We are one week away from the start of the new NFL season and, for millions of people who will spend said NFL season glued to their cell phones as they track yardage, interceptions, and touchdowns, something huge: fantasy football season.
It may surprise you to know that many of our staff members are incredibly competitive fantasy football players; I myself am a two-time fantasy football champion (the last time I won, I did so with a team that saw my top three draft picks experience season ending injuries, and my kicker was my top scorer for half of the season. Yes, I am still smug about that, but I daresay it’s deserved)!
While you spend the next few days mock drafting and scouring team schedules for beneficial match-ups, add these resources to your arsenal:
Fantasy Football Math : Using Stats to Score Big in your League, by Matt Doeden
Fantasy Football League, by Virginia Loh-Hagan
NFL Draft Elite 60: The Superstars of Tomorrow, by Dane Brugler
Fantasy Football for Smart People: What the Experts Don’t Want You to Know, by Jonathan Bales
If you’ve had your draft and are already second-guessing your team, have a laugh with these:
Fantasy Man: A Former NFL Player’s Descent into the World of Fantasy Football, by Nate Jackson–the outspoken and hilarious Jackson, a retired Denver Bronco, recounts the ups, downs, and stress of having a fantasy team.
The League–-laugh out loud funny, crass, mostly improvised and totally binge-able, this sitcom looks at the dysfunctional lives of a fantasy football league.
And if you’re just in the mood for a gridiron read, try one of these new releases:
Behind the Line of Scrimmage: Inside the Front Office of the NFL, by Michael Huyghue: an NFL executive traces his path from collegiate star to agent to the front offices of the league.
In the Name of the Father: Family, Football, and the Manning Dynasty, by Mark Ribowsky: we are suckers for anything about the Manning family.
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian High School Football Team, by Steve Shenkin: a goosebump-worthy book about one of the greatest underdog stories in all of sports.