Articles by Adam Harstad

Most Recent

Dynasty, in Theory: Modeling Rookie Receivers

A look at a predictive model for rookie receivers, as well as a discussion on the use a...

Odds and Ends: Playoff Futures and Wildcard Round

Listing reasons for optimism for each playoff team and picking games for fun, not profi...

Dynasty, in Theory: How Does It Work in Practice?

A good theory should always match reality.

Regression Alert: Week 18

Wrapping up a season's worth of predictions and looking back on the last seven years.

Odds and Ends: Week 18

Recapping the season and picking games for fun, not profit.

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 18

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: Skill, Luck, and the Space Between

How much luck is inherent in fantasy football? It depends on what you mean by "inherent...

Regression Alert: Week 17

The key to regression is betting on stable factors and ignoring the unstable ones. A pl...

Odds and Ends: Week 17

Discussing a sneaky advantage of not having an edge, plus picking games for fun, not pr...

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 17

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: Imagining Profiles In More Dimensions

A different way of thinking about multiple tendencies.

Regression Alert: Week 16

It's good to be right. But it's bad to be too right.

In The Last Year

Odds and Ends: Week 16

Some quick math for your game picks pools, plus picking games for fun, not profit.

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 16

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: A Heuristic That's Hard To Follow

When everyone's searching for the easy way out, sometimes the most profitable path is t...

Odds and Ends: Week 15

Investigating the ins and outs of futures and picking games for fun, not profit.

Regression Alert: Week 15

Your best team is probably going to lose in the playoffs. (Sorry.)

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 15

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: What Is Happening to NFL Careers?

Something is happening to older players.

Regression Alert: Week 14

Recent weeks might seem more relevant, but you're almost always better off considering ...

Odds and Ends: Week 14

Taking stock of our gambling results and picking games for fun, not profit.

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 14

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: the Royal Jelly

Developmental opportunities are a finite resource.

Regression Alert: Week 13

Everyone regresses to their mean. But some means are moving targets.

Odds and Ends: Week 13

Are there "good" narratives to bet on? No (but there aren't bad ones, either).

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 13

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: Alternatives to Tanking

What can video game development teach us about tanking in dynasty leagues?

Regression Alert: Week 12

League leaders are almost by definition lucky (even when they're also good).

Odds and Ends: Week 12

You can't disagree with math just because it's inconvenient for you.

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 12

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: Collusion, Vetos, and Other Unmentionables

Some ideas are too controversial to discuss in dynasty. Let's discuss them.

Regression Alert: Week 11

When it comes to regression, bigger is better.

Odds and Ends: Week 11

Can Artificial Intelligence give us an edge over Vegas? (No.)

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 11

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: In Defense of Dart Throws

Throwing darts can be good (especially if you have a lot of darts).

Regression Alert: Week 10

Everyone will regress to their mean. But how do we know what that mean is?

Odds and Ends: Week 10

Lines can and will vary throughout the week. But they also vary between sites.

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 10

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: Concentrate

If you want to get the most out of your roster, all you have to do is concentrate.

Odds and Ends: Week 9

Checking in on our office pools.

Regression Alert: Week 9

On the important difference between noting a player will regress and suggesting a playe...

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 9

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: We Need to Talk About Trade Deadlines

Trade deadlines are everywhere in dynasty. Should they be?

Regression Alert: Week 8

Quarterback stats don't regress as much. With one big exception.

Odds and Ends: Week 8

Thoughts on bankroll management (or: how the house can bankrupt you even if you do have...

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 8

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: Trading for Future Picks

Buying future picks can be good. But how far in the future is far enough?

Odds and Ends: Week 7

Unders are winning. We like winning. Should we bet unders?

Regression Alert: Week 7

Usually it's safe to predict regression for historical outliers. (But not always.)

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 7

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: How Early is Too Early?

The difference between dynasty and redraft is a concern for the future. But how far in ...

Regression Alert: Week 6

In a world where new stats are introduced every year, how can we tell which ones are wo...

Odds and Ends: Week 6

Some thoughts on "betting systems".

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 6

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: How to Have an Opinion

So you have an opinion. Great! Now what should you do with it?

Regression Alert: Week 5

How well do early-season results predict the rest of the year?

Odds and Ends: Week 5

Is betting player props better than picking sides? That depends.

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 5

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: Foxes and Hedgehogs

Is it better to know many things, or one big thing?

Regression Alert: Week 4

Yards regress, but touchdowns regress more.

Odds and Ends: Week 4

Explaining "The System", and picking a few games for fun, not profit.

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 4

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: How to Trade

Some advice on how to get managers to click accept on your offers.

Regression Alert: Week 3

Yards per carry: is it a thing? Adam Harstad digs in.

Odds and Ends: Week 3

A brief primer on moneylines, and picking a few games for fun, not profit.

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 3

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: How to Rebuild

Knowing when to rebuild is more important than knowing how to rebuild, but knowing how ...

Odds and Ends: Week 2

Some tips on how to win your office picks pool, and picking a few games for fun, not pr...

Regression Alert: Week 2

What is regression to the mean? And most importantly, how can it help you win at fantas...

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 2

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: When to Rebuild

When it comes to rebuilding, knowing when is probably more important than knowing ...

Odds and Ends: Week 1

Betting NFL games for fun, not profit

Rent-a-Kicker: Week 1

Finding startable kicker production on your fantasy waiver wire.

Dynasty, in Theory: Flexibility Has Value

Even fair trades can be bad if they lock you out of future opportunities.

Dynasty, in Theory: Short-Term Pain for Long-Term Gain

A simple trick to increase the value of your roster over time.

How To Draft ADP Fallers Like A Pro

Drafting ADP fallers is the only guaranteed winning strategy. Here's how to do it.

Dynasty, in Theory: Stop Trying to Win

Winning is the goal; it shouldn't be the target.

The Best Draft Strategy for 2023 (And Every Other Year)

Lots of draft strategies claim to be the best. This one can back it up.

Dynasty, in Theory: Two Rules for Rookie Drafts

Simple rules of thumb often outperform more complex models. Here are two for your rooki...

Dynasty, in Theory: Simple Heuristics to Make You Smart

In a world of increasing complexity, sometimes simple rules of thumb perform the best.

Dynasty, in Theory: Most Comparisons Are Wrong

Player comparisons can be a very powerful tool when done correctly. Most of the time th...