Fantasy Football Librarian

Greetings football fans. Just for kicks type this into a browser: http://www.fflibrarian.com/ - yup, the Fantasy Football Librarian is moving up in the world and now has its own domain name. Don't worry, if you're used to coming to the previous URL, not a problem, you'll just be redirected. But it's kind of exciting, no? On another exciting note, I will be attending the Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) annual conference in Denver on Feb 11 and Feb 12. If any of you fantasy gurus out there happen to be attending, please let me know and I'll keep an eye out for you. Otherwise it should be yet another place that I can absorb all sorts of fantasy info to bring back to the blog. Okay, enough chit chat. Let's get to the daily football links: First, a link from a new site that I'm involved with and am getting really excited about - Sports Data Hub. Trust me, you'll hear me gush about its awesomeness at many points throughout the offseason, but for now le...

For those who have forgotten (or are just too far behind to have a horse in this race), the NFL.com's Playoff Challenge is still going on - meaning the FF Librarian's Challenge is still in full force with 50's Big Perms in the lead with 295 points. I am in third place in our FFL challenge but sadly in 3366th place overall amongst the rest of the NFL.com competitors. Hopefully I'll make up some ground there with 7 players in my roster for the Super Bowl. I was toying around with my RB options since I have a hole there now without Grant...I'm ultimately going with Jacobs (my other RB is Maroney) but I did think about Bradshaw - until I read this article from Accuscore: Ahmad Bradshaw in Focus and I realized that regardless of Bradshaw's recent quality performances, I would be crazy not to start Jacobs. Other football thoughts for the day: If you're in a keeper league and trying to make some big decisions about your roster (like do you keep LT or AP, yes seri...

This week the Super Bowl madness begins. I think right now we're probably all jealous of those who are already in Glendale or are en route to Glendale. I know I'd probably sacrifice something ridiculously crucial like my right hand to have the chance to experience Super Bowl week. Okay, maybe my left hand. But let's dive into some football links here... As if anyone actually thought that Brady wouldn't play in the Super Bowl - he has confirmed that he will be good to go on Sunday . Gregg Rosenthal recognizes how great his job is and will be blogging all week long from Arizona about his various Super Bowl week highlights. I think we're hosting a Super Bowl party this year - usually our friends who just had twins host the party, and so by default we're stepping up and being hosts. So here's my big question - what kind of Super Bowl party food do you serve to a room full of vegetarians?? Remember, we live in Boulder, Colorado, where an outrageous number of peo...

Happy Thursday. The work week is coming to a close here and I am headed up to the mountains tomorrow night for a day of skiing. But don't worry, I still have football on my mind. That will never change, never. Plus, I've been led to a few new football sites (more football, less fantasy football) and I'm excited to share some new links. Before I get to the links, a reminder that FF Librarian is up on facebook now - join me, become an FFL fan ! Wondering how you can bone up on your Giants trivia? Look no further than Cold, Hard Football Facts' Five facts only a Giants diehard would know . Also from Cold, Hard Football Facts (yes, I am drooling over this site and kicking myself for just finding it now) check out Power Rankings: Regular-season wrapup edition , where I learned among other things that "the [2007] league-wide pass completion rate of 61.2 percent was the best ever, topping the 59.8 percent of 2004 and 2006." The Football Professor has put together a S...

Yes, it's true football fans - we're looking at our first weekend without football since last summer. It was 4 degrees this morning when I walked out the door so summer seems like so, so long ago. It's just a tough time and we might all stunningly acquire new hobbies, skills, and interests. Or just keep checking fantasy sites religiously for new information that could possibly make us better drafters in 7 months. And if more information is what you want, then that is what you will get. So first, let's delve into some of the many SB articles that are cropping up. NFL.com's Expect a pressure-packed Super Bowl from Giants, Patriots includes the interesting little nugget that Brady "throws a touchdown for every 17 pressure calls and a completion of 20 yards or more for every nine blitz calls, so the Giants will be taking a significant risk when they opt to go after Brady." Meanwhile, "Manning was sacked during the season once every 10 pressure calls. He ...

Let's just take a moment here to reflect on how unfortunate it is that we won't be seeing the Packers in the Super Bowl. I'm sorry Giants fans, but I just really can't get my mind around the fact that the Giants are going to the Super Bowl this year. Not what I was expecting or hoping for really. So, much to my Colts-loving husband's dismay but my Pats-loving sister's delight, I will be pulling for the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Some football thoughts for you today: In case you missed either of the games yesterday and need a recap, check out the game blogs from The Fifth Down: Giants at Packers and Chargers at Patriots . Willie Parker should be just fine in time for training camp next season. The Chargers are overrun with MCL problems right now ; LT's doesn't seem serious but Rivers may need surgery, which would make his status for the start of next year a little uncertain. How early will Ryan Grant be drafted in FF leagues next year? Check out Greg...

For this weekend's FF Librarian's Challenge , I am having a tough time deciding which WR and TE duo to start. I can either go with Toomer and Watson OR Jennings and Boss. The latter offers me more flexibility for the Super Bowl (because I am banking on a Packers/Pats SB) but I am really fond of Jennings. So we'll see. Coin flip perhaps? So let's get to the daily dose of football links: NFL.com's Conference Championship Player Rankings - need I say more? Or perhaps you want more rankings to ponder - try Rotoworld's Conference Championship Ranks Now I feel badly for dissing Rivers yesterday - the dude is doubtful for the week with a partially torn ACL . And yet he still practiced today, so who knows. Some game previews for the Giants at Packers and Chargers at Patriots from Accuscore. I just spent 8+ minutes watching Michael Jackson perform Billie Jean on YouTube thanks to Fifth Down's Inside the Giants: Will Eli Watch 'Seinfeld' While Wearing Glove...

Are all of you Pats/Packers/Giants/Bolts fans out there getting psyched up for this weekend or what? I have to say that it’s a little sad to think about the football season dwindling down for the year. It’s tough. I won’t know what do with myself on Sundays – that could be a good thing, really, considering it is ski season in Colorado. FF Librarian now has a presence on Facebook - I'm excited about this and am hoping that those of you with Facebook profiles might check it out and possibly become a "fan" of Fantasy Football Librarian if you're so inclined. The page is a little different than the personal profiles that I'm used to, so I may be giving you erroneous information, but this link should take you to the FF Librarian page where I believe once you log in, you can become a fan. No pressure of course, just something to consider. Anyway, let’s get to some resources and thoughts for this weekend's games… This link was provided in a comment yesterday, ...

I realize my earlier post today wasn't exactly chock full o' football info, so here are a few more thoughts for you on the playoffs and the 2008 season: Want the latest news on this weekend’s championship games? Try Sports Grumblings’ Fantasy Grumblings: Playoff Buzz , which includes the interesting tidbit that “the Giants-Cowboys game drew the biggest national audience of any divisional contest in 11 years.” Wow, I’m impressed. Philip Rivers. I am not a fan - but that's probably partially due to the fact that I'm a chick who doesn't care for those who taunt my Broncos; but from a fantasy standpoint, I feel he was an utter disappointment this year. So I can guarantee his taunting ways and sub-par performance mean I won't be drafting him next season. Glad to see others are irritated by him, too . Call it self-congratulating or whatever, but I’d like to guide you all over to The Hazean’s Nine must-subscribe fantasy football feeds article . I’m honored to be on tha...

Time for your latest update on the FFLibrarian's Challenge through NFL.com. The new top 10 overall standings for our group of 92 is as follows: 50's Big Perms Black Juicers DUTCHMEN FFLibrarian (oh yeah!) The 1L Wonders Chop Block Champs Vick's Doggy Day Care Krafty's Kannibals fooseball Power & Speed The weekly top 10 has a lot of the same players but a few other notables for their performance this past week include: Fightin' Armadillos, Furman XC, and Wazzie's Warlords. And congrats to my buddy Sam and his Motor City Kitties team for getting out of the basement. Barely. In other news that is completely unrelated to football but really worthy of noting, our good friends had twin girls last night: welcome to the world, Paige and Sara! I think two little fantasy football fans were just born. More football-related links to come soon! tags: fantasy football , nfl , football , playoff fantasy football

Happy Tuesday! I've had a handful of you ask me when the standings for the FF Librarian's Challenge would be updated - and unfortunately I am not sure. I can't say I'm particularly pleased with the speed with which NFL.com is operating their playoffs challenge in terms of the stats updates, so we're all at the mercy of their slow system. Now you can at least see which players we all selected for the week, but we aren't accurately ranked by point totals. Patience, I guess. In the meantime, for those involved in the challenge, you are now able to set your lineups for this coming week - remember that only 4 players can be switched out. And next week only 2 players can be switched out. Personally, I have my eye on Toomer as a relatively good bargain for at least one more week. Check out NY Post's Amani Splendored Thing for the clever headline, Toomer info and quality journalism (full disclosure: the author of the article is my college roommate's fiance an...

Wow...neither of yesterday's playoff games had the outcome I was anticipating. I mean, the Colts didn't win?! Granted, I live with a massive Colts fan (who is now rather sullen over the state of the football season), but I just didn't really see that one coming. My husband called the Giants win (though that might be because of his love for all things Manning) and I'm sure the NY Post was thrilled to see their Fake Jessica have some success, but again...I didn't see that one coming. The FF Goat did though - nice work on that Giants pick, Goat. So my congrats to this weekend's winners and my condolences to the losers. Onto some other thoughts out there: The Hazean's Second-round playoff afterthoughts - an array of thoughts mostly centered on how this weekend's games might affect the 2008 fantasy status of various players. I also am really glad to see Michael point out the same question I had last night: why throw to Terry Glenn on 4 th down as your la...

Good morning and welcome to Day 2 of the Divisional Round of playoffs. I'm enjoying a strong cup of coffee and some Sunday NFL Countdown (interspersed with Meet the Press to be honest). And frankly, I'm pretty pleased with my final fantasy lineup for the week in the FF Librarian's Challenge : Tom Brady (28 points) Ryan Grant (34 points) Laurence Maroney (22 points) Reggie Wayne Wes Welker (12 points) Benjamin Watson (13 points) Josh Scobee (8 points) Dallas Cowboys So far I have 117 points, which is a vast improvement over last week's performance. That said, I have a lot of ground to gain and have put a lot of eggs in the Patriots basket and am hoping that will work out for me. I chose Benjamin Watson since the Jags have been so weak against TEs and that worked out really well, but I may do some rearranging with my TE to make room for another kicker before next week. To be determined. I hope the rest of you have also had success. Good luck! tags: fantasy football , ...

Hi football fans - the Divisional Round of the playoffs starts in a little over 24 hours and I think I finally have my team set for the FF Librarian's Challenge . I think . But I keep looking for more information to validate my decisions - and more information to help those of you who are just taking a look at your lineups now. Like my husband who just spent the past three days skiing in fresh powder up at Aspen while I was here at work. Not that I'm jealous or anything. So jumping right in...if you're looking for some game forecasting, previews or rankings, check out these resources: Fantasy Insider Online's NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round Preview - I was wavering between the Packers D (who carried me through the regular season in one league) and the Cowboys D - I think Matt has convinced me to go with the Cowboys. Accuscore has used their simulators to create a forecast for each of the games this weekend - take a look at them for some insight: SD at Colts , Jacksonvil...

I have now officially overhauled my playoffs lineup twice since my post yesterday. I've kept Brady but played around with just about every other position, second-guessing myself a lot. As a normally extremely decisive person, this wavering is driving me crazy. Anyone else in the same boat? Now several of you have pointed out before that sometimes too much information is a bad thing - but that won't stop me from posting (and reading) rankings and such for this weekend's games. So without further ado: FF Goat's Playoff Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet and Sleepers Week 2 ProFantasySports.com's Playoff rankings NFL.com's 2007 Fantasy postseason rankings (I've linked to Fabiano's rankings before but think it's worth revisiting often) At some point today, Sporting News will post their Divisional round player rankings so check back. ESPN's Berry: Player rankings for divisional playoffs Now for those who with long-term vision here who are looking for 2008...

Greetings! So I've set my preliminary lineup for Week 19 as part of the FF Librarian's Challenge with NFL.com and yes, I am putting over 1/3 of my units into acquiring Tom Brady (my Brady-loving sister is probably thrilled to hear this). Of the 300 units I have to spend, Brady is costing me 103. So now the rest depends on how well I can build a team with 197 units left, and let me tell you, I'm pretty pleased with what I have so far. It uses every single unit and I plan on dominating with this group of superstars. I'll post my lineup this weekend so I don't divulge my secrets to fellow competitors before game time. And there now 87 of us in the FF Librarian's Challenge, so thanks to everyone for the continued interest! In the meantime, there are FF 2008 articles cropping up all over the place. If you're still too tuned into the 2007 season to even think about FF in 2008, don't worry - I am going to repost/organize all of these 2008 articles once the reg...

For those 80 of you involved in the FF Librarian's Challenge on NFL.com with me, I thought you might want an update on how the standings look after Week One. If you are in the challenge and want to look at the full standings to see where you rank, just click on the Standings tab/link once you have logged in and you should be able to find yourself among all 81 of us. Sadly, I should report that I am deep in the middle of the pack at 42nd. It hurts. But I'm coming back this week, baby, so watch out. The rest of us should all be in awe of the FF Goat - I've known this for awhile, but if you haven't had a chance to experience the Goat yet, I strongly recommend you check out his blog Fantasy Football Goat . I mean the guy is in the lead here for a reason - he knows his stuff. The top 10 goes like this: FantasyFootballGoat.com JaredKS Vickless Bruno Boys Fantasy Football vator-x squad day old bannana pudin Fantasy Sports Matrix - Freddie Dancing Nancies Flaming Barracuda...

So thanks to a persuasive and knowledgeable visitor to this site, I was convinced into starting the San Diego D/ST this past week. I would have to say that turned out to be a very good thing. Now if only both Galloway and Gates hadn't injured themselves, my playoffs team might have had a decent showing. But instead, here was my lineup this past week, in the FF Librarian's Challenge , which gave me a rather mediocre 76 points: QB: David Garrard (12 points) RBs: Clinton Portis (7 points), Earnest Graham (14 points) WRs: Joey Galloway (goose egg), Santana Moss (12 points) TE: Antonio Gates (1 point) K: Josh Brown (11 points) D/ST: Chargers (19 points) When your kicker scores more than 3 of your other players, you know it has been a rough week. Here's to a better week in Week 19/Playoffs week 2. Observations from this past week's playoffs games from The Hazean's First-round playoff afterthoughts . Or try The Fifth Down's Trend-spotting in NFL, Playoffs Day 2 . Looki...

I've been impressed by the number of fantasy footballers that are getting into postseason FF this year - who knew so many people were eager to keep going? Already there are over 60 of us in the FF Librarian's Challenge via NFL.com. I thought that by the time the regular season ended and Week 18 rolled around you all might have eased off the fantasy train a bit. Not so. I say cheers to that and remind you all that if you DO want to get involved in playoff FF, that you need to do so before the games start Saturday afternoon. Check out my posts from yesterday and Wednesday for the bulk of the playoff fantasy football links that are out there, but read on for other thoughts as well. FF Geek Blog's Are you in a playoffs fantasy league? - these guys are partaking in CBS Sports' playoff challenge (CBS is also running the NFL.com challenge, I believe, hence why they sound so similar) and both Matt and Brandon offer up their lineups of choice for this first week of playoffs....

Yo. Greetings from a really quiet library - hard to imagine a rowdy library, I know, but this is even more quiet than usual. Students don't return for a few more weeks so it's quite empty in here, leaving me some time to think about the playoffs of course. Perhaps you're trying to determine which players to start in this week's playoff games? In addition to yesterday's links, here are a few more resources that might be of help: Fox Sports' Average Points Allowed - this accumulation of stats let's you look at each team's D to see how many fantasy points they give up by position. For example, the Tampa Bay D gives up a mere 11.63 fantasy points to QBs, which is nearly 4.5 less points than the NFL average. The Giants on the other hand, give up 16.78 fantasy points to QBs, or 0.68 more points than the average. Good stuff for those of you who enjoy perusing the stats. If you want to get basically this same info via ESPN, which also includes the actual averag...

I'm finally back at work after a long vacation and am slogging my way through my e-mail trying to catch up with everything that happened in the library world. But I of course have football on my mind - yesterday I posted a few tips/rankings for those playing playoff fantasy football and have a few more below. A few links to check out: FF Goat's latest post, Playoff Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet and Sleepers Fantasy Insider Online's Playoff Fantasy Football for '07 including the Top 25 Fantasy Players for the Playoffs ESPN's Gridiron Playoff Challenge: Wild-card week includes top fantasy matchups and sleepers The Hazean's Weekly Haze with playoffs links and keeper league thoughts Rotowire/NFL's Wild Card Round player rankings NFL.com's 2007 fantasy postseason rankings More tomorrow! And remember you can always get involved in the FF Librarian's Challenge through NFL.com's playoff FF. I'm currently trying to get my sister in on this challe...

The season isn't really over, friends. While one dude or chick in each of your leagues has bragging rights over their regular season victory for the next year, there are still a lot of things to think about in fantasy football land. First, playoff fantasy football is starting up and if you're interested in playing the NFL.com challenge, check out my post from Monday. Second, there's planning for the 2008 fantasy season that can be done. Yes, I'm serious. Take a look at some of the season review articles and start thinking about who you might want to draft in 2008. And third, the 2008 NFL draft is only a few months off... But in the meantime, if you're attempting to recapture what life is like sans fantasy football, perhaps you can relate to Mark St. Amant's post Fantasy Cold Turkey . Also, as a librarian, I can't help but love that Rotoworld's Gregg Rosenthal has a list of recent favorite football books that you may want to take a look at this year. I...