Fantasy Sports Writer Matthew Hill is back with Running Back Rankings and Draft Strategy! Spoiler: Saquon Barkley tops the list this year.
Matthew presents not just his rankings, but also his suggested targets, fades, sleepers and overall strategy based on Average Draft Position.
Matthew’s quarterback rankings are here. Wide receivers and tight ends are coming shortly.
Tournament of Warriors Gearing Up
Know what happens one week from tomorrow?
The signup for DataForce’s annual Tournament of Warriors closes. Tell all your military and first-responder friends now, please!
This is a FREE contest we offer to our nation’s active duty, reservist, and veteran military, as well as current and retired first responders. It was developed for the sole purpose of saying thank you to those who defend our freedoms, rights, and maintain our health and safety, and all prizes are donated by DataForce Fantasy Football.
Contestants will be paired into individual 12-team leagues for a draftmaster contest, and will compete on an overall leaderboard of all warriors.
Live Drafts Are Starting To Heat Up
We have two really fun events on tap over the next couple days, both at the copper ($50) level:
Sunday: A live Guillotine League draft! These leagues are a blast! Do you have what it takes to go the distance and avoid the chopping block? Watch our video here about guillotine leagues.
Monday: A Contender League live auction! Bid on the players you want instead of taking turns in a serpentine draft. Get exactly the players you need to push through a grueling, 4-week playoff bracket and get crowned the champion of a 48-team quad. Prizes are bigger, too! Watch our video here about Contender Leagues.
I think I’ll go prize-boost the guillotine league right now to give it even more excitement!
The Newbie Corner: Trade Reviews
Without a doubt, trade reviews are the worst part of our job at DataForce. It’s a necessary evil: we cannot permit the perception (whether true or not) that we allow collusion to go unchecked, or league-destroying trades to be allowed. Most customers want to be able to trade, and all want trades to be controlled, and so every season-long site struggles with trade reviews.
So this topic may be worth a little discussion. At DataForce, our trade review process is to gather votes and comments from the other members of the league, and also ten “peer votes” from people outside the league who share a similar type of league. We let the voters decide, and if the vote is close, we examine the comments and the league and throw in our two cents. Then we rule whether to pass or overturn the trade.
I won’t go further into the process. You can watch a short video about how we do it, and you can check out the rulebook for more specifics. I want to talk about WHY we do it this way.
First, an objective measure is important. Meaning, one in which DataForce is only minimally involved in the decision, but rather, a precise means of evaluation is spelled out and followed to the letter. There should be no means by which we can appear to be favoring one side or the other.
Second, defeating the perception of cheating is not only important, it’s the primary concern. Like our trade bar, which attempts to estimate public opinion rather than provide a true trade evaluation, our trade review process is specifically designed to elicit public opinion. A trade can appear truly horrible, but if half the public disagrees, it’s hard to say the traders are cheating – they, too, probably just disagree on the merits of the trade. On the other hand, a particular trade calculator can show a trade to be fair, while the public can be up in arms about allowing it, and it has to be objectively reviewed, possibly overturned. Because if it is not, the league devolves into name-calling, commissioner-bashing, and distrust.
Yes, unfortunately, perception is important. And yet, your goal as you help review trades is not to prevent traders from making mistakes. You’re not the stupidity police. Our rules are precise: You should object to a trade if:
- It appears to be collusion, or
- It seriously impacts the integrity of the league to allow
If you feel your trade is fair, and it gets overturned, remember that you’re bucking public opinion. Likewise, if you find a trade to be horribly unfair, and it doesn’t get overturned, you again disagree with the majority, and must simply be content, accepting that sometimes there is a legitimate difference of opinion.
Most of all, roll with the punches and have fun. That’s what we’re here for, and trade reviews are going to stomp on everybody once in a while.
We do have leagues without trade, or with limited trading, if that fits your preference better.
Leagues Forming Now at DataForce Fantasy Football!
Ready to draft? We offer the widest variety with the best prize payouts anywhere!
Come check out what we have available in our lobby and Orphan Marketplace.
Join the fun and draft your winning team today at DataForceFF.com!
Lee Harmon
Commissioner