Frequently Asked Questions – Tools

Consensus Rankings (ECR™)
What is ECR™ (Expert Consensus Ranking) and how do you calculate it?
How often do you update your ECR™?
Why should I consider following consensus advice like ECR™?
Is it possible to get a consensus of just the most accurate experts?

F A S T™ Advice
What is FAST™ (Fantasy Advice Search Tool)?
How many players can I compare at one time?
Can I compare players from different positions?
How often do you update the advice that is provided?

My Playbook™
What is My Playbook™?
What is My Experts?
What is Prev ECR, Actual Rank, and Diff?
What is Points Allowed?

Have a different question? Check out our Main FAQ Page.

What is ECR™ (Expert Consensus Ranking) and how do you calculate it?
ECR™ represents the collective opinion of the experts we track. We generate a consensus cheat sheet by calculating how many “Rank Points” each player receives based on his ranked position on each expert’s cheat sheet. Each ranked position is worth certain number of Rank Points – the better the rank, the higher the Rank Points. We add these Rank Points up for each player across all experts to determine the player’s consensus rank. We don’t use an “average rank” because we believe this approach is flawed. Using an average requires that you assign an arbitrary rank for unranked players, which skews the results.

How often do you update your ECR™?
We update our rankings and cheat sheets daily, and sometimes more frequently if significant changes occur. It’s important to note, however, that most experts do not update their rankings daily. We monitor and make changes on the same day that the experts update their rankings, so you’re assured of having the latest information. We also provide you with the expert’s last revision date so you know exactly how old their rankings are. Our Cheat Sheet Wizard even allows you to filter out experts that have not updated their rankings recently.

Why should I consider following consensus advice like ECR™?
Consensus rankings naturally weed out outlier opinions. A particular expert may have a risky “bold prediction” or a mistake in their rankings (e.g. not updated for the latest injury report). The research we’ve done on the benefit of following bold predictions suggests that it’s generally more optimal to roll with less risky options. Our ECR™ provides a safer alternative to following just one expert. More importantly, our accuracy study suggests that ECR™ is highly accurate – it finished in the Top 5 among all experts in 2010.

Is it possible to get a consensus of just the most accurate experts?
Yes. In fact, you can pick and choose any combination of experts to create a custom consensus cheat sheet. Use one of our accuracy filters or hand pick the experts you trust. We allow you to combine anywhere from 2 to all of the experts we track. Our Cheat Sheet Wizard is the easiest way to customize your list of experts.

What is FAST™ (Fantasy Advice Search Tool)?
FAST™ helps you make better player decisions in less time by showing every expert’s recommendation with just one search. Whether you’re trying to decide who to draft next or who to start, FAST™ provides the easiest and quickest way to get a side-by-side comparison of expert picks, player stats and match-up ratings. You’ll also instantly see the expert consensus opinion along with each expert’s actual rank of the players you’re considering. FAST™ can also be used for single player searches. We’ll show which experts love and hate the player relative to the consensus opinion, and provide historical stats and strength-of-schedule information.

How many players can I compare at one time?
Our basic FAST™ tool allows you to compare 2 players at a time. You can compare up to 4 players at a time by using our My Playbook tool, which provides customized advice based on your team and league. For more than 4 players, we recommend that you view our expert consensus rankings.

Can I compare players from different positions?
Yes. Our FAST™ tool allows you to compare players across positions. For the preseason (draft), a cross-position request will utilize an expert’s overall rankings to determine who they would draft first. During the season, the premium version of FAST™ (included in our MyPlaybook™ tool), utilizes Flex rankings and Projections to determine who to start across different positions.

How often do you update the advice that is provided?
We monitor and update our database on a daily basis. Many experts do not update their rankings this frequently so we track and publish each expert’s most recent revision date (so you always know exactly how “old” their rankings are).

What is My Playbook™?
My Playbook™ provides the easiest way to get the specific advice you need from the experts you trust. With just a couple clicks, you can auto import your rosters from all the biggest league management services. It also updates your data so that any roster changes made by you or your competitors will be reflected. Once your teams are imported, My Playbook™ will tailor the advice provided to be specific to your players and the top available players in your league.

What is My Experts?
The My Experts feature in My Playbook™ allows you to create a custom list of your favorite experts. You can go with our accuracy rankings or with your own personal opinion. Once your custom list is set, we’ll create a consensus ranking from your experts and display it on the Rankings and Start/Sit pages of My Playbook™. This feature provides the easiest way to get the advice you need from the experts you trust.

What is Prev ECR, Actual Rank, and Diff?
Our Rankings page in My Playbook™ displays a section for the previous week’s rank data. “Prev ECR” is the player’s ECR from the previous week. His “Actual Rank” shows where he actually ranked among players at his position. The “Diff” is simply the difference between these two numbers. This information provides a quick gauge of whether the player was over or under valued in the previous week.

What is Points Allowed?
Our Rankings page in My Playbook™ displays a section for the player’s upcoming Matchup. The “Points Allowed” column in this section shows the average fantasy points allowed to the player’s position by the Defense he’s facing. The data is for games played so far this season.

For Example: If Pierre Garcon is going up against KC’s Defense, the Points Allowed column shows the average fantasy points per game that KC has given up to WRs in 2011. The higher the number, the easier the matchup.

Green dots represent the 8 easiest matchups (top 25%). Red dots represent the 8 toughest matchups (bottom 25%). All other matchups have a Yellow dot.

This is just one reference point for matchup difficulty. Obviously who the Defense has faced thus far has an impact on what they’ve given up (if you have to play the Green Bay or the Patriots every week, your defense probably won’t look that good on paper.

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