Biggie is our new champion (or I should say, has returned to become the champion)!
Payouts are as follows:
Biggie - $850
Simon - $265 ($250 for 2nd, $15 for pick'ems)
Alex - $100 (Nice work by the rookie to get his money back)
Paul - $25 Gift Card (David couldn't even win when he chose who to face... tsk tsk... why would you pick 2 of the top 5 active RBs in the league?)
Thanks everyone for a great season. I'm going to reach out to everyone early on in the summer because I plan on converting our league to a keeper league starting next year. There will be more rules to come so I want to give everyone a chance to digest them before the season starts.
Good luck in 2016! And Happy New Year!
Simon Kim
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Sunday, December 27, 2015
MOTW - Championship
EDIT: Sorry for not posting this earlier. I actually wrote this on Saturday morning but didn't hit the "Publish" button (you'll see this is true based on my QB comparison...)
MOTW
2. #callgod (Biggie) vs. 4. The Mas-deflater (Simon)
QB: As good as Cousins has been, he must match up against arguably the best QB in the game today. Rodgers faces a Cardinals defense that has actually been susceptible to the pass. Bradford didn't have a problem moving the chains last week and with the Honey Badger out, he should be able to hang 30+ on them. Edge: Simon
WR: Antonio Brown against the dead Ravens defense? Yikes... I don't know if all 3 of Simon's WRs can match Antonio's output this week. Edge: Biggie
RB: While David Johnson should be able to go toe to toe with either of Biggie's backs, Gore has not been great the past couple weeks. Will Simon pull Gore for Artis-Payne is a shocking move? We'll see. But either way, Biggie's two RB1s should carry him to a win in this position battle. Edge: Biggie
TE: Both teams have weak tight ends, but a slight edge to Simon's due to Alshon's potential absence. Other than Forte/Langford, all targets should come Miller's way. Edge: Simon
Special Teams: The 2 best defenses in the league square off against questionable QBs. They both play at home as well with playoff standings at stake so expect double digit outputs from both. Edge: Even
Winner: Biggie
Too much firepower brings Biggie his 2nd championship in a matchup of contenders going for their 2nd trophy. This is actually a rematch of the 2010 championship when Vick carried Simon's team to the championship against Biggie's team that had 2 QBs playing due to Joe Webb's weird designation.
Also, if you guys are wondering what the hell is going on with the 7th place game for the $25 Amazon gift card, I'll explain it as succinctly as possible.
- David and Paul each chose 6 of their best players
- The opponent got to pick which of those 3 he wanted the owner to play.
- The 7th place battle will be determined by a 3 v 3 matchup.
Good luck to all and thanks for a great year!
Simon Kim
MOTW
2. #callgod (Biggie) vs. 4. The Mas-deflater (Simon)
QB: As good as Cousins has been, he must match up against arguably the best QB in the game today. Rodgers faces a Cardinals defense that has actually been susceptible to the pass. Bradford didn't have a problem moving the chains last week and with the Honey Badger out, he should be able to hang 30+ on them. Edge: Simon
WR: Antonio Brown against the dead Ravens defense? Yikes... I don't know if all 3 of Simon's WRs can match Antonio's output this week. Edge: Biggie
RB: While David Johnson should be able to go toe to toe with either of Biggie's backs, Gore has not been great the past couple weeks. Will Simon pull Gore for Artis-Payne is a shocking move? We'll see. But either way, Biggie's two RB1s should carry him to a win in this position battle. Edge: Biggie
TE: Both teams have weak tight ends, but a slight edge to Simon's due to Alshon's potential absence. Other than Forte/Langford, all targets should come Miller's way. Edge: Simon
Special Teams: The 2 best defenses in the league square off against questionable QBs. They both play at home as well with playoff standings at stake so expect double digit outputs from both. Edge: Even
Winner: Biggie
Too much firepower brings Biggie his 2nd championship in a matchup of contenders going for their 2nd trophy. This is actually a rematch of the 2010 championship when Vick carried Simon's team to the championship against Biggie's team that had 2 QBs playing due to Joe Webb's weird designation.
Also, if you guys are wondering what the hell is going on with the 7th place game for the $25 Amazon gift card, I'll explain it as succinctly as possible.
- David and Paul each chose 6 of their best players
- The opponent got to pick which of those 3 he wanted the owner to play.
- The 7th place battle will be determined by a 3 v 3 matchup.
Good luck to all and thanks for a great year!
Simon Kim
Thursday, December 17, 2015
MOTW - Semifinals
No time for corny intros. Getting right down to business:
MOTW1
1. alex's Optimal Team (Alex) vs. 4. The Mas-deflater (Simon)
The team with the worst name has the best record and takes on an injury-ravaged team in the playoffs. Will Alex's rookie magic continue?
QB: Brady vs. one of the worst teams in the league with Edelman potentially coming back? As great as Rodgers has been, this should be a landslide victory for Brady. Edge: Alex
WR: With the way that ARob and Marshall have been playing, they have been WR1s. Hilton will probably drag this group down a bit but Simon just has a slew of WR2/3s that will have to step up in order to match their levels. The wildcard here is Edelman, who might be able to negate some of Brady's points. Nonetheless, a slight edge goes to Alex. Edge: Alex
RB: One of the only positions that Simon may have a chance at winning with David Johnson and Brandon Bolden taking over as lead backs on injury-ravaged backfields. McFadden and Murray have both been under-performing and while Murray has a plus matchup this week, I wouldn't expect a 20 point performance out of either of them. Edge: Simon
TE: Gronk. Edge: Alex
Special Teams: Kicker goes to Simon, as Catanzaro gets to kick for a team that never stops moving the ball with tons of weapons on offense. But Prater does have a plus matchup against one of the worst defenses in the league. Defense is a landslide win by KC who gets to play against a Ravens team that's hoping the Texans' trash can be their savior. Edge: Even
Winner: Alex
While some may see this as a reverse jinx, I genuinely believe top to bottom, Alex may have the most complete team in the league. Simon is just another speed bump as he looks to finish a Cinderella season.
MOTW2
2. ashamed of my last W (Biggie) vs. 6. Quabity Assuance (Dan)
Biggie, who is still ashamed of beating me, gets to face my dark horse for the playoffs who put a shellacking on Jung last week. Can he go from 6 to 1 in 3 weeks?
QB: Russell Wilson has been on a historic tear the last 3 weeks and are the Browns going to be the ones to slow him down? My money is on "NO." While Carr should be involved in a shootout, the Seahawks are on a mission to get back to the Super Bowl, and Russell is leading the charge. Edge: Dan
WR: Antonio has been the 2nd best fantasy receiver all season DESPITE the fact that the Rapist has not been available every week. However, he has to get through the best pass defense in the league. If we assume Martavius and Brown both get sub-par performances, then I'll give a slight edge to Dan with the Baldwin-Russell combo. They've been hooking up like 2 college students on spring break, and the Browns are the oblivious parents who have no power to step them. Edge: Dan
RB: Similar to the first MOTW, Biggie needs his biggest win to come in the backfield department. With two legitimate RB1s, Biggie definitely has the edge here. But watch out for Lacy, who had a great game last week. Edge: Biggie
TE: Olsen (Okay, he's no Gronk so he can't just use his name as the reasoning for the win, but he's the best pass catcher on an undefeated Carolina team that is humming at the moment). Edge: Dan
Special Teams: Each team has one of the two best defenses in the NFC and both have plus matchups against mistake prone teams. Neither kicker gives me much reason to pause but Santos could be busy against a leaky Ravens defense. Edge: Even
Winner: Dan
Dan continues his run after sneaking into the playoffs in Week 13. As two previous title holders would drop out of the race, it would guarantee a new champion: a rookie vs. the man who's been in this league for so long and wanting to win the championship and makes the playoffs every year but just can't win it possibly until now.
MOTW 3
Yeah, right. I'm not doing the consolidation brackets.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
MOTW1
1. alex's Optimal Team (Alex) vs. 4. The Mas-deflater (Simon)
The team with the worst name has the best record and takes on an injury-ravaged team in the playoffs. Will Alex's rookie magic continue?
QB: Brady vs. one of the worst teams in the league with Edelman potentially coming back? As great as Rodgers has been, this should be a landslide victory for Brady. Edge: Alex
WR: With the way that ARob and Marshall have been playing, they have been WR1s. Hilton will probably drag this group down a bit but Simon just has a slew of WR2/3s that will have to step up in order to match their levels. The wildcard here is Edelman, who might be able to negate some of Brady's points. Nonetheless, a slight edge goes to Alex. Edge: Alex
RB: One of the only positions that Simon may have a chance at winning with David Johnson and Brandon Bolden taking over as lead backs on injury-ravaged backfields. McFadden and Murray have both been under-performing and while Murray has a plus matchup this week, I wouldn't expect a 20 point performance out of either of them. Edge: Simon
TE: Gronk. Edge: Alex
Special Teams: Kicker goes to Simon, as Catanzaro gets to kick for a team that never stops moving the ball with tons of weapons on offense. But Prater does have a plus matchup against one of the worst defenses in the league. Defense is a landslide win by KC who gets to play against a Ravens team that's hoping the Texans' trash can be their savior. Edge: Even
Winner: Alex
While some may see this as a reverse jinx, I genuinely believe top to bottom, Alex may have the most complete team in the league. Simon is just another speed bump as he looks to finish a Cinderella season.
MOTW2
2. ashamed of my last W (Biggie) vs. 6. Quabity Assuance (Dan)
Biggie, who is still ashamed of beating me, gets to face my dark horse for the playoffs who put a shellacking on Jung last week. Can he go from 6 to 1 in 3 weeks?
QB: Russell Wilson has been on a historic tear the last 3 weeks and are the Browns going to be the ones to slow him down? My money is on "NO." While Carr should be involved in a shootout, the Seahawks are on a mission to get back to the Super Bowl, and Russell is leading the charge. Edge: Dan
WR: Antonio has been the 2nd best fantasy receiver all season DESPITE the fact that the Rapist has not been available every week. However, he has to get through the best pass defense in the league. If we assume Martavius and Brown both get sub-par performances, then I'll give a slight edge to Dan with the Baldwin-Russell combo. They've been hooking up like 2 college students on spring break, and the Browns are the oblivious parents who have no power to step them. Edge: Dan
RB: Similar to the first MOTW, Biggie needs his biggest win to come in the backfield department. With two legitimate RB1s, Biggie definitely has the edge here. But watch out for Lacy, who had a great game last week. Edge: Biggie
TE: Olsen (Okay, he's no Gronk so he can't just use his name as the reasoning for the win, but he's the best pass catcher on an undefeated Carolina team that is humming at the moment). Edge: Dan
Special Teams: Each team has one of the two best defenses in the NFC and both have plus matchups against mistake prone teams. Neither kicker gives me much reason to pause but Santos could be busy against a leaky Ravens defense. Edge: Even
Winner: Dan
Dan continues his run after sneaking into the playoffs in Week 13. As two previous title holders would drop out of the race, it would guarantee a new champion: a rookie vs. the man who's been in this league for so long and wanting to win the championship and makes the playoffs every year but just can't win it possibly until now.
MOTW 3
Yeah, right. I'm not doing the consolidation brackets.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
We're Talking About Playoffs?!!?
This is another busy week at the client site but how could I not have a post for the playoffs?
So we'll start with some quick shout-outs:
- Congrats to Jon Lee for breaking his playoff slump. All that belief in your team carried you in. Or Jamaal Charles just gave you enough of a cushion for you to slink by.
- Congrats to a great rookie class for nabbing the 1 and 3 seeds in their first year. We have a great chance at having another rookie repeat Daniel's feat by winning the ship their first year.
- Sorry to teams that had great players emerge, acquired players, or returned from injury too late. Deepest sympathies to Paul (Gurley, Cam, Matthews), Cho (Roeth, Dez), and Eric (Romo)
- Sorry to teams that had complete flops. Sympathies to DY (Manning, Demaryius, Hill), Cho (Murray), Mike (Andre), Eric (Marshawn, Cobb, Cooks), and David K (CJ, Graham)
- Sorry to Mike for not drafting a RB. Actually, sorry is the wrong word. I appreciate the risk you took but will probably have learned your lesson after missing out on the playoffs.
- Sorry to David K for missing the playoffs again. You'll get there one day, young blood.
- And worst of all, sorry to all the teams that suffered season ending injuries. The number was just ridiculously high this year. This includes players who had Chris Johnson, Leonard Hankerson, Dennis Pitta, Forsett, Flacco, Steve Smith, Percy Harvin, Arian Foster, Jamaal Charles, Dion Lewis, Julian Edelman, Victor Cruz, Larry Donnell, Cody Parkey, Leveon Bell, Shaun Suisham, Keenan Allen, Branden Oliver, Colin Kaepernick, Reggie Bush, Carlos Hyde, Stedman Bailey and Jimmy Graham.
Instead of a MOTW this week, I'll do some high level predictions and start mot-dubbing when the semi-finals roll around.
Winner: Alex Park
After securing a first round bye, I believe he's in the best position to win the league. He's been rather lucky with injuries and has a solid team from QB down to TE. He should have Gronk back by next week so his questionable status this week will not matter for Alex.
Dark Horse: Dan Park
With a team that can drop 120+ on any given week, Dan will be sure to put up a fight in the playoffs. Dan's track record to getting into the dance has always been good but he has yet to win. With an explosive WR corp and arguably the best healthy TE, Dan looks to be in a great position to reel off 3 straight if Lacy and Wilson don't hold his team back.
Winner of the Consolation Bracket: Paul
While he wasn't able to make the playoffs, the backfield of AP and Gurley is as imposing as ever, even if Gurley has turned out to be human. With Cam's soft schedule allowing him to pencil in 30+ points a week, I can see Paul cruising towards...
A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD!
Yes, as the commish, I will be giving a $25 gift card to the consolation bracket winner. This does not come out of the pool for the championship bracket but gives incentive for people in the lower tier to fight until the end.
Prediction of who was the best predictor of the year: Simon Kim
Only 4 people played. Only 2 people REALLY played. And I think Jung forgot 2 weeks. So I win by default? Unless Jung can pull off a massive upset in the playoffs, I will win by default. Yay for default.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
So we'll start with some quick shout-outs:
- Congrats to Jon Lee for breaking his playoff slump. All that belief in your team carried you in. Or Jamaal Charles just gave you enough of a cushion for you to slink by.
- Congrats to a great rookie class for nabbing the 1 and 3 seeds in their first year. We have a great chance at having another rookie repeat Daniel's feat by winning the ship their first year.
- Sorry to teams that had great players emerge, acquired players, or returned from injury too late. Deepest sympathies to Paul (Gurley, Cam, Matthews), Cho (Roeth, Dez), and Eric (Romo)
- Sorry to teams that had complete flops. Sympathies to DY (Manning, Demaryius, Hill), Cho (Murray), Mike (Andre), Eric (Marshawn, Cobb, Cooks), and David K (CJ, Graham)
- Sorry to Mike for not drafting a RB. Actually, sorry is the wrong word. I appreciate the risk you took but will probably have learned your lesson after missing out on the playoffs.
- Sorry to David K for missing the playoffs again. You'll get there one day, young blood.
- And worst of all, sorry to all the teams that suffered season ending injuries. The number was just ridiculously high this year. This includes players who had Chris Johnson, Leonard Hankerson, Dennis Pitta, Forsett, Flacco, Steve Smith, Percy Harvin, Arian Foster, Jamaal Charles, Dion Lewis, Julian Edelman, Victor Cruz, Larry Donnell, Cody Parkey, Leveon Bell, Shaun Suisham, Keenan Allen, Branden Oliver, Colin Kaepernick, Reggie Bush, Carlos Hyde, Stedman Bailey and Jimmy Graham.
Instead of a MOTW this week, I'll do some high level predictions and start mot-dubbing when the semi-finals roll around.
Winner: Alex Park
After securing a first round bye, I believe he's in the best position to win the league. He's been rather lucky with injuries and has a solid team from QB down to TE. He should have Gronk back by next week so his questionable status this week will not matter for Alex.
Dark Horse: Dan Park
With a team that can drop 120+ on any given week, Dan will be sure to put up a fight in the playoffs. Dan's track record to getting into the dance has always been good but he has yet to win. With an explosive WR corp and arguably the best healthy TE, Dan looks to be in a great position to reel off 3 straight if Lacy and Wilson don't hold his team back.
Winner of the Consolation Bracket: Paul
While he wasn't able to make the playoffs, the backfield of AP and Gurley is as imposing as ever, even if Gurley has turned out to be human. With Cam's soft schedule allowing him to pencil in 30+ points a week, I can see Paul cruising towards...
A $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD!
Yes, as the commish, I will be giving a $25 gift card to the consolation bracket winner. This does not come out of the pool for the championship bracket but gives incentive for people in the lower tier to fight until the end.
Prediction of who was the best predictor of the year: Simon Kim
Only 4 people played. Only 2 people REALLY played. And I think Jung forgot 2 weeks. So I win by default? Unless Jung can pull off a massive upset in the playoffs, I will win by default. Yay for default.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Week 13 - MOTW
All,
I am so sorry about the lack of posts lately. Due to the heavy client workload, I have not been able to keep up with the blog. But I just got enough spare time this week to post one of the biggest MOTW's of the season to date.
Quick season recap:
- The top 5 are in. Although it says I am not in, there's no way both Dan and David K. can win so at worst, I will be 6th place.
- The bottom 5 are out. Even if Mike wins, there is no way for both Dan and David K. can lose so one of them will capture a playoff spot.
- Alex has clinched a first round bye. Both Jung and Biggie cannot win so Alex cannot drop out of the top two.
- There are 3 huge matchups this week: 2 vs. 3, 4 vs. 5, 6 vs. 7.
4 vs. 5 is Jon vs. Simon. While intriguing, the most likely scenario is that this just becomes a first round playoff preview and they play again next week when it actually matters.
2 vs. 3 is Biggie vs.Jung. A little more intriguing than the first, but one of them will capture a first round bye and the other doesn't. While big stakes, they are both in the playoffs for sure. So we move on to the real MOTW...
MOTW
6. Quabity Assuance (Dan) vs. 7. Switch Hitters (David K.)
These two are battling for a playoff spot. Dan has a slight advantage because if they tie, he will win on points for. However, David's story has been quite remarkable. He's won 3 in a row to climb from 3-6 to .500 with a chance to sneak into his first playoff berth. I counted him as dead a few weeks back but he's come on with a vengeance.
QB: Both QBs have had great games and poor games and they each face tough pass defenses. I have to give a slight edge to Manning as he has more opportunities to throw and he has OBJ as a weapon that nobody on the Seahawks can match, especially with Jimmy out. Edge: David
WR: Dan's WRs are boom or bust. And looking at the matchups, he's got a very high chance at a boom week. Meanwhile, LaFell should have a bigger role with 75% of the Patriots receiving corp out, but I don't think he can make up the deficit for David. Sanders hasn't looked as good with Brock (maybe he needs Misty) and while Landry has a good matchup, we're not sure if he'll take advantage. Edge: Dan
RB: Lacy has revived his fantasy season in the last 2 weeks with back to back 100 yard games and should be able to beat up the Lions in a revenge game. McCoy and Forte should be a wash with both having backups that are threatening to take away scores and touches. Rawls will be an X-factor against a team that can be susceptible to the run. In the end, I have to go with the surer duo of Lacy and McCoy. Edge: Dan
TE: Olsen has been one of the best TEs all season and he gets to take on a Saints defense that couldn't stop high school offense. Chandler will fill in admirably as a Gronk replacement but with defenses not having to cover as many options, he won't be as successful as people think. Edge: Dan
K/DEF: Cincy gets to take on a Browns team that just gave up 2 DEF TDs to a weak Ravens team. Meanwhile, Arizona gets to take on Case Keenum and give him another concussion. With the defenses both in lines for field days, it will come down to the kickers and I'll take McManus's boot over Myers, even though the last time they played the Titans, it became a kicking contest. Edge: David
Winner: Dan
Unfortunately, David is unable to crack the playoffs this year but has showed he can actually succeed in the future. Dan continues to make the playoffs and maybe this can finally be the year he can take the trophy home.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
I am so sorry about the lack of posts lately. Due to the heavy client workload, I have not been able to keep up with the blog. But I just got enough spare time this week to post one of the biggest MOTW's of the season to date.
Quick season recap:
- The top 5 are in. Although it says I am not in, there's no way both Dan and David K. can win so at worst, I will be 6th place.
- The bottom 5 are out. Even if Mike wins, there is no way for both Dan and David K. can lose so one of them will capture a playoff spot.
- Alex has clinched a first round bye. Both Jung and Biggie cannot win so Alex cannot drop out of the top two.
- There are 3 huge matchups this week: 2 vs. 3, 4 vs. 5, 6 vs. 7.
4 vs. 5 is Jon vs. Simon. While intriguing, the most likely scenario is that this just becomes a first round playoff preview and they play again next week when it actually matters.
2 vs. 3 is Biggie vs.Jung. A little more intriguing than the first, but one of them will capture a first round bye and the other doesn't. While big stakes, they are both in the playoffs for sure. So we move on to the real MOTW...
MOTW
6. Quabity Assuance (Dan) vs. 7. Switch Hitters (David K.)
These two are battling for a playoff spot. Dan has a slight advantage because if they tie, he will win on points for. However, David's story has been quite remarkable. He's won 3 in a row to climb from 3-6 to .500 with a chance to sneak into his first playoff berth. I counted him as dead a few weeks back but he's come on with a vengeance.
QB: Both QBs have had great games and poor games and they each face tough pass defenses. I have to give a slight edge to Manning as he has more opportunities to throw and he has OBJ as a weapon that nobody on the Seahawks can match, especially with Jimmy out. Edge: David
WR: Dan's WRs are boom or bust. And looking at the matchups, he's got a very high chance at a boom week. Meanwhile, LaFell should have a bigger role with 75% of the Patriots receiving corp out, but I don't think he can make up the deficit for David. Sanders hasn't looked as good with Brock (maybe he needs Misty) and while Landry has a good matchup, we're not sure if he'll take advantage. Edge: Dan
RB: Lacy has revived his fantasy season in the last 2 weeks with back to back 100 yard games and should be able to beat up the Lions in a revenge game. McCoy and Forte should be a wash with both having backups that are threatening to take away scores and touches. Rawls will be an X-factor against a team that can be susceptible to the run. In the end, I have to go with the surer duo of Lacy and McCoy. Edge: Dan
TE: Olsen has been one of the best TEs all season and he gets to take on a Saints defense that couldn't stop high school offense. Chandler will fill in admirably as a Gronk replacement but with defenses not having to cover as many options, he won't be as successful as people think. Edge: Dan
K/DEF: Cincy gets to take on a Browns team that just gave up 2 DEF TDs to a weak Ravens team. Meanwhile, Arizona gets to take on Case Keenum and give him another concussion. With the defenses both in lines for field days, it will come down to the kickers and I'll take McManus's boot over Myers, even though the last time they played the Titans, it became a kicking contest. Edge: David
Winner: Dan
Unfortunately, David is unable to crack the playoffs this year but has showed he can actually succeed in the future. Dan continues to make the playoffs and maybe this can finally be the year he can take the trophy home.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Friday, November 13, 2015
Sorry...
Just wanted to start off by apologizing for not being able to update the MOTW for 3 straight weeks. So instead of a standard MOTW, let's do a deeper analysis on the remaining 4 weeks of the regular season with "Which way is the arrow pointing?" We'll start with the team in last place:
12. Gronkey Kong (David Y.)
Arrow? Down
How can somebody's arrow be down if he's already in last place? Unfortunately for David, his team has not only underperformed for the season, he hasn't picked up any players that can change the trajectory of his team. while he's only 2 games and points away from a playoff spot, it's a tough climb for a team without a player with broad shoulders to carry the team.
11. Jacked Up! (Cho)
Arrow? Slightly Up
With Dez back and Romo due back soon, Dez could start on a rampage during the final four weeks to carry Cho into the playoffs. And although it was disappointing that Ben got hurt again, it looks as though it wasn't as serious as it first looked. With 3 running backs who can live at the goal line, you can't count Cho out yet.
10. Odell Naw (Eric)
Arrow? Slightly Up
While his season hasn't been great so far, he's only a game and points out of the playoffs with games against David, Dan, and Mike left. If he can run the table, there's nothing that's going to prevent him from making the playoffs. Although he had some early healthy problems, Lynch is now healthy and Watson has actually become a favorite target of Brees. Don't sleep on last year's champion.
9. Switch Hitters (David K.)
Arrow? Slightly Down
The most damning evidence for David's team being poor comes from an experience I had with his team. I was looking to trade for some pieces after Bell and Allen went down (R.I.P.) and I was going through every team. Every team had a player that I was interested in or I thought had potential to break out. Except one. And that was David's team. Good luck on the rest of your season. Woodhead can't save you.
8. Ben There Raped That (Paul)
Arrow? Up
That trade to get Cam may just have pushed Paul into the playoffs. With a REALLY friendly latter half slate of teams (Was, Dal, NO, Atl x 2, NYG), Cam should post 20+ every week with a high ceiling for more. And although his WRs are a little iffy, AP and Gurley's legs should be enough to frighten any opponent.
7. Quabity Assuance (Dan)
Arrow? I honestly don't know
I tried to rate Dan's team 4 times, flip-flopping between up and down until I decided on the very scientific direction of "I honestly don't know." On one hand, he's got some huge playmakers in Jeffery, Edelman, McCoy, Lacy, and Bryant, but on the other hand he's got injury-prone and inconsistent players in Jeffery, Edelman, McCoy, Lacy, and Bryant. See what I mean?
6. Just Forsett In (Mike)
Arrow? Slightly Down
The threat of Matt Ryan and Julio isn't as big as we thought before the season. AJ has looked human and Dion Lewis just went down with an injury, leaving Mike's backfield thin again. Crabtree and Diggs have been nice finds but he needs more help at the RB position to keep his playoff spot. I don't like his heavy reliance on a plethora of receivers.
5. Gotta Catch Jamaal (Jon)
Arrow? Down
Hopkins can only carry this team for so long. Miller has had one big game and Starks is in a time share with Lacy. He's still lacking a 3rd WR and Carson has a few dates with tough defenses (Sea, Cin, STL, Min). He's held on admirably and he has a small cushion in the win column at the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was on the outside looking in come December.
3. White Welker (Jung)
Arrow? Steady
Every time I doubt this team, they find a way to win. Hurns has been a ridiculously consistent WR3, Stewart has benefited this season being the lone back in Carolina, and Charcandrick West has done his best Jamaal Charles impression since the lead back went down. Brees seems to be linking up with is receivers as the season goes on and that might be enough to keep Jung in the playoff hunt.
2. Alex's Optimal Team (Alex)
Arrow? Steady
There's no way that Brady and Gronk can match their first half, right? While their schedule never really gets that difficult, they will be facing a few teams that could slow them down (Buf, Den, NYJ). To counter-act their potential decrease in production, He's traded Cam and DeAngelo for Marshall and Hilton, making his receiving corp more than formidable. Top to bottom, this may be the most complete team in the league.
1. Muscle Hamsters (Biggie)
Arrow? Up
By stealing DeAngelo, Biggie may have shored up his biggest weakness. If I had to nitpick at something, it would be the lack of a WR3, but I think DeAngelo and Devonta will be sufficient in carrying this team to the championship.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
12. Gronkey Kong (David Y.)
Arrow? Down
How can somebody's arrow be down if he's already in last place? Unfortunately for David, his team has not only underperformed for the season, he hasn't picked up any players that can change the trajectory of his team. while he's only 2 games and points away from a playoff spot, it's a tough climb for a team without a player with broad shoulders to carry the team.
11. Jacked Up! (Cho)
Arrow? Slightly Up
With Dez back and Romo due back soon, Dez could start on a rampage during the final four weeks to carry Cho into the playoffs. And although it was disappointing that Ben got hurt again, it looks as though it wasn't as serious as it first looked. With 3 running backs who can live at the goal line, you can't count Cho out yet.
10. Odell Naw (Eric)
Arrow? Slightly Up
While his season hasn't been great so far, he's only a game and points out of the playoffs with games against David, Dan, and Mike left. If he can run the table, there's nothing that's going to prevent him from making the playoffs. Although he had some early healthy problems, Lynch is now healthy and Watson has actually become a favorite target of Brees. Don't sleep on last year's champion.
9. Switch Hitters (David K.)
Arrow? Slightly Down
The most damning evidence for David's team being poor comes from an experience I had with his team. I was looking to trade for some pieces after Bell and Allen went down (R.I.P.) and I was going through every team. Every team had a player that I was interested in or I thought had potential to break out. Except one. And that was David's team. Good luck on the rest of your season. Woodhead can't save you.
8. Ben There Raped That (Paul)
Arrow? Up
That trade to get Cam may just have pushed Paul into the playoffs. With a REALLY friendly latter half slate of teams (Was, Dal, NO, Atl x 2, NYG), Cam should post 20+ every week with a high ceiling for more. And although his WRs are a little iffy, AP and Gurley's legs should be enough to frighten any opponent.
7. Quabity Assuance (Dan)
Arrow? I honestly don't know
I tried to rate Dan's team 4 times, flip-flopping between up and down until I decided on the very scientific direction of "I honestly don't know." On one hand, he's got some huge playmakers in Jeffery, Edelman, McCoy, Lacy, and Bryant, but on the other hand he's got injury-prone and inconsistent players in Jeffery, Edelman, McCoy, Lacy, and Bryant. See what I mean?
6. Just Forsett In (Mike)
Arrow? Slightly Down
The threat of Matt Ryan and Julio isn't as big as we thought before the season. AJ has looked human and Dion Lewis just went down with an injury, leaving Mike's backfield thin again. Crabtree and Diggs have been nice finds but he needs more help at the RB position to keep his playoff spot. I don't like his heavy reliance on a plethora of receivers.
5. Gotta Catch Jamaal (Jon)
Arrow? Down
Hopkins can only carry this team for so long. Miller has had one big game and Starks is in a time share with Lacy. He's still lacking a 3rd WR and Carson has a few dates with tough defenses (Sea, Cin, STL, Min). He's held on admirably and he has a small cushion in the win column at the moment, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was on the outside looking in come December.
3. White Welker (Jung)
Arrow? Steady
Every time I doubt this team, they find a way to win. Hurns has been a ridiculously consistent WR3, Stewart has benefited this season being the lone back in Carolina, and Charcandrick West has done his best Jamaal Charles impression since the lead back went down. Brees seems to be linking up with is receivers as the season goes on and that might be enough to keep Jung in the playoff hunt.
2. Alex's Optimal Team (Alex)
Arrow? Steady
There's no way that Brady and Gronk can match their first half, right? While their schedule never really gets that difficult, they will be facing a few teams that could slow them down (Buf, Den, NYJ). To counter-act their potential decrease in production, He's traded Cam and DeAngelo for Marshall and Hilton, making his receiving corp more than formidable. Top to bottom, this may be the most complete team in the league.
1. Muscle Hamsters (Biggie)
Arrow? Up
By stealing DeAngelo, Biggie may have shored up his biggest weakness. If I had to nitpick at something, it would be the lack of a WR3, but I think DeAngelo and Devonta will be sufficient in carrying this team to the championship.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Thursday, October 22, 2015
MOTW - Week 7
Sorry about missing last week. Just got too busy with travel, work, and school.
But I do appreciate the fact that when I miss a MOTW, people tell me. Meaning that people are still checking this site.
MOTW
2. legohead (Biggie) vs. 3. alex's Optimal Team (Alex)
In a big week for most teams due to the byes, both of these teams have their optimal lineups active this week. Who knew that the 2 newbies would be so dominant this early in the season? They currently sit at 3 and 5 for the season and are a combined 9-3. Biggie, one of the old guards (BTW, with Nelson dropping out, the league is almost evenly split between old and new players), looks to put Alex in his place.
QB: While there's no way that I'm going to say that Luck is better than Brady this season, the matchups make this closer than it appears at first glance. Luck plays a horrendous Saints secondary at home and seems to be clicking with his receivers more as they get more reps together. He will have had another week to heal so the overthrows of last week should be a thing of the past. Meanwhile, Brady takes on a Jets defense that has Revis shutting down top options and a fierce pass rush that will make Brady uncomfortable. Edge: Even
WR: Whether Big Ben returns or not could determine who wins this matchup battle but we'll be optimistic and say he's expected to return. If he does, Antonio Brown is due for an EFF YOU game, where he catches 150+ yards and 2+ TDs just to remind the league why he's a first round fantasy pick. All the other receivers could end up being overlooked due to Brown's overdue performance. Edge: Biggie
RB: Devonta will slow down eventually. The only problem is, it won't be this week. While the Titans have been a top 10 defense based on DVOA, there are just too many weapons in Atlanta for them to stop. Add the fact that Forsett goes against a staunch Arizona defense and Gordon gets a mediocre Raiders defense and it looks like Biggie's win. Edge: Biggie
TE: While Gates has been great in his return, there's nobody in Gronk's stratosphere at the moment. Edge: Alex
K/DEF: The Seattle defense has had a habit of handing games away late but there's no chance this week. While they aren't impenetrable on the road, they should clamp down against this horrendous 49ers offense. And while the Giants get another decent matchup in the Cowboys sans Romo+Dez, they won't be able to equal Seattle's output. Edge: Biggie
Winner: Biggie
His team is clicking on all cylinders and he'll look to climb to the top of the table after this week. Alex's team will be unfortunate to lose this week but it isn't unexpected as he faces 4 of the current top 5 teams in the next 5 weeks.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
But I do appreciate the fact that when I miss a MOTW, people tell me. Meaning that people are still checking this site.
MOTW
2. legohead (Biggie) vs. 3. alex's Optimal Team (Alex)
In a big week for most teams due to the byes, both of these teams have their optimal lineups active this week. Who knew that the 2 newbies would be so dominant this early in the season? They currently sit at 3 and 5 for the season and are a combined 9-3. Biggie, one of the old guards (BTW, with Nelson dropping out, the league is almost evenly split between old and new players), looks to put Alex in his place.
QB: While there's no way that I'm going to say that Luck is better than Brady this season, the matchups make this closer than it appears at first glance. Luck plays a horrendous Saints secondary at home and seems to be clicking with his receivers more as they get more reps together. He will have had another week to heal so the overthrows of last week should be a thing of the past. Meanwhile, Brady takes on a Jets defense that has Revis shutting down top options and a fierce pass rush that will make Brady uncomfortable. Edge: Even
WR: Whether Big Ben returns or not could determine who wins this matchup battle but we'll be optimistic and say he's expected to return. If he does, Antonio Brown is due for an EFF YOU game, where he catches 150+ yards and 2+ TDs just to remind the league why he's a first round fantasy pick. All the other receivers could end up being overlooked due to Brown's overdue performance. Edge: Biggie
RB: Devonta will slow down eventually. The only problem is, it won't be this week. While the Titans have been a top 10 defense based on DVOA, there are just too many weapons in Atlanta for them to stop. Add the fact that Forsett goes against a staunch Arizona defense and Gordon gets a mediocre Raiders defense and it looks like Biggie's win. Edge: Biggie
TE: While Gates has been great in his return, there's nobody in Gronk's stratosphere at the moment. Edge: Alex
K/DEF: The Seattle defense has had a habit of handing games away late but there's no chance this week. While they aren't impenetrable on the road, they should clamp down against this horrendous 49ers offense. And while the Giants get another decent matchup in the Cowboys sans Romo+Dez, they won't be able to equal Seattle's output. Edge: Biggie
Winner: Biggie
His team is clicking on all cylinders and he'll look to climb to the top of the table after this week. Alex's team will be unfortunate to lose this week but it isn't unexpected as he faces 4 of the current top 5 teams in the next 5 weeks.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Wheat from Chaff
Instead of a MOTW this week, we'll take a look at the state of the league a third of the way into the fantasy season. We'll put teams into tiers based on their likelihood of making the playoffs/championship. The list goes from worst to best, starting with:
Start researching for 2016
9. Gronkey Kong (David Y.)
His two running backs are too erratic to carry this team consistently. Hyde has been more Jekyll and Hill is in a firm time-share based on "game-flow" (a way of saying whoever seems to be doing better in a given game) with Gio. Meanwhile, Manning's arm looks like it has no zip anymore and Demaryius stands to lose the most due to the absence of power in his arm. While Moncrief has been a nice find, just too many holes in this team to be a legitimate contender.
12. Odell Naw (Eric)
Averaging less than 80 points a week is not a great way to compete for the championship. He's also never had a week over 100 points. While he was unfortunate to lose Romo and have nagging injuries affect Lynch, he's had a hard time choosing the right players to play. While it may be a mistake to put him in this group this early in the season, I'm relegating him to the group waiting for next year.
11. Ben There Raped That (Paul)
How this team beat Mike's team I'll never know. His top 2 WRs have not lived up to their billing (although his later picks and pickups of James Jones, Steve Smith, and Brandon Marshall have been paying off quite nicely. Although, this may lead to analysis paralysis which inevitably leads to Paul picking the wrong WR to play each week) and while AP is entrenched in one RB role, he's paying the price for drafting Alfred Morris. Maybe Joe Flacco can right the ship that Bradford was determined to sink but I say it's already too late for this team.
They could sneak in and make a run if....
10. Jacked Up (Cho)
...he can survive while their injured players return.
Talk about inheriting the curse of Nelson. Dez, Ben, Adams, Coleman, and Murray have all dealt with or are still dealing with injuries. The good news is, it looks like Dez and Ben could come back by week 8, leaving Cho enough time to push for the playoffs IF he can survive the weeks up to that point. He'll need to be around 3-5 at the worst to have a legitimate chance, but going 2-2 is possible if his matchups and bye weeks break the right way.
8. Switch Hitters (David K.)
...he can get a true franchise piece.
David actually did a solid job in the draft this year. Not too much reaching and although he foolishly took Graham, his team has had some close losses so far that he can chalk up to bad luck. But when you look at his roster, he's missing that one player that makes you afraid to play him. Forte is about the closest he has but Graham, Manning, Sanders, and CJ Anderson aren't striking fear into anybody's hearts. His team isn't terrible but until he can get that one extra piece, either through a player's development or a trade, he'll be watching everyone else in the playoffs.
6. White Welker (Jung)
...he finds more consistent players, especially at RB.
The team that was probably closest to an auto-draft team and the only team at 2-2 has been on both sides of the spectrum in terms of points. One week he'll score almost 120, then he'll drop below 60. There are definitely some big playmakers on this team with OBJ, Megatron, and Brees all able to put up monster games at any given moment. Witten is a sure 8 points a week and Bernard is the lotto ticket you're hoping gets the chance to pay off. But his bench depth is weak and while these boom or bust players can have you celebrate big wins, they can fail you at the most important times as well. He may want to trade some hot assets for more consistency.
7. Quabity Assuance (Dan)
...he trades a TE for an upgrade at WR.
Hoarding players at a specific position is great but you need to be able to use that to your advantage. While he could use another RB as I don't trust McCoy for the entire season, he could definitely use an upgrade at WR. Edelman has been over-performing and I don't trust the Bears at all this season. If he can upgrade either the WR or RB position, he could be primed to make the playoffs yet again and scare a favorite.
I would put them in the next tier if only they had a....
5. Just Forsett In (Mike)
...Tight End.
Before the season, I thought Mike's biggest weakness would be RB but between Dion's emergence as the lead back in that backfield, Arian's earlier than expected return, and Abdullah's bigger role due to injuries, Mike's backfield looks solid enough not to be a complete liability. However, his TE position has been weak all season. He's looking to a 30 year old veteran that nobody has heard of to be his savior. Could it work out? Yes. If it doesn't though, it's tough to beat another team 9 on 8.
1. alex's Optimal Team (Alex)
...WR or RB that could be the third cornerstone.
The only undefeated team has two rock solid pieces at QB and TE. Arguably the best at each of those positions, his only worry is in bolstering his skill positions. Forsett has only had one good game where he accumulated half of his season's points. Murray has been better than expected but as we saw last week, he's prone to fumbling and missing easy catches. His wide receivers are so inconsistent that it's hard to pick the three that are going to perform well on any given week. I don't know how he's going to get a 3rd reliable player but it would go a long way in securing his championship hopes.
Man, they look good. But if I'm nitpicking, they could still use a....
3. legohead (Biggie)
...consistent TE.
With Devonta's explosion (does Coleman still have the starting job when he returns?), Randle playing well behind that amazing Dallas line, Rivers making up for Luck's lack of performance, and Antonio Brown, Biggie has a team that is playing well at the moment AND could improve. Imagine if Luck regains last year's form (which will affect Hilton as well), Yeldon and the Jaguars take a step forward, Brown gets Ben back, and Seattle's defense with Kam pick up where they left off last year. That's not a team I want to play in the playoffs. But similar to Mike's team, Biggie needs a TE, evidenced by him carrying THREE on his roster. What separates Biggie from Mike is that his TEs have a better chance of being real players than Mike's. Let's hope Gates isn't the answer for Biggie's team.
4. Gotta Catch Jamaal (Jon)
...RB2 or WR3.
Arguably the best team Jon has put together, this team is brimming with firepower from so many positions. Palmer leads the suddenly explosive Cardinals offense. Cooper and Hopkins, young WRs, are emerging as two of the best in the league in offenses that have to throw a lot to make up for being behind. Charles is arguably the most consistent RB in the league. Kelce and Reed are two of the top 10 TEs and he can play them based on their matchups. With a team like this, a RB2 or WR3 is just icing on the cake but he could definitely use one. Lamar Miller has been terrible, along with the rest of the Dolphins, Agholor can't get involved in the offense in Philly, and Boldin is just as frustrated as Jon is (as evidenced by his outburst on the sidelines against the Packers). If he finds that final piece, I don't see what can stop Jon from making a run to the finals.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Start researching for 2016
9. Gronkey Kong (David Y.)
His two running backs are too erratic to carry this team consistently. Hyde has been more Jekyll and Hill is in a firm time-share based on "game-flow" (a way of saying whoever seems to be doing better in a given game) with Gio. Meanwhile, Manning's arm looks like it has no zip anymore and Demaryius stands to lose the most due to the absence of power in his arm. While Moncrief has been a nice find, just too many holes in this team to be a legitimate contender.
12. Odell Naw (Eric)
Averaging less than 80 points a week is not a great way to compete for the championship. He's also never had a week over 100 points. While he was unfortunate to lose Romo and have nagging injuries affect Lynch, he's had a hard time choosing the right players to play. While it may be a mistake to put him in this group this early in the season, I'm relegating him to the group waiting for next year.
11. Ben There Raped That (Paul)
How this team beat Mike's team I'll never know. His top 2 WRs have not lived up to their billing (although his later picks and pickups of James Jones, Steve Smith, and Brandon Marshall have been paying off quite nicely. Although, this may lead to analysis paralysis which inevitably leads to Paul picking the wrong WR to play each week) and while AP is entrenched in one RB role, he's paying the price for drafting Alfred Morris. Maybe Joe Flacco can right the ship that Bradford was determined to sink but I say it's already too late for this team.
They could sneak in and make a run if....
10. Jacked Up (Cho)
...he can survive while their injured players return.
Talk about inheriting the curse of Nelson. Dez, Ben, Adams, Coleman, and Murray have all dealt with or are still dealing with injuries. The good news is, it looks like Dez and Ben could come back by week 8, leaving Cho enough time to push for the playoffs IF he can survive the weeks up to that point. He'll need to be around 3-5 at the worst to have a legitimate chance, but going 2-2 is possible if his matchups and bye weeks break the right way.
8. Switch Hitters (David K.)
...he can get a true franchise piece.
David actually did a solid job in the draft this year. Not too much reaching and although he foolishly took Graham, his team has had some close losses so far that he can chalk up to bad luck. But when you look at his roster, he's missing that one player that makes you afraid to play him. Forte is about the closest he has but Graham, Manning, Sanders, and CJ Anderson aren't striking fear into anybody's hearts. His team isn't terrible but until he can get that one extra piece, either through a player's development or a trade, he'll be watching everyone else in the playoffs.
6. White Welker (Jung)
...he finds more consistent players, especially at RB.
The team that was probably closest to an auto-draft team and the only team at 2-2 has been on both sides of the spectrum in terms of points. One week he'll score almost 120, then he'll drop below 60. There are definitely some big playmakers on this team with OBJ, Megatron, and Brees all able to put up monster games at any given moment. Witten is a sure 8 points a week and Bernard is the lotto ticket you're hoping gets the chance to pay off. But his bench depth is weak and while these boom or bust players can have you celebrate big wins, they can fail you at the most important times as well. He may want to trade some hot assets for more consistency.
7. Quabity Assuance (Dan)
...he trades a TE for an upgrade at WR.
Hoarding players at a specific position is great but you need to be able to use that to your advantage. While he could use another RB as I don't trust McCoy for the entire season, he could definitely use an upgrade at WR. Edelman has been over-performing and I don't trust the Bears at all this season. If he can upgrade either the WR or RB position, he could be primed to make the playoffs yet again and scare a favorite.
I would put them in the next tier if only they had a....
5. Just Forsett In (Mike)
...Tight End.
Before the season, I thought Mike's biggest weakness would be RB but between Dion's emergence as the lead back in that backfield, Arian's earlier than expected return, and Abdullah's bigger role due to injuries, Mike's backfield looks solid enough not to be a complete liability. However, his TE position has been weak all season. He's looking to a 30 year old veteran that nobody has heard of to be his savior. Could it work out? Yes. If it doesn't though, it's tough to beat another team 9 on 8.
1. alex's Optimal Team (Alex)
...WR or RB that could be the third cornerstone.
The only undefeated team has two rock solid pieces at QB and TE. Arguably the best at each of those positions, his only worry is in bolstering his skill positions. Forsett has only had one good game where he accumulated half of his season's points. Murray has been better than expected but as we saw last week, he's prone to fumbling and missing easy catches. His wide receivers are so inconsistent that it's hard to pick the three that are going to perform well on any given week. I don't know how he's going to get a 3rd reliable player but it would go a long way in securing his championship hopes.
Man, they look good. But if I'm nitpicking, they could still use a....
3. legohead (Biggie)
...consistent TE.
With Devonta's explosion (does Coleman still have the starting job when he returns?), Randle playing well behind that amazing Dallas line, Rivers making up for Luck's lack of performance, and Antonio Brown, Biggie has a team that is playing well at the moment AND could improve. Imagine if Luck regains last year's form (which will affect Hilton as well), Yeldon and the Jaguars take a step forward, Brown gets Ben back, and Seattle's defense with Kam pick up where they left off last year. That's not a team I want to play in the playoffs. But similar to Mike's team, Biggie needs a TE, evidenced by him carrying THREE on his roster. What separates Biggie from Mike is that his TEs have a better chance of being real players than Mike's. Let's hope Gates isn't the answer for Biggie's team.
4. Gotta Catch Jamaal (Jon)
...RB2 or WR3.
Arguably the best team Jon has put together, this team is brimming with firepower from so many positions. Palmer leads the suddenly explosive Cardinals offense. Cooper and Hopkins, young WRs, are emerging as two of the best in the league in offenses that have to throw a lot to make up for being behind. Charles is arguably the most consistent RB in the league. Kelce and Reed are two of the top 10 TEs and he can play them based on their matchups. With a team like this, a RB2 or WR3 is just icing on the cake but he could definitely use one. Lamar Miller has been terrible, along with the rest of the Dolphins, Agholor can't get involved in the offense in Philly, and Boldin is just as frustrated as Jon is (as evidenced by his outburst on the sidelines against the Packers). If he finds that final piece, I don't see what can stop Jon from making a run to the finals.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Friday, October 2, 2015
MOTW - Week 4
Apologies for not getting a MOTW in before the Thursday night game. I was swamped with work and didn't get a chance to write one before the game began.
The one good outcome is that the football gods have chosen the MOTW for this week by leaving me with only one matchup that was unaffected by the Thursday night game. So without further ado:
MOTW
4. Just Forsett In (Mike) vs. 7. Switch Hitters (David K.)
QB: All Matty Ice has to do is throw it to #11. Against a Texans D that could be the worst in the league if it wasn't for Watt at home in the dome, expect a 30+ point game for Ryan. Eli has to face a tough Rex Ryan defense in Buffalo. Edge: Mike
WR: Julio and AJ showed why they both deserved to be taken in the first round this season. The fact that they ended up on the same fantasy team is just ridiculous. On top of that, he has Crabtree, who faces a Chicago defense that may just be the worst in the league. David's WRs have some tough matchups this week. Sanders has to face an underrated Vikings secondary, Tate may be sacrificed to Sherman, and Landry could be shadowed by Revis. Edge: Mike
RB: Could this be the week Foster makes his comeback? And even if he does, is he good enough to turn around the tire fire that is the Texans offense? Abdullah will have a tough day against the Seattle front 7. Meanwhile, Forte faces an underwhelming Oakland defense, and Matt Jones looks to tighten his grip on the starting back job for the Redskins. Edge: David K.
TE: The two TEs face each other on Monday night and I have to give this one to Graham for a few reasons. First, talent. Second, defensive matchup. Edge: David K.
K/DEF: Crosby should put up a lot of points as Green Bay should score at will against the 49ers. But Carolina's defense could be in for a big day against TB and their low scoring, turnover prone ways. The edge will go to David because Kirk Cousins is no ace with the ball himself. Edge: David K.
Winner: Just Forsett In (Mike)
While he may lose more of the position battles, the ones he wins will have dominant margins of victories. Julio and AJ might be enough to take on 4-5 players on David's team.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
The one good outcome is that the football gods have chosen the MOTW for this week by leaving me with only one matchup that was unaffected by the Thursday night game. So without further ado:
MOTW
4. Just Forsett In (Mike) vs. 7. Switch Hitters (David K.)
QB: All Matty Ice has to do is throw it to #11. Against a Texans D that could be the worst in the league if it wasn't for Watt at home in the dome, expect a 30+ point game for Ryan. Eli has to face a tough Rex Ryan defense in Buffalo. Edge: Mike
WR: Julio and AJ showed why they both deserved to be taken in the first round this season. The fact that they ended up on the same fantasy team is just ridiculous. On top of that, he has Crabtree, who faces a Chicago defense that may just be the worst in the league. David's WRs have some tough matchups this week. Sanders has to face an underrated Vikings secondary, Tate may be sacrificed to Sherman, and Landry could be shadowed by Revis. Edge: Mike
RB: Could this be the week Foster makes his comeback? And even if he does, is he good enough to turn around the tire fire that is the Texans offense? Abdullah will have a tough day against the Seattle front 7. Meanwhile, Forte faces an underwhelming Oakland defense, and Matt Jones looks to tighten his grip on the starting back job for the Redskins. Edge: David K.
TE: The two TEs face each other on Monday night and I have to give this one to Graham for a few reasons. First, talent. Second, defensive matchup. Edge: David K.
K/DEF: Crosby should put up a lot of points as Green Bay should score at will against the 49ers. But Carolina's defense could be in for a big day against TB and their low scoring, turnover prone ways. The edge will go to David because Kirk Cousins is no ace with the ball himself. Edge: David K.
Winner: Just Forsett In (Mike)
While he may lose more of the position battles, the ones he wins will have dominant margins of victories. Julio and AJ might be enough to take on 4-5 players on David's team.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Thursday, September 24, 2015
MOTW - Week 3
With 8 teams in the league at 1-1, this looks to be another year where it comes down to the wire. However, for two teams, the desperation starts now. Starting the season 0-2 in the NFL leaves you at a 12% chance to make the playoffs. While 0-2 doesn't eliminate you from the playoffs, another loss doesn't help your chances.
MOTW
11. Jacked Up! (Cho) vs. 12. Odell Naw (Eric)
Last year's champion finds him at the cellar after a sub-60 point week. He loses his starting QB in Romo and tries to rally his team to get their first win. Meanwhile, Cho has lost Dez, Romo's number one target, linking these two in quite a peculiar way.
QB: The rapist has been on fire lately. He's literally raping opposing defenses! Players on the Steelers offense have additional chances to gain points as they've completely foregone extra points and have decided to go for 2 on every TD. Even if they only complete 50% of their attempts, it's better than being on the sideline as the kicker tacks on the XP. Edge: Cho
WR: Green Bay and Minnesota's top 2 WRs are split between these two teams with each having a number 1 and number 2 option. However, if everything else is a wash, I like giving the edge to the team with the best individual talent and that has to go to Eric. Randall Cobb is by far in the best position to succeed with a top tier QB that likes to throw a lot. Edge: Eric
RB: None of these RBs have had a breakout game so far with nobody scoring more than 13 points in a week. However, I believe this will be Marshawn's first legitimate chance at 20+ points against a Bears defense that couldn't stop a college offense at this point. The Seahawks should go up big and Marshawn should get 25+ touches thanks to garbage time carries. Edge: Eric
TE: While Bennett had the potential to be a red zone monster, with Clausen at the helm, I don't see the Bears even getting out of their own red zone. Meanwhile, Crockett is at least in a functional offense that lacks receiving threats. Edge: Cho
K/DEF: Hauschka should be very busy due to playing the Bears, as previously mentioned. Neither defense has been playing great but Miami has more overall talent than the Texans. And as great as J.J. Watt is, he can't carry an entire defense. Edge: Even
Winner; Odell Naw (Eric)
Marshawn's monster game negates anything Big Ben does and the slight edge in the WR department is enough to get him the win. Between two teams trying to stay afloat while their stars come back, Cho gets the short end and tries to break his losing streak next week.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
MOTW
11. Jacked Up! (Cho) vs. 12. Odell Naw (Eric)
Last year's champion finds him at the cellar after a sub-60 point week. He loses his starting QB in Romo and tries to rally his team to get their first win. Meanwhile, Cho has lost Dez, Romo's number one target, linking these two in quite a peculiar way.
QB: The rapist has been on fire lately. He's literally raping opposing defenses! Players on the Steelers offense have additional chances to gain points as they've completely foregone extra points and have decided to go for 2 on every TD. Even if they only complete 50% of their attempts, it's better than being on the sideline as the kicker tacks on the XP. Edge: Cho
WR: Green Bay and Minnesota's top 2 WRs are split between these two teams with each having a number 1 and number 2 option. However, if everything else is a wash, I like giving the edge to the team with the best individual talent and that has to go to Eric. Randall Cobb is by far in the best position to succeed with a top tier QB that likes to throw a lot. Edge: Eric
RB: None of these RBs have had a breakout game so far with nobody scoring more than 13 points in a week. However, I believe this will be Marshawn's first legitimate chance at 20+ points against a Bears defense that couldn't stop a college offense at this point. The Seahawks should go up big and Marshawn should get 25+ touches thanks to garbage time carries. Edge: Eric
TE: While Bennett had the potential to be a red zone monster, with Clausen at the helm, I don't see the Bears even getting out of their own red zone. Meanwhile, Crockett is at least in a functional offense that lacks receiving threats. Edge: Cho
K/DEF: Hauschka should be very busy due to playing the Bears, as previously mentioned. Neither defense has been playing great but Miami has more overall talent than the Texans. And as great as J.J. Watt is, he can't carry an entire defense. Edge: Even
Winner; Odell Naw (Eric)
Marshawn's monster game negates anything Big Ben does and the slight edge in the WR department is enough to get him the win. Between two teams trying to stay afloat while their stars come back, Cho gets the short end and tries to break his losing streak next week.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Week 2
I'm not going to lie.. I didn't have time to write a MOTW because I was too busy scouring Facebook for the pictures used above. It was difficult as a few members of our league don't even have Facebook and others have only a handful of pictures on there.
Also, week 2 is kind of early to start determining which matchups are the most important. So instead, let's do some observations after week 1. The third ever rendition of quick hit:
- So far, Mike's WR-centric strategy seems to be paying off. Even though Andre had a bad debut with the Colts, Julio went off and Abdullah could sneak into the RB1 conversation in a weak year for RBs in general. We'll have to keep tabs on Arian Foster but Mike's sitting pretty right now.
- Speaking of a weak year for running backs, of the 12 running backs taken in the first 2 rounds, half of them weren't able to get double digit points in week 1. It's only one week but you'd expect your first 2 picks not to be busts. I predict a flurry of trades as teams try to solidify their backfield.
- Paul's team suffered the most from Philly's terrible offense on Monday night. With Bradford unable to complete throws past 10 yards, Matthews dropping a crucial pass and Parkey missing the game winning field goal, Paul ended up losing by a mere 6 points. Will Philly be more like the team in the first half that couldn't do anything? Or will Kelly's system produce a high-paced, high-scoring offense, as it did in the second half?
- The scariest part of the opener was seeing how potent Brady + Gronk could be. Pittsburgh defense isn't the same quality as it used to be, but there's no reason they shouldn't be able to shut down Gronk after 2 TDs. Although the rest of his team is nothing to be afraid of, could Brady and Gronk be enough to take Alex to the ship?
- I'll be the first one to say that this season seems like a huge crap shoot. So many young players over-performing expectations and a lot of older folks finally having their age catch up to them, which are you supposed to trust: the name or the production? Does one week of Sefarian-Jenkins outweigh the years of success Jimmy Graham has had? Obviously this is a slight exaggeration but the ability to identify outlying flukes versus sustainable performance will be more important this year than ever.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Also, week 2 is kind of early to start determining which matchups are the most important. So instead, let's do some observations after week 1. The third ever rendition of quick hit:
- So far, Mike's WR-centric strategy seems to be paying off. Even though Andre had a bad debut with the Colts, Julio went off and Abdullah could sneak into the RB1 conversation in a weak year for RBs in general. We'll have to keep tabs on Arian Foster but Mike's sitting pretty right now.
- Speaking of a weak year for running backs, of the 12 running backs taken in the first 2 rounds, half of them weren't able to get double digit points in week 1. It's only one week but you'd expect your first 2 picks not to be busts. I predict a flurry of trades as teams try to solidify their backfield.
- Paul's team suffered the most from Philly's terrible offense on Monday night. With Bradford unable to complete throws past 10 yards, Matthews dropping a crucial pass and Parkey missing the game winning field goal, Paul ended up losing by a mere 6 points. Will Philly be more like the team in the first half that couldn't do anything? Or will Kelly's system produce a high-paced, high-scoring offense, as it did in the second half?
- The scariest part of the opener was seeing how potent Brady + Gronk could be. Pittsburgh defense isn't the same quality as it used to be, but there's no reason they shouldn't be able to shut down Gronk after 2 TDs. Although the rest of his team is nothing to be afraid of, could Brady and Gronk be enough to take Alex to the ship?
- I'll be the first one to say that this season seems like a huge crap shoot. So many young players over-performing expectations and a lot of older folks finally having their age catch up to them, which are you supposed to trust: the name or the production? Does one week of Sefarian-Jenkins outweigh the years of success Jimmy Graham has had? Obviously this is a slight exaggeration but the ability to identify outlying flukes versus sustainable performance will be more important this year than ever.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Welcome to 2015!
Welcome back! That is a message to football/NFL, not all of you guys.
Anyways, I'd like to welcome our two newcomers: Jung Kim (White Welker) is actually returning from his retirement in 2010. We welcome him back and hope he's recovered from Michael Vick's 50+ point comeback on Monday night. Alex Park (alex's Optimal Team) is a true rookie who has never played fantasy football before. Hopefully beginner's luck will be with him and hopefully his creativity for team names improves as the years go by.
I know the banner is outdated now and I will update them with more recent pictures (except maybe Dan and David K. who don't exist in the social media world... and basically Paul too). Meanwhile, I'll try to do a quick recap of the draft as well as some predictions for this upcoming year.
Draft Analysis
So like most years I'll do a best pick, worst pick, and best sleeper pick (after round 6). But unlike most years, I won't be able to go into as much detail in the analysis as I'd like and most likely focus on what I think was the biggest decision for that team.
1. Ben There Raped That (Paul)
Best Pick: Mike Evans, 3rd round
Worst Pick: Alfred Morris, 4th round
Sleeper: James Jones, 13th round
With no Jordy around, James Jones could step in as the number 2 receiver for the Packers and cash in on a very high number of TDs.
2. Quabity Assuance (Dan)
Best Pick: Team name (great Creed quote), but for real, Eddie Lacy, 1st round
Worst Pick: Shady McCoy, 2nd round
Sleeper: Duke Johnson, 8th round
Will Shady be able to stay healthy? And do we have proof that RBs can succeed in Buffalo? Fred Jackson has been the best running back in Buffalo for a few years now and even he wasn't overly impressive.
4. Gotta Catch Jamaal (Jon)
Best Pick: Nelson Agholor, 6th round
Worst Pick: DeAndre Hopkins, 3rd round
Sleeper: Bishop Sankey, 11th round
Sankey was hyped up quite a bit last year before the season started and although he didn't perform well, he doesn't have much competition in the backfield this year. With Mariota producing a boost in the passing game, maybe we'll see what Sankey was supposed to be last year.
5. Odell Naw (Eric)
Best Pick: Doug Martin, 4th round
Worst Pick: Martellus Bennett, 5th round
Sleeper: Winston, 15th round
Doug Martin has apparently had a great pre-season and looks to bounce back from a down year last year. Behind a line that has enough talent to make him a top 12 back, we'll see if he can take advantage of defenses focusing on Jameis, Evans, and Jackson.
6. alex's Optimal Team (Alex)
Best Pick: Allen Robinson, 6th round
Worst Pick: Latavius Murray, 3rd round
Sleeper: Percy Harvin, 11th round
Did everyone forget that Percy is only 27 years old? He had unbelievable playmaking ability in Minnesota and who's to say that it can't be revived in Buffalo? It's worth taking a high-risk, incredible-reward player in the 11th round.
7. browns chicken (Biggie)
Best Pick: Antonio Brown, 1st round
Worst Pick: Joseph Randle, 5th round
Sleeper: Roddy White, 9th round
Randle has been talked up by Jerry Jones but even in his flashes last year, he never looked the part of a feature back. With DMC ready to steal the starting job from him, I wouldn't be surprised if Randle ends up being a 3rd down back by the end of the season.
8. Jacked Up! (Cho)
Best Pick: DeMarco Murray, 2nd round
Worst Pick: Julius Thomas, 11th round
Sleeper: Tevin Coleman, 8th round
DeMarco put up a season for the ages last year and he gets no respect this year. Although Dallas's offensive line is one of the best in the league, Philly's is no slouch either. In a higher tempo offense, he'll get more opportunities against weary defenses and should still be a top 10 back.
9. Switch Hitters (David K.)
Best Pick: Golden Tate, 5th round
Worst Pick: Jimmy Graham, 3rd round
Sleeper: Alfred Blue, 9th round
Although he hasn't been overly impressive in the games he's played, Blue has shown he's a capable rusher who can easily have a 1,000 yard season. If Arian can't come back healthy, Blue could find this is the year he can play for a larger contract.
10. Just Forsett In (Mike)
Best Pick: Andre Johnson, 3rd round
Worst Pick: CJ Spiller, 7th round
Sleeper: Owen Daniels, 9th round
Peyton has always loved his TEs and with Julius Thomas gone, this could be Owen Daniels's chance to shine. He's reconnected with his coach from Houston in Gary Kubiak and Peyton will definitely be looking his way when they're in the Red Zone.
11. White Welker (Jung)
Best Pick: Calvin Johnson, 2nd round
Worst Pick: Drew Brees, 3rd round
Sleeper: Tre Mason, 10th round
With Manning and Brady still available, Jung decided to take Drew Brees. Although Brees was great the last time Jung played fantasy, he's lost one of his biggest weapons and I can't see him meeting the expectations from the past.
12. Gronkey Kong (David Y.)
Best Pick: Peyton Manning, 4th round
Worst Pick: Andre Ellington, 6th round
Sleeper: Torrey Smith, 10th round
Although I do believe the 49ers are going to implode this year, if they don't Torrey could be in for a big year. With no more Crabtree or Stevie Johnson, his only competition for targets is an aging Boldin and an enigmatic Vernon Davis. Plus, of those three, he's the best deep threat the team has.
Season Predictions
Winner: Just Forsett In (Mike)
With 3 of what I believe will be the top 12 WRs in the league, Mike gets to destroy teams with three WR1s. If Arian can come back healthy in 4 weeks, Abdullah can use his flash to become a real threat for the Lions, and the Falcons offense regains its form from 2-3 years ago, I can't see anybody stopping Mike. Plus, he was so unlucky last year, the law of averages tells me he should be gifted with a little more luck this year.
Runner Up: Jacked Up! (Cho)
I was actually huge on Dez this year as I think he's going to have a monster season, especially with no DeMarco to steal the headlines. If DeMarco can succeed on his new team and the rapist puts up a monster fantasy season, this could be the year Cho gets a shot at the ship.
Dark Horse: alex's Optimal Team (Alex)
By passing on Brown and taking Gronk, Alex showed he wasn't afraid to take risks. And amongst the numerous QB-WR/TE pairings that happened to form in our league (Bradford-Matthews, Luck-TY, Ryan-Julio, Manning-Demaryius), I think Brady-Gronk has the potential to be the highest scoring duo, especially with Brady in "eff the world" mode.
Last Place?: White Welker (Jung)
This is a cruel gift to give someone who is just returning to the league but I think he just reached on a few picks that he didn't need. Also, I think he took some people who are either past their prime (Brees, Stewart, Witten) or big names who can't live up to their expectations (OBJ, Bernard, Watkins).
Week 1 starts tomorrow. Good luck to all!
(And Jung, David K., and Dan, don't forget to submit your pick'ems!)
Simon Kim
Anyways, I'd like to welcome our two newcomers: Jung Kim (White Welker) is actually returning from his retirement in 2010. We welcome him back and hope he's recovered from Michael Vick's 50+ point comeback on Monday night. Alex Park (alex's Optimal Team) is a true rookie who has never played fantasy football before. Hopefully beginner's luck will be with him and hopefully his creativity for team names improves as the years go by.
I know the banner is outdated now and I will update them with more recent pictures (except maybe Dan and David K. who don't exist in the social media world... and basically Paul too). Meanwhile, I'll try to do a quick recap of the draft as well as some predictions for this upcoming year.
Draft Analysis
So like most years I'll do a best pick, worst pick, and best sleeper pick (after round 6). But unlike most years, I won't be able to go into as much detail in the analysis as I'd like and most likely focus on what I think was the biggest decision for that team.
1. Ben There Raped That (Paul)
Best Pick: Mike Evans, 3rd round
Worst Pick: Alfred Morris, 4th round
Sleeper: James Jones, 13th round
With no Jordy around, James Jones could step in as the number 2 receiver for the Packers and cash in on a very high number of TDs.
2. Quabity Assuance (Dan)
Best Pick: Team name (great Creed quote), but for real, Eddie Lacy, 1st round
Worst Pick: Shady McCoy, 2nd round
Sleeper: Duke Johnson, 8th round
Will Shady be able to stay healthy? And do we have proof that RBs can succeed in Buffalo? Fred Jackson has been the best running back in Buffalo for a few years now and even he wasn't overly impressive.
4. Gotta Catch Jamaal (Jon)
Best Pick: Nelson Agholor, 6th round
Worst Pick: DeAndre Hopkins, 3rd round
Sleeper: Bishop Sankey, 11th round
Sankey was hyped up quite a bit last year before the season started and although he didn't perform well, he doesn't have much competition in the backfield this year. With Mariota producing a boost in the passing game, maybe we'll see what Sankey was supposed to be last year.
5. Odell Naw (Eric)
Best Pick: Doug Martin, 4th round
Worst Pick: Martellus Bennett, 5th round
Sleeper: Winston, 15th round
Doug Martin has apparently had a great pre-season and looks to bounce back from a down year last year. Behind a line that has enough talent to make him a top 12 back, we'll see if he can take advantage of defenses focusing on Jameis, Evans, and Jackson.
6. alex's Optimal Team (Alex)
Best Pick: Allen Robinson, 6th round
Worst Pick: Latavius Murray, 3rd round
Sleeper: Percy Harvin, 11th round
Did everyone forget that Percy is only 27 years old? He had unbelievable playmaking ability in Minnesota and who's to say that it can't be revived in Buffalo? It's worth taking a high-risk, incredible-reward player in the 11th round.
7. browns chicken (Biggie)
Best Pick: Antonio Brown, 1st round
Worst Pick: Joseph Randle, 5th round
Sleeper: Roddy White, 9th round
Randle has been talked up by Jerry Jones but even in his flashes last year, he never looked the part of a feature back. With DMC ready to steal the starting job from him, I wouldn't be surprised if Randle ends up being a 3rd down back by the end of the season.
8. Jacked Up! (Cho)
Best Pick: DeMarco Murray, 2nd round
Worst Pick: Julius Thomas, 11th round
Sleeper: Tevin Coleman, 8th round
DeMarco put up a season for the ages last year and he gets no respect this year. Although Dallas's offensive line is one of the best in the league, Philly's is no slouch either. In a higher tempo offense, he'll get more opportunities against weary defenses and should still be a top 10 back.
9. Switch Hitters (David K.)
Best Pick: Golden Tate, 5th round
Worst Pick: Jimmy Graham, 3rd round
Sleeper: Alfred Blue, 9th round
Although he hasn't been overly impressive in the games he's played, Blue has shown he's a capable rusher who can easily have a 1,000 yard season. If Arian can't come back healthy, Blue could find this is the year he can play for a larger contract.
10. Just Forsett In (Mike)
Best Pick: Andre Johnson, 3rd round
Worst Pick: CJ Spiller, 7th round
Sleeper: Owen Daniels, 9th round
Peyton has always loved his TEs and with Julius Thomas gone, this could be Owen Daniels's chance to shine. He's reconnected with his coach from Houston in Gary Kubiak and Peyton will definitely be looking his way when they're in the Red Zone.
11. White Welker (Jung)
Best Pick: Calvin Johnson, 2nd round
Worst Pick: Drew Brees, 3rd round
Sleeper: Tre Mason, 10th round
With Manning and Brady still available, Jung decided to take Drew Brees. Although Brees was great the last time Jung played fantasy, he's lost one of his biggest weapons and I can't see him meeting the expectations from the past.
12. Gronkey Kong (David Y.)
Best Pick: Peyton Manning, 4th round
Worst Pick: Andre Ellington, 6th round
Sleeper: Torrey Smith, 10th round
Although I do believe the 49ers are going to implode this year, if they don't Torrey could be in for a big year. With no more Crabtree or Stevie Johnson, his only competition for targets is an aging Boldin and an enigmatic Vernon Davis. Plus, of those three, he's the best deep threat the team has.
Season Predictions
Winner: Just Forsett In (Mike)
With 3 of what I believe will be the top 12 WRs in the league, Mike gets to destroy teams with three WR1s. If Arian can come back healthy in 4 weeks, Abdullah can use his flash to become a real threat for the Lions, and the Falcons offense regains its form from 2-3 years ago, I can't see anybody stopping Mike. Plus, he was so unlucky last year, the law of averages tells me he should be gifted with a little more luck this year.
Runner Up: Jacked Up! (Cho)
I was actually huge on Dez this year as I think he's going to have a monster season, especially with no DeMarco to steal the headlines. If DeMarco can succeed on his new team and the rapist puts up a monster fantasy season, this could be the year Cho gets a shot at the ship.
Dark Horse: alex's Optimal Team (Alex)
By passing on Brown and taking Gronk, Alex showed he wasn't afraid to take risks. And amongst the numerous QB-WR/TE pairings that happened to form in our league (Bradford-Matthews, Luck-TY, Ryan-Julio, Manning-Demaryius), I think Brady-Gronk has the potential to be the highest scoring duo, especially with Brady in "eff the world" mode.
Last Place?: White Welker (Jung)
This is a cruel gift to give someone who is just returning to the league but I think he just reached on a few picks that he didn't need. Also, I think he took some people who are either past their prime (Brees, Stewart, Witten) or big names who can't live up to their expectations (OBJ, Bernard, Watkins).
Week 1 starts tomorrow. Good luck to all!
(And Jung, David K., and Dan, don't forget to submit your pick'ems!)
Simon Kim
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