NumberFire Turning Fantasy Numbers Into Real WIns
By BigLeadSports
NumberFire wants to make sure that your fantasy numbers are smack on target.
According to NumberFire, the differences between athletes are few, so making the right decision about who to start and who to sit makes all the difference in the world.
Of equal importance: NumberFire operates under the theory that fantasy football isn’t just for hardcore football fans anymore. “It’s for people like you, me, and our dad – casual fans who want a simple game to make their Sundays all that more enjoyable.”
“Our target audience right now is fantasy owners,” said Sean Weinstock, COO for NumberFire, which is headquartered in New York. “Eventually [the target will be] digital media and broadcast partners and pro and college teams and leagues.”
NumberFire was launched in 2010 by Nik Bonaddio, a devoted Pittsburgh Steelers fan, graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University and mathematics and financial whiz who used $100,000 in winnings from Who Wants To Be A Millionaire to start the company.
Weinstock is a San Francisco 49ers fan and chief statistician Keith Goldner follows the Philadelphia Eagles, so the loyalties are across the board. NumberFire currently focuses on the NFL but plans to build out analytics for March Madness and for the 2012 MLB season, according to Weinstock.
With Bloomberg Sports currently growing and driving the uber-stats category for teams and fantasy players, NumberFire knew it needed present to potential players a product to which they would want to become attached.
“As opposed to Bloomberg Sports, we have a dramatically different consumer offering,” said Weinstock. “Our predictive capabilities are proven better by third parties. Our consumer offerings are much more robust including social media tools that Bloomberg does not attempt to produce. Our offerings are more affordable for fantasy owners than are Bloomberg’s.
“Outside the predictions on NFL.com’s Fantasy Platform, Bloomberg offers a comparison tool for which they expect owners to pay $10 a season. We offer a similar tool within our set for free. We also offer the Q&A functionality for free. We only ask users to pay for advanced analytics packages such as a Roster Analyzer, Trade Analyzer and Advanced Team Analytics.
Week 1: “Tom Brady put up a huge stat line this week, throwing for 517 yards and 4 TDs. While impressively large, [Aaron] Rodgers had Week 1’s most efficient passing performance (27 of 35, 312 yards, 3 TD), meaning that in the time Rodgers was on the field, he helped his team more than Brady. Rodgers’ offense added 0.44 points, above average, per play; Brady added 0.37 points per play. So if, for example, Rodgers and Brady were both involved in 50 passing plays, the Packers would have scored 22 points while the Patriots would have scored 18.5.”
Week 2: “James Starks has been the feature back for Green Bay so far this year. Among all NFL players with at least 20 carries this season, Starks boasts the highest success rate in the league – 62%. This means that he has performed above league average on 62% of his rushing attempts. For example, if it’s 1st and 10, and the average Back is expected to run for 4 yards, Starks is doing better than 4 yards in that 1st and 10 situation 62% of the time. Remember Chris Johnson, the guy who got $100 million contract this year? He’s only at an 18% success rate.”
Week 3: “Coming into week 3, JerMichael Finley ranked just 10th in the league among tight ends in terms of receiving efficiency. After a ridiculous 3 TD performance, Finley now ranks 2nd (behind only Rob Gronkowski), contributing to a Green Bay offense that scored 21 more points than an average team in similar situations when Finley has caught the ball. Finley also boasts a catch rate of 83%, 2nd among all tight ends with at least 10 catches (Vernon Davis – 88%).”
One final note: NumberFire predicts that the winner of Super Bowl XLVI this February will be . . . the Pittsburgh Steelers.