Podhero Picks: Monday Morning Quarterback Edition
The leagues are being formed. The clever team names are being composed. And from now until early February, there will be an NFL game on every single week. For those who play Fantasy Football, this is your time to shine (or suffer, depending on the course of the season). And we at Podhero want to get you ready! So as you prep for your drafts, we’re sharing our top picks for the encouraging and analytical words to have in your ears.
“The My Guys” Episode + Players to Forgive LIVE in LA” from The Fantasy Footballers
While it’s hard to pick a standout episode from shows that are so dependent on the time of year — heck, even the time of season — we selected this live episode to demonstrate one of the annual segments undertaken by the trio of Andy Holloway, Jason Moore, and Mike “The Fantasy Hitman” Wright. With frequent episode release, you won’t be left solely to your own devices as you craft your team and tackle your weekly matchups. And with a claim like “a high quality and entertaining show that will win you your Fantasy Football league,” how could we NOT include them?
76 minutes; episodes average 1 hour in length
“The Ringer’s 2019 Fantasy Football Top 50 Rankings” from The Ringer NFL Show
The Ringer has become an essential voice online for sports and culture. So we couldn’t very well make a list of fantasy football recs without including their voice. The Dannys (Heifetz and Kelly) take time in this episode to break down The Ringer’s inaugural top 50 ranking, hopefully setting you up for a strong season ahead.
49 minutes; episodes average 45 minutes in length
“Scouting Combine Special with NFL’s Sam Rapoport and ESPN’s Stephania Bell” from The Football Girl Podcast
Fantasy football is a hugely consuming pastime, with tens of millions of people participating over the course of a given season. As of 2017, 17.2 of them were women. Melissa Jacobs is attentive to that fact, and has crafted a podcast for women who love football. Featuring not just a female perspective on the sport, but highlighting the expertise of women throughout the game, her counsel will come in handy when crafting your team and analyzing the season.
51 minutes; episodes average 55 minutes in length
“2018 NFL Predictions” from Black Girls Talk Sports
Yes, this episode is from last year. But it provides a good sampling of the tone and dedication with which hosts Rekaya Gibson and Angela Spears cover football, as well as a number of other sports. These tactical, newsworthy episodes live in a field alongside episodes about larger topics like careers in sports and having a sibling in the pros, and interviews with athletes and administrators across the sports world. The NFL is a frequent topic of their episodes, and they can be relied upon to provide thoughtful commentary on the sport both on and off the field.
42 minutes; episodes average 28 minutes
“The Hard Knocks Life” from NFL Fantasy Live
Housed in the NFL Podcasts family of shows, NFL Fantasy Live brings Marcas Grant and Michael Fabiano together each week — and sometimes more! — to talk about the stats and game tape that guides our decisions each week. They break up the tactical talk with laughter and pop culture references, and ultimately will expand your minds not just about football, but about culture as a whole. In this episode, for example they talk not just about the sport on the field but also on TV…and whose season-long journey is best suited for HBO’s Hard Knocks.
50 minutes; episodes average 49 minutes in length
“2019 Strategy 2018 Apologies, and NFC North Preview” from The Yahoo! Fantasy Football Podcast
Obviously your team crafting approach needs more than one source of intel, so we’re pleased to highlight this “crossover episode” with Yahoo’s pod and fellow Pods with Friends rec The Fantasy Footballers. Hosts Liz Loza and Matt Harmon use their platform to break down the game, consult with a rotating roster of guest analysts, and even take listener voicemails…so if you want to call upon their wisdom you can literally do so.
And so, as you suit up for the season ahead of you, we hope we’ve given you the tools to go in excited, informed, and ready for some football. Know of any standout pods on the topic that we missed? Let us know on Twitter!
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