Lately, you can't watch more than a couple minutes of sports without hearing the oversimplified explanation of the current NFL lockout described as "billionaires fighting with millionaires over how to divide $9 billion." Lost below the surface are the effects that the lockout is having on the $800 million per year industry of fantasy football. It only takes a stroll down the magazine aisle to notice that the normal litany of the self proclaimed best fantasy football magazines are absent. But what does that mean for you as a die hard fantasy football player?
The first thing the lockout means is that you will be forced to utilize different sources for your rankings and information, and I would argue that this is the best thing that could ever happen to you. The 2010 rushing leader Arian Foster was drafted in the last couple of rounds of most magazine's mock drafts last year, but was selected in the 6th round of the league I play in...why? A lot changes between June and late August. Because the fantasy football industry has become so popular and competitive, there is a mad rush to get a product on the newsstands first. Much of the information is incomplete or inaccurate by the time your draft rolls around. The effects of a key rookie holdout, pivotal free agent signing, a significant injury or recovery all can throw a serious wrinkle in your draft day plans. Raise your hand if you drafted Julian Edelman last year because you were sure Wes Welker wasn't going to be back on the field until mid season. So if you want a magazine for basic guidance and depth information, by all means get it but make sure you find some reliable websites that stay on top of all the signings, injuries, and depth chart battles and what they mean to your rankings.
The other repercussion of the NFL lockout on fantasy football is much more complex. The reason those magazines are not going to publication is that there is far too much to unresolved in regards to player movement to allow them to make predictions and observations. With the normal start of training camps less than a month away we still haven't had free agency. Worse still is that we aren't even sure what free agency rules will be when an agreement is reached. Over the next several days we will take a look at the key potential key free agents at each position, potential landing spots and the fantasy football implications. While we can't be sure when an agreement will be reached and what that will mean to the upcoming season at least you can get a little relief familiarizing yourself with the players who may be on the move in the coming weeks.
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