As we approach the start of the 2018 NFL season, we’re excited to launch a new series where we’re featuring several of the top experts in the fantasy industry. Our aim is to help you get to know each analyst a little better with info about their path to becoming a fantasy expert, advice for helping you win your leagues and answers to fun questions mixed in.
We encourage you to follow each expert, check out their rankings and enjoy the interview! Up next is Mike Tagliere, one of our own experts at FantasyPros.
Expert: Mike Tagliere
Site: FantasyPros
Twitter: @MikeTagliereNFL
Archive: https://www.fantasypros.com/news/correspondents/mike-tagliere.php
Rankings Accuracy: No. 47 Overall In-Season (2017)
Doing some garage cleaning and came across my old license plate. Thought you guys would find this cool. pic.twitter.com/6AHhcXuo8V
– Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL) July 8, 2018
Describe the journey that culminated in you becoming a fantasy football expert.
Oddly enough, it all started by posting my thoughts in my home league’s smack talk area on Yahoo. I wrote who I thought would win, as well as why I thought they would for the first eight weeks or so, and then in Week 9 I went to a Bears game at Soldier Field, which meant I didn’t write anything that week. My phone blew up that day, as all of my friends said it was the highlight of their week. That was the first time I learned that people cared what I had to say, and from that point my wife asked me, “If you had a fantasy football site, what would you call it?” My response to her was, “TagsFantasyFootball.com,” and five minutes later she was handing me her laptop, saying that she had just purchased the domain name and that I should get started on my site. The rest, as they say, is history.
If you have one piece of advice for anyone looking to become a fantasy expert, what would it be?
It should never feel like work. I know it sounds somewhat cliché, but I love every minute of what I do. There’ve been friends who’ve asked me how to get started in the industry and I tell them to go home and write 5,000 words a day on whatever they want. They usually get to the 3,000-word mark and tell me it’s hard. That’s how I know this is my passion. My family actually has to tell me to stop working.
If you could provide one piece of advice for anyone starting a podcast, what would it be?
Pretend that everyone is listening, no matter how many people are listening. Speak clearly and with confidence. It’s not going to happen right away, trust me. What I did was record roughly 20 episodes of a podcast that were never even published before putting out one that someone would hear. But truth be told, people want to hear you grow through your show. The best thing you can do is be confident in your opinions and research, it’s why people will listen. If you aren’t confident in your research, well then it’s probably not a great time to start a podcast. Don’t forget that you’re doing this because it’s your passion and that needs to come across in your voice.
What is the best part of being a fantasy expert?
Knowing that I’ve helped someone achieve something they’ve strived towards. I’m the type who gets more enjoyment helping others win than I get myself. Why? Because I like winning, but I hate losing. There’s nothing better than waking up to having a mailbox full of people thanking you for helping them win their league.
On the flip side, what is the toughest part of being a fantasy expert?
I’ve said this before, though never in print. At some point in your fantasy career, you have to decide – Am I a player or an advice giver? Once I decided that I want to make this my career, I stopped focusing on my leagues. I know there are analysts out there who won’t share all of their thoughts on DFS because they use that as a stream of income and need to play for themselves. Same thing goes for some sleeper advice because they don’t want their leaguemates to know who they’re targeting late in drafts. I’m not that guy. I’ll share everything I can with my readers/listeners because I’m an advice giver first, player second. Because of that, my fantasy teams have suffered a bit, because I pay more attention to my work than I do waiver wire moves, trades, etc.
What fantasy advice of yours has garnered the most memorable reaction (and was it good or bad advice)?
It was probably last year’s call on Devin Funchess. During our bold predictions podcast, I said that I believed Funchess could outscore Kelvin Benjamin, yet he was free in drafts. I’ve heard a lot of great feedback from that call, but receive equally as much negative feedback from my love for John Brown over the last few years. Guys, I can’t predict what sickle cell will do! In reality, I hope that my bold prediction on Geronimo Allison will be my new calling card after 2018 (provided they don’t sign Dez Bryant).
Is there anything commonly accepted in fantasy football that you’re against?
I’m against draft strategy as a whole. Yes, any strategy can work, but we aren’t playing that way. We’re playing to give ourselves the best odds of winning, which means that you need to remain fluid in your draft process and adjust your strategy as the shape of the draft presents itself. The only way to do this is through practice/experience of putting yourself in those positions, which is why I love best-ball and DraftWizard so much.
What’s the biggest mistake you see fantasy players make?
Relying on last year’s production as a standard going forward, especially when a player has just one good/bad season on his resume. There are many things that go into a player’s projection, but not many adjust for outside factors that could severely impact that player, like a coaching change.
What’s your favorite non-fantasy football activity?
The older I get, the more I enjoy the game of golf. It’s legitimately the only thing that takes me away from football each and every moment on the course. While spending time with friends/family, football will always come up, or I’ll be thinking about what article I want to write next. With golf, I’m thinking about nothing but hitting that little white ball in that 4-inch hole.
Excluding people from FantasyPros, what are 5 Twitter accounts fantasy owners should follow?
@rapsheet
@lateroundqb
@evansilva
@baldyNFL
@grahambarfield
If you weren’t a fantasy football expert what would you be?
I was in the private banking sector before pursuing my dream as a writer, but now that I know what it feels like to follow your passion, I couldn’t go back. I’d likely write novels, which is still something I’d like to do on the side. But in the end, I am a football writer and I’ll do everything humanly possible to ensure that continues.
What’s the book that you recommend most to family and friends and why?
Triptych by Karin Slaughter. Such a good novel that takes you through three separate stories (hence triptych – three images that create one picture) that all come together as the book unfolds. I hate giving previews because I never want to give it away.
If you could only listen to one song all day, what would it be?
This is so tough because I’m a music junkie. Some listen to podcasts while writing/researching, but I listen to Spotify all day. It really depends on what day you catch me on, as I listen to anything from metal/hard rock to 80’s jams. But in a general sense, I’d likely say Korn’s “It’s On.” It was never a radio song, but it should have been. So many layers of guitars and drums, the build-up is intense, such a great song to see live.
If you could only watch one movie all day, what would it be?
Another tough one, as it really depends on the mood! But typically, it’s a comedy, so I’ll go with Old School.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Teleporting. I really hate wasting time, so sitting in the car/flying in an airplane doesn’t seem ideal, right?
Gronk revealed a few years ago that his AIM screen name was ChickMagnet4Lyfe. Be honest and tell us what your handle was.
Mine was GoneIn9. I was really into cars as a young man and my goal was to build a 9-second car at some point, so instead of Gone in 60 seconds, I went with GoneIn9. As a side note, I never built a 9-second car, closest I got was 11.1 seconds.
When this article appears in a Google search result in 5 years, what player will you hope you predicted as a sleeper in 2018?
Geronimo Allison.
What about a player that will disappoint fantasy owners in 2018?
Based on current expectations, I’d say Tyreek Hill.
What is your 2018 Super Bowl prediction?
It’s way too early for this, but I’ll say Jaguars vs. Rams with the Jaguars winning.
Thanks to Mike for taking the time to answer our questions. For more, visit FantasyPros and follow @MikeTagliereNFL.
And check out our entire Fantasy Football Expert Q&A:
Rudy Gamble (Razzball)
Mike Wright (The Fantasy Footballers)
