If you’re already tired of your group of friends who talk about their fantasy football teams like they’ve personally coached them, your life is about to get a little bit more frustrating. According to TechCrunch, CBS Sports is working on what is essentially an app store for fantasy sports apps.
As an avid and acknowledged fantasy sports nerd, an open platform for fantasy sports-related apps appeals to me in a very real way. But I’m sure I’d be scoffing a lot more if there was an app store for, say, car apps or something similarly niche, so I can understand the skepticism around this idea, too.
But if you’re already on board, there’s no reason to wait for CBS Sports’ app store of sports apps. There’s plenty of valuable year round fantasy sports apps already available in your regular everyday iTunes App Store.
If you’re the type of fantasy sports player who has multiple leagues spread out over several different websites, Fantasy Monster Pro ($4.99) may seem a little pricey, but could be well worth the investment. The app lets you manage all of your Yahoo!, ESPN, and NFL.com fantasy teams under a single app. That’s a huge time saver if you’re got multiple leagues cooking, especially during the period of the year when the NBA, NFL and NHL are all going at the same time.
If that all seems a bit complex and you just need some news-centric apps to make sure you’re not going to be starting players that have been injured for a few weeks, there are a number of apps that might be of some use.
The free Fanball.com Fantasy Sports News stands out not just because of its thorough video and text news updates, but also for its customizable player-follower. Users can create lists of the players on their fantasy teams to make sure the news they want is all easily accessible under one tab.
Rotoworld Fantasy News (also free) is another strong fantasy news option. You can quickly grab news, injury reports and well-researched analysis on players in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA golf and even NASCAR. Rotoworld’s player search function is also extremely easy to use, making finding players you’re curious about a breeze.
If you’d rather not limit your sources of information, the free PlayerLine app brings together news from all over the web so you’ll always have the most varied and up-to-date info on your fantasy team. The app pulls news, bios and videos from Yahoo!, Digg, NFL.com, ESPN, MLB.com, CBS Sports and Fox Sports among other sources and feeds.
And if you just need some advice, well, get in line. But while you’re waiting in line, try out Fantasy Sports Coach (free). The app is essentially a forum for fantasy sports owners to ask for and offer advice to their fellow team owners. Now, if you make a bad decision to sit a guy who has a huge game, at least you can blame the crowd of strangers who offered you bad advice instead of your own poor research, and that’s always a good feeling.
While none of these apps will automatically take you from worst to first in whatever fantasy league you’re playing, they all should at least arm you with the knowledge you need to make better decisions. Heed the old proverb – give a man fantasy sports advice, and he’ll win for a day, but teach a man how to properly navigate the tumultuous sea of fantasy football news, and he’ll win for a few more days.
Create a list of your favorite fantasy sports apps
