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Fantasy Feud (Fantasy Football)

Fantasy Feud (Fantasy Football)

As you probably heard during the most recent episode of the FantasyPros Football Podcast, Bobby, Tags, and [guest] played a fun game of Fantasy Feud. Steve Harvey stopped by. Bobby spent 17 hours recreating the actual Family Feud board in his office. It was amazing.

Fine, not all of that happened. But the guys did play a rousing game of Fantasy Feud, in which you all were the “survey says” part of the show. We asked 10 questions and you guys came through in spades.

Given the time constraints of the podcast, the guys were not able to reveal every answer to each question. So that’s what we’ll do here. Although you can’t hear it, I’m now humming the Family Feud theme song. Let’s get started:

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Which current top-15 QB (based on ECR) will you avoid drafting at all costs?

TOP-15 QBs TO AVOID %
CAM NEWTON 22.5
BEN ROETHLISBERGER 15.7
JAMEIS WINSTON 13.1
PATRICK MAHOMES 11.4
MITCH TRUBISKY 11.1
JARED GOFF 5.1
CARSON WENTZ 4.8
RUSSELL WILSON 3.2
BAKER MAYFIELD 2.9
MATT RYAN 2.6
DREW BREES 2.4
DESHAUN WATSON 2.0
AARON RODGERS 1.7
PHILIP RIVERS 1.4
ANDREW LUCK 0.0

 
As you can see, the overwhelming response was Cam Newton, whose wobbly throws and recurring shoulder issues are causing fantasy players to avoid him at his current draft price. Surprisingly, they have no concerns about another quarterback who previously dealt with shoulder issues, Andrew Luck, who did not get a single vote.

Fantasy owners are also finally starting to appreciate Philip Rivers, who routinely finishes as a QB1 but is rarely drafted as such, and are showing no worries about Baker Mayfield, particularly with Odell Beckham Jr. at his disposal.

Note that having one of the greatest fantasy seasons of all time was not enough to make Patrick Mahomes an easy call for fantasy owners, as 11.4% of them are avoiding him at his current draft price, surely in part due to Tyreek Hill’s off-the-field issues. Mahomes’ draft price will undoubtedly be one of the most debated topics in all of fantasy football this year, and the early returns from fantasy owners suggest that he’ll be going too early in most drafts.

Which current top-24 RB (1/2 PPR, based on ECR) will you avoid drafting at all costs?

RBs TO AVOID %
LEONARD FOURNETTE 16.2
TODD GURLEY 14.3
PHILLIP LINDSAY 8.5
LE’VEON BELL 8.2
DERRICK HENRY 7.7
SONY MICHEL 6.5
CHRIS CARSON 4.9
DEVONTA FREEMAN 4.3
AARON JONES 4.1
TARIK COHEN 4.1
MARK INGRAM 3.8
DAMIEN WILLIAMS 3.8
JAMES CONNER 3.6
KERRYON JOHNSON 2.6
DALVIN COOK 1.5
NICK CHUBB 1.4
MARLON MACK 1.2
MELVIN GORDON 0.9
DAVID JOHNSON 0.9
JOE MIXON 0.9
CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY 0.7
ALVIN KAMARA 0.2
EZEKIEL ELLIOTT 0.0
SAQUON BARKLEY 0.0

 
22 of the top 24 running backs got at least one vote in response to this question, which, above all, shows why fantasy football is so great. Although everyone has access to essentially the same information, opinions vary dramatically. Leonard Fournette’s disappointing season makes him the top running back to avoid, while Todd Gurley’s knee troubles and the Rams’ Darrell Henderson pick in the draft are giving owners some worry.

But it’s good to see fantasy owners place their trust in certain running backs who were coming off somewhat disappointing seasons, including David Johnson and Joe Mixon, though both finished as top-10 options last year in this format by virtue of attrition. And could the 0.7% of owners who are avoiding Christian McCaffrey in ½ PPR leagues please email me directly? I have openings in my leagues and I’d love to send you an invite.

Which current top-24 WR (1/2 PPR, based on ECR) will you avoid drafting at all costs?

WRs TO AVOID %
ALLEN ROBINSON 13.5
ALSHON JEFFERY 10.2
ANTONIO BROWN 10.2
JARVIS LANDRY 9.4
A.J. GREEN 9.2
AMARI COOPER 7.5
D.J. MOORE 6.5
JULIAN EDELMAN 5.5
KENNY GOLLADAY 4.9
JUJU SMITH-SCHUSTER 4.1
CHRIS GODWIN 3.6
ADAM THIELEN 2.4
BRANDIN COOKS 2.2
COOPER KUPP 2.0
STEFON DIGGS 1.9
ROBERT WOODS 1.9
KEENAN ALLEN 1.9
ODELL BECKHAM JR. 1.0
JULIO JONES 0.9
T.Y. HILTON 0.9
DEANDRE HOPKINS 0.2
MIKE EVANS 0.2
DAVANTE ADAMS 0.0
MICHAEL THOMAS 0.0

 
As with running backs, 22 of the top 24 wide receivers got at least one vote in response to this question. Things are a little more dispersed at the top of the list here, however, as five different receivers got at least 9.2% of responses. The top finishers are understandable – A.J. Green’s season was limited by injury, Jarvis Landry was generally ineffective (and now has Beckham Jr. to share targets with), and Allen Robinson was a mix between the two.

But I am personally surprised that D.J. Moore doesn’t rank higher on this list, particularly with concerns over Newton’s injury and ineffectiveness weighing on the minds of fantasy owners as discussed above. Also somewhat surprising is that fantasy owners are in no way concerned with Robert Woods, despite last year representing the first year he finished the fantasy season better than 28th in this format. Sean McVay’s offense will do that to you, I suppose.

Which current top-15 TE (1/2 PPR, based on ECR) will you avoid drafting at all costs?

TEs TO AVOID %
DELANIE WALKER 18.8
CHRIS HERNDON 15.0
ERIC EBRON 13.3
JACK DOYLE 8.2
TREY BURTON 8.7
DAVID NJOKU 6.8
AUSTIN HOOPER 6.5
JARED COOK 5.3
EVAN ENGRAM 3.9
VANCE McDONALD 3.8
HUNTER HENRY 3.1
O.J. HOWARD 2.6
GEORGE KITTLE 1.4
TRAVIS KELCE 1.0
ZACH ERTZ 0.7

 
I accept the results of this, only because there was no option to select “Everyone other than Travis Kelce,” which would have been my choice. Despite finishing as a top-6 tight end in ½ PPR for the previous three years, fantasy owners are not forgiving Delanie Walker for his lost year in 2018 and are avoiding him at all costs. Fantasy owners similarly are not buying the Chris Herndon breakout, at least not in Adam Gase’s offense, or Eric Ebron’s newfound affinity for the end zone.

Note, however, that fantasy owners are willing to spend more than ever on tight end this year, ready to pay the price for Kelce, Zach Ertz, and George Kittle, the top-3 finishers from last year. The moral of the story here is that if you want a top tight end, you’re going to need to pay for him.

What is the earliest round in which you’ve drafted a D/ST in your fantasy career?

EARLIEST D/ST %
ROUND 14 16.0
ROUND 12 14.3
ROUND 15 14.2
ROUND 13 13.1
ROUND 10 11.4
ROUND 9 7.3
ROUND 16 6.5
ROUND 8 6.5
ROUND 11 4.6
ROUND 7 2.0
ROUND 6 1.9
ROUND 5 1.0
ROUND 1 0.3
ROUND 4 0.3
ROUND 2 0.2
ROUND 3 0.2

 
There is a clear takeaway from the responses to this question: 12.4% of fantasy football players are legitimately insane. That includes the 5.9% of you who have drafted a D/ST before the eighth round, and the 6.5% of you who have drafted a kicker prior to the last round.

Second-to-last round is for your D/ST. Last round is for your kicker. Anything else is pure poppycock.

What is the biggest mistake you make during fantasy football drafts?

BIGGEST DRAFT MISTAKES %
REACHING FOR PLAYERS/POSITIONS 23.8
DRAFTING A QB TOO EARLY 16.7
WAITING TOO LONG ON PLAYERS/POSITIONS 13.2
GETTING DRUNK/DRINKING TOO MUCH 11.5
DEVIATING FROM THE PLAN 8.8
FAVORITISM/”HOMER” DRAFTING 7.3
FAILING TO PREPARE 5.1
RELYING TOO MUCH ON ADP/RECENCY 4.3
INJURED PLAYERS 4.2
TOO MUCH/TOO LITTLE STOCK IN BYES 3.1

 
I must admit, these were fantastic responses. But, I’m curious. Have 94.9% of respondents never failed to prepare? Or have they indeed failed to prepare but simply think that it was not their biggest draft mistake? I need a follow-up feud!

Also, you guys may have drinking problems. Unless we’re talking about drinking too much water and needing to go to the bathroom frequently and missing your pick. Because that would have been my choice.

In what week of the season do you usually make your first trade?

1ST TRADE WEEK %
WEEK 3 18.8
PRE-SEASON 18.8
WEEK 4 18.1
WEEK 2 9.6
WEEK 5 8.5
WEEK 6 5.1
NEVER 4.8
WEEK 7 4.4
WEEK 1 2.7
WEEK 10 2.0

 
More than 65% percent of respondents make a trade by Week 4. Almost a fifth of you trade even before the season begins!

I think we need to add a new response to the previous question. A ton of people must have their biggest draft mistake as “Drafting teams with major holes or that I do not like at all.” Why else is everyone jumping ship so early? Have some patience, people!

Also, kudos to the 2% of you who like to play it super chill and wait until almost the playoffs. Patience plus a killer instinct. That’s the way to go.

How old were you when you started playing fantasy football?

AGE STARTED %
35 OR OLDER 11.9
16 7.5
12 7.2
25 5.8
20 5.5
22 5.5
13 5.1
14 5.1
15 4.8
23 4.4

 
This was the question that received the most diverse number of responses – nothing above 11.9% or below 4.4%

Two interesting nuggets – first, the majority of people apparently started playing fantasy football at age 35 or older. That’s incredible. As someone who is Benjamin Buttoning life, I basically started playing when I was 95 years old. But still, to see that “adults” are finding the game as they get older is a great sign for the game’s longevity.

Also, note that NO ONE begins to play fantasy at ages 17, 18, 19, 21, or 24. Those ages are voids for fantasy owners. We need to work on that.

What is the highest entry fee you’ve paid to enter a fantasy football league?

MOST $$$ LEAGUE %
$100 19.1
$50 14.0
$150 9.9
$0 7.2
$200 6.8
$250 5.8
$20 4.8
$30 3.4
$75 3.1
$10 2.7

 
Another question with an interesting mix of responses. $100 seems to be the standard entry fee in most competitive leagues and the clear leader. It’s enough to make you really care about the results without worrying how you’re going to pay for that toy that you just realized that your kid put in his pocket yesterday and you left the story without paying for. Is that . . . just me?

Also, 7.2% of you play fantasy football religiously but have never played for any level of money. If you are playing for pure love of the game, then kudos to you! I admire your dedication. If you are playing for some sort of championship belt/forcing the loser to re-take the SATs in his college sweatshirt, I admire you even more.

How many mock drafts do you complete before your real draft?

PRE-DRAFT MOCKS %
50 14.3
100 13.0
10 11.9
20 9.7
5 7.2
30 6.1
25 4.4
0 3.1
75 3.1
40 2.7

 
Either 30.4% of you are nuts and sitting through upwards of 50 minutes of pre-draft mocks with random people, or you are wisely using the FantasyPros Draft Wizard, which lets you run through a full mock draft using your exact settings in minutes.

Either way, it seems that many of you know that mock drafting is the way to go to hone your craft. The 3.1% of you doing no drafts, that is bad. Work on that this offseason!

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Dan Harris is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Dan, check out his archive or follow him on Twitter @danharris80.

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