Strategies

Fantasy Interview with Rachel the “Fantasy Football Chick”

Welcome to our new feature in which we reach out across the fantasy sports world and briefly speak to our fellow fantasy aficionados, sports personalities and roto ‘friends’.
As we have mentioned time and time again, Fantasy sports has seen a rapid growth over the past couple of years with more and more sports lovers embracing and subscribing to fantasy sports sites. Statistics show that in the US and UK alone, there has been a 10% increase in fantasy sports players. Because fantasy sports leagues have changed the way people experience sports, it is increasingly becoming popular.
What may surprise you even more is that while you may picture loud or overweight men checking their fantasy stats women have dove into the fantasy sports world in droves and they are changing the demographic. At least 20% of players are women and most surveyed said they like the personal touch of fantasy leagues including staying in touch with friends, draft day experience and even hanging out with the guys ‘talking shop’.
In fact, it is not uncommon today to see an all women’s league all over the nation. More over, with sites such as fantasyfootballchick.com and the popularity of personalities such as Liz Loza it is no surprise that the statistics will reach 30%.

 

 
This week we turn our attention to a long time friend Rachel who runs fantasyfootballchick.com one of our favorite and go to fantasy sites for anything football related.

We love her great insight in the world of football and great features such ‘Chicks Picks and Sits’. The various team notes (Sleepers, Watch and Strategies) is equally impressive as her passion for football comes out in her articles and analysis.

The “Chick” as she refers to herself has been our ‘go to’ source for over a year and come the fall season when the much anticipated NFL season kicks into gear we encourage all of you to make her part of your daily reading. She is also a writer for eDraft.com and Sportsnaut.com affiliated with Yardbarker and Fox Sports.

Rachel was very kind to chat with us and answer a few questions:

 

ROTOGUYS: Firstly, we are huge fans of your site and despite both of us running websites that offer fantasy football ‘advice’ I am not afraid to admit that I regularly scan your site for a variety of tips on player rankings, sleeper picks, etc. Can you tell us where your passion for football began and how that morphed into fantasy football (or did it begin at the same time)?

RACHEL: I have to admit that I got into fantasy football first when friend invited me to join a league five years ago. Prior to that, I watched football every now and then, but really never followed it avidly. Playing in a fantasy league forced me to learn about the sport, then I realized how truly much I love to watch football, especially live, despite the fantasy factor.

ROTOGUYS: When did you launch fantasyfootballchick and briefly how has it developed since the launch?

 

RACHEL: Regarding the launch of fantasyfootballchick, I started it in March of 2013. It has developed by leaps and bounds since then and I have a large following as a result. I still look to develop it further as it is always a work in progress for me.

ROTOGUYS: Now that you are running a website and contributor on other fantasy sports sites is it still a passion for you or has it become a ‘job’?

 

RACHEL: Since developing my site, I still remain extremely passionate about football and fantasy football. Where I nearly spend as many hours writing for my site and the sites for which I contribute, as I would on a job, I absolutely find it an enjoyable hobby that I’m always excited about.


ROTOGUYS: There have been quite a few changes to fantasy sports world with the growth of daily fantasy sports: are you still a purist and still live by the traditional roto/fantasy league or do you dabble with daily fantasy sports as well?

RACHEL: Even though the traditional fantasy leagues are my favorite, I enjoy the daily fantasy sports leagues too. Even though I do not put much money into it, or sometimes play the daily ones for free, there is something fun about knowing you can pick a whole new set of players the next week and not be impacted by injuries and bye weeks.

ROTOGUYS: How many fantasy leagues are you in and do you have any past stories that stick out (historic wins, last minute trades, Matthew Berry type stories?!).

RACHEL: The most leagues I have played at once is seven, which was last year. This season, I’ve already started two leagues, one of which is a huge tournament style league with many divisions, and the other consists of some Twitter contacts. I’ll surely join a few others with friends by the end of August.

One of the stories that sticks with me is from just last year; my incredibly injury-prone team I drafted. I had Aaron Rodgers, Doug Martin and Randall Cobb all on one team. Even worse was my backup quarterback was Jay Cutler. Despite having to ride the waiver wire all season long, I finished sixth of 14 teams. It could have been much worse.

ROTOGUYS: Finally, with out giving away your ‘secret sauce’ what types do you have for our readers on the upcoming NFL Season?

RACHEL: I would like to branch out and hold more contests with prizes this year. It’s a fabulous way of attracting people to come to my site and gets visitors engaged with each other.

We want to thank Rachel again for her time. We love her unique perspective and passion for fantasy football. Bookmark http://www.fantasyfootballchick.com/ and follow her @liveocgirl