What is Fantasy 2.0 Sports?

Manifesto

In the world of fantasy sports, "expert" analysis and accountability rarely cross paths.
No more

Welcome to Fantasy2.0, the next logical step in the evolution of fantasy sports.

Each week every fantasy expert on the web publishes their weekly projections. We all have "our guy" or "our site" whose projections we use to draft and set our weekly lineups. But by game time we often wonder why the hell we listen to that guy. Is your guy the expert you should be listening to? Or are you the expert everyone else should be listening to?

Are you the best "wide receiver projector" on the web this week? This season? Of all time? Prove it here. Then use your Fantasy2.0 user profile as a blogspace to take your expertise to the masses. (Podcasting coming soon!) Or if it becomes clear that you're no expert, just be funny, insightful, trash talk...do whatever. Build a following.

Simply put, Fantasy2.0 is where you make the projections the web's "experts" make each week, and you try to do it better. No games, no contests. Just results and accountability. Register, make your own projections, create your own content (or don't), and build your own following.

(Or just use the F2.0 community experts to help you win your league.)

Fantasy2.0...fantasy sport's first community of proven experts.

Are you one of them?

Overview

Success in fantasy sports is not a result of correctly guessing how many points a player will score, but from making accurate assessments about that player's fantasy value relative to other players. "Fantasy experts" from around the web publish their full season and weekly projections doing just that. Typically, these projections consist of lists of players ordered by how the expert believes each player will perform relative to other players at the same position. Fantasy2.0 allows you to do the same.

Unlike fantasy sports leagues where users own specific players who earn points for their team, at F2.0 your job is to project player performances relative to other players at the same position. This gives you the opportunity to do what the web's "fantasy experts" do, and hopefully do it better.

Decide each week how many players you are comfortable projecting at each position and then order the players according to how well you think they will perform. We've made this easy with simple drag n' drop functionality. Reorder and submit your projections as often as you'd like up until just before the start of the next fantasy week. Do this from your F2.0 profile page, our iPhone F2.0 mobile app, or your Facebook page. (These F2.0 apps and others, coming soon!)

At the end of each fantasy week, Fantasy2.0 will compare your projections against the week's actual outcome based on a standard fantasy scoring format. You will be able measure your expertise - for the week, season, position, etc - against all of the major fantasy sites, other F2.0 users and your lifetime average.

Getting started is easy. Register, customize your F2.0 user profile and start building your projections.

Scoring

Unlike in traditional fantasy football where you own specific players who earn points for your team, in F2.0 you make projections of player performances whether they are on your fantasy team or not. Every week (and before the start of the season) you will be ordering players at each position based on who you think will generate the most fantasy points. The unique order which you choose to submit the players constitutes your projections for the particular week (or full season). You have until two hours before the start of the fantasy week's first game to finish ordering players at each position. (Sorry IDP buffs, team defenses only. If this is a problem for you, let us know.)

At the end of the fantasy week, F2.0 compares your projections at each position against the actual players ranks using a typical fantasy league scoring format. Keep in mind that ultimately, the actual amount of fantasy points a player scores is only important relative to how many points other players at the same position score. For example, say during Week 4 Eli Manning is the 7th highest scoring fantasy QB. It doesn't matter whether he outscored the number 8th QB by 1 fantasy point or by 10 fantasy points, just that he is the 7th overall QB.

Once the fantasy week is complete, the player's actual rank is subtracted from where you projected him to rank. For example, Week 4 you project Eli Manning to be the 7th highest scoring QB that week, and he ends up as the 5th highest. The difference between your projected rank for Eli and his actual rank is 2 spots.

This number is then squared (2²=4). So your Week 4 score for Eli Manning is 4. Think of it as 4 points away from Eli's actual rank. In other words, 0 is a perfect score. Thus your point total at the end of each fantasy week (or full season) represents a distance from the actual, or distance from a perfect projection.

F2.0 then adds up all the player scores for each position you submitted projections for, and divides by the number of players you chose to project at that position for that particular week. You should note that because the number is then squared, it doesn't matter whether you over or under-project a player. What matters is how many spots you were off of the actual rank. Suppose you projected Eli Manning to be the 1st QB during Week 4 and he ended up 5th.

In this example you have a negative number, but the number is squared (-4²=+16), becoming positive. Thus the number 16 represents the distance between your projection and the player's actual rank.

Notice how squaring numbers punishes you when your projections are far off. When you underestimated Eli Manning by 2 places you only accrued 4 points, but when you overestimated him by 4 places you accrued 16 points! Realize that if you miss big on a particular player, for example 15 places off, you accrue 225 points (15²=225). But it's not the end of the world either. Remember, F2.0 calculates your average score for each position. So if you ranked 25 QBs in Week 4 and miss on Eli Manning by 15 spots, he only contributes 9 points to your total QB score for that particular week.

You can minimize the damage of projecting badly then, by ranking as many players at each position as possible. On the left side of the current week's projection page there is a toggle arrow which allows you to increase or decrease the number of players you want to project at each position. This number can be adjusted per position and changed from week to week; you are never locked in. Adjust the number based on how comfortable you are making projections based on personal time restraints, position knowledge, etc. (Note: there is no toggle for adjusting full season projections; you must rank the maximum number of players at each position.)

NFL Projection Minimum and Maximum

Why a minimum? Remember the 2006 NFL season? You could have chosen to project one RB each week and went with LaDainian Tomlinson nearly each time. You would have done pretty well. But the point of Fantasy2.0 is to demonstrate who the real fantasy experts are and expose the fakes, without gimmicks. So why a maximum number of players? A couple of reasons. For one, how relevant or informative can accurately projecting the 97th WR on a particular week actually be? But more importantly, a problem arises when you rank a player who does horrible. Let's take an extreme case.

You project Brandon Marshall to be the 5th overall WR for a particular week. During the game he has one pass thrown at him, gets 3 yards before he gets hit and fumbles. Ouch! Negative score. There are literally dozens of active WRs out there that didn't play that week who got 0 points. So is your 5th projected WR going to be ranked 200ish—after every bench-warmer who scored 0 fantasy points that week—and then squared, sticking you with thousands of points? No. F2.0 takes all the WRs you projected that didn't end up in the top 40 (or maximum for the particular position) and assigns them "actual” ranks. These "actual” ranks start at 1+ the maximum number of players for that position, increasing by +1 consecutively.

For example, let's say during Week 4 your 5th projected WR actually ranked as the 200th, your 11th was 82nd, 15th was 47th and 27th was 63rd. For the purpose of the F2.0 calculation these players would be treated as if they had performed 1+40=41, 2+40=42, 3+40=43, etc. So what if you had chosen to project only 30 WRs this particular week? Would they receive an "actual” rank of 1+30=31, 2+30=32, 3+30=33, etc? No. Those players will still have their "actual” score calculated at 1+40=41, 2+40=42, 3+40=43, etc, even though you only projected 30 players.

Equation for the total position score:

The purpose of the number of positions you wish to project is that many of us may not feel comfortable deciphering the difference between the 14th and 15th TE. Most weeks we may want to rank only 13 TEs, but the fewer players you rank at each position, the higher the risk of a couple bad projections ruining your score for the week. So adjust from the maximum wisely.

Overall Scores (i.e., total score amongst all positions) are calculated by averaging all of your position scores (QB, RB, WR, etc). These are weighted by the number of players each position contributes to the total number of players possible, if you were to project the maximum number of players at each position. (Ultimately, you can rank up to 150 players between all positions.) For example, since you can rank up to 25 QBs, the QB position accounts for 25 players of the 150 maximum players, or 16.7% of your Overall Score.

Equation for the weekly/full season Overall Score:

An important nuance to the scoring is the fact that F2.0 starts with your projections (P) and subtracts the actual (A) result before squaring the difference (P-A)², not the other way around (A-P)². The difference between the two formulas is subtle, but should affect how you play. Let's say you think Percy Harvin is a sleeper WR for Week 4. If you project him high, say 10th of the 35 total WRs you wish to project, and he falls out of the top 35, you may be looking at an "actual” rank of 40+1=41 for Percy Havin.

Had we chosen to calculate the scores by subtracting the projected ranks from the actual ranks, you would have been left off the hook a bit. In the A-P scenario, Percy Harvin's absence from the top 35 wouldn't directly punish you for trying to shoot the moon, though you would be indirectly affected because you'd be missing a top 40 guy and your other players may now also be off a position or two.

Alternately, while you are punished harshly for being wrong on your sleeper picks, you are generally off the hook when it comes to missing out on a sleeper. Let's say you didn't project Percy Harvin in your top 40 and he ends up as the fantasy week's 10th best WR. Had we subtracted your projections from the actuals (A-P), you'd be stuck with those 27.46 points for missing out on him. But by subtracting the actual ranks from your projected ranks (P-A), since Percy Harvin is not in your top 40, he doesn't directly affect your WR calculation. Subtle, but important. It seems every "expert" from around the web projects a dozen "sleepers" each week only to have 2-3 of them work out. By inflicting a harsher penalty on sleeper busts than on sleeper misses, F2.0 hopes to provide the incentive for fantasy experts from the web and the F2.0 community to be less reckless in their weekly projections that affect your fantasy team's success.

Rules

Additional scoring rules:

All projections must be submitted at least 2 hours before the start of the first game of the fantasy week, as follows:

In order to receive a score each week, you must click the "submit" button on the appropriate weekly projections page (or through an F2.0 app) at least once during the previous fantasy week, before the weekly deadline. The "submit" button needs to have been clicked for each of the player positions you wish to receive a score for. For example, if you do not click "submit" at the WR and DEF positions during Week 5, you will receive a Week 5 score for the other positions (i.e., QB, RB, TE & K), but will not receive a weekly score for the WR and DEF positions or a Weekly Overall score.

Users must submit complete projections (i.e., all positions) in order to receive an Overall Score for the week or full season.

At the end of each season there are two types of end of season scores:

1. Comprehensive. The end-of-season comprehensive score shows how well you projected players on a weekly basis during the fantasy season, by position and overall (i.e., the sum of all positions).
2. Full season. At the end of the season F2.0 will give you a score showing how well your full season projections matched up with the end of the year actual fantasy rankings, by position and overall (i.e., the sum of all positions). Next season F2.0 will make this data available for your draft, so you have a better idea of which experts you should listening to, to prepare for your league's draft next year.

In order to receive a full season score at the end of the year, you must click the "submit" button on your full season projections page (or through an F2.0 app) at least once previous to the Week 1 submit deadline. The "submit" button needs to have been clicked for each of the player positions you wish to receive a score for. For example, if you do not click "submit" at the WR and DEF positions, you will receive a full season score for the other positions (i.e., QB, RB, TE & K), but will not receive a full season score for the WR and DEF positions or a full season Overall Score. Sorry, late sign-ups...F2.0 will send out email reminders early enough next season.

NFL users must submit complete projections (i.e., all positions) for at least 12 of the 17 NFL weeks in order to remain eligible for end of included in expert rankings and receive end-of-season titles and virtual trophies.

The fantasy scoring format used to determine player actual rankings is as follows. Fractional points are used to avoid ties. (Sorry PPR buffs, currently there's no points per reception scoring. If this is a problem for you, let us know.)

Features

Fantasy2.0 will always be evolving. If you have ideas/complaints, let us know. We need your input.

Features available to all registered users:

• Standard F2.0 Scoring
• Customizable Profile
• F2.0 Blogspace
• F2.0 Forum Access
• F2.0 User Rankings
• Weekly & End of Season Virtual Trophies/Awards
• Access to F2.0 Expert Data (at the conclusion of the fantasy week)
• "Expert" data from the web's biggest fantasy sports sites. (Although we highly encourage the experts from these sites to register on and maintain an F2.0 profile page & projections!)

Additional features available to Premium Registered Users:

• Custom URL for your F2.0 profile & blog.
• League Competition. You know you're a better fantasy player than the idiots in your league, and definitely better than that guy from work. Stop letting draft positions, player injuries and big mouths from getting in the way of proving it. Definitively. Year after year.
• Community/Personal Bias data. The projections you submit each week provide an indication of how you value each player you have chosen to rank. You are always over or undervaluing certain players. Fantasy2.0 will provide you with a clear look at your personal biases—as well as those of the F2.0 community—for and against each player. Use the bias data to refine your projections in following weeks and make superior decisions in your real fantasy league. After all, that's what this is all about.
• Access to F2.0 Expert Data (2 hours before the start of the fantasy week). With each passing week of the fantasy season it becomes more and more clear who the real Fantasy2.0 experts are. Minutes after the final submit deadline (2 hours before the start of the fantasy week) the weekly projection of every F2.0 user expert becomes viewable to each Premium Registered User. For 2 hours before kickoff you have an insiders peek into the minds of the F2.0 experts—position by position—to make the lineup adjustments, free-agent pickups, and trades you need to win your league's weekly match-up. After all, that's what this is all about.

More features coming soon!

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q: What other fantasy sports does Fantasy2.0 provide?

A: NBA Fantasy2.0 is in the works for the 2009 season, followed by MLB in 2010. The great thing about F2.0 for smaller fantasy sports—for example, tennis—is that while most sites ignore your sport, providing little if any expert analysis, F2.0 can house all the expert content your community is willing to provide. But in order to develop the scoring format we need an idea of what people want, so let us know.

Q: What about in-game injuries?

A: Injuries are a reality in every fantasy sport and it's no different here. Whatever stats a player is given at the end of a game, regardless of injury, determines their final rank. Sorry, but there are too many variables to account for. What if a player gets injured on the last play of a huge statistical first half? Besides, this isn’t like your other fantasy leagues where an injury only affects you. If the injured player was someone who warranted a ranking in your projections, then it is likely that the entire F2.0 community is affected. When Tom Brady went down 9 minutes into Week 1 of the 2008 season, one guy got hosed in every one of your fantasy leagues. Here everyone gets hosed approximately equally.

Q: How often can I submit my weekly projections?

A: Reorder and submit your projections as often as you'd like up until just before the start of the next fantasy week. Do this from your F2.0 profile page, our iPhone F2.0 mobile app, or your Facebook page. (These F2.0 apps and others, coming soon!)

Q: What are full season projections?

A: In addition to weekly projections, users can submit full season projections before the start of the fantasy season. The full season projection is your preseason assessment of each player's in-season fantasy value. At the end of the fantasy season, F2.0 will compare the full season projections against the end of season actual player ranks and let you know who was the most correct.
You can also use your F2.0 full season projections as a guide during your league draft.

Q: Do I have to submit projections for every position?

A: No, but in order to get an Overall Score each week you must submit every position each week.

Q: How do I qualify for the end of season awards and virtual trophies?

A: NFL users must submit complete projections (i.e., all positions) for at least 12 of the 17 NFL weeks in order to remain eligible for end of included in expert rankings and receive end-of-season titles and virtual trophies.

Q: How many players do I have to include in my projections each week?

A: Decide each week how many players you are comfortable projecting at each position. On the left side of the current week's projection page there is a toggle arrow which allows you to increase or decrease the number of players you want to project at each position. This number can be adjusted per position and changed from week to week; you are never locked in. Adjust the number based on how comfortable you are making projections. (Note: there is no toggle for adjusting full season projections; you must rank the maximum number of players at each position.)

Q: Why do I have to project a minimum number of players at each position?

A: Remember the 2006 NFL season? You could have chosen to project one RB each week and went with LaDainian Tomlinson nearly each time. You would have done pretty well. But the point of Fantasy2.0 is to demonstrate who the real fantasy experts are and expose the fakes, without gimmicks.

Q: Why is there a maximum number of players I can submit?

A: Really, how relevant can accurately projecting the 97th WR on a particular week actually be? If you get it right it doesn't prove that you are informative, just lucky.

Q: When are my weekly and full season projections due?

A: You have until two hours before the start of the fantasy week's first game to finish ordering players at each position, as follows:

Q: What is the fantasy scoring format used to calculate the players actual rankings?

A: The following fantasy scoring format is used because it reflects the scoring used by most fantasy leagues. This way, the insights you gain here at F2.0 can help you dominate your other fantasy leagues.