Originally Posted by ross10019

One other topic that might be worth addressing is "homerism".

Now it goes without saying that all of us have a soft spot for either our home/favorite NHL team and its players, as well as for the NHL players on our fantasy squads, but it's critical that, when providing analysis (trades, keeper decisions, roster moves, performance forecasts, etc.) that you completely set aside that homerist tendency as much as possible. I am not saying that you shouldn't post about players you like, or players from your favorite NHL team - often, you will have very valuable information to share regarding these players - BUT, and here is the KEY issue, you should try to avoid at all costs OVERVALUING these players based on your favoritism, that to me is the crux of the matter.

In that regard, I'd like to point out a very important distinction though, which has been quite relevant in my case.

I have often, in the past, posted analyses and thoughts about players that I own, especially regarding their prospects for the future. An example is Letang, whom I've written about extensively, especially during the years when he was not yet producing up to the expectations. More recently, Hiller, in that thread regarding where he stands in terms of top 10, 15, 20, etc.

There is a reason why I am posting regarding these guys, and it's not because I own them, but rather because of the fact that I FOLLOW THEM MORE CLOSELY as a result of owning them. For this reason, I often will have much more valuable information to share with all of you regarding these players versus other players I don't follow as much. Sometimes, I think this may come off to some as homerism ((i.e., there goes so-and-so again blabbing about how great that player he owns is), but it really isn't, it is more a tendency to provide information regarding players of whom you have the most knowledge, and if anything that is quite the opposite of homerism. Again, the golden rule is to avoid OVERVALUING when you do this.

In the end, the only way to answer fantasy-related questions about a player is to look at the cold, hard facts, and ignore all biases. Look at the statistics, the player's past performances, his NHL situation and the way a player is being used by the team, the strength and character of his NHL team (weak; offense-inclined; defense-first; etc.), those are the details that lead to solid, helpful analyses, which is the bread and butter of this great forum.