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FRANCHISE FOOTBALL LEAGUE — 1991 FANTASY FOOTBALL JOURNAL, by Dick Giebel, Dell Publishing, 199 pages, $9.99.
The “Franchise Football League” handbook is to many football fans what “The Rotisserie League Baseball Association” handbook is to baseball fans in the fantasy sports world.
For those who are familiar with fantasy or Rotisserie League baseball, fantasy football is basically the same thing for another sport. For those who aren’t, fantasy football puts everyday fans in the place of a professional sports organization’s general manager or coach.
You decide who to draft. You make the trades. You fill out the starting lineups each week.
Player statistics determine how high your fantasy team finishes. The more touchdowns, field goals, sacks, etc., made; the more points a fantasy team gets. Some leagues turn point totals into a score each week and compute wins and losses based on those scores. Others go strictly by team or player statistics for the whole season.
The FFL handbook provides basic rules and guidelines which beginners and veterans alike will find helpful when joining or setting up their own leagues. It also provides individual player rankings which come in handy for evaluating the talent available at league drafts.
The book is divided into six main sections. The first gives a broad overview of Franchise Football and explains what it’s all about. The second section offers hints and suggestions on setting up your own Franchise Football League and fully explains the rules and scoring system. This is the section to turn to first if you consider yourself a novice.
The third main section deals with the FFL draft — what to expect, effective drafting strategies, and moves to make after a poor draft.
The fourth section provides team-by-team analyses. This part helps fantasy players evaluate which teams are good bets to make the playoffs.
The importance of this section can be downplayed, but smart fantasy fanatics will be able to better plan which players to draft based on the philosophy of the team he plays for. For example, a wide receiver playing for the Miami Dolphins or San Francisco 49’ers would be much more valuable than one on the Chicago Bears or New York Giants because the Dolphins and 49’ers are passing offenses while the Bears and Giants are geared to running attacks.
Section number five will receive the most attention and constant referral. This is the player rankings section. Who’s the best wide receiver? Which running backs will be good late-round picks? Which quarterbacks will have breakout season and which will be busts?
The player rankings section is subdivided by positions — quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, special teams and defenses, kickers, and rookies.
The last main section provides player and team statistics from the previous year.
The FFL handbook is well-organized and surprisingly up-to-date considering the early deadlines for paperback books and the amount of time that can accumulate between the printing deadline and the publication date.
The only knock on this book is the lack of background information provided on the author. Other than listing Giebel as “a veteran of many Franchise Football League seasons,” no apparent credentials are given. It’s not a big thing, but some readers might want to know the author’s qualifications before following his advice.
Andrew Neff is a staff writer with the NEWS sports desk and an owner of both Rotisserie League baseball and fantasy football league teams.
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