“We may not make it into the top 3 in year 1 of this, but certainly expect to be there in a short period of time.”

That is the stated expectation of Fox Sports Interactive Senior VP of Operations Jeff Husvar in Tuesday’s Sports Business Daily report of the fantasy deal struck between Fox and OPEN Sports.

According to the report, the multiyear partnership will begin with the coming football season, include baseball in 2010 and extend to other unspecified sports beyond that.

The football offerings will include a standard commissioner-style setup, a commissioner game that allows “real-time” substitutions during NFL games and the “shorter-form” Fox Fantasy Quick Challenge that sounds like it will probably fit into the growing stable of weekly fantasy games.

“We’re looking to make a very big statement to the marketplace,” Husvar told SBD. That statement will begin in earnest Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game, when the new fantasy setup is due to get a 20-second spot on-air. Husvar also reportedly said he is talking with fellow Fox executives to figure out how to better integrate fantasy into the network’s studio offerings. (Apparently he’s not satisfied with Brian Baldinger, Troy Aikman and co. picking one “fantasy stud” before each game.)

As for the plan to join the “big three” of mainstream fantasy sites within a year, that seems like a pretty lofty goal. Yahoo, ESPN and CBS Sports all sit way ahead of Fox in that race with gaggles of engaged, returning customers.

The one area that could gain Fox a foothold is if the in-game substitution model works out. Nearly all of us play in formats that require lineups to be set before kickoff, so this newer concept could be intriguing. Of course, we here at FSB.com would like to reserve true judgment on the concept until we learn more about it. SBD’s story says that each football offering will provide free-play options, though it’s not clear if Fox plans to build pay products as well.

No financial terms were announced for the deal, but the partnership is reportedly designed to end up giving Fox part ownership of OPEN Sports. It’s also worth noting that Husvar and OPEN Sports founder Mike Levy were once colleagues at CBSSportsline.com. (Levy, of course, founded Sportsline before CBS acquired it.)

(Click here for the official press release.)

Yesterday we spotlighted the companies that claimed multiple plaques at the Fantasy Sports Writers Association awards ceremony, but there were seven other honors handed out Tuesday.

Here are the victors in those remaining categories, as well as the other finalists with whom they competed:

Football Writer
Andy Behrens, Yahoo Sports
Jay Clemons, Sports Illustrated
Jeff Pasquino, Footballguys

Football Print Article
Dan Grogan, Athlon
Ginny Loveless, Football Diehards
Matt Waldman, Football Diehards

Football Print Publication
CBS Sports/Pro Football Weekly
RotoWire
Rotoworld

Baseball Print Article
Andy Behrens, Yahoo Sports
Jason Grey, ESPN
Tim Heaney, KFFL

Baseball Web Article
Jeff Erickson, RotoWire
David Gonos, Open Sports
Eno Sarris, Baseballguys

Hockey Writer
Sean Allen, ESPN
Janet Eagleson, RotoWire
Scott Pianowski, Yahoo Sports

Humor Article
Jeremy Fisher, Fantasy Football Trader
Lenny Pappano, Draft Sharks
Geoffrey Stein, Mock Draft Central

A roundup of recent posts on the FSB News page.

– Tricia Jonker has learned that boyfriends will come and go, but love for fantasy football is forever.

– Yahoo says that its “Fantasy Football Live” is the Web’s most-watched live show, garnering as many as 250,000 streams per week.

– The Obama administration has already begun tapping Cabinet members, so you’re running out of time to show off your predictive ability in the Fantasy Cabinet competition.

– Here’s a look at how Open Sports is being powered. I’d explain more about it, but I don’t know what the heck any of it means.

– Live Current Media is reporting record third-quarter earnings for this year, and its cricket-related ventures seem to be prominently involved. Though the sport remains a bit of an oddity to most Americans, cricket enjoys a tremendous international presence.

A roundup of recent posts on the FSB News page.

– Grain Belt Beer wants to know if you can Crush Charch in its fantasy football weekly contest.

– Open Sports’ “Tackle the Pros” also asks you to put your fantasy skills on the line, this time against former NFL players. The slate of weekly competitors includes Rodney Peete, Roger Craig, John Elway, O.J. McDuffie, Marshall Faulk, Todd Lyght and Ki-Jana Carter.

– FantasyPostseason.com targets the largely untapped market of fantasy competition during the playoffs.

– Are you ready yet for one guy’s top 100 baseball players for 2009 fantasy drafts?

– Not only do the Cubs head out of the regular season with the National League’s best record, but they’re also baseball’s best rotisserie team (at least heading into the final weekend).

– The hockey experts are gathering for their drafts.