Fantasy News

Louis Tranquilli has been an investment adviser for 18 years in New Jersey. He has worked with several NFL players during the course of his career. In 2003, he founded BFD Fantasy Football, an endeavor to blend the analytical skills he had garnered as a financial adviser with his passion for fantasy football. His inside knowledge of the NFL and its players has helped him provide expert advice to fantasy players for seven years running.

One of the perks of your profession is that you have been able to interact with players and coaches in domains that fans are normally cut off from: locker rooms, training facilities, the combine. What is different about the NFL as seen on television, and the NFL behind the scenes?

The down time players have is really unbelievable. When you hear and read each day what’s going on you think they are always moving at 100 miles per hour, but that’s not the case. They spend a lot of time on their own, and the successful guys spend that time in the team facilities, or studying; I would meet players and next to them was a huge playbook. They have a lot more free time than you would think.

It must be interesting from a fantasy angle to observe players up close. How has this interaction changed the way you approach playing fantasy football?

It has had a major impact on my preparation; when you see how hard they work and how fleeting their career can be you really appreciate just how much it takes to be a “stud” football player. What one player said to me was very enlightening; he had his goals set in this order: get in the league, stay in the league, play in the league, start in the league. When you break it down to that simple of a set of goals, you understand they are working really hard to be a part of the NFL.

Do you have any wild locker-room stories, or memorable moments to recount?

No locker room stories to share, because I’m no Dwayne Bowe. But I will tell you this one. I have a client who got me access to the sideline for a game. I’m one of four guys in my family and we all love football; I played in high school so there was always that feeling of “I could do that” when watching games. Well, after watching this game at field level and seeing how damn fast the whole thing happens, how hard they hit each other ... I went home and explained to my brothers, “any thoughts you had that we could ever do that: forget them.” They are the most impressive athletes on the planet in my opinion.

You have acted as an adviser to NFL players. Based on your personal experience, what can you tell readers about the relationship between player salary and the way players approach the game?

Salary doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. The guys that love playing, they work really hard and play hard. The guys that love the money, play for it and blow the rest off. I worked with guys that were fighting to be on rosters, some for years, and it had nothing to do with the fat paycheck, they just wanted to play pro football. I think you can see the guys on Sundays that love the game and what it is to play it.

How hard will a player dig to meet a performance-based contract incentive?

I have never watched a player work harder to get a bonus (although they are always aware) of what’s in the contract on each line. I worked with a player that received one of the highest incentive bonuses for a rookie a few years ago. The two players ahead of him were injured and he ended up the starter, he played well and got paid well for it. He was literally in the right spot at the right time, and took advantage of the playing time. He was undrafted, and went on to have a nice five-year career.

When in a draft quandary between two same-tier RBs, is it a safe draft bet for a fantasy owner to select the one in a contract year?

No, because as much as the player may want a new contract; there is no telling what a team has in mind for that player. I know the contract theory in fantasy football, and won’t argue it’s a motivating factor; but teams are going to play whoever gives them the best chance to win. Coaches and GM’s are selfish.

What do you think distinguishes you in terms of your fantasy preparation?

Believe it or not, I nearly ignore all stats from the previous season. Yes, I use them as a guide, because they are the result of a good player playing well, but I look for players in excellent situations and then focus on their ability to perform at a high level. I can tell you at BFDFF we had Ray Rice as a top-10 player last season, when no one else did, and Chris Johnson was my No. 3 running back when he was more like 12th on most sites.

I love finding the place where a player has an opportunity that can lead to production. Too many owners get hooked on past stats.

How does your Sunday game day routine look? Any superstitions?

I wear a jersey every Sunday with my team name 3INTBOY on it. That’s about the only superstition, the rest is up to the players on the field (lots of finger crossing too I guess).

3rd or 4th wide receiver you would most hope to draft to round out that position group?

Jeremy Maclin of the Eagles, as late as possible. I think his production will very nearly match DeSean Jackson’s in the Eagles’ offense.

You’ve talked before about how stories in the news are really only a shadow of a glimpse into what’s really occurring with a team or a player. What do you mean by that? What should a fantasy owner be looking for in news stories when attempting to make a roster decision?

They should be very cautious about breaking news items that impact their decisions. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes and some of it isn’t reported, so fantasy owners need to understand they are getting a lot of stories that may be most of what happened; but very often it’s not what has gone on in total.

Best example I can give of breaking news recently is Wes Welker reports that he would be in camp and practicing, that night he went in the 4th round of my draft. The next day it was announced he would be a PUP guy to begin camp. Nothing private behind the scenes I can share, sorry.

Do you have any simple in-season team management tips for fantasy owners?

I watch every game each week twice and then decide who to name on my Waiver Wire article. There’s also one other thing owners should be doing that many no longer bother with because of the internet. They should open the paper and look at the box scores for someone who is showing up that they may not recognize; once or twice a year you’ll dig up a guy no one else sees, and that can have a good impact on your team.

Where do you feel like the 2011 Collective Bargaining agreement will lead? Do you see the players and owners settling? Or are fans in for a protracted wait?

I actually think this is a great question to give an example about having seen just a bit of the back end of football. The players have a great handle on the business side of football and know the numbers they should fight for; I think they will fight for more revenue including something they already receive money for: fantasy football. This is just my opinion, but I think the season for 2011 is in jeopardy.

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