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scoutPRO™ at the 2012 Fantasy Sports Trade Association Summer Conference

June 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

On June 11-12, 2012, Competitive Sports Analysis (CSA) Founder and CEO Diane Bloodworth attended the 2012 Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) Summer Conference in San Francisco, CA. CSA’s powerful scoutPRO™ Fantasy Football software was previously nominated for the FSTA’s Fantasy Sports Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Fantasy Sports Tool awards, and at this year’s conference, CSA joined other nominees and FSTA members in a dialogue about the unique and rapidly growing fantasy sports industry.

Highlighting the event were panels featuring speakers from high-powered and influential organizations like Yahoo!, Bleacher Report, Facebook, CBS Sports, and ESPN discussing topics including how best to engage subscribers with quality content and building a trusted brand in the fantasy sports world.

CSA will look to leverage knowledge and insights gained from the conference to improve the scoutPRO™ experience and become an even higher-impact tool for fantasy owners. scoutPRO™ was also entered into a developer contest for Fantasy Football apps sponsored by CBS Sports with more than $75,000 in prizes to be awarded.

Attending the FSTA Conference is just one initiative that we are taking to ensure we are offering our subscribers the most “game-changing” scoutPRO™ software possible.

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The Great Coaching Shuffle

June 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

While fans are watching QBs, RBs, and receivers dazzle on the field on Sundays in the NFL, there is another position on the sidelines often overlooked. Coaches may have no direct value to fantasy owners, but there is no question that coaching has a definite effect on how the fantasy season plays out. Some coaches bring systems that help position players thrive, or suppress the roles of guys who are used to the spotlight.

In an offseason that features a crazy carousel of coaches, a whopping 21 teams will have a new Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, or all three for the 2012 season. Fantasy owners will want to head towards this year’s draft with a working knowledge of what the sweeping coaching changes will mean for certain teams:

Jeff Fisher’s taking the reins in St. Louis should be a great improvement for the Rams. Fisher’s record in Tennessee was solid, and particularly impressive considering he never had a really elite level of talent to work with. He should bring some stability to the Rams, who have had 6 head coaching changes in the last 8 years. RB Steven Jackson should be the biggest benefactor from the coaching change, as Fisher historically favors a rush-first offense, but QB Sam Bradford should also have a nice place carved for him in the new offense Fisher will architect.

On the other side of the coin, the hiring of Romeo Crennel by the Kansas City Chiefs is a baffling move. He went 2-1 after taking over in the interim at the end of 2011, but before that posted an unimpressive 24-40 record in four seasons with the Cleveland Browns. He has a strong pedigree coming from his days winning Super Bowls under Bill Belichick in New England, but his history as a head coach, along with the poor track record for interim coaches that get hired the following season, doesn’t bode well. His systems are sound on the defensive side of the ball, but won’t do anything to help the offense, which ranked 31st in total offense in 2011.

Finally, Chuck Pagano could be a nice fit for the Indianapolis Colts as they enter the post-Manning era. He is making the jump to Head Coach for the first time, but his defense previously with the Baltimore Ravens was fantastic, and he had to deal with big personalities in his time there. As a new head coach, he will work in tandem with rookie QB Andrew Luck as they both try to lift the team up from its disappointing 2011 campaign.

It is impossible to predict how these coaching switches will work out in the long run, but owners should carefully consider some of the obvious ramifications in cities like St. Louis and KC. Paying attention to the details off the field can be the difference in a tight matchup.

 

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Tight End Frenzy

June 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Last season, the Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski led a class of tight ends that revitalized the position’s role in many teams’ offensive schemes as he set a new NFL record for touchdown receptions by a TE with 14. His numbers made him not only the top ranking player at his position, but put him right there near the top of the list of all receivers in fantasy leagues.

If you aren’t fortunate enough to snatch Gronk in this year’s draft, there are plenty of other great options in the strong group that will be on display in the 2012 season:

Aaron Hernandez is the dynamic other half of the Patriots impressive dual-tight end look. Hernandez provided Tom Brady with another great option in addition to Gronkowski and the dependable Wes Welker. Of course, his value is diminished a bit by having to share the spotlight, but he is still sure to have ample opportunity to deliver big plays for the Pats.

Jimmy Graham leads all TEs in receptions, racking up more than 1,300 receiving yards and scoring 11 TDs in 2011. If it weren’t for Gronkowski, he would be the clear cut #1 TE for this year’s fantasy rankings. He still may end up being the best if he manages to maintain his high level game, especially with Robert Meachem gone.

Jason Witten had a mediocre campaign last season, coming up short up 1,000 receiving yards and only 5 TDs. He is more talented than he sometimes gets credit for, and is still one of the more durable options in this category, having started every game for the last five seasons. Also, Tony Romo loves him. Like every year, the optimism for Dallas is high, and so it should be for Witten too. He will be a solid contributor.

Jermichael Finley was plagued by dropped-ball syndrome and hurt by the emergence of Jordy Nelson last season.  Going into 2012, those problems will spark doubts, but there should be no questions about his awesome skill set. Finley is looking for a bounceback season, and he may break out since he is now reached the magical point of a full season removed from his knee injury.

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Young Blood

June 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The rookies and second year players of the NFL tend to get plenty of offseason attention from the media. Speculators tout the skills of the kids as they try to break out as the next generation of superstars. While fans know these guys have incredibly high upside with their youth and natural talent, but they are still at an early point in their careers where we haven’t seen enough of them to get to know their weaknesses.

Some of the young guns of the league are primed to be serious impact players and fantasy contributors in 2012. Others may fail to live up to the hype. Here’s a look at 3 big names competing for elite status:

Robert Griffin III might easily become Rookie of the Year. 4,000 yards passing, 700 yards rushing, 35 total TDs is not an unreasonable line, considering his dynamic talent and how central he will be to the Redskins’ O. The whole offensive scheme, from play calling to the other weapons around him, is primed to be very comfortable for him coming in. He showed that he is an extremely hard worker in his Heisman campaign last year, and that bodes well for his career as a Pro.

Trent Richardson will fall short of expectations, even with the big workload he is bound to get. He does have the skillset to rack up yardage and touchdowns, but the Adrian Peterson comparisons may be a bit premature. Many fantasy owners will overvalue him and take him too high in the draft for his contributions. He benefited greatly from playing on an extremely good Alabama squad last season that boosted his numbers, and will lack that same support in Cleveland.  It’s not that he won’t eventually have a strong career – his rookie season may just be a disappointing start.

Will Cam Newton suffer the sophomore slump? Opposing teams are working to figure out the Panthers’ offense that he leads, but when you look at Carolina’s play with the ball last year, it is hard to understate what Cam brings to the game. He was good enough to bring Steve Smith’s numbers back up to where they were in his heyday. Losing the Madden Cover to Calvin Johnson will also help him avoid the curse in his second season. Newton is the real deal.

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Comeback Kids

June 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Returning from injury is no easy task. The beginning of the 2012 season will be marked by storylines following the returns of some big names who suffered physical setbacks last year and through the offseason. Some of these players may be fantasy kryptonite if they aren’t ready to play; others could be real gems whose stock is undervalued.

Here’s a look at a few of the most prominent cases:

Peyton Manning – Possibly the biggest storyline heading into this year’s NFL season is Manning’s return to the field with a team that is, for the first time, not the Indianapolis Colts. Following multiple surgeries on the persistent neck injury that kept him out the entire 2011 schedule as his team sunk to the bottom of the standings, Broncos fans are hoping the QB will enjoy a return to MVP-caliber form, but for the time being, there are still serious questions as to his status. Fantasy owners should be skeptical of what value he will be able to contribute.

Adrian Peterson – Coming off of ACL surgery, many still see AP as a freak of nature able to come back and deliver big yardage and touchdown totals this year. The more likely scenario is that his game sees somewhat of a decline due to the fact that RBs historically take at least 2 years to recover from this specific injury. He will be ready to play, but it will be safer to bet the under on his numbers.

Rob Gronkowski  - Gronk didn’t miss any games last season, but opted for surgery after suffering a major ankle injury in the AFC Championship Game that put a lid on his game in New England’s Super Bowl loss to the Giants. Thanks to his youth and his important role in his team’s offensive style, there is no reason to believe he won’t be the same dominant force as the man who caught an NFL record 17 touchdown receptions at TE in 2011.

Hakeem Nicks – A broken foot that will keep the WR out of training camp will likely not be enough to diminish this budding star’s game in 2012. As of right now, the Giants are saying he could be back in time for the preseason, which should still give him plenty of time to rev up his game for the regular season. Nicks will be a valuable asset to fantasy squads as a go-to-receiver on a Super Bowl Champion team with swagger.

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