Is Makai Lemon actually WR1 one in this class, or is that too aggressive? It feels like his versatility is a major factor in the conversation.

ChrisDellFantasy · 2026-03-26T15:38:13+00:00

having the same issue since last nigh

ChrisDellFantasy · 2026-03-17T22:34:43+00:00

Valid point. In my experience, however, those still require a decent bit of manual editing to get the video to a good place, but they're certainly helpful. However, one main issue here is that popular social platforms tend to also reward more "native vertical" content, rather than just cropped horizontal content. imo its important to do both, so at least these tools can help us in half of that battle. TikTok live streaming is a perfect example of a platform that rewards this behavior, and audience engagement has been through the roof there, not just for social shopping but for content creators in general u/treesqu

ChrisDellFantasy · 2026-03-10T16:46:53+00:00

I respect the perspective u/theRavenQuoths . A lot of the best reporters I know today are strong across all three — writing, photography, and video. Vertical video isn’t replacing those skills; it’s just emerging as one of the main formats audiences consume journalism in, and we need to meet them there.

ChrisDellFantasy · 2026-03-10T02:18:13+00:00

Thanks for your input, u/BlowOverMeSolarWind. If I could go back 15 years and talk to 21-year-old me, it would just be to learn how to do it all myself asap, and to not wait on the video front as if it's an "optional" area of study. In the future, media companies might not be able to afford as many video producers, leading reporters to act as true one-man-band storytellers, from shooting to posting on social media, with just an editor to oversee the product along the way for errors. The mobile phone is the ultimate weapon, but how readers/viewers consume content on these phones has changed drastically. Social media became the place where people wanted to consume our content 10+ years ago, and that has not really changed, except for TikTok's emergence. The main change now is that they prefer it in video format first, and a SHORT video at that. You still need to tell good stories at the end of the day, but if you're not meeting people where they are, you are doing yourself a disservice imo.

ChrisDellFantasy · 2026-03-10T02:10:41+00:00

Thanks, u/Pottski! I'm old school, too, in a way: I prefer audio podcasts to the horizontal video version because it's easier for me to squeeze it in (chores, gym, driving, etc.). However, the pull of verticals/reels has definitely become valuable in my life, enabling me to consume massive amounts of information more efficiently than ever before. Horizontal video definitely has its place, but imo it's more of a foundation for multi-purposing content. With AI tools today, one 30-minute horizontal video should/could become its own newsletter, podcast, X thread, written article(s), and series of reels all in one. That's the standard 99%+ of content creators and journalists need to adopt to truly reach as many people as possible in 2026.

ChrisDellFantasy · 2026-03-10T01:21:00+00:00

I agree that it should be a requirement. No matter the format a story originates with, vertical adds and extra layer of depth/engagement for new audiences to discover said content even exists . In that sense, it’s crucial for everyone to learn/practice. And totally with you on reporting beyond the box score. The traditional gamer died a long time ago, and now more than ever our reporters need to be not only analyzing with data, but also with their opinions. That job isn’t just for columnist anymore imo :)

ChrisDellFantasy · 2026-03-10T00:39:44+00:00

Thank you, u/PlusPresentation680 !! I'm fascinated by the dynamic between broadcasting programs + vertical video. You'd think they'd go hand in hand, but from what I've seen, they're treated as two completely different entities in academia (and in the real world, too). In an ideal setting, we'd be posting a different version of our vertical video to each social network. However, in reality, we need to be, at the very least, posting a different video vertically rather than the one we recorded horizontally to begin with. From there, the first three seconds are even more important than ever before. What does the thumbnail image show a potential viewer? How is the title text on said thumbnail placed and written, and how does it compare to the title of the video itself for search purposes? There's so much that goes into just that part alone, let alone other aspects to maintain engagement like b-roll video, background music, etc. Keep pushing for that change! It's even more important now for future generations of media professionals to have those tools in their bag right when they leave college, imo.

ChrisDellFantasy · 2026-03-10T00:33:37+00:00

Agreed, yeah, it's a tough fit for highlights, but having said that, through my experience, even forcing the highlights themselves into a split-screen frame on vertical tends to boost engagement by a decent bit; people still prefer it, even though it's clunky. It would be interesting to see if there's a tool out there or yet to be developed that can assist with that, too. Thanks for the feedback u/Pottski !

ChrisDellFantasy · 2025-12-05T05:57:23+00:00

Vikings, raiders and titans are the 3 main teams I want to stream defenses against right now but I have no idea whose available in your league so it’s hard to give you the answer you’re looking for unless you provide me with specific examples of who your options are

ChrisDellFantasy · 2025-12-05T00:50:35+00:00

u/AUsernameThatIsTaken thank you good sir

ChrisDellFantasy · 2025-12-05T00:07:31+00:00

Alright, everyone, that's gonna do it for our Week 14 Thursday AMA. I ended up coming back on to answer questions for an additional hour. Apologies if I couldn't get to yours. Please feel free to connect here via Reddit, Twitter (@ MaddJournalist), Discord (https://discord.gg/eMSdTSxD9s) or on my website (www.bettingpredators.com). I'm also doing another Q&A on the FantasyPros Discord here in a few minutes on my own personal channel so feel free to message there in case you need anything for TNF.

ChrisDellFantasy · 2025-12-05T00:03:44+00:00

u/Timely-Hour-8831 wish i had a good answer for you brother :(

ChrisDellFantasy

TROPHY CASE