THE POWER RANK

Podcast: JJ Zachariason on fantasy football analytics

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On this episode of The Football Analytics Show, I’m joined by JJ Zachariason of FanDuel. He’s an expert at season long fantasy football, as he runs the numbers and produces content based on the analysis.

Among other topics, we discuss:

  • How he builds his models from team to players, and how this combines science and art (2:50)
  • Whether Lamar Jackson broke his strategy of drafting a QB in late rounds (10:51)
  • How to identify break out fantasy football stars (21:09)
  • Tips for your fantasy draft based on analytics (25:39)
  • With the rise of daily fantasy and sports betting, why JJ continues to focus on season long fantasy (30:36)

JJ does fantastic work, and I think you’ll enjoy this conversation whether you play season long fantasy football or not.

To listen here, click on the right pointing triangle.

To listen on Apple Podcasts, click here.

The Football Analytics Show is also available on Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher.

Podcast: Nik Bonaddio on fantasy football analytics and funding your company

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On this episode of The Football Analytics Show, Nik Bonaddio, the founder and CEO of numberFire, joins me. We had a wide ranging conversation on football analytics, venture capital and running.

The topics we discussed include:

  • The core idea behind how numberFire makes fantasy football projections for their 2017 Draft Kit
  • The details on why numberFire gives you a 30% better chance to win your fantasy football league
  • The type of companies that get venture capital funding
  • The sports book Nik has read at least 10 times
  • The insights on his personal blog

I really enjoyed the range of topics discussed with Nik, and we didn’t even get to talk about his high school design project Lockjaw.

I end the show with thoughts on the one thing that will go wrong for Alabama in 2017. These prediction segments will become a core part of the show.

To listen to this episode of The Football Analytics Show on iTunes, click here.

To listen on the site, click on the right facing triangle:

How to find a late round QB with value for fantasy football

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Screen Shot 2015-07-15 at 4.18.14 PMFantasy football is so random.

Your buddy Jones picks up some rookie running back late in the draft and runs off with the league championship. Who can predict such things?

Even with the difficulty of predicting rookie performance, that doesn’t stop the quants from trying. Joseph Juan over at Numberfire makes the argument for Tennessee rookie QB Marcus Mariota (assuming he signs a contract).

The quantitative argument is flimsy, as it relies on a comparison with one other player (Cam Newton). But the article is worth a read if you’re in a fantasy football league.

To read the article over on Numberfire, click here.