Dynasty Owners as Chess Masters

Sons of the Tundra 3/15/07: Frankly, these rankings are not very scientific. There are two reasons for that. First, the goal is not a complex one: per requests in other dynasty threads, I'm simply trying to better represent value by showing where the gaps are and using a system that assigns value much better than a simple 1 thru 75 numbering sequence. Secondly, I think we're overloaded with numbers, studies, etc. anymore. Ten years ago, most of us in this thread dominated all of our leagues strictly as a result of having more information than the other guys in our leagues. The internet changed all of that now. Everybody has access to quality information on a regular basis. Fantasy football studies are ubiquitous...especially on this site (which is a great thing). So what happens when everybody is looking at the same studies? Opinions vary much less because we tend to fall in line behind "proof" and hesitantly push our instincts and gut-feelings to the side. How then do we gain an edge on the guys looking at the same information?

My theory is this: if we all have ready access to the same information, how do you gain an edge on the upper echelon competition? Instincts honed by knowledge, which is honed by news updates, stats, trends and studies. That's what these rankings are in a nutshell. Instincts. There's no statistical or scientific basis to the numbers, but rather an attempt at showing differences in value as I perceive them.

Driver 3/15/07: Yup, I'd concur with that theory. My analogy would be a chess master. What distinguishes the very highest-level chess masters is an intuitive ability to assess the current position of a chessboard and determine the best move through evaluation of hundreds of possibilities involving many sequences of future moves. It requires (1) substantial experience, (2) mental processing of tons of information, and (3) the correct interpretation of complex patterns. But it comes down to a gut feeling, or instinct, that a certain decision (or ranking) is correct.