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2014 RSP and Post-Draft Update Now Available for Download (1 Viewer)

Matt Waldman

Footballguy
The 2014 RSP is now available download it here.

It's 1284 pages covering 164 prospects. You can view the running tally of players completed on this page.

Remember your purchase also entitles you to the free post-draft update (in publication since 2012), which is available for download with your purchased login a week after the NFL Draft. Fantasy owners love the Post-Draft edition and it's worth the cost of what you pay for the pre-draft publication:

  • Analysis and commentary on depth charts, team fit, and each player's long-term outlook.
  • Rankings overall, by position, and tiered for fantasy drafts.
  • Draft selection data for dynasty leagues, including ADP and my own value scores to help you use my rankings to maximize your draft value.
  • Overrated/Underrated players.
New to the RSP? Find out why it has a dedicated following and how the RSP gives back to the community. Past issues (2006-2013 are available for $9.95)

Simple? Hopefully. If you need help, contact me at mattwaldmanrsp@gmail.com. I can typically respond within 24 hours of your email.

Running Tally of 2014 Players.

Note - some will not make the 2014 publication because they aren't declaring early.

Note that some of the players on this list will not be eligible for this year's draft - for example, Todd Gurley. I'll be revising this list further to reflect who will make the publication as I get closer to April.

QBs (I like to wait until December/January to begin serious evaluation of this position)

  • Aaron Murray
  • A.J. McCarron
  • Blake Bortles
  • Chase Rettig
  • Derek Carr
  • Stephen Morris
  • Tajh Boyd
  • Teddy Bridgewater
RBs

  • Adam Muema
  • Alfred Blue
  • Andre Williams
  • Antonio Andrews
  • Beau Blankenship
  • Ben Malena
  • Bishop Sankey
  • Brandon Oliver
  • Carlos Hyde
  • Charles Ross
  • Charles Sims
  • Damien Williams
  • David Fluellen
  • De'Anthony Thomas (I also have a separate evaluation of Thomas as a receiver)
  • Devonta Freeman
  • Dri Archer
  • Fabian Truss
  • Fitzgerald Toussaint
  • Glasco Martin
  • Isaiah Crowell
  • Jalston Fowler
  • James Sims
  • James White
  • James Wilder, Jr.
  • Jeff Scott
  • Jeremy Hill
  • Jerick McKinnon
  • Jerome Smith
  • John Hubert
  • John Spooney
  • Ka'Deem Carey
  • Kapri Bibbs
  • Lache Seastrunk
  • LaDarius Perkins
  • Lorenzo Taliaferro
  • Malcolm Jones
  • Marion Grice
  • Melvin Gordon
  • Michael Dyer
  • Prince-Tyson Gulley
  • Rajion Neal
  • Roderick McDowell
  • Roy Finch
  • Shakir Bell
  • Silas Redd
  • Storm Johnson
  • Terrance West
  • Tim Cornett
  • Tim Flanders
  • Trey Watts
  • Tyler Gaffney
  • Venric Mark
  • Zach Zwinak
  • Zurlon Tipton
WRs

  • Albert Wilson
  • Alex Amidon
  • Alex Neutz
  • Allen Hurns
  • Allen Robinson
  • Andre Debose (Likely medical redshirt returning in 2014)
  • Antwan Goodley
  • Bernard Reedy
  • Brandin Cooks
  • Brandon Coleman
  • Brandon Wimberly
  • Charlie Moore
  • Chris Boyd
  • Cody Hoffman
  • Cody Latimer
  • D.J. Coles
  • Daryle Hawkins
  • Davante Adams
  • DeAndre White
  • De'Anthony Thomas (I also have a separate evaluation of Thomas as a running back)
  • Derel Walker
  • Devin Street
  • Devon Cajuste
  • Donte Moncrief
  • Drew Dileo
  • Erik Lora
  • Eric Thomas
  • Eric Ward
  • Francisco Llanos
  • Geraldo Boldejwin
  • Isaiah Burse
  • J.D. Falslev
  • Jalen Saunders
  • Ja-Mes Logan
  • Jared Abbrederis
  • Jarrod West
  • Jarvis Landry
  • Jaz Reynolds
  • Jeff Janis
  • Jeremy Gallon
  • Jordan Matthews
  • Josh Huff
  • Kasen Williams
  • Kelvin Benjamin
  • Kevin Norwood
  • Kevin Shaw
  • Kevin Smith
  • Kirby Moore
  • Kofi Hughes
  • L'Damien Washington
  • Malcome Kennedy
  • Marcus Lucas
  • Marqise Lee
  • Matt Hazel
  • Michael Campanero
  • Mike Davis
  • Mike Evans
  • Noel Grigsby
  • Odell Beckham, Jr.
  • Paul Richardson
  • Philly Brown
  • Quincy Enunwa
  • Rantavious Wooten
  • Rashad Greene
  • Robert Herron
  • Roman Wilson
  • Ryan Grant
  • Sammy Watkins
  • Seantavius Jones
  • Shaquelle Evans
  • T.J. Jones
  • Tevin Reese
  • Tracy Moore
  • Willie Snead
TEs

  • A.C. Leonard
  • Alex Bayer
  • Arthur Lynch
  • Austin Seferian-Jenkins
  • Cameron Brate
  • Chris Coyle
  • C.J. Fiedorowicz
  • Colt Lyerla
  • Crockett Gillmore
  • Eric Ebron
  • Gator Hoskins
  • Jace Amaro
  • Jacob Pedersen
  • Jake Murphy
  • Jake Sinkovec
  • Justin Jones
  • Kaneakua Friel
  • Richard Rodgers
  • Rob Blanchflower
  • Ted Bolser
  • Terrence Miller
 
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Matt....maybe this has been asked before...but do you ever plan on doing a scouting portfolio on (the top) college guys before they declare for the NFL? Developmental leagues seem to be gaining some steam (in 4 of them myself), and getting a feel for guys earlier than this would be gold.

Not sure if there would be enough interest in something like this for the time you'd need to commit, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

 
Doowain,

I wouldn't rule it out one day, but at the same time I wouldn't count on it happening for at least the next 3-4 years. I'd need to commit more time than I have. Another thing that might be next during that span is a limited set of evaluations of IDP prospects.

M

 
Is the RSP only for offensive players?

Yes - QB, RB, WR, and TE.

 
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Tyler Wilson. :thumbup:
That's your contribution?
I appreciate that MW puts a ton of effort into his analyses and final product. And, he might have already done this and I missed it, but ranking a Wilson as the highest rated QB last year, both pre and post draft, was a colossal miss. And it did not seem at all a product of being down on the class as a whole (e.g., so why not throw any random Joe to the top of the heap), the scouting profile was gushing over him. So, I am curious what might have gone awry in the evaluation process that will be tweaked or corrected this year, particularly given this year's rather interesting QB class.

 
Hey Cobalt_27,

After year one, I have missed on Wilson. My dynasty advice pre-draft was that if he and Ryan Tannehill were in the same draft, they would be neck-and-neck in perceived fantasy value and the most NFL-ready- QB with enough upside to be a fantasy factor as a quality starter (which I think most of us define as at worst, a QB7-QB14) or at worst, a valuable reserve for several years.

In my overview of the position I said that Manuel and Wilson were the two QBs I'd consider in the first round of a dynasty draft, but overall I recommended that folks focus on RBs and WRs because this class as a whole is not some continuation of a trend of great QB play to come based on the results from the top of the 2013 class. This was pre-draft.

So yes, if your league drafts before my post-draft comes out then telling a fantasy owner that a player you can now get on most waiver wires for (at least) the next six months was worth a late-first or second round dynasty pick was a miss on my part.

That said, your characterization of my report on Wilson as gushing and without context that stated anything about the quarterback class as not being as good as past classes is inaccurate.

Page 34 of the Post-Draft: "Quarterback is a late-round proposition" The only four passers I would consider drafting this year in the average size dynasty league are E.J. Manuel, Matt Barkley, Tyler Wilson, and Geno Smith. Manuel and Barkley are the two I think have actual value worth pursuing. I like Wilson and Smith's talent, but the situation is dicey and might be worth skipping."

Wilson was ranked 35th overall on my post-draft report and the third QB on the list, not the first. Not sure where you got your information that Wilson was my top-ranked QB post-draft and that I was gushing over him, but it wasn't the RSP-Post Draft.

As for why I missed on Wilson? There's a few ways to go here. If I answer the question on your perception that it's a "colossal miss" there's not much of a standard for me to understand as to why it was a colossal miss. I can only guess:

a) Is the expectation that the top ranked guy on a list is supposed to carry more weight than everyone else on the list?

b) Is one year all the time one needs to judge how a player's career unfolds?

c) Is the fact that a team cut him after selecting him in the mid-rounds enough to make a judgment?

I'd say

a) Yes, the weight of who you rank first is often going to carry more weight for readers than who you rank 4th.

b) Based on the careers of quarterbacks that include Warner, Favre, Brady, Bulger, Romo, and Brees, I'm thinking the idea that Wilson getting ranked No.1 may still be a big miss, but the judgment that it is after one year could also turn out to be a colossally rash snap to judgment.

c) The fact that Oakland took Wilson and cut him and Tennessee has him tells me there's still some time to regard Wilson's career with some patience - especially given the QB's above and the teams that passed over them.

I tend to wait a few years before I make a judgement on how I fared with a player. Does my evaluation of Wilson negate my positive views on Russell Wilson, Jay Cutler over Young/Leinart, Stafford over Sanchez, etc? Or do misses on Wilson and John Beck mean my information is just bad?

There are folks who say I had a colossal miss with Knowshown Moreno and Ryan Mathews. There were probably folks who said I missed on Steve Slaton after his strong rookie year or Marshawn Lynch after he struggled post-rookie year for a few years.

Scouting is a craft. There are folks who say it can be a science. One day it will have more science to it. I have a colleague who does analytics and scouting for the NFL and has been in scouting for multiple NFL teams who has said publicly that my approach is more detailed and more sound than most NFL scouting departments.

He's a trained statistician. He wants to bring analytics to the NFL. He still says that there will always be a need for observational based/non-numerical data and even intuition in scouting.

I say this because I recognize the desire for folks to see some sort of "how does one grade or evaluate how someone evaluates talent or grades the draft?" Do you look at one year, two, three, five? Do you grade rankings or how a player is assessed in the analysis?

As for things I'm monitoring over the next few years with Wilson in regard to QBs as well as QB criteria in general:

a) Is hand size really a big deal? Wilson did have smaller hands and did his go under a baseline that I need to consider?

b) Was his recklessness an issue that showed up too early in practice?

c) Did he really have issues with the playbook? I've talked with a scout who has shared with me that some stories like these are bogus and an excuse. They also have analytics groups come up with positive stories to feed to major media to prop up a player they don't feel confident in but want to give that player some confidence.

d) Will we learn there's an off-field issue associated with Wilson that I would not have known about.

e) I'm studying criteria to add to my checklists like anticipation/timing on certain routes as well as placement being a separate sub category of accuracy. Splitting out footwork on drops into subcategories.

f) I'm considering some knock-out data that raise red flags even if the overall scores are high.

So yes, pre-draft's view of Wilson was high and probably messed some folks up if they draft before the NFL draft. But you were wrong about my take on Post-Draft.

Thanks and hope that helps.

Matt

Team fit is always a big factor.

 
For what it's worth, Wilson got picked up by Tennessee, where Locker's long term hold on the position is sketchy at best. I'd say Wilson in this environment is worth a speculative pick up. :2cents:

I've heard great things about the RSP, and plan to get it for the first time this year. Thanks for your feedback Matt on your process. I'm looking forward to reading all your analysis. :coffee:

 
Hey Cobalt_27,

After year one, I have missed on Wilson. My dynasty advice pre-draft was that if he and Ryan Tannehill were in the same draft, they would be neck-and-neck in perceived fantasy value and the most NFL-ready- QB with enough upside to be a fantasy factor as a quality starter (which I think most of us define as at worst, a QB7-QB14) or at worst, a valuable reserve for several years.

In my overview of the position I said that Manuel and Wilson were the two QBs I'd consider in the first round of a dynasty draft, but overall I recommended that folks focus on RBs and WRs because this class as a whole is not some continuation of a trend of great QB play to come based on the results from the top of the 2013 class. This was pre-draft.

So yes, if your league drafts before my post-draft comes out then telling a fantasy owner that a player you can now get on most waiver wires for (at least) the next six months was worth a late-first or second round dynasty pick was a miss on my part.

That said, your characterization of my report on Wilson as gushing and without context that stated anything about the quarterback class as not being as good as past classes is inaccurate.

Page 34 of the Post-Draft: "Quarterback is a late-round proposition" The only four passers I would consider drafting this year in the average size dynasty league are E.J. Manuel, Matt Barkley, Tyler Wilson, and Geno Smith. Manuel and Barkley are the two I think have actual value worth pursuing. I like Wilson and Smith's talent, but the situation is dicey and might be worth skipping."

Wilson was ranked 35th overall on my post-draft report and the third QB on the list, not the first. Not sure where you got your information that Wilson was my top-ranked QB post-draft and that I was gushing over him, but it wasn't the RSP-Post Draft.

As for why I missed on Wilson? There's a few ways to go here. If I answer the question on your perception that it's a "colossal miss" there's not much of a standard for me to understand as to why it was a colossal miss. I can only guess:

a) Is the expectation that the top ranked guy on a list is supposed to carry more weight than everyone else on the list?

b) Is one year all the time one needs to judge how a player's career unfolds?

c) Is the fact that a team cut him after selecting him in the mid-rounds enough to make a judgment?

I'd say

a) Yes, the weight of who you rank first is often going to carry more weight for readers than who you rank 4th.

b) Based on the careers of quarterbacks that include Warner, Favre, Brady, Bulger, Romo, and Brees, I'm thinking the idea that Wilson getting ranked No.1 may still be a big miss, but the judgment that it is after one year could also turn out to be a colossally rash snap to judgment.

c) The fact that Oakland took Wilson and cut him and Tennessee has him tells me there's still some time to regard Wilson's career with some patience - especially given the QB's above and the teams that passed over them.

I tend to wait a few years before I make a judgement on how I fared with a player. Does my evaluation of Wilson negate my positive views on Russell Wilson, Jay Cutler over Young/Leinart, Stafford over Sanchez, etc? Or do misses on Wilson and John Beck mean my information is just bad?

There are folks who say I had a colossal miss with Knowshown Moreno and Ryan Mathews. There were probably folks who said I missed on Steve Slaton after his strong rookie year or Marshawn Lynch after he struggled post-rookie year for a few years.

Scouting is a craft. There are folks who say it can be a science. One day it will have more science to it. I have a colleague who does analytics and scouting for the NFL and has been in scouting for multiple NFL teams who has said publicly that my approach is more detailed and more sound than most NFL scouting departments.

He's a trained statistician. He wants to bring analytics to the NFL. He still says that there will always be a need for observational based/non-numerical data and even intuition in scouting.

I say this because I recognize the desire for folks to see some sort of "how does one grade or evaluate how someone evaluates talent or grades the draft?" Do you look at one year, two, three, five? Do you grade rankings or how a player is assessed in the analysis?

As for things I'm monitoring over the next few years with Wilson in regard to QBs as well as QB criteria in general:

a) Is hand size really a big deal? Wilson did have smaller hands and did his go under a baseline that I need to consider?

b) Was his recklessness an issue that showed up too early in practice?

c) Did he really have issues with the playbook? I've talked with a scout who has shared with me that some stories like these are bogus and an excuse. They also have analytics groups come up with positive stories to feed to major media to prop up a player they don't feel confident in but want to give that player some confidence.

d) Will we learn there's an off-field issue associated with Wilson that I would not have known about.

e) I'm studying criteria to add to my checklists like anticipation/timing on certain routes as well as placement being a separate sub category of accuracy. Splitting out footwork on drops into subcategories.

f) I'm considering some knock-out data that raise red flags even if the overall scores are high.

So yes, pre-draft's view of Wilson was high and probably messed some folks up if they draft before the NFL draft. But you were wrong about my take on Post-Draft.

Thanks and hope that helps.

Matt

Team fit is always a big factor.
Thank you. If I was wrong on your post-draft ranking, my bad. I either misrembered or confused your pre- and post-draft rankings.

FWIW, I don't put a lot of stock in overall rankings that group QB, RB, WR together because they are typically catering to leagues clinging to old traditions of under-valuing the QB position and heavily over-valuing RBs. The fact that he was ranked 35th overall likely assumes a number of factors, not the least of which is a general bias toward ranking RB and WR higher anyway, given the current zeitgeist of most leagues.

Regardless, appreciate hearing your process/thinking on this and hope he becomes an instructive case on how to refine variables and weight characteristics, measurable and otherwise.

 
does the portfolio give me a better outlook at these rookies from a fantasy perspective. Im just wondering if its the guide to help me draft better in my dynasty rookie draft?

 
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Hey Fantasy Chef....

Yes it does. I provide a pre-draft that comes out April 1 and with that purchase, you get my post-draft rankings. The post draft also includes mock draft info, rankings based on NFL Draft selection, and rankings across all positions in a cheat sheet form with tiers. The post draft is free with purchase of the pre-draft. The post-draft is published a week after the NFL Draft.

Here's how I explain the difference between pre-draft and post draft rankings and why I do two sets:

[SIZE=8pt]The Difference Between Pre-Draft And Post-Draft Rankings[/SIZE]

[SIZE=8pt]In most cases, I prefer the pre-draft rankings. They may lack the context of the NFL Draft, but they are the most pure assessment of talent I provide. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=8pt]A player I rank in my top-12 at a position can go undrafted, earn limited reps at the rear of the depth chart, get cut, and bounce around the league for two years before he lands on a team that recognizes his talent and gives him a real shot. The player I just described is Lions running back Joique Bell. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=8pt]The Pre-Draft RSP rankings do not account for character or projected round. The NFL Draft is as much an exercise of risk management and investing as it is talent assessment. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=8pt]The pre-draft rankings are free of those biases. It makes this publication a worthwhile reference in future seasons for players who find new homes, better scheme fits, and gain maturity that teams worried might never come. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=8pt]As much as I favor the pre-draft process, post-draft rankings provide the clearest picture of the way teams see these players and the immediate opportunities they will earn. The post-draft rankings will account for the largest percentage of prospects and how their careers will play out. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=8pt]However, the pre-draft rankings provides a safety net when the NFL over or underestimate talent and fit. Not only does this happen more than one may realize, but it also gives the reader to capitalize on these exceptional cases. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=8pt]Conventionality may prevent colossal failure, but exceptionality is the key to massive success. The rankings and information in each publication is designed to account for both dynamics as they unfold in football. [/SIZE]

 
Matt your work has great reviews and seems to be exactly what I'm looking for. I signed up .....now when I'm logged in is there anything on the site that will give me insight into the draft class before April first? I'm anxious

 
Matt your work has great reviews and seems to be exactly what I'm looking for. I signed up .....now when I'm logged in is there anything on the site that will give me insight into the draft class before April first? I'm anxious
You bet - follow my blog and this is the kind of coverage you get throughout the year.

 
You certainly didn't oversell the enormity of this thing. Wow. This will keep me busy for a while. :thumbup:

 
Been reading all day long and still at it - go GET this if you are a serious dynasty fantasy owner! Great stuff and worth the time to read and absorb all the detailed information therein!

MW

 
Tough to see all my impressions and assumptions about these rookies be so thoroughly challenged and shaken up by the RSP. Then again, that's exactly why I buy it.

 
Can someone provide some insight on this for me? I'm not a book guy and seeing 1284 pages makes me shudder. I struggle getting through a 200 page book on vacation without getting bored. I could read a million 1 page articles though.

Is this broken down in a way that is easy to read in 10-15 min intervals? Or is this the type of thing that you really need to spend 30+ mins to get through a "section"?

I really wish he made the really old ones available for free since they are basically useless right now. Could give me a chance to try it before I buy it.

 
Can someone provide some insight on this for me? I'm not a book guy and seeing 1284 pages makes me shudder. I struggle getting through a 200 page book on vacation without getting bored. I could read a million 1 page articles though.

Is this broken down in a way that is easy to read in 10-15 min intervals? Or is this the type of thing that you really need to spend 30+ mins to get through a "section"?

I really wish he made the really old ones available for free since they are basically useless right now. Could give me a chance to try it before I buy it.
Steve, I think in reality it is more like a 200 page magazine/book. The last 1,000 pages or so are the actual scouting reports of specific players and games with about 6 pages per player of very detailed scouting. Unless you are really, really interested in a specific player, I don't think you would really want to read much of the last 1,000 pages. The scouting grades and overall scouting reports are in the first 200 pages. Each of the draft able guys at every skill position gets a 1-3 page writeup that you could read 1 at a time, which sounds like what you are probably looking for.

It is also broken out by position, so like 50 pages on QBs, 60 on RBs, etc. that are very manageable to read in one or two long sittings each.

 
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I'll also add that I am a first time purchaser. I'd been kind of leery of it because I felt like people relied too much on it vs. where a guy was taken in the actual NFL draft. It wasn't until I saw Waldman in the video version of the audible that I decided to give it a try. He looked like he was either a letter bomber or the type of guy who would be able to pull off a really deep dive into skill position scouting (80% joking, 20% serious).

I've been reading it the last couple days and I am beyond impressed. It's just really, really well done. Great combination of super in-depth info and easily readable/browseable type info. As someone who is kind of anal about grammar and writing, I am also really impressed with how well written and edited it is. Just highly professional. And the style of the scouting reports gives you both Matt's personal opinion on each guy and enough info for you to come to more of an informed personal opinion that may differ from his.

I'd been kind of on the fence and passed on getting it the last couple years, but I am really glad I made the decision to buy it this year. I'd definitely highly recommend it to anyone who is into dynasty leagues and/or the NFL draft.

 
bengal is correct... in that it's about 1000 pages of 'data' (where you can go see Matt's work/game notes on each player), but mostly you'll reference the Ranking Tables and read and re-read the 1/2- 3/4 page writeups on each player.

If you are a scout in training, you might find yourself wrapped up in the prefaces/glossaries, and game notes.

The RSP is grouped by position (QB, RB, WR, TE)...each:

1. Starts with a preface for each section explaining the terms and parameters that he uses (you don't have to read this if you don't want) and giving some historical information about Rookie RB performances, etc. You can skim that background stuff to get a bit of perspective.

2. Next in each section are some over/underrated lists for that position.

3. Then are about 1/2- 3/4 page writeup on each prospect in the order he ranks them. So, normally about 20-25 pages about WRs for instance, with details of strengths, weaknesses, best fit, etc.

4. Final part of each section are the rankings tables, which list the prospect's size and combine times, and has comments about why they are in their rankings. There's a separate table to show 'NFL comparisons' and another for ceiling for each player. So, if you are looking for straight up rankings, just go there.

5. After he gets thru QB, RB, WR, TE, you will find the 1000 or so pages of his 'work' at the back of the document. All the game notes. Over the years, I've read a few of those when I wanted to understand what he was seeing that was special (or limited) about a specific prospect based on his game notes.

For me, I jump immediately to the rankings tables to see how he lines up prospects I've ranked myself (or just read about). Then I dig into the 1/2 page writeups on prospects I am interested in. I rarely re-read all the prefaces and term glossary stuff, since I am pretty comfortable with the terms he uses ('vision', 'elusiveness'...etc.)

So what you have is a big PDF, where you might print out 40 or so pages of player writeups and tables to highlight and review from now til August drafts. Then keep the PDF to use for reference in years to come. I look at the old ones a few times a year when a player 'breaks out' to learn more about them at the time of their draft.

By the way, that's just the PRE-Draft RSP. A couple of weeks after the draft, Matt sends a new document, the Post-RSP which does a reshuffling of the rankings, taking into account where they were drafted, team fit, and depth charts. That's especially helpful for re-draft Fantasy Football, but might help you break some ties in dynasty by bumping guys up/down depending on fit. Those rankings are a vertical ranking, across positions (pre-draft RSP is ranked within position only).

 
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I really wish he made the really old ones available for free since they are basically useless right now. Could give me a chance to try it before I buy it.
I bought last years at a discount to gauge whether I wanted to purchase this years. Very impressed with both. Amazing level of detail. Agree that in a vacuum, really flipped my perception on some 2014 incoming rookies.

While free anything is nice, I disagree that the older RSP's are basically useless. Unless you are in a no trading dynasty league.

 
He looked like he was either a letter bomber or the type of guy who would be able to pull off a really deep dive into skill position scouting (80% joking, 20% serious).
LOL. Nice one. :D

 
I really wish he made the really old ones available for free since they are basically useless right now. Could give me a chance to try it before I buy it.
I bought last years at a discount to gauge whether I wanted to purchase this years. Very impressed with both. Amazing level of detail. Agree that in a vacuum, really flipped my perception on some 2014 incoming rookies.

While free anything is nice, I disagree that the older RSP's are basically useless. Unless you are in a no trading dynasty league.
I agree that the ones from the past 2-3 years are still relevant, especially when it comes to players that are still lower on the depth chart, but he's still selling the one from 2006. Has anyone honestly bought that in the past 5 years? If not, at least part of it should be available for free as a sample. Even if it just showcased 1 player in each "section". Anyways, not trying to complain or bring this down, just offering a suggestion of what might help get more sales from people, including me.

 
I'll also add that I am a first time purchaser. I'd been kind of leery of it because I felt like people relied too much on it vs. where a guy was taken in the actual NFL draft. It wasn't until I saw Waldman in the video version of the audible that I decided to give it a try. He looked like he was either a letter bomber or the type of guy who would be able to pull off a really deep dive into skill position scouting (80% joking, 20% serious).

I've been reading it the last couple days and I am beyond impressed. It's just really, really well done. Great combination of super in-depth info and easily readable/browseable type info. As someone who is kind of anal about grammar and writing, I am also really impressed with how well written and edited it is. Just highly professional. And the style of the scouting reports gives you both Matt's personal opinion on each guy and enough info for you to come to more of an informed personal opinion that may differ from his.

I'd been kind of on the fence and passed on getting it the last couple years, but I am really glad I made the decision to buy it this year. I'd definitely highly recommend it to anyone who is into dynasty leagues and/or the NFL draft.
I've bought the RSP seven years running now, and I still feel this way too. Its pretty amazing to be able to tap into the insane volume of time Waldman has spent breaking down players, and to be able to do it for the cost of a cheap bottle of whisky. That said, I do have one small issue with it, but I'll raise that question in a separate post below.

 
Hey, Matt... hope you can respond to this one question I have regarding the RSP. I think I've raised it in years past, but it strikes me as especially pertinent this year as you're covering more prospects that ever in the 2014 RSP.

I keep finding myself wishing that you would include fewer players in the RSP and dedicate the hours saved to watching more games for the players you do include. The sheets in the back of the RSP where you 'show your work' are amazingly detailed, but I can't help thinking it would be more useful to the average dynasty team owner if, for example, you watched and charted six of Donte Moncrief's games instead of just two. And this is the case with so many prospects... Jordan Matthews (3 games charted), Allen Robinson (3), Davante Adams (2), and so on. Is two or three games really enough to get a comprehensive sense of a player and their capabilities? Do you think your opinion of a player would be different if you watched more games, or even if you watched different games than the ones you did? Or is it the case that you are watching more games, but only using the checklist on a few?

This year you've covered over 18 QBs, 45 RBs, 65 WRs, and 20 TEs (I think the actual total is over 150 players) in the RSP... an average dynasty rookie draft might be something like five rounds with 12 teams, 60 players or so. Even if you're in some crazy league with a ton of teams and huge rosters, 150 rookies seems like it might be excessive. I imagine you keep increasing the scope of players covered to increase the odds of unearthing some unknown gem, but how productive does that really turn out to be? Would you consider trimming the list of players covered to something like 100-120 prospects by omitting players who don't pass a quick eyeball test and dedicating the saved time to the consensus top prospects or players that stand out to you as particularly promising sleepers? I love the RSP and really appreciate the vast amount of time, energy, and passion that you put into it, and I'll buy it as long as you produce it, but I can't help but feel that it might be even greater if you went deeper into a more select group of prospects.

I may be in the minority on this, but those are my thoughts. Either way, I love the work you do with the RSP and thanks for sharing it with all of us.

 
Hey Plastik,

I generally watch 5-7 games per player, but only chart 2-4. I do the thorough charting first. Then I go back and watch the other games to spot-check anything I haven't seen from charting. I'll try to note this in the game details for those interested.

I'll say this--a vast majority of the time, 1-2 games is more than enough because of the way I watch the games and grade players.

To give you a little more info that might supply more context to the above, I'm careful about how I grow the RSP. I've had offers go about this all in ways different from what I'm doing. The promise of course is to make more money/bigger audience/etc.

I'm not against getting a bigger audience, but I'm not overstepping my resources to achieve it for a quick buck. I'm making incremental improvements to the process over time. The editing improved this year (although it will always be a challenge due to writing nearly 300 pages in 30 days - at my day job, we have 6-7 months to write and edit a 68-page magazine) and I anticipate this process will get easier too.

While I've added more players to the publication compared to the early years, I have found that 1-2 games with a detailed process does the trick and that spot-checking for consistency to those grades with other games is helpful.

When I decide to make a major change to the RSP, I want to do it the way I think it should look. I purposely made the look and feel have an "underground/manifesto" appearance because I knew I wouldn't have the money to devote to a slicker look. Also, I've seen some online publications that look like the equivalent of glamor shots rather than high-end professional photography. I'd rather have the RSP be content heavy and plain Jane than f-ugly with sequins and a feather boa tied around it.

And Bengalbuck, I look and (and sometimes) feel like how you characterized me by March of every season. ;)

 
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I think someone should give bengalbuck a donut (or some bacon, i'm Canadian...), 'cause his post just made me buy the RSP, which i was considering passing on this year.

What was I thinking?

Really excited to get reading!

 
Can we buy individual evaluations? I am only interested in a few of the QB evaluations.

 
OK, well I'll probably buy the whole thing just because I think the Knockout piece you did on Garappolo is really sharp.

 
Hey Plastik,

I generally watch 5-7 games per player, but only chart 2-4. I do the thorough charting first. Then I go back and watch the other games to spot-check anything I haven't seen from charting. I'll try to note this in the game details for those interested.
Great to hear, and that's about the best scenario of answers to my question. Thanks for your reply.

 
Matt,

Just curious about Tom Savage. He isn't in the RSP - does this mean you don't think he's top 18, or that you didn't choose him for thorough study. If the latter, can you share any thoughts you have on him? Thanks.

 
I think someone should give bengalbuck a donut (or some bacon, i'm Canadian...), 'cause his post just made me buy the RSP, which i was considering passing on this year.

What was I thinking?

Really excited to get reading!
Ha, nice. Hope you like it.

I think it's also a great way to support the site. I listen to the audible pretty regularly and read this message board a decent amount. Both free but things I value.

 
Trying to purchase the RSP today and Waldman's site seems to be down....

edit: I was able to download the RSP later this day. Thanks for another fantastic publication Matt. I had avoided purchasing the RSP the last few years but felt I needed to get it again this year. I am blown away by the amount of work you put into this project. Well worth the price of admission. It'll take me weeks.....right up until the NFL Draft.....to read it all. Thanks again Matt, you da man!

 
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Bishman said:
Matt, does the RSP help at all for redraft leagues?
I purchased it (and I was skeptical before as you can see above) so I'll comment on this. I feel like the post-draft part that is included in the price, but doesn't come out until 1 week after the draft will be the most useful for redraft leagues. You will get some value out of the predraft part, but its geared more towards the players raw talent and ability to translate into the NFL at some point in their career. If one of his top ranked players lands in a spot behind an elite veteran, it could take a few years for him to become relevant. Therefore he would be a great dynasty asset, but not for redraft.

Check out this preview of last years post draft RSP for reference to see if it will be valuable to you: http://mattwaldmanrsp.com/2014/04/11/2014-rsp-post-draft-video-tour/

Even though I did well in most of my leagues last year, I did miss on a good amount of the rookies because I knew nothing about them. I feel like having the raw knowledge about a player (pre draft RSP) then it will be easier to evaluate a players value after the NFL draft. Then compare my knowledge with what he thinks in the post draft RSP. Those combined should give you a good feel for where to draft the rookies.

That being said, how many rookies played a big role in redraft last year? Enough to be worth $20? That's up to you.

 
Bishman said:
Matt, does the RSP help at all for redraft leagues?
That being said, how many rookies played a big role in redraft last year? Enough to be worth $20? That's up to you.
In redraft, I took his top ranked rookies (based on the post-draft RSP), a couple in mid-rounds (Lacy, Gio) and a couple very late (Corderelle, Keenan Allen). It helped me quite a bit.

 
Bought the RSP a few weeks ago and really like it. I've been skipping through the overall position write ups and charts and going right to the game notes. After, I go back and look at the player write up in the rankings then use draftbreakdown.com to watch video on the players and try to see the skills and flaws that were in the notes. Great tool to assist personal analysis and break downs and a perfect bench mark for my rankings too since those game notes are left in.

I use this for dynasty (or FF in general) reasons but the main reason I will continue to get it is to just feed my football addiction. This time of year it's difficult to find opinions based on game film instead on rumours and other non sense. Great job.

 

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