The Future of Fantasy Websites (1 Viewer)

[Art_VanDalay]

Ok so it is the offseason...the perfect time to think about things like what is the "next big thing" in fantasy? This could be a good thread for Joe and the boys to chime in on as well. Anyway, if you had your choice today

[*]What key feature do you see most fantasy sites missing or not providing?

[*]What is the future of FF? Does it wane in popularity or continue to increase? Why?

[*]What format will dominate FF going forward (serpentine, auction, keeper, dynasty...)? Why?

[*]What is the one best feature your favorite FF site has currently (most answers will be FBG I am sure) ?

[*]If you could add one feature to most FF websites, what would it be?

Hopefully this will occupy some of our time going forward and move us closer to the NFL Draft! Looking forward to everyone's ideas and who knows, maybe they will lead to something new at FBG.

 

[Stealthycat]

live auction salary drafts are the bomb (like fantasyauctioneer) but no one has perfected it yet. Our biggest problem has been getting a site that will accomodate $0.25 increments - c'mon it shouldn't be THAT HARD TO DO !

 

[Art_VanDalay]

live auction salary drafts are the bomb (like fantasyauctioneer) but no one has perfected it yet. Our biggest problem has been getting a site that will accomodate $0.25 increments - c'mon it shouldn't be THAT HARD TO DO !

I thought I remember hearing that Fantasyauctioneer.com went out of business last year. Are they still around?

 

[Raymell McKigney]

I'm not sure if one format in particular will dominate because people being attracted to start playing FF will need draft leagues or annual leagues to get their feet wet. IMO, IDP FF will one day become the standard......and hopefully will dominate. Auction leagues are brilliant and they will continue to grow in popularity......but how long before a FF player attempts an auction league.....the other formats will have their place too.

Does MFL allow $0.25 increments?

I really like how FBG's via the audible podcasts ties into other good fantasy football/draft websites like JBScouting (small school prospects) & Draft Nasty (college football and draft). Not sure if it would be possible but since FBG is so big, perhaps there would be ways to acquire content from some of these providers too.....sort of like how the Rookie Scouting Portfolio came on board to FBG. I understand that of course the RSP came with Matt, perhaps there could be other ways to continue to build the content at FBG.....I think adding further quality college football info would be the go.

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

Ok so it is the offseason...the perfect time to think about things like what is the "next big thing" in fantasy? This could be a good thread for Joe and the boys to chime in on as well. Anyway, if you had your choice today

[*]What key feature do you see most fantasy sites missing or not providing?

[*]What is the future of FF? Does it wane in popularity or continue to increase? Why?

[*]What format will dominate FF going forward (serpentine, auction, keeper, dynasty...)? Why?

[*]What is the one best feature your favorite FF site has currently (most answers will be FBG I am sure) ?

[*]If you could add one feature to most FF websites, what would it be?

Hopefully this will occupy some of our time going forward and move us closer to the NFL Draft! Looking forward to everyone's ideas and who knows, maybe they will lead to something new at FBG.

I think it's important to remember that while several owners will be looking for the "next big thing," many customers just want what they already enjoy. When sites add things they often make it harder for people to access what they already know and like. I don't want a website to offer everything and be a maze daring you to find it. For example, I respect the fact that folks like IDP leagues but I don't play in them. So that content is background noise to me. You need to have it, but in a way that those who want it can find it easily, but those who don't aren't burdened by it. Even if the content is great, if it's not easy to find I'm less likely to invest the time to dig it out. Craigslist looks like it was designed by a seven-year-old, but it's impossible to get lost or spend more than 15 seconds finding exactly what you want. Somewhere between that format and an appealing visual is a site that make everything easy to find while offering the content different owners want.

 

[BoltBacker]

I really like how FBG's via the audible podcasts ties into other good fantasy football/draft websites like JBScouting (small school prospects) & Draft Nasty (college football and draft). Not sure if it would be possible but since FBG is so big, perhaps there would be ways to acquire content from some of these providers too.....sort of like how the Rookie Scouting Portfolio came on board to FBG. I understand that of course the RSP came with Matt, perhaps there could be other ways to continue to build the content at FBG.....I think adding further quality college football info would be the go.

That's a great post.The podcasts, Cecil and Bloom do a great job with the podcasts and it's become one of the big reasons I come to FBG. Only problem is they've spoiled me and now when I listen to other fantasy podcasts they seem to come up short by comparison. While I really like what Cecil/Bloom do I hear their general opinions about players/situations over and over again so it would be nice to hear other fantasy guys give their take as well more often. They do a good job interviewing other NFL experts and draft experts though. Basically, the FBG content is so good I'd just like to even more in a narrow-casted way. The IDP show is perfect. Maybe have shows during the season dedicated just to TE talk or QB talk, etc for those of us that are weak at a single position and may not want to hear about risers/fallers through the entire league.

 

[coolnerd]

I'm not sure if one format in particular will dominate because people being attracted to start playing FF will need draft leagues or annual leagues to get their feet wet. IMO, IDP FF will one day become the standard......and hopefully will dominate. Auction leagues are brilliant and they will continue to grow in popularity......but how long before a FF player attempts an auction league.....the other formats will have their place too.Does MFL allow $0.25 increments?I really like how FBG's via the audible podcasts ties into other good fantasy football/draft websites like JBScouting (small school prospects) & Draft Nasty (college football and draft). Not sure if it would be possible but since FBG is so big, perhaps there would be ways to acquire content from some of these providers too.....sort of like how the Rookie Scouting Portfolio came on board to FBG. I understand that of course the RSP came with Matt, perhaps there could be other ways to continue to build the content at FBG.....I think adding further quality college football info would be the go.

On your first half of the post. I have been reading this for the 10-12 years I have been FF junkie. I play in both IDP and auction leagues, but the rank and file FF player in terms of number is the guy who is in one or offfice/friends and family leagues. The appeal is that after a couple hour drafts and 10-15 minutes a week he can be a part of the fantasy league. Of the estimated 27 million people who were in some version of a fantasy league the standard 12 team 15 player league with a snake draft is is all they want and it is not even close.

 

[Truman]

auction strategy. IDP coverage. IDP auction strategy.

 

[snellman]

More dynasty and IDP coverage. Hopefully dynastyguys covers more of what I crave as the continue to grow. I love the tools on here (Lineup dominator, Draft dominator), but I would also like to see a version of them geared more towards the dynasty side.

 

[offdee]

I started a Dynasty league in 2006 that incorporated being able to draft college players...at that time it seemed like a foreign idea that not many other leagues were doing. Slowly but surely over the few years since then I've seen many new leagues start to incorporate this feature. Definite next level in terms of scouting players.

 

[Drop]

The key feature that sites lack is game tape. More specifically coaches tape from wide angles.

 

[Tanner9919]

as a paying member to specific sites, once I log in, I do not want to see any advertising..I've paid my $$ to become a member and I'd like to see nothing but links to fantasy football information/data without the annoying ads with mouseover tricks such as the ones where the ad blows up to full screen and stays there till you click 'close' tab. ( thanks, CBS!)

do your advertising on the free stuff, but once I log in, don't give me Edge shave cream ads, and Wrangler Jean commercials.

this is partly why I love a site like Fantasy index..clean,crisp, much like google in that it is uncluttered...

have a look at FFmastermind, sportsline, espn, rotoworld, etc and you'll know what I mean.

FF sites need to have stats built-in..if FBG's has to pay for a stats service, so be it..allow us to track players on your site.provide a channel or use HTML frames( old school) that provide FBG on left pane, pro-football-reference.com on the other pane.

or if Joe B. wanted to , he could use XML based pages, tied in with pro-football-reference so that when I click a players profile I can get ungodly stats about him: indoors vs outdoors, vs afc east, for instance, vs 3-4 or 4-3, etc.

too often I find myself looking at ,say, CBS's website to look at my lineup, then I go out to PFR to look up stats/tendencies on a given player...there's got to be a way to tie that all together..

 

[rzrback77]

I love the target data provided here, but wish that it also transferred to the player stat pages. That seems like it should be an easy add on and I would greatly appreciate that!

 

[JaxBill]

I think one thing that will affect fantasy players in the next year or two will be more and more local papers will require online registration. While rotoworld and other sites summarize the stories, I don't always trust their summaries and prefer to read the original story. Sometimes a small piece is misrepresented or a part of the story is left out.

 

[Art_VanDalay]

All good points guys so keep em coming. I agree on Podcasts - they are very informative and a great resource. I agree also that Auctions are no doubt for the more serious FF population but I think that area of the FF community is growing.

I like the Stats idea in one location but I am not sure how that gets done. Wouldn't a site like FBG have to pay for that and I would imagine it is pricey? I wonder if NFL.com would allow you to use their site for stats and tie it in to your page? After all, it is promoting the game, right?

I am curious how everyone would define a dynasty league. We throw that term around a lot but I suspect it may have different meanings with different people. At it's core, I define it as the ability to keep a set or unlimited number of players on a roster year to year whether it is under a defined contract term or unlimited. What is the generally accepted definition of dynasty and is that where the "hard core" FF fan is heading?

As for the wide-angle film room, I don't see how anyone would be able to get access to that. I have heard TRock and Pat on Moving the Chains discuss it before though and think that the NFL will realize at some point that there is a market for that and "package" it as a product online or in short-clips, etc.

As for the ads, they don't really bother me too much but the clutter on most sites is annoying because I KNOW that I am missing valuable information since it can become overwhelming at some sites.

In terms of drafting college players, I know some leagues that have separate drafts but I think personally, if you are running an Auction league and all the excitement and strategy that comes with that, I think it is best to just throw the Rooks into the draft day auction. Eliminates the need to have a formal draft in the offseason which I think can be difficult.

 

[offdee]

In terms of drafting college players, I know some leagues that have separate drafts but I think personally, if you are running an Auction league and all the excitement and strategy that comes with that, I think it is best to just throw the Rooks into the draft day auction. Eliminates the need to have a formal draft in the offseason which I think can be difficult.

Not talking about rookies. Talking about actual college players here.So for instance if you had a startup draft today you could draft someone like RB, Dion Lewis (Pitt) who was a true freshman in college this past season. He sits on your roster until he turns pro....when/if that day comes you own his rights.

 

[offdee]

I am curious how everyone would define a dynasty league. We throw that term around a lot but I suspect it may have different meanings with different people. At it's core, I define it as the ability to keep a set or unlimited number of players on a roster year to year whether it is under a defined contract term or unlimited. What is the generally accepted definition of dynasty and is that where the "hard core" FF fan is heading?

The true definition of a Dynasty league is that you do your initial draft and after that point ALL players are kept from year to year. The only way to change the team makeup is through trades, FA pickups and future rookie drafts.If only keeping a handful of players from year to year this is considered a Keeper League (not a Dynasty League)

 

[Stinkin Ref]

for years I have been asking for an end of the season application that allows me to plug in my scoring system, # of teams, # of rounds, etc just like the preseason VBD application....and then hit a button and it tells me where all of the players actually ended up according to that scoring system.....

basically the exact same VBD app, but just based on the actual results, not predictions.....

this would allow us:

1. to see how good/bad the FBG were specifically to our league...

2. where we made good/bad/ugly decisions in our drafts.....

3. if we enter new leagues the following year, we could enter that scoring system and see how the players did the previous year in that scoring system.........

 

[moondog]

The feature I would like the most is the ability to replace players during a game. For example if you started Player A and he is having a lousy game you replace him with Player B in the middle of the second quarter. You would get points from Player A from the start of the game until the middle of the second quarter. The you would get points from Player B from the middle of the second quarter on. Or player changes could be restricted to the end of the quarters.

The best application of this would be replacing a player injured during the game.

 

[Art_VanDalay]

The feature I would like the most is the ability to replace players during a game. For example if you started Player A and he is having a lousy game you replace him with Player B in the middle of the second quarter. You would get points from Player A from the start of the game until the middle of the second quarter. The you would get points from Player B from the middle of the second quarter on. Or player changes could be restricted to the end of the quarters. The best application of this would be replacing a player injured during the game.

So you mean kinda like getting the answers to an exam before a test ... or knowing which number is going to come up on the roulette wheel's next spin? I for one would not enjoy being able to change my players during a game because that is part of the game, and I definitely would not want to lose that way. If you are looking for something like that, why don't you use a feature (I think MFL could do this) where you simply get to play the player at each position with the highest points for your team that week. Your best vs. your opponent's best results.

 

[kneeshooter]

I'd like to see a Trade Evaluator for dynasty leagues. All your scoring info and league rosters are already loaded in your website. It would be nice to be able to propose potential trades to the Evaluator and have them give you the thumbs up or thumbs down based on some sort of logorithm that I could never develop myself.

 

[Pickle Rody]

for years I have been asking for an end of the season application that allows me to plug in my scoring system, # of teams, # of rounds, etc just like the preseason VBD application....and then hit a button and it tells me where all of the players actually ended up according to that scoring system.....basically the exact same VBD app, but just based on the actual results, not predictions.....this would allow us:1. to see how good/bad the FBG were specifically to our league...2. where we made good/bad/ugly decisions in our drafts.....3. if we enter new leagues the following year, we could enter that scoring system and see how the players did the previous year in that scoring system.........

What you are really asking for here is a complete list of actual end-of-year stats instead of beginning-of-year projections. You do not need a new application, you just need the right numbers to plug in. The VBD or DD can read stats as well as projections, they just need to be formatted properly so the application can read the data.If you head on over to the "Applications Forum" you might be able to find some data compiled by other FBG's who like to do just this sort of thing.......check back to see how the original projections worked. I am pretty sure there was a file last year that was provided by "CalBear" (could be wrong, but I think that is who did it...) which included all of the end-of-year stats for all fantasy players and was organized in a CSV (comma separated values) format, which works great with VBD and DD. Some minor tweaking may be involved on your part.HTH.

 

[Stinkin Ref]

for years I have been asking for an end of the season application that allows me to plug in my scoring system, # of teams, # of rounds, etc just like the preseason VBD application....and then hit a button and it tells me where all of the players actually ended up according to that scoring system.....basically the exact same VBD app, but just based on the actual results, not predictions.....this would allow us:1. to see how good/bad the FBG were specifically to our league...2. where we made good/bad/ugly decisions in our drafts.....3. if we enter new leagues the following year, we could enter that scoring system and see how the players did the previous year in that scoring system.........

What you are really asking for here is a complete list of actual end-of-year stats instead of beginning-of-year projections. You do not need a new application, you just need the right numbers to plug in. The VBD or DD can read stats as well as projections, they just need to be formatted properly so the application can read the data.If you head on over to the "Applications Forum" you might be able to find some data compiled by other FBG's who like to do just this sort of thing.......check back to see how the original projections worked. I am pretty sure there was a file last year that was provided by "CalBear" (could be wrong, but I think that is who did it...) which included all of the end-of-year stats for all fantasy players and was organized in a CSV (comma separated values) format, which works great with VBD and DD. Some minor tweaking may be involved on your part.HTH.

hey Ruff...thanks for the help....I guess I can try to go and hunt down some stuff over at the other forum, but that is kinda of my point and what is being asked in this thread......I would just like to see it some where, take 30 seconds to plug in my scoring system, hit a button and get the results based on the season that was just completed...I don't want to hunt, tweak, etc.....I am not "techy" by any means.....I would like it to look exactly like the VBD app I use before the season....plug in ifo the same waybottom line.....I want to be able to compare my draft day VBD cheatsheet with how they actually ended up cheatsheet and I would like to do it quickly.....I could see some reasons why FBG might not want to offer an APP like this, or at least make it "easy" to do.....it would be one of the ultimate resources to judge the FBG projections/predictions....but almost more importantly it would allow me to see where I made mistakes.....example: on my draft day VBD cheatsheet for MY league....Miles Austin was ranked WR #89.....now we know he finished higher than that in MY league.....but where excatly...?.....LT was RB #5, Slaton was #10, Forte was # 9, but we know that's not where they finshed....once again, I want it specific to my league.......granted through the use of my website (MFL) I can probably see where they finished in my scoring system, but I think it would be a nice tool for FBG to offer....plus being able to enter scoring systems for leagues you are getting ready to join and see how guys finished in those leagues last year would be very helpful..........thanks for your input......

 

[Cleat Spike]

I started a Dynasty league in 2006 that incorporated being able to draft college players...at that time it seemed like a foreign idea that not many other leagues were doing. Slowly but surely over the few years since then I've seen many new leagues start to incorporate this feature. Definite next level in terms of scouting players.

Along these lines, I'd like to see more player video/highlights of the college guys or even guys that are younger in the league that are coming up. A video scouting library tied to each player in one area. Especially need this prior to dynasty drafts. No more YouTube searches or whatever, just link all important scouting videos to younger players pages. Even guys that get burn in the 4th quarter of preseason and end up on nfl.com Preseason week 4 highlights on NFL.com after they tear it up. You never know it's there, but it's still tape on what the guy can do. So you can make educated early guess in dynasty leagues. Like a DJ Ware for instance....I'd like to see all his highlights to date of importance. I want to see him in NFL pads, on tape, so can decide if I sould drop someone over him. Summary: More highlight video/scouting video of younger players, in one area.

 

[Ysatnaf_Gnik]

After I started playing Auction/Dynasty/IDP/Contracts leagues, I completely lost interest in all of the other run of the mill type leagues. It is like you have been driving a convertible Fiero all this time and all of sudden you are given the keys to a Lamborghini Murcielago Spider. How in the world can you go back to that?

I don't get it why most have not moved towards Auction Drafts yet?

IDP is the way to go. Playing FF without IDP is like playing Craps with no Dice.

Also, why in the world does one need $0.25 auction increments? I don't get it why do you use $100 or $1000 Caps? Is it that hard to use real Cap Numbers?

 

[JPeso]

After I started playing Auction/Dynasty/IDP/Contracts leagues, I completely lost interest in all of the other run of the mill type leagues. It is like you have been driving a convertible Fiero all this time and all of sudden you are given the keys to a Lamborghini Murcielago Spider. How in the world can you go back to that?

I don't get it why most have not moved towards Auction Drafts yet?

IDP is the way to go. Playing FF without IDP is like playing Craps with no Dice.

I flirted with IDP and really didn't find it appealing. One of those "different strokes" things as I went in with an open mind and had amassed very solid teams.

 

[Donsmith753]

I'd like to see a Trade Evaluator for dynasty leagues. All your scoring info and league rosters are already loaded in your website. It would be nice to be able to propose potential trades to the Evaluator and have them give you the thumbs up or thumbs down based on some sort of logorithm that I could never develop myself.

If you're meaning to work out if a trade is fair then I like the idea but if it's to work out whether a trade is good it simply won't work. There is no way to account for each owners personal preference and there never will be.

 

[Tigerbot Hesh]

A small bar on the front page or just a permanent, stand-alone web page that we could bookmark that tracked the weather at all stadiums in real time would be nice.

I know FBGs does weather forecasts and I can get some gameday info from the message boards, but it would be nice to have all the weather information available in real-time in one place.