The Friday Interview -- A Sit-down With Jo-Jo McSofty

If you're a frequent reader of Hardcore Fantasy Sports Blog, you know all about Jo-Jo McSofty. Let's fill in the newbies.

Jo-Jo is the type of fantasy sports player who makes softcore fantasy decisions, leading invariably to fantasy futility. Maybe there are several Jo-Jo's in your league. Maybe you're one of them. Shhhh, it's okay. We're here to help.

How do you know if you're a Jo-Jo? Read on.

I sat down with Jo-Jo this morning to learn more about what makes this Fantasy Non-Icon tick:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

-- What makes you tick, Jo-Jo? --

That's loaded question. There are so many things.

-- So name just one thing. --

One?

-- Yes, one. --

I'm kinda nervous.

-- Does this help? [NOTE TO READERS: At this point, I put my hand reassuringly on his shoulder] --

What were we talking about again?

-- Let's try a new question. What's your strategy for deciding which free agents to pick up? --

That's easy: I look at who did the best the previous game.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Are sirens going off in your head? If not, then you're a Jo-Jo McSofty.

One of the biggest mistakes softcore players make is picking up a bad player who had one great game. If you're considering picking up a break-out player, do your homework first.

1. Why did that player suddenly rock? Was someone else injured? Did most of the stats come during end-of-game "garbage time" when the defense was slacking off?
2. What's the outlook for the coming week? Are they starting? How tough is the defense they're facing?
3. What's the local paper saying? Are they anticipating a trend, or do they sense things will return to normal next game?

After playing as a #3 WR last season for the Rams, 29-year-old Kevin Curtis--now with the Eagles--entered this season as a low-end filler in most fantasy leagues. His highest season yardage total was 801 yards; his second highest was 479 yards . . . certainly not a hot commodity by any stretch.

After two quiet games to start the season, Curtis broke out in Game 3 with 221 yards and 3 TDs. Such gawdy stats usually are reserved for All-Pros like Chad Johnson and Steve Smith. So what happened? All of the world's Jo-Jo's clamored to pick him up, believing that this half-decent wide receiver was suddenly a top commodity.

In the CBS Sportsline fantasy leagues, Curtis was started in 9% of leagues in Game 3. After his break-out performance, that number rose to 80% in Game 4. 80%.

And how did Curtis do the following week? A pathetic 21 yards with no scores.

Don't get me wrong: Curtis is more valuable this year than at any time in his career. He's proven in 2 out of 6 games that he can help your fantasy team. But he's not an every-week player.

So the next time a previously unheralded player has a break-out game, do your homework. One hardcore performance does not translate into a full season of hardcore performances. Separate the flukes from the gamers, and you'll be on your way to beating all the other Jo-Jo's in your league.