Reads

This is a quick post, but one I want to make this week before my access to Internet becomes less constant. I have three recommendations for reading material before the season begins. One is a fantasy football magazine. The other is a book. I’m sure most of you have one and plan to get the other, but I still want to do my due dilligence and give them a mention.

The first is the Footballguys Interactive Magazine, which is iPad, Android, desktop, and laptop friendly. The magazine is jam-packed with fantasy football goodies, photos, swipeable navigation, and yes, even an Upside Down (and counterpunch) draft strategy that many of you have been asking me about. Check it out here and learn about the deal Footballguys offers for subscribers to the site.

And for the few of you that haven’t made the connection, yes, I write for the site. I love working at Footballguys and a big reason why is the quality of work that so many of the people produce. They produce far more than what they charge for it.

My newest gig is with Football Outsiders and I’m thrilled to be starting a column with a top-notch group of writers at this terrific football resource. The Football Outsiders 2012 Almanac is now available for download. This publication has become an annual “must-have” for football fans. Lot’s a great work there and the link I just provided includes links to samples from this highly praised annual publication.

One of the things I enjoy about Football Outsiders is the thought-provoking work that you’ll see there on a regular basis from excellent writers. The RSP blog recently posted FO columnist Ben Muth’s RSP team and Muth was instrumental in creating our player values to help this blog deliver a project that has been a hit with readers.

My final recommendation this week is a publication that I have no connection to in terms of employment, but I read chapters from nightly. I’ve probably read this book twice through since I got it six weeks ago: The Essential Smart Football by Chris Brown. Almost every writer participating in the RSP Project has cited Brown’s work thus far. That should tell you how influential his knowledge is to the writer’s community. I’ve learned a ton from Brown when it comes to the X’s and O’s of the game and it is helping me gain a valuable scope with the work I do.

These three publications are the must-haves that cover three of the four essential parts of football table today: fantasy football, statistical football analysis, and strategic X and Os analysis. What’s the fourth you ask? You don’t have to ask about rookie analysis, do you? 🙂

Listens and Views

I get the sense that Dickerson is the most underappreciated of the great backs in recent NFL history.

I’ll tell you about it when I get back.