Introducing “Fantasy Coaching” with In-Game Lineup Changes

At PFF Fantasy, we’ve always felt that deeper starting lineups and more skill-based options should be added to fantasy football for the advanced players out there.  We all agree that we’re playing a game of skill and not chance, but there are still ways to make the game more competitive for players who want greater control over their teams and an increased level of interactivity.

After countless hours developing draft strategies and the best possible starting lineups for each week, we’re all powerless over outcomes once the games begin.

Until now.

I’ve had one of the first previews of an exciting new platform that adds additional elements of skill to playing fantasy football which can significantly affect game scores and outcomes – after kickoff.  The site www.FantasyCoach.com  allows players to make live roster substitutions during the games.

Here’s why I think Fantasy Coach the best new fantasy platform out there: Here you are during your league championship week and your No. 1 running back Jamaal Charles goes down with an injury on the third play.  With Fantasy Coach you can sub Knile Davis and get production out of that roster spot for the next three quarters, instead of a goose egg.  Or perhaps you started Adrian Peterson but his game is a foot deep in snow and he’s totally bogged down, but you have Joique Bell on your bench tearing up the Bears rushing defense in the comforts of the Ford Field Dome. At Fantasy Coach, you now have control over making that change and exploiting the situational matchup differences.  Now this is skill-based fantasy!

For those of us who are serious about fantasy this new game type can potentially change how we play the game.  I can see us looking back saying “remember when you couldn’t even change your lineup after kickoff, that’s crazy!”

When playing on Fantasy Coach, you’ll likely pay closer attention to handicapping your starters with their backups, knowing that you can make a substitution during the game if one of your guys goes down.  Now elements such as play-calling being adjusted because one team has a big lead over another will influence your roster decisions as the games play out.  Paying closer attention to see which games may go to overtime will become more meaningful.   With this game style, we become much more like real NFL head coaches, seeking to exploit matchups to achieve maximum scoring and a better likelihood of victory.

The site www.fantasycoach.com offers cash prizes for public league tournaments ranging from free to enter to $500 teams for the inaugural Fantasy Coaching Championship. You can play from your phone, tablet or desktop and the software has a super clean interface that adjusts to your screen size.  I’m excited to check it out and will be playing Fantasy Coach this season.  Hope to see you on the leaderboards.

-Mike Clay