Week 3 - MOTW

Sorry for missing last week but the content I had drafted sucked so I just skipped it. And you may be thinking "Simon, you're late for this week too!" But I actually already had the matchup below in mind and realized they wouldn't play anybody in the Thursday game, meaning I wouldn't have to write this until the weekend (although this is the truth, some detractors will automatically assume I am slacking. To them (actually, just David K) I say, suck it.)

MOTW

7. Big DK Energy (Paul) vs. 8. David Y Team (David Y)

Paul and David are both chilling right on the fringe of the playoff zone. Neither team has been explosive but all that matters is how they perform this week. Neither team is out of contention with a loss but everyone here has played fantasy long enough that 2-1 feels a whole lot better than 1-2.

QB: Paul ◯ ◯ 🟢 ◯ ◯ David

2 white QBs that can't really move, both should be playing in shootouts because their defenses aren't that great, and both have enough high profile weapons do some serious damage. Expect 3 TDs from both. Any difference in their performance will come from injuries or turnovers.

WR: Paul ◯ 🟢 ◯ ◯ ◯ David

This is an interesting situation where each team has the other QB's #1 target. However, JJeff is a MUCH bigger funnel for Cousins than McLaurin is for Wentz. He should be able to neutralize Cousins to a certain degree, especially after a sub-par game last week. Adams has had a huge game and a not so huge game so we'll see which one shows up. Kirk has been a favorite of Lawrence and I can see him matching Adams this week. DK and DJ are only one letter apart and their performances should be about even as well.

RB: Paul ◯ ◯ 🟢 ◯ ◯ David

Neither RB room inspires a whole lot of confidence. I wanted to give Paul the edge as he has the youngest back in the bunch in Javonte but that split carry system in Denver and a tough 49ers front 7 means a long day ahead for him. Zeke does beat up on the G-men but I can also see Henry steamrolling the Raiders in a must win game. CPatt has been a pleasant surprise but I have to believe that his ceiling is capped.

TE/K/DST: Paul ◯ ◯ ◯ 🟢 ◯ David

David gets a slight edge for having the best Kicker in the league and a tough SF D that faces a coach in Hackett who has no idea how to game manage. I believe this is the game that Hackett's ineptitude causes some kind of actual on field error, leading to more cries for him to be fired. Usually I would say Waller > Goedert but there's a good chance they just end up cancelling each other out.

Winner: Paul

I think this is going to be close (<5 points) and the difference is going to be JJeff having a monster game that covers Cousins's points and then some. Adams and Waller stealing each other's looks is also a negative for David's team.

Good luck to all!

2022 - Welcome All

Welcome back to the league! This is our 5th straight year with the full cast of characters returning, which always increases the possibilities of rivalries due to the familiarity, the biggest being Jon's distaste for Chris being able to make the playoffs without actually managing his team. The rivalry got a bigger boost as they met each other in the 3rd place game with Jon coming out on top. Let's see how the drama develops this year. But for now, let's focus on the positive life events of the past year:

- David Y is expecting a baby girl and bought a house

- Jon is expecting a baby boy

- Paul got married and bought a house

- Rich welcomed a baby girl into the world

If there's anybody I missed, I do apologize but it also probably means we haven't talked in a while. Don't be a stranger and reach out any time, especially to share good news!

As for the football side of things, We've reached a point where nobody is making truly bonehead moves. Therefore, let's just get to some of my favorite teams and my least favorite teams as we enter the season.

Favorites:

Fe-Brees (Jon)

Anytime you have the first pick, you're clearly in a good position to win. That goes extra for this year when it seems like JT is the safest floor + ceiling candidate we've had in fantasy since LT (not saying he's as good as LT but more to the fact that he sits in his own tier). Add to that 3 WRs that may all finish in the top 20, a QB who could finish top 3, and relatively deep options at RB2, and it's a great formula for winning the league.

BEST TEAM (Mike)

Mike will be going for the back to back win and he nailed his draft to make that dream a reality. Kupp probably won't be as good as last season, but he should finish a WR1. Conner and Pierce are as close to bell cow backs that we have in the league and Rhamondre could actually unseat either of them. Gabe David and Darnell Mooney should see huge target increases on very different offenses. Olave, Tolbert, Tua, and Osborn are interesting boom candidates that could help in the latter half of the season.

Football is Death (David K)

What? Simon is actually complimenting David? Is he just trying to suck up to his biggest critic? Or is this because David K tried to pay him an extra penny in league fees to carry out some kind of "bribery" to prove that Simon is corrupt (by the way, I'll add that penny to the 1st place winner's payout)? Well, let's just say this ranking is actually well-earned. Najee and Swift are both under-25 backs who should be leaned on in different ways: Najee as a 20 carry back and Swift as a 10+10 back (carries + targets). Sutton and Brown end up in much better QB situations and his WR3 options may not be spectacular but some of them have sky high boom potential (Treylon the new AJ? Boyd is already solid but one injury away from being a legit WR2/3). Add in Josh Allen who probably has the best floor+ceiling combo of any QB and he may finally stop me from criticizing his family.

Dark Horse:

#Winnable (Chris)

I actually don't like most of Chris's team. Tee Higgins as a WR1? Fournette and Dobbins are anything but sure things and Knox is the most likely to get frozen out of that new offense. So why is he a dark horse? One word: Mahomes. So far, Mahomes is 4/4, even taking Mike's 6th seeded team last year to the ship. I won't ever count Mahomes out, in real life or in fantasy.

Najee in yout bahjee 🍆 (Jung)

His WR corp is insane. In theory, all 3 could be WR1s AND CeeDee may actually finish as WR1. I don't trust Hurts as a thrower, but he can finish as a top 12 QB as a rusher. Gibson and CEH are solid value picks, going against all the negative news against them. Woods, Doubs, Moore, and Lawrence are great late round lottery tickets that could pay off. All he'll need is 1 or 2 to hit for this team to become a monster.

Cellar Dweller:

David Y Team (David Y)

It's not entirely his fault as his team was auto-drafted, but the fact that he allowed it to be auto-drafted does make it his fault. I guess entirely. But anyways, other than Davante, there's a lot of questions. Is Tom still Tom at age 45 + the fighting with Gisele? Do we trust Baker and Wentz to be effective enough for DJ and Terry to carry this team? Will Henry be as effective in his age 28 season? Dillon is still technically a backup back, right? Will CPatt be as valuable with only RB eligibility? Do you want to count on both Patriot WRs? To me, this is one too many questions for one team to take.

Trey Lance Regrigeration (Eric)

Chase is solid. And then? Kelce may be too old. Is Breece even the RB1 on his own team? Same question for WR for Dionte. Same question for Josh Jacobs. Which Aiyuk are we getting? Would you rather have Miles Sanders or Josh Jacobs? Do you want both? Not as many questions as David's team but still too many concerns to feel good about the start of the season.

One last note: If you plan on changing your name, please change your team names by the Sunday of Week 1 so it is more reflective of your teams. Thank you to those that already have! 

Good luck to all!