Post Draft Recap - "Dez Caught It" Fantasy Football League, Plus A Story About My Grandpa

Well, it really has been awhile. I'll get to my post draft recap but first there's something I need to talk about.

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!

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2016 NBA Finals Preview

Hey all! It seems like I say this every time I post something new but man its been awhile!

I've had a lot on my plate (in both literal and figurative senses). I did graduate from Bowling Green State University earlier this month! I had to move out of my house in BG and pack my stuff up and move back to Northwood. I'll be on the move again soon but I'll get to that in a bit.

I gotta say I've been pretty intrigued by this years NBA playoffs. I am very aware of some of the bad quality of games. That being said I don't think basketball is the worst its ever been. Sorry, Charles.


Do I think teams on the whole shoot too many threes? Well yeah. Just like there was a wildcat trend in the NFL the trend in the NBA has gone away from the basket and and gone to the three point line. It has happened because of a perfect storm of a lack of quality low post scores and the league becoming a league with ball dominating point guards. When the first team All-NBA center is DeAndre Jordan it's time to reevaluate how the balloting is done. Jordan can't score on offense unless it's a dunk/layup, and don't even get me started on his free throw numbers. Boogie is awesome but he missed a nice chunk of games, fought constantly with his coach, and what do you know they have another head coach. I wouldn't reward that either. Andre Drummond is really a worse version of DeAndre. Bottom line, I think the NBA needs to change the balloting to be on par with how they made the All Star Game balloting. There's no center on that ballot so why should there be one on the All-NBA ballot?  Until there's more centers that can command a double team and can score in the low post consistently the league will continue with the trend of not needing a center.

Now let's get to the Finals Preview. For reference, last year in picked Golden State in five.

Let's do this by the primary match ups that we are going to see.

Steph vs Kyrie

Steph has won back-to-back, MVPs. Kyrie is a really good point guard that can score with the best of them. I think there's a game or two where Kyrie will really shine but Steph will out-play him. Also it'll be tougher for Kyrie because we will more likely than not see Klay on him more than Steph.

Advantage: Warriors

Klay vs JR

Klay absolutely went off the last few games against the Thunder. JR has had some nice moments this postseason and is averaging 12 PPG. JR will have a game where he will make six or seven threes but he will also have a game or two where he will go two for thirteen and frustrate every Cav fan I know.

Advantage: Warriors

Barnes vs LeBron

Just like last year I will not waste my time.

Big Advantage: Cavs

K-Love vs Draymond

Another intriguing match up. We didn't get to see this last year because of the injury Love suffered at the hands of this loser:


Draymond made 2nd team All-NBA and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Kawhi Leonard, again. Love started to find his groove at different times throughout the year. He just hasn't been the guy he was in Minnesota. Part of that is being option #3 instead of #1 and some of that is just not being able to put his mark on the game because he's stuck in the corner. I think Love can have a big impact but he will have trouble staying on the floor when Golden State goes to the 'death' lineup.

Advantage: Warriors

Bogut vs Thompson

Now I'll keep this section down just because I'm not so sure we see this match up too often. Bogut hasn't quite been himself this playoffs. His D is down a tad and his offense remains limited. Thompson also has limited offense but his rebounding on both ends of the floor helps make up for that deficit.

Advantage: Cavs

Benches

Warriors: Iggy, Livingston, Mo Buckets, Ezeli, Barbosa, and Varejao

Cavs: Frye, Jefferson, Delly, Mozgov, and Shumpert

For the Warriors I'm sure Iggy will make an impact on defense. Livingston has been great in the playoffs whenever he has been on the floor. Speights will have some home games where he comes on and gets six or seven points. Ezeli has to make an impact when he's out there especially on the defensive end. He can't make free throws and teams have implemented the hack-a strategy at times on him. I think it's kind of funny the Cavs got rid of Varejao and he ends up on the Warriors. Expect to see him on the floor just enough times to make Cav fans upset.

As a Magic fan I knew Frye would look better on a team as good as the Cavs are and he has been good enough to force Love on the bench in important stretches in big games. Jefferson seems to always be on the floor long enough to have a couple buckets. If you know me you know my thoughts on Delly. He won't be able to have a game like he did in last years finals if for no other reason than he won't get enough minutes. Mozgov has been buried on the bench for a lot of the playoffs and Shump hasn't had the impact he did last year.

Advantage: Warriors

Kerr vs Lue

Not only is this a big plus for the Warriors I would also say the second best coach is on the Warriors side as well in Luke Walton. Lue hasn't been bad most of the year but he had some big mistakes in the Toronto series. For his sake he should hope he got those slip ups out of his system. I just wonder at what point Kerr will have to make line up changes of his own.

Advantage: Warriors

Well the only advantages in my eyes the Cavs have are LeBron and Thompson over Barnes and Bogut, respectfully. LeBron isn't going to let his team lose four straight but unless they shoot like they did against the Hawks the night they made 20+ threes it'll be a tough series for them to win.

Like last season I am going with the Warriors in five. Sorry, Cleveland.

In addition to what I write on here I will be broadcasting baseball this summer. I will be making the trek out to Alaska to broadcast for the prestigious Alaska Baseball League. I head out on June 5th and will arrive back in the Continental 48 sometime in early August. I will be with the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks. You can listen/watch every game from out YouTube/Google account here. Those games will also be available in its entirety on YouTube about 15 minutes after the game is over. It will be myself and my good friend Phil Holtz bringing you every game all summer long. You can follow the Chinooks on Twitter: @CERChinooks.

As always thanks for reading!

You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat
I can be found on all of those places @TheLanceMorris

Post Draft Grades - LeBron Fantasy League 2015

We are back once again!

Last night we had the draft for the LeBron fantasy league. I'm not sure why it's named after LeBron. Regardless, I have grades for every single team in the league. We have expanded to twelve teams so the teams won't be quite as stacked as years past. Well lets just get to it. If there's a star by a players name it means they were a keeper from last season.

We will start with Austin Nader, team name: 6 God.

His team:

QB - Ben Roethisberger PIT
RB - Jamaal Charles KC*
RB - DeMarco Murray PHI*
WR - Jordy Nelson GB*
WR - DeAndre Hopkins HOU
TE - Zach Ertz PHI
FLEX - Keenan Allen WR SD
D/ST - Texans D/ST
K - Steven Hauschka SEA

BE - Jeremy Maclin WR KC
BE - Fred Jackson RB BUF
BE - Devonta Freeman RB ATL
BE - Nate Washington WR HOU
BE - Carson Palmer QB ARI
BE - Michael Crabtree WR OAK
BE - Zac Stacy RB NYJ

As Austin constantly brought up last night he is the two time runner up to the crown in the league. At this point he's the Phil Mickelson of the LeBron League. For me it depends on the expectations one has for their players. If someone drafts Big Ben expecting back-to-back  six touchdown games like he had last year then


No qualms about his keepers of Charles, Murray, and Jordy Nelson. Charles is the best and the safest of those three. I feel it's easy to say Murray will have a down year in comparison to how he did last season. He also isn't behind the great Dallas O-Line. I like Jordy Nelson's talent but his upside is tied to Aaron Rodgers. That's not exactly an issue. Hopkins should emerge as the number one receiving threat with no Andre Johnson in the picture. Lets see if he puts it together. Keenan Allen is a nice flex with number two receiver upside. Zach Ertz is muh at tight end. It's hard to go against the Texans D when they have JJ Watt on their side. If Charles or Murray gets hurt he is in trouble. His back up running backs are snoozers. Fred Jackson maybe has this season on the tires but I can't count on to much from him. Freeman could be the starting running back. That also remains to be seen. Nate Washington's best days are behind him. There's no need for Palmer to be on your bench as a back up. He'll be available on the waiver wire unless he blows up. Crabtree is done, and Stacy hasn't done anything since his rookie year and the Jets have too many running backs as it is.

All that being said if Charles, Murray, and Nelson aren't putting up great numbers and if one of more gets hurt; he's screwed.

Grade: C+

Let's go to Andre Sobert, team name Creme Fraiche.


His team:
QB - Sam Bradford PHI
RB - Justin Forsett BAL*
RB - Lamar Miller MIA
WR - AJ Green CIN*
WR - Julio Jones ATL*
TE - Travis Kelcie KC
FLEX - Andre Ellington RB ARI
D/ST - Dolphins D/ST
K - Caleb Sturgis MIA

BE - Ameer Abdullah RB DET
BE - Allen Robinson WR JAC
BE - Nelson Agholor WR PHI
BE - Charles Johnson WR MIN
BE - David Cobb RB TEN
BE - Roy Helu RB OAK
BE - David Johnson RB ARI

Ah, Andre. And no not this Andre


His team is a bit of a hot mess. Bradford actually has a lot of upside in the Chip Kelly offense, but we've all seen him get hurt before. Not a big fan of Forsett this year especially as a number one fantasy running back. Lamar Miller is a solid number two with a bit of upside. AJ Green should absoultely kill it this season. Julio is good but his middle name is officially "if he's healthy". I am not a fan of having a tight end that isn't Gronk or Graham so to me one is reaching if he's gonna grab a tight end in a fairly early round. From 3-12 ish it's all the same. Some games it'll be 12 points and sometime it'll be three or four. When someone drafts a player like that in the early rounds it hurts the team's overall depth as seen here. The only guy I like on his bench is Abdullah but he's got Joique Bell in his way taking carries.

Not a big fan of this team.Only guy on there I trust is AJ Green

Grade: D+

Lets go to Kevin Zamfino, team name: Daisy Stop Barking.

His team:

QB - Aaron Rodgers GB*
RB - Todd Gurley STL
RB - Latavius Murray OAK
WR - Demaryius Thomas DEN*
WR - Brandon Marshall NYJ
TE - Rob Gronkowski NE*
FLEX - Ryan Matthews RB PHI
D/ST - Ravens D/ST
K - Connor Barth DEN

BE - Larry Fitzgerald WR ARI
BE - Darren McFadden RB DAL
BE - Anquan Boldin WR SF
BE - Andre Williams RB NYG
BE - Donte Moncrief WR IND
BE - Terrance Williams WR DAL
BE - James Starks RB GB

Oh, Kevin. Since we have a the League thing going on, no not this Kevin

This team isn't very good in my book. Rodgers is a stud of course. He's the best QB in the league. I like the wide outs. Thomas is a number one guy for sure and Marshall is a number two with nice upside. Gronk is awesome of course. After those guys though it's real rough. Gurley is not a number one. He could be at the end of the year potentially, but to start the year there's just no way. Not a big fan of what I've seen from Murray in Oakland. Ellington is nice as a flex play but it seems that Bruce Arians isn't as high on him as he was last year. His bench is all bad. Unless Eddy Lacy get hurt Starks is useless. Fitzgerald and Boldin are done. McFadden hasn't shown anything good in years. Moncrief is a better real life player than fantasy.

Grade: C-

Let's go to Ben Thomas, his team is named: Kobe Salad Tossers

His team:

QB - Russell Wilson SEA*
RB - Jonathan Stewart CAR
RB - Joseph Randle DAL
WR - Alshon Jeffery CHI*
WR - T.Y. Hilton IND*
TE - Jordan Cameron MIA
FLEX - Isaiah Crowell CLE
D/ST - Bills D/ST
K - Mason Crosby GB

BE - Roddy White WR ATL
BE - Arian Foster RB HOU
BE - Doug Baldwin WR SEA
BE - Jameis Winston TB QB
BE - Rueben Randle WR NYG
BE - Reggie Bush RB SF
BE - Heath Miller TE PIT

Oh gosh, Ben. You already had wide out on lock but you weren't able to get a good enough running back. Carolina never sticks with one guy. Unless Randle can do what Murray did last year he is a low end RB 2. I love the receivers in Jeffery and Hilton. Not a fan of reaching for Cameron. I'm a fan of Crowell in NFL football. Fantasy remains to be seen. As a Browns fan I want him to be the number one guy but reports out of camp at this time say no one is really emerging. It's early in the process of course though. I like Arian Foster as a lottery ticket kind of guy but if more comes out he could be drop-able with the flick of the wrist. There's no need for Winston on the bench taking up a roster spot. Ditto for Heath Miller.

Not a fan of this squad either.

Grade: D+

Now let's check out Ben Lowry's team, his team is named: Zack Johnson Banged Ur Mom

His team:

QB - Eli Manning NYG
RB - Matt Forte CHI*
RB - T.J. Yeldon JAC
WR - Calvin Johnson DET*
WR - Kelvin Benjamin  CAR
TE - Jimmy Graham SEA*
FLEX - Vincent Jackson WR TB
D/ST - Cardinals D/ST
K - Matt Prater DET

BE - Kevin White WR CHI
BE - Julius Thomas TE JAC
BE - Doug Martin RB TB
BE - Duke Johnson RB CLE
BE - Percy Harvin WR BUF
BE - Ray Rice RB FA
BE - Danny Woodhead RB SD

What I think Eli is might be a top QB since we have 12 teams. Would I want him? Well no. He doesn't have much of an upside. Forte might be coming to the end of the road. If he has a good season I wouldn't be surprised. He has a little more value in PPR. TJ Yeldon's value is up in the air. I wouldn't want to start him week one. He could have some value. This team had Denard Robinson have some big games last season. He could be a RB2 at some point this year, but I wouldn't start him if I had other options. Calvin is a stud of course. Benjamin should be a nice WR2 with good upside. I was a major fan of Jimmy Graham in New Orleans. I still like him because he has raw talent. He's going to a team that was one play away from winning back-to-back super bowls. I don't see them changing their offense much. Maybe now they can throw from the one yard line and be successful. I still like Graham but his value is now more so tied to touchdowns then it has been in years past. Jackson's not bad as a flex. Kevin White is hurt for now. I don't think this injury will linger as long as he gets some time to rest. Julius Thomas is a guy I am very down on. He goes from Peyton Manning to Blake Bortles. I would think he's their number one receiving option. That being said he is on a much worse team. If he's still on this fantasy team in a few weeks it's a mistake. His only value is when he's in the lineup. I would look to trade him if I was Ben for an upgrade at running back. He does nothing on the bench. Doug Martin is a nice flier. Same goes for Harvin. This teams running back issue will be a reason they struggle.

Grade: C

Now someone who will not win, you heard it here first, Dan Janning, team name Blue Sea Unpackers.

His team:

QB - Teddy Bridgewater MIN
RB - Adrian Peterson MIN*
RB - Eddie Lacy GB*
WR - Antonio Brown PIT*
WR - Sammy Watkins BUF
TE - Kyle Rudolph MIN
FLEX - DeSean Jackson WR WSH
D/ST - Jets D/ST
K - Dan Carpenter BUF

BE - Martavis Bryant WR PIT
BE - Tre Mason RB STL
BE - Torrey Smith WR SF
BE - Joe Flacco QB BAL
BE - DeAngelo Williams RB PIT
BE - Tyler Eifert TE CIN
BE - Cordarrelle Patterson WR MIN

Well for starters I didn't know Danny became a Vikings fan. Four Vikings guys? I would only want AP personally. I think Bridgewater could be a top 12 QB, in a few years. Two top 5 running backs should help. Brown is a top 5 WR. I like Watkins' talent. Who's throwing him the ball though? Rudolph is just another average to below average starting tight end. I haven't like Jackson since leaving Philly. His kicker is hurt. Bryant is only a starter if the Pitt offense blows up. Tre Mason had value last year. I think those carries are going to their first round pick Todd Gurley. Torrey Smith is done. Flacco just isn't a good fantasy QB to begin with and he has no need to be on a bench. DeAngelo Williams is only valuable while Bell is out. Eifert does nothing on the bench as a backup tight end. Patterson could come back to relavance. I'm not counting on it though.

I like the backs but not much else.

Grade: C

Let's go to Brian Daley, his team is named: Hail To The R-Words 

His team:

QB - Peyton Manning DEN*
RB - Melvin Gordon SD
RB - Rashad Jennings NYG
WR - Odell Beckham Jr NYG*
WR - Emmanuel Sanders DEN
TE - Jason Witten DAL
FLEX - Amari Cooper WR OAK
D/ST - Broncos D/ST
K - Dan Bailey DAL

BE - Michael Floyd WR ARI
BE - Chris Ivory RB NYJ
BE - DeVante Parker WR MIA
BE - Robert Griffin III QB WSH
BE - Jordan Reed TE WSH
BE - Brian Quick WR STL
BE - Jonas Gray RB NE

First thing I see is a lot of Denver, New York Giants, and Dallas. I'm not a fan of having multiple guys from the same team unless it's a great offense. That's at least the case for Denver. I like Peyton. I think he will hold up at least through the regular season. Not a fan of the backs. Gordon could emerge as a rookie though. Jennings has always been an average back to me. Beckham will be good but there's no way he duplicates what he did last year, right? Sanders is a great WR2. I love the upside of Amari Cooper. I like Ivory although who knows who'll get the ball for the Jets. This team isn't very deep. RGII and Jordan Reed are showing the Washington fandom of Brian. They shouldn't be rostered. I don't trust Patriot running backs. I've been burned too many times.

Nice team but not much depth.

Grade: C+

How about we check out Joe 'Papa Z' Zamfino's team, his team is named RG3's House Taking A Dump. (My favorite name that's not my own by the way)

His team:

QB - Drew Brees NO*
RB - Marshawn Lynch SEA*
RB - C.J. Spiller NO
WR - Brandin Cooks NO
WR - Andre Johnson IND
TE - Martellus Bennett CHI
FLEX - LeGarrette Blount RB NE
D/ST - Packers D/ST
K - Cody Parkey PHI

BE - Tony Romo QB DAL*
BE - Steve Smith Sr WR BAL
BE - Antonio Gates TE SD
BE - Stevie Johnson WR SD
BE -Jay Ajayi RB MIA
BE - Dwayane Bowe WR CLE
BE - Terrance West RB CLE

Not sure the reasoning behind keeping two top 10 QBs. I think we've already seen the best of Spiller. I also don't like having Brees, Spiller, and Cooks all on one fantasy team. They've been a great offense in the past. I don't see them being that great this season. Cooks will still be good though. I really want to know what kind of Andre Johnson we will see after he begged to get out of Houston. I think I illustrated my thoughts on Pats running backs in the last recap. Like I said earlier there's no reason to have Romo on the bench. Steve Smith is done. Gates is suspended and I don't think he's a starting tight end anymore anyway.

Not a fan of this team at all.

Grade: D

Now we have Jon Oh's team, named Deflate Theez Nuts.

His team:

QB - Cam Newton CAR
RB - Le'Veon Bell PIT*
RB - C.J. Anderson DEN*
WR - Julian Edelman NE
WR - Brandon LaFell NE
TE - Greg Olsen CAR
FLEX - Alfred Morris RB WSH
D/ST - Seahawks D/ST
K - Justin Tucker BAL

BE - Alfred Blue RB HOU
BE - Breshad Perriman WR BAL
BE - Matt Stafford QB DET
BE - Kenny Stills WR MIA
BE - Owen Daniels TE DEN
BE - Montee Ball RB DEN
BE - Dorial Green-Beckham WR TEN

Aside from the fact no one will understand what his team name means in a decade. Cam should improve from last season. I don't think he was ever 100% healthy. He should be healthy at least for the first part of the year. He's got nice backs. Bell and Anderson are both top 10-12 backs. Although Bell is suspended for a few games he should be able to plug in either Blue or Morris. His wide outs are bad. If the Patriots have an offense for the ages that move will work out otherwise not so much. I like Morris as a flex play. He reached badly for the Seahawks D. I don't expect much out of Perriman. Stafford does nothing for you on the bench. Stills is too much of a boom or bust kind of player. You'll be happy when he has 130 yards and 2 TD's but other wise it's 3 for 37 game after game if anything. He reached for Olsen even though he could be a top 5 tight end again. Ball is a nice handcuff for Anderson. I don't have any idea what to expect out of Green-Beckham, but then again I don't know who does know what to expect out of him.

Nice running backs+Cam. Otherwise it's a wasteland.

Grade: C-

Next we have one of two newcomes. These next two players got to draft their teams in full since they didn't already have keepers. First up we have Nayhome T, team name is GREENDUN DOGFIGHTERS (yes, it was in all caps)

His team:

QB - Tom Brady NE
RB - Mark Ingram NO
RB - Joique Bell DET
WR - Victor Cruz NYG
WR - Jordan Matthews PHI
TE - Delanie Walker TEN
FLEX -  Mike Wallace WR MIN
D/ST - Chiefs D/ST
K - Adam Vinatieri IND

BE - Matt Ryan QB ATL
BE - Kendall Wright WR TEN
BE - Pierre Garcon WR WSH
BE - Charles Sims RB TB
BE - Josh Hill TE NO
BE - Denard Robinson RB JAC
BE - Jermaine Kearse WR SEA

This team isn't making the playoffs. They will finish either last or next to last. Austin, get a trophy like this ready for him.


His first two picks were Tom Brady and Victor Cruz. I loved Cruz in years past but he is trying to come back from a horrific injury. I don't like any of his running backs. Not a fan of Mike Wallace. Matt Ryan is a good QB but I wouldn't have reached for him knowing Brady will be back after a few games. Josh Hill could be the starting tight end in New Orleans. His buzz has cooled off though. This team isn't very good to put it nicely.

Grade: F

And finally we have the other noob in Michael Stephenson, team name: Team Stephenson. (how original)

His team:

QB - Andrew Luck IND
RB - Jeremy Hill CIN
RB - Frank Gore IND
WR - Randall Cobb GB
WR - Jarvis Landry MIA
TE - Dwayne Allen IND
FLEX - Shane Vereen RB NYG
D/ST - Rams D/ST
K - Stephen Gostkowski NE

BE - Bishop Sankey RB TEN
BE - Marques Colston WR NO
BE - Malcolm Floyd WR SD
BE - Boom Herron RB IND
BE - Colin Kaepernick QB SF
BE - Jaelen Strong WR HOU
BE - Cecil Shorts III WR HOU

Now this guy wasn't at the draft. He had cross country or something. So he phoned in most of his picks. Personally, I think it's bull crap. You show up to the draft or you're on auto draft. None of this draft for me crap. Anyway, he's got a nice squad. Luck will be a top 5 QB. Hill should be top 15 if he stays on the roll he was on at the end of last year. I think Gore's done but he's been done for three years. Cobb is a good WR1, Landry not so much. Vereen isn't as valueable in non-PPR and not being in the New England offense. His bench isn't great. Sankey could get the carries for the Titans. Colston is done. Floyd is a nice flier. Kaep has no value on the bench behind luck because he'd only play one week anyway.

TEAM Grade: C+

And now the team of yours truly, team name: Austin Top/ Danny Bottom

My team:

QB - Ryan Tannehill MIA
RB - LeSean McCoy BUF*
RB - Carlos Hyde SF
WR - Dez Bryant DAL*
WR - Mike Evans TB
TE - Ladarius Green SD
FLEX - Golden Tate WR DET
D/ST - Vikings D/ST
K - Blair Walsh MIN

BE - Gio Bernard RB CIN
BE - Tevin Coleman RB ATL
BE - Eric Decker WR NYJ
BE - Davante Adams WR GB
BE - John Brown WR ARI
BE - Darren Sproles RB PHI
BE - Knile Davis RB KC

I think Tannehill is going to be a steady QB1. Rex Ryan will run the ball so much so I like the continued value of McCoy. As an Ohio State fan I got to see a lot of Carlos Hyde and I think he can be a stud. I haven't seen it in the NFL but I've seen him be a great back. Dez is a top 10 WR. Evans has upside as a WR2. Ditto for Golden Tate. The Lions throw so much that it helps his value. Ladarius Green should be fine during the Gates supspension if nothing else. There's always quality tight ends on the waiver wire. Gio Bernard could be the starter in Cincy again and is a better pass catcher than Hill. Coleman could be the starter in Atlanta. I watched him tear up my BG Falcons as a member of the Indiana Hooisers last college season. Adams has Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball to him. John Brown is a sleeper for me. Not to mention he went to Pittsburgh State. Shout out to the Gorillas (the one and only). Sproles has had fantasy value before and Knile Davis become a top 10 guy if Charles goes down. 

My dear, dear friend Phil Holtz gave my team a B-. On Twitter he said, "Stacked at wide receiver but lacking elsewhere. " Not a bad evaluation, but I'm hoping one of my backup running backs pops.

Well that's all she wrote folks. 

You can find me on Twitter @TheLanceMorris

You can follow our league as well @LeBronFantasyFB