You are in for a treat today Bruno Boys Nation! Right now we are joined by Sara Holladay, better known in the fantasy football world as the Fantasy Football Librarian. She is a College football and NFL enthusiast who spends her time helping other fellow fantasy footballers out by blogging about Fantasy Football on her webpage found at Fantasy Football Librarian. Sara is an avid researcher and has already written a few articles that dive deep into statistical analysis on positions that many people don’t want to spend the time thinking about! And those columns, my friends, will give you a HUGE advantage over your competition on Draft Day! This is why the Bruno Boys are proud to have Sara as a guest columnist on a weekly basis! So take advantage of the wisdom that this lady shares with us and read her articles on www.brunoboys.net. And, without further adieu, keep your eyes peeled as you don’t want to miss a single word that this fantasy football vixen has to say!
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BRUNO BOYS ZIZA: Sara, thank you very much for taking the time out of your busy schedule and sitting down with me today. To get started, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started with both, fantasy football as well as your blog the Fantasy Football Librarian.
FANTASY FOOTBALL LIBRARIAN: Sure, this is my pleasure. So I started playing fantasy football back in 2003 when my husband asked if I’d be interested in rounding out a league that some of our mutual friends were playing in. I was a big college football fan but honestly knew very, very little about the NFL. Fortunately, I had a job with a lot of spare time built in…I’m embarrassed to admit this but I would actually play minesweeper at work, so focusing on fantasy football instead was a major upgrade. And I got hooked pretty quickly. Over the summer of 2006 I decided that it was increasingly difficult to scan all the websites out there for start/sit and waiver wire advice and thought I’d start a blog. I figured that I might as well help others with this info, too, since I was already doing so much legwork. I had no idea though that the blog would take off the way it has – it has been somewhat overwhelming!
BBZ: Congratulations so far on your success! And I can imagine how busy you must be! Our lives are pretty identical as far as having a full-time job, family life and helping out our fellow fantasy football enthusiasts. It is really like having two full-time jobs! But it is definitely worth it when someone let’s you know exactly how you helped them secure a win the previous week! You have recently written a column for the Bruno Boys describing the relationship between the value of a fantasy football kicker and how it is relevant to how explosive their team in the NFL is offensively. This has to take an insane amount of time to throw all of these stats together. What intrigues you to this, whereas many other people would try to avoid it like the plague?
FFL: Ha, yes, sometimes those stats pieces can take quite awhile - I’ve definitely bitten off more than I can chew in the past. But you know, I’m really doing some pretty basic stuff with the stats that doesn’t take too long and the results are so satisfying to me. I guess I’m just persuaded when numbers tell a story that you can’t find from a surface analysis of players or positions. If an expert can back up an opinion with some numbers, I’m sold. So that’s the kind of analysis I want to provide for other Fantasy Footballers out there. And I guess the fact that some avoid it like the plague is also a big motivator for me; if there’s something I can do that others might not choose to do but that we could all benefit from…well that’s a no-brainer. But there are sites like Advanced NFL Stats and Pro Football Reference Blog that do some really awesome analysis that I would avoid like the plague…J.
BBZ: Thank God for people like you, because to be honest I just don’t have the time or patience to get that analytical about many things. Changing course a little, I am asked everyday the same question that I am about to ask you. Is it smart to draft a QB in the first round, particularly during the first half of the first round? I am not a huge fan of drafting QB’s in the first round myself as I find that there are always bargains a few rounds later and that the first few rounds are the best time to stock up on your high-end RB’s and WR’s. What are your thoughts on this?
FFL: I wouldn’t draft a QB in the first round. This is why I won’t have Tom Brady on any of my teams this year; I just don’t think any QB in the first round is worth the sacrifice – nor do I think Brady will be able to repeat last season’s amazing performance. Now if you’re in a 6 pts/passing TD league then I can understand taking a QB in the second round (and I just happily snagged Peyton Manning at the 3.01 spot in a draft, in a 4 pts/passing TD league), but otherwise I fully agree with you, Chris, that there’s a lot of solid QB talent in the middle rounds.
BBZ: Do you have any additional thoughts or theories when it comes to how you go about drafting your own team? Things that you do or look for to make your team the best team possible?
FFL: I tried going WR-WR-RB-RB from the 12th overall spot in a mock draft this summer and felt fairly successful. Not sure I would have done that though from any other draft spot. This year more than others, I feel like your draft strategy really needs to depend on which spot you’re drafting from. Generally speaking, I think I will likely grab a WR in the second round of all my drafts. Despite the inconsistencies of WRs from year to year, I do think the top tier WRs are worth grabbing before a more questionable RB.
BBZ: Who are some of the players this year that you feel will be solid sleepers in fantasy football for 2008? The busts?
FFL: First off, I think the word sleeper can be tricky. There’s a point where guys are pinned as sleepers so far in advance of the season that they become completely overrated – like Matt Forte. There was a major love-fest for Forte earlier this summer and now I’ll actually be let down if he doesn’t perform decently. So my sleepers, or guys that are somewhat overlooked and really aren’t expected to perform at a significant fantasy level but will, would include the following: Fred Taylor, James Jones, Kenny Watson, Ben Utecht, Laurent Robinson and Matt Prater (yes, I’m listing a kicker. And I’m a homer.) Busts are a much easier list to put together but these are guys that some think are likely to put up big numbers but that I will not be drafting no matter how late I can grab them: Ricky Williams, Jake Delhomme, Rudi Johnson and Roy Williams.
BBZ: Roy Williams? Come on now! That hurts! I love the Detroit Lions! Hey, quit laughing! Ok Sara, great answers so far!
Now it is time to put you on the Bruno Boys “Hot Seat.” Get ready and give us what you got!
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60 Seconds with Sara Holladay (The Fantasy Football Librarian)
Q: Being that you love the Broncos, who has gotten the better end of the trade that happened between the Detroit Lions and Denver Broncos last year in which the Lions sent CB Dre’ Bly for OL George Foster and RB Tatum Bell?
A: Broncos for sure. Tatum Bell just doesn’t have the value that Detroit was looking for…will Bell even be on Detroit’s roster at the end of the season? And Foster led the NFL in false starts, right? Yeahhhhh, tough times for Detroit.
Q: What sport would you say you enjoy more, College Football or the NFL, and why?
A: NFL now; I really enjoy watching Northwestern (my alma mater) – no NFL matchup compares to a Northwestern game for me - but I’ve become more of an NFL fan over the past 5 years.
Q: You win a fantasy football league that earns you a large sum of money. Do you report it to the IRS?
A: Yes, but my biggest pay-in is $10, I think. Big money ain’t gonna happen.
Q: Do you know more about College and Pro ball as well as fantasy football than your husband? And if you do, how does he feel about that?
A: Ha! My husband will readily admit that I know more about pro players than he does and therefore more about fantasy football. But he knows way more about college football than I ever will and he’s generally more knowledgeable about football in general. I grew up in a family of girls – the intricacies of the rules, penalties, offensive and defensive lines, etc are things I’ve had to learn while my husband has far more of an innate football knowledge.
Q: If there was one message that you can get out to all of our fellow Bruno Boys Nation, what would it be?
A: Come to www.FFLibrarian.com. Kidding, well only sort of. But be wary of overanalyzing your weekly decisions; trust your instincts.
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Who Would You Rather Own with Sara Holladay (Fantasy Football Librarian)
1. Peyton Manning or Tom Brady? ----> Peyton Manning
2. Frank Gore or Marshawn Lynch? ----> Frank Gore
3. Chad Johnson or Steve Smith? ----> Chad Johnson
4. Kellen Winslow or Tony Gonzalez? ----> Kellen Winslow
5. Minnesota Vikings or San Diego Chargers DST? ----> Minnesota Vikings DST
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Stud or Dud in 2008 with Sara Holladay (Fantasy Football Librarian)
1. QB Ben Roethlisberger? ----> Neither
2. RB Steven Jackson? ----> Stud
3. WR Wes Welker? ----> Stud
4. TE Antonio Gates? ----> Neither
5. DST Baltimore Ravens DST? ----> Bust
6. The Bruno Boys Writing Staff? ----> STUDS!!!
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On that note Sara, I would like to thank you once again for taking the time out of your busy schedule to sit down for this interview with us, as well as your open candidness! Your columns will be a great asset for all of the Bruno Boys and their fan base! I would like to wish you the best of luck this season with all of your teams as well as your blog which can be found at Fantasy Football Librarian.
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Past "A Librarians Touch" Articles (click to view)
Creating Fantasy Football Tiers
Pick your Kicker with some Statistical Perspective
Optimizing Your Tight End
Beyond the Obvious with IDP's
Committing to a Running Back Committee
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Sara Holladay, owner of Fantasy Football Librarian, will be writing a weekly feature called "A Librarians Touch" on the Bruno Boys website on every Wednesday throughout the football season. Remember to check back next week to read what Holladay has on her fantasy football mind.
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