Playing the NFL Sector By Paul (-shaman-) Are you ready for some football? Welcome to another sector of the greatest game on the internet. Football, the most popular fantasy sport, will also become one of your favorites here at Jock$tocks. Let me start by saying if you have not been here for a Sunday afternoon during football season you have not yet seen the power of MOOO at Jock$tocks. Few stocks MOOO as quickly as the first low projection touchdown of the day. The NFL sector is very straightforward. It is one of the easier sectors to play in my opinion. It also yields some of the biggest divis in the game. It is not uncommon for there to be 5 or more NFLers over 20% and 25+ over 10%. There are great opportunities to make great gains in the NFL sector; however, you must also keep in mind that these stocks only get one opportunity per week to earn a divi so they are not the best long-term investment for a growing port. The sector is divided into 4 sub-sectors Quarterbacks, Defense, Running Backs and Receivers (as of this writing; there are rumors of team stocks being available this season as well). We will look at each existing sub-sector and the categories that go along with them. The football sector, like all of Jock$tocks is based on performance vs. projections. Be sure to pay close attention to the projections. Before the specifics one question that always seems to come up. Question: Do special teams TDs count? Answer: Not for individual player stocks (there’s a possibility of team stocks being on the way..and a possibility that some team stocks MAY include special teams play) Defense: The defensive sub-sector is made up of a mix of all of the defensive positions. There are linemen, linebackers and defensive backs all mixed together into this sector. The defensive projection categories are Games (all should be adjusted to 16), Tackles, Sacks, Fumble/Int Returns for TD, Safeties and Forced Fumbles. Please note that the projection is for Forced fumbles, not fumble recoveries. If a recovery does not go for a Touchdown it will not divi. As we all know Defensive TDs are not the most common way to score, and therefore the projections are relatively low and when they occur the divi very well. Sacks, Safeties and Forced Fumbles are worth looking closely at the box scores for. Quarterbacks: These guys can go from hero to goat in an instant. No players seem to go through the constant scrutiny like a QB does. Here at Jock$tocks QBs are evaluated on the following stat categories, Games (again adjusted to 16), Completions, Yards Passing, Passing TDs, Interceptions, Yards Rushing, Rushing TDs and Fumbles lost. You will notice there are two categories for TDs. Pay special attention to whether a QB throws for a TD or runs one in for the 6 points. It will make a major difference in the divi. For example for the last part of the 2003 season FAVBR was projected to throw for 30 TDs and rush for 2, major difference in projection and therefore in the divi. Watch out for interceptions and fumbles lost because the have an adverse effect on your QB’s divis. Running Backs: Who among us does not have a memory burned into our minds of our favorite running back breaking one to go all the way. As a back breaks through the secondary you can bet that there are fellow Jock$tocks players buying before he even crosses the goal line. Running Backs earn divis in the following categories, Games (you know) Yards Rushing, TDs Rushing, Receptions, Yards Receiving, TDs Received, and Fumbles Lost. As you can imagine TDs are again the major stat for the sub-sector and Fumbles lost will count against the divi. Just because a RB does not score does not mean he is not a buy for the day. Moderate sized ports will be able to buy up all of the TDs on a given Sunday but you can make some gains on those around you if you find the RBs that have good days vs. projections even without finding the endzone. Receivers: Whether it is a Hail Mary to a wide out at the end of a game for a TD or a tight end rumbling into the endzone after a dump off in the middle of the field rest assured there are Jock$stockers tripping over themselves to try to be the first to buy it. This Sub-sector is very similar to the Running Backs. The categories are nearly the same, Games (you really should have this figured out ?), Receptions, Yards Receiving, TDs Receiving, TDs Rushing, and Fumbles Lost. As in the rest of the sections of the NFL sector TDs are the major stat and Fumbles will cost your stock some J$. Again a Receiver can be a good buy without making his way in to the endzone. Will it be a top 10 divi not likely, but it can be helpful. I hope this helps, feel free to send a PM if you have questions. I will try to update this from time to time, especially if people seem to have the same questions or if we add a new sub-sector (Kickers) at some point in the future. Good luck to you and I hope you enjoy playing the NFL sector at Jock$tocks as much as I have. Questions about this article? Send a private message to the author.