FTN Network, a company built for delivering NFL data for betting, season-long fantasy, and daily fantasy, announced today that it has signed football data analyst and DVOA (Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average) creator Aaron Schatz to a multi-year contract and named him Chief Analytics Officer.
Schatz joins FTN after leaving Football Outsiders, which he created in 2003. The FTN Network will now feature Schatz’s DVOA, a statistical method of evaluating football teams, units or players, and all of Schatz’s football-related content.
The company noted that football enthusiasts will be able to find Schatz’s insights on FTN Bets, FTN Daily and FTN Fantasy. FTN Bets subscribers will see DVOA and other stats such as adjusted line yards incorporated into its NFL Model, while FTN Daily customers will have access to DVOA vs specific defenders.
Its daily fantasy player projections and rankings will also incorporate Schatz’s extensive data. FTN Fantasy will have DVOA, Defense-adjusted Yards Above Replacement (DYAR) and many other stats unique to Schatz’s analytics available to its subscribers.
Lastly, DVOA will also be integrated into FTN Data’s business-to-business offering for 2024. This will be the first time Schatz’s unique NFL Data is available directly to other businesses, FTN noted.
“Adding Aaron as Chief Analytics Officer for the long term and as a voice in the FTN community was of utmost importance to us,” said FTN Network CEO Kevin Adams. “The day we launched the 2023 FTN Football Almanac, the site almost crashed and we had to upgrade our server capacity fourfold, showcasing the literal impact Aaron’s talents have made on our site already.”
“Aaron is the best of the best, and we’re incredibly proud to be able to offer Aaron and his data and insights to our community, and continue to provide the best leg up when it comes to fantasy and betting.”
In addition to his written work, Aaron will also co-host a bi-weekly podcast with NFL writer Mike Tanier on the FTN Podcast Network entitled “The Schatz & Tanier NFL Podcast.” Schatz will also run a premium Discord channel where he will field questions directly from FTN subscribers.
“I have been incredibly impressed with FTN since our first meeting for the 2023 Football Almanac,” Schatz said.
“The resources and support that I have received since I started working with FTN have not only been a natural fit, but have made the adjustment to my new environment almost seamless. Because of the flexibility and depth of FTN’s data, I’ve been able to prepare for the upcoming football season without skipping a beat. I’m looking forward to creating more engaging content for the FTN community over the next few years.”
Schatz’s resume also includes writing for ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine, and appearances as a regular panelist on ESPN 2’s Numbers Never Lie, among other accomplishments.
He has spoken at numerous conferences including the MIT Sloan Conference and he has written for many esteemed publications including The New York Times, The Boston Globe and Slate.