If you’re constantly deciding who to sit and start, what players to draft, and how to navigate the waiver wire, you’re like 99% of serious fantasy football players. While draft rankings, player rankings, cheat sheets, and personal research can set you on the right path, a little outside help never hurts.
You’ll find plenty of self-proclaimed fantasy football experts touting their track record on the radio, TV, and the web. But who can you really trust?
Well, we’re here to examine these gurus and answer the question once and for all: Who are the most accurate fantasy football experts? Find out who to follow and how much credence to put into their opinion.
The most accurate fantasy football experts may be a bit of a misnomer. Part strategy, part instinct, and yet still part luck, accuracy can waver considerably from year to year. However, these individuals exhibit a knack for uncovering the best moves possible through their tireless dedication to the art of fantasy football — including the NFL draft, offseason, and in-season moves.
Whether you’re deciding who to draft, what receivers you need for your PPR league, or which free-agent sleepers to watch, these are the most accurate fantasy football experts.
With appearances on shows such as “Daily Wager,” “Fantasy Football Now,” and the “Fantasy Focus Football Podcast,” ESPN’s Mike Clay is one of the foremost authorities on fantasy football. Over the past 10-plus years, his fantasy content has explored numerous aspects of fantasy football and daily fantasy sports (DFS), including dynasty leagues, best ball, IDP, and auction draft formats.
However, his innovative approaches and methodology to fantasy leagues through statistics have been exceptional. With his creation of advanced football metrics — including average depth of target (aDOT), opportunity-adjusted touchdowns (OTD), opportunity-adjusted fantasy points (OFP), fantasy points over replacement (FORP), and wide receiver vs. cornerback projection — he’s forged a new era in fantasy football accuracy and expert rankings.
As the most accurate fantasy football draft expert of 2023 and second-most accurate of preseason ADP, Jared Smola earns a rightful place among the most accurate fantasy football experts on record. Since 2007, he’s been an analyst for Draft Sharks, buried in spreadsheets and ready to deliver the inside scoop on free agency, the top quarterbacks for your superflex league, and how to bring home the hardware come playoff time.
Working as a freelancer and expert with FTN Fantasy, Ratcliffe has solidified himself as one of the best analysts in the industry. His hot takes during the off-season are some of the best in the business, and his Top-100 list before and after the NFL Draft offers insight into the best positional players and potential busts. In particular, Ratcliffe is one of the best in-season fantasy football experts, giving you information on the right moves to make throughout the NFL season.
Though you’ll have to pay to join Fantasy Football Advice, the advice you’ll get from Nick Zylak might be worth the price of admission. Over the past year, Zylak has ranked third in multi-draft accuracy, effectively making him an expert in his own right. If you want to gain insight into his selections for the draft and upcoming season, he’s active on his X account, offering plenty of advice to even the most hardcore fantasy football fans.
As a fantasy football analyst and the managing editor at Fantasy Pros, Pat Fitzmaurice consistently ranks in the top 10 for fantasy draft accuracy. What separates him from the pack is that his expertise isn’t necessarily fantasy football — it’s gambling.
When an analyst puts wagers above pure stats, you can rest assured that your money — and your draft and in-season moves are in your best interest.
Jamey Eisenberg is one of the longest-tenured fantasy football pros in the industry. Writing for CBS Sports fantasy football since 2006, his experience from watching football and as a sports reporter gives him the inside edge.
Covering the Florida Gators in college and the Miami Dolphins for over a decade has allowed him to gather insight from Steve Spurrier and Don Shula, effectively turning him into one of the most accurate fantasy football experts.
With a name like Dalton Del Don, you’d swear he was the second coming of Jimmy the Greek. Currently a senior fantasy football analyst at Yahoo Sports, Del Don has been spouting off statistics, the best moves, and who to draft since 2013. Though he also works on fantasy baseball and basketball, his roots are in football, appearing on numerous fantasy football podcasts over the past decade.
Regularly placing in the top 10 in expert competitions, Rob Waziak is, without a doubt, one of the most accurate fantasy football experts. In 2023, he finished second in the annual Draft Sharks competition for accuracy, a testament to his work in the industry.
Though most of his work is done through Fantasy Life, he’s also a regular on the Fantasy Football Experts podcast, where he gives his knowledge about all things fantasy football-related.
In 2023, Koerner won FantasyPros' most accurate fantasy football expert award for the fourth time in his career, the highest honor given to an analyst. This includes a top-10 finish in every position on the field and being the most accurate analyst for both running backs and wide receivers.
Unfortunately, most of his work is behind a paywall, hindering his name from appearing on the radar of most fantasy football fans. But if you have a few extra bucks to spend on The Action Network, you’ll undoubtedly gain valuable information about who to draft and play during the regular season and the playoffs.
Justin Boone is the lead fantasy analyst at The Score, and his predictions have been lauded over the past few years. In 2019, he was first overall in FantasyPros' Most Accurate Fantasy Football Expert Competition and finished among the top seven each of his last seven years in the contest.
While most experts confine their picks to the Top 100, Boone goes the distance, offering a Top 250 list for the upcoming year. With such a comprehensive list, 14-team leagues, best ball enthusiasts, or draft-obsessed players have an accurate list of nearly every player available in a given year.
With back-to-back top-10 finishes in the FantasyPros rankings, Twerski is consistently among the most accurate fantasy football experts year in and year out. In 2022, he finished ninth in the rankings, followed by a second-place finish in 2023.
However, what Twerski gets better than anyone else is the QB position. In most fantasy football drafts, the QB falls down the draft board. But with the help of Twerski, fantasy players are positioned to nab a top quarterback ahead of their league mates — providing an upside for those willing to take one in the earlier rounds.
Since 1998, Ryan Noonan has been one of the most accurate fantasy gurus. He focuses on leveraging lookahead lines, player props, scheduling anomalies, and team totals to try and beat closing lines, giving you the best chance of defeating your fantasy football foes.
Host of the “Move the Line NFL” podcast, his mock drafts and prop bets propel you to the brink of fantasy football wisdom. All you need to do is listen to his sage advice.
From 2010 to 2021, John Paulsen was the most accurate fantasy football expert overall, including top-10 finishes in both NFL fantasy draft and in-season selections. He was named the most accurate analyst in both 2010 and 2014, following that up with a stretch of top-10 finishes in 10 of the last 14 NFL seasons.
Focused on NFL sleepers, sneaky starters, and free agency, Paulsen takes a different angle to his fantasy football coverage. Though you can take Paulsen’s advice only, his knowledge combined with another analyst on this list could give you the upper hand for preseason, in-season, and post-season moves.
Taking advice from the most accurate fantasy football experts is a great start to your fantasy football season, but you can’t dominate fantasy sports on that alone. You need other tools to compare players, analyze fantasy football rankings, conduct mock drafts, and construct the best possible roster.
One tool you can’t afford to ignore is Wise Guys Edge. Using odds direct from Vegas sportsbooks, Wise Guys Edge provides five-player comparison tools, a helpful blog, projects, and weekly player blogs to give you a true edge in the game itself.
Who knows — you may just count yourself among the most accurate fantasy football experts in your own right.
