After being part of a two-man team that took Mock Draft Central from fantasy obscurity to a necessary feature on every major fantasy site, Geoff Stein is now a Senior Editor at Fanball. I recently got a chance to pepper Geoff with some questions that I help shed some light on this emerging player in the fantasy sports industry.

How did you get involved in fantasy sports?
I drafted my first fantasy football team as a sophomore in high school back in 1999. I went undefeated in the regular season with the likes of Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Tony Gonzalez, but lost in the first-round of the playoffs. I’m still seeking vengeance for that extremely painful loss.

My start in the industry came from applying for a job that was posted on Grand Valley State University’s — go Lakers! — Web site: part-time Fantasy Sports writer. That job would eventually turn into Operations Manager at Mock Draft Central.

What’s your reaction when you read your old columns?
It’s been a while since I’ve read some of my older stuff, but I’m always shocked about how far I’ve come as a writer when I do. Not too bad for a broadcasting major who only took one writing class in school. I’ve learned from many talented folks, though, most notably my good friend Herbie Teope, who I credit for a lot of my growth.

How has your fantasy advice evolved since you started?
Instead of telling people what they should do, I try to present information to allow them to form their own opinion. Fanball offers a Live Advice option that allows me to chat with users that have questions; the first thing that I always ask is, “what do you think you should do?”

What’s been your favorite part about becoming a fantasy football expert?
Definitely just watching how the game has grown. When I first started in the industry, most people didn’t have a clue what I was talking about when I told them what I did … mostly just shook their heads while thinking, “I wonder when he’s going to get a real job?” Now, a lot are stunned when I tell them that I make my living in the fantasy sports industry. It’s a good gig.

What is the worst move you ever made as a fantasy owner?
No single move sticks out as being horribly awful, but I’ve trusted in a lot of turds over the years who have killed a lot of teams. The most recent memory involves Francisco Liriano on almost all of my squads
last season. While I think he may finally be “right” again in 2010, I can never muster up the courage to click the “Draft” button next to his name when I’m on the clock.

Tell us about your new role at Fanball. Also, what made you want to leave your previous gig?
I consider myself to be Fanball’s Mark McLemore — super utility man. In my two months with the company, I’ve done it all: writing for both the online Owner’s Edge product and magazines for the upcoming Fantasy Baseball season and NFL Draft; I’ve sat in on tech meetings and helped a fine technical team put together drafting software for the National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC); and a lot of my time has been spent helping with various NFBC festivities. There is also more in the works that I am really excited to be a part of.

Moving to Fanball seemed like the next natural step in my professional career, and the change in ownership at MDC made it the perfect time to do so. I always respected the work that Ryan Houston, Charlie Wiegert, Greg Ambrosius, and Tom Kessenich have done, so getting a chance to learn from them was just too much to pass up. I’ve quickly learned that the entire Fanball operation is first-class with many quality people, and have no doubts that the decision to join their fine team was the correct one.

What do you think is the next big thing in fantasy baseball?
I’m a big fan of the daily and high stakes games — and not just because Fanball offers versions of each. Both games have a way of keeping people interested whether it’s the third week of May or the last week of September.

How do you approach the daily fantasy games differently than you would a regular season-long fantasy game?
Three words about the daily fantasy games: matchup, matchup, matchup. While I think strength of schedule is overrated in games that are played over an entire season, matchups are key to putting together a successful daily squad.

Thanks again to Geoff for the interview, and congratulations on your new position!

There are hundreds of places that fantasy football players can get their information from. Sara Holladay has made a name for herself as the Fantasy Football Librarian by helping fantasy players dig out what are the most interesting and relevant articles. With an almost encyclopedic knowledge of everything that is written, Holladay has proven that she is quite the fantasy football player herself when she won the Buffalo Wild Wings Fantasy Football All-Star Bloggers league and a trip to the Super Bowl. I recently got to ask Holladay a few questions:

How did you get involved in fantasy football?
Back in 2004 my husband was looking for an extra person to play in one of his leagues and since I loved college football, I figured it was worth a try. Didn’t take long before I got addicted and suddenly knew a ton about both the NFL and fantasy football.

What is the worst move you ever made as a fantasy football owner?
Worst move I’ve ever made…man, that’s a tough one. I’ve made my fair share of bad moves but I think one that comes to mind, in part thanks to how recent it was, was grabbing LaDainian Tomlinson with the 7th overall pick in a draft this past year. I just wasn’t ready to believe that he was on his way out, and yet I should have paid attention to historical clues about how quickly older RBs can drop off. So right now, LT is feeling kind of raw.

Best piece of advice you ever received about fantasy football?
Best piece of advice has probably been to avoid grabbing players from your real life favorite team. I’m a Broncos fan so the ups and downs are harsh enough – no need to get too wrapped up in the Broncos from a fantasy perspective, too. That said, I still take Broncos if they’re the best value at that point of the draft. I just try to separate my fandom from my fantasy world.

So, who is the better fantasy player, you or your husband?
That all depends on who you ask – I’d say me, I did win us a trip to the Super Bowl in the Buffalo Wild Wings All-Star Blogger League. Meanwhile he would argue that he won 2 of the 3 leagues that we played in together…but then I’d just remind him of all the draft help and weekly advice I gave him. I don’t think either one of us will concede any time soon. Fortunately it’s clearly a friendly household battle.

What’s been your favorite part about becoming a fantasy football expert?
Maybe just getting to own that phrase? I think it’s a combo of having people trust me with their big weekly decisions, but also having the opportunity to network with other FF writers. Both of those are pretty good highs.

Do you ever feel like everyone is gunning for you in your leagues now that you own it?
Yes, there are a few friends that are gunning for me a bit more in leagues, but I love a good competition so I welcome it. Plus they’re the same guys that will happily enjoy a beer with me and talk draft prep for hours – that’s a welcome trade-off.

What do you think is the next big thing in fantasy football?
I think more and more leagues will include individual defensive players, which adds an added layer of complexity. But based on the number of sites that are coming out with daily games and games based on historical players, I think the field is really wide open for fantasy sports. Mainstream players will probably stick with traditional leagues, but there’s a good chance that those new to fantasy sports or just who haven’t played say fantasy baseball or hockey before will turn to some of the daily games first.

Thanks again, Sara, for your time, and good luck defending your title in 2010!