You've waited seven months. Now it's here -- the start of the 2009 fantasy football season!
We here at NFL.com want nothing more than to help you reach your ultimate goal: Winning a fantasy league championship. To do that, we've put together an in-season content schedule that's second to none. Along with our daily blog, which covers different topics that will affect the fantasy world, our exclusive NFL.com fantasy video segments and coverage on the NFL Network's Around the League show (Tuesdays and Fridays), we'll also be offering the most extensive and comprehensive content on the web.
Here's a breakdown of what's on tap on NFL.com for the 2009 fantasy football season:
Sundays
Game inactives
A major part of making your last-minute lineup decisions is knowing who's active and who's inactive. NFL.com will have that information for every game on Sundays (as well as Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday games), along with all the analysis you'll need to make the right move when one of your starters is out of action.
Fantasy chat
Starting at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT, I'll be taking your most pressing last-minute fantasy questions as we get ready for the day's action.
Day-long fantasy blog
Throughout the day, I'll be blogging on all the big stories related to fantasy football. If Ray Rice runs for three touchdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs, you'll know it. If there's a significant injury, we'll have it. If someone is seeing a greater role in their team's offense, I'll tell you about it. I might even throw in a story or two about my own fantasy teams (I have 10 this season!) Basically, if a big news story breaks during the games that will affect your fantasy team, this blog will have it.
Fantasy player of the week
At the end of the action on Sunday, I'll pick the four or five players who made the biggest statistical impact. Then I want to hear from you. Whether you comment on your choice for the top player or vote on who you think made the greatest impact, this column is all about your thoughts and opinions.
Mondays
Top five fantasy storylines
Consider this your Monday morning quarterback for the world of fantasy football. I'll take a look at the five most important stories from Sunday's games and what sort of implications they'll have on your fantasy leagues. Hopefully there won't be anything like the Tom Brady knee injury to report in Week 1!
Top 10 waiver-wire pickups
Using the waiver wire is one of the most important tools in finding fantasy success. Just ask anyone who picked up Tyler Thigpen, Mewelde Moore or John Carlson last season. Each week, I'll provide you with 10 potential fantasy free agents who warrant your attention and could help lead you to a league championship.
Tuesdays
Lineup rankings
Making lineup decisions is one of the hardest (and sometimes most frustrating) parts of fantasy football. NFL.com is here to help. Every Tuesday, I'll post my weekly lineup rankings for every position (QB, RB, WR, TE, K, DST). The results are based on a number of factors, including a player's overall value, opponent, trends and injuries. These rankings will be updated daily as needed right up until kickoff.
Wednesdays
Fantasy mailbag
I write it 52 weeks a year, so you guys know the drill. I pick 10 fantasy questions and answer them.
Start 'Em & Sit 'Em
I can't believe this is the 10th year I'll be writing this column. While I've made a few changes to the format, Start 'Em & Sit 'Em will remain the quintessential guide for the players with the best and worst matchups each week. And per a majority of your emails that suggested I leave out the elite fantasy players as the "Start of the Week," you won't be seeing the likes of Drew Brees, Adrian Peterson or Larry Fitzgerald in this column. Unless one of these stars falters (like LaDainian Tomlinson in 2008), and there are questions about whether you should start or sit them, those players will be excluded.
Of course, you'll need to use common sense in making your lineup decisions. Just because I have Larry Johnson as a player with a good matchup, for example, that doesn't mean you should start him ahead of Peterson! As always, I'll be using player values, opponents and trends to determine the matchups and help you set the best possible starting lineup.
Thurdsays
Fantasy football matchups
For the first time, NFL.com will be using RotoExperts.com to help in your neverending quest for a champsionship. Every Thursday, Scott Engel (who I used to work with at CBS) will be providing you with a breakdown of every single game and analysis of what the matchups mean for your fantasy team. Scott has been in the fantasy business forever, so most of you already know that his insights can be invaluable.
Fridays
Fantasy chat
Starting at 11 a.m. ET/8 a.m. PT, I'll be taking your most pressing fantasy questions for the upcoming week.
Top 10 fantasy sleepers
I'll provide one sleeper per position in Wednesday's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em, but you'll get the full list on Fridays with our weekly sleepers column. These are the players that are started in a smaller percentage of NFL.com leagues (usually 50 percent or less) that have some one-week value as a potential fill-in or bye-week replacement. Think someone like Peyton Hillis from last season, before he exploded and became a viable fantasy starter.
Fantasy injury news
Once again leaning on Engel and RotoExperts.com, we'll provide you with all of the latest injury news on the fantasy players that mean the most. RotoExperts.com will let you know who practiced, who missed practice, who's in danger of being limited or out and who you should pick up in case the status of one of your starters is in question.
Have a burning question for Michael Fabiano on anything fantasy football related? Leave it in our comments section below or send it to **AskFabiano@nfl.com**, and the best questions will be answered throughout the season right here on NFL.com!
