Fantasy Football Thread

The summer is winding down and once again, football season is upon us, with it coming the most important season of the year - fantasy football season. Naturally, I have been preparing by binge watching copious amounts of The League, running through every draft scenario, and listening to Daniel Potter's "Bad Day" on repeat, prepping for the inevitable heartbreak the season will bring. I thought it would be fun to hear everyone's draft strategies, compare team names, and make some predictions on breakout performers etc.

Personally, I always try to take Calvin Johnson in the first round because I really think he is the most explosive fantasy player but depending on draft order this year, may take a look at Manning, and a few running backs. Last year I made it to the championship thanks to a crazy wide receiver corps of Johnson, Alshon Jeffrey, and Antonio Brown, Gore and Moreno in the backfield, and a clutch semifinal performance from Justin Tucker. I've also put a great deal of thought into my team name and my 6th grade humor has led me in the direction of Sam Likes Sacks Not TDs, an improvement from Love Me Some TDs last year.

Would love to hear all your thoughts regarding the aforementioned topics.

 

I am thinking this year is going to be huge for WRs with the NFL cracking down more on offensive holding (making running the ball more difficult) while still encouraging high scoring offense. This year's WR field is very strong in my opinion with names like C. Johnson, Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, AJ Green, Marshall/Jeffrey etc I personally love Dez this year mainly because the Cowboys D is terrible and will lead to alot of shootouts

One strategy Rotoworld is pushing this year is to get one of the "big 4" TEs which are Graham, Gronk, Julius Thomas, and Cameron in that order. They seem to think it will lead to big matchup advantages each week due to a big drop off after the top tier.

I have pick 7 of 12 in my league, draft 2 weeks away so I have some homework to do. I'd love Megatron to fall to #7 but I doubt it will happen.

 

I got him as my first pick and I was either 9 or 10, did wonders for me last year. I also agree with the WR comments but want to emphasize the importance of a QB if you can get Rodgers PManning Brady or Brees. Outside of those, I don't see many putting up quality fantasy numbers. all of this assumes your league doesn't discount QB yards/points severely.

as for team names: ass & TDs is always great, anything making fun of Drake (such a bandwagon fan), something giving homage to Boardwalk (last season), and of course anything about Josh Gordon or Aaron Hernandez will be a hit.

 

Haven't really started my prep yet, but just listened to a podcast while dozing on the plane tonight and they had Brady MUCH lower than the other 3 QBs you list. They actually had Stafford 4 and Brady was a way behind him, I don't remember the exact spot, but I think in the 7-9 range.

Not saying they're right, but if common thought is that low on Brady you don't want to take him in round 2 is he's still there in round 4. Their key picks were Stafford if he's around in round 4 or Romo or Ryan much later, like round 8. One of the guys went as far as to say if you couldn't get those guys in the right spot just wait until round 12 and go cutler.

twitter: @CorpFin_Guy
 

In on this thread.

Agree with adapt or die, i predict Dez to have a career season (along with romo and murray). The bad defense of the cowboys along with the good o line will be great for these guys.

@"adapt or die" i dont see why calvin is a reach for you at 7, his ADP in 12 team leagues is exactly 7. I'd look out for Eddie Lacy, i like him a lot this year given his talent and volume

 
Best Response

I also agree with wideouts having a big year. My WR rankings are Calvin - Dez - DT - Julio - AJ - Marshall - Nelson

Jimmy G screws up my team if i take him 1st round, I'll try and shoot for Gronk or Ju Ju in the 3rd. but agree that getting one of these elite TE's is huge, TE's really fall off after these 3 and is a difference maker position.

I disagree on shooting for one of the top 3 QBs (Manning-Rodgers-Brees) and waisting a 1st-2nd rd pick. I think if you wait till rd 6 and get a Brady-Ryan-Foles, you'll have a much stronger team.

In terms of RB's I'm a bit of a contrarian and am starting to believe in this Zero-RB theory, waiting for rounds 4-8 to take my 2 RBS, because out of the top 3 (Mccoy-Charles-AP) there is too much risk, i think you're much better off going WR-WR if you're in the back half of your draft.

Pretty excited to watch redzone for 7 hours straight every sunday haha

 

i agree that WRs will have a big year, but scarcity's the name of the game. If there are lots of good WRs in a given year, then good becomes the new mediocre. By contrast, RBS are much more scarce and it's harder to find solid RBS that you feel confident playing week in and week out. Think about it... after AP/McCoy/Charles/Forte, and maybe Lacy/Lynch/Stacy, do you really feel confident in the rest of the field? My strategy is to load up on RBs to the point that I have way more than I need.

IMO, QBs and TEs are the same in that I want to be one of the first to pick one, or the last. If you miss out on one of the big 3 QBs (manning/rodgers/brees), there isn't much of a difference between #4 (Stafford) and #12 (Romo). The thought process is similar for TEs with Graham/Thomas/Cameron/Gronk.

With defenses I usually play the matchups, but Seattle was so dominant last season that I'm seriously considering taking them as early as rounds 8 or 9 if they're still there.

So far my sleepers are Andre Ellington, Joique Bell, Terrance Williams, and Cordarrelle Patterson. Let me know if you have any more!

 

Here are a few of my sleepers / guys i like in the later rounds

RB Toby Gerhart Trent Richardson? Bishop Sankey Lamar Miller Terrance West Joique Bell Jeremy Hill Andre Williams Bernard Pierce Devonte Freeman

WR Roddy White Torrey Smith Rueben Randle Golden Tate Mike Wallace Kelvin Benjamin (really like) Jordan Matthews DeAndre Hopkins Justin Hunter Markus Wheaton Brandon Cooks

TE Zach Ertz Ladarius Green (this years Julius Thomas)

 

Right on. Go Gunners.

"I will tell you how to become rich. Close the doors. Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful." “If you win a gold medal in the Olympics, my bias would be you should quit swimming that day.”
 

I think it's pretty important to pick up your RBS in the first 3 or 4 rounds. WR is really deep this year. Guys like W. Welker/M. Floyd/J. Edelman/C. Patterson/R. White, etc. are falling pretty late and still offer starting-caliber potential with limited downside risk. Personally, I don't want to go WR-WR and then hope someone like R. Jennings/B. Tate/T. Gerhart will work out. If you're a later pick in the draft and don't want to reach for a RB, I'd pick up Demaryius/Green/Bryant then be sure to grab a RB (e.g. Murray/Ball/Bell) in Round 2. If I can get top RB (Peterson/Forte/Charles/Lacy/Mccoy), I definitely wouldn't pass that up.

 

My receivers and flex were all top 8 receivers in my league last year so I really can't overstate the importance of solid receivers. I also agree that you can find some great running backs late or even undrafted (see Zac Stacy last year). Eddie Lacy looks like the real deal so I would put him up there with Charles, AP, McCoy, and Forte. Also agree that if you aren't taking Manning, Rodgers, or Brees, don't draft a QB till 5 at earliest.

What's the word on D/ST for you guys? I like to draft a really solid one in the 5th round (last year got OAK). Whoever gets SEA puts themselves a mile ahead of the field in this category. Conversely, a know plenty of people who play match-ups here. What's everyone thinking?

 
adapt or die:

Davonta Freeman may be a huge value pick this season. I don't know if you guys saw the first episode of hard knocks but Steven Jackson is injured of course and looks like shit. I think there is an outside chance he gets cut.

I'm a big fan of drafting backup handcuff RBS before the guy with the starting RB can get them.

There is 0% chance that he gets cut. He's getting paid like 3-5 million this year, the Falcons aren't going to just take that cap hit. Not to mention he's a solid 3DRB and always tough in the red zone.

But i do agree with you on Freeman, his ADP has leaped so much these past few weeks. I wouldn't mind taking him in the later rounds of your draft.

 

K-DEF last 2 picks of the draft for me. I play match-ups and it generally works out pretty well. My D I'll be drafting this year is probably whoever is playing OAK/JAX first game. I think you're giving up too much if you draft these positions too early. You can still find solid/young RB's and WR's that give you depth and possibly trading value during the year.

 

Yeah Brady and Wilson aren't exactly the best fantasy QBs because of the balanced attacks and all around awesomeness of their respective teams. Wilson doesn't need to come out and throw if the Seattle D has the other offense on lockdown. Wilson probably has an advantage due to his scrambling plays though this year might be different since he is due for a new contract after this season. Romo is good, so is Rivers. McCown might have a decent year as well if Tampa O Line holds up which might be tough. Imho Luck is probably gonna have a huge year since the Colts backfield was a shitshow last year and might make incremental improvements at best.

 

I like drafting players that are by far the best position player on their team. Example - I wouldn't draft a WR on the Broncos b/c depending on the match up one of them may get way more targets than the other. I found the key is getting a consistent 10-15 points out of your players rather than 30 one week and 5 the next. Antonio Brown is no where near the best WRs in the league, but b/c the Steelers WR core outside of him sucked he basically saw more than half the passes come his way and as a result was top 5 WR scoring wise last year.

Also league rules impact the draft immensely - PPR, 6 points for passing TD (mine last year for some reason picked Brees 1st), etc.So be careful to look at those closely.

 

I think offense-heavy teams still end up spreading the ball around on offense. As a Bears fan, I would point out that Jeffrey and Marshall each had huge seasons last year and were both top 8 performers. Conversely though, if you're taking the number 2 receiver on a shitty offense, that's not going to end well. I drafted both Brown and Emmanuel Sanders last year and dropped Sanders in two weeks. So I'd argue that for the top 7 or so passing offenses of 2013 (through Atlanta), it's not a problem to have the #2, he'll still get you plenty of points. But once you get an offense that doesn't throw it much to begin with, you need to take the top guy. Good point.

 

Of all of the things that people get excited about, fantasy sports are one that I can't wrap my head around. It just seems like it has no point. Do you guys really need an excuse to get together with your friends to drink on Sundays?

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 
heister:

Of all of the things that people get excited about, fantasy sports are one that I can't wrap my head around. It just seems like it has no point. Do you guys really need an excuse to get together with your friends to drink on Sundays?

It really doesn't have much to do with that. My buddies only get together for our live draft so it's really a once a year drinking event for my frat alums. It's more like Texas Holdem for huge NFL fans.

 

As an owner of Jamaal, Lacy and Gio last year, they were the sole reason I steamrolled the league to the victory, and I had a very mediocre QB and WRs, so I usually focus on picking up some stud RBS first. The WR pool is quite deep this year, while RBS are not. Honestly, either way though you have to have at least one superstar on your team (i.e. McCoy, Megatron, Graham) regardless of the position.

I guess I just think a bit differently than the majority when it comes to fantasy, since our league is auction style, and we have keepers so I am always thinking long term, and looking for undervalued players to build a strong team.

I am very high on AP, Dez, Demarius, Jordy, and Lacy this year. I passed on keeping Jamaal because his circumstances (O Line, schedule etc) have deteriorated a great deal since last year and his price this year is not justified as I don't see a repeat happening. I think you can find some great value in Foster (high risk, limitless upside) , late round QBs (Romo, Cutler, Rivers), and some gambles on high upside rookies/sophs (Cooks, Hunter, Cordarelle).

My team name is "Never Go Full Sanchez"

 

I agree, if you can get one of the top 4-5 RBS first round, do it. I was able to get AP with my first round pick (pick 3), and then ended up getting Dez, Demaryius, and Julio Jones for my WRs and Flex.

 

Having a box score stuffer QB is key, but there's plenty of those out there. Starts with the elite tier of Manning, Brees, Rodgers, but there's others you can get as late as the 7th round like Matthew Stafford, Nick Foles, Cam Newton, and Tony Romo. I would target Stafford since he's got plenty of go-to options with Calvin, Golden Tate, and Reggie Bush. I like drafting WRs early since running backs can be more match-up based (see Rashad Jennings last year) but make sure you land a QB who can fill that box score.

Also another thing to note, it's very tough for running backs to repeat elite performance; each year at least one star RB completely fades out due to injuries or just plain fatigue. I drafted Arian Foster last year and Jones Drew the year before that in the first round, complete busts. Definitely agree that Marshawn Lynch could be a huge disappointment due to the rigorous workload of the past few seasons, I would also stay away from Frank Gore and Doug Martin in the earlier rounds as well.

 

it really depends on your draft position as well. if im drafting 7th in a 12 team league i would be very inclined to take 2 wrs my first two picks given the format of the draft. Would shoot for a DT and Julio combo

 

I'm in a 6 pt league also, I've heard many different opinions on how to value QB's. The thing is, the +2pts per TD is not linear (the same for every qb) as mannings 55 TD compared to the average 25-30 would have gave one a huge advantage. I think it helps to have a TD throwing QB, but the position is pretty deep this year and if you don't snag one of the top 3, there is plenty of upside to choose from later.

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/48063/57/silvas-august-top-150 This is one of the better set of rankings i've seen from year to year. For 6pt QB td league i'd bump the QB's up one full round, so the Big 3 QBs valued around picks 15-17ish. You also might want to devalue "running" QBs and increase the value of TD heavy QBs.

The thing about a league like this is owners will be more inclined to take a QB early, don't panic. there is plenty to choose from later. Try to get TD QB's (I think cutler is best value at 10th round) he has top 5 QB potential if he stays healthy. Just my 2 cents

 

agreed. I'll have a shot at one of the top 3 backs, or Calvin in first round (6th pick). No need to force anything. Hoping I can get jimmy graham in the 2nd

It's all about bucks, kid. The rest is conversation. -Gordon Gekko
 

I follow Walterfootball.com, mainly for the commentary that he provides on players and not necessarily for his exact rankings. The site also helps identify the players that I want to snag in later rounds. I also use rotoworld & bleacher report for news/articles/etc.

 
Poff:

I follow Walterfootball.com, mainly for the commentary that he provides on players and not necessarily for his exact rankings. The site also helps identify the players that I want to snag in later rounds. I also use rotoworld & bleacher report for news/articles/etc.

Nice, I hadn't heard of that site before so I will check it out. It's nice to get a fresh perspective since so many people are using Roto, ESPN, or some cheesy physical magazine they trust. SB

 

How do you guys feel about Tim Wright now that he's been traded to New England? Do the Patriots have another dominant 2-TE system like they had with Gronk and Aaron Hernandez? Worth a pick in say, round 8 or 9 in a 10-team league?

 

DEEP SLEEPER Free Agent Play:

If you have roster space, grab James White off FA and wait until Saturday at 4pm to see if the Pats release Stevan Ridley as has been rumored. Worst case the Pats keep Ridley and you get rid of James White, best case Ridley gets cut, you don't need to race to your computer to grab him before someone else does, and Belichick rides this guy all season without fumbling problems.

 

Shane Vereen is still there to vulture carries. I usually try to stay away from anyone in the Pats backfield, but good tip anyway. There's a lot of upside there and not a whole lot of downside.

On an unrelated note, Josh Gordon's suspension is upheld by the league. So much for taking a flyer on him...and what are the chances that Miles Austin is able to fill his shoes?

 

Ray Rice was just cut by the Ravens. The chance of him landing on another team in a favorable situation is pretty low, but not impossible. Probably worth holding onto him in fantasy until this plays out.

 
design:

Ray Rice was just cut by the Ravens. The chance of him landing on another team in a favorable situation is pretty low, but not impossible. Probably worth holding onto him in fantasy until this plays out.

I'd say the chances of him landing on any NFL squad are close to zero, the guy is a pariah.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 
Cruncharoo:
design:

Ray Rice was just cut by the Ravens. The chance of him landing on another team in a favorable situation is pretty low, but not impossible. Probably worth holding onto him in fantasy until this plays out.

I'd say the chances of him landing on any NFL squad are close to zero, the guy is a pariah.

Indefinite suspension, good call me.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

What I got out of week 1:

Charles owners should be concerned, very minimal carries. Looks like KC will suck this year, and their schedule is tough. As a Charles owner, I hope this doesnt happen.

Le'veon Bell look really good. Looks like he lost a few pounds allowing him to be more mobile. That along with his huge workload should lead him to be a top 5 back this year.

Anyone have any buy low candidates?

 

Currently crushing it in my work league. Cutler, Bell, Brown, Hell even Hyde did very well. Damn Bengals Def though. And I am down by 6 points with 3 players left tonight one of them being Johnson. At 99.80. Let Monday Night begin.

 

Picked in the back of RD1 (10th I think), so am happy I ended up with Julio Jones and Demayrius Thomas. Huge run on RBS in my league, so ended up with Tate & Gerhart as my two go-to guys (of course Tate gets injured first round), and J Bell as my flex. Only thing I think is gonna hunt me is taking Romo in the 7th when Randle and Maclin were still on the board - got flustered by a run on QBs, but think I could have gotten Romo in the 8th and had Randle, instead I ended up with Romo and freaking D Bowe as my flex WR. Oh well, at least Julius Thomas seems to have saved my ass in the first round - have a feeling he was a steal in the 3rd.

 

I won my game by 1.5 points after Rivers fumbled the snap that left the Chargers out of field goal range with 4 minutes left (guy I was playing had Nick Novak). RG3 was trash but this is nothing new. Gonna go with Dalton this week.

I need help with WRs/RBS/flex. What do you guys think I should do? RB1 Forte, RB2 ?, WR1 Marshall, WR2 ?, FLEX ?..... options are Ryan Matthews, Trent Richardson, Marques Colston, Vincent Jackson, Kelvin Benjamin, Allen Hurns. Also could go Jeremy Hill at RB2 since the Falcons run defense is horrendous.

 

I honestly wouldn't trust T-Rich at this point...Ahmad Bradshaw looks like the Colts RB who knows what he's doing out there and is more versatile as a pass-catcher. If you're starting T-Rich, you're banking on a short-yardage score, and there's just too many weapons in the Indy offense to count on that. People seem to forget that Bradshaw looked really good last season when he played. Averaged 5.5 YPC before his neck injury took him out for the season.

EDIT: Adrian Peterson indicted for child abuse...

 

I was right on the money with my last post. I was going to suggest Bradshaw as a buy-low candidate before last night, as well, but too late for that now. I have him in all 3 of the leagues I'm in this year (drafted him in the 13th or 14th round in all of them) and I'm not sure whether I should keep him and piss off the T-Rich owners or use him as trade bait.

 

We are using Yahoo.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

bump. One more spot.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

bump.

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 

I read that as you having Golden Tate, sorry. I would not do it, not for Tate anyways. if you need a solid 4th WR for a flex and want to trade Hill then I would look at Kelvin Benjamin, Brandin Cooks, Harry Douglas, Julian Edelman...just to name a few. Tate screwed me fantasy wise last year and I do not seem him doing much better with Calvin Johnson on his team. As my friends all say tho....do what you think is right.

 

I've got Desean Jackson (NYG) on a short week or Steve Smith (Car) against his former team? I'm leaning towards Smith as he will be extra motivated and Thursday night games can be sloppy/Desean is busted up with a shoulder injury. Cousins is good though so I'm not sure.

Also, what about Lions (@NYJ) or Colts (Ten)? Lions have a nasty front four and Geno throws worse than Tebow. I'd consider Indy because they are at home.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

Picked up Steelers D yesterday because I saw that they have a cupcake matchup against Tampa Bay this week (and we all saw what the shitty Atlanta D did to them last Thursday...), but they were hit with a rash of injuries against Carolina on Monday night (Ike Taylor, Jarvis Jones, and Ryan Shazier all hurt). I also have Pats D, which is currently the #1 ranked defense, but they're facing the Chiefs who are considerably better than the Bucs. Still, the Pats D generates a lot of takeaways and Alex Smith has looked shaky thus far this season. Not sure which is the better play. Thoughts?

 

if davis has a game as close to like he did last week, I wouldn't start NE defense. charles being out you would think would've crushed their run game but davis hasn't fumbled the ball and racked up 132 yards and a TD last week. to me, the bucs would seem like the sure thing whereas KC is a toss up. if davis doesn't get a lot of carries and alex smith is alex smith, NE will have a big game. otherwise, you could get fucked.

 

Well, I could always play both and take out Mike Wallace. My flex is McFadden so I could even go all 3 but Miami has a terrible run defense, BUT MJD may be coming back.

@"thebrofessor" @"adapt or die" @"Bobb" pls help

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

I would go with Smith Sr, DJax, and Wallace... I'm benching McFadden here for a few reasons:

1) Main underlying reason, that he's basically slop nowadays 2) Miami will most likely be leading and Oak will not be running the ball in the 2nd half 3) McF will most likely be splitting carries with MJD 4) I could not bench Wallace vs that Raiders matchup

 

I think I'm going to sit McFadden and go with the 3 WRs, I may have to play him anyways depending on whether Dsean can go tonight. I love how all 3 of you replied fairly quickly, true bros and thanks for the insights.

@"Bobb" @"adapt or die" @"thebrofessor"

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

I have Brees vs Dallas and Rivers vs Jax, I am leaning towards Rivers because Jacksonville is good awful and Chargers have RB issues. What do you guys think?

"When you expect things to happen - strangely enough - they do happen." - JP Morgan
 
eignenvector:

I have Brees vs Dallas and Rivers vs Jax, I am leaning towards Rivers because Jacksonville is good awful and Chargers have RB issues. What do you guys think?

I would play Brees and hope for the high scoring shootout. I sorta think SD will play down to Jax level in an ugly game. Also, I think Bortles will change the Jags offense look to a half step up from god awful, ha.

 

I'd go Gates. Jacksonville is 31st vs TEs so far this year giving up 15, 16, 22. Indy is 28th but they've given up 29 (to Denver), 9, 1, I think that Denver game was more to do with Peyton/Orange Julius than Indy's inability to D up a TE, other than that they would be middle of the road/above average.

Buffalo shutting Gates down is kind of concerning but I wouldn't read too much into one week of results.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

Remember...Logic and theory won't win your matchups. Eli Manning and Donnell went off, you might have to think outside the box sometimes.

Allen Robinson, Justin Hunter, and Deangelo Williams are portential sleepers in Daily FF or deep leagues

 

I honestly don't like any of them, but I hate Carlos Hyde the least. SF is using him on the goal line and in third down situations and I think his usage rate is only going up while Frank Gore's is going down.

Gerhart plays in a weak offense and it remains to be seen how Bortles will perform. If the rookie QB comes out shaky, defenses will put 7 or 8 in the box and dare him to throw, which makes Gerhart a terrible fantasy play. I'd probably have to see what happens this week before I'm comfortable starting him.

Same goes for Sankey, Taliaferro, and Pierce. Sankey is apparently pissing Ken Whisenhunt off with his footwork and it looks like Shonn Greene is still the starter for the time being. Baltimore will be utilizing a RBBC approach until someone really distinguishes himself (I'd bet on that being Taliaferro, but it'll take a week or 2 for that to happen).

 

I think I ended up doing pretty well on my picks, Desean was a bust but my opportunity cost there was only like ~5 points by playing McFadden. Wallace caught a TD and Smith obviously went bonkers so I'm glad everyone convinced me on Smith. I actually had TY Hilton on the bench and that cost me 9 points if I had gone him over Desean. A week for me where my max possible score - actual score is 9 points is something I'll take 100% of the time.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

I drafted Calvin Johnson with the 4th pick in the first round and I have to say that up to this point he has been mildly disappointing. I am playing in a dynasty league and need to think about long term consequences of potentially moving him. Other than Gio Bernard I have a pretty weak RB core and I am not necessarily struggling in the WR department. If you could find a trade that made sense would you trade a struggling CJ (who Matt Stafford seems to have forgotten about) or wait it out?

 
primetime36:
I agree with above comment about it being mostly luck.

I am with @"Cruncharoo" on this one. There is certainly an element of luck especially given the small sample size of 16 games but I have found that the smart owners in my league tend to outperform the herd. If FFB was mostly luck you could randomly draft your team and randomly set your lineup and expect the same results in the long run as someone who does research, weighs stats, watches game action etc. This just is not the case imo.

Side note: For anyone who has done fantasy baseball before, there is very little luck element with the huge schedule of games. The cream rises.

 

Another comment regarding the "luck" aspect of FF has to do with your matchup. In my 8-team league I currently have the best "had you played every team each week" record (18-10) yet I am 1-3. I've had 2 loses with the 2nd highest weekly score in the league. Got me thinking that a cool way to do it would be to sort out rankings by the "played every team" record, where each week you'd add 7 wins or losses (assuming a 8 team league). Then again, idk if a feature like that even exists.

 

My friends have thought about something similar. The idea was completely doing away with the head-to-head schedule and just having a league-wide scoreboard of points accrued each week (kind of like the EPL league table). I guess this is the "fairest" way to do it, but it's boring. The head-to-head schedule gets the trash talk flowing and makes things interesting. Remember, luck cuts both ways. You might score 65 points one week, but your opponent might score 50, so you're bagging the W even though your team was awful and didn't put up a significant amount of points.

 
design:
I guess this is the "fairest" way to do it, but it's boring.

Agreed. Playing your entire league each week as opposed to one other team wouldn't be the most exciting thing to watch. Plus like you said, you could just as easily get a loss with the 2nd most points as a win with the 7th most. It should (in theory at least) net itself out over the course of a season. Though even if it doesn't, it's still probably the way to go because it's simply more fun.

 

I have been offered Matt Ryan for right now a struggling Calvin Johnson. I have Cam Newton (still trying to figure things out with new young WRs) and Big Ben who seems to be killing it with Antonio Brown. My initial thoughts are to ride out this Calvin Johnson slump and trust in the QBs that I have now but I am not 100% on this. Thoughts?

 

You've got Big Ben against the Jags this weekend -- cha-ching. There is no universe in which you should entertain this trade, Megatron will score 10 TDs the week after you trade him guaranteed.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

I don't understand all this Calvin Johnson is struggling talk. The dude was a decoy last week. I'm shocked he even had 2 targets. Take that game out and he's averaging over 20 pts in PPR.

 

Teams overreact to this all the time too, he'll end up getting 12+ targets this week since they didn't go to him last week. Same thing happened with Forte last week against GB, Bears went to him early and often to get him back in rhythm after weeks 2-3.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

Yo guys, I have an important question to get your opinions on.

Should I offer this trade:

Trade Lamar Miller straight up for Josh Gordon

Here is the situation. Miller is the starter as of now and Moreno is due to return from his elbow injury week 8 or possibly 9. Miami has their bye this week. The situation is unclear after Moreno return, but most likely a split of carries.

Gordon is allowed to play week 12 which means I'd be able to use him for week 12-16 (week 15 and 16 are the playoffs in my league). Additionally, my league is 12 teams and redraft every year. Finally, I am currently 4-0 so my probability of making the playoffs is fairly high.

I'm very interested to see what you guys think about this idea. Thanks.

 

DeMarco Murray has been putting up absurd numbers so far this year. If he stays healthy and keeps getting 20+ carries a game, he's the fantasy MVP by a landslide (although Andrew Luck might have something to say about that). I own Murray in 2 of the 3 leagues I'm in this year -- is there any possible trade scenario you guys can think of where you would actually consider giving him up? I think my roster has room for improvement in the one league I'm considering trading him in.

This is a 12-team standard scoring league...

QB - Aaron Rodgers RB - DeMarco Murray, Ahmad Bradshaw, Trent Richardson, Lorenzo Taliaffero, Knowshon Moreno, Lamar Miller, Steven Jackson, Antone Smith (basically handcuffs all day erry day) WR - Emmanuel Sanders, Brian Quick, Rueben Randle TE - Rob Gronkowski D/ST - Patriots, Bears (just picked up Chicago this week as a streamer against Carolina) K - Blair Walsh

I think I could maybe trade Murray for a package of a top-flight TE and WR. There's one team in my league with AJ Green and Julius Thomas and another team with Jordy Nelson and Delanie Walker (although his shoulder injury makes me a bit wary). Both of those teams are pretty weak at RB, so I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make something happen. That said, I'm leaning toward keeping Murray because he looks like he's on pace for a monster season playing behind one of the best o-lines in the league, but everyone knows his injury history and he's never played a full season in his career. Thoughts?

 

I would most likely not make a trade if I were you. Your team looks good enough to contend for a title. If you really want to test the trade market I'd offer Murray for a top flight WR and a RB2/RB3 with upside potential like Sankey OR perhaps a struggling star like Murray for McCoy and a WR who's a slight upgrade to those you have already.

 

I'd hold on to Marshall if I had him and buy low if people are down on him. He's been battling an injury and with the Bears D games are going to turn into shootouts (or they'll just straight up lose, unfortunately) so he'll get his targets. I expect him to have a Forte type bounceback where they target him 100mm times to make up for his lack of production lately.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

Coming up on halfway through the season and curious to see how everyone's team is doing. I have to say this season went downhill quickly for me, traded G. Bernard for Julio Jones to have Megatron and Julio on same team and this has pretty much backfired with Megatron being hurt and then not even playing. My other RBS, Fred Jackson and Rashad Jennings, going down hurt me since I lost Gio and I am now starting Denard Robinson and Darren McFadden...wtf?? Cam Newton is off and on so I went to a week per week matchup choice and have Tannehill this week against Jax. With Wayne's lack of consistency I am starting Antone Smith in my flex position. He was doing great with one or two big plays a game but Falcons suck so this will probably come to a screeching hault. I came out of the gate strong going 2-0 and am now 2-6..god damnit. Going to try to salvage this season the best I can and hopefully my core players will come back healthy and I can try again next year with Julio Jones,Calvin Johnson, Julius Thomas, Randall Cobb, Rashad Jennings or Andre Williams and Fred Jackson (playing in a dynasty league). Need an end of the week drink to forget how bad the Falcons are playing and how quickly this fantasy team deteriorated.

 

In the 3 leagues I'm in, I'm 6-1, 5-2, and 3-4. My draft strategy was pretty similar in all 3, but I've been especially unfortunate in the league where I'm 3-4. I have far and away the highest points-against total in that league and everyone seems to catch me when they have a good week. I drafted Ahmad Bradshaw in all 3 leagues either in the 13th or 14th round, so that was huge as you don't exactly expect to find a top-5 RB that late in the draft. I loaded up on RB's in all 3 leagues, so I'm relatively weak at WR and have had to resort to the waiver wire to get through certain weeks (Brian Quick was a nice pickup a couple weeks ago, but he's since come crashing back to Earth).

 

6-1 and 3-4 in my 2 leagues. Drew Brees not really being Drew Brees this season and RB injuries (Jennings, Ball) have hurt me in a few weeks in my one league, and the only reason I am 6-1 in the other is DeMarco Murray and my sleeper draft pick of Philip Rivers in like the 14th round. We will see how the rest of the season winds down.

"When you expect things to happen - strangely enough - they do happen." - JP Morgan
 

I'm turning it around, had the highest point totals in the last 3 weeks. Moreno/Jennings have hampered me a little bit but I'm okay with what I have. Rodgers, Forte, McFadden/Jennings back soon, S. Smith, T.Y. Hilton, Mike Wallace, D. Jackson even Sanu. Dwayne Allen has been a nice surprise. If my WRs keep it up I'll make a move for a RB, we'll see how Jennings does when he comes back.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

I think yes. As long as Gronk stays healthy he is a nightmare to cover and the Pats offense is on a roll. There are a ton of decent WRs so Randle seems like a steep drop off but he's at least consistent.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

Walker is a top 10 TE and granted you are getting a top 3 TE IF Gronk stays healthy, but going from an arguably top 3 or 4 WR to a WR ranked 15th - 20th does not sound like a situation that makes your team better. Walker + Jones is a better combination that Gronk + Randle. If you think your WR group is full of top 15-30 WRs who can go off on any one game then sure go for it, but you need to really be confident in all of your other WRs because Julio is a threat every single game and if the Falcons can get their o-line in check to give Ryan enough time to throw the ball then you will start to see Julio having some big games. (grain of salt - I am a Julio owner and dont think there is anyone I would trade him for)

 

6-2, 2-6 (lost 5 straight, how nice), 1-7. Having a rough year. On paper my teams are good but a few down weeks and it kills everything

My 6-2 league I stacked with WR, AJ, Dez, Cobb, Sanu, TWill with Josh Gordon waiting. Been trying hard to trade one of them for a TE (vernon davis is killing me) or a second RB (can't trust denard robinson) but its impossible to make a move

 

If I owned Gronk, I would want more than just Julio if I was going to give him up. Julio is playing in a struggling offense with a banged up O-line and Gronk is coming off of the best game played by a TE statistically so far this year, so his value is as high as it's going to get this season (I guess you can make the argument that Gronk's value only goes down from here on out, but you'd have a hard time selling that with the way the Pats offense is playing). If this trade is accepted, I think you've basically fleeced the Gronk owner, but if he wants more, I think it gets too expensive for you for it to be a worthwhile trade.

And I don't believe Julio is a top 3 or 4 WR anymore, not when Matt Ryan doesn't have time to get him the ball. At this point in the season, you can't be relying on where you drafted your players to project value.

 

Alright so for my WRs/Flex I can choose from Sanu (@ Hou), Hilton (Jac), M. Wallace (@ Den), Steve Smith (@ NO), Bush (@NE) and Rashad Jennings (Dal)

My thought right now is that Hilton and Jennings are locked at my WR1 and Flex spots. That leaves me Wallace and Smith.. Smith has been unheard from the last 3 weeks and Wallace is coming off his worst fantasy game of the year. In the dome against the NO secondary may be a bit better than at mile high but I'm indifferent. Anyone have any thoughts?

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

Playoff time ladies and gents. Who made it in? I've got some pretty juicy matchups so I'm feeling okay in the first round, so I'll probably lose by 50+. I squeaked in on a tiebreaker of points for, our league ended up having some pretty amazing parity top to bottom so it should be fun.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

Awesome. I hate Thursday games because they are usually on a short week but this one works out nicely as both teams played on Thanksgiving. As a Bears fan I can only imagine what it has been like riding the Cutler train in fantasy this year..

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

How many players do you get to keep? I've never been in a league like that but one thing I really like about having no keepers is the total reset. Picked Mike Vick last year and he's going to prison? Picked Ray Rice and he's a scumbag? Hit the reset button at next year's draft. I imagine it makes in season moves harder to make too because you can't be like 'okay well AP is done for the year so let me drop him and pick up Crowell' you gotta consider next season. That's why I love doing fanduel so much.

Also, we should start talking fanduel on here -- it is incredibly addicting.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

Made the playoffs in all 3 leagues I'm in. Did really well in the regular season in one league and went 11-2 for the best record and snagged a first-round bye. Barely made it in the other 2 going 7-6 in both (one a 10-teamer and the other a 12-teamer). Like my chances in all 3, but 2 of the leagues have 6 teams in the playoffs so it's a one-and-done format and anything can happen, so we'll see.

 
design:

Made the playoffs in all 3 leagues I'm in. Did really well in the regular season in one league and went 11-2 for the best record and snagged a first-round bye. Barely made it in the other 2 going 7-6 in both (one a 10-teamer and the other a 12-teamer). Like my chances in all 3, but 2 of the leagues have 6 teams in the playoffs so it's a one-and-done format and anything can happen, so we'll see.

Does the 10-team league have 6 playoff spots? That would be pretty clownish to me.

Nice, job on the season.

 

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"Straight Cash, homie"-Randy Moss
 

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"When you stop striving for perfection, you might as well be dead."
 

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