Fantasy Football Time! 5 Awesome iPad Apps to Get Draft-Ready

Update 22 Aug – After publishing this list, an app was updated to support the iPad that in my opinion blows the rest away. Fantasy Football Cheatsheet 2010 is everything you need to prepare for and track your draft. You can add your league’s customized scoring settings to see rankings specific to your league in points, ADP and AAV with over 50 custom scoring options. As you click on players, you’ll see detailed stats, rankings and news updates. You also have the ability to add players to “my team,” add them to your “wishlist” or delete players from the list as they are chosen in your draft. This app is packed with other great features and available for $2.99, cheaper than some of those below.

It’s that time of year! The 2011 NFL Season is just around the corner. In many ways, the combination of Fantasy Football and Madden video games help kick off the season. With the Fantasy Football drafts beginning soon, iPad owners have a few cool new tools to enhance their draft!

I couldn’t help but to include the new Madden 11 in today’s list. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any valuable free apps, but am confident you’ll love the ones chosen below. Enjoy!

Rotoworld Fantasy Football Draft Guide 2010

$4.99 – The 2010 Rotoworld Fantasy Football Draft Guide is a quick reference for top rankings by position or the top 200 overall. The app includes draft strategies, positional tiers, player news and all the potential sleepers and busts.

The draft guide is available offline, so no need to be dependent upon an internet connection while taking part in your draft. The cheatsheets for each position is handy as is the season outlook and injury reports.

Fanball.com 2010 Fantasy Football Preview Magazine

$4.99 – Though the magazine was first offered in early July, the Fantasy Football information provided is the best you’ll find in any current iPad magazine available. The magazine features auction and strategy advice, sleepers and busts and more than 60 pages of  in-depth player information and projections.

H.W.W.G. Fantasy Football Draft Guide

$4.99 – HattyWaiverWireGuru.com provides their fantasy draft guide, ranking over 500+ players, along with team defenses and an overall top 200. The app features weekly web videos to discuss all the best pick-ups of the week, weekly live radio shows and additional updated content such as sleeper articles.

In drafting players, I’m a fan of having the ability to mark players I draft, which this app also provides. Also, live syncing keeps you current on the most updated power rankings.

Corkulous

$3.99 – This is a pick that’s a little more on the creative side. Since the iPad doesn’t currently have a ideal live draft tracker for hosting a draft and the iPhone apps just aren’t the same all pixelated, I have an alternative solution. One of my favorite apps, Corkulous, is an idea board that’s very useful and quite handy.

It’s a multi-purpose corkboard app that allows you to place notes, labels, photos, contacts, and tasks. It’s flexible and fun to use. I began setting up a draft board below. You may have a better solution, but this one may be the most fun. Also useful is the ability to send the corkboard via email or export to a PDF or image.

Madden NFL 11 by EA Sports for iPad

$12.99 – I couldn’t create a football related list without including Madden 2011. After getting an itch for the new Madden, I passed on the opportunity to choose the XBox 360 version saving $40 or so by choosing the iPad version.

The iPad version does an impressive job integrating Madden with touch technology. You get total control of the defense, gameflow, hot routes on offense and a few other innovations set for a later release, such as multi-player and an iPad Exclusive “Vintage Voltage Football” that promises to knock our socks off.

The only thing I really miss is playing career mode, but at $12.99, it’s well worth the price tag.