Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Fantasy Football Draft Recap: LeBron League 2.0

And we back! As usual its been awhile. There wasn't much I really wanted to write about. That's changing now though. The summer had some nice ebbs and flows to it. NBA Free agency was better than most of the 2017 playoffs. I haven't paid much attention to baseball. I'm a Tigers fan and they've been unwatchable this season. I watch Aaron Judge every chance I get though. That's not what this post is about. I love fantasy football. I don't remember the first year I played. I just know it was when LaDainian Tomlinson was a monster. So that could have been a lot of years. I only say that to establish I liked it before it was cool. It also might be because I am a Browns fan so I need a reason to watch football aside from them. Fantasy football is great because it combines real life football with Madden football in the sense that one can build the team they want to see. It also has some gambling elements in that we have no control over how our team plays aside from putting the right players into the lineup. What I am saying is that fantasy football is at its core supposed to be fun. Yeah winning is the ultimate goal. It should be the goal. Enjoy it when it comes out good and when it comes out not so good.

On Sunday night we had the draft for the LeBron fantasy football league. No, LeBron is not in the league. No, it has nothing to do with basketball. Why is it named the LeBron fantasy league?



Now that I have that joke out of the way. We are starting over. What was a keeper league for a few seasons is no more. It will be a league where you can keep three players but this season everyone is available to be picked. Some (most) members are here while others have departed. There are a few typical questions I have going into this draft. First, who's going first? Will it be Le'Veon Bell, David Johnson or one of the top tier WRs? Second, who will be the first person to make an awful pick in one of the first two rounds? I feel like that happens every year. Third, is a hot dog a sandwich? No. Fourth, will Dan Janning keep his team name of Blue Sea UnPackers, which is by far the worst team name I've ever heard regardless of sport. Whose mans is this:

Courtesy of of Danny's Facebook


Let's get into the teams!

We will be starting with our faithful commissioner, Austin Nader - Lil Weeb




































My Thoughts: Well, your team name and picture is an L. No doubt. You had the 2nd pick so you couldn't go wrong with David Johnson or with Le'Veon Bell. Running back is the clear strength with your team with Bell, Jordan Howard and Lamar Miller in your starting lineup. Since RB is your strength a big weakness is your wide outs. Larry Fitzgerald is a great number 2 WR, and Emmanuel Sanders is a great number 3. But with the way they were drafted they are billed to be your top 2 guys. I think that will be your best issue week-to-week. Matt Ryan is a starting QB but there's only like a four % chance he has the same kind of numbers he had last year as an MVP. Kelvin Benjamin has the upside to be a good player for you. There's the chance though his number will be cut into by the guys they drafted in Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel. I don't think the Baltimore offense will be all that great so I personally wouldn't take Mike Wallace and Terrance West. I also watched West in Cleveland and I didn't exactly shed a tear when we moved on from him.

Marcus Mariota can be a starter most weeks but I doubt there's a time you'll play him over Ryan unless there's an injury. Jacquizz will be a nice player the first few weeks of the season. He has the chance to win that job while Doug Martin is suspended. Marquise Lee is kind of whatever in the Jacksonville offense. Not to mention Blake Bortles is, well, bad at playing quarterback. I typed in Blake Bortles sucks into Google and this is what popped up

Grade: B-; I would try to move one of those top RB's you have for a good WR

Next we have Josh Bohn



































My Thoughts: Anyone who actually knows me knows my thoughts about Dak Prescott. Regardless he just won't have as good a season as he had as a rookie. Zeke being out the first six weeks hurts, duh. Good top two backs with Marshawn Lynch and Devonta Freeman. They should be top 15 guys all year unless Lynch gets the need to go do this again:



Good WR's with Michael Thomas and Demaryius Thomas. CJ Anderson is okay as a flex that's probably good value for him now. Greg Olsen should be a top 5 TE. This isn't a PPR league should i wouldn't want any part in Danny Woodhead. He hasn't been healthy for a while, too. Willie Snead is good upside since you also have M. Thomas. Corey Coleman very well could be the best pass catcher in Cleveland. Do you want to put all your eggs in the Kenny Britt is going to keep being good? I know I don't. Tyrod Taylor is probably not a starter in a ten team league except for bye weeks. John Brown has upside. Latavius Murray's days have been numbered since before the ink dried on his deal. Is this finally the year Eric Ebron has a breakout season. Probably not.

Grade: B-

Next We have Joe Zamfino


My Thoughts: Team name:


Having Tom Brady as your QB is never a bad thing. And getting him in the fourth round isn't bad value either. Your running backs are spotty though. I think Dalvin Cook can be really good. He's already better than Murray, but who knows if they will give him enough of the workload. Plus that Offensive line is one of the worst in the league. Great wide outs though with Mike Evans and Jordy Nelson. Both are top 10 guys. Jordan Reed is an awesome tight end. His middle name can be actually be, "if healthy" at this point of his career. 

Jamison Crowder is poised for a nice season in D.C. Jeremy Maclin should be better than he was last season. I still don't want to have any part in the Ravens offense. Donte Moncrief can be great in a pinch. I'm scared of the Colts offense though. Andrew Luck still hasn't thrown the ball and the line keeps getting worse. Jordan Matthews just got traded and is already hurt. Samaje Perine has already gotten a lot of talk and he could take the starting job from this guy soon. Rex Burkhead could be the guy in New England. Will you know which weeks to start him? Unless a bunch of guys get hurt then probably not. Kenny Stills will be a better actual WR than he will for fantasy. 

Grade: B

Next we've got Andre




































My Thoughts: team name:



I really like a lot of pieces on this team. Russell Wilson is healthy this season after an early injury limited his 2016 season. Melvin Gordon is now a top 10 back after not scoring a touchdown as a rookie. I might be a tad biased on Isaiah Crowell. I think he's a quality back though. He probably will never make you go, "WOW!" But that's alright. Julio Jones is a monster. You know this. Allen Robinson could be close to a monster if this clown isn't his quarterback.  Jimmy Graham is a really good option at TE. Hyde in the flex is great considering I think he could be an RB 2 kind of player if used correctly this year. Tyreek Hill is good. He is fast. Can he learn how to do the other things in football? I think yes. 

DeVante Parker is a little like Eric Ebron in that every season people are saying this will be the year for him. Duke Johnson is better in PPR but since you have Crowell it makes more sense if Crowell gets hurt. Cameron Meredith is okay. Who's throwing him the ball? Mike Glennon? Mitch Trubisky? I think I'll pass. Derrick Henry is a good stash guy if DeMarrco Murray gets hurt or if they decide to not give him the ball every time they want to run it. I wish Kenny Britt wasn't on my favorite team. DeAndre Washington could have some value if Lynch doesn't regain his Beast Mode form. 

Grade: B+

Next is Danny, Oh boy  




































My Thoughts:  Any guess what your team name grade is? What? You don't know? Well guess what:



Yeah, it's actually worse than the people who didn't change their name yet. Why you might ask? I don't have the slightest clue what this means. Like actually none. No one on your team is named Lincoln. Like not even almost. Why are you the way that you are? I'm actually asking you. Ugh, whatever. Anyway, Derek Carr should be a good player most of the season. Jay Ajayi had a couple awesome games last year. He had many more not so awesome games last year. Joe Mixon might not get all the work with Gio Bernard and Jeremy Hill still in town. Plus they already extended Bernard. Awesome wide outs with Antonio Brown and Brandin Cooks. I don't know if Cooks can have awesome numbers with so many other good players in New England. Martellus Bennett isn't someone I want as my TE. Aaron Rodgers might be an great QB but he doesn't always look for the TE.

Davante Adams is good when you think he will be bad and bad when you think he'll be good. He ruined so many seasons the year Jordy Nelson was hurt. Jarvis Landry is a good WR. He's better in PPR though. Like I said for Berkhead will Mike GIllislee get the work to be a good fantasy running back? I'll never be sure. Rob Kelley's days are numbered already, in D.C. Corey Davis is a good guy to have on the bench because he can become the top pass catcher with Tennessee. I've seen Corey Davis in person and you could tell he was a special kind of player. It might have been against BG's awful defense, but still. Rishard Matthews is okay, I guess. Same goes for Adam Thielen. I guess if you must have a backup QB Philip Rivers isn't the worst one for you to have. Why? Because you also have Carr. I personally wouldn't start whichever one is going against Denver, and they can't both be playing Denver the same week.

Grade: C-; I dropped you a letter grade because of how stupid your team name is. It still upsets me.

Next we got Kevin Zamfino




































My Thoughts: You know where I am going with his name:



Pretty good team here for Kevin. At least off the top. Drew Brees remains a top 5 QB. David Johnson is the number one pick in my eyes without a doubt. If Leonard Fournette can ever string some healthy games together he should be at least a top 15 RB. Well it is apparently easy for him.  Amari Cooper will be a top wide out this year. I think this is finally the season Michael Crabtree stop stealing touchdowns from him. Golden Tate is eh. I don't see any reason to have both Delanie Walker and Tyler Eifert on your team. I think they compliment each other well though. Walker is Mr. Consistent while Eifert is boom or bust. I just think there's better ways to construct your lineup.

Bilal Powell is a fine player. I want no part in the Jets offense. This is probably their starting QB.  I was fooled by Ameer Abdullah before and that won't happen again. Jonathan Stewart has more value than you think he does. He could if nothing else be the goal line back. This should tell you exactly what you need to know about Ted Ginn. (I probably made that joke last year) Marvin Jones is blah; he doesn't have much upside. There's no need to have Matt Stafford on your bench.

Grade: C+, only way he has a good season is if Johnson and Fournette carry him. There's a chance that happens.

Next we have Brian Dailey




































My Thoughts: I think it's a two way race right now for who has the best name. I haven't gotten to the other one quite yet. Good starting lineup. Jameis Winston might be undervalued but I think he's just outside a top 10 QB. He's gonna be a low end QB 1 and a high end QB 2. Christian McCaffrey will be a much better real life player than a stud in standard leagues. In PPR he's much better. Will this finally be the year Frank Gore stops being productive? Probably. AJ Green and Dez Bryant as your wide outs and DeAndre Hopkins in the flex? I mean heck the man wore Yeezy cleats during a game:



That's really good. Green has continued to be great. Bryant will get an uptick at least when Zeke isn't in the lineup. Ideally the Cowboys don't need to throw the ball to him as much as he might on a team that doesn't have the offensive line the Cowboys do. Kyle Rudolph is an alright TE. He gets the job done. I've had Spencer Ware basically since he got the job in KC. Tevin Coleman might actually be your number two RB. Just like he's the second guy in his own backfield. Jeremy Hill very well could have value. He's had value before. Tyrell Williams could be a good guy to have on the bench too. We have no idea what to expect from Josh Doctson. He was hurt all of last season. There's actually no need to have Jason Witten on your bench. He will be on the waiver wire if you really want him. Cole Beasley also doesn't have the value he would in a PPR league in a standard league.

Grade: B

Next we have Ben Thomas




































My Thoughts: Broooooo


There's a really good chance the Cam Newton that won MVP will never come back. He might be a good NFL QB, but I'm not sure he ever becomes a great fantasy QB again. Nice stable of running backs between LeSean McCoy, DeMarco Murray and Ty Montgomery. McCoy and Murray are top 12 RBs. Montgomery with his first full season as a running back should be improved a lot. And he made strides last year. Doug Baldwin is fine. He somehow manages to be the leading pass catcher in Seattle and has a couple amazing games each season. Like I said earlier this is the season Crabtree takes a step down. Travis Kelce could very well be the top tight end this season. That entirely depends on the health of Rob Gronkowski. 

Julian Edelman is probably most hurt by the addition of Brandin Cooks. He's not a guy who scores a lot of touchdowns. I don't think he's a guy I'd be starting in a standard league aside from injuries and bye weeks. Sammy Watkins went from having top 15 potentially to more of a question mark with the trade from Buffalo to LA. I have no idea what to expect, and that's if I assume he will be healthy. I don't assume he will be healthy. Eric Decker has a decent floor with limited upside. Doug Martin could be good. That won't be until week seven at the earliest. He's suspended the first three games of the year, and he's always a guy that struggles to get going. Darren Sproles and Gio Bernard are both better upsides plays in PPR. 


Grade: C-

Next we have Jon Oh







































































My Thoughts: Our other contender for best name. And is it too easy to make this joke?


Oh well. He's still a stud. Plus he was drafted after Brady! Here's where you messed up. I don't know if Adrian Peterson becomes the starter for the Saints. He could. He just as easily could not. I make the same joke about LeGarrette Blount every year and I don't care at all. 


T.Y. Hilton is a great player. I already went into why I don't want anyone from the Colts offense. Alshon Jeffery could be a nice player with the Eagles. I don't have confidence he will stay healthy. Gronk is Gronk. If he's healthy he's the best in the league. Brandon Marshall could have a nice season as the number two guy with the Giants. Does anyone have confidence in Eddie Lacy? Does Eddie Lacy have confidence in Eddie Lacy. Nah. Pierre Garcon is done. Randall Cobb hasn't been good for a couple years. I've owned him; I know what he's done. Matt Forte is done. Andrew Luck may not start the season under center. And even if he does get on the field I don't think the offensive line will block enough to keep him up right. Sterling Shepard could be good but Marshall takes some of his work. Jamaal Charles fits in the same category as Matt Forte.

Grade: D+

Next we have, well, me




































What was I thinking: If you're a Marvel fan you know exactly what I was thinking with my team name. I am a guy that waits on quarterback most of the time and I got Kirk, don't call me Kurt, Cousins. Like I wrote closer to the start of the piece we will be able to keep three players off your team. That influenced my early round picks. I went with Odell Beckham instead of Antonio Brown at pick three. Yeah Antonio Brown is amazing and won't slow down for at least a couple more years, but Odell is 25. Yes, I know he sprained his ankle  They will allow him time to recover. I wanted to make sure I got Ezekiel Elliott. I didn't care that I reached a little and took him in the second round. I was able to get Darren McFadden at pretty good value in the 8th round. Terrelle Pryor was so much fun to watch last year. I've seen so much of him between his time at Ohio State and last season with the Browns. I think Kirk Cousins will enjoy being able to throw to him for a year before he goes to San Francisco.

I was happy about getting Keenan Allen because I almost took him over Pryor. If he stays healthy, which is a big if, he's a top 15 wide out. Stefon Diggs is the top pass catcher for Sammie Check Down.  If Martavis Bryant doesn't do anything stupid. Again, a big if, he is a top 20 wide out even if Antonio Brown stays productive and healthy. Check out what he did when he actually stayed on the field  I think I got good value with Hunter Henry. His numbers were actually really good last season, and the Chargers admitted they were still force feeding the ball to Antonio Gates. It hurts me a little bit to take Kareem Hurt since he went to Toledo. He's another guy I've been able to see a lot of. I watched him as a true freshman wipe the floor with the Bowling Green Defense that allowed around one touchdown a game. If he becomes the lead running back in an Andy Reid Offense he will be a top 20 RB. Remember when I said I don't trust Eddie Lacy? That's why I snagged Thomas Rawls. Remember when I talked about the Saints RB situation? That's why I took Alvin Kamara. Zay Jones might be the top pass catcher in Buffalo from week one with Sammie Watkins gone.

I'm taking a lot of chances on rookies and guys who may not get to see the field often. It's more fun if you don't know what's gonna happen, right?

Can week one start already?



As always, thanks for reading!
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