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We have arranged for several feature writers to provide their thoughts on a wide variety of fantasy-related topics. These topics will include drafting strategies, commissioner tips, rookie reviews, and free agent analysis as well as other fantasy discussions.

Michael Nazarek, FF Mastermind

Mike is the CEO and President of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc. He has 36 years fantasy experience including 32 fantasy championships in 12 different leagues and is a long-time member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Most recently, he won a Fantasy Pros League Championship in 2023 and the FanEx Championship in 2022 with Chris Rito (6th time in the last 14 years).  He also won the FFWebMasters 14-team Non-PPR Experts league in 2020 (2-time winner). He won the FanEx Championship in 2016 with Chris Rito.  He and Steve Yerger won the Huddle Experts IDP League in 2016 and the HAFAX Experts Dynasty IDP Auction league in 2010, 2014, 2017, & 2018. He won the Huddle Expert 12 league in 2014 & 2015.  He also won the FanEx Overall Championship in 2009 with Chris Rito and won the SOFA IDP Experts league in 2008, while finishing Runner-Up in the SOFA Classic Experts league, FFWebMasters 14-team Experts league, and the FanEx Online league. His primary claim to fame is the fact that he won the SI.com Experts League title for FOUR CONSECUTIVE SEASONS (2004, 2005, 2006 & 2007). SI.com retired the league after 2007 for unknown reasons, making Nazarek the ONLY winner of that league in the four years of its existance.  He finished Runner-Up in the FanEx Online league in 2007. He finished Runner-Up in both the FFWebMasters 14-team Experts league and the FanEx Alpha league in 2006. He won the FF Index Magazine Mock Draft Best Ball league by 15.5 games in 2005. He and Chris Rito won the FanEx Overall Championship for the first time in 2004. He's also won the the very tough 14-team FFWebMasters.com Experts Fantasy League (2003), a high stakes league title in the Fantasy Jungle (2003), the 1st annual Site Owners Fantasy Association (SOFA) Experts League (2000 & first runner-up in 2005) and the Showcase Re-Drafter Experts League (SRL-American - 1999). He led team FF Mastermind to league best records in SOFA and FFWebMasters.com Experts leagues in 2001. Mike has been a contributing author for many fantasy football magazines, including Fantasy Football Pro-Forecast, Power Ranking System Fantasy Football Report, and Fantasy Football Draftbook II as well as a periodic columnist for SI.com's Fantasy Central feature for five seasons. Mike's goal for FFMastermind.com Services has never wavered... to provide comprehensive fantasy football information via the Internet, while having fun in the process. Although he is married (32 years) with no children, one dog keeps him quite busy at times.

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P Preliminary Top 12 Fantasy Player Rankings for 2024 (PPR & Non-PPR) -- 2/27/2024
P Free Agency Review in 2024: 20 Players to Watch - Winners & Losers -- 3/20/2024
P 2024 FF Index Experts League Online Mock Draft - Pick Analysis -- 5/16/2024
P 2024 PSDG: Mastermind Sleepers -- 7/2/2024 NEW!
P 2024 PSDG: Mastermind Creepers -- 7/10/2024 NEW!
* 2024 First Fantasy Football Thoughts: AFC/NFC East -- 7/16/2024 NEW!
P 2024 First Fantasy Football Thoughts: AFC/NFC North -- 7/19/2024 NEW!
P 2024 First Fantasy Football Thoughts: AFC/NFC South -- 7/22/2024 NEW!
P 2024 First Fantasy Football Thoughts: AFC/NFC West -- 7/24/2024 NEW!



John Holler - Exclusive Senior Staff Writer

John is a sports writer and sports talk radio host. He has worked for, among others, Viking Update – a website and monthly magazine devoted to the Minnesota Vikings. He was a beat writer who covers both the Vikings and the rest of the NFL for both the print and web publication. He also hosted a weekday sports talk show on 1390 The Fan Radio in St. Cloud, Minn. The show ran noon to 2 p.m. Central Time and can be accessed on-line at the 1390 The Fan website. He spent six years as staff writer for the St. Cloud (Minn.) Times, where he was both a sports and entertainment writer. He has written one book “Minnesota Vikings Facts and Trivia”and was a contributing writer to two other books -–"War Stories From the Field” and “Hit and Tell: War Stories of the NFL’s Wildest Players” from Foghorn Press, San Francisco. John has written several magazine articles for regional and national magazines, including several in “SLAM” and “BLITZ” magazines out of New York and several college fan magazines under the FOX Sports banner. John is our NFL Inside Slant Guru and also pens his weekly column “A Holler From the Cheap Seats” seen exclusively in the FFMastermind.com Weekly Newsletter, as well as regular off-season columns on free agency, the draft and contributes articles and analysis for our annual pre-season guide. John plays “officially” in just one fantasy league – which he routinely dominates because he never strays from his list of best available players and has gained a reputation for putting together blockbuster trades of his mid-round talent for one stud that annually makes him feared among his veteran leaguemates. He has won his championship four of the last six years and has led his league in scoring five years running.

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P 2024 PSDG: The Ten Demandments -- 7/12/2024 NEW!
P 2024 PSDG: Hangin' in the Red Zone -- 7/12/2024 NEW!


Dr. Gilbert Brovar - Exclusive Staff Writer

Dr. Gilbert Brovar is a semi retired endocrinologist who had played fantasy sports for 30 years winning many championships. He's written articles for the FFMastermind.com draft guide on the 2 -QB starter league format and is our beat reporter for the Dallas Cowboys. This year he will be writing about the 2024 draft class after watching extensive video clips.

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* 2024 Rookie Draft Reference Guide: The Quarterbacks -- 4/21/2024
P 2024 May Short-Term/Long-Term Rookie Rankings -- 5/8/2024 UPDATED!


Brent Lathrop - Exclusive Staff Writer

You won't find many, if any, guys that have played fantasy football longer than Brent Lathrop. He started playing in 1990 in a six-team, touchdown only league that has turned into a keeper league. He's a fantasy fanatic, but isn't one of those guys that joins 15-leagues every season. He likes to keep it simple and concentrate on the 3-4 leagues he's in, including a dynasty league. A Rams fan since their days in L.A., Brent enjoys watching Steven Jackson run over defenders and Torry Holt catch balls with ease and grace. To Brent the NFL is the ultimate sport and loves nothing more than sitting in front of several T.V.'s on a Sunday afternoon. Brent is our Keeper Korner Dynasty league specialist!

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P 2024 PSDG: Dynasty Draft Strategies -- 7/12/2024
P 2024 Late July Dynasty/Keeper Fantasy Player Rankings -- 7/26/2024 UPDATED!


Chris Rito - Exclusive Staff Writer & Scout

Chris is a pharmaceutical research scientist by day and a complete sportsaholic and fantasy football junkie by night...and actually most of the day, too. He is happily married to a beautiful lady who patiently tolerates his obsession (and late night calls from the Mastermind LOL), and he is occupied in his "free time" by six kids and a couple of spastic little house dogs. Chris is probably best known in fantasy football circles as the fearless prognosticator for over 20 years on the fortunes of the Indianapolis Colts for FFMastermind, as well as the co-host of the Mastermind Edge podcast for the past 11 seasons. He also is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and the FanEx experts' league, and for years served on FanEx's Executive Committee and as commissioner. Chris also teams with Mike Nazarek in FanEx where they together are the only SIX-time champions of FanEx, including this past season. Together they have been a division champ 10 out of the last 17 seasons and have made the finals nine times as well. He is in his 31st year of playing fantasy football (usually playing in 4+ leagues each season), and his 29th serving as commissioner of several local and national leagues. Known in some circles as "Da Commish", his lifetime records include 27 fantasy championships, many more championship game appearances, and a career .628 (1093-646-2) winning percentage.

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P 2024 PSDG: Tailoring Your Draft Strategy in 2024 -- 7/12/2024 NEW!
P 2024 PSDG: Once Bitten, Twice Shy... -- 7/12/2024 NEW!
P 2024 PSDG: Waiting to Draft a Kicker -- 7/12/2024 NEW!
P 2024 PSDG: Fantasy Defense or Real Defense? -- 7/12/2024 NEW!
P 2024 PSDG: Defense Wins Championships, But... -- 7/12/2024 NEW!


Steve Virgen - Staff Writer

Steve is a seasoned journalist with 25 years experience with over 20 years in sportswriting. He’s been playing fantasy football since 1993. The Fresno State alumnus (Class of 2000) has an extensive background in print journalism with stops at Los Angeles Times Community News (Daily Pilot), the Albuquerque Journal and the Bakersfield Californian. The 2024 season will be Steve's first with FF Mastermind.

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P 2024 PSDG: Are Third-Year WRs Still a Thing for Fantasy? -- 5/15/2024
P 2024 PSDG: Strength of Schedule 2024 - The QBs -- 7/12/2024 NEW!
P 2024 PSDG: Strength of Schedule 2024 - The TEs -- 7/12/2024 NEW!
P 2024 PSDG: Strength of Schedule 2024 - The RBs -- 7/26/2024 NEW!


Steve Yerger - Exclusive Staff Writer & IDP Specialist

Steve resides in Hershey, Pennsylvania with his wife Lisa, a 25 year old son and a 10-year old son. In the real world, Steve is an accountant for the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and is a Penn State graduate and also an Army veteran. He began playing fantasy football while deployed to Bosnia in 1998. He quickly became hooked and expanded into many different league types; IDP, dynasty, auction, etc. IDP leagues became a personal favorite by 2002, as he focused his efforts on learning all there was to know about IDP. These efforts quickly bore fruit, as he became a nationally published fantasy football writer and has contributed IDP content to several fantasy football sites. 2024 will be his 16th official season writing for FF Mastermind.

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P 2024 May IDP Rookie Rankings & Sleepers -- 5/20/2024
P 2024 PSDG: Mastermind IDP Sleepers, Creepers, & Impact Rookies -- 7/12/2024 NEW!
P 2024 PSDG: Drafting Strategies for IDP Leagues -- 7/12/2024 NEW!


Eddie Rex - Exclusive Staff Writer

Eddie Rex is a complex guy. The pseudonym masks a longtime radio journalist and former sports editor who has a dirty little secret -- an addiction to fantasy football. And in particular, an addiction to making late-round picks that prompt league ridicule AND a high winning percentage. He has flirted with Joe Montana's wife, got Jerry Rice to pose in the nude and kissed Willie Mays on the top of his stubbly head -- and yes, one of those three things is a lie.

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2024 Madness NFL Rookie Draft Reference Guide
Sunday, April 21st, 2024

Premium Pro Bowl and Super Bowl Package Subscribers take note. The time has come. The 2024 Madness NFL Rookie Draft Reference Guide has been released for your viewing pleasure. This

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