February 2012
22 posts
2 tags
Taking Weeden to the Movies →
Matt Waldman over at The Rookie Scouting Portfolio just posted an insightful, and rarely profound, fantasy football article. It’s a great breakdown of Brandon Weeden’s decision making skills where Waldman manages to weave not only cinematic critique but also a philosophic didactic on intellect and wisdom.
Definitely worth a read.
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Should Teams Fear the First-Round Receiver? →
Walker Rhodes of Optimum Scouting provides us with some food for thought about first-round, cannot-miss wide receivers. Certainly the Lions’ failures skew things a bit, but he brings up some interesting stats concerning the top picks at the position over the past 10 years.
That said, I would be very curious to see a comparison to other skill positions before jumping to conclusions. I have...
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Running B(l)ack Market →
Evan Silva over at Rotoworld has a fantastic, albeit lengthy, review of the free agent market for running backs along with what appears to be some pretty sanely logical predictions. Definitely worth at least skimming for the players you are tracking.
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The Times They are a Changin' →
Michael Fabiano over at NFL.com echoes my post from last night. The era of the feature running back is over: the league is even more of a passing focused affair and runners move in packs (read: committees) now. Although his focus is on quarterbacks, I’d argue wide receivers and to a greater degree tight ends are the beneficiaries of these changes.
It’s a brand new day.
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My Zach Law Interview →
Zach Law decided I was interview worthy, and I am honored to join a pretty good list of who’s who in fantasy football that Zach has interviewed. Hopefully my story will hold up against his previous subjects. Either way, you should defintely bookmark Zach’s site, especially if you are a Titans fan. He knows his stuff.
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Simple Draft Advice Inspires Deeper Reflection on... →
Ken Clein is back over at Dynasty League Football with a pretty nice article on things to consider when rookie drafting. Sure he contradicts himself a bit by his own admission with Tenet #5 (Every position is important) and #3 (Never draft a DB or K), but the article is best taken as “food for thought.”
Such is the case for with Tenet #4: Pick a TE sooner.
The NFL has evolved in...
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Reality Distortion Field Destroyed →
Chet Gresham over at Rotoworld recently posted his third article in a series looking at player average draft position from 2011 versus their actual performance.1 The breakdown is simple, and he highlights some notable points in brief analysis.
I do wish he stated whether he’s using a PPR format or not, as that changes things to no small degree. ↩
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Reaching for Hillis →
Ryan McKenzie of FFToolbox makes a case for Peyton Hillis landing in Tampa Bay. I personally think he’s a little off his rocker, as I don’t think they want two power backs in Tampa, but to each their own.1 Plus, it looks like he may not even Cleveland.2
McKenzie also puts a lot of historical emphasis in comparing Hillis to Mike Alstott. The regime in Tampa Bay is simply not the...
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Tackling Matters →
Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson does a fantastic job looking at the tackling numbers of cornerbacks. However, if you lives in eastern PA, you may want to avert your eyes.
I especially loved that he gathered the information on missed tackles. Cornerback is perhaps one of the most overlooked positions in IDP play, so this article is a great tool for owners to take better assessment of the...
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Low Buy Low →
This is a list of five dynasty players to buy low that I don’t totally buy into from Ken Clein.
Kyle Rudolph? Sure, has a lot of potential and probably can be acquired relatively cheap. Kelvin Sheppard? Ok, I’ll bite on that one, too. Andre Roberts? Has the talent and after a disappointing 2011, can be had cheap. I do question whether he will have a capable quarterback throwing the...
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KFFL Prospect Rankings →
KFFL.com has released their NFL Draft Prospects rankings. Neither the first nor the last we’ll be seeing.
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A RB's Torn ACL and You →
Michael Fabiano has presented the numbers nicely regarding ACL tears and running backs, although his conclusions are not really earth shattering,1 You can argue the projected stats of course, but they’re not all that important. I for one wouldn’t take the conclusions regarding Rashard Mendenhall, Jamaal Charles, and Adrian Peterson as gospel, but the history lesson is worth bearing in...
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Free Agency →
I, unlike Football Outsiders’ Tom Gower, am not a fan of CBS Sports Senior NFL Columnist Pete Priscoe. He’s often just dead wrong, and ranks amongst my least favorite columnists. But this time he has put together a pretty decent list of the Top 50 2012 Free Agents. I disagree with some calls (e.g., Matt Flynn, Ray Rice, and Marshawn Lynch are too low and DeSean Jackson too high on...
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Senior Bowl Recap for Fantasy Owners →
Joe Everett provides a terrific and engaging player by player synopsis of the Senior Bowl. Even as an avid dynasty owner who tends to stay abreast of these things, I learned a lot from reading this article. What I appreciate most is that you can tell where Joe has an opinion leaning one way or the other regarding a player. It’s important to know, because every writer has those biases.
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Peyton and Snyder Sitting in a Tree? →
The latest hot rumor floating in NFL circles is that Peyton Manning will likely end up in Washington. Certainly, given their need and owner Dan Snyder’s history of signing big free agent veterans, there is some logic. I, for one, don’t think Mike Shanahan will go for it, but who knows.
Cory Bonini at KFFL has a pretty decent write-up about the debate, although it may be a stretch to...
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Chad Parsons' Dynasty Rankings →
Chad’s rankings are a tad more controversial than his colleague’s, Bryan Fontaine. His running back, and to a lesser extent his wide receiver, rankings are bold, and I admit I disagree with a number of his decisions. But I give him credit, he’s not following the pack.
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Getting to the Bottom of Belichickery and... →
Every fantasy football owner knows the horror stories told about Mike Shanahan and Bill Belichick and their propensity for pulling the rug out from under hapless owners with their respective running backs. But like any urban legend, while there may be a kernel of truth, there’s likely more myth than fact behind the tale. Pro Football Focus’s Alessandro Miglio takes a very insightful...
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Tis the Season for NFL Mock Drafts →
With the Super Bowl in the books, it is time to look towards the NFL Scouting Combine and Draft. While all the prognostication means tangibly little to most fantasy football owners, it’s still a lot of fun. Evan Silva and Josh Norris have just posted their first mock draft of the first-round of the NFL Draft, and it has some interesting nuggets (Iowa OT Riley Reiff as the no. 3 pick1, Ryan...
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Time What is Time →
Points 3 and 4 are no-brainers to me, but Ken’s first two points in “Just a Matter of Time” are nice nuggets of wisdom that, while obvious in hindsight, aren’t necessarily so at first glance.
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DLF Rankings →
Speaking of great dynasty rankings, if you haven’t been keeping tabs on Dynasty League Football, you have really been missing out. I’ve been following them with interest for about three years now, and they’re doing some great work. Their rankings are a little more open to debate, but are obviously well thought out and regularly updated.
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I'm back and with a new approach
I’ve been away from the blog for a while, but I’m back. Once again, life threw a real curveball at me. I was laid-off in May, so my focus took me away from any fantasy football writing. But all is well in the New Year, so now that I am settled in at a great new job, my thoughts return to my poor neglected blog.
But with my time away, I have seen an ever growing number of voices on...
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Bryan Fontaine's New Dynasty Rankings
I don’t agree with it all (e.g., Maurice Jones-Drew is ranked too low), but perhaps the best all-around dynasty rankings I’ve seen come out in this early in the fantasy off-season.
July 2011
7 posts
4 tags
Fantasy Apps Review 3: Fantasy Football Draft...
This third installment of the Fantasy Apps Review covers the last of the three major drafting apps currently on the App Store. Unlike the previous two, this app is not offered by a fantasy football content producer but rather a developer whose sole focus is creating fantasy football apps for the iPhone. Bignoggins Productions literally just released this app on July 27, so read on for the very...
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Fantasy Apps Review 2: GOAheadScore FF Draft...
The Fantasy Apps Review series marches on with its second installment, an app from a new kid on the fantasy football block: GOAheadScore.
For background on this review series, make sure to reference this introductory article.1
Update 8/3: Version 1.2.2 release fixes round 1 bug and allows player notes editing from All Players screen. Revisited Appearance score and decided I was maybe a little...
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Fantasy Apps Review 1: RotoWire Fantasy Football...
How appropriate that my new Fantasy Apps Review series kicks off on the day the new CBA is agreed upon. If all goes according to plan, free-agency goes into full swing tomorrow, just in time for August drafting season. Which, of course, means all of you technologically inclined fantasy owners need to start loading your iPhones up with new apps.
We begin the series with an app from an industry...
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Fantasy Apps Review: Introduction
Back in days of fantasy football yore, when league business was conducted in the basement and living room, the only tools an owner had at their disposal was a pen and paper, a fantasy football magazine or two, and perhaps a big board to track draft picks. Lineups were literally submitted to the commissioner on a piece of paper or over the phone. A simpler era for sure, but everything was also...
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Two apps for your iPhone
If you have an iPhone and host any leagues on Myfantasyleague.com, you need to check out FF Draft Advisor by Simon Shepherd at GoAheadScore.com and MFL Mobile 2011 by John Lansing at Eggplant Apps.1 The Draft Advisor let’s you manage drafts offline or MFL online drafts. It gives you player rankings and advice on who to take based on ADP data. It’s a terrific app that is well worth the...
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Possible fantasy UFA's
I’ve been itching to blog about football, and I’ve tried to avoid getting in on the speculation train with the CBA still up in the air. But I finally gave in and decided to write a little something for dynastyleaguefootball.com. I encourage you all to give the article and the site a good look: it’s a real up and coming resource for everything dynasty.
One little update to my...
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Ten players to avoid →
As I have been doing in my day job these days, I have taken to freelancing my talents out to more than one site. My good friend Jim Day has opened a new site with a new partner in crime, Simon Shepherd.
I just authored a nice little article about 10 players you should avoid. Definitely go check it out!
April 2011
1 post
3 tags
Round 1 fantasy rankings
Well, that was an exciting first round of NFL drafting! For the first time in some time I found myself yelling at the TV screen at teams. As a personal aside, I think some teams made some major reaches (i.e., the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans), but it is what it is. Here are just how I rank the current offensive rookies drafted for you dynasty league owners heading into your rookie drafts...
March 2011
1 post
3 tags
Fantasy prospect: Mikel Leshoure vs. Mark Ingram
With the NFL Draft only about a month away, I’ve started to take a closer look at the top players available as I prepare for several fantasy rookie drafts. Generally, the consensus is Mark Ingram is the best running back available in this class. Looking at the tape and skill sets, I believe that Mikel Leshoure is actually the better NFL prospect for a number of reasons.
At 5-09 and 215 lbs,...
February 2011
3 posts
3 tags
Why the Steelers will win Super Bowl 45
I wasn’t going to get into analyzing why I think the Pittsburgh Steelers will beat the Green Bay Packers in relatively close 27-20 showdown today, but friend and colleague Mr. Jim Day has provoked me into it via a Twitter shouting match (all in good fun though, I think). So here is my break down.
The Steelers are a better team than the one that beat the Packers in 2009. While the Steelers...
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My random Super Bowl thoughts and prediction
It’s less than 24 hours until we kick-off Super Bowl XLV, and I find myself in a rather reflective frame of mind. I was tempted to write a blow-by-blow analysis of what I expect to take place between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, but there are enough of those floating around on the internet that I don’t feel particularly compelled to add to the din. So I think...
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Why Isn't Mike Vanderjagt Still Kicking In The... →
Why Isn’t Mike Vanderjagt Still Kicking In The NFL? By @eric_adelson, @post_game v. @redskinsblog
An insightful where is he now and why article. If I were a GM reading this, I’d bring him into camp to compete.
(via Instapaper)
January 2011
2 posts
2 tags
Three fantasy lessons: AFC Championship
Whew! I am worn out from watching a thrilling, close AFC Championship game. As a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, I am thrilled with the result, but that second half was nearly heart attack inducing! That said, there are some interesting things to take away for fantasy owners heading into 2011.
Mark Sanchez, Quarterback, New York Jets – I have to admit, he’s a better quarterback than I thought....
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Three fantasy lessons: NFC Championship
Without a doubt the NFL Playoffs tell you a lot about a team, but they are even more telling about individual players. That said, I think we learned a whole lot about a few players in the NFC Championship, the second biggest stage for a player to show their true mettle. These lessons should definitely inform us, as fantasy football players, who to rely on and who to invest in, heading into 2011...
December 2010
5 posts
3 tags
Clutch: Running back, Week 16
My apologies for not posting last week. Tis not only the season for giving but also receiving… in my case, a nasty virus. But I’m all better now, if a little pressed for time, so I’ll try and churn out what I can for those of you who are playing for your fantasy championship this week.
Rashard Mendenhall vs Carolina Panthers – This is the perfect set-up for Mendenhall, who has...
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Clutch: Running backs, Week 14
A horse, a horse, my kingdom for my horse! Well, in this case, it’s a fantasy football championship you’ll be wanting, and the horse you’ll be wanting this week is one of the following running backs.
Tim Hightower vs Denver Broncos – You may have to replace this entry with Chris Wells given how unpredictable the work distribution can be at running back for Arizona, but...
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Clutch: Wide receivers, Week 14
Continuing my soiree into my this week’s top fantasy football playoff plays, here are my top five wide receiver plays.
Andre Johnson vs Baltimore Ravens – The Ravens remain in the top-10 against the run, which will limit Arian Foster in the ground game. When that happens, the Texans will need to lean on their star wide receiver and the passing game. Baltimore is about middle of the pack...
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Clutch: Quarterbacks, Week 14
We have arrived! It’s fantasy playoffs time, and just like the NFL things are now heating up for owners nationwide. We’re beyond the need for prayers (i.e., sneaky plays), so this week I thought I’d give you my top-five players at each position for the next three weeks in a little series simply titled, “Clutch”.
First up are the quarterbacks. Here are my top-five...
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Living on a prayer: Week 13 sneaky plays
This is it — the last game before most leagues’ fantasy playoffs! If you’re like me, you’re in at least one final show-down for a playoff berth. Hopefully most of you are not like me in that one of those show-downs is against my co-commissioner. No trade approval for you! Muwhahahaha!!!
But back to the business at hand.
My Matt Cassel pick was a real gem, as he netted 233...
November 2010
7 posts
2 tags
Living on a prayer: Week 12 sneaky plays
This is the second-to-last regular season game to be played in many leagues, and for many of you readers it’s do-or-die. A number of you, whether you be Hakeem Nicks or Jahvid Best owners are in dire straights in need of some hope to break through to the post-season. I’m here to help answer those prayers you’re offering to the football gods.
A quick recap of my selections from...
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Living on a prayer: Week 11 sneaky plays
It’s time to buckle your proverbial chin straps. No more bye weeks, no more excuses. Problem is, injuries have mounted and match-ups still necessitate looking for unorthodox players to inject into your lineup. Thankfully, I am definitely in late season form and here to help.
Troy Smith made a believer out of Mike Singletary with his overtime victory, totaling 356 yards passing and a...
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Living on a prayer: Week 10 sneaky plays
This is the week where teams teetering on the edge either counterpunch or stumble into a haymaker dashing for a postseason spot. Sorry, I couldn’t resist a boxing analogy, as it is rare for boxing to be of any relevance in this day and age. As you can see, I’ve decided to punch up the title of this weekly post. I thought “Living on a prayer” was apropos given these are...
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Fantasy broker: Three players to acquire
The key to any successful playoff run is having the right players, with the right schedules, at the right time. Sure you may have some horses that have brought you to the brink of the fantasy football post-season, but ask Peyton Manning owners of the past how enjoyable Weeks 15 and 16 have been for them. The point is, if you’re in position to be in the playoffs at this point in the season,...
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Sell your stock in Minnesota
The Minnesota Vikings, as everybody already knows, have been a supreme disappointment. With only two wins to their name, they’ve quickly fallen from the Super Bowl discussion. Some will point to Sidney Rice being on the PUP list. Others will point to Brett Favre being old and banged up. Yet others will point to a decline in play by the defense. Quite frankly, the problems start right at the...
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All-Fantasy Team, Quarter 2
We’re officially at the halfway point in the season, so it’s time to look at the players who made a lot of owners happy in Weeks 5-8. Let me just be clear, this is not a look at the cumulative stats of players for the whole season but rather a snapshot of which players excelled in the second quarter of the season. So for all intent and purposes, I am totally ignore the first quarter of...
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Sneaky plays: Week 9
We’re entering the last third of the fantasy football season, and between byes and injuries owners are scrambling. Times like this, I wonder if I should rename this article, “Living on a Prayer” or “Fantasy Roulette”. I actually like the former title. Might have to use it next year.
Week 8 was a fantastic one if you listened to my advice. Although Tarvaris Jackson...
October 2010
5 posts
2 tags
Sneaky plays: Week 8
My apologies for missing last week’s installment. I double apologize because I would have told you all to start Dez Bryant, Dwayne Bowe, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Steve Johnson, and more. I saw each and every one of these monster performances, and I feel terrible that my mother, who demanded I spend time with her while she was visiting, kept me from imparting that knowledge to you all.
Cross my...
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Sneaky plays: Week 6
The beautiful thing about fantasy football is you can bounce back in a big way from a down week in an instant. Danny Amendola was a PPR owner’s dream, catching 12 balls for 95 yards. With Mark Clayton now on IR, he should be a solid WR3 play in those formats. The unfortunate flip of the coin is you can also lay some real eggs when you go out on a limb. Max Hall was definitely a pick I knew...