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Greg is excited to be part of a fantasy football league and sees it as a tradition that gets him more excited for the NFL season. He uses it as a way to compete with friends and talk trash while maintaining respect. He has been playing fantasy football since the 2018-2019 season and has had runner-up finishes but no championships yet. He plans to be in four leagues this year and is confident in his football knowledge. He compares his management style to Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys, going for star players and taking risks. He is scouting players like Dijon Robinson and hopes to draft Christian McCaffrey if available. He discusses different draft strategies and the importance of running backs and tight ends. Overall, he is excited to be part of the league and looks forward to a competitive season. What's good, Greg? Glad to have you in the league. Glad to have you on the podcast. How are you doing? Good, man. I appreciate you having me. I'm excited for a new challenge. I'm ready to take y'all's money. Let's get it. In a few words, what does fantasy football mean to you? Fantasy to me is just tradition, man. I've always been into the NFL, but it's something that gets me a little bit more excited for each year. It's competitive. It's a reason to kind of lock in and do a little bit more research to put it into every game. Personally, I use it as a way to shit talk my friends while keeping a friendly level of respect. It's just something I look forward to each year. The fact that I get to do it with some boys that I've seen some dog days with is exciting this year. I'm ready to get after it. Excellent answer. How many years have you been playing? This will be 2024. I think my first year playing fantasy was 2017-2018 season, or I'm sorry, 2018-2019 season. It was the season after the Eagles beat the Pats in the Super Bowl. So I've been playing for a good bit now, but definitely not as long as some of the other members. You got any championships under your belt? I don't, man. I've had a bunch of runner-ups, but no dubs yet, so we're going to take it home this year. This will be one of four leagues that I'm in, so I'll have a good chance. Previously, I usually try to not do more than two or three, but opportunities have popped up this year. I feel like my football knowledge has increased each year, so I'm ready to take on a new team. What score is the answer that I've been hearing the most with people in the league? It's nice because this buy-in is a little bit higher, so it's hard to evenly distribute your care. But I knew at least last year, my next highest buy-in league was like either 75 or 100, so whenever we're organizing them on the app, Sleeper or whatever, I would just put this one at the very top, or basically sort it by buy-in. What is the buy-in for this one again? Is it 100? Last year, we did 150, and I like having separation since everyone's in so many leagues, you know? I would assume we keep it the same, I don't know, maybe in that meeting it gets discussed. Okay, if you had to compare yourself to an NFL team or an NFL coach based on your management style, who would you be? That's a hard one to think about now, but this might be a little cliche, but the Cowboys and Jerry Jones, and I go for stars. I go for stars and ask questions later. I also like to take risks, so, you know, in past leagues I've played where there's not as much, it's usually like 8 or 10 people, so not as big, so I'm used to switching out stars and taking out stars that are usually projected over the other ones, switching out the lineups, but I'm all about the names and ask questions later, so I'd say Jerry Jones. I respect the self-awareness. I think I've gotten a more transparent answer from you as far as your strategy with it, because there's a lot of guys who will play fantasy just to take big names, but they don't really see themselves as being that guy, so I think you can be successful in that method, you just need to know that you're that guy if you're going to do that, but who, I guess just name a few, who are some guys that your organization has been scouting? So I'm really looking at Dijon Robinson this year. I think he's going to have a huge breakout year this year, and it's typical, you usually want to go for running backs to start off, get that solid running game going, but I actually don't know if he's going to be full PPR, so my strategy would be kind of safe. As long as it's how it's been the past few years, then it's going to be half PPR. Half PPR? Definitely going to have you in the running backs in the first couple rounds, so I'm looking at Dijon. I don't really think I'll get a top, I don't know, we'll see how the draft goes, but if CUN is available, I'm going for him. Actually, it depends on if he gets his deals on, but I think they will, and I think he'll be trying to prove that he's worth whatever contract he gets, because he's going to essentially reset the market after Justin Jefferson did. So, those two guys, but mostly focusing on some young running backs that have breakout years that don't necessarily have broken out before. And I've been shafted by Kyle Pitts the last three years. I might give him another chance, despite the angering position that sounds, but that Atlanta offense, that's not going to prove this year. So, we'll see. I'll keep an eye on Pitts as well. That is definitely one of the most interesting offenses, just in comparison to where it was last year, because Arthur Smith really, for fantasy purposes, kind of decimated the team. Like, I had Dijon, and you know, it wasn't terrible, but it wasn't good. And you could see it even on some of the plays he scored, he's definitely a really talented dude who's just, like, not getting, you know, putting the positions that some of the other dudes who are, you know, killing it in fantasy are. But CeeDee's going to be... CeeDee's had, like, such an amazing year last year. He's probably going to be... I think he was wider two for one. He's probably going to be, like, a top three pick. Yeah, that's what I was going to say. I've got to get lucky if I get ahead in the whole season. I just did my first mock draft of the offseason last night, and I think he was slated to go number three. It looks like McCaffrey's going to be a pretty unanimous number one overall. And the number one overall has, like... That pick has basically been, like, a certifiable bust for the past six years. So, I don't know how you don't think McCaffrey... It was Justin Jefferson, and he got hurt. That was really... And Kirk Cousins got hurt, too, so that was really the only reason that it was a bust. It wasn't... But, like, it's always been something. Like, Taylor was the number one the year before that, and, like, also missed a good amount of time. And then I'm pretty sure McCaffrey was the number one either three or four years ago, and then... I remember that. And then missed some time. So, it's just... It's always a really good player going number one who just can't seem to be healthy or, like, misses a starting quarterback or some shit like that. But it should be interesting. I think whenever we end up doing this, like, meeting in a week or two, we can probably just put our names in that randomizer to, like, see where we're going to be picking at and stuff. I imagine Dijon will probably be in, like, the middle of the first round. I don't know if many people go, like... Because I guess there's, like, a good running back, so I'm thinking we'd go early. Maybe, like, McCaffrey, Brees, and Dijon. You know, I don't think... You might be kind of breaking away from the pack if you're going to prioritize running back, which, you know, crosses my mind, too. I don't think there's a right or wrong answer, but I think it's a different philosophy. Yeah, I usually... With the half PPR, I might have to go running back. We'll see. It depends on who's on the menu. I typically play a full PPR, and I've actually been shafted sometimes where I just don't even focus on a running back. Yeah. Most of it gets filled up by the dudes who are just getting... I don't even know a good example of someone who just gets a lot of pauses or someone who gets, like, just running... or passing plays runs in a meeting, like McCaffrey. But we'll see. Yeah, I feel like, historically, I don't get a running back early, and then I just spend all year trying to trade for one. Exactly. I've done the same with the tight end, too. Just kind of wait until the last minute. If Kelsey or... fuck, and Gunner, or I almost just face Mark Andrews, has already off the board, then that's a free 20 points gone. But... Well, we look forward to some good gamesmanship out of you, man. Definitely glad to have you in here. For sure, bro. I'm excited to get it started. Let's get this draft going. Let's have a good league. And what's the name of your podcast, by the way? I just... Well, right now, the league is named Goodfellas, so I just have it like that again, but I'll send a link in the group chat. It's linked to Spotify. Big bet. All right. I appreciate your appearance. You have a good night. I'll catch you. Peace. What does, in general, in totality, what does fantasy mean to you? Now, that can be anything about how much time you spend in watching the games. Is it a way to keep up with people? What do you use it to feed in your life? Honestly, I think it kind of fills a void. Like you mentioned, it's a good way to keep up with people, but at the same time, it's a good way to establish yourself in any group of people. Personally, I like being at the top. It doesn't always play out that way, but it's always a good chance every season to just remind your friends that you know more about the game than they do. You know ball, and they don't. Exactly. I mean, from what I'm hearing, it sounds like you have the right attitude because keeping up with friends is nice, but so is spreading hate as well, especially when it's in relation to the NFL. How long have you been doing this for? Are you a couple times in, or are you going to be outpacing some of the veterans we have, like Dylan? No, I've been in this for a little bit. Obviously, this is my first time joining with you guys, but I've been doing fantasy for probably like nine years at least. So I'm pretty seasoned in it. That makes me feel good because we've had problems in the past with people leaving the league, among other reasons, maybe weren't making trades that I guess bode well for them, and then some members were being overly obnoxious about rubbing it in their face, and they just decided it was going to be easier not to deal with it. But they didn't have nine years under their belt, so that's where I think the big differentiator is. Yeah, no, for sure. You've got to have tough skin, and like you mentioned, you're going to spread hate. You've got to be willing to accept it, too. It's all fun and games, but at the end of the day, you make your own circumstances. So if you're bad, no reason to quit. Just get good. All right, Mark. So if you could go ahead and give us just looking at how you manage a fantasy team in your nine years of experience, if you had to compare yourself to either one NFL franchise or coach or DM even, who would you put yourself as? So when I started, I would try to make it more like a Steelers, Mike Tomlin situation, really give the players a chance, really invest in individuals and see where they end up throughout the season, but that didn't work for me. So I had to shift and get this whole Nick Sirianni attitude, cocky, arrogant, willing to talk trash. Won't let that decline, even when you have a hot or slow start. And if I don't make a championship or if I make it and lose it, I'm going to immediately blame some faceless management and start trading anything with a pulse. Like no one's safe on my team at this point. It's all about week to week dubs. Yeah, I've always found that if I get kind of in a rut, it's nice to send out a few Instagram DMs to members of the players and or their families. So if they have a little sister who's maybe in middle school, she just made an Instagram, you just fire off a couple choice words to her and maybe she can whisper it to Jonathan Taylor whenever he decides to sit out for four weeks. Yeah, agreed. And honestly, Twitter's always a good avenue for that as well. Gets those quick responses out. Yeah, totally agree. And Grayson's a Steelers fan too, right? Do we have two Steelers fans coming into the league? Yeah, that's correct. Kind of disgusting. I kind of feel good about the timing though because you guys are going to get Arthur Smith now and it's just going to get messy with Field, Dan Wilson. I want nothing to do with Steelers just in general this year. No, I'm excited about Arthur Smith. I mean, yeah, he should have been a head coach, but he was an offensive coordinator and did great and that's how he got that job for no reason. I'm thinking a lot of good things can come from that. Well, all right, Mark. It's been a pleasure having you on. The final question is if you were to come in last place, would you do the punishment that you agreed to do at the beginning of the season? Absolutely. I mean, just as much as I would take the money if I won, I've got to do my part and do the last place punishment even though it's going to be all hypothetical. Right. I might get close to last, but you're not going to see me in the trenches like that. Yeah. I'd volunteer for sure. I mean, that's great to hear. It sounds like kind of a no-brainer question, but it really isn't, we have found out. It really isn't. So we're glad to have you. I think you're going to be part of the new chapter that hopefully is better than the last. So thank you for your time, Mark. Yeah, for sure. Thanks. Yo, Grayson, thank you for joining the podcast. So to get started, could you just in a few words let us know what does fantasy mean to you or what hole is it filling in your life at this current time? Fantasy to me, it's a good way to get into other NFL games outside of for your own fan base. You know, I'm a Steelers fan, but if I'm trying to watch some games, maybe they're not the best ones out there, but it still gets me involved, gets me rooted for somebody. How long have you been at this for? How many years have you been playing fantasy? Oh, man, I think me and my middle school friends started in 6th or 7th grade, so that's probably like 15 years. Damn, you might be the longest tenured player then. I think this is going to be my 10th season, but I started like maybe early high school. Yeah, I would be surprised if anyone has 15 years to beat. How many leagues are you in currently? This will be number four for me. So I'm here with a lot of people. This is probably going to be my... I'm probably doing four as well this year, four main ones, and I think Mark had that same answer as well. All right, if you had to compare your management style and your 15 years of expertise to a franchise or a coach, who would you put yourself as? That's a tough one. I've given this a little bit of thought. I think I'm going to go with Shanahan. You know, the QB is pretty much the least of my worries. You know, I just need a system quarterback that might get me about 16 points a game, and then I'm really going to focus in more on that running back, that wide receiver talent, and just kind of having that as deep as possible, especially the running back. Understood. And the final question I have for you is, if you were to lose this league, God forbid, would you do the punishment that you agreed upon and said you would do at the beginning of the year? Would you actually follow through with doing it is the question. I'm not going to lie. You're going to have to remind me of the punishment. We haven't even set one yet. I'm really just saying if I ask you for your word, if you'll do a punishment, and you give me your word you'll do the punishment, will you actually do it? All right, so blindly doing the punishment, yeah. It's not blindly. It's not blindly. We're all going to have to agree to it, you know, so I can't just say the punishment is kill someone and then, you know, you've got to do that. But if you agree to kill someone, then you have to actually do it. That's the entire thing. So last year was a lemonade stand, for example. Yeah, yeah, no, I got you. I've got full faith that I may not be a winner, but I'm not going to ever be last place. So, yeah, I will agree to the punishment. All right, well, you know, it's been a pleasure having you on. Look forward to seeing you on the grass this year. All right, Nick. Sounds good, man. Appreciate it.