So, here we sit at the midway point of Summer vacation. I'm sure that many of you fantasy football maniacs are like me. You already know where the ping-pong balls have bounced for you (a.k.a you know your upcoming fantasy draft position) and you are racking your brain on who to draft. Worse yet, you are pulling out every stop to brain drain your fellow GMs on who they are going to draft. Perhaps, you may be like "Charlie from Willie Wonka" and you landed the golden ticket; the number one selection in this year's draft belongs to you. Here in lies the question, whom are YOU going to draft?

Simply put, that is a major issue for the serious fantasy football enthusiasts. The draft can make or break your fantasy season. Raise your hand if you drafted Buffalo Bills Running Back Willis McGahee in the top five of the 2005 season. Was he worth it? Or what about Running Back Kevin Jones in the top 10? C'mon say the word with me "BUST!" Both of them. The list goes on and on. Players that bust who were drafted in the first three rounds kill your momentum. The unlucky GMs who have these players have to then turn into used car salesmen and try to reassemble their teams.

Then of course, the infamous injury bug can wreak havoc on your fantasy season. For example, let's talk about Daunte Culpepper. Culpepper was taken in the first three rounds of many 2005 fantasy drafts. Then came the game where he scrambled for a few yards, dove for extra yardage and then was hit on the knee from the side. Time stopped for many Culpepper owners as they knew their fantasy season was about to go the way of the sewage treatment plant.

Do I even have to mention Chiefs Running Back Priest Holmes? Again, raise your hands if that injury just didn't leave you hiding from co-workers when it was released that Holmes sustained a season ending (perhaps career) neck injury.

And just to be fair, lets pick on a wide receiver....oh any wide receiver, how about Terrell Owens! Can you imagine how many high value draft picks were spent on this joker.

What IF fantasy football didn't have to go that way? C'mon, walk with me to a place where you can strategically pick players for specific games and then never worry about those players for the rest of the season. Does a place like this exist?

Just humor me for a second. What if you could have tallied the following statistical achievements at the chosen times:

· Daunte Culpepper in week three of the 2005 season. 21 of 29 for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns.
· Kevin Jones in week five of the 2005 season. 26 carries for 58 yards but 2 touchdowns.
· Willis McGahee in week six of the 2005 season. 29 carries for 143 yards and 1 touchdown. Also, 3 receptions for 24 yards.
· Priest Holmes in week seven of the 2005 season. 18 carries for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns.
· And finally, Terrell Owens in week four of the 2005 season. 11 receptions for 171 yards and 1 touchdown.


Ok, stop asking what's your point. Here's my point, a place like this does exist for fantasy football players and it could be found at the 
Fantasy Football Tournament of Champions (FFTOC)! www.fftoc.com

The FFTOC is a combination of the NCAA March Madness Tournament, a traditional NFL Suicide Poll and a season long fantasy football contest all rolled into one. And yes, there is gold at the end of the rainbow my little leprechaun friend, huge payouts of cold hard cash!

Do I have your attention yet? Ok, let me further make my case. An issue that is near and dear to most of our hearts. Money. Dead Presidents. Benjamins. Whatever the heck you want to call it. The FFTOC offers some serious payouts.

Beat 5, that’s right 5 people in your division and you double your money. That’s just the regular season. If you make the playoffs, you’ll compete for serious dollars. From the low hundreds to double digits in the thousands! And for all you odds makers out there, each FFTOC contest ($60 entry or $250 entry or $1000 entry) is capped at so many owners. It’s not like you would be competing against thousands of other contestants where the odds of winning are equivalent to taking Jenna Jameson home to meet Mom & Dad.

How do I know all this? It’s kind of like the commercial, I’m not just a spokesperson for the contest, I am also a player! And let me remind you, a proven winner. Yes, even I have taken home cash from competing in FFTOC!

Ok, here’s how it all works. Are you ready? I am only going to say this once. You pick one starting fantasy football line-up each week. Once you choose the players, you are never able to use those players again. That’s it. It’s entirely up to you how and when you want to use those players.

The FFTOC requires as much time as you choose to put into it. No waiver wire bidding each week. No scheduling hassles forcing everyone together for a draft. All you have to do is submit a good lineup each week.

Remember how we discussed earlier about high value draft choices being a bust. Well, the FFTOC is much more fair. No random draft spots, no random schedule bias, no unfair disadvantage due to random league assignments (as in other national contests). The FFTOC is more of a true level playing field. Or as I like to say, the FFTOC is “fair and balanced.”

Thinking about a High-Stakes draft is fun until you actually get stuck with a poor draft spot and based on luck your $2000 investment is already falling fast.

The 2006 FFTOC has three games with entry fees of $60, $250 and $1000. Can you dig it?

Oh yeah, I know your grooving on the FFTOC now but in case you are not totally sold, here’s another angle. A few top player injuries won’t kill your season in FFTOC. If you decide to rest Running Back Shaun Alexander until week 15 vs. San Francisco, that is entirely YOUR call. Or maybe, you want to get a jump on the 5 other managers in your bracket and play Alexander against Arizona in week 2. Again, that decision is entirely up to you! No more guessing about position battles. Just pick out the players you want to choose for each week and then enjoy the games.

As you read this glowing recommendation, the FFTOC is offering great deals for signing up early. You want more? Well, sign up by 8/5 for the $250 tournament and you also will get:

1. 4for4.com Fantasy Football subscription - $25.95 value
2. Free MyFFTOC Software - $33.95 value
3. Free amazing new pcDrafter GOLD draft software to dominate your draft 
leagues - $14.95 value

On a final note, let me close with yet another benefit of the FFTOC. Membership in the FFTOC does not require you to leave your home PC. No airline costs. No hotel costs. Other national fantasy football contests require more time and more money. I could think of so many ways I rather spend my time on September 9th, like maybe relaxing watching the Penn State vs. Notre Dame game or the Texas-Ohio State game. Do you really want to be stuck in a hotel conference room on a weekend in Vegas or Atlantic City (kissing away more bucks on taxis, parking, the bell boy, room service, blah!)?

I hope that each and every one of you who reads this article participates in the 2006 FFTOC. It is my personal challenge to you to take your fantasy game to the next level, that is of course, if you’re up for a real challenge.