So much has changed from the last time I wrote on here. I recently returned home from my internship broadcasting baseball in Alaska with the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks. It was quite the experience to say the least! But as incredible as my time there was when I arrived home late last Friday night I learned that my Grandpa Bill unexpectedly passed away. I talked with friends and family while they all told their favorite stories. Most of them were funny while others were heartfelt. My favorite Grandpa Bill story is a little of both (kind of cheesy but hear me out).
I was just eight years old. It was my Grandpa Bill, my Grandma Sharon and myself. We went out fishing which was my Grandpa's favorite thing to do. I had fished once or twice at this point. I liked it but I didn't really think it was all that special. He took us out to this secluded pond about twenty-five minutes away from their Elmore home. We were on his fishing boat and this was the first time I had been fishing without being securely on land. At the time, I couldn't even swim. I loved being in the water but I had no clue how to swim yet. So he took us out there and had us all safe and sound with our life jackets on. Soon enough we were out on the water ready to fish. We went fishing for crappies that day, and boy, did we get plenty of them. It took a little while but eventually we settled in to a nice spot. Grandpa Bill always baited our hooks and took the fish off of both my grandma and I's hooks. At one point, my grandma and I were catching fish as soon as we dropped our line down. Grandma and I were catching so many fish my Grandpa Bill had to stop fishing himself just so we could keep catching all these fish. That's the kind of guy my Grandpa Bill was. He was always willing to help whoever needed it. That has to be my favorite memory with him. I wish I had known that the last time I saw him was going to be the last time.
I'll always love and miss you, Grandpa Bill. I miss you already.
Now on to the draft. My friend Mark asked me if I wanted to do a fantasy league. Originally, I only wanted to do two leagues this year. Eh, what harm can one more league do? So we got a couple other friends in to fill the league.
For reference, it's an ESPN Standard league with 8 teams. So keep in mind the teams are going to be a little more stacked than say a 10 or 12 team league. I don't know how to talk about the name of the league without saying; well, Dez did catch it. Anyway...
Let's start with Mark Hill, team name: Winning is My Forte
QB - Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
RB - Todd Gurley, LA
RB - Lamar Miller, HOU
WR - Dez Bryant, DAL
WR - Brandon Marshall, NYJ
TE - Julius Thomas, JAX
FLEX - Jarvis Landry, MIA, WR
D/ST - Bengals D/ST
K - Stephen Gostkowski, NE
BE - Jonathan Stewart, CAR, RB
BE - Tony Romo, DAL, QB
BE - Laquon Treadwell, MIN, WR
BE - Antonio Gates, SD, TE
BE - Matt Jones, WSH, RB
BE - Kevin White, CHI, WR
BE - Anquan Boldin, DET, WR
Well, first off, Mark, you gotta change your team name. You didn't get Matt Forte. Well it's truly hard to say picks are bad in an eight team league. I don't have many issues with his team. Big Ben is a top 5 QB. Gurley is by a lot of people valued as the number one running back and in some cases the top overall player. I think we should see some nice games out of Lamar Miller. I like him in the Bill O' Brien offense. Dez had kind of a fluky injury filled season last year. I don't think he's really an injury prone guy. I think he's biggest issue is what goes on between the ears. Brandon Marshall has been quietly good for the last few years, in my eyes. He's even more undervalued since he's playing for the Jets. Clearly, Julius Thomas hasn't been the guy he was in Denver. I think we see a pretty good year out of him. Jacksonville actually has the makings of a nice team. Not much to say about the Bengals D and Gostkowski pick. He picked Gostkowski a little too early. Kickers are kickers unless you're Taco.
Mark also has a nice team on the bench. Jonathan Stewart has been ranked pretty high among running backs for this season. While I do think Tony Romo is injury prone he does try to play through small aches and pains and probably won't have as bad luck as he did last year. Laquon Treadwell is unproven but showed he has all the tools based on what we saw out of him at Ole Miss. This has to be the last go around for Antonio Gates. Matt Jones is a good backup. He has the potential to break out if Washington's offense does well behind Kirk Cousins. Kevin White is a guy that I don't know what to think off after seeing him miss all of 2015. He was a high pick for a reason so let's see if he can get healthy and be productive in 2016. Anquan Boldin is really the only pick that I don't like. He hasn't been fantasy relevant in years. He is a better NFL wide out than fantasy wide out.
I like all of his guys except Boldin. Grade: A-
Next we have Daniel Bowling, team name: team bowling (how original)
QB - Phillip Rivers, SD
RB - David Johnson, ARI
RB - Chris Johnson, ARI
WR - Odell Beckham Jr, NYG
WR - Randall Cobb, GB
TE - Travis Kelce, KC
FLEX - Larry Fitzgerald, ARI, WR
D/ST - Packers D/ST
K - Adam Vinatieri, IND
BE - Pierre Garcon, WSH, WR
BE - Braxton Miller, HOU, WR
BE - Alex Smith, KC, QB
BE - Stefon Diggs, MIN, WR
BE - Matt Bryant, ATL, K
BE - Danny Amendola, NE, WR
BE - Zach Ertz, PHI, TE
Remember way back when I said it's hard to say picks are bad? Well I kind of lied. Phillip Rivers is not a bad pick, but it was one pick before Andrew Luck went off the board. I like the David Johnson pick. Having a wide receiver set of Beckham, Cobb and Fitzgerald is not bad by any stretch. There's one glaring hole above the other holes. His second running back is Chris Johnson. In 2009, that might've been the luckiest part of your draft if you had him as your second back. In the year 2016 that's not so much the case. Not only that but the only running backs on his team are both members of the Cardinals backfield. That's not very good to say the least. Travis Kelce is a fine tight end, but unless it's Gronk you shouldn't overthink that position. The Packers D/ST and Vinatieri are both fine. The bench though. The bench is baaaaaaaad. Pierre Garcon hasn't been relevant in forever. I'm a fan of Braxton Miller but I don't think he will have a big fantasy impact, at least for this season. Alex Smith should be on waivers. Stefon Diggs had some nice moments last year. I don't know if he can be consistent over a full season. There's no need to have Matt Bryant and Zach Ertz on your bench. And there's no need to have Danny Amendola on your roster.
Also, this guy has no clue how the wavier wire works. Let's hope he figures it out.
Grade: D+
Now we have Skyler Cherry, team name: The Brady Bunch
QB - Eli Manning, NYG
RB - Doug Martin, TB
RB - Eddie Lacy, GB
WR - Antonio Brown, PIT
WR - Allen Robinson, JAC
TE - Coby Fleener, NO
FLEX - Keenan Allen, SD, WR
D/ST - Raiders D/ST
K - Dan Bailey, DAL
BE - Dion Lewis, NE, RB
BE - Jeremy Maclin, KC, WR
BE - Jimmy Graham, SEA, TE
BE - John Brown, ARI, WR
BE - Marvin Jones, DET, WR
BE - Matthew Stafford, DET QB
Well Skyler, first thing you have to do is change your name. Aside from the Brady Bunch being the vanilla to flavors like cookies and cream and chocolate chip cookie dough of ice cream you don't have Tom Brady. So that should change. Otherwise not too bad of a team. Let's start with the backs. No issues with Martin or Lacy. Martin is poised for another good year and Lacy won't be looking like this at any point this season:
With the receivers, Brown is the clear top guy and by a lot of people the top player overall. Allen Robinson had a quietly good season last year and is now on a lot of people's radar. He's fairly touchdown dependent though. I like Keenan Allen in the flex. He will be the top skill guy on the Chargers as long as he doesn't injury his kidney again. Here's my first issue with his team. He drafted Coby Fleener in the fourth round! Pick #32 overall! He's average draft position (ADP) is 76. Needless to say Skyler should have waited if he really wanted Fleener. Also Eli Manning is his starting quarterback. That's no bueno. And the Raiders D is cool since since they have this guy:
Otherwise there's not too much there. Now to the bench. Now he's appearntly already cut Ladarius Green. But he drafted him in the eighth round. The eighth round?! Just a complete waste of a draft pick. For reference, the other picks in that round were: Tony Romo, DeSean Jackson, Adam Vinateri (WHAT), Jeremy Langford, the Broncos D/ST (AGAIN WHAT?), Tyler Lockett, and Carlos Hyde.
Okay maybe there's a couple people that don't know how to draft but the point is still there were plenty of other guys that could've been taken by Cherry.
I like Dion Lewis. He was awesome for most of last season. Maclin is underrated even though there's a limited ceiling with the Chiefs. Jimmy Graham hasn't looked like Jimmy Graham in a few seasons. John Brown has plenty of talent (Go Gorillas!). Marvin Jones should be pretty productive in a Lions offense without Calvin Johnson, and Matthew Stafford should have a nice year as well.
Grade: C
We now have Eddie Hardin's team, team name: League Of G's
QB - Cam "Killa Cam' Newton, CAR
RB - Devonta Freeman, ATL
RB - LeSean McCoy, BUF
WR - Alshon Jeffery, CHI
WR - Emmanuel Sanders, DEN
TE - Greg Olsen, CAR
FLEX - Golden Tate, DET, WR
D/ST - Broncos D/ST
K - Steven Hauschka, SEA
BE - Matt Ryan, ATL, QB
BE - Cardinals D/ST
BE - Michael Floyd, ARI, WR
BE - JJ Nelson, ARI, WR
BE - Derrick Henry, TEN, RB
BE - Ameer Abdullah, DET, RB
BE - Blair Walsh, MIN, K
Okay. Well, to be fair, it's Eddie's first time playing fantasy. So I'm going to try and be more helpful to him than I will be to Dan Janning. Danny's Twitter picture is so old it was right after Steve Nash joined the Lakers. Anyway you can't go wrong with the reigning MVP as your QB. Freeman came out of no where and I mean no where to have the season he did last year. As long as you aren't expecting to see that kind of year you won't be disappointed. Sexy Rexy loves to pound the ball so we should see another good season from LeSean McCoy. Alshon is looking for a nice year as long as he can stay on the field. Emmanuel Sanders is tough to judge since we don't know who the Broncos QB will be. Greg Olsen is great and stacking those two guys is not a bad idea. Golden Tate will have a good diet of targets out of the slot. Gotta like the Broncos D especially with everyone coming back, but he reached and took them in the eighth round.
To be kind to the noob, the bench is pretty blah. Matt Ryan is a fringe starter for me so if you aren't starting him he should be on waivers. You don't need a back up defense or a kicker. Again, those spots are always open in free agency. Michael Floyd isn't back as a back up, but the same can't be said for JJ Nelson. He's at best the fifth offensive option. Cut him. Henry is a nice back up. I don't see him getting too many carries with Murray in front of him. Ameer Abdullah is a good guy to have on the bench though.
Grade: C-
Now we have the pleasure at looking at Taylor Brown's team, team name: Team Brown (F for originality)
QB - Drew Brees, NO
RB - Le'Veon Bell, PIT
RB - DeMarco Murray, TEN
WR - Jordy Nelson, GB
WR - Michael Crabtree
TE - Tyler Eifert, CIN
FLEX - Mark Ingram, RB, NO
D/ST - Texans D/ST
K - Josh Brown, K
BE - DeAndre Hopkins, HOU, WR
BE - CJ Anderson, DEN, RB
BE - Donte Moncrief, IND, WR
BE - Carlos Hyde, SF, RB
BE - Carson Palmer, ARI, QB
BE - DeVante Parker, MIA, WR
BE - Chiefs D/ST
Okay, Taylor. You've got a decent team. First thing you need to do is to move Ingram in for Bell (as long as Bell's suspension stays upheld) and I want you to move DeAndre Hopkins into your flex spot. Hopkins (barring injury) will be a top-five wide out this year. You put that guy in your lineup. Otherwise, the backs are good. Bell should be awesome whenever he can get back on the field. I like the new situation for Murray. Jordy Nelson should comeback and do great in Green Bay. Tyler Eifert was a gem last year. Let's see if he can follow up that season just as good. Mark Ingram is a really underrated guy.
CJ Anderson can't possibly be as bad as he was at the start of last season. Moncrief is a good back up wide out. I've always been a fan of Carlos Hyde. I like having Palmer but it's going to be a challenge to pick which guy between him and Brees to play any given week.That could cause quite the headache. DeVante Parker ended last season with a bang. I'd like to see that carry over to 2016. You don't need a back up defense.
Grade: B-
Now we have Dan Janning's team, team name: Beats By Ray (couple years late, bro)
QB - Aaron Rodgers, GB
RB - Adrian Peterson, MIN
RB - Latavius Murray, OAK
WR - AJ Green, CIN
WR - Mike Evans, TB
TE - Delanie Walker, TEN
FLEX - Demaryius Thomas, DEN, WR
D/ST - Jets D/ST
K - Justin Tucker, BAL
BE - TY Hilton, IND, WR
BE - Eric Decker, NYJ, WR
BE - DeSean Jackson, WSH, WR
BE - Melvin Gordon, SD, RB
BE - Gio Bernad, CIN, RB
BE - Allen Hurns, JAX, WR
BE - Kirk Cousins, WSH, QB
Contrary to this tweet not every team in this league sucks. This team name would've made me chuckle two years ago. Now it's just kind of sad. Otherwise, Rodgers is a great QB and Danny got him at a good time in the draft. AP is one of the best players until he proves he's not. I'm still unsure what to think of Latavius Murray. I feel there's a reason he's mostly been a backup. AJ Green and Mike Evans are great wide outs. Walker was a good value at tight end. Demaryius is a toss up. I don't know if he's gonna bounce back without a strong QB. Nothing bad to say about the Jets D/ST and Justin Tucker. He has a pretty good bench. (I know I'm surprised too) TY and Decker are good backups. Jackson has always been a boom or bust guy. Melvin Gordon was amazing at Wisconsin but hasn't shown any of that in the NFL yet. Gio is a great back up. Dido for Hurns. There's no need to have Kirk Cousins on your roster especially with Rodgers.
Grade: B+
Now we get Gabriel Hardin's squad, team name: Golden Taint
QB - Russell Wilson, SEA
RB - Thomas Rawls, SEA
RB - Matt Forte, NYJ
WR - Amari Cooper, OAK
WR - Kelvin Benjamin, OAK
TE - Rob Gronkowski, NE
FLEX - Doug Baldwin, SEA, WR
D/ST - Seahawks D/ST
K - Mason Crosby, GB
BE - Tom Brady, NE, QB
BE - Tyler Lockett, SEA, WR
BE - Arian Foster, MIA, RB
BE - Martellus Bennett, NE, TE
BE - Rashad Jennings, NYG, RB
BE - TJ Yeldon, JAX, RB
BE - Kenyan Drake, MIA, RB
First, change your team name. 1. Golden Taint is one of the most overused team names. 2. Golden Tate isn't on your team. Now that that's out of the way do you guys know who his favorite NFL team is?
(Waits 5 seconds for people to look at the roster)
Yes, you're right! He has been a Seahawks fan for 3 years!
Do you guys know his favorite college football team?
(Waits another 5 seconds)
Yes, you're correct again! He likes the Alabama Crimson Tide. As football fans we all have our alligences and such to college and pro teams, but you can't let that get in the way when drafting your team. Sometimes it's not bad to take a bunch of guys from one team (see the 2013 Broncos) but other times it is (see last years Philadelphia Eagles) While Wilson is a top QB and Rawls is a top 12 running back or so they can only do so much in a given week. Not to mention he also is starting Baldwin. Sure it may be sweet if Baldwin has a two touchdown game with 100+ yards, but what if Seattle gets smoked one week? Then your fantasy team is in as much trouble as your real life one. I do like the talent of Amari Cooper. I want to see if Benjamin can come back healthy this year. Imagine if the 15-1 Panthers had him healthy a year ago. Gronk is incredible. Now this is where it gets tricky. With a QB like Russell Wilson you don't need a backup. Not to mention Brady is not going to play the first 4 games. Waste of a pick. Lockett is a good player but the Seahawks just don't throw that much to begin with. I've always loved having Arian Foster on my teams but I think he's about done. Rashad Jennings is kind of eh to me. Yeldon is a decent back up. I don't see many touches for Kenyan Drake. Now here's the thing. Usually you don't need a back up tight end to begin with. You have Gronk. Don't draft another tight end. But if you do draft a tight end, don't take one from the same team. Bennett should be great in New England but considering you already have Gronk he will NEVER play for you. Another waste of a pick.
Grade: C-
Finally, my team, team name: Just A Bit Of Luck
QB - Andrew Luck, IND
RB - Ezekiel Elliott, DAL
RB - Jamaal Charles, KC
WR - Julio Jones, ATL
WR - Sammy Watkins, BUF
TE - Jordan Reed, WSH
FLEX - Brandin Cooks, NO
D/ST - Panthers D/ST
K - Graham Gano, CAR
BE - Julian Edelman, NE, WR
BE - Jeremy Langford, CHI, RB
BE - Jeremy Hill, CIN, RB
BE - DeAngelo Williams, PIT, RB
BE - Josh Gordon, CLE, WR
BE - Frank Gore, IND, RB
BE - Michael Thomas, NO, WR
Ah, finally to my team. Clearly everyone loves their fantasy team so I'll try not to go on and on about them. Usually I wait on QB but when Luck was there in the 7th I had to snatch him up. If the Cowboys feed Zeke the ball he will have the monster season that a lot of people are predicting. I know Charles is coming off ACL surgery but he's proven that he can come back from it before so let's see if he can do it again. Julio is a top 5 wide out without question. Watkins has the talent of a top 5 wide out but hasn't been healthy enough/ gotten the ball enough to prove it. Reed is inury prone but has shown a lot of talent. So i had to grab him in the 8th. Tom Brady's go-to target was an easy pick. Langford should get most of the carries in Chicago. Ditto for Hill in Cincy. DeAngelo will be the starter for 4 weeks unless they nix the Le'Veon Bell suspension. Josh Gordon can't
but otherwise has been a stud wide out before. Frank Gore just keeps trucking so why not pick him up? And Michael Thomas could become the second option in New Orleans and he is a decent handcuff to Cooks.
Well there it is! There's your recap!
As always thanks for reading!
Follow me on Twitter!
Instagram!
And follow our league throughout the year here
No comments:
Post a Comment