September is the month most of us wait for all year, football season. Another chance at Fantasy Football infamy, to claim honor and to tell war stories of how we almost won. For many Fantasy Football regulars this can mean big time payouts if our teams can actually make it to the championship game but also win the league and the larger payout prize. But now, its the month of August so there will be drafts happening every weekend through game time on September 9, 2018. What better way to get readers pumped, prepared and informed for their drafts then to interview Thomas Corson, Senior Fantasy Football Writer and Contributor for the websites Fakepigskin and Dynasty Happy Hour.
Tom, how did you get started in Fantasy Football ? When did you start writing professionally as a Fantasy Football writer? How many leagues did you participate in last year? How many did you win?
When I got out of the Marines in 2007, my friends were starting a league so I decided to join. I was horrendous. It was a 10 team league. I had the 9 spot. I drafted Willie Parker at 9 and then Travis Henry at 12. Henry had like 12 kids from 9 different women or something crazy. He was asking for advance checks from Denver to pay child support. My season was only a little bit worse than his situation. I remember stuff like this...but I can't remember anything my wife tells me to do. Anyway...everybody got hurt. I sucked for the first couple years and something finally clicked and I started winning a lot.
I started writing the first year the Eagles hired in Chip Kelly. A friend and I had a website and I wrote mainly about the Eagles. It was a lot of fun, but running a website is a ton of work and time. Eventually, I decided to shut it down. I took a year off and applied to a website that referred me to Fakepigskin.com where Regan Yant is the owner. He reached out and said I could write about whatever I wanted to. I started writing articles about the NFL draft and fantasy football articles. I did a weekly article last year called "Not Ideal" that got some pretty good feedback. It was basically saying a big name would be bust that week. The twist was that he was projected by many fantasy analysts to score well that week. I got through 8 weeks before I had a knee surgery and had to stop. I was 6 out of 8.
Last year I was ONLY in 6 leagues. I came in 2nd in 3 and won 1. I also did a few MFL10 leagues. If you don't know what they are, check them out. It's basically a draft and then you forget about it. Total points at the end of the year wins. You put in $10 and win $100 if you win in the basic format. I did 3 of those and had a 1st place finish and 2 2nd place prizes. I won some good money last year overall. I picked up 3 or 4 new leagues this year.
Which Fantasy Football websites, magazines, or internet sites are you currently writing for? Where can I find your podcast?
I currently write for Fakepigskin and Dynasty Happy Hour and do a podcast called the FakePigskin Dynasty Zone Podcast along with Ron McCleese and Chris Donikian. We have awesome guests on there so you should really check it out. It's got a dynasty focus mostly, but we talk about re-draft, too. If you don't know what dynasty is, it's basically running a franchise. You have a startup draft and that's your team...forever until you change it, just like the NFL. You can trade players. Add/Drops. Everything you do in a re-draft. You just own the team from season to season. That's my bread and butter. You can also find me on Twitter @DynastyInfidel. You can download my podcast on iTunes, Google Play or most other podcast apps.
Last year you picked Kareem Hunt in your drafts before Spencer Ware was injured. Who is the player you believe could be the best surprise player not being looked at by professionals this year?
I'm drafting Nick Chubb and Corey Davis everywhere I can. Corey Davis is generally going at the end of round 4 or 5 but I feel like he's going to exceed that by a ton this year. I'm all in on that Titans offense. I think Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis will both be top 24 rbs and Marcus Mariota will be a top 8 qb. Nick Chubb is an interesting. He's got basically the same situation that Kamara had last year. Kamara looked to be buried behind Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson and they found a role for him and he was too good to keep off the field. I expect the same thing to happen in Cleveland with Nick Chubb. Duke Johnson has a role as the third down back. They signed Carlos Hyde to a deal this past offseason before the drafted Chubb so people generally expect Hyde to be ahead of Chubb on the depth chart. I'm not so sure. I think Cleveland is going to want to run the ball a lot, so their will be volume for Chubb. If one injury happens, it's ball game. As soon as he gets a chance, he's not giving that job up. People in dynasty love Nick Chubb NEXT year because of the crowded backfield. People said the same thing about Alvin Kamara last year and he won people leagues. He won't cost a ton either, as he's going sometime after the 7th, depending on your league. In some leagues, you can wait even longer. Chubb was basically all the rage that Saquon was before he injured a knee. Now that Chubb is back...he's going to be a beast.
If you could choose your favorite spot to pick in this years Fantasy Football draft on a 12 team (non-ppr) league where would you like to draft from and who would your first three rounds of picks be (possibly)?
*I don't mind drafting anywhere, but I generally like the middle because you put yourself in position to not miss out on runs and also get players that fall. This year, I like the 4 or 5 pick. You assure yourself 1 of the top 4 running backs (Bell, Gurley, Zeke, and DJ) or Antonio Brown. Also...who the hell does non-ppr leagues anymore?!?!?! It's 2018! Get with the times old man! *
Do you participate in Draft Kings or Fan Duel? Do you believe there is an unfair advantage to playing on these weekly sites versus people with more money or greater knowledge?
I do a little Fan Duel here and there. It's not the people with "greater knowledge" that concern me. It's the guy with 200 entries that has a computer algorithm pick a bunch of lineups. I prefer something called playdraft. You basically just draft a team each week. Can't fake that. Same concept.
Who is the player you have to have this year and why? What round would you draft him?
I love Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon. I'm taking Dalvin as high as late in the 1st and Mixon as high as mid 2nd, depending on the rb board. Mixon slimmed down and has an improved line. I loved both their talents coming out of college. Dalvin was a monster last year before he got hurt and is all the way back. Mixon is more likely to exceed his ADP because he's got more room to improve, but they could both win you leagues. If you started off with Zeke at 3 and Mixon in the 2nd, you could have 2 top 5 rbs. A start with Dalvin/Melvin Gordon or Dalvin/Julio or Hopkins is another great start.
Who is the player fans should stay away from? Is there more than one player? Why?
Probably Shady McCoy because he'll hire somebody to beat you up and take your jewelry...
What is the one piece of advice or information you would give to all Fantasy Football players to help them win?
*Draft players you like but don't reach too much in relative to what their value is. That's what making a bad pick looks like. Loving Alex Collins or Jerrick McKinnon is fine. Taking either of them in the 1st makes is a bad pick. Also...wait on quarterback. Don't be the guy (unless you're in my league) that takes a QB in the 1st or 2nd. You can wait. Wait as long as you can. Also...tell your commish to get rid of kickers. *
Do you think last year we saw the start of the decline of Odell Beckham?
Nope. That's an insane question. I'm going to chalk that up to you making sure I'm paying attention.
Most mock drafts have Giants running back, Saquon Barkley being drafted in the first round. Is this where you would draft him? What round should he be drafted in?
Yeah. He's a stud. He's right in that 6/7 range for me along with Kamara after the top 5 I mentioned earlier. He's legit.
Last year you correctly picked the Eagles to win the Superbowl. Any prediction as to the winner of the Superbowl this year?
Birds to repeat. Obviously.
Thanks Tom, best of luck this season. You can find Tom at http://www.fakepigskin.com and http://dynastyhappyhour.com/ and follow him on Twitter at @DynastyInfidel
You can follow me on Twitter @TheMoonknight77 where I mainly follow NWBO, send prayers for cancer patients and post Steemit articles on topics which I enjoy.