February 2012
27 posts
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Peyton Manning, the New York Highlander? →
Walton Spurlin over at FFToolbox makes a compelling argument for Peyton Manning wearing a Jets’ green as opposed to a Miami teal jersey. While it is an argument made mostly within the vacuum of on-paper logic, he raises some good points.1 Manning is certainly the type of competitor who would love to take on the Patriots twice a year, and the Jets are a better team than Miami. If the rumors...
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This is Mike Wallace →
Everyone has been talking about Pittsburgh restricted free agent WR Mike Wallace and who might steal him away, but there’s been limited breakdowns of his skills (other than he’s really fast) and where he’d fit in.
Alen Dumonjic of The Score has a pretty good breakdown of his game and value to a potential suitor. I think he might be a little overly critical in his assessment (I...
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Moneyball Meets Fantasy Football →
Paymon Shokoohi of Set My Roster has a guest piece over at Dynasty League Football about his “moneyball” strategy.1 While most teams implement his strategy to some degree, he suggests that its worth considering going all-in on it.
I’m not sure I buy the moneyball approach as a team foundation. I do wholeheartedly feel that, when implemented in part, it can put a contender over...
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NFL Draft Pick Calculator →
While this doesn’t exactly equate for fantasy drafts, it’s a cool tool for NFL Draft nerds or fantasy football nuts who want to try and apply it to their own leagues.1
(via Football Guys’ Jeff Haseley)
I wouldn’t really recommend relying on it as a fantasy football draft tool, but it could be useful if you’re trying to gauge pick value; especially in cases...
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NFL Meets the Simpsons →
Michael Schottey over at Bleacher Report has a neat little blurb comparing each current NFL team with a character from the Simpsons. While it has nothing to do with fantasy football, it is a fun read.
But shame on them for making into one of those poor-taste slide shows to generate more page views. Have some class.
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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...
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.