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
Thursday, September 24, 2015
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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