Customer Reviews

Your Official Guide on How to Dominate Fantasy Football

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First, let me state that Randy Giminez has written a great book for the fantasy football fan. I highly recommend it as an addition to your fantasy football collection.
While I do not agree with everything he writes (see below), I found myself highlighting much more in the book than I did placing question marks. In fact, after reading his bio at the end of the book, I think we have much in common.

Dominate Fantasy Football (DFF) offers a tried and true method of instruction (Tell them what you are going to tell them; tell them and then remind them what you taught them). He uses bolded text to bring attention to his subject and italicized text for his personal experiences. DFF is a flashy, fun, illustrated book that examines fantasy football and specifically one season in the CBS Sportsline leagues. Much of the statistics are from his 21 leagues and 3,500 games from 2005.

I found his ranking system to be innovative. Likewise, his data about draft position and winning in a normal serpentine draft coincide with my own observations. The draft as we know it is flawed in that the top teams have an obvious advantage even with the second round reversal of order. Much of his insight is right on the money. I totally agree with his `assistant coaches" chapter and his choices for web sites as resources for help. I also found his chapter on "claiming your winnings" to be expertly explained.

While Randy goes to great pains to point out on numerous occasions that his strategies are for the leagues at CBS Sportsline; the reader must do his own work to decide which concepts are appropriate for his or her league. I have attempted to help with that below:

I have some issues with the CBS Sportsline leagues.
1) Limits on numbers of players you can draft at positions. Leagues like CBS Sportsline where you are limited in the number of players at certain positions (QB, RB and WR) make it much easier for someone to dominate through luck; if I can only have 6 RBs than later when a injury occurs the fast team or worst team can pick the new RB from the waiver wire. As opposed to allowing the skilled owner draft him in the draft. These leagues handcuff an owner which I think is a bad thing if you truly want to compete against the best players. None of the large High Stakes leagues (WCOFF or NFFC as examples) place any limits on maximum number of players at any positions.

2) Roster lockdowns occur very early in the week. This essentially makes any information you can glean on your own through hard work useless since you cannot change your roster based on the information. This rule helps the lazy and hurts the skilled player.
3) Waiver wire priority based on worst teams first. Helps the lazy team, penalizes the good players. Why should a team be penalized for winning? And another rewarded (with a higher waiver wire priority) for losing?
4) Trades allowed. Allows the possibility of collusion. Anytime I play for the kind of money Randy won ($3,500 top prize, $1,600 runner up; entry fees had to be $425 or more) I make sure the league has a no trade policy. In fact if I play for more than $50 entry fee I make that a rule.
5) Players play in multiple leagues and then dump teams they do not like early into the season thus leaving leagues with a few great teams that can ....dominate.

I disagree with Randy on only six of his over 100 tips and strategies.

1) That TD only leagues are "expert" level leagues. NO! TD only leagues are much more "luck" based because all of the scoring comes from a TD (versus yards or receptions) and many times the scorer is based on luck. A Peterson runs 75 yards down to the goal line and then Mewelde Moore takes it in for a TD. AP's 75 yards of tough work are for naught and Moore gets 6 points? Give me a break. TD only leagues are nothing more then fun, lucky leagues where skill becomes minimized.
2) He suggests pairing a QB and WR from a strong passing team together on your team. NO! You maximize the damage to your team by injury with this strategy. Imagine if you pick T Brady and R Moss. Now if T Brady is injured you have crippled two players-Brady at QB and Moss at WR is not going to be anywhere near as good with the back up throwing him the rock. Just look at S Smith WR CAR every time J Delhomme would go down. Smith's numbers plummeted.
3) He states do not draft troublemakers on your team (specifically T Owens and R Moss). I would have loved to have either or both on my teams in 2007. Owning them meant you "Dominated"; restricting them as options from your team meant you lost. I never rule out any player. I just lower my ranking of them based on all the factors, but if they are on the board and I think they are worth value I draft them!!!!
4) He suggests that RB is easiest to fill due to frequent injuries. Yes, this is true IF you play in a 12-team CBS Sporsline league where every team is limited in the number of RBs they can carry. Fortunately, most leagues are not based on this terrible rule. So most teams have lots of RBs and the new RB that takes over for an injured stud is NOT going to be available to you on the waiver wire. The more bench players allowed, the more skill involved in playing that league.
5) Most important position to draft is TE. Disagree. With the addition of so many good TEs recently it is important but NOT the most important.
6) He states that the "war room" (draft) is least important when compared to rankings and waiver wire/trades. Again maybe in CBS leagues with their rules but in most leagues the draft is where you can really get a jump on a Championship. You may not win it at the draft but you sure can lose it at the draft. Yes, you must constantly improve your team through the waiver wire and trades (although most truly competitive leagues do not allow trades in order to eliminate any possibility of collusion).

Finally, he mentions that much of this game is luck. I disagree. I think if you play in competitively constructed leagues (look at the High Stakes leagues (WCOFF and NFFC) for great examples of rules designed to minimize luck and cheating) then you will truly be playing against the best in the best possible environment.

I enjoyed the book and highly recommend it; just be careful and think about everything in relation to your league.

Sam Hendricks, author of "Fantasy Football Guidebook: Your Comprehensive Guide to Playing Fantasy Football" and the soon to be released "Fantasy Football Almanac 2008"

This book is a valuable reference tool that can be used as a resource each and every season. It provides nuggets of rock-solid information for the novice, the expert and everyone in between. Well organized and easy to understand, the author provides step-by-step direction for success competing in fantasy football. This entire book is dedicated to making each reader a champion!
R. Measer, 20+ years in fantasy football (RFL)

Having played Fantasy Football for 7 seasons I thought I knew how to play the game, but reading DFF shows me why Randy is a winner and I haven't been.
Randy has techniques for evaluating not only the very best players, but the very best players for your team to win when winning is most important, in the Play-offs.
Spreadsheets are ultra important to keeping data on players and teams and can become so complicated as to be useless on draft day. Randy will show you how you can quickly identify your targets with just a glance at your data while drafting. This information will start your domination of your league right from the start. The tips for the rest of the season will keep you on top, and put you squarely in position to win your league.
If you read this book you will be amazed at what you don't know.
I will follow Randys advice to the top this year. If you're smart, you will too.

"Dominate Fantasy Football" is the first book I've read with clear, concise, and useful information for serious or casual fantasy players. I can't imagine a successful draft without following Randy's guidelines.

"Dominate Fantasy Football" is all about winning, regardless of your skill level. If you don't buy it, your competition will.

The guide on "HOW TO DOMINATE FANTASY FOOTBALL" is a fantastic resource to have regardless of the skill level of fantasy football player.
It is a "must-have" at every fantasy football draft.
-Dean Dokken, author-"THE FANTASY FOOTBALL BIBLE"

As an avid fantasy football player for the last eight years I've had several championships. I've spent countless hours researching and reading articles and on-line forums to hone my skills and strategies. But Randy's book took all that and boiled it down to an easy read with detailed instructions. I would loved to have read this eight years ago!

The author claims to have an "expert" ranking in chess through the US Chess Federation, and it shows in this book. The way he analyzes the game, the rules and the opponents is deeper than anything I have ever done. I not only got reinforcement for the way I have been doing things, but also got detailed strategies and instructions on how to take it to the next level.

I truly think anyone could get better at fantasy football by reading this book.

I couldn't put it down until I had finished it. As a 10+ yr FFL vet, I definitely had my own ideas and strategies. I considered myself a "Shark" (as described in the book), although I was not satisfied with only winning 20-25% of my leagues. Now I'm confident that percentage will be much higher.

DFF gave me plenty of new ideas and factors to consider, many of which I either never thought about previously or at least never gave the focus they deserved. Make sure your mind is open for new ways of doing things, at least the first time you read the book, as a few of the ideas presented go against the conventional wisdom.

The book is well worth the $. I'm now ready to dominate!!!

i was totally skeptical about reading this book but it came highly recommended.
i have been playing fantasy football for a dozen years. rarely do i finish out of the money. last year i won the cbssportsline double diamond (it paid $3500) and won an independent 14 team league with excellent players.
i thought i knew how to play the game.
this book gave me at LEAST 6 new ideas that i never even thought of (check out his thoughts on playing to win in the playoffs).
if you read it, its a lock you will do better.

Loved reading this book! I could not put it down.
Having done FF for several years, I still found numerous tips to get me over the hump of making the playoffs to WINNING the league.
GREAT STUFF!!!!

This book will give you all the info you need to draft, manage your team during the season to winning your league title. MUST read for anyone playing fantasy football new or experienced.

You'll want to recommend this book to Fantasy Football players everywhere. Randy's proven strategies are sure to increase your winning percentage. You'll read it again and again and find something new each time.