Week 13 Contests

So far I'm in 13 contests today. A couple more are possible, but probably not. I am NOT pleased with my selections this week - I had a particularly tough time with the receivers and I had several QBs ranked similarly. We'll see how it comes out, but using 13 different combinations in 13 contests is probably not optimal play.

Not that I'm superstitious or anything, but I think I might go enter one more contest. There are too many 13s in this post.

Saturday results: DNP, family functions

User Tips: Giving Action To Get Action

(Part of a series, in which I offer tips to maximize your enjoyment of the Fantasy Sports Live experience)

I need a new disclaimer. Something along the lines of: "Remember this when reading user tips -- I am not a rocket scientist. Not every person who misclicks and lands on this site is going to be a fantasy sports genius. I understand if this tip makes you want to scream "DUH!" or something. Get over it."

Moving along ...

When you launch the Fantasy Sports Live site, you're presented with a contest lobby. If it's close to game time - the cutoff time for entries which is noted to the right of each contest - you will probably find that there are a bunch of empty heads up games.

Should you be discouraged? Think that nobody will play against you? Think again. And then sign up for a contest. To get action, sometimes you have to give action. Odds are surprisingly good that someone will appear to fill it and give you the action you're looking for. Yesterday, for example, I signed up for two NBA contests in the last hour before game time and both filled in a flash. Hey, if for some reason nobody plays, you get your money back. This is a win-win situation - unless you lose your contest, but that's on you, friend.

***

On the subject of yesterday, it was my best basketball day of the month. Won both contests comfortably.

Friday results: 2 contests entered (0 - 10 player, 0 - 6 player, 2 HU); 2 cashes (0,0,2); amount risked: $6.80; amount won: $12; net +$5.20; ROI +76.5%

Back On The H

With a little extra time to prepare and a full slate of games, I decided to pony up for two low stakes heads up NBA contests tonight.

Luck will still be necessary.

Looking at the bright side, I've watched more NBA action in the last week than I have in the past 10 years combined (if you exclude playoffs). It's not my game, but I'm starting to enjoy it.

The Wish List: Different Payout Structures

(Part 3 of what will be an occasional series on features I'd like to see added to Fantasy Sports Live. Please note that these are strictly my personal wishes, and they may or may not be something the good folks at FSL would ever consider. For all I know, they may be impractical - that's why this is a "wish" list)

If you play fantasy football at Fantasy Sports Live, you know what the payout structures are. Heads up contests pay 100% of the prize pool less contest fees to the winner (obviously). Six player contests pay two places, 66.6% and 33.3%. Ten player contests pay three spots: 50%/30%/20%.

For variety, I think it would be neat if FSL would implement two other types of contests - winner take all and double-or-nothing.

In a winner take all contest, one place would be paid (duh). For a $10+1 contest, a six player win would pay $60, a ten player win $100. Of course these contests would be insanely high variance, but a win would sure be rewarding.

In a double-or-nothing contest, half the field would get paid and would double (less contest fees) their buyin. Again at the $10+1 level, in a six player contest the top three scores would win $20; in a ten player contest five players would win $20. This would be the mirror image of a winner take all - extremely low variance.

Anyway, variety is the spice of life, here's hoping that as the user base at Fantasy Sports Live continues to explode that new and interesting contest offerings follow.

There Would Be Days Like This

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I enjoyed the traditional feast and got to see much of the Lions' comically bad performance and almost all of the Cards-Iggles game which wasn't a whole lot better. The NFL execs have to be fuming over three totally lopsided contests.

As for the Fantasy Sports Live side of things, well, it wasn't so good. I ended up in seven contests and could only scratch out a single third place finish. It wasn't so much that I picked lousy teams - my scores weren't bad - as it was missing out on one player. I missed on Jason Witten. I have him on my regular fantasy team and he's been so beat up he's been a non-factor lately. Anyway, with only three contests there was a tremendous amount of player overlap and one big miss is a killer.

Sure there were other opportunities. I didn't have Westbrook but neither did most anyone else. I expected the Titans to score touchdowns, all the field goals in the second half were a surprise - and one which made Bironas worth a lot more than I projected.

I did manage to keep my amount at risk in check, so the loss was nominal. It still bugs me, though, to do relatively poorly. More contests will be entered on Sunday as I chase the loss (lol).

Wednesday results: DNP, in a medically-induced pre-holiday coma.

Thursday results: 7 contests entered (7-10 player, 0-6 player, 0 HU); 1 cash (1,0,0); amount risked: $16.30; amount won: $2; net: ($14.30); ROI -87.7%

Fun With Charts

The last thirty days at Fantasy Sports Live, courtesy of the lousy graph feature built into Microsoft Excel:

Cash:

ROI:
Cumulative $:

Yeah, I removed the axis labels. Who really cares about the amounts or percentages? Besides, it looks more impressive this way (LOL right).

Since I was putzing around with numbers, I also came up with my ROI on basketball and hockey over the last 30 days: Minus 92%. That's, um, terrible. I need to give extra extra thanks for football tomorrow.

Cleaning Up Some Variance

I'm busy working on a new post on the subject of variance in daily fantasy contests. It remains to be seen whether it comes together, but it's on the to do list for the holiday weekend. I have a few other things that I want to write about as well - it would be kind of nice to break up the "these are my results" posts from time to time.

Speaking of results, I forgot to mention that I saw a $200+13 heads up football contest filled last weekend. Once again I'd love to be able to view completed contests - if only to see who the big sticks were.

No contests yesterday, didn't get home in time. I did watch the Cavs demolish the Knicks - why I don't know, I should be watching hockey instead - which was both expected and pointless. On the FSL front I did add another football contest for this weekend, so I'm on track to end up with double digits there.

Tuesday results: DNP, scratched for being late to the shootaround.

[O/T] Coaching Genius In Action

This doesn't relate at all to Fantasy Sports Live or anything, but it is sports related:

Stephen Curry never had a game like this.

The nation's leading scorer was held without a point as Loyola, Md. employed a triangle-and-2 defense against Curry with both defenders on him. Despite Curry going scoreless, the game was never in doubt as 24th-ranked Davidson routed Loyola 78-48 on Tuesday night.

Okay, there's that, but then there's this:

"If Oklahoma can't stop him, how is Loyola College going to stop him?" Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos asked.

"We had to play against an NBA player tonight," Patsos explained. "Anybody else ever hold him scoreless? I'm a history major. They're going to remember that we held him scoreless or we lost by 30?"

Neither, coach. The few people that remember are going to recall that you were the dumbass who didn't even try to win the game.

Props to Curry, who seems to have the right attitude:

In Davidson, N.C., it didn't take long for Curry to figure out the strategy. He spent some possessions just standing in the corner with two defenders around him while his teammates had a constant 4-on-3 advantage.

Davidson (5-1) proved it has other options, and the Wildcats often scored at will even if Curry didn't reach double figures for only the second time in his career.

...

And Curry, coming in averaging 35 points a game, joked that he had the best seat in the house.

"Every dead ball I asked them how long they were going to do this," Curry said he asked his shadowing defenders. "They really didn't say anything. They weren't very conversational about it."

I can appreciate moral victories, but this is just dumb. Fire Jimmy Patsos.

Pre-Holiday NBA Turkey

I'll be giving thanks for football this holiday, as football alone is keeping my Fantasy Sports Live account above water.

I may have to give up on playing NBA contests. I actually had a decent lineup last night - not great, but decent, without any total stiffs - and still managed a last place finish. I think I've only had one cash this month. It's just not my game.

Monday results: 1 contest entered (0 - 10 man, 1 - 6 man, 0 HU); 0 cashes (0,0,0); total invested: $3.40; total won: $0; net ($3.40); ROI -100%

Thursday NFL contests are up and I'm in two so far. I probably will not hit double digits as I didn't like some of the choices I had to make to fit under the point cap and with only three games there will be a lot of overlap among selections. Maybe five contests total.

Ahh, the joy of Thanksgiving football. Don't forget to get in the game before you get into the stuffing!

Week 12 Results

It can be a fine line between winning and FAIL losing.

Yesterday was one of those days. Results were up in the air all the way down to the (literal) last play of the Indy-San Diego game. I had a bunch of players active in that game and I wouldn't have been too unhappy if Vinatieri had missed - I think I only had him in one contest and there was some combination of just a few additional points from my other guys that could have turned a good day into a VERY good day.

14 contests. Cashed in 6. Stole a win in my 6 player Sundays w/ Dr. Pauly. Squeaked out a win in a heads up. Managed two seconds and two thirds in 10 player contests. Finished 4th in several other other ten players. I continue to run much better in salary cap and uncapped contests than I do in point contests. Odd.

It looks like I picked up a few points and stayed on top for now in the Blogger Battle. Despite winning my contest in Sundays w/ Dr. Pauly I didn't have a great score and will need to have three huge weeks to have a chance at the super TOC.

I'll probably be on tonight scouting for Thursday football contests - don't forget to play!

Sunday results: 14 contests played (12 - 10 player, 1 - 6 player, 1 HU); 6 cashes (4, 1, 1); amount risked: $54.70; amount won $84.00; net $29.30; ROI +53.6%

Week 12 Contests

In a total of 13 contests so far. If a Sundays With Dr. Pauly contest appears, I'll add that as well. Might jump in some late game contests if I get home in time. I have to duck out of here shortly to go to a baptism.

Picks this week were more random than usual. That would ordinarily reduce variance somewhat, but given the relative lack of thought applied I'm not terribly confident.

Friday's NBA picks were a debacle. Even if Randolph had played it still probably wouldn't have been good.

Friday's results: 2 contests entered (0 - 10 man, 2 - 6 man, 0 HU), 0 cashes (0,0,0), total invested: $8.90, total won: $0, net: ($8.90), ROI -100%

Saturday's results: DNP, busy being Joe College Football

Pick like a champion today.

Profiles In FAIL

This evening's activity:

6:45 -- Enter two NBA contests at Fantasy Sports Live. Select Zach Randolph of the Knicks.

7:00 -- Rosters frozen, early games start.

8:00 -- Check ESPN.com and note a story being updated that says Randolph was traded this evening and won't play.

8:01 -- Curse.

8:02 -- Search web and find first reports of the trade time stamped shortly before 7 pm. Recall Crawford being on the block but not Randolph.

8:03 -- See 8:01, repeat several times.

8:05 -- Go find beer.

Qunnitis

Maybe I should retitle this blog "Taking Nights Off at Fantasy Sports Live".

Tuesday results: DNP, recovering from a bout of Brady Quinnitis*
Wednesday results: DNP, suspended for "violation of team rules".
Thursday results: DNP, pulled lumbar.

Instead of playing this week I've been kicking back and watching more games. Thanks to the miracle of the internet, I've seen more basketball than I've seen in years. Tonight, it's the Stillers-Bengals game. One of these days I might even watch some hockey. If I'm really fortunate, in "HD".

FSL hasn't been a complete washout. I'm in 3 contests so far for Sunday (football ldo). I'll probably rack up ten or so by the time I'm done - I'm thinking about going for more of a mix of heads up, 6 and 10 man instead of playing almost all ten man. I need to remember to get my picks in early, too - as much as I love lazing around on Sunday morning trying to figure out who to select, I have things to do this week.

Finally, I'm looking forward to the long Thanksgiving weekend which will probably be a sports smorgasboard filled with lots of contests.

Pick like a champion today.



* It makes me ill to root for Brady Quinn (who is now on my regular fantasy team). Seriously ill. Thus, Brady Quinnitis.

Poker Bloggers Play At Fantasy Sports Live

Blinders has a post up in which he names his picks for the top poker bloggers at fantasy sports.

First thought: This guy, correctly rated #1.

Second thought: This guy, overrated.

2a thought: Woo, self linkage!

Third thought: I think I should post something along the line of "yeah man I tell you what, if you can't beat a bunch of POKER BLOGGERS playing fantasy sports at Fantasy Sports Online you might want to just surrender your man card and take up knitting. That's the easiest sweetest cash this side of playing the Michigan School for the Deaf for money at Guitar Hero."

Fourth thought: Or maybe that that wouldn't be such a bright idea. Where's the delete key?

Last thought: Go check out the complete list over at Blinders' blog and feel free to comment here about how much poker bloggers FAIL at fantasy sports.

btw, the poker blog lives here.

What's Chinese For "Faaan-tastic"?

Monday's Results: DNP. In kind of a funk over the past week's poor results.

I could have entered some NBA contests - no games started until an Eastern Time-friendly 8:00 pm. After realizing that I didn't know much about the teams, though, I took a pass and will be spending some time this week improving my NBA and NHL knowledge. I'm especially deficient when it comes to West Coast teams. Contest entries accordingly will be low for a few days*. I got into my first football contest of the week, though, so the day wasn't a complete DNP.

Later on, I got a boost from watching some hoops via the internet. Trust me, you just haven't lived until you've found yourself awake in the middle of the night watching some Chinese show (in Chinese) recapping the evening's NBA action. What ever did we do before the net?

On second thought, don't answer that. I don't think I want to know.


* Therein being the beauty of Fantasy Sports Live - the games will always be there tomorrow. Or the next day. Or the day after that. Or Sunday (sunday sunday sunday).

Week 11 Results

Eh.

Not one of my better weeks. Very close to being a complete wipeout - eked out three thirds (one of them being a tie for third) in 10 player contests to keep the losses in check somewhat.

Poor receiver selection was the root cause - that and I couldn't talk myself into much Frank Gore or Joseph Addai. I can't really beat myself up too badly, though, as the other receivers I liked (other than Boldin and Fitzgerald who are pricey) didn't do squat either. I can see that I need to do some extra digging in this area to find better production at a reasonable point cost.

Speaking of point costs, I found it kind of amusing that I cashed in both salary cap contests and the one uncapped contest I entered and went 0 for 7 on point system contests. Okay, maybe you have to pretty much be a Fantasy Sports Live nerd to appreciate the humor in that, but it made me grin.

I lost ground in the Blogger Battle and now have the slimmest of possible leads. Results aren't up for Sundays With Dr. Pauly yet, but I put up a middle of the pack score and will have some ground to make up over the next four weeks to have a shot at the super tournament of champions.

Contests are up for this coming Sunday and I might sprinkle in some earlier selections just to shake things up a little.

Sunday's totals: 10 contests entered (8-10 man, 2-6 man, 0 HU), 3 cashes (3,0,0), amount risked: $48.30, amount won: $25.00, net: ($23.30), ROI -48.24%

Week 11 Contests

Final (?) total for today is ten contests. Eight with 10 players and two with 6 players. I probably should have played some heads up contests to reduce the variance - this week should be especially high variance since I have largely the same team in every contest and I'm up against a lot of the same competition.

As an aside, the Fantasy Sports Live site seems to be much faster this morning - it could be that the server upgrade has been completed. Let's hope so anyway.

Good luck!

Saturday results: DNP. Still annoyed with self over basketball shortcomings.

Impending Dike Failure

Somebody get me a Dutch kid.

The leaks continue. Small leaks, sure, but leaks nonetheless. I didn't put in the time yesterday - this happens when you enter contests with fifteen minutes to tipoff -so the results were not surprising. I entered one basketball contest and one in hockey. The basketball HU was a loss - had a nice comeback with good totals in the late game from Kobe and Iverson, but I was in way too deep of a hole. Also finished on the bubble (4th) in a 10 player hockey contest, which looks better than it was.

Drip.

I just need to remind myself that I'm not putting much at risk at anything other than football. While the games were going on, I started doing my homework for this week's contests. I'm in 4 so far and might hit double digits. I can't quite cram all of my top plays in under the point cap, so I'm going to have to pick and choose and fill with a stretch or two.

Not that a reminder is needed, but the third and final series of Sundays with Dr. Pauly kicks off this week. Top the leaderboard over a five week stretch and get the goods - a $25 bonus and entry into a four player $200 added Super Tournament of Champions.

Friday results: 2 contests entered (1-10 man, 0-6 man, 1 HU), 0 cashes (0,0,0), amount risked: $4.40, amount won: $0, net: ($4.40), ROI -100%

Contest Spotlight: Joe Speaker Special

Most of the contests at Fantasy Sports Live are pretty straightforward. They are what they're named - if you asked Dennis Green, he'd definitely tell you they are what he thought they were.

Every once in a while, though, you'll see a contest with a unique name. One of those is the Joe Speaker Special.

"What's a Joe Speaker Special?" I hear you ask. Even if you didn't, pretend you did.

During football season, a Joe Speaker Special is a salary cap (not points) contest with a very limited cap, meaning that you have to be extra tight with a buck. What this has to do with Speaker - insert bad joke about hair product here - is beyond me, but it's fun variation. You can really showcase your skill at picking in this type of contest.

If you're interested in trying out a Speaker Special, be sure to register early - these fill up fast and additional contests don't seem to appear on Sunday mornings.

For more fun with fantasy football contests at Fantasy Sports Live (shameless plug for bonus code BONDS, best signup deposit bonus for new players), give one a try this week.

My NBA Enthusiasm Has Been Dampiered

(Slightly).

The leaks continue. Two contests yesterday - 1 basketball, 1 hockey. Two dismal finishes. Who knew that Erik Dampier would be a stud? (Most everybody but me, that's who).

I do feel like my selections are improving at hockey (although the results don't show it), while I continue to have no clue about the NBA. As a result, I'll stick to the dollar multis until I have more confidence in these sports. You gotta keep the leaks under control.

I'm starting to get amped up for the next batch of football contests. I took a look at the schedule for this weekend and it seems to me like there are a lot of obvious plays, most of whom will be expensive (in terms of points) based on their production to date. This would be a good week to dig and find a sleeper or two to plug in so the rest of the roster can be stars. That's true every week, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, even if I didn't win at Fantasy Sports Live at least I had a good night in my regular fantasy league. I have one of the worst teams imaginable - this is what happens when you can't attend the draft - but have luckboxed my way to a winning record. This week got off to a good start with Cassel and Thomas Jones having big games against the Jets.

Hockey and basketball contests are up for Friday.

Thursday results: 2 contests entered (2-10 man, 0-6 man, 0 HU), 0 cashes (0,0,0), amount risked: $2, amount won: $0, net: ($2), ROI -100%

What The Puck: Goon It Up!

Posted by: Bad Advice Barry
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

In the old days of hockey, the players were real men. Real men who didn't wear helmets. Who weren't afraid to take - or dish out - a punch or two. The puck was made of concrete instead of rubber. Losing teams were ritually barbecued and fed to the rabid fans of the victors.

I miss those days.

Today's NHL is filled with sissies. Lady men. Contact dodgers. Nothing makes Barry angrier than having girls on his fantasy team. That's why I am here today to share with you one of my many strategies for winning fantasy hockey contests. I call this one "GOON IT UP".

If you look at the rules for how hockey contests at Fantasy Sports Live are scored, you should see this:

Offensive Scoring

Goal = 10 pts
Assist = 7 pts
Shot on Goal = 1 pt
Penalty Minute = 1 pt
+/- (per. point) = 5 pts

PLUS ONE POINT per penalty minute. A minor penalty gets you a quick +2. A major, hopefully coupled with a game misconduct will get you double digits in no time. You also won't have to worry about any of that sissy stuff like plus/minus. Ya, you won't get any goals or assists, but if you pick players REAL MEN who get hosed by the refs on a regular enough basis you should be able to score mucho positive points.

Lemme give you an example. If you look up the leaders in penalty minutes, at the top of the list you find this guy:

2

Sean Avery, DAL

C

14

2

6

8

3

58

14:02

22

9.1

0

3

0

0

In 14 games, Sean Avery has 2 goals, 6 assists, a +3 and 58 penalty minutes. 58 penalty minutes! That's better than two sticks-to-the-groin per game and easy easy fantasy points. Sean Avery is a MAN. A real, live, blood and guts, teeth missing hockey god. You should have him on your team.

"Who is Sean Avery" I hear you asking. That name doesn't sound Canadian or Russian. Because I'm a knowledge guy, I looked up Sean Avery on the intertubes. This is the first picture I found:

What the $%$%^&$%^&*!!.

Son of a $%^&*^&*(!! Anybody who dresses like that is a sissy and isn't a REAL hockey player.

(ed - what's Canadian for douchebag, anybody know?)

I'm never taking this piece of $%^&* ever again.

Did you know that back in the good old days players would go for weeks without sharpening their skates? This punk probably can't go fifteen minutes without waxing his back. Makes me sick.

This is Barry signing off, going for another beer and reminding you to GOON IT UP if you want to be a real man and a winner at fantasy hockey.

(Ed note: "What The Puck" is an extremely irregular series of posts on fantasy hockey. Play fantasy hockey daily at Fantasy Sports Live. When doing so, you probably shouldn't use any of the recommendations made by Bad Advice Barry. Bad Advice Barry sucks at fantasy hockey. He is very good at drinking Molsons and yelling at Don Cherry however. Neither Fantasy Sports Live nor the people behind this blog are responsible for any harm caused by following Bad Advice Barry's "recommendations". Also remember that scoring methods are subject to change - see the FSL site for official rules.)

Not Quite Ready For Prime Time

Lots of $107 Basketball contests running tonight. None of which are me.

No contests today. I think I may have to start doing entries during my lunch break.

I bubbled out of yesterday's hockey contest, finishing 4th. Two negatives and a zero hurt. The guy selected on name alone put up 17 points, making him my third best player. Go figure. I still have a lot to learn about hockey.

Tuesday results: 1 contest entered (1-10 man, 0-6 man, 0 HU), 0 cashes (0,0,0), amount risked: $1, amount won: $0, net: ($1), ROI -100%

Wednesday results: DNP (too late getting home)

***

Another FSL regular has started up a blog - go visit My Sports Report to read about the adventures of etoppsfan. Added to the blogroll - see the left sidebar for a list.

I'm always interested in linking up FSL-related content - comment below or shoot me an email at resipsapoker funny-at-symbol period communism.

Site Basics: The Leaderboard

(Warning: Contains shameless brag)

If you're new to Fantasy Sports Live, take a moment to check out one of the fun features of the site - the leaderboard. Just click on the tab that says 'leaderboard' on the main page, above the list of contests. Only on FSL can you see just how many cashes your fantasy opponents have chalked up.

After good results this weekend, I finally made the list. Yeah, it's way down at the bottom and 1700+ wins from the top, but it's still pretty cool. Next goals: 100 wins and the top 50.

I Should Take My Own Advice

Monday's results: DNP.

I ignored my own sage advice and waited until too late to get into contests yesterday. None of the heads up options were appealing, so I took a pass.

To make up for the lack of donation, I'm in a dollar hockey contest tonight and my team is laughably bad. My last selection was some winger from Calgary that I'd never heard of - I went with the old horse racing standby, I liked his name. This will not end well.

Week 10 Results

I'm sure it's possible to have a better week than this* but wow.

Ten contests. Seven wins, two seconds and one out of the money. Almost everything that could have gone right did. You want an example? Okay, here you go: In a late games only 6 player contest I figured to be sunk because I took Delhomme (4 INTs, 0.9 points) as my QB. Oops. Oh, wait - every other player in the contest took Delhomme too. A wash is a win! (Except when Kevin Boss and Brandon Jacobs have huge games, in which case a wash is a 2nd, but I digress).

Results from Sundays with Dr. Pauly and the Blogger Battle will be up later. I think I have a good shot at having topped Pauly's score - that was a 2nd but a good point total - and I won my Blogger Battle contest, so hopefully I added a couple points to my miniscule lead there.

Edit: I did manage to beat Pauly so I'm in the tournament of champions - along with 18 (!) others. Finished 9th in this stage of the Super TOC contest with one more crack at it - part 3 begins on Sunday (more on that later). Won the Blogger Battle so I have a little more of a lead, but can be knocked right out of first in no time if I have another zero and Buffalo66 has a big week.

Whew.

It's just one week and having one good week doesn't make me any kind of expert. I'm not, obviously. But it sure is nice to run good one (more) time.

Sunday's totals: 10 contests entered (6-10 man, 2-6 man, 2 HU), 9 cashes (6,2,1), amount risked: $45.20, amount won: $154.00, net: +$108.80, ROI +240%

I'm debating whether to continue posting specific numbers like this. For now, I think I will - there are microstakes poker grinders that post detailed results, and I don't think there is any particular resulting competitive disadvantage or other reason not to post them. Then again if I start playing more contests, it may become more of a pain than it's worth. Call it 'TBD'.


* I've had better weeks in terms of ROI, but I don't know about better all around. For what it's worth, I picked up a shade under 85% of the maximum possible winnings in my contests.

High Stakes Football Action

When checking results over at Fantasy Sports Live I always like to see what other contests ran.

Yesterday there were a total of eight $107 heads up football contests ($200 to the winner) that went. That seems incredible to me - then again, since I generally don't play higher than the $11s, that shouldn't surprise anyone. There were also a handful of $107 heads up basketball contests this week that filled.

I may not be ready for that level of action but it's great to see FSL drawing participants who want to play higher. More players, more games, more action are all good things and based on my unscientific observation they're all trending up.

Fantasy Sports Live Related Blogs

The sidebar to the left contains a list of blogs related - more or less - to playing at Fantasy Sports Live. So far, I've added:

The official Fantasy Sports Live blog. Self-explanatory, I think.

Blinders. More about poker, but FSL is Blinders' concept and baby. Results of the Blogger Battle can be found there.

Buffalo Hold'em. Buffalo66 is one of the highest volume players at FSL and a consistent winner. Stop over to read his insights, tales of domination and if he ever publishes his book on winning at daily fantasy sports get in line for a copy.

Schaubs. Another name from the FSL leaderboard, you'll frequently find Schaubs crushing hockey contests.

If there are others that I should add, please note them in the comments. I know that there are quite a few poker bloggers that play at FSL, but I never see them post about the site (or at all in some cases - zing) so I haven't added them to this list. I might add a separate blogroll just for players.

Week 10 Contests

Busy entering football contests. Judging from the rate things are filling up, I'm not alone.

At the moment, I'm in 9 contests total, thinking about adding one more. I did a little homework last night and feel pretty decent about my selections, which probably means that I will have an awful week. It will definitely be high-variance, as I have mostly the same roster in each contest, and if one or two of the key players lays an egg there is a very real chance getting shut out. Then again, if I pick the right guys, it could be a double up. Standard cliche: That's why they play the games.

I need to beat Dr. Pauly's score for a tournament of champions entry in Sundays w/ Dr. Pauly. That, plus hopefully luckboxing a couple wins and hanging on for another week in the Blogger Battle are goals for today.

Good luck!

Results update:

Saturday's totals: DNP, coaches decision

Friday's totals: 1 contest entered (0-10 man, 0-6man, 1-HU), 0 cashes (0,0,0), amount risked: $3.40, amount won: $0, net: ($3.40), ROI: -100%

User Tips: The Most Obvious Tip Ever

(Part of a series, in which I offer tips to maximize your enjoyment of the Fantasy Sports Live experience)

As the title says, this is (probably) the most obvious tip ever, but if you're new to FSL it's worth knowing: For the best contest selection, don't wait until the last minute!

When contests fill, new contests are added. However, because Fantasy Sports Live guarantees prizes in multi-player contests as long as there are a minimal number of entries, the number of new 10 and 6 player contests put out there as game time approaches drops off toward zero. I don't know what criteria FSL uses for when to cut off the set up of new multi player contests, but for example as of right now - a little over two hours to kickoff of this week's NFL games - no new 10 or 6 player options are being put out there.

That's not to say you can't get a last minute contest, but it may not be exactly what you want.

By way of example, I wanted to play a NBA contest on Friday, but I forgot to enter one until just a few minutes before the early games tipped off. This meant that all the $1 10 player contests were full - even the 6 player games in my price range had filled up. I ended up signing up for a $3.4 heads up contest for the late games - pretty much the opposite of my usual choice. Yes, I lost but no, I'm not bitter. Stupid basketball.

Bottom line: Play early, play often, post comments saying "duh!" and telling me that I suck at the NBA contests.

A Basketball Explosion That Does Not Involve Rasheed Wallace

If you've felt the virtual ground shaking lately, watch out for collateral damage from the explosion of fantasy basketball over at Fantasy Sports Live. As the kids would say, that [stuff] is blowing up, yo.

Seriously, it looks to me like NBA contest traffic is up. Way up. I don't track the numbers or anything, but there could easily be two or three times as many contests filling this year versus last. It goes without saying, but more contests = more opportunity.

I hate missing out on opportunity.

Basketball is my weakest sport, so all I've been doing is entering the occasional $1 contest. I broke even last week, but last night's team was a real clunker - dead last in my ten man. So bad.

If I'm ever going to have the NBA be anything other than a diversion and a slow leak, I need to pay attention. Fortunately with FSL I have the whole season to get it together.

Yesterday's totals: 1 contest entered (1-10 man, 0-6man, 0-HU), 0 cashes (0, 0, 0), amount risked: $1, amount won: $0, net: -$1, ROI: -100%

The Wish List: Who Dat

(Part 2 of what will be an occasional series on features I'd like to see added to Fantasy Sports Live. Please note that these are strictly my personal wishes, and they may or may not be something the good folks at FSL would consider. For all I know, they may be impractical - that's why this is a "wish" list)

I surfed over to check out what's on tap for tonight -- basketball and hockey btw -- and something about the contest list caught my eye. High stakes NBA action! It looks like two $107 heads up basketball contests ($200 to the winner) went off on Wednesday and one went yesterday. Nice.

Good luck to whoever it is/was/will be.

You can't see who participated in completed contests other than your own (as far as I know), so I have no idea who the NBA ballers are. I think it would be kind of cool if you could see that, even if you couldn't check out their picks. There are probably good reasons for why you can't see who played - the obvious one being that when you check the results of a contest you're in, it shows everyone's team and results and it would probably be a pain to code a viewing option that doesn't show you all that other stuff. It still would be fun to see.

Chalk up "the ability to check out who won" as another entry on my FSL wish list.

An Odd Problem: Salary Cap Football

If you're playing fantasy football contests at Fantasy Sports Live, you know that there are a variety of different games. Contests vary by buy in, number of players, and by limitations on what players can be selected.

Most of the contests I enter on a regular basis are point capped. Each player is assigned a point value based on performance to date and your picks are charged against your total cap up to the limit. A variation on this is the no cap contest, where you can pick whomever you wish. The third standard variety is a salary cap contest. Rather than points based on production, players have a salary which bears some relation (for all I know it may match) to the player's actual paycheck.

Salary cap contests are interesting. I'm busy entering one as I type this - chalk it up as "research" - a $3.40 heads up match with a $1.8 million salary cap.

The "problem" referenced in the title to this post is a little misleading - it's not really a problem, more of a quirk: I find that I frequently fall too much in love with the bargains, leaving a huge chunk of my "cap" unspent!*

Some of the players are just ridiculous bargains. Matt Forte, the Bears rookie RB and one of the top 10 RBs ranked by performance, has a salary of $20k. So do a lot of other productive rookies. You snag a few of those guys and all of a sudden, you're picking your last player with a million bucks left on your salary cap!

For that I will not stand.*
I shall revise my picks with more expensive players,
performance be damned.

No, I'm not being serious. I'm just distracted, trying to decide which el cheapo RB will be gracing my roster.

The quirks of the salary cap system also limit the number of guys you are realistically going to take. There are very good QB options available for less - in some case much less - than 400k. So why on earth would anyone ever take Peyton (1.169 million) or Eli (807k) Manning? They wouldn't. Duh.

It's a funny game.

Time's up. Team's picked. If I spend any more time on this, I may yet talk myself into "upgrading" to some 500k receiver when a 180k model works just fine.

Salary cap contests at Fantasy Sports Live - fantasy sports' answer to keeping up with the Joneses.


* Yes, I know. "But Senator, you left two billion on the table!" "Bah. A good politician never leaves a nickel unspent. Appearances matter, my dear."

Great News For FSL Players

Read this over on the official Fantasy Sports Live Blog:

Many of you are probably aware that the site runs a bit slow on NFL Sunday’s when we hit peak traffic. Our user base exploding, and as much as we have tried to optimize our code to make the site run faster, we just can’t seem to keep up with the growth. So in about a week or so we will be upgrading our server hardware in a huge way. The site will be fast again on Sundays and will be lightning fast at off peak times. We will also be able to finally roll out some added features to the site we have been holding back on for bandwidth concerns. The new hardware will put us way ahead of the curve on website performance for a long time to come. Thanks for your patience as we have worked on improving website performance this NFL season.

Yep, I've noticed it. I wasn't sure how much of the lag I should chalk up to my shaky internet connection, but whatever. The impressive thing is that an upgrade is coming. Fantasy Sports Live delivers once again.

Week 9 Results

That's more like it. Cashed in 5 out of 6 contests for a decent gain. A hair short of being a really good week - only one outright win and that was in the heads up match. The one contest I bubbled (4th) was the blogger battle, so I may lose my series lead. Waiting for the official word on that and on Sundays w/ Dr. Pauly.

Edit: Results are in. I did manage to beat Dr. Pauly's score, so next week will be my third crack at securing that seat in the Tournament of Champions. I'm out of the running in the Week 6-10 Super TOC race, no pressure there.

In the Blogger Battle, I basically had the same score as Buffalo66, so no change in the standings. Still virtually tied.

On an unrelated note, I've been debating (myself, naturally) how to track wins and losses. Units? ROI? $$$? ROI is probably the snazziest - it's fun to be able to say hey, ROI was +68% this weekend, but then again the -100% weeks would really suck. Units and $$$ are boring in comparison.

Maybe if I played above happy meal stakes it would matter. For now, it'll be whatever I feel like doing. It's not like I'm a pro or anything...

Week 9 Football Contests

I'm in six contests this week - the usual Sundays with Dr. Pauly and Blogger Battle, three 10 player contests and (on a whim) a no-cap heads up match. Only $35 or so on the line.

Selections were a struggle again. I have a couple solid picks that I have in pretty much every contest, but had several positions where I liked two or three alternatives. I probably put in more time (thanks to a bit of a cold, I haven't felt like doing much) but I'm not sure that was necessarily a good thing. Too much thinking.

Good luck with your picks!