Further Reading: Fantasy Football Analytics

Foundational Analytics

"The Signal and the Noise" by Nate Silver Chapter on fantasy sports provides foundation for analytical thinking.

"Mathletics" by Wayne Winston Sports analytics fundamentals with fantasy applications.

"Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman Understanding cognitive biases that affect fantasy decisions.

Fantasy-Specific Resources

"Fantasy Football for Smart People" by Jonathan Bales DFS and fantasy analytics from industry leader.

"Fantasy Football Genius" by David Dodds Statistical approach to seasonal fantasy leagues.

FantasyPros Analysis Consensus rankings and projection aggregation. https://www.fantasypros.com/

VORP and Value Theory

"Baseball Between the Numbers" - Chapter on VORP Original VORP concepts applied to baseball, transferable to fantasy.

"The Book: Playing the Percentages in Baseball" Replacement level theory with broad applications.

Football Outsiders DVOA Value over average concepts in football. https://www.footballoutsiders.com/

Projection Methodology

"Forecasting in the NFL" - MIT Sloan Conference Academic approaches to player projection.

"The Art of Fantasy Football Projection" Methods for combining volume and efficiency.

ESPN Fantasy Projections Methodology Industry standard projection approaches.

DFS Optimization

"Daily Fantasy Sports: A Guide to Lineup Construction" Mathematical optimization for DFS.

RotoGrinders Strategy Articles Community-driven DFS strategy. https://rotogrinders.com/

FantasyLabs Analysis Data-driven DFS tools and research. https://www.fantasylabs.com/

Linear Programming Resources

"Operations Research" by Taha Mathematical optimization foundations.

SciPy Linear Programming Documentation Python implementation of optimization. https://docs.scipy.org/doc/scipy/reference/generated/scipy.optimize.linprog.html

PuLP: Linear Programming in Python Accessible LP library for DFS optimization. https://coin-or.github.io/pulp/

Variance and Risk

"Fortune's Formula" by William Poundstone Kelly Criterion history and applications.

"Thinking in Bets" by Annie Duke Decision-making under uncertainty.

"The Kelly Criterion in Blackjack, Sports Betting, and the Stock Market" Academic treatment of bankroll management.

Data Sources

nflfastR Comprehensive NFL play-by-play data. https://www.nflfastr.com/

Pro Football Reference Historical statistics and projections. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

NFL Next Gen Stats Advanced tracking data. https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/

Fantasy Platforms

ESPN Fantasy Football Largest fantasy platform, scoring variations. https://www.espn.com/fantasy/football/

Yahoo Fantasy Sports Popular alternative with different scoring options. https://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/

Sleeper App Modern platform with dynasty/keeper features. https://sleeper.app/

DFS Platforms

DraftKings Largest DFS platform, GPP and cash games. https://www.draftkings.com/

FanDuel Second-largest DFS platform. https://www.fanduel.com/

Underdog Fantasy Best ball and pick'em formats. https://underdogfantasy.com/

Podcasts and Media

The Fantasy Footballers Popular analysis and rankings.

Establish the Run Data-driven fantasy analysis.

Late Round Podcast Statistical approach to fantasy.

RotoViz Radio Advanced analytics discussions.

Advanced Metrics

PFF Fantasy Grades Player grades with fantasy context. https://www.pff.com/fantasy

Player Profiler Advanced metrics and analytics. https://www.playerprofiler.com/

Sharp Football Analysis Predictive metrics for fantasy. https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/

Dynasty and Keeper Resources

Dynasty Nerds Dynasty-specific rankings and analysis. https://dynastynerds.com/

KeepTradeCut Crowdsourced dynasty values. https://keeptradecut.com/

"Dynasty 101" - Community Guidelines Foundational dynasty strategy.

Academic Research

"Predicting NFL Player Performance" by SSAC Academic projection methodologies.

"Optimal Lineup Selection in DFS" - Operations Research Mathematical optimization papers.

"Market Efficiency in Fantasy Sports" Research on DFS market dynamics.

Python Libraries

pandas Data manipulation for fantasy analysis. https://pandas.pydata.org/

scikit-learn Machine learning for projections. https://scikit-learn.org/

numpy Numerical computing for optimization. https://numpy.org/

matplotlib/seaborn Visualization of fantasy data.

Excel/Google Sheets Resources

Fantasy Football Calculator Draft value spreadsheets. https://fantasyfootballcalculator.com/

FantasyPros Draft Wizard Mock draft simulator tools.

BeerSheets Value-based draft sheets.

Strategy Articles

Establish the Run Articles In-depth positional analysis.

4for4 Strategy Guides Comprehensive fantasy strategy. https://www.4for4.com/

The Athletic Fantasy Premium analysis and projections.

Game Theory and DFS

"Game Theory" by Drew Fudenberg Academic game theory foundations.

"DFS as a Game of Incomplete Information" Ownership dynamics in tournaments.

"Optimal Strategies in Multi-Entry DFS" Multi-entry tournament strategy.

Injury Analysis

Player Profiler Injury History Injury correlations with performance.

Sports Injury Predictor Injury risk modeling approaches.

"Injury Risk in Fantasy Football" - Research Statistical injury analysis.

Matchup Analysis

Football Outsiders DVOA by Position Defensive matchup quality metrics.

Fantasy Points Against Historical defensive performance vs positions.

Adjusted Metrics for Matchup Analysis Strength-of-schedule adjustments.

Tools and Software

FantasyCalc Trade calculator and dynasty values. https://www.fantasycalc.com/

Fantasy Football Analytics R-based projection tools. https://fantasyfootballanalytics.net/

NumberFire Projection and analysis tools. https://www.numberfire.com/

Community Forums

r/fantasyfootball Reddit fantasy football community. https://www.reddit.com/r/fantasyfootball/

r/DynastyFF Dynasty-specific discussions.

Fantasy Football Discord Servers Real-time community analysis.

Key Papers to Read

VORP methodology - Understanding replacement level
Regression to mean in sports - Projection accuracy
Kelly Criterion applications - Bankroll sizing
DFS optimization research - Mathematical approaches
Market efficiency studies - Finding edge

These resources provide comprehensive coverage of fantasy football analytics, from foundational concepts to advanced optimization techniques.