So, I was one of 24 fantasy analysts fortunate enough to be invited
to participate in the inaugural King's Classic at the Pro Football
Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, last weekend. (What a great time!
Better yet, #KingsClassic was a trending on Twitter at one point
on Saturday.) I promise to share details in the coming weeks because
the event figures to become a fixture in the industry in the years
ahead. But I have other business to attend to at the moment - namely
delivering a Big Board to meet and exceed the expectations of my
audience.
For anyone unfamiliar with my Big Boards, allow me to explain
the SSI concept as well as the color-coding system before we start:
SSI (Success Score Index) - A single number
that reflects a score based on meticulously grading and assigning
certain weights to several attributes that I feel are critical
to fantasy success at a position. It is the number that allows
me to compare apples to oranges across the positions.
Red – For lower-level players, a
red matchup is the most difficult one a player can face. For a
second- or third-tier player, drop your expectations for them
at least one grade that week (i.e. from WR2 to
WR3). For elite players, expect them to perform one level lower
than their usual status (i.e. RB1 performs like an RB2).
Yellow – For lower-level players,
he is a borderline start at best. For a second- or third-tier
player, the slight edge goes to the defense in what is essentially
a toss-up. For the elite players, expect slightly better than
average production.
White – This one can go either
way, but I favor the player over the matchup. In some cases, I
just don’t feel like I have a good feel yet for this matchup.
Generally speaking, these matchups are winnable for all levels
of players.
Green – For non-elite players,
the stage is set for a player to have a productive day. For the
elite player, this matchup could produce special numbers.
Note:Later this week,
I will release my Top 200 Big Boards for 0.5 PPR leagues. After
that, I will present my final rankings for kickers and defense/special
teams as well. Next week will feature Top 200 Big Boards for The
Fantasy Championship (TFC) and the Fantasy Football Players Championship
(FFPC). The colors in the "Pos" column represent the
tiers in which I have placed each player.
Here is the scoring
system that I used to rank the players in the Half-Point PPR
format:
Doug Orth has written for FF
Today since 2006 and been featured in USA Today’s Fantasy
Football Preview magazine since 2010. He hosted USA Today’s
hour-long, pre-kickoff fantasy football internet chat every Sunday
in 2012-13 and appears as a guest analyst on a number of national
sports radio shows, including Sirius XM’s “Fantasy Drive”.
Doug is also a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association.