2009 Introduction

by: Michael Nazarek

Welcome to the 13th annual Fantasy Football Mastermind Pre-Season Draft Guide! This first cut represents only the start of a very experienced and rich in fantasy football information content living document. There are more than 250 pages herein, but it will grow to be at least double in size (last year's final cut was more than 600 pages). With this cut you'll find 13 fantasy articles with at least another half dozen on the way. We have made a point this summer to look into adding new and unique fantasy articles that repesent the cusp of the current trends within this great game. I think you'll like the direction we are heading…

I've done another important rewrite of my fantasy article on the STUD RB Theory, mentioning PPR (point-per-reception) leagues and such. In addition, I also penned my COOL and NOT COOL lists of players for 2009 (and a review of last year’s lists). You might not agree with me on all my choices, but they are certainly important food for thought. I also offer my opinion of the best and worst off-season player moves and trades along with my comprehensive fantasy sleeper and creeper features. I'll also be personally handling all the News & Notes Updates (debuting at the end of July) in the guide along with the Premium Quick Bits News & Views (debuting with the start of training camps) posted directly online. After consulting with the staff, I've developed all fantasy player projections within this guide. They are offered after weeks of intense analysis regarding the current state of the NFL and all 32 teams researched individually. Anytime there is a major development with regard to flucuations in player values, there will be an update, even if that takes place in between our normal schedule of updates. FFMastermind.com is dedicated towards being the most up-to-date fantasy football information service this summer, and we'll prove that to you in this guide over the long haul.

Senior fantasy writer John Holler has penned 3 of the initial 13 articles herein, as well as helped me extensively with the player profiles within the guide. You'll notice that not all the player profiles have been written yet.  Rest assured, by July 24th (before training camps open), all will be released. John has a few more future features on tap for the guide, as well as his duties regarding the training camp team capsules later in August.

Rookie Draft Specialist Perry Burr wrote a 10,000+ word article on Auction Draft Strategies and Tactics. It's a must read if you play (or plan to play) in an auction fantasy league. Perry will be submitting his annual Rookie Preview for the next major release of this guide on the 24th of July. Come August, Perry will also be handling two special Injury Updates that will cover all 32 teams in the league.

Exclusive Staff Writer Tony Ambrosini has really stepped up his involvement within this guide in 2009, his third season with us. Tony covers the following topics… Third-Year Breakout WRs, Fantasy Handcuffs (covering all 32 NFL teams), his take on Strength of Schedule for 2009, and the 2009 Masters Trading Edge feature. Tony will also pen a few special articles later this summer.

Indianapolis Colts correspondent and staff writer Chris Rito takes another in-depth look at RBBC (Running Back by Committee). The majority of the teams in the league have issues at the tailback position, and Chris touches on all 32 teams this summer. Chris also wrote the PPR Drafting Strategy and Trading Tricks articles in this document. Chris will also pen our top back-up QB player rankings feature for your viewing pleasure later this summer.

Keeper Korner columnist Brent Lathrop offers his Dynasty League cheatsheet and player analysis as well as an upcoming look at certain players in his Keeper Korner Spotlights (to be released later this summer). Brent will also pen another Dynasty League Drafting Strategy article for the guide in July.

Our famous Masters List Customizable Cheatsheets MS Excel App. returns in 2009. We have released versions for both normal performance scoring leagues and those with PPR (Point-Per-Reception). It contains all FFMastermind.com player projections (incuding team defense and IDP projections). Input your scoring rules, click the re-order button, and BOOM… Custom Fantasy Cheatsheets! Every time there is a player rankings update, we'll update the projections within the Masters List.

Don’t want to download anything to customize your rankings? That’s where our brand new Mastermind Championship Projections (MCP) Board comes into play. It is fully customizable and contains detailed projections and comments for more than 460 NFL players! You can print the board with or without comments and it is already customized for most of the popular scoring systems played online including Yahoo Sports!, ESPN, and CBS Sportsline! This board will be updated countless times when important news breaks throughout the summer.

We have plenty more surprises in store for the rest of the summer, all will be released in good time. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and we want to give subscribers plenty of time to read all herein before we get rolling when training camp opens.

I heartily thank each and every writer who contributed to this guide. It's the heart and soul of FFMastermind.com, and they should all be proud. As a reminder, this year’s primary premium mock draft will be posted on our FFMastermind.com Forums for easy viewing convenience in mid-July. We'll also post links to other staff-involved mock drafts and real expert leagues drafts FFMastermind.com is participating as they occur this summer.

As you read this guide, please keep in mind it is a “living” document. That means it will constantly be changing through the first week in September. Player rankings will change. Sleepers may become creepers, and vice versa. If you purchased one of the few fine fantasy magazines that have our rankings in their experts polls, you can put those away right now. They are out-of-date, and were our thoughts as of early MAY. We have worked long and hard to try to give you the most comprehensive, current, and accurate fantasy football guide on the market. If you have a question, please don’t hesitate to ask me (miken@ffmastermind.com). I will do my best to answer it in a prompt manner. What we present to you in this guide is our in-depth analysis of the current situation with regard to fantasy potential of current NFL players. Experience and intuition are what guides us, pure and simple. Enjoy.

Sincerely,
- Michael Nazarek
CEO/President of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc.

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