NFL.com Releases Fantasy Football Preview: Print Magazine Now In Stores

Blogging the National Football League, Blogging the NFL

I’m more of a “reality” football guy than a fantasy football one. When people hear that I blog and podcast professional football, they immediately think I’m involved in some sort of fantasy football project, when, in fact, I am actually living in the real world and not a make-believe one. I cannot deny the popularity of fantasy football, though. I do devote some blogging and a podcast or two to the subject. And I enjoy fielding my own team (Davee’s Dawgs) each season at NFL.com. But, I don’t even play for money, so you’re probably wondering “What’s the point?” Well, I enjoy the competition and it’s actually quite addicting. Especially if you love professional football, which, obviously, I do. I usually participate in an automated draft where I rank my top players at each position and let a computer pick my team for me among a group of other teams to form our “league.”

One thing I look forward to each summer to help me prepare for my draft are the fantasy football preview mags. And in my opinion, there are only two — NFL.com and ESPN. The NFL.com version (NFL.COM FANTASY FOOTBALL 2007 PREVIEW) came out this week. In a feature story entitled “LT=TD,” NFL.com national editor Vic Carucci called LaDainian Tomlinson’s 2006 performance the best fantasy football season in NFL history. For the third consecutive year, NFL.com has produced an outstanding tool to prepare fantasy football players for the upcoming season, providing all the essentials for fantasy players with exclusive analysis and statistics from NFL.com. LT won the 2006 NFL MVP award and was last season’s top fantasy football scorer. Unfortunately, he was not on my team, but he was the previous year and I can attest to the luxury of having him in the lineup. I made the playoffs that year.

Anyway, this NFL.COM FANTASY FOOTBALL 2007 PREVIEW features 160 pages of in-depth, position-by-position scouting reports, depth charts, draft cheat sheets, mock drafts, statistics and features. Rankings and analysis found in the mag will be updated throughout the preseason and regular season on NFL.com. Among the highlights:

• Three-Year Averages: A 30-page review of NFL players and their statistics over the past three seasons with projections for 2007.
• “Fantasy Tips”: NFL.com senior analyst and former Dallas Cowboys personnel chief Gil Brandt gives a position-by-position look at what fans should keep in mind while preparing for the 2007 season.
• “Celebrity Fantasy: Worlds Within Worlds”: An inside look at the fantasy football craze among celebrities such as actors Jim Belushi, Dean Cain and Paul Rudd, and singer Meat Loaf, along with a recap of the third season of the NFL.com Hollywood Fantasy Football League. The winner of the third annual league crown was CSI: Miami star Rex Linn.
• “Meet Mike”: Entering his second season as NFL.com’s fantasy expert, Mike Fabiano offers useful postdraft tips to fantasy owners, such as how to work the waiver wire and improve their teams’ depth. Fabiano also provides player capsules and position-by-position rankings that will be updated on NFL.com throughout the preseason and regular season.
• “Breakout Candidates for 2007”: Jim Gigliotti, NFL.com’s Fantasy Preview Editor, looks at young players who are ready to break out and far surpass their numbers from past years.
• “The 15 People You Meet On Draft Day”: Comedian Nick Bakay humorously examines the types of people one might encounter during a fantasy football draft. From “Hey, Who Invited That Dude?” to “Boozy McImpulse Pick,” Bakay presents classic profiles of different fantasy owners on draft day.
• “LT=TD”: NFL.com national editor Vic Carucci declares LaDainian Tomlinson’s 2006 season the greatest in fantasy football history. Is the San Diego Chargers running back ready for more in 2007?
• “Top 10 Fantasy Seasons”: Gigliotti examines the NFL’s 10 best fantasy football seasons, breaking them down by players of the modern era and all-time players. NFL.com Experts Mock Draft: Brandt, Carucci, Fabiano, NFL Network’s Adam Schefter, and others participate in a preseason draft.