I think this is a good time to step up and apologize for starting to slack near the end of last season. My fantasy page got blocked at work and on weekends I got so busy near the holiday season that it ended up slipping through the cracks. But nonetheless, all of those are just excuses. I own up to my mistakes so I am sorry about last year and I hope to regain your trust and confidence in my MOTW.
I'm starting a new thing called the GAMECHANGER tag. This tag will denote a player who I believe will have a monstrous game, good or bad. If I denote a player as a GAMECHANGER, I believe their points for that week will either be 50% more OR 30% less than their projected points. I'll have a small description of why they deserve the tag.
I'm starting a new thing called the GAMECHANGER tag. This tag will denote a player who I believe will have a monstrous game, good or bad. If I denote a player as a GAMECHANGER, I believe their points for that week will either be 50% more OR 30% less than their projected points. I'll have a small description of why they deserve the tag.
And in order to make up for last year, here's a very special, never been done before, MOTW featuring all 12 teams (including a MOTW with my own team in it, which I haven't done since the first year of MOTWs)!! I'll go from least exciting matchup to most exciting:
Suck Mike Ditka (JY) vs. Forte Shades of Jay (Eric):
QB: This one looks to be the most unpredictable position matchup due to a few unknowns. How will Brady do without Welker? Is RG3 going to be as good as last year? I'll have to give the slight edge to Brady just because he's proven himself in the past, but don't be shocked if RG3 puts up a 40-pointer to shut me up. Edge: JY
WR: I think JY has the more talented receivers but their matchups are going to cause them problems all day. AJ Green will be the focus of the entire Bears secondary, which was the best pass defense last year. Jordy Nelson will probably be matched up against Nnamdi and although he failed in the weird Eagles zone defense, he'll be enough of a hindrance to ruin Jordy's day. Edge: Eric
RB: This one's not even close. Sure, Morris will probably make some waves against an unimposing Philly defense, but McCoy (GAMECHANGER: Have you seen Chip Kelly's RBs at Oregon?) and Lamar Miller are thousand-yard backs this year. The law-firm shouldn't be starting for any team in week 1. Edge: Eric
TE: Both TEs are feast-or-famine types. I'll take the "potential" of Jared Cook with his new QB over Bennett, who might see 2 targets if Marshall gets injured. Edge: Eric
K/DEF: Walsh has a leg up (pun intended) on Gostowski as he will be kicking in a dome. But with NE playing against lowly Buffalo, Gostowski might end up with 30 points, just on PATs. Both defenses play against turnover prone QBs so I'll call this one a wash. Edge: Even.
Winner: Eric
It looks like Eric's luck from last year continues as he gets an additional gift of playing one of the worst teams in the league in week 1. A great start for his quest towards back-to-back championships.
No Romo (David Kim) vs. taeyeon (Mike, formerly known as Badonkagronk):
QB: No Romo will take on Romo. How ironic. Luckily for No Romo, he has Matt Ryan instead. Ryan should be even better this year with Steven Jackson replacing the useless Michael Turner in the backfield and he gets to start against possibly the worst secondary in the league! That sounds pretty fabuloussss, no Romo... Edge: David
WR: The WR battle couldn't be more heavily favored to David's side. Marshall should see at least 20 targets this game, Roddy is playing against the aforementioned awful defense (and the double point bonus for having Ryan + Roddy will only make David happier), and Mike Williams will be free to pick apart the Jets defense while Cromartie is busy bothering VJax. Meanwhile, Brown has to take over as a WR1 for the departed Mike Wallace, who should be draped by Haden all day. Golden Tate represents a glimmer of hope, but not enough to change Mike's fate. Edge: David
RB: Why is there so much hype around David Wilson? All I remember him doing last year was fumbling the ball a lot. People think that with no viable backup, he should get plenty of touches. But who says the Giants are going to run a lot? I'm going to call Wilson my GAMECHANGER by declaring that he'll be held under 7 points. Meanwhile, Jamaal Charles and Reggie Bush will thrive with a new coach and a new team, respectively. Edge: Mike
TE: The best TE in the league vs. a rookie who tried to catch the ball with his face. Hmm... this is a tough one? Edge: Mike
K/DEF: Neither kicker inspires many words so I'm going to take Houston to maul San Diego, who is clearly going through a rebuilding phase. With no real wide receivers and Ryan Mathews continuing to underperform, JJ Watt should be living in their backfield. Don't count out Patrick Peterson returning one (through pick, punt, or kickoff) for a TD though. Edge: Mike
Winner: David
Although Mike won more categories, the separation David creates through the WR position will be enough to jumpstart him this year in his quest to make the playoffs for the first time ever.
WR: I think JY has the more talented receivers but their matchups are going to cause them problems all day. AJ Green will be the focus of the entire Bears secondary, which was the best pass defense last year. Jordy Nelson will probably be matched up against Nnamdi and although he failed in the weird Eagles zone defense, he'll be enough of a hindrance to ruin Jordy's day. Edge: Eric
RB: This one's not even close. Sure, Morris will probably make some waves against an unimposing Philly defense, but McCoy (GAMECHANGER: Have you seen Chip Kelly's RBs at Oregon?) and Lamar Miller are thousand-yard backs this year. The law-firm shouldn't be starting for any team in week 1. Edge: Eric
TE: Both TEs are feast-or-famine types. I'll take the "potential" of Jared Cook with his new QB over Bennett, who might see 2 targets if Marshall gets injured. Edge: Eric
K/DEF: Walsh has a leg up (pun intended) on Gostowski as he will be kicking in a dome. But with NE playing against lowly Buffalo, Gostowski might end up with 30 points, just on PATs. Both defenses play against turnover prone QBs so I'll call this one a wash. Edge: Even.
Winner: Eric
It looks like Eric's luck from last year continues as he gets an additional gift of playing one of the worst teams in the league in week 1. A great start for his quest towards back-to-back championships.
No Romo (David Kim) vs. taeyeon (Mike, formerly known as Badonkagronk):
QB: No Romo will take on Romo. How ironic. Luckily for No Romo, he has Matt Ryan instead. Ryan should be even better this year with Steven Jackson replacing the useless Michael Turner in the backfield and he gets to start against possibly the worst secondary in the league! That sounds pretty fabuloussss, no Romo... Edge: David
WR: The WR battle couldn't be more heavily favored to David's side. Marshall should see at least 20 targets this game, Roddy is playing against the aforementioned awful defense (and the double point bonus for having Ryan + Roddy will only make David happier), and Mike Williams will be free to pick apart the Jets defense while Cromartie is busy bothering VJax. Meanwhile, Brown has to take over as a WR1 for the departed Mike Wallace, who should be draped by Haden all day. Golden Tate represents a glimmer of hope, but not enough to change Mike's fate. Edge: David
RB: Why is there so much hype around David Wilson? All I remember him doing last year was fumbling the ball a lot. People think that with no viable backup, he should get plenty of touches. But who says the Giants are going to run a lot? I'm going to call Wilson my GAMECHANGER by declaring that he'll be held under 7 points. Meanwhile, Jamaal Charles and Reggie Bush will thrive with a new coach and a new team, respectively. Edge: Mike
TE: The best TE in the league vs. a rookie who tried to catch the ball with his face. Hmm... this is a tough one? Edge: Mike
K/DEF: Neither kicker inspires many words so I'm going to take Houston to maul San Diego, who is clearly going through a rebuilding phase. With no real wide receivers and Ryan Mathews continuing to underperform, JJ Watt should be living in their backfield. Don't count out Patrick Peterson returning one (through pick, punt, or kickoff) for a TD though. Edge: Mike
Winner: David
Although Mike won more categories, the separation David creates through the WR position will be enough to jumpstart him this year in his quest to make the playoffs for the first time ever.
Jacked Up! (Cho) vs. its my vick in a box (Biggie):
QB: Too bad we don't play in a 4/6 league (This is what I call those weird leagues where passing TDs are worth 4 points: a TD is a TD. They should all be worth 6 points.) because Cam could be worth a lot more. But if he throws 20 and runs in 10, and luck throws 2 a game for 32 by the end of the season, what's the difference? Sure, the rushing yards will be a bonus but Luck should dominate a hapless Raiders squad while Cam struggles against one of the best defenses in the league. Edge: Cho
WR: Cobb, Garcon, and Welker all have the potential to be better than last year. Cobb gets to be the most targeted player by Rodgers, Garcon could have a healthy RG3 and be healthy himself, and Welker went from Brady to a better QB in Manning (no bias here...). As much as I love the Colts, T.Y. Hilton doesn't belong in a conversation with these other WRs. Julio will catch 150/2, but all of Cho's receivers should break 100 and combing for 3+ TDs. Edge: Cho
RB: 4 powerful, in-between-the-tackles runners are shared between the two squads. There's some serious talent here but there's also tons of injury concerns. Although this is the closest matchup, Foster and Ridley get to play two of the worst teams in the league. Their defenses aren't bad, but they'll get plenty of garbage time runs to pad their yardage totals. Edge: Cho
TE: Brandon Myers was the most targeted TE last year on the Raiders. Yes, the Raiders. This year, he plays with Eli, who threw to Bennett so much, he became a legitimate fantasy option. With Andre Brown out, Eli will be looking for big targets to throw to in the end zone. Can somebody say GAMECHANGER? Edge: Cho
K/DEF: Although Seattle might have the best defense in the league, they've been awful away from home. And I never like it when a player has one of their key players (in this case, QB) playing against the defense they are starting. This can work on the rare occasion (e.g. the QB throws 500/4 TDs and 4 picks and all the picks are returned for TDs) but they usually end up cancelling each other out. Biggie's not winning this matchup by hedging his bets. Edge: Cho
Winner: Cho
A clean sweep! Although Cho wins every category, don't expect the scoreline to reflect the dominance. I believe the final score will be a single digit spread.
QB: Too bad we don't play in a 4/6 league (This is what I call those weird leagues where passing TDs are worth 4 points: a TD is a TD. They should all be worth 6 points.) because Cam could be worth a lot more. But if he throws 20 and runs in 10, and luck throws 2 a game for 32 by the end of the season, what's the difference? Sure, the rushing yards will be a bonus but Luck should dominate a hapless Raiders squad while Cam struggles against one of the best defenses in the league. Edge: Cho
WR: Cobb, Garcon, and Welker all have the potential to be better than last year. Cobb gets to be the most targeted player by Rodgers, Garcon could have a healthy RG3 and be healthy himself, and Welker went from Brady to a better QB in Manning (no bias here...). As much as I love the Colts, T.Y. Hilton doesn't belong in a conversation with these other WRs. Julio will catch 150/2, but all of Cho's receivers should break 100 and combing for 3+ TDs. Edge: Cho
RB: 4 powerful, in-between-the-tackles runners are shared between the two squads. There's some serious talent here but there's also tons of injury concerns. Although this is the closest matchup, Foster and Ridley get to play two of the worst teams in the league. Their defenses aren't bad, but they'll get plenty of garbage time runs to pad their yardage totals. Edge: Cho
TE: Brandon Myers was the most targeted TE last year on the Raiders. Yes, the Raiders. This year, he plays with Eli, who threw to Bennett so much, he became a legitimate fantasy option. With Andre Brown out, Eli will be looking for big targets to throw to in the end zone. Can somebody say GAMECHANGER? Edge: Cho
K/DEF: Although Seattle might have the best defense in the league, they've been awful away from home. And I never like it when a player has one of their key players (in this case, QB) playing against the defense they are starting. This can work on the rare occasion (e.g. the QB throws 500/4 TDs and 4 picks and all the picks are returned for TDs) but they usually end up cancelling each other out. Biggie's not winning this matchup by hedging his bets. Edge: Cho
Winner: Cho
A clean sweep! Although Cho wins every category, don't expect the scoreline to reflect the dominance. I believe the final score will be a single digit spread.
Ben There Raped That (Paul) vs. Orangevodjuiceka (Dan Park):
QB: Drew Brees and Sean Payton might be homosexual lovers based on how much Brees mentioned that he missed Payton. Although the Bible does not condone this, for fantasy purposes, it's a match made in heaven. Although Atlanta was the team that stopped Brees' TD streak, I think he'll put up unmatchable numbers this week against a porous Atlanta secondary. 24.88 projected points is high but with a healthy Jimmy Graham and his brilliant coach back, he's my GAMECHANGER. Edge: Dan
WR: 3 legit number-one options vs. an injury prone slot receiver, the third option in his offense, and a guy who has never caught more than 44 balls in a year from the rapist. I think if you have Megatron, it's pretty tough to lose any WR matchup. If you have Cruz and Wayne to back him up, game over. Edge: Dan
RB: On the other hand, Dan's RBs are awful. I think I could be his RB2 and he wouldn't notice the difference. Steven Jackson plays against a defense where the arguably best player (Vilma) will be missing from the middle. The real question is, will Dan ever win a RB matchup? Edge: Paul
TE: High scoring game - Vilma + Ryan + Julio/Roddy stealing double teams - Will Smith who is also out for injuries + Payton and Smith trying to set the record for most plays run in 60 minutes = Big game for Tony. Edge: Dan
K/DEF: Cleveland might have been the defensive steal of the draft. They have a sick corner in Haden, some big offseason acquisitions in key spots (e.g. Paul Kruger from the defending champs), Trent Richardson to kill the clock, and the coolest black name since Ladainian in D'Qwell Jackson. Green Bay showed last year they had no answer for the read-option. Was 8 months enough time? Funny that the last opponent they saw last year is the first one they'll see this year. Good luck at Candlestick Park. Edge: Paul
Winner: Dan
Dan ekes out a close one as Megatron and Brees get Dan started on the right foot for this season. Now imagine if Brees and Megatron were actually on one team...
WR: 3 legit number-one options vs. an injury prone slot receiver, the third option in his offense, and a guy who has never caught more than 44 balls in a year from the rapist. I think if you have Megatron, it's pretty tough to lose any WR matchup. If you have Cruz and Wayne to back him up, game over. Edge: Dan
RB: On the other hand, Dan's RBs are awful. I think I could be his RB2 and he wouldn't notice the difference. Steven Jackson plays against a defense where the arguably best player (Vilma) will be missing from the middle. The real question is, will Dan ever win a RB matchup? Edge: Paul
TE: High scoring game - Vilma + Ryan + Julio/Roddy stealing double teams - Will Smith who is also out for injuries + Payton and Smith trying to set the record for most plays run in 60 minutes = Big game for Tony. Edge: Dan
K/DEF: Cleveland might have been the defensive steal of the draft. They have a sick corner in Haden, some big offseason acquisitions in key spots (e.g. Paul Kruger from the defending champs), Trent Richardson to kill the clock, and the coolest black name since Ladainian in D'Qwell Jackson. Green Bay showed last year they had no answer for the read-option. Was 8 months enough time? Funny that the last opponent they saw last year is the first one they'll see this year. Good luck at Candlestick Park. Edge: Paul
Winner: Dan
Dan ekes out a close one as Megatron and Brees get Dan started on the right foot for this season. Now imagine if Brees and Megatron were actually on one team...
Optimus Prime-time (Simon) vs. The Powerhouse (Nelson):
QB: As the two best QBs of their generations go head-to-head, they must each face a familiar, challenging foe. Rodgers' last two games against SF were forgettable, averaging under 300 yards with just 2 TDs to 1 INT. Those aren't bad numbers for Sanchez or Gabbert, but you expect more from the best QB alive. As for Peyton, Baltimore has dashed his dreams multiple times. Even during the season where he set a then NFL record with 49 TDs, Baltimore was able to keep him under 250 yards and limit his scoring to just 1 TD. Edge: Even
WR: Simon's three receivers are proven vets that are all number one options on their teams. The biggest problem for each of them is that they don't have a great QB or a legitimate 2nd option to take away some of the pressure. Meanwhile, Larry Fitz has the best QB he's had since Kurt Warner and Decker should have a monster season with Manning back in form. Edge: Nelson
RB: As mentioned in the draft review, McFadden could be the biggest boom or bust this season depending on many factors like his health and the team's success. But with CJ2K getting 2 guards to clear some running lanes, I believe he can legitimately be called CJ2K again, maybe not just with rushing yards, but with total yards from scrimmage. He'll start this season off right against a Pittsuburgh team that isn't as opposing as it was in past years. Chris Johnson will be a GAMECHANGER. Edge: Simon
TE: This is a true test of white vs. black. One is a sure-handed, slow, safety net for his QB while the other is freakishly fast for his size, ridiculously strong, and should be the number one option now that Crabtree is hurt. Slow and steady or Risk and reward? Edge: Even
K/DEF: The Patriots should destroy any QB that comes out for the Bills. The Bucs, the new home of Revis Island, should make it interesting against his old team, but as bad as Sanchez is, Manuel and Tuel have no idea what's in store for them. I almost gave Leg-atron the GAMECHANGER tag but I don't think I can do that to a kicker. Edge: Nelson
Winner: Nelson
I hate writing about my own team.
QB: As the two best QBs of their generations go head-to-head, they must each face a familiar, challenging foe. Rodgers' last two games against SF were forgettable, averaging under 300 yards with just 2 TDs to 1 INT. Those aren't bad numbers for Sanchez or Gabbert, but you expect more from the best QB alive. As for Peyton, Baltimore has dashed his dreams multiple times. Even during the season where he set a then NFL record with 49 TDs, Baltimore was able to keep him under 250 yards and limit his scoring to just 1 TD. Edge: Even
WR: Simon's three receivers are proven vets that are all number one options on their teams. The biggest problem for each of them is that they don't have a great QB or a legitimate 2nd option to take away some of the pressure. Meanwhile, Larry Fitz has the best QB he's had since Kurt Warner and Decker should have a monster season with Manning back in form. Edge: Nelson
RB: As mentioned in the draft review, McFadden could be the biggest boom or bust this season depending on many factors like his health and the team's success. But with CJ2K getting 2 guards to clear some running lanes, I believe he can legitimately be called CJ2K again, maybe not just with rushing yards, but with total yards from scrimmage. He'll start this season off right against a Pittsuburgh team that isn't as opposing as it was in past years. Chris Johnson will be a GAMECHANGER. Edge: Simon
TE: This is a true test of white vs. black. One is a sure-handed, slow, safety net for his QB while the other is freakishly fast for his size, ridiculously strong, and should be the number one option now that Crabtree is hurt. Slow and steady or Risk and reward? Edge: Even
K/DEF: The Patriots should destroy any QB that comes out for the Bills. The Bucs, the new home of Revis Island, should make it interesting against his old team, but as bad as Sanchez is, Manuel and Tuel have no idea what's in store for them. I almost gave Leg-atron the GAMECHANGER tag but I don't think I can do that to a kicker. Edge: Nelson
Winner: Nelson
I hate writing about my own team.
Funky Fresh (David Yim) vs. Kaep'n Crunch (Jon Lee, formerly known as Donkey Ndamukong, and before that, J's):
QB: A battle of the first-year sensations from last year takes shape in fantasy as well. Although Kaep did destroy the Packers last year, I believe Wilson will have a better Sunday. The Panthers have a decent front seven but their secondary might be the worst in the NFL. Russell Wilson's legs might be contained by Kuechly, but I won't be surprised to see him throw 400+ yards. Edge: David
WR: The WRs of these two teams mirror each other pretty nicely. Thomas and Andre are both athletic specimens that act as their teams number 1 option. Torrey Smith and Nicks are both excellent at finding a way into the end zone in different ways (Smith with speed, Nicks with size). James Jones and Tavon should both be 3rd options in their receiving game but both have the ability to score 20+ on any given Sunday. I would give the edge to David due to Demaryius, but I think Tavon's going to touch the ball enough times to score, which should give him enough points to be a GAMECHANGER. Edge: Even
RB: Wow. These are some heavy hitters. At one point in the past 5 years, all 4 of these running backs were a projected top 5 pick; arguably top 3. AP should destroy the Lions defense, but Rice should touch the ball plenty of times against a weak Denver LB crew that lost Dumervil and Miller. MJD looks to return to form as the league's rushing leader after a year off while Gore looks to take some pressure off of Kaep in the read-option game. I never thought AP would not win a RB matchup but this one is too close to call. Edge: Even
TE: Both teams use 2 roster spots on washed up TEs that have "potential" to be great this year. I'm not buying it. They're all going to suck. Edge: Even
K/DEF: San Francisco should be one of the best defenses this year with a couple of key additions, but they do have to face the best QB in the league. Meanwhile, St. Louis is an underrated defense playing an overrated Carson Palmer. Although I believe Matt Bryant will be kicking the ball more times than Akers in a high scoring affair, they'll mostly be PATs. I have to believe that Akers will make a few 50 yarders to boost Jon's score. Edge: Jon
Winner: Tie!
The league's voting bears out that this will be a close one. There's some options that are being left on the bench that could change the outcome of this game as well (DeAngelo and Richardson to name two). Although it's almost impossible because we use fractional points, I'm going to call it a tie. If it's within 5 points, I'll consider myself a genius. If they actually tie, I will be seeing if I have the gift of prophecy.
Everybody but Cho is doing pick'ems so don't forget to vote.
I can't believe football is only a day away!!
Good luck to all!
Simon
QB: A battle of the first-year sensations from last year takes shape in fantasy as well. Although Kaep did destroy the Packers last year, I believe Wilson will have a better Sunday. The Panthers have a decent front seven but their secondary might be the worst in the NFL. Russell Wilson's legs might be contained by Kuechly, but I won't be surprised to see him throw 400+ yards. Edge: David
WR: The WRs of these two teams mirror each other pretty nicely. Thomas and Andre are both athletic specimens that act as their teams number 1 option. Torrey Smith and Nicks are both excellent at finding a way into the end zone in different ways (Smith with speed, Nicks with size). James Jones and Tavon should both be 3rd options in their receiving game but both have the ability to score 20+ on any given Sunday. I would give the edge to David due to Demaryius, but I think Tavon's going to touch the ball enough times to score, which should give him enough points to be a GAMECHANGER. Edge: Even
RB: Wow. These are some heavy hitters. At one point in the past 5 years, all 4 of these running backs were a projected top 5 pick; arguably top 3. AP should destroy the Lions defense, but Rice should touch the ball plenty of times against a weak Denver LB crew that lost Dumervil and Miller. MJD looks to return to form as the league's rushing leader after a year off while Gore looks to take some pressure off of Kaep in the read-option game. I never thought AP would not win a RB matchup but this one is too close to call. Edge: Even
TE: Both teams use 2 roster spots on washed up TEs that have "potential" to be great this year. I'm not buying it. They're all going to suck. Edge: Even
K/DEF: San Francisco should be one of the best defenses this year with a couple of key additions, but they do have to face the best QB in the league. Meanwhile, St. Louis is an underrated defense playing an overrated Carson Palmer. Although I believe Matt Bryant will be kicking the ball more times than Akers in a high scoring affair, they'll mostly be PATs. I have to believe that Akers will make a few 50 yarders to boost Jon's score. Edge: Jon
Winner: Tie!
The league's voting bears out that this will be a close one. There's some options that are being left on the bench that could change the outcome of this game as well (DeAngelo and Richardson to name two). Although it's almost impossible because we use fractional points, I'm going to call it a tie. If it's within 5 points, I'll consider myself a genius. If they actually tie, I will be seeing if I have the gift of prophecy.
Everybody but Cho is doing pick'ems so don't forget to vote.
I can't believe football is only a day away!!
Good luck to all!
Simon
Wow.. crazy motw. Apology accepted.
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