That’s right! We are going to make the experts more accountable and that includes myself. Why is that you may ask? Simply because I can. I have probably played in nearly every kind of fantasy hockey league imaginable, including ones you’ve only dreamed about. Okay there are some practical reasons that we will get into in a bit. The bottom line is let’s see who cuts the mustard.
I nailed 14 of 15 busts on a guide last year but the one that got away……Jarome Iginla. Honestly I was suckered into this notion that Iginla would be a bit more one dimensional and though he would come close to 30 goals, I just oh who am I kidding, I was wrong! Our goal is to come up with a way to monitor events and predictions throughout the season. It won’t be easy but hey nothing is always simple.
How are we going to do this? The attempt will be to look at mocks, guides, etc. and come up with something of an index. It will take a good bit of time and some patience but by late Spring 2015, there will hopefully be some solid data to go on. This will be fun and yes there may be some DFS version of this at some point. That will likely be a smaller sample size however. For the keeper and redraft experts, this is what I have in mind. Remember this will probably be tweaked and edited a bit during the season.
The Fantasy Hockey Criteria
1. Mocks will be looked at because of drafting and education value.
This will probably count the least as far as grading. Some do count drafting a bit more but truthfully if it is a redraft league, I knock it down a notch or two. Now the closer it is to a full keeper league, the higher the percentage we will use. Think of it as degree of difficulty. The fun is coming up with experts that truly draft better than the rest. For what it’s worth, drafting is not always my forte but late round value is something I seem to find.
2. Waiver wire and trade acquisitions can be defining.
A bigger chunk of the pie, err, grade has to be devoted to how an expert negotiates the waiver wire and trades. Some experts may get a bump for those who other experts are almost intimidated to make offers to. Waiver wires can also be intimidating. Teams can mesh at the drop of the hat with the right picks off the wire. A great trade or even two can have the same effect. The art of negotiation can never be overlooked.
3. Â Accessibility and performance from taking those questions on is vital.
I will acknowledge that an expert has to perform well in his leagues but giving correct advice is as important given how one is considered an authority. How can you be called an expert when your answers lead to sub-par performances? Truthfully the more “events” or questions lead again to a higher degree of difficulty but between those and information found off guides can be very telling towards a grade.
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Does your favorite expert make the grade fantasy hockey fans? This year our goal is to find out.
