2012 Primetime Champion Profile - Chris Vaccaro

[Tom Kessenich]

As a longtime member of the National Fantasy Football Championship, Chris Vaccaro had watched others snare Main Event championships and all the recognition, prestige and glory that went along with those amazing championship seasons.

He always dreamed that someday he would be able to add his name alongside the ranks of the NFFC greats who had proven to be the best of the best. For seven years, he persevered, hoping his dream would become a reality.

Then in 2012 it finally happened. Vaccaro’s dream came to an end and the shining light of reality had set upon him, he no longer had to hope he could become an NFFC Main Event champion. He was an NFFC Main Event champion.

When the dust settled upon the 2012 fantasy season, Vaccaro had done what 420 teams had hoped they could accomplish when the drafts began in August. He had emerged as the Primetime event champion.

“When the last second ticked off the clock of the last game of the weekend I had to take a minute to let it all sink in at what just happened,” Vaccaro said. “No words could describe the happiness and sense of accomplishment I felt at winning a title I’ve been trying to win for years and all the time and effort that goes into it.”

As is so often the case with most fantasy players, Vaccaro left his draft in New York feeling confident about his team’s chances in the Primetime last season. Then the season began.

“Every week was an up and down rollercoaster,” the 33-year-old said. “My team finally started clicking around Week 10. Around Thanksgiving I started pulling away in points in my league and I knew I was going to the playoffs and I felt I had a shot to win it all once I was there.”

Vaccaro entered the playoffs ranked 18th in the Primetime event. A big second week (204.85 points) propelled him to second place with just one weekend of action left. At that point, the intensity of what was on the line began to rise significantly.

“The final weeks and days were crazy,” Vaccaro said. “Once the second week (of the playoffs) was over and I was in second place overall and just a couple of points out of first it really hit me that this could finally be my year.

“There were a lot of restless nights and thinking 24/7 about what lineup I’m going to go with knowing that one wrong move could cost me $150,000. It’s literally all you can think about all week long leading into championship week.”

With Tom Brady at the helm of Vaccaro’s team and Dez Bryant putting up a mammoth final game, the climax of the fantasy season proved to be a successful one. Brady (23.35 points), Eric Decker (24.5) and C.J. Spiller (21.3) all delivered big performances in Week 16 and Bryant was golden with 43.4 points to help propel Vaccaro to the Primetime title.

Decker’s championship week production was especially satisfying for Vaccaro since that was one of his top Draft Day targets.

“I was banking on a breakout season from Dez Bryant and Eric Decker,” he said. “All the players I was targeting in each round were there and I was able to draft according to my plan.

“After that the most important thing as any owner will tell you was my team stayed healthy for the most part during the season. I also feel that if you’re going to win a title you’re going to have to hit on a late pick or hit it big with someone in free agency. For me drafting Randall Cobb in the 13th round was my big hit as he produced in my starting lineup all year long.”

Ask Vaccaro who the most valuable player on his roster was, though, and he does not hesitate.

“The strategy that worked for me the most was getting my big-time quarterback in Round 1 in Tom Brady,” he said. “I felt there was a big drop-off at the position after the Big 3 of (Drew) Brees, Brady and (Aaron) Rodgers and I didn’t want to worry about the quarterback position every week.

“After I locked up my quarterback, I wanted to get three big-time wide receivers in Rounds 2-4 and I got three even though I probably reached a round early on Dez Bryant and Eric Decker. But I’m a believer in getting the players you want even if you have to reach a round or two early.

“Obviously if you’re going to go in the direction I did drafting a quarterback and three wide receivers in the first four rounds you have to really like the potential of the running backs you can get later on. This year I did and got the two I targeted in Stevan Ridley and Spiller in the sixth and eighth rounds.”

Another running back proved to be Vaccaro’s shrewdest Waiver Wire pickup of the season.

“By far the most important free agent pickup of the season was getting Knowshon Moreno late in the season,” Vaccaro said. “He was possibly the biggest reason I won the title because he was in my starting lineup all three weeks of the playoffs and had big weeks in all three.

“Once the playoffs started I chose to bench Ridley because of his lack of catches and played Moreno over him because he was getting the ball 20 times a game and catching 4-5 balls as well every week out of the backfield. He was free agent gold.”

Vaccaro first began playing fantasy football in high school but he’s definitely cut his teeth in the NFFC. When he’s not busy preparing for the fantasy season he works in the banking industry in New York City by day. At night, he owns a sports bar with his bar with brother-in-law and fellow NFFC’r, Joe DiGalbo.

With the 2012 Primetime title in the books, Vaccaro plans to parlay some of his winnings into a week-long vacation in the Bahamas. He’s also locked up a spot in the NFBC Main Event in New York to satisfy his baseball needs. The rest of his winnings he plans to put in the bank and figure out what to do with down the road.

No matter what transpires in his fantasy future, Vaccaro will always be able to look back upon the 2012 season as the one in which he took on all comers in the NFFC’s biggest Main event and vanquished all of them by season’s end.

“All the work you put in during the summer leading into the draft and during the season is all worthwhile when it’s all over and you see your name at the top of the standings,” he said. “In years past when the season is over and you either failed to make the playoffs or fell short in the playoffs you wonder if all the time you put into this obsession is worth it. But when you win the big one you know that it was, in fact, all worth it. Now I look forward to defending my title next season.”

[76erfan]

real good guy. Very happy for ya Chris. Enjoy vaca! See ya in NY for baseball next month.

[marisschris]

Great job Chris. Good guys do finish first. See ya soon. Congrats again!

[Team Legacy]

Great job Champ! Very nice write up guys.