Aligning Fantasy Value with Real NFL Value - its time to flex! by Shawn Griffin Don’t get me wrong I love fantasy football. That said, please allow me to continue.

Stop the Madness
Often times a Top 25 Fantasy Football list hardly resembles the starting lineup for the annual Pro Bowl or the All-Pro list. The demographics often times break down pretty unevenly with one quarterback, fifteen running backs, eight wide receivers and one tight end on the list.

Seriously?!?!?

Does anyone real NFL GM believe a second-year running back (e.g. Ronnie Brown or Cadillac Williams) is more valuable than Peyton Manning?

It makes me believe more and more than the ‘godfathers’ of fantasy football either drank themselves into a miserable stupor with Duff beer or were frustrated band geeks that wished mortal discomfort on the quarterback who happened to be the BMOC (big man on campus).

It is madness but it happens every year.

To me, an ideal fantasy football league rewards players and fantasy league owners with the ‘true value’ of a skilled position player. For example, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has an average draft position (ADP) of 48 this season, which equates to being the last pick of the fourth round in a 12-owner league.

Seriously?!?!?

Does any sane NFL fan believe that arguably the best quarterback in football today and future Hall of Famer with three Super Bowl rings should go behind the likes of Tatum Bell, Thomas Jones and Deuce McAlister – three running backs who couldn’t get into Canton without a ticket.

How can a League Commissioner fix this discrepancy?

Simple.

In a standard 1-2-3-1-1-1 (one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one DEF, one K), adding two, three or four ‘flex’ starters will add value to the truly valuable players in the league.

As Commissioner of a league for 16 years, we utilize the standard starters listed above but also have a 16-owner league. To deviate from the standard and the inflated value placed upon a running back, our starting lineup includes four ‘flex’ starters from any position.

The key is to test the scoring system to be utilized and do a ‘smell test’ on the results.

If the Top 25 is stacked with running backs, then the scoring should be adjusted for quarterback and wide receivers and vice versa.

For our Fantasy League Draft this year, we had the following Draft results:

   ~ In the first round, seven quarterbacks, eight running backs and one wide receiver were drafted.

   ~ In the second round, three quarterbacks, eight running backs, four wide receivers, and one tight end were drafted.

   ~ In the third round, seven quarterbacks, two running backs, and seven wide receivers were drafted.

For a demographic breakdown, that translates to the following for the first 48 selections:

Adding the 4-flex positions allows the better managers to win out more often because the league requires more decisions. Further, since QBs typically score the most, they become much more valuable with 4-flex and this is especially true in larger leagues.

So, next season, league commissioners should ask themselves… Do you want a league that goes heavy RB in the first two rounds and WR in rounds three through five or do you want a league that more closes mirrors true NFL value?

Despite the Fantasy World not aligning Fantasy Value with real NFL Value, 4for4.com again proves itself as the premier fantasy football consultant on the planet. An elite sports journalism staff breaks down every skill position player in the league. Greg Alan displays his unmatched abilities as a mathematical guru throughout the preseason and regular season. 4for4.com also gives us fantasy owners the best in class for ‘fantasy tools’ like the ‘Mock Draft’, which is essential for forecasting. And by the way, having killer tools really makes a huge difference when you go 4-flex.