Fantasy Man: A Former NFL Player's Descent into the Brutality of Fantasy Football

by Nate Jackson

The New York Times bestselling author of Slow Getting Up chronicles his descent into the madness of early retirement and fantasy football.

In Slow Getting Up—hailed by Rolling Stone as "the best football memoir of all time"—Nate Jackson told his story face down on the field. Now, in Hell Mary, he’s flat on his back.

Six years have passed since the former Denver Broncos tight end wore a helmet, and every day he drifts further from the NFL Guy, the sanctioned-violence guy, the psychopath who ran head first into other psychos for money. But Nate hasn’t quite left the game. Bed-ridden by a recent surgery to remove bone fragments in his ankle, he’s trying to defend his title as top dog in Bunny 5-Ball, one of the millions of leagues captivating America through modern fantasy football, the interactive human poker game started by rotisserie leagues, boosted by ESPN and Yahoo!, and now elevated to that rarefied world of vaguely-legal Internet gambling by FanDuel and DraftKings.com.

And this time it isn’t a 300-pound wall of flesh rushing to crunch his spine.

It’s worse.

Exploring the fantasy—and the reality—of professional football after you’ve left the field, Killing Peyton is as funny, self-deprecating, and shockingly honest as Slow Getting Up.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Football, Biography Memoir

229 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2016

Reviews

[Brendan Grubb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Casual NFL fans don't often get to hear about the lived experience of being an NFL athlete. Nate Jackson's first memoir, Slow Getting Up, is the most insightful source on this topic that I have come across, so reading his second book has been something I have been eager to do for a while. As with his first book, the parts that I enjoyed the most in Fantasy Man were all of the parts that had to do with football. Jackson discussed topics ranging from the tactial construction of various plays in football to plausible reasons for former players' unfortunately common inability to maintain financial security after departing the NFL. Jackson's inside perspective on these topics (and others) would easily make for a four- or five-star review, but as you can see, this is not the overall rating I gave.

The reason for this is because of how much less engaging the non-football related portions were. Some sections felt like they were only included to increase the word / page count (I actually don't need step-by-step driving instructions to a random convention center in Los Angeles), and others felt somewhat mean-spirited (I can appreaciate the author's objective to "kill the [mainstream] narrative", but some sections were done so flippantly that it was tough to see the humor in them that he was so clearly striving for). Other sections felt as though they were profound to the author who had only recently emerged from the world of the NFL into the world of normal people, but they were not as profound to those of us who have spent our lives on the outside of the NFL bubble. One example of this was when Jackson was describing how ludicrous the amount of emotional weight people attach to the performance of their fantasy football teams is, despite the fact that there truly is nothing you can do once the games begin. He further opines that fantasy football offers an oasis of black and white (i.e., win or lose) in a world of gray areas, which adds to the overall appeal of the activity. While both of these are certainly true, it felt a little disappointing to be presented with these findings as what was supposed to be a notable conclusion when in fact it is something I have already recognized in myself (across all the teams that I root for).

Overall, I still think this book is a worthwhile read given its unique insight into the world of professional football and the fact that it is likely not a significant time investment in the first place. That said, if you find yourself in a situation where you only have the means to read one of Nate Jackson's books (I can't come up with a realistic example of such a situation, so just bear with me here), I would definitely advocate for Slow Getting Up as the one to prioritize.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ex-NFL player writes about his time as an ex-NFL player. The book is loosely focused on his fantasy football team but the narrative wanders aimlessly into discussions of marijuana, loathing for football fans, and concussions. Altogether a poorly written, self-indulgent book that I finished only because I was interested in what an ex-player's life is like.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Jackson's first book, I was intrigued to indulge his second. He has a writing style that is both comical and informative. I wasn't sure what to expect with a book supposedly focused on fantasy football, but it was definitely worth the read (listen via audiobook). Jackson has multiple encounters with his fictional secretary and fantasy players. He describes his real life fantasy football league with college buddies. There is an abundance of discussion about his views on medical marijuana and its possible use as treatment in the NFL. And he goes into detail about his role, or lack thereof, in contributing to the screenplay that became the movie Concussion. Jackson is a humorous and witty writer who deserves a little more press than what he receives.

[Art the Turtle of Amazing Girth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'd give it less than 1 star if I could

I bought this on the promise from the cover that it would be about fantasy football.

And while the shiny wrapping is about that topic, the meat and taters of this book is smoking weed, marijuana conferences, and CTE

I wouldn't have minded those topics if the cover had been more honest

Waste of money and time for someone looking for fantasy football
But if you somehow hear what the book is really about and want to read about those things, then here it is

[Chris Pippin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read Nate Jackson's first book, "Slow Getting Up," and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, this one doesn't come even close to the enjoyment level of that effort. About half of this book is imaginary dialogues between Jackson and the players on his fantasy team, or between Jackson and his imaginary secretary. The other half of this book is marijuana advocacy. It's clear that Jackson is trying to channel Hunter S. Thompson, as he even quotes Thompson on a handful of occasions. Unfortunately, the book isn't even faux-gonzo. It's just the fantasy football musings of a stoner.

[Michael Denniston · Rating 1 out of 5]

The title may lead you to believe this is a book about a former NFL player playing fantasy football. It is not. It's a stretch to call this a book as it meanders through terribly unfunny guy humor. It is however very bad and one of the worst sports books I've ever read.

So there's that.

[Chris Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you play fantasy football you will enjoy reliving your stress over your fantasy team. If you have never played FF then you will think it is describing a mental illness.
It provides some funny stuff and is an easy, enjoyable read.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heard this guy on NPR talking about this book. I thought it was going to be more about marijuana as pain medication but just kinda meandered along through his daily life.

[Josh Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't know who Nate Jackson was, he was a player who played on the fringes. ( 27 career receptions, two one yard TD's). His body was ravaged and he was at the forefront of the push for medical Marijuana in the NFL as he watched a lot of his teammates get addicted to Oxy and other painkillers. This is his second book, I plan on reading the first one, Slow Getting Up. This one focused on his fantasy leagues more than his playing days. He is someone who admittedly plays with his heart, and pays zero attention to depth charts. This book was written around the time of the last Broncos Super Bowl win so, you hear names like Brandon Marshall and CJ Anderson mentioned a lot. He is one of those guys who switched to fantasy because of his competitive nature and not knowing what to do without playing. Full of funny anecdotes and a little inside fantasy talk. High recommendation.

[John Parker Ford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished Nate Jackson’s first book, Slow Getting Up, a few weeks ago. It was excellent—an inside account of life in the NFL that fans crave but never seem to get. So I went right out to read his follow-up, Fantasy Man.

Disappointment ensued.

There is no true central narrative, which would be OK if Jackson was a great writer. He isn’t, but he acts like one. Every few paragraphs contains a one-liner, random aside, metaphorical callback, or poem that doesn’t land. They’re distracting and tend to overwhelm the otherwise just OK book.

I hope he tries again but drops the Hunter S Thompson act.

[Tom Hayward · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book surprised me in a good way! I received this last year as a Hanukkah present and thought it was about fantasy football, so I kind of laughed it off because I thought it was just my buddy trolling me (been to the championship 3 times in 4 years, never won). Anyways, started reading and it’s more of a memoir and talks a lot about CTE and medical marijuana. Very interesting read especially from a former player’s perspective. Jackson is a unique writer. Only thing preventing me from rating it higher is I needed more substance

[Lewis M · Rating 2 out of 5]

his first book was far better and more relevant. I'm still not sure what the hell this book was about other than cashing in on the first book. Nate Jackson is no Hunter S Thompson and writing in that fear and loathing style seems like a poor copy rather than an homage. from the material thrown in there is a book there. I just wish he or his editor had a way to make it work.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly a great book for anyone who is a football fan. The author talks about his passion for football such as his career , fantasy football and after his career. He dives in to a controversial topic such as using marijuana to help with pain and healing. Quick and easy read.

[Christopher Campbell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it enough. Should have stuck with the original name

[Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a former fantasy football player, I enjoyed this book. Not as insightful as his first book, and a bit meandering.

[Joe Bacanovic · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was no point to this book.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Shut up shut up shut up. I hated this so much.

[Walkamungus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as Slow Getting Up. It's got some promising threads -- marijuana advocacy, the problem of prescription painkiller dependence, the persistence of pain -- but the weird "managing my fantasy team" stuff is disruptive (although occasionally funny) and Jackson doesn't manage to build the suspense of the fantasy season. He's funniest when he's talking about Denver's relationship with its football team. (As a former Denver resident, I may be biased.) This one needed a heavier editorial hand, and someone to say, No, that's not as funny as you think it is. Lots of unrealized potential here. If you want a really good book about fantasy sports, get Sam Walker's Fantasyland.

[W · Rating 3 out of 5]

A strange book. Very short for the price (cost per page is very important to me), and what was written on the (few) pages was incoherent and boring, as well as not at all what was promised in the title. I wish it had focused more on the fantasy football side of things instead of the author's life, which I don't care that much about. Does it have redeeming qualities? I think so... Read this if you like being let down.

[Phil · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm a huge fantasy sports fan and was really looking forward to this one. Boy was it a letdown. Very little about fantasy football and much more about topics from a guy I know nothing about it so it really lost my interest and I tried my best to get through it as quickly as possible.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huh?

Weird book and nowhere near as good as his first. Maybe it's me, but I didn't get it with all the skipping from subject to subject.