Midgets with Jetpacks

A Few Good Resources

2008-07-27T22:30:00.004-04:00

We are busy at work on creating our unique spreadsheets that will be available here for free in a variety of formats. As they are getting completed, we don't want to leave you completely in the cold. So, here are two great links that have helped shape what the spreadsheet is becoming.

The first linkage goes to a little research project that was done to see which of the "expert" sites have been most accurate in recent years. So, here we have that report:
How Accurate Were They in 2007?

Meanwhile, average draft position plays a huge role in who are you going to draft and when. So, here's a great resource that tracks a number of sites to get a good gauge on where players are being drafted:
Average Draft Position

So, feel free to take a look at this great work by other people as we finish our big project over here. In the meantime, keep planning for those drafts!

Fantasy Impact: Shockey to Saints

2008-07-22T19:19:00.005-04:00

With Jeremy Shockey leaving the champions of football for the Saints of New Orleans, we can take a second to ponder what this means for the numbers we look so closely at. Despite never playing a full 16-game season in New York, he was almost always hovering around 100 targets in a season. He'd generally catch around 60% of the passes that were targeted at him and would usually be above 10 yards per completion. With all sorts of other redzone threats, he wasn't really a touchdown machine in New York, with seven being his highest season total.

When Sean Payton first entered the scene in '06, New Orleans didn't have any identity at the tight end position. With a patchwork operation in place, their tight ends were only targeted roughly 60 times while having 40 receptions for one stinkin' touchdown and a measly 450 yards.

They looked to change that troublesome situation by acquiring Eric Johnson for 2007 and things improved. The tight ends were targeted over 100 times and had 75 receptions for 706 yards and 4 touchdowns. The duo of Johnson and Billy Miller were able to catch nearly 75% of the balls thrown their way. But, that wasn't good enough to keep their jobs. Enter Jeremy Shockey.

What they will get with Shockey is an identity and a presence over the middle that needs to be accounted for. When teams create game plans for the Saints, they can't just assume that their game will be run close to the sidelines anymore. Shockey's health is always a question mark but, assuming he'll play somewhere close to a full season, we see him continuing similar numbers to his New York days. The Saints seem like they want to use the tight end position and will target Shockey over 100 times and we're clocking him in for 72 receptions for nearly 800 yards and 5 touchdowns. Keep an eye on how he is used in the preseason because his value will take a jump if New Orleans is looking to use him as a legitimate redzone target.

All in all, I wouldn't change your initial value for Shockey unless it seems that his role will be bigger in the redzone for New Orleans, which isn't determined yet.

The Autumn Buzz

2008-07-20T09:06:00.004-04:00

Our professional football teams haven't even stepped foot onto the fresh-cut grass of their training camps. The ligaments of those famously fragile players haven't been tested yet. The adrenaline of the eager first-round picks hasn't truly started pumping yet. The coaches haven't made their decisions on which of these finely toned athletes will be relied upon in goal line situations. And, yet, there is that slight buzz in the air.

The summertime is in full swing and we cannot escape the idea that autumn is around the corner. And, once autumn comes breezing into the picture, it's officially football time. The baseball news will suddenly become subplots in the sports world. And, every single second on Sundays will get our full attention. We will try to decipher what every big play means to our various fantasy football teams and we will wonder if we should try to claim that unknown player who just caught a touchdown pass.

But, before all of that even starts... there's a draft. Like any epic war, it doesn't truly begin until there's a draft. So, as you're lining up your strategy, Midgets With Jetpacks is here to help dig through the dirt with you. You can get the same rankings from every single sports website out there but those never work. So, we're here to bring you a different look at things... something beyond just taking last year's stats and applying them to this year's rankings. We're here to bring you spreadsheets that will give you the upper hand and allow you to approach your draft in a completely new way.

We're here to help you win your fantasy football leagues. Because you play to win the game. And, why would you want to do anything else?