Draft Magazines (1 Viewer)

[Thoriniii]

I did search for recent threads on draft magazines, but did not see any dedicated threads in the first for pages of the search results.

I was wondering which draft magazines have quality information. Of course FBG is at the top of my list, but I like to have at least two sources so as not to be terribly biased.

I have used Grogan's mag once. I liked the tiered rankings, and Grogan's allows access to updated rankings on thier website, once you have purchased the magazine. Well, you do not actually have to purchase it, but I will not share information they lead to the corruption of others. It is easy enough to figure out on your own.

I do not like Sporting News or ESPN draft issues at all. I think that each of them tries to outsmart themselves, and I bought into it one too many times (once is too many times). While I like USA Today's Sports Weekly, the information is usually somewhat old and I use it for general confirmation of questions I have from other sources.

Does anyone else have any opinions on the Grogan's publication in particular?

 

[JohnnyU]

My advice is to not throw your money away on draft magazines. Hell, you probably know more than they do. FBG and your own opinions and projections is all you will ever need.

 

[GRIDIRON ASSASSIN]

Fantasy Football Pro Forecast is the best, hands down.

FF Index is the most overrated.

 

[RowdyDude]

I agree with most here until you get past the top 50 you are most likely to have as much insight as everyone else. I have been looking for coaches stats. With all the coaching changes i am courious as to how this will effect the player stats.

Will Horn and stallworth be utilized as much with the payton system?

Will Jeuron in Buff pound the ball with willis ? what does that do to lee?

What about STL ? more running ? less long passes?

Whats the gameplan in Minn?

The coaches tendecies should impact these and other player.

Rowdy

 

[Chaz]

I buy Fantasy Football Index every year. I've recently started buying one by Pro Football Weekly too. And, of course, the FBGuys mag.

The magazine haters can save it. If someone buys a newspaper, the information is outdated too, given the internet. To me, spending $20 or so on some mags is the same as blowing cash on a $4 Starbucks coffee, a Maxim, a quality beer, whatever.

 

[There it is]

Fantasy Football Pro Forecast is the best, hands down.

FF Index is the most overrated.

Grid and I agree on this every year.Fantasy Football Pro Forecast

 

[Bri]

always buy Lindy's. It might not be the best but it hooks me in every year.

FBG will always make me curious too and I'll buy that. Don't udnerstand how some regular here could not feel the same but....

 

[PennState-JD]

somehow bringing the laptop with wireless into the throne seems a little overkill, so there will always be a place for the mags even if for mindless entertainment.

I like FFI the most, but I haven't gotten the FBG mag yet (this year will be the first)

 

[Bri]

somehow bringing the laptop with wireless into the throne seems a little overkill,

I've never considerred that either

 

[Bob_Magaw]

i value index (distant second from FBG strategy guide) because even if i don't agree with them, they cite REASONS for their opinions/beliefs... they unearth some cool stats, trends, patterns, have command of not only recent happenings but deeper historical & positional trends... which can then be reinterpreted & lead me to different conclusions, but it is nice to have additional grist for the mill... we never think in a vacuum... it is nice to have additional thoughts to THINK WITH... even if they lead in different direction...

one reason i like pro football weekly & sporting news team reports... so i can make my own judgements & form my own conclusions with some of best information available (again, with FBG)...

my third favorite mag is hansen's fantasy guru publication, which is imo well done & he has some substantive features like getting opinions from 32 prominent local & regional beat writers, interviews with leading players, had an injury-based article from authoritative medical perspective, includes rookie material by repected scout (tony pauline, i think?), etc...

 

[nittanylion]

Does anyone remember Cliff Charpentier's Fantasy Football Digest?

Stroll down memory lane...

I bought my first one in the early 90's...pretty sure the last one was printed in 2001...IIRC, he tried doing a mag to go along with the book, and I'm not sure it went over like gangbusters, but ol' Cliffy was IT for us old-timers back in the late 80's-early 90's, in terms of a fantasy-dedicated resource...

His yearly Fantasy Football Digest was more like a softcover book than a magazine...one of the greatest reads was his previous season review, where straight from the predraft prep through the end of his season, playoffs or no, he gave you a weekly recap of team, ww decisions and trades, etc of how his season progressed. Funny thing was, after reading this for a few years, you really got to know everyone else in the League he played in, as well...who his rivals were, and why, how they drafted, etc...I always looked forward to buying 'uncle cliffie's' book in the late summer, once I'd found it...

...he started putting out newsletters and cheatsheets in the mid-90's that you could mail order, which provided a post-book supplement, which progressively led up to the start of the NFL Season. Never saw projections per se, but these evolved into a 1st, 2nd and 3rd release as the season grew closer, with training camp reports, team updates, updated rankings and depth charts for basic, performance and 'combined' scoring method Leagues, the rules and parameters he went to great lengths to describe in his books each year. Got into merchandising for a while too, with Commish and Player League and Franchise Organizer notebooks, etc...way ahead of his time, at the time, I'm pretty sure...

Alas, I'm also pretty sure that when the rest of the industry caught up to Cliff, he might have been the dinosaur that went the way of Darwin, but back in the days of 'USA TODAY and a pencil Mondays', Cliff was pretty much an icon...

GB Cliff

Although relegated to bathroom and treadmill reading, I still buy TSN and PFW's mags and 'newsprint' supplements for posterity's sake more than anything else, but the one mag that I think really has the best organizational setup is simply called: Fantasy League Football...

...I was just thumbing through back issues and in 2005, among the list of contributing writers, I found the name of our very own...

...Cecil Lammey! Even neater was thumbing through the '04 issue and seeing the name of a guy, who, if I'm not mistaken, I met through the boards here and sold Redskins tix to...I think he posts pretty regularly in the Redskins threads. I never knew...

Now, of course, nothing beats the internet, and the boards and info available here, and at other sites, for sheer volume, and timeliness. FBG's mag is still relatively new to the mag industry (and the first effort was outstanding), and I'm sure will continue to progress and improve. I'm looking forward to the 2006 version for exactly that reason...

...Not meant in a negative way, but if I were to be forced to buy only one mag, Fantasy League Football would probably be it...from an organizational standpoint, I don't think you can find anything better on the shelves, and it's an excellent resource, from that organizational standpoint, to compare others against...

 

[Grace Under Pressure]

Does anyone remember Cliff Charpentier's Fantasy Football Digest?

Stroll down memory lane...

I bought my first one in the early 90's...pretty sure the last one was printed in 2001...IIRC, he tried doing a mag to go along with the book, and I'm not sure it went over like gangbusters, but ol' Cliffy was IT for us old-timers back in the late 80's-early 90's, in terms of a fantasy-dedicated resource...

His yearly Fantasy Football Digest was more like a softcover book than a magazine...one of the greatest reads was his previous season review, where straight from the predraft prep through the end of his season, playoffs or no, he gave you a weekly recap of team, ww decisions and trades, etc of how his season progressed. Funny thing was, after reading this for a few years, you really got to know everyone else in the League he played in, as well...who his rivals were, and why, how they drafted, etc...I always looked forward to buying 'uncle cliffie's' book in the late summer, once I'd found it...

...he started putting out newsletters and cheatsheets in the mid-90's that you could mail order, which provided a post-book supplement, which progressively led up to the start of the NFL Season. Never saw projections per se, but these evolved into a 1st, 2nd and 3rd release as the season grew closer, with training camp reports, team updates, updated rankings and depth charts for basic, performance and 'combined' scoring method Leagues, the rules and parameters he went to great lengths to describe in his books each year. Got into merchandising for a while too, with Commish and Player League and Franchise Organizer notebooks, etc...way ahead of his time, at the time, I'm pretty sure...

Alas, I'm also pretty sure that when the rest of the industry caught up to Cliff, he might have been the dinosaur that went the way of Darwin, but back in the days of 'USA TODAY and a pencil Mondays', Cliff was pretty much an icon...

GB Cliff

GB Cliff Charpentier. His book was our league bible in the early 90's.Ordered the FBG mag for the first time this year. I've done FF Index for many years, but the Tatum Bell debacle kind of has me wondering about them.

 

[kylechoffman]

I buy Fantasy Football Index every year. I've recently started buying one by Pro Football Weekly too. And, of course, the FBGuys mag.

The magazine haters can save it. If someone buys a newspaper, the information is outdated too, given the internet. To me, spending $20 or so on some mags is the same as blowing cash on a $4 Starbucks coffee, a Maxim, a quality beer, whatever.

Spending Money on quality beer is not the same as blowing money on old information. That being said, the FF magazines that are heading to print now provide a good read at the beach or on the ####ter.

 

[crimsonrebel]

Are there any good mags out there suitable for deeper leagues (16 team)? I look at about 10 on the shelf every year, but they seem to assume youre playing in 12 team leagues for positions like qb, kicker, and D. Last year I just relied heavily on FBG website.

 

[Kleck]

I've done FF Index for many years, but the Tatum Bell debacle kind of has me wondering about them.

They did something similar with Rod Smith the previous year. My gut says they're throwing out one ridiculous ranking each year hoping to get lucky.

 

[Dreamer]

I buy Fantasy Football Index every year.  I've recently started buying one by Pro Football Weekly too.  And, of course, the FBGuys mag.

The magazine haters can save it.  If someone buys a newspaper, the information is outdated too, given the internet.  To me, spending $20 or so on some mags is the same as blowing cash on a $4 Starbucks coffee, a Maxim, a quality beer, whatever.

the FF magazines that are heading to print now provide a good read at the beach

 

[geoff8695]

Fantasy Football Pro Forecast is the best, hands down.

FF Index is the most overrated.

Grid and I agree on this every year.Fantasy Football Pro Forecast

I agree that Pro Forecast is one of the best out there and I only intend to purchase it and FBGs magazines this year (if I can discipline myself ). I know I don't really need the magazines at this stage of my "fantasy football hobby", but it's a tradition. I honestly start looking for Pro Forecast from June onward. It's just part of my summer ritual from here on out. I doubt that'll ever change.

 

[TS Garp]

Does anyone remember Cliff Charpentier's Fantasy Football Digest?Stroll down memory lane...I bought my first one in the early 90's...pretty sure the last one was printed in 2001...IIRC, he tried doing a mag to go along with the book, and I'm not sure it went over like gangbusters, but ol' Cliffy was IT for us old-timers back in the late 80's-early 90's, in terms of a fantasy-dedicated resource...His yearly Fantasy Football Digest was more like a softcover book than a magazine...one of the greatest reads was his previous season review, where straight from the predraft prep through the end of his season, playoffs or no, he gave you a weekly recap of team, ww decisions and trades, etc of how his season progressed. Funny thing was, after reading this for a few years, you really got to know everyone else in the League he played in, as well...who his rivals were, and why, how they drafted, etc...I always looked forward to buying 'uncle cliffie's' book in the late summer, once I'd found it......he started putting out newsletters and cheatsheets in the mid-90's that you could mail order, which provided a post-book supplement, which progressively led up to the start of the NFL Season. Never saw projections per se, but these evolved into a 1st, 2nd and 3rd release as the season grew closer, with training camp reports, team updates, updated rankings and depth charts for basic, performance and 'combined' scoring method Leagues, the rules and parameters he went to great lengths to describe in his books each year. Got into merchandising for a while too, with Commish and Player League and Franchise Organizer notebooks, etc...way ahead of his time, at the time, I'm pretty sure...Alas, I'm also pretty sure that when the rest of the industry caught up to Cliff, he might have been the dinosaur that went the way of Darwin, but back in the days of 'USA TODAY and a pencil Mondays', Cliff was pretty much an icon...GB Cliff

Man, talk about a blast from the past. I got that book every single year, and looked forward to reading Cliff's round-by-round account of his draft and his week-by-week account of his fantasy football season. I think the first one I got had Greg Bell on the cover and the next one (or one after) had Dalton Hilliard on the cover. I wonder what he's up to these days.

 

[nerangers]

somehow bringing the laptop with wireless into the throne seems a little overkill,

I've never considerred that either

You can always use your blackberry! At least you know the information is up-to-date! The magazines are so out of date even when they hit the newsstands. I liked FBG last year, for the articles!

 

[Kleck]

The magazines are so out of date even when they hit the newsstands. I liked FBG last year, for the articles!

This is what I tell my friends too, but I can't lie to you guys. I really bought if for the centerfold pic of Carlton.

 

[Jeff Pasquino]

The magazines are so out of date even when they hit the newsstands. I liked FBG last year, for the articles!

This is what I tell my friends too, but I can't lie to you guys. I really bought if for the centerfold pic of Carlton.

This setup lasted more than 3 hours.....only on a Sunday in June.

 

[nerangers]

The magazines are so out of date even when they hit the newsstands.  I liked FBG last year, for the articles!

This is what I tell my friends too, but I can't lie to you guys. I really bought if for the centerfold pic of Carlton.

This setup lasted more than 3 hours.....only on a Sunday in June.

Nope...time zone difference.... Posted mine at 5:55 pm...Shick! at 6:08 pm. I was expecting it though as soon as I posted it! lol

 

[Gravity]

Altho the ESPN FFL mag tried to be waaaay cool I will say this for it: it had tremendous player coverage depth. Way beyond any other mag I saw out there. It covered even the deepest of sleepers.

They covered something like 550 players.

It looks like they are going to do that again this year using Scouts inc. for player profile's.

Anyone in a dynasty league should consider checking it out.

 

[Hawk]

At least one mag is mandatory as bathroom reading material. I look for the one with the best stats so I can use it as a quick stats reference book during the draft too. Stats don't get outdated and I find then easier to look at and compare as a whole in print. Maybe just a personal preference for me. I like Pro Football Weekly because of their excellent game by game stats on each team page for each player on that team.

 

[Bada Bing]

I like the one that rhymes with muddle. I've already ordered FBG this year so everyone can go to a neutral corner.

 

[Dolfan]

Anyone save their old draft magazines??

Please PM me if you have some from the early 90s.. I'm trying to do some research and could use a little help...

 

[nygiants56]

fantasy index has always been a great source of mid to late round sleepers!

Tatum Bell's debacle notwithstanding, the information in the Index is great..

the one thing I give the most credit for, is that Ian Allan of FI doesn't fluff his magazine like the others do, he's not afraid to take chances and put a guy like Tatum Bell on his cover and rank him much higher than anyone else in FF does..I respect that, Allan goes out on a limb and takes his lumps if his predictions fail.

most other magazines ( like ESPN fantasy make, fantasyguru mag, etc) just give you the same BS year in and year out...

Fantasyguru.com magazine , IMO, is the worst publication out there...editor Jon Hansen is too busy plugging himself and his online products, that he forgets his magazine is supposed to be about fantasy football, NOT Jon Hansen..

as the 'guru' name implies, he considers himself to be an elite expert at this stuff..but I remember year after year, in a fantasy index experts league, Hansen would repeatedly finish dead last! eventually, he changed tactics, and had some of his co-workers join the league instead, so that he could save face by not participating as 'jon hansen' but rather a writer from fantasyguru magazine...what an idiot..

someone mentioned the fantasy football forecast ( I might have the name wrong but its close) , and that is a great source of info too..but if I'm not mistaken, this magazine lists players alphabetically..so to read Larry Johnson's write-up, you have to sift thru about 50 RB's before you get to his name...they rank players 1-20 or whatever, but to get the projections and the info on the players, you have to

scour thru the mag alphabetically..which can be annoying, since you see Tomlinson at RB3, and Ron Brown at ,say, RB 10, and you're now flipping thru the mag to get info on both...it would be nice if they did what fantasy index does, i.e., rank the players, and give a write-up about each on the rankings page!

other than that, the forecast is usually very good!

I'm not a fan of any Cliff Charpentier football publication. I used to go to drafts looking around to see what GM's had Cliff's books/mags, and it was like playing the game 'spot the sucker', because you knew anyone reading a Charpentier magazine was already out of playoff contention before the draft even started! lol

I never found any of Cliff's materials to be worth reading...

Sporting News is decent, but it comes out too early...their website is a great source of info, so its a good companion to the magazine..

 

[Kiddnets]

I love the fantasy rags - sure its outdated - but great material for the beach or the bathroom!

When do they start coming out? If I recall usually a few lousy ones come out this early followed by the better ones around the last week in June? Going on vacation then so would be nice to have some reading material!

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

Unless I'm taking a plane ride somewhere, mags are useless.

 

[Bada Bing]

Unless I'm taking a plane ride somewhere, mags are useless.

Really...I've never heard that before!