDP leagues. You can access all of his work here at Footballguys/JeneBramel and you can listen to him share his knowledge on all pertinent topics on the weekly podcast, The Audible Live.
July 13 - Brandon "Bee" Salamat @IDPwithBEE_8o8 Sticking with an IDP theme, I have been a follower of Brandon's work for a few years now. It's always good to read multiple opinions when it comes to fantasy awareness, especially IDP where rankings, projections and opinions can vary from person to person. Brandon's expertise in the IDP world shows in his writing. He has a deep understanding of each team's defensive tendencies, schemes and packages, and he crafts his write-ups around the fantasy opportunities that arise as a result of that knowledge. His rankings and tiers have individual summaries and excerpts that include valuable information, which is always a welcome addition. He explains why he likes a particular player, not just a listing of player names by rank. I hope you find his work helpful - I know I do. You can find his work at fakepigskin.com.
July 14 - Jake Ciely @allinkid Jake is a fantasy analyst/writer that I respect and admire. He may tell you that baseball is his preferred fantasy sport, but that doesn't mean he isn't proficient with his football advice. He's a jack of all trades and is always providing his readers with quality content that is both informative and helpful. Jake is a member of the FSWA and also takes time out of his busy schedule to be the commissioner for the popular FLEX leagues that meet every year in New York City and Washington DC. When he is not a speaking on countless different podcasts and radio segments, he's writing quality pieces for RotoExperts.
July 15 - Mike Tagliere @MikeTagliereNFL Mike is a member of the FSWA and writes quality fantasy content for ProFootballFocus. He is not afraid to go out on a limb with certain players that he believes will breakout and he shares his knowledge in his writing to keep you informed of fantasy news and it's implications. Aside from his beneficial writing, you have to check out his recent podcast, called "The Hot Route" that he co-hosts with his wife Tabbie @Tabbietags. The two offer a great blend of humor and of course fantasy football discussion - what could be better?
July 16 - Dr. Sean Fitzsimmons @TheFantasyMD I recently came across Dr. Fitzsimmons' fantasy writing and was immediately impressed. Dr. Fitzsimmons is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon who also happens to be a fantasy enthusiast. His ability to use factual medical knowledge and his background in fantasy football creates a much-needed viewpoint on player injuries and the fantasy implications associated with them. Dr. Fitzsimmons writes a column for dynastytradecalculator called Dynasty Medicine, that is well worth your time. He is developing a presence on twitter and is definitely worth a follow. I'm looking forward to more interaction with Dr. Fitzsimmons, especially as new injuries arise.
July 17 - Bob Harris @footballdiehard Bob Harris is one of the industry's founding fathers, having been involved as a writer, analyst, pioneer and statistician since the early 90's. His experience and knowledge of the game, the players, their fantasy impacts, etc is what sets him apart from others. Bob co-hosts the Football Diehards show on Sirius XM Fantasy Sports with Mike Dempsey @md_1010xl and it is a MUST to listen to. I always come away feeling like I learned something new about a particular player, team or strategy after listening to him. He is a FSWA Hall of Famer and winner of the first FSWA Fantasy Football Writer of the Year award in 2005. In addition to listening to his show, you can view his work at FootballDiehards.com where he is Senior Editor.
July 18 - Matt Miller @nfldraftscout Matt brings a wealth of football knowledge to the writing scene, particularly scouting future players and poinpointing success before it happens. His field of writing is more concentrated on scouting and the NFL Draft, than fantasy, but his intelligence and opinionated advice is welcomed when it comes to evaluating players and grading talent. Matt is the Lead Writer for the NFL Draft at Bleacher Report and has appeared for or with ESPN, CBS, Sports Illustrated, NFL Network and the USA Today. His background in college players is also beneficial to the growing circle of college DFS enthusiasts.
July 19 - Joshua Lake @LakeTwoQBs. The fantasy game is evolving to include more variety and balanced scoring among positions. Out is the standard scoring, in is the SuperFlex or Two-QB format where multiple quarterbacks are weekly starters. The concept revolutionizes draft strategies and gives the fantasy game a jolt. Josh is one of top writers when it comes to this growing format. His knowledge of quarterbacks and the strategy of drafting more than one for your lineup, can elevate your game. His work can be found at TwoQBs.com and as well as other sites, including 4for4.com and Rotoviz.
July 20, Jonathan Bales @BalesFootball The DFS scene is quickly becoming more and more popular for fantasy folks. There may not be a more informed, more analytical, more experienced resource for DFS success than Jonathan Bales. Jonathan owns two DFS-themed companies, RotoAcademy and FantasyLabs, the latter which is backed by Mark Cuban. He also has written a series of books in football and baseball daily sports genres. In short - the guy knows his daily sports and has written for DraftKings, RotoGrinders, RotoViz, Rotowire to name a few. You can read his personal blog JonathanBales.com that illustrates his work, career path and fantasy involvement.
July 21 Brad Evans @YahooNoise Brad is an award-winning fantasy writer and is a longtime mainstay in the fantasy industry. He's constantly writing articles for Yahoo!'s Roto Arcade, covering all aspects of fantasy football, including college football. He has a history of being one of the industry's top accuracy experts and is often tweeting out pertinent and helpful information on twitter. Think of a player, he's probably written an article about him. Read his work and learn.
July 24 Raymond Summerlin @RMSummerlin When you respect an analyst's opinion, you tend to want to read everything they put out and listen to their views whenever possible. That's how I feel about Raymond's contribution to the fantasy scene. He also takes part in the Weekly Rotoworld Football Podcast, which covers all angles of the NFL with a relevant eye on the fantasy spin. Rotoworld is a key cog in the fantasy landscape and Raymond is a big part of the team.
July 27 Pat Fitzmaurice @Fitz_FF Pat was a longitme fixture with Pro Football Weekly. His committment to providing solid fantasy advice and relevant articles is still the same, but at a different address. You can access Pat's writing at Sports Illustrated, TheFootballGirl.com as well as 4for4.com. Pat has been analyzing football players for fantasy purposes for quite some time with a healthy track record of success in his opinions and views. As one of the father's in the industry, Pat's experience and guidance is a welcomed addition to your list of writers and articles that you read regularly.
July 27 Pat Thorman @Pat_Thorman Pat is a lead writer for Pro Football Focus, which that alone tells you that he knows his football. He's a jackof all trades, with an emphasis on dynasty, redraft as well as DFS. The majority of his writing is based on compiling and understanding various stats, research on those stats, and then cross-referecing his findings with game film to prove his views. In other words, Pat provides a full life cycle of research to provide you the reader with all of the details you need to make your own fantasy choices. In addition to PFF, Pat has also provided contributions to RotoGrinders.com.
July 28 John Hansen @Fantasy_Guru John is one of the Titans of the fantasy industry and has long been in the spotlight as an analyst to be trusted, especially his success with projections and accuracy. He is the brains behind FantasyGuru.com, including the magazine that dominated the shelves in the mid-late 2000's. John's expertise led to hosting the Sirius Fantasy Football show on Sirius radio. It's success was instrumental in Sirius launching the Fantasy Sports Channel. John is a Hall of Fame member of the FSWA and is the Chief Fantasy Analyst for DirecTV's Fantasy Zone. He is worthy of your time and attention and is a key member of this esteemed list of recommended writers.
Aug 2 Michael Fabiano @Michael_Fabiano Another stalwart of the fantasy industry is Michael Fabiano, who burst onto the fantasy scene 15 years ago and hasn't stopped since. He started with CBSSportsline.com and became a fantasy personality when The Fantasy Football Show first aired on televsion in 2005. He later joined NFL.com and wrote several columns, including the popular Start 'em Sit 'em column. Michael is the lead analyst on NFL Fantasy Live on the NFL Network, and has appeared on several related shows on the network, in addition to writing columns for NFL.com. In 2012 he was elected into the Fantasy Sports Writer Association (FSWA) Hall of Fame. He has earned his keep as a quality follow on twitter as well as a writer you should include in your regular article viewing.
Aug 14 Matt Waldman @MattWaldman The legend that is Matt Waldman is known well in these parts of the fantasy universe. Matt's claim to fame is his relentless, thorough, descriptive and definitive publication known simply as the RSP (Rookie Scouting Portfolio). Every year Matt spends days, weeks and months studying college game film and categorizing his findings into his mammoth RSP publication that unveils itself every April 1st. From a fantasy perspective, his work is invaluable, especially to those in dynasty leagues wanting to know every last detail about upcoming rookie position players. Matt's fantasy presence doesn't stop there. His weekly Gut Check article covers any and all aspects of fantasy strategies and insight. As good of a writer as Matt is, he is ten times a better person and it shows in his approach to writing, how he carries himself on the air and how he converses with fellow fantasy enthusiasts on social media. In brief, Matt's writing is worthy of your consistent attention and he's a must follow on twitter.
Aug 16 Joe Holka @JoeHolka - I read countless fantasy-related articles from various different sites and publications. When I come across an article that enlightened me or made me think twice about my own thoughts and opinions, I make a mental note of the author. When that same author strikes my interest over and over, I will go out of my way to read more of their work and probably follow them on twitter so I can get even more access to their insight. This is how I feel about Joe Holka's writing. He's a stats guy, like me and his articles are often chocked with important, eyebrow-raising stats that benefits those who seek fantasy success. Joe's strength is DFS, but his overall fantasy knowledge is also worthy of your attention. You can find Joe's work at 4for4.com, predictivefantasysports.com as well as a few occasional appearances on Rotoworld.com, FFToday, Gridiron Experts as well as right here at Footballguys. Be sure you check out his Rushing Expectation Methodology.
Aug 17 14Team Mocker @14TeamMocker - I don't even know this writer's name (I'm assuming it's a guy) and I suppose I could do some due diligence and find out this writer's identity from others in the know, but it also adds to the mystique behind this author. I may have figured it out, after some Internet sleuthing, but if I'm wrong, I'll feel bad for improper identification. For the sake of choosing a name, or a gender for that matter, I will assume this writer is a "he" for the rest of this entry. If you're an avid fantasy reader you've probably come across *his articles and presence on twitter. He has written 21 different articles for Rotoviz this month and it's only August 17th. His mindset is firmly in the game and it's a foregone conclusion that he has a sharp knowledge of various topics, players, teams, schemes, strategies etc. Do yourself a favor and read up on his volume of work, it's not just quantity, but quality as well. I have already trained myself to read his articles and be more aware of his insights and thoughts on twitter. My suggestion is you should do the same.
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