Turner Gets Busted for DUI

      I’ve just found out that the Atlanta Falcons starting Running Back, Michael Turner, was arrested on charges of a DUI and speeding. How did I find this info out? TWITTER!
     Twitter, along with other forms of social media, keeps me up to date on my players. Now that I know Michael Turner got into some off the field issues, the player I own, by the name of Jaquizz Rodgers, his value increases because of the possibility that Turner is now in the doghouse and Quiz will be grabbing more carries.
     It is also a bonus piece of knowledge just to keep track of which players are getting into trouble and which players are not. Whatever the result, social media has provided me with this valuable information… Here is a link to the article that was tweeted:

Turner gets popped for DUI

 

(Here is the actual link)

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8394092/atlanta-falcons-rb-michael-turner-charged-dui-speeding

Matt Forte Has High Ankle Sprain

Thanks to social media, NFL on Twitter has just revealed some disappointing information to me, in that my best fantasy running back, Matt Forte, suffered a high ankle sprain. I knew that he got hurt in last night's game, but did not know the severity of it....
Once again, this is a way in which social media has had a tremendous influence on my Fantasy football team. Recieving this knowledge on Twitter, allowed me to be ahead of the majority of the public, which allowed me to pick Forte's backup off of Waiver wires. Now, instead of being stuck with a stud Running back on the bench and no replacement, which would have happened if I had waited for a major newsource such as ESPN to let me know of the injury, I instead capitalized on the injury was able to score Forte's backup Michael Bush, who is quite legitimate to say the least.
Twitter saved my fantasy week today.

NFL Players and Coaches Use Social Media To Influence Fantasy GM's

            It’s very interesting how willing an NFL player is, to put their personal information out on the open social media market. Pro football players have used Social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook, to report about their injuries and personal lives.

            Last year, superstar Running back Arian Foster, of the Houston Texans, had a knee injury during training camp. Before the injury, Foster was targeted to be possibly the top overall pick in the average fantasy football manager’s draft…. While the media put a scare in GM’s saying that he would be out for a long time, it was Foster that revealed the scariest information! He posted a picture of a knee x-ray and talked about the “white stuff surrounding the knee, known as anti-awesome stuff.” This caused him to go much later in drafts, for owners were afraid to take a gamble on him for the fear that he would be injured for most of the season… It turned out, he only missed a month, but this is a prime example of how an NFL player used social media to influence Fantasy football managers.            

Another example is a guy like Chad Johnson…. Yes, this is the guy that formerly changed his name to OchoCinco, (which I always thought was pretty moronic.) Anywho, he got cut from the Dolphins for allegedly head-butting his wife. His way of defending himself was by posting on Twitter, saying he just “got in her face” and didn’t actually headbutt her….. Whatever he “actually” did, it was not right, and because of this, it led to him being cut from the team and without a job. In this case, Johnson’s intention of defending himself on Twitter, did not work at all, but it was a “solid” attempt to influence the media.

There are so many other cases of NFL players using Twitter and other media outlets to talk about their personal lives, or injuries they’ve had. It’s not just players, it’s columnists, coaches, owners and GM’s. These thoughts that the players and others put out their have significant influence in the decisions a fantasy GM makes. I know that if I have Antonio Gates on my roster and he is listed as questionable, but then he (Gates) posts on his facebook status that he WILL be playing, I’m going to listen to the player and plug him in my lineup. The same goes if it is the other way around. People listen to social media, and base their General managerial decisions around what the social media buzz are. And if a player or coach who we love posts something, 9 out 10 times we will listen to them.

Fantasy Football Season Has Begun!

Ahhh, it's that time of year.... Fantasy football season has begun! A way for you to compile your own roster of actual NFL players, and compete against your friends, or complete strangers. Whomever the competitor is, Fantasy football is a phenomenal way to be interract with other Fantasy football GM's that have the same exact interest as you, and that is: WINNING A FANTASY FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP!

It's what everyone wants, and there are many suggested steps to take in order to do so. Or, you can do it your own way, and perhaps get lucky! Lots of luck is involved in fantasy football. Do you start a running back that is guaranteed to get 10-15 touches, but has historically been lackluster against a particular run defense? Or do you start that Wide Reciever that might only get targeted 3 times, but one of them will be a 40 yard touchdown? It's a gamble, and there are various elements one needs to take into account.... Are you managing your team with realistic expectations? Is your management purely emotion based, or do you just rely on crunching numbers and projecting statistics? Or perhaps you can take the hybrid approach (which is how I approach each fantasy week.) Do I start Eli Manning against my favorite team, the Philadelphia Eagles, knowing that he will produce big numbers against my hometown squad?

Or do I start a lower tier quarterback that has a high probability of producing, where I won't have to root against my team in order to get points....
Decisions, decisions, decisions! This is why I love fantasy football! I live it, breath it, and am told that I am quite the guru. Friends of mine call me every Sunday morning, asking me "Who would you start....." or, "Out of these available players, who do I pick up?" Essentially, my answer is as good as yours.... As noted earlier, much of fantasy football is a gamble. A lot of your decision making is purely based upon a crap shoot. But historically, I'm pretty good at craps, and this has elevated my fantasy football knowledge, or what people perceive it to be. Thus, some colleagues of mine have developed a name for me..... Asam City: The Fantasy Football Guru.... Here I am:

Stay tuned all season for the most up to date fantasy knowledge.... I can't guarantee a fantasy championship, but I will certainly try. :) Let's do it!