MiketheTripp

Fantasy Football Week 3 Reviews - Early Post Season Run and Another Epic Beatdown

2014-09-24T17:06:00.001-07:00

Standard League
Result - Loss
Score 34 - 88
Power Rank - 8th

     Second epic beat down in 2 weeks. After starting strong the first week, my team has not been able to do much of anything. I had 3 starters put up 1 point and another put up 0. You know your team is in for a bad week when your high scorer is your Kicker, mine had 8. Same as last week, no big injuries just bad games. My opponent had 4 players score in the double digits. Just a bad day all around for my guys.

     Not much to say about my team right now. I'm not going to panic and start dumping guys, that will only lead to more problems and you can't dig yourself out of a hole by more digging. My team is good and I believe they will turn the corner and start winning some games again. A lot of my guys are first or second year players so sometimes it takes a little longer for them to get going. I have confidence we will make another run at a playoff spot. Just have to sorry about covering bye weeks now. Really only 1 big one this week with my TE - Thomas but I was prepared and will have TE Walker to start in his place.

     Made one move this week. Picked up Houston WR DeAndre Hopkins. He was getting the most targets on the team and usually that will turn into points, even if the team doesn't win many games. I'll start him this week and see how things go.

PPR League
Result - Win
Score 132 - 127

     I had high hopes for this week but I wouldn't be surprised if I was handed a loss. This was my 3rd division opponent in 3 weeks. Luckily, my team, for the most part, all had good games and his, not so much. I was a little worried when my QB only put up 7.5 to his 24.5 but my WRs and RBs picked up the slack. Each of our teams only totaled 3 TDs and for this league, this was a low scoring game.

     Was able to get out of this match up with no injuries also. But, one of my main RBs (Lynch) is on a bye week for this week. I spent most of the draft grabbing hand cuffs for my starters - so of course they all have the same bye weeks. I dropped a RB that I haven't even started yet and picked up RB Blount. He has had a couple of good games and has been scoring a bit even though he is not the starter. He was the best available so in a pinch, he will have to do. I just hope he can score a few for me. I also replaced my kicker this week. Not a big deal, my guy was doing OK but also on bye this week. Just went with the best available here too.

     After a discussion with a league manager about divisions and play offs, I feel pretty good. Division wins is the first tie breaker and I have 3 wins there already. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going for a while longer. This week my opponent isn't overly strong at any position but this week, neither am I. We joked that we will have the lowest scoring game this week. My match ups look better this week so if I can get a few more points this week I should be OK.

Fantasy Football Week 2 Reviews - The Studs and The Duds

2014-09-18T16:38:00.002-07:00

Standard Scoring Redraft League
Result - Loss
Score 41 - 104
Power Ranking - 6th

     Well. No matter how many great games you may have, nothing really prepares you for a huge loss like this week. Granted, this is only week 2 and I think I would rather have a loss like this happen earlier rather then later in the season. It's easier to take the loss and still have 10 or so games left, had this been the last game of the season it might be a different story.

     Out of all the players this week, I really only had 1 good game. With RB Ben Tate out with an injury, my draft of RB Terrance West proved fruitful. He got the start and put up starting RB numbers, 100 combined yards and a TD. It was all down hill from there. West was the only guy to hit a double digit score. One WR laid a goose egg and 5 other players scored less than 5 points and only 3 total TD from my whole team. It was a rough day. I really just place the blame on there being so many close games last week, even a couple upsets. A lot of teams came from behind to win and several of those players were on my opponents roster. He ended this brutal beat down with 9 total TDs.

     But nothing lasts forever, especially in Fantasy Football Land! I have high hopes for this week. Most of my guys have way better match ups and should perform a lot better. My opponent has a good team and he can score some good points but most of his guys are on teams that haven't been playing that well yet.

Moves - I went out and picked up another TE - Delanie Walker from the Titans. With a healthy Jake Locker back at QB, he has been his number 1 target so far (he went off for 13 points last week). He will mainly cover my bye week for Julius Thomas (who has 4 TDs so far). Plus, if I can keep a player of his caliber on my team, even if it's on the bench, and away from the other teams starting line ups, all the better.

PPR Scoring Keeper League
Result - Win
Score 116 - 79

     A win is a win. I almost kinda feel bad in a small way that my opponent lost almost half his team to injuries very early in their games. ALMOST. This is why we play the games. On paper, he should have whipped me pretty good and he did win the league last year so you know he has a good team. But his guys can't score if they aren't on the field. One of his guys got hurt before scoring anything, another dropped out after just one carry, leaving him with only 1 point. Another hurt his knee and will miss a few weeks. I hate when things like this happen to me so I know how he must feel, but he his top WR, going into the late game on Sunday Night, as a game time decision. If he did play, he would be playing hurt so he decided to bench him. So, of course he hauls in 3 TDs.

   My guys did good, but not great. Had a lower scoring game than I would have thought but like I said, a win is a win. Had a WR and a RB break 20 and my QB came very close. No one got hurt and we will live to play another day. Had some tough match ups in a few games and this weeks games should have better results. Not much else to say, it wasn't very exciting but felt good to have another win against another very tough division opponent. Hopefully this will help me down the road as we fight for playoff spots.

Moves - Only one move this week. I dropped WR Riley Cooper. He wasn't getting as many targets as I thought he would have through 2 weeks. He is good but runs hot and cold and is not very consistent. I went with WR Andrew Hawkins from the Browns. He has 22 targets through 2 weeks. With his QB getting a little better he should start putting up more stats soon. He was more of a stash for right now. Being PPR, this league scores great on WRs so I'm sure he will pay off soon.

Fantasy Football Week 1 Results

2014-09-09T12:17:00.003-07:00

Redraft League Standard Scoring
Week 1 Results

Win
Score - 74-40
Power Rank - 3rd

     I felt very confident about this team coming out of the draft. Landed some great starters and several rookies that will play bigger roles as the season wears on. Changed my draft strategy a bit this year, I didn't want to load up on so many running backs right away. Of course, I still went heavy on them as the draft went on, but I got my number 1 target with my first pick then went after some other positions that put up big numbers in our scoring system. I think that is key to winning in any league, know how you can score points and when to acquire those players.

     So, instead of grabbing RBs with all my first picks, I went RB, QB then TE and WR. We have to start a TE every week so I made it a point to go after a good one. Julius Thomas from Denver was available so I took him while everyone else was still on the RB kick. My first over all pick was Eddie Lacey, I wanted a stud RB in a system that will lean on him a lot. The Packers are becoming more balanced and Lacey is the main reason for that, he will be the main man in the back field. Took Stafford for my QB, even when the Lions lose, he should put up good numbers. My first 2 WRs, I went with Michael Floyd from Arizona and Keenan Allen from San Diego, both are in pass heavy offenses and should do well.

     On to this weeks games. I played all my big names and of course, week 1, how could you now? I had 2 huge games and it turns out that all I would have needed for this win. 25 from Stafford and 23 from Thomas. My next highest score was from my kicker at 8. I had some guys get dinged up during the game and their playing time was limited. The big one was Lacey, he left the game with concussion like symptoms. So far he has cleared the early stages for being able to play next week and I hope he does, he only managed 1 point this week. My other main RB was Bell from the Lions. I drafted him knowing he was a strong runner and will catch a ton of passes. He ran strong and scored a TD this week. I was a little nervous about taking a RB and QB from the same team but I figured with all the points they will score, I should end up doing well.

     My WRs did just OK this week. Out of the 3 I got a combined 7 points. This can't happen every week but I know there were several games that the weaker teams just played stronger than expected. I'll most likely keep the same guys in the lineup for next week. Looking ahead to next weeks games, I'll probably keep my line up the same. The only thing I will have to keep an eye on is Lacey. I have a few other RBs that I can start in his place if he can't go, my back up RB from the Browns, Terrance West ran very well after their starter went out with an injury. He managed 100 yards and put up 5 points on the bench. I knew Tate wasn't going to hold up all year but didn't know he would go down this early. I might have another starting RB on my hands sooner than I thought. I didn't post a draft review so I'll list my current team here:

QB - Stafford - Lions
RB - Lacey - Packers
RB - Bell - Lions
RB - Hill - Bengals
RB - Hyde - 49ers
RB - West - Browns
RB - Freeman - Falcons
RB - Williams - Giants
RB - Brown - Bills
WR - Allen - Chargers
WR - Floyd - Cardinals
WR - Evans - Bucs
WR - Benjamin - Panthers
TE - Thomas - Broncos
K - Gould - Bears
DEF - Packers

Keeper League PPR Scoring
Week 1 Results

Win
Score 175 - 130

     Had a good draft in this one too. Didn't get a few of the guys I was after but same as above, I grabbed a few guys that will get more playing time as the season wears on and the injuries add up. I have a strong core of starters to build on so I didn't really NEED much, just wanted to get some quality back ups and (hopefully) future stars. On to week 1.

     I was 50/50 about my chances this week. My opponent has fielded a strong team every season and we are in the same division. A win for me would be a great start. All my starts showed up and put up some great numbers for my team. Just a great game overall and I ended up with the highest point total in the league for this week. The Cowboys and Seahawks running games are both in great shape, Lynch put up 25 and Murray had 20. RBs have never really been my strong suit and that will probably hold true for much of this season as well as my WRs put up big numbers again this week. Cobb was my lowest scoring WR at 15, others went for 23 - Patterson, 23 Brown and Cooks (my rookie WR) had 19.   Cooks is my new addition, I think he has great upside for the Saints this year. I know he's a rookie and they usually don't have great first years, but injuries to a few starters and on a team that throws a ton and he got several targets and made the most of them. I like this kid going forward.

     My bench didn't do much, which is why they are there. I went and nabbed a good back up QB this year, something that hurt me last season. I took Cutler, as much as I don't like the Bears, he has really good potential to put up big numbers. Between him and Stafford I should be OK. In the draft I picked up Cooper from the Eagles. I made a last minute change and took him out of this weeks lineup and put in Cooks. Glad I did. I didn't need the points to win but a few last minutes doing research helped out. Looks like Cooks will be my guy for a while.

     Here is my team heading into this season. I made a pre draft trade, got rid of Alshon Jeffery and picked up Christine Michaels and a draft pick. I was plenty deep at WR and I wanted some insurance for Lynch. Michaels could very well be the Hawks star RB of the future, maybe not this season. I could have done without this trade but at the time, Lynch was threatening a holdout. I drafted Michaels last season then dropped him half way through when it was clear he wouldn't get any playing time. I'll hang on to him this season.

QB - Stafford - Lions
QB - Cutler - Bears
RB - Lynch - Seahawks
RB - Murray - Cowboys
RB - Brown - Bills
RB - Michaels - Seahawks
RB - Dunbar - Cowboys
RB - Murray - Raiders
RB - Williams - Giants
WR - Cobb - Packers
WR - Patterson - Vikings
WR - Brown - Steelers
WR - Cooks - Saints
WR - Cooper - Eagles
K - Hauschka - Seahawks
DEF - Packers

Fantasy Football 2014 Pre-view - Running Backs I will avoid! - Redraft League

2014-08-05T16:56:00.001-07:00

While everyone is arguing over who they think should be drafted in the top 10, I tend to look a little further down the list. We can generally agree on who the studs are so instead of marking up my list with guys I want, I'll start marking off guys I DO NOT want. A little research before hand will save you some headache and scrambling on draft day. The first few rounds of most drafts are usually the quickest, by the time you get done crossing a name off your list, 2 other picks have come in. Owners will have it set in their mind who they want first, even if it's a reach. I will go into draft day knowing who I will not be drafting. This post will focus on the Running Backs.

Running Backs (RB) are huge assets to fantasy teams. They score TDs, rack up lots of yardage and in some cases catch a lot of passes. They can also be a huge disappointment. Ever have one of your top picks leave a game early on because of injury? Only to hand you a loss by just a few points that he would have surly landed you? I usually won't hold a grudge but when this happens time and time again, I have to, at some point, tell my self, not only never again this season but never again in ANY season. It doesn't have to be an injury. It can be another running back on the same team that will steal carries and TDs. I'm looking at you Buffalo! I started this last season. I went through my list and crossed off names that I wanted to avoid in the head spinning confusion that is Draft Day. It helped me out a lot down the stretch, when talent starts getting scarce and you might reach for a name simply because you know who that guy is. This list is nothing personal, they might have a good or even great season but either I have been burned or saw other owners get burned by these guys. I am all including in this list guys that I just don't think will have a good year, based on team change or injury prone or just flat out not that good.

Zac Stacy - Rams. He came in and had a pretty good run at things for the Rams. But look at maybe why that was. One of their main offensive players, Sam Bradford, was lost for the season with a knee injury. They HAD to run the ball. So they did. Now, Bradford is back and healthy. I just don't see them needing to run as much as they did last year. He might have a decent year but I'm not willing to take a chance.

Doug Martin - Bucs. He had a monster rookie season. Then turned in a lot of bad games last year and he was getting injured. Looking back, his big games were against just 2 or 3 teams, he was not very consistent. The Bucs have upgraded their QB situation and have added more weapons on offense. Plus, the coach came out and said they want to go to a committee at RB (not always but usually a death nail for RBs). Having a better offence might open up running lanes for him, but what if they don't give him enough chances? Not a gamble for me.

C.J. Spiller - Bills. He always starts every season with a huge upside. Coaches say they want to give him the ball more, he's a huge play maker, he's all these things....but they also signed Fred Jackson to a new contract. I would consider drafting Spiller, but Jackson is a big reason why I won't. Sure, he's gets his share of chances and he does have good games but it's hard to argue when Jackson comes in and scores 2 TDs and has 100 yards when Spiller only gets a few runs and catches a couple passes. They seam to go back and forth a lot. I can't draft a guy knowing it's 50/50 each week.

Any RB from New England because of Belichick. I can't loose points for a full game just because of one mistake.

Any RB from New Orleans. When you have Drew Brees, running is an after thought. Any one of 3 guys could be their starter on any given week. I won't keep a roster spot open for a guy that might not even get a chance to run.

Ray Rice - Ravens. Not even counting his 2 game suspension to start this season, I just don't trust him anymore. The Ravens used to have a very good running game and Rice was one of the best and also caught a huge amount of passes. Last year, that all went away. Many blame the bad Offensive Line. I'm not sure they can go from almost worst to almost first in one off season. I'm just going to let him be a problem for someone else.

Any RB from the Panthers. They have several guys that will put up good numbers but it will most likely be a different guy each week. Not to mention a QB that will steal yards and TDs. nah, not for me.

That's about it. Nothing against any of these players, personally, but our Championship game came down to the last minute. Points are hard to come by for anyone but especially those who aren't given a good enough chance. I'll let other owners roll the dice on these guys.

Bob Rivers in the morning! Thank you Bob

2014-07-28T20:43:00.000-07:00

     I heard there was going to be a major announcement on the Bob Rivers show this morning. I figured it was going to be them announcing a big concert or another humanitarian trip overseas. I missed the actual announcement on his show but the other show I listen to, The BJ Shea Morning Experience, were talking about it. BJ Shea and Bob Rivers go way back and it was great to hear him talk about Bob in such a way, you could tell they have been good friends for many years. Turns out the major announcement was Bob will be retiring in August of this year, the 8th to be exact, which will mark 25 years on the radio in Seattle.

     I started listening to the radio off and on in the mid 90's. Bob was on with KISW at the time. I loved the way they talked about topics relating to Seattle, our sports teams and joked around with each other. Who could forget the twisted tunes? I listened to the show here and there and got to know Bob, Spike and Joe. After high school, I had a job in Tacoma with about a half hour commute, I would listen to Bob on the way in. I worked with my dad at this time so we would both listen to the show. It was something we both liked, it was a great way to bond. After a few years, his show was no longer on KISW, they had replaced him with the Howard Stern Show. I have nothing against Howard or his show, it was entertaining at times but overall just not what I wanted. He wasn't IN Seattle, he didn't care about our traffic, our baseball and football teams. I didn't listen very often.

     I had heard of a show on another station called the Buzz, that show was the BJ Shea show. I only heard it a few times then next thing I know they are the new morning show on KISW. I really liked BJ and all the guys on the show right away, in part I'm sure, because they reminded me of Bob and the gang. As they progressed and I got to know them better, I really came to like the show. Around this time Bob got back on air in Seattle on KJR, the classic rock station. I knew of KJR, I will constantly change between KISW and KJR between commercials and bands I don't like. I would also flip between BJ and Bob just about every morning.

     Now, I have a job that takes me all over the greater Seattle area and I get to listen to the radio as much as I like. I still flip between BJ and Bob. Both shows have made changes and added new people over the years. Both shows are great. When I heard BJ talking about Bob today, I knew they were friends but I didn't know to what extent. I was really surprised to hear BJ sing so many praises for Bob, how he stuck up for him, told him to stick with it and helped him get his foot in the door here in Seattle. Hearing BJ talk, I realized that, all this time I have been a radio listener, Bob was always there. There were times I would listen a lot and other times not so much, but he was always there and always had a good show. Now that won't be an option. I started remembering all the things they have done over the years that made me laugh and it put a big smile on my face.

     There are a lot of radio personalities that I like in Seattle.  Bob Rivers has had such a positive impact in this area and he will never be replaced. I hope the other people on his show will still be able to be on air somewhere in Seattle. Spike, Joe and Jody. I like their chemistry. Spike, I've heard him just as long as I have heard Bob, I can't imagine he won't have a job around here somewhere. I don't know what the future hold for them but I wish them well. I wish Bob an amazing retirement. He will be missed on air for sure. Bob set a high standard, not many other shows have even tried. Thank you, Bob, for everything. My radio dial won't be the same without you.

NFL Fantasy Football Keeper League Offseason Player Moves

2014-04-26T18:11:00.000-07:00

To keep or not to keep, that is the question.

I will have to narrow my team down to 7 before our draft. Right before the season ends, there is a mad scramble to pick up players that might end up starting or signed to a better team with more fantasy implications. I have a couple of those players on my roster right now. The problem is, I also have several well established vets that I would love to hold on to. Here is a list of who I currently have on roster:

Matthew Stafford - QB Lions
Ben Roethlisberger - QB Steelers

DeMarco Murray - RB Cowboys
Marshawn Lynch - RB Seahawks
Robert Turbin - RB Seahawks
Danny Woodhead - RB Chargers
Donald Brown - RB Chargers
Chris Ivory - RB Jets

Antonio Brown - WR Steelers
Alshon Jeffery - WR Bears
Corderrelle Patterson - WR Vikings
Pierre Garcon - WR Redskins
Randall Cobb - WR Packers

Vernon Davis - TE 49ers

Steven Hauschka - K Seahawks

Browns - DEF
Steelers - DEF

I traded away Rodgers for Stafford as I was making a run into the playoffs. I loved having Rodgers, he was very consistent. The Lions throw the ball a ton and Stafford is a young player that has huge amount of potential. Unless something major happens this off season, I'll be keeping Stafford.

I love my stable of WRs. I drafted Patterson late and I never started him (based on my other WRs having such great seasons). He really started to play well in the last half of the season as the Vikings gave him the ball more and more. I really want to hold on to him and give him a chance. I made a trade for Cobb. When he's healthy, he can be great. Brown and Jeffery blew up and posted great numbers for me. Out of these players, I think Garcon is the one I might have to let go or trade.

I have 3 RBs that I would like to keep, but it will probably end up just being 2. Most likely I'll stick with Lynch and Murray. If I had room I would probably keep Woodhead also, although now that Brown has signed with the Chargers, someone will score less. Turbin was a late season pick up to back up Lynch. Ivory was barely a starter for me and now with Chris Johnson in the mix, he won't be on my roster come draft day.

Not sure how other keep leagues work, but our first draft pick is based on how many players we keep. If I keep my limit of 7, my first pick will be in round 8. Of course, I can "go all in" if I wanted to and try to get a few high draft picks, but I have yet to try that. Kickers and Defense will get dropped first, along with Davis. Some easy choices at RB and some tough ones at WR. Looks like my team will be based out of the NFC North.

Green Bay Packers vs Seattle Seahawks - My Personal Super Bowl

2014-02-02T09:07:00.001-08:00

     Day of the big game. Super Bowl time. My home town team, the Seahawks are going to be playing. It feels great. This town has been bouncing off the walls for weeks now. This team is good. Really good. Seattle has never been mentioned as a great sports town. Our only championship came in the late 70's from a basketball team that is no longer here. That team was pretty much stolen from us. Us football fans also feel like in our last Super Bowl, the game was stolen from us. It's fair to say this city has a huge chip on it's collective shoulder. To have a team this good (#1 defense in the NFL), we feel this is our time now.

     The Green Bay Packers were good this year. They won their division and got into the playoffs. They have been really good for quite a while now. Since I have been following football I have been lucky enough to watch them play in 3 Super Bowls and win 2. It is truly an amazing feeling to have your team, the team you have been rooting on for years, play in the biggest game and take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

     Being a Packer fan was almost a birthright. Part of our family came from the Wisconsin area. I have seen pictures of myself as a little kid wearing Packer outfits. For as long as I can remember, well before I started watching football myself, our family cheered for the Pack. There was also another team on my radar. The Hawks. Being so close to Seattle for most of my life, you hear about them a lot.  As I got older I realized that having an NFL team so close was something special. My first (and so far only) NFL game was in the old Kingdome. I got to see the Packers come to town and play. Nosebleed seats. Lots of drunk fans. Tons of Packer fans.

     As I got older and more and more into football I was rooting for both teams. These are my teams. My family team and my home team. Things were simple back then. Hawks were AFC and Pack were NFC.  They would play but not with any regularity. My hope was always to have them meet in a Super Bowl. Then the NFL moved a few teams around and the Hawks came over to the NFC. I would still root for both. It is a weird feeling, though, when they started playing each other almost every year. I always told myself, "Just hope for a good game and who ever wins, wins." The game were always close and really competitive. At the time, Favre was playing really well and the Pack were in the playoffs just about every year. The Hawks were just about average, struggling to sell out home games, there might have been a play off game or two but nothing major. Still, it was fun to have a team close by.

     The Pack had a couple of really good runs into the post season, winning a bunch and losing a few too. Great players and a lot of fun to watch. Then Seattle started to turn the corner a bit. They started winning more games, got a new stadium and more and more fans started turning out for the games. They started to play better and it seemed like the players were having more fun playing, and they started winning bigger games. Watching them make their playoff run and get into that first Super Bowl was great. They should have won that game. It was a real treat to have them make it that far, to have the fans here feel that excitement. After the loss, the fans still stood by the team. I really feel the fans of both the Packers and Seahawks will always have that in common. We love these teams and, win or lose, we will embrace them with open arms.

     Brings me to this season. Sometimes you can just feel a team. You can get a sense of who they are and their confidence. Seattle was good last year. So were the Pack. The Packers will always have a really good chance to make it to the Super Bowl and now I feel that same way about the Hawks. They both compete and play hard every game. My hope for this season was to have both of my teams playing in the NFC Title Game. A last minute drive from the 49ers squashed that dream. The Packers played hard but came up short. I thanked them for a good season, thanked them for the fun of watching them play and not giving up. The Pack had a feel this season. I really thought they could do it. They didn't feel like a complete team, not as good as when they won the Super Bowl a few years back, but still really good. I know they will bounce back next season. They always do.

     These was also a feel about these Hawks. From the very beginning of the season, we (Seattle) felt like this was our time. The players are just so fun to watch and they are good. They have had to work hard for everything. They don't get much coverage in the national media and not much recognition for the good things they have done. Underdogs. Like always. After all Seattle is not a Championship town. No expectations. We totally feel like this game will change that. It is time for this Hawks team to change that.

     Many people know this feeling but a lot will not understand. To love 2 teams. It's weird to cheer for the Hawks and have people look at you and say, "Aren't you a Packer fan?". Then also root for the Packers and have other people say, "Aren't you a Hawks fan?". I will always answer both, yes. They never used to ask those questions when, of the two, only won was winning. Now they are both winning teams. Why should I change how I feel about these teams now? Yes, they are both winning and they will likely meet each other in the playoffs - often. Who do I cheer for then that happens? Both. I can't help you understand that. I feel really lucky. As a fan of the NFL I know it's hard to a team just to make it to the post season. To play in the Super Bowl is special. I have two teams that will have a great chance to play in the game every season. Packers win, great, I'm happy. Hawks win, great, I'm happy. Both teams work hard, develop talent and don't take short cuts. They earn it. To still be emotionally invested in a team in the very last game of the season, that's an amazing feeling.

     It feels different this time. When the Packers won their Super Bowls, I was cheering them on. But I also felt like I was in the minority. Sure, others in the room wanted them to win but not as much as I did. It's totally different to have everyone in the room, in the state, cheering for the team that I want to win. This is the Hawk's time now. Bring it home. Change this city. Why can't I love two teams? I do. Which one of your children do you love more? Can't decide? Don't want to? Interesting.....

Fantasy Football Championship Game Review Standard League

2013-12-26T09:59:00.002-08:00

Standard Redraft League
Championship Game Result: Loss
Score: 58 - 64
2nd Place Overall

     Very exciting game, even though it didn't end the way I wanted it to. My team was finished playing Sunday and my opponent had 2 players in the Monday night game. Both playing for the 49ers, Kicker and Defense. They were playing the Falcons, who had been having a tough year, so I was a little worried. I was up by 13 points heading into the game.

     The game started off great, he got a field goal and a couple of extra points but the Defense had only 1 sack. The Falcons actually started playing really well in the second half. heading into the very last minute of the game I was up by 3 points and the Falcons were down by a TD and inside the 49er 20 yard line. I figured, the Falcons would kill the clock trying to score and the game would end with me being up by 3. Of course, that didn't happen. 49er Defense got an interception (1 point) and ran it back for a TD (6 points) then of course they kicked the extra point (1 point). Game over. Living in the Seattle area, we have grown accustomed to hating the 49ers. This did nothing to change that for me.

     Looking back, the position I was most concerned about ended up being my downfall. I had a hard time deciding on which QB to start. I had Luck, Smith and I had picked up Cutler last week. Cutler had the highest projected points (by 1 over Smith), but he had missed several games due to injury and had been knocked out of 2 or 3 games, getting hurt. I knew he had a good match up against the Eagles but I was worried he would not be able to play the entire game. I narrowed it down to Smith or Luck. I went with Smith. The Colts Defense had been playing just OK most of the year, some good game and some bad but the Chiefs Defense was better. I was thinking I could get a TD or 2 from Smith but probably less from Luck. Ended up with only 2 points from Smith. 7 from Luck and 9 from Cutler. Had I gone with Cutler I would have won. I can't blame it totally on the QB spot. I had a couple of other guys that had really good match ups but they didn't produce much. None of my WRs were able to get a TD. Both of my RBs had really good games, got 16 from Lacey and 12 from Charles. I know I won't be able to draft both of those guys again next year but it would be nice.

     Overall, this was a really fun season. It came down to the wire, the very last minute of our season. I can't be too mad. I had a really good team this year. I'll have to take those lessons learned and apply them next season and hope for the best. I stand by how I managed my team. Getting into the play offs and into the championship game, I didn't want to change how I managed my team to get them to this point. I didn't play the match ups with my main guys. It had worked out almost all year. Some weeks it didn't but I don't think I would have made it this far had I been chasing points.

     I spent a little more time doing my research before the draft and was able to walk away from that with a really good team to start with. I also spent more time managing my team, staying on top of injuries, and mining the waiver wire. Being able to pick up a couple of players before the other teams realized they should have, WR Jeffery and RB Bell were my two best ones. One thing that I will need to get better at is carrying dead weight. I ended this year with 2 guys on my bench that I drafted but after a few poor games from RBs Spiller and MJD, I didn't have any faith in them, not enough to start them even against a good match up. Looking back I probably could have dropped them and looked for better players at other positions, namely QB and TE. If I could have been a little more consistent at those 2 spots, that might have made a difference in this last game.

     Vince Lombardi once said that winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. True. But losing this last game, the way it ended, I feel really good about next season. I can't wait to get to the next draft and start this all over again.

     Thanks to everyone that followed along with these posts during the season. I hope you were able to learn a few things, either what to do or what not to do. I look forward to sharing my ups and downs again next year.

Fantasy Football Playoffs Week 2 Standard League

2013-12-21T09:49:00.001-08:00

Redraft League - Standard Scoring
Playoffs Week 2 Result: Win
Score: 131-41

     Could not have asked for a better performance from my team and right when I needed it. I'll have to admit that I was more than just a little worried heading into this match up. My opponent ran over just about every team in the league this year and finished the season at 10-3 and in first place. His team is really strong. Heavy on the Broncos, who just happen to score a ton on the field and in fantasy leagues. He starts, QB Manning, WR Decker, RB Moreno and TE Thomas so he usually has high scoring games. That is, unless the Broncos have a bad game. They have only done that a couple of times this season. With WR Welker being out the last few weeks, I figured Decker, Moreno and Thomas would all receive more targets and put up more points then their average. The Broncos were playing the Chargers and they have been playing well lately. So I had my fingers crossed.

     I figured my team would have just an OK week. A few tough match ups and a few good ones but nothing that stood out. I started all my normal players. The only change was QB Luck instead of QB Smith, these two have been about even all year. Luck has more total points but he is less consistent. Smith has not played great when he had a good match up so I left him on the bench. And of course the Chiefs had an amazing game against the Raiders. My RB Charles had one of the best fantasy days of any player ever. I think he made it into the top 5 ever. In this league he put up 40 points. Only 20 rushing yards and 1 rush TD but 195 and 4 TDs through the air. Which also meant that Smith would have shared in those TD for me. Smith had 31 points on my bench.

     We both started player that put up a 0. The rest of his team just did not produce last week. His projected points per player were around 7 or 8 for most of his team and he ended up with 1s and 2s. My team was helped by games that featured great comebacks. The Packers and Cowboys game was great and featured one of the great comebacks ever. RB Lacey ate them up in the second half and put up a total of 14 pints for me. My kicker, K Bailey for Cowboys put up 20.

     This win put my team in the Championship Game. I feel pretty good about my chances this week. The only real question I have is my QB position. Last week I picked up McCown from Chicago - then Cutler got healthy and came back so McCown was benched. So this week I dropped McCown and picked up Cutler. So now I have 3 QBs to choose from for this last and most important game. Right now I have Smith starting. Chiefs are playing the Colts and the game is in Kansas City. Home for Smith and away for Luck. The Bears are playing the Eagles in Philly so an away game for Cutler as well. Cutler has the best match up but the last good QB match up in Philly did not work out so well for me (Stafford in the now....). My opponent and I are evenly matched and the projected pints are almost even. 71 for me and 69 for him. I feel this will be a close game no matter what I do at the QB position. This game is for all the marbles!

Fantasy Football Playoffs Week 1 Review Redraft Standard, Keeper PPR

2013-12-12T16:22:00.001-08:00

Redraft League - Standard Scoring

Result: Win
Score: 85-53

     I was none too happy about losing the last game of the season and missing out on the Bye Week, but I was very happy to have one of my best games of the season this week. I don't think I went all season with almost every one of my guys scoring a TD the same week. RB Charles led the charge with 19 points followed by WR Gordon with 14. In total I had 6 out of 9 players score in the double digits. I was helped by the other team, they started RB Bush, who was a last minute scratch from his game. He also got 0 from his Defense. Lots of tough games last week.

     Prepping for this next week, I picked up a couple of players. TE Clay was available so I grabbed him, he will start for me with week. I let go TE Reed, since his concussion a few weeks ago, he has not been able to play. I also picked up QB McCown, he has been playing great (5 TDs last week). Then I just learned he will not play this week. Oh well. I still have QB Smith and Luck. Leaning towards Smith right now. But I know that Smith has not taken advantage of having easy match ups and Luck had a good match up too and he did play well against Houston earlier this season. Most of my line up will stay the same, except TE Clay starting now. You have to dance with the one that brought you!

Keeper League - PPR Scoring

Result: Loss
Score: 114.79-160.37

     This was a horrible game. Plus, my opponent has a few players on his team that I have in the other league (Charles and Luck) and they had big games, over 70 points between the two. I thought I was in the money with my trade for Stafford, who was starting against the Eagles who have been giving up a ton of points to QBs. Then the snow hit. Stafford fumbled the first snap. I face palmed hard. He only put up 6 points.....

     RB Murray had a good game buy Lynch did not, he usually plays really well against the 49ers but they did a good job against him this time. WR Brown had the most points for my team this week at 22. WR Garcon put up a 6. Just a flat week from my team at the worst possible time.

     Being that this is a keeper league, I'm in a good position already for next season. I have to make some decisions but I will most likely keep a good chunk of my team in place. On the fence about keeping WR Patterson. He has finally been getting chances with the ball and playing really well. I'm loaded at the WR position right now. I'll have to see how things shake down for the other teams in the play offs. Waiver Wire is locked but trading can happen all year long. I know some guys that can and will make a lot of trades to "go all out" and try to win this year. I might be able to grab a few draft picks or young players for next year. I will have to decide what to do about my RBs also. Lynch, Murray, Ivory and Woodhead. I'll just hope that there are no catastrophic injuries for the rest of the season.

     All in all, this was a good season in this league. I was the #2 team for most of the year and top scoring during that time also. I learned that keeping up on the news and doing research on guys that are on the wire really pays off. Woodhead and Jeffery were taken from there. Already looking forward to next season.

Fantasy Football Regular Season Wrap Up and Play Offs

2013-12-04T17:05:00.003-08:00

Redraft League - Standard Scoring
Final Record: 7-5-1
Final Power Rank: 5th

     Went into this last game with a lot on the line. I was second over all in this league and a win would give me a first round bye in the playoffs. I had already secured a play off spot but I was going after that bye. I decided to bench QB Luck this week and he will likely stay there unless QB Smith gets hurt. Luck has dragged my team down the last few weeks. Smith had a good game. In fact, most of my team had good games.

     Had great games from WRs Brown and Jeffery, both had career numbers. Brown had 25 and Jeffery had 24. I put Garcon on the bench this week and that worked out, he only put up 3. I have been having issues with my TEs the last several weeks and it continued this week. I benched TE Miller and started TE Reed - who did not start because he got a head ache right before the game.

     My Kicker, Folk, only got one Field Goal. I figured the Jets would need to kick a lot of Field Goals to stay in the game but they have not been good enough even for that. I left RB Bell on the bench in favor of Lacey. Lacey got 1 point and Bell got 12. Spiller got 13 and MJD got 9. I can't really trust either of those guys but it sucks that they had good games sitting on the bench.

     Looking ahead to the play offs for this week. I only made one move this week, I dropped Folk and picked up Bailey for my kicker spot. The Cowboys score way more than the Jets and even if it's just extra points, I needed a better kicker. My line up for this game is about the same as last week. I am starting TE Miller. Reed is not a lock to play this week and I don't want a situation like last week again. Starting QB Smith again too. The Chiefs are playing the Redskins and he should have a good game. I know Smith is not known for throwing a ton of TDs and yardage but he has been more consistent than Luck. I don't usually like starting multiple players from the same team but I feel like it's the best option for right now. I have QB Smith and RB Charles from the Chiefs and WR Brown and TE Miller from the Steelers. Anything is better than a 0!

Keeper League - PPR Scoring
Final Record: 8-5
Final Power Rank: 3rd

     Went into this last game, again, knowing that I already had a playoff spot locked up but I wanted to finish on a high note. I was playing one of the bottom ranked teams but you never know. He made a trade for Payton Manning and he had a great game, scoring 43. I was not so lucky with my QB. I went with Flynn and got 1.

     I had great games from RB Murray and WR Jeffery. Murray put up 30 and Jeffery 42. The rest of my team did just OK. I started RB Brown. Earlier in the week they named him the starter. I gave him a shot. He had a bad game until the last drive when he came up with a TD and gave me 13 points. Woodhead, Brown and Lynch all had quiet games.

     I made some moves to get my team ready for the playoffs. I dropped Flynn and picked up Roethlisberger. He doesn't put up the best numbers but way better than I had been getting over the last few weeks. I also picked up the Steeler DEF. They have some good match ups over the next few games so I'll play them or the Browns, depending on who they are up against. Browns are playing the Patriots so I won't start them. All my other players have good match ups coming up so I shouldn't have to make any big changes to the line up unless someone gets hurt.

     I made a big trade also. With QB Rodgers still out and not knowing for sure when he will be playing again I would have to start a back up QB. I was going to go with Roethlisberger and I also picked up Fitzpatrick. I was not excited about starting either one but had Roethlisberger in my line up. I got a trade offer, Rodgers for Lions QB Stafford. There were also some draft picks that would be traded. I had to think about this one for a while. Being that this is a keeper league, whoever I had as my QB, Rodgers or Stafford, would more than likely be my QB next year as well. I had to look at match ups for Stafford for the next 3 games and looks good. He has not scored less than 25 points over the last 7 games and that will help me now. He's a young player, only 25 and plays with a team that passes a ton, how can you not with Calvin Johnson as the #1 WR. So, I decided to make the trade. I looked at age, Rodgers is 30, Stafford is 25 as well as team upside. Rodgers has a legit running game now. He won't have to throw all the time to win games. Stafford has a good run game also but he throws to those RBs a lot too. The Packers are a great team and Rodgers is their best player but I think Stafford is probably ranked just below him. I don't want to waste all the hard work this year just to keep Rodgers. My plan is Stafford will help me win in the play offs and he will provide a solid starting QB for my team for the next several seasons. Fingers crossed.

Fantasy Football Week 8,9,10 Review

2013-11-13T16:26:00.001-08:00

Redraft League - Standard Scoring
Results from the last 3 weeks: 3-0
Power Ranking: 2nd

     Had a great  few weeks. Have won my last 4 games and moved up to 2nd over all. My main running backs have been having really good games. With Aaron Rodgers being out for a while, RB Lacey has been getting the ball a ton and racking up the yards. I get RB Charles back from bye week this week. Have not had any big injuries either. Will probably keep RB Spiller and MJD on the bench for now. My other players are just playing better and being more consistent.

     WR Hilton will probably be a starter for me every week now. Injuries to other Colts WR have pushed him more into the spotlight. He was being way underused this season before the last couple of games. Having QB Luck starting also helps me here as I can double dip on the TDs. I picked up TE Reed from the Redskins a few weeks ago. I was a little leery of starting 2 pass catchers from the same team every week but WR Garcon and Reed have been doing great. The Redskins fall behind in games a lot so they have to pass a bunch to stay in it.

     I made 2 changes that I think will help me going forward towards the play offs. I picked up the Carolina DEF. They are a good team there. I dropped my kicker and picked up the Jets kicker. The Jets are actually doing OK right now. Since they are now coming off their bye week, as long as he does good, I'll keep him as my guy.

Keeper League - PPR Scoring
Results from the last 3 weeks: 2-1
Power Ranking: 3rd

      Ouch. Had my first loosing streak of the season. Lost 3 in a row until last week. My number 1 guy, QB Rodgers got injured on the first drive of the Chicago game. I was only able to get 3 points out of him that game and he has been out since. Not sure when he will make it back, really hoping he comes back soon and gets back up to game speed before the play offs start. I picked up QB Keenum the Texans. He has had some really good games the last few weeks. He helped me win last week. The final score was 147.36-144.77. Pretty close.

     RB Lynch has been in full on Beast Mode the last few weeks. He is the second highest scoring player on my roster. I will have Murray on bye this week. I'm starting RB Ivory in his place. Not super confident, he seems to have good games when he's on the bench and when I start him I'd be lucky to scrape together a few points. He has been playing better so hopefully he can help me make a play off run. I also picked up RB Donald Brown. Looks like sooner or later the Colts will give him more playing time as Richardson has been terrible. Brown has been scoring so I'll keep him on the bench for depth and hope he gets more touches as the season winds down.

     My WRs have still been doing good. I even made a trade last week. I traded away Gordon to get Cobb. I have several good WRs so I could afford to trade away one. I know Cobb is on IR right now and due to some of our League Rules that cannot be changed until next year I won't be able to start him at all this season, even if he plays. This trade was more looking to the future. Cobb is a young player and on his way up. I had WR Nelson last year and it works out to have a good WR from the Packers as long as I have Rodgers as my QB. I wanted to grab Cobb in the draft but it didn't work out. We also swapped draft picks, I moved up from round 10 to round 8, from a team that right now only has 2 wins, so I should make out good in this deal.

Fantasy Football Week 7 Review

2013-10-22T17:21:00.000-07:00

Redraft League - Standard Scoring

Result - Win
Score 67-63
Power Rank - 5th

     Had a pretty good week this time around. Most of my team showed up and put up some good numbers. I knew I would have to have good games this week since my opponent has a really good team. Stafford at QB with McCoy and Martin at RB. My QB, Luck, put up his best game of the year so far. Scored 26 points for me. I also started WR Hilton, I figured Luck and Hilton would pair up and I could double dip on the TDs this week. That has yet to happen this season for me. Colts WR Wayne is now lost for the season so maybe Hilton will get more chances going forward. Luck will be my every week starter at QB regardless.

     I did get hit with a bad injury this week. My TE Finley was carted off the field on a stretcher. They are saying he has a bruised spinal cord. He is likely done for the season. With Finley done and my other TE on bye this week, I will try to pick up a guy to cover the rest of the season. I am targeting TE Reed from the Redskins.

     I am the underdog again this week. The other team is pretty good. Luck is on a bye this week so I am starting Alex Smith. Not a great back up QB but he does play good and there is a chance that having RB Charles also can lead to some double TD points as Charles does catch a lot of passes.

Keeper League - PPR Scoring

Result - Loss
Score 110.09 - 139.20
Power Rank - 2nd

     This guy has beaten me twice. Even worse, he is in my division. I hope this does not come back to bite me as we head into the playoffs. My team was just OK this week. My WRs didn't have the types of games that they have been recently. That does not help when the other team puts up huge numbers from a few guys. He started the Panthers D (which I dropped only to cover a bye week and wanted to pick them up again, oh well, you snooze you lose), which put up 24. RB Forte and WR Johnson combined for over 60 points.

Had a great game from QB Rodgers. Might have been the best game of the season from him so far, he put up 32. I also had good games from both of the RBs that I started. Lynch and Woodhead. Each scored 15. I'm hoping Murray will be able to make it back on the field soon. I escaped this week with no other injuries.

     I have a couple of guys on bye week this week. Only Woodhead would be starting out of that group. So that leaves me starting either Mendenhall or Ivory. Ivory had a good game last week, getting 34 touches and running for over 100 yards. I know Mendenhall scored a TD last week but he had less than 20 yards rushing. I think Ivory will have a better week. Even if Murray does play this week I think I'll sit him.

Fantasy Football Week 6 Review Dynasty PPR and Standard Redraft Leagues

2013-10-15T18:14:00.001-07:00

Standard Scoring - Redraft League

Result - Tie
Score 42-42
Record 2-3-1
Power Rank - 7th

     What is this? Soccer? I guess I'd rather have a tie than a loss. This was a really close game. It all came down to the Monday night game. I had QB Luck and he had RB Mathews. I was up by 4 heading into the game, I figured I'd pick up a couple of TDs and sail to an easy win. Well, the San Diego D stepped up and shut down the Colts. I got 1 stinkin' point for Luck. Mathews went on to run up 100 rushing yards which is good for 5 points in this league.

     Had a couple of guys not produce very much. I started WR Jeffery and he came away with 1 point. Garcon and Finley each put up 3. I started RB Bell this week and he only put up 2. I was hoping for a TD. No big injuries this week. Sounds like RB Charles is on pace for a huge work load this season. I hope his legs can handle it.

     I did leave a few points on the bench this week. Looking back at the match ups that I had, I would have started the same guys though. RB MJD decided to play and score some points this week, putting up 9. RB Lacey is starting to be more consistent, he put up 6, all based on yardage. I'll keep an eye on his match ups for sure.

     I am the underdog again this week. My opponent has a strong team. I'm hoping for a shoot out between the Broncos and Colts, I need some TDs from Luck and I'm going to start WR Hilton this week too. I'm also starting RB Lacey. I think with the Packers losing a couple more WRs, TE Finley will see more catches and I hope they will run like they did last week.

Keeper League - PPR Scoring

Result - Win
Score 129.70-94.50
Record 5-1
Power Rank - 1st

     Down Goes Murray! Probably the biggest news for my team this week. RB Murray has a sprained knee and could miss a few games. I'd rather him not play for a few weeks and get healthy than try and play each week, because if he plays, I'll have to start him and being hurt like that..... I didn't grab any handcuff for Murray. Most of the other guys are a little banged up also. I knew this would pop up sooner or later but if not for Murray, I'm not sold on the other Cowboys RBs.

     SO, I did win this week. 5th in a row. Longest winning streak I've had in this league. I put up 129 and I left quite a few points on my bench too. I really only had 2 players not have good games. WR Jeffery and my D - the Browns. I have the Titans D but I went with the Browns since the Titans were playing in Seattle. Browns scored 3.5 Titans put up 16. Biggest surprise was Vernon Davis. He put up 34 in this league. Not a big deal since I won but knowing that he has had great games when he's healthy give me more wiggle room in the future. WR Jeffery will probably get benched this week for me. He put up 4.7 this week and when I got guys on my bench putting up double digits almost every week, I can't afford to keep him in there. Of course, I'll hang on to him, I won't release him after 1 bad game. We get so many points from any position that can catch, you can never have to many good receivers on your team.

     Just an OK game from QB Rodgers. The last few weeks he has been winning but not having really good fantasy games like he usually does. I'm hoping he turns it around soon. Had a great game from RB Lynch. He put up 29.50. He's been doing good all season but it was really nice to see him have a game like this. WR Blackmon didn't have a TD in his game but with so many targets, he made a lot of catches and put up lots of yards for 26 points. I've been watching players that get the most "looks" or "targets" every week. Jeffery has been getting a ton the last few weeks, Blackmon leads his team and Garcon and Gordon are pretty close. Aside from Jeffery, all these guys are WR1s. And I still have WR Brown, he was on the bench this week and put up 14.

     I feel good about this win but I don't want to celebrate too much. I know things happen fast and I could easily lose several games and miss out on the play offs. My goal, as is every one's goal, is to win it all. I have a real shot at, not only my division but making some real noise in the play offs. I can't get ahead of my self. Where can I get better? I have to look at RBs. I have 3 guys that I can start just about every week. I'm not panicking, I will start RB Woodhead in place of RB Murray this week. I'll just have to dig around and see if I can find a guy hiding on the waiver wire, waiting to get picked and have a chance at fantasy football greatness.

Fantasy Football Week 5 Review Keeper and Redraft Leagues

2013-10-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

Redraft League - Standard Scoring

Result - Loss
Score 94-88
Record - 2-3
Power Ranking - 5th

     It's was a tough loss. I had the second highest point total in the league this week. My opponent has 4 Broncos on his roster. QB, RB, WR and TE - I figured 2 of those guys might have good games but not all 4. 78 points from those 4 guys. Ouch. Putting up 88 points, my guys did have some good games. Luck had a really good game against the Seahawks - I almost benched him just based on the match up. That same match up was the reason I left Hilton on the bench, he doesn't score a very much and going against the Hawks, I figured I had better options this week. Wow, big mistake, Hilton goes off for 19.

     My pick up from last week, Alshon Jeffery, came through just like I thought he would. He also set a record for the Bears in receiving yards. He put up 16 in this league. He will probably stay in the line up this week also as the Bears play the Giants. Huge amount of targets the last few weeks and it's starting to pay off. I was hoping MJD would have a good game against the Rams but that didn't happen. He has been horrible for me. I hate to say it but if I don't need him to cover a bye week, I'll have to sit him until he starts putting up something, anything more than what he has been. He can have a seat right next to Spiller. I have Bell back from bye week so he will get the start this week.

      I have to make some decisions on WR each week. Between who I drafted and my recent waivers, I'm deep at WR. I can't start everyone each week, wish I could. I get Garcon and Brown off bye this week to go along with Gordon and Jeffery. Going to be tough to decide who to start - we have 2 WR spots and 1 Flex. I'm going to try and get a TE off the waivers this week. Finley, he's OK, but has been putting up small numbers each week. I have to do something about that. Pretty thin out there.

Keeper League - PPR Scoring

Result - Win
Score 167.87 - 82.56
Record 4-1
Power Ranking - 1st

     Had a pretty amazing game here. I felt this game was going to be a lot closer. My opponent was hampered by a few in game injuries and some tough match ups that limited some heavy hitters on his roster (he did have Tony Romo on his bench but that wouldn't have helped). He only got 12 points from Vick before he got hurt and Reggie Bush put in 8 in a tough game against the Packers. Of course I had Rodgers in the game also. Rodgers had a good game, not great. I think he ranked 15th this week in QBs. He did put up almost 20 though. I had a couple of good games from my 2 RBs, Lynch and Murray, each putting in 11. Not great but good. I've been really happy with my pick up of Danny Woodhead, he put up 17 this week. He should see more chances to score points now that Ryan Mathews is going to miss some time.

     Started 3 WRs this week and they all put up really good numbers. Blackmon 22, Gordon 16 and Alshon Jeffery with 32. I had Garcon and Brown on bye this week and those have been my main WRs so far this season. Now I have 5 WRs capable of putting up huge numbers every week, 4 are No.1 WRs on their teams. Going to be tough. I'll probably have to really watch the match ups. But that has bitten me before.

     Had some really good scoring from my kicker and defense this week. I started the Browns against Buffalo and they scored me 19. I also have the Titans D on my roster so I'll rotate those 2 around match ups. Hauschka had a great game, adding 17. He doesn't score a ton but he has been doing really good since I picked him up a few weeks ago. I probably won't look to make any moves this week but I'll still look to see who's available. I have a couple of guys on my roster that are just taking up space right now but I need them for depth.

Fantasy Football Week 4 Review

2013-10-01T21:14:00.001-07:00

Redraft League - Standard Scoring

Week 4 Result - Loss

Score 49-55

Record 2-2

Power Ranking 6th

     Losing sucks but losing by only 6 points sucks even more. Bye weeks are here and I always do the same thing, I wait until the last minute to try and get them covered. This week my TE was on bye - Finley. I picked up a TE that didn't look too bad - Fauria from the Lions. I did no research on this guy, I just saw he was available and on a team that throw a lot so I grabbed him and started him. I could have just started Finley this week, they scored the same.....

     Not really sure what is going on with my running backs now. I think I'll have to keep MJD on the bench - he scored me a 1. I left Spiller on the bench this week but that wouldn't have mattered as he only put up 3 points. I would hate to start benching these guys on a regular basis but until they start playing better I won't have a choice. I have to start Spiller this week, as of right now he's a game time decision and he plays Thursday night. I feel good about my other running backs. I have Eddie Lacey off a bye week and he will start this week. Le'Veon Bell will be another starter for me this week. I did not know how the Steelers would use him last week, being his first NFL game ever. I left 15 points on the bench. I knew he would be their bell cow I just didn't know it would start in his first game.

      Luck had a good game. He's playing against the Seahawks in Seattle this week, I won't expect much. I have to start Hilton this week to cover a bye. He hasn't done much yet and against Seattle, I'll expect even less. Most of my better players are all of a sudden playing defenses that are getting better. I'm not throwing in the towel this week, but with all my matchups and my opponent being the 1st ranked team in the league and undefeated.....I don't like my chances but stranger things have happened.

Keeper League

Week 4 Result - Win

Score 147.67 - 112.70

Record 3-1

Power Ranking 2nd

     Had a really good game. I was a little worried about having Stafford cover Rodger's bye week. Stafford had been playing good but he had a bad game, only putting up 12 points. My opponent started Russell Wilson who had a down game also just getting 12 points. My lowest score of the day came with Josh Gordon with 9. My idea of trading around a few players to get a few with higher score projections paid off. I grabbed the Titans D, which put up 27. Started Woodhead who had a great game with 23.

     Had good games from my RBs this week. I was helped with the other team starting McFadden who only scored 2 before getting hurt. Lynch put up 19. He should have a good game this week at home against the Colts.

     Looking ahead to next week. I get Rodgers back, I loose Garcon and Brown to bye weeks. My opponent looses Adrian Peterson to a bye week. He has 3 starters on bye this week so I'm hoping to take advantage. The guy I'm playing against is ranked 3rd and is also 3-1 and on a 3 game winning streak. Rodgers playing at home against the Lions, I'm hoping for a shoot out. I'm also looking for some good points out of my new waiver wire pick up, Alshon Jeffery from the Bears. He's been getting a ton of targets the last few weeks and the Bears playing against the Saints - I'm hoping the Bears fall behind early and have to throw a ton. Nice upside with him. Starting Justin Blackmon also. Not too excited but he is a big weapon for them and is fresh after serving a 4 game suspension. Probably not going to have a first game like Gordon had a few weeks ago.....I'll settle for half of those points. Starting the Titans D against the Chiefs. Has the makings of a defensive battle, low scoring and not a lot of yards given up on either side. Smells like points for me.

MetallicA: Through The Never IMAX 3D - Movie Review

2013-09-28T21:50:00.001-07:00

MetallicA: Through The Never

IMAX 3D

I've never seen a concert movie in a theatre before but I'm so glad I went out and saw this one. The whole production was top notch, everything looked and more importantly, sounded great. The sound was good enough to make you feel like you are at a MetallicA show, I was pleasantly surprised when the opening song started and I immediately felt like, "Yes, this is what I remember!" The whole IMAX 3D thing was well done. I don't usually pay the extra for the IMAX or even the 3D for most movies but I did for this one. I would see it again in IMAX but probably not pay the extra for the 3D again. I think the sound and scale of the IMAX screen help make this movie going experience better.

This is not just a straight forward concert film. The main draw will be MetallicA and the music, as it should be, but there is a story line running through this film that uses the music as sort of a back drop. Everyone probably knows the story by now so I'll make it short. A roadie, or gofer, named Trip arrives at the arena the night of the show. As he makes his was inside sees the members of the band arriving or getting ready. The band members have just brief cameos here in the beginning, everything else we see of them is on stage. Hetfield arrives in an old school hot rod that shoots flames out the exhaust as he glares at our "hero" from behind dark sunglasses. Hammett is talking with a crew member and holding a broken guitar that appears to be bleeding. Further backstage, Trujillo is seen rocking out on his bass with a room full of speakers that is shaking the room and the hallway. He continues further into the arena and passes Lars, who is walking by and talking with other crew members. Lars slows down and looks at Trip as if he knows him or is trying to recognize him. Trip continues walking until he is standing in an isle of the arena. Quick shots of the band as they make their way together back stage. The arena is full now and the lights go down. The band members take the stage and start playing. Trip stands there and takes in the show just like the rest of the audience. Standing, cheering and singing along with the crowd.

As the first song ends, another crew member grabs Trip and has a task for him. Here is the start of Trips journey. He is given an crucial task: A truck carrying an important item that the band needs has run out of gas somewhere in the city. Trip needs to find the truck, retrieve the item and return it to the band. The story scenes are all very well done. They are woven into the concert at key moments of songs, not just started and stopped between them. This helps in keeping the movie moving along at a quick pace as we don't see much banter between James and the crowd or setting up for the next song.

Trip hits the city looking for the truck and finds the streets are eerily deserted. He is passed on the road by a crowd of people being chased by cops. Things only get weirder for Trip. He soon finds himself literally in the middle of a street fight between rioters and cops in full battle gear. The scenes are cut together with the concert footage, like the riot cops beating their batons on their shields to the opening beats of Wherever I May Roam. Here, Trip first encounters the mysterious horseman. This masked man is riding around on horseback, throwing a noose around rioters and hanging them from street lights. He soon sets his sights on Trip.

Meanwhile the band is going full throttle on stage. The stage is massive. The entire floor is covered in video screens which show lighting effects, video clips and cool effects like blood slowly covering the stage. Stage props are brought in to pay homage to classic album covers and songs. They built an electric chair and 4 Tesla Coils to create a lightning storm during Ride The Lightning, a huge statue of Doris (Lady Justice) that is assembled then demolished at the climax of the ...And Justice For All. Several eliminated crosses arose from the stage during Master Of Puppets, along with some smoke produced some of the cooler images of the band playing. There is almost a stage prop from every major tour making an appearance. Coffin shaped lighting rigs are brought down during a few songs, used during the Death Magnetic tour, huge hydraulic arms with lights are used like from the Load tour.

The concert continues as Trip finally reaches the truck. He opens the back and finds a bag. He opens the bag and what he sees shocks him. I would say he is speechless but Trip does not have any lines in this movie. Aside from yelling "HEY" to the guy that almost killed him in the car crash, Trip does not speak. He doesn't really need to. The actor, Dane DeHaan, conveys every emotion with just his eyes and his actions. Just as he grabs the bag he spots a man standing in the street, waving at him. A moment later a crowd of rioters and the horseman arrive. Trip makes a run for it. They chase him through the streets and back alleys until he is trapped by a fence. Here he dons his bandanna and hood as seen in the movie posters and fights back. Let's just say there are flames involved. Back at the arena, the band utilizes one of the great stage gags of their career, destroying part of the stage (as on the Load tour) during Enter Sandman, complete with "Guy Running While On Fire", while Trip has a final showdown with the horseman on a rooftop.

Trip finally makes his way back to the arena to find the concert finished. The arena is all but empty, except for the band members onstage. Trip takes a seat as the band starts playing one last song - Orion. The song ends and Trip leaves the bag on stage. The final scene is a slow camera zoom up to the bag. The End.

As a whole, this movie was great. The story parts were cool but the concert was the best part. They really took advantage of the IMAX screen and sound system, it was loud but a good loud. It sounded like being at a concert. The band really sounded strong. Lars' drumming came through loud and clear. James' voice was strong and clear. MetallicA is known for putting on a killer live performance and this was just that, but kicked up a few notches. The 3D was cool but not necessary to enjoy the movie. I will admit, it was pretty awesome to see some of the close ups of the guys playing in 3D, especially the guitar parts. I felt the song selection was good for what they were trying to show us. There are a couple of songs that I really missed but I know the band wanted to make this movie more interesting and entertaining so the idea of a two and a half hour movie of just songs wasn't on their agenda. I wonder if there will be a longer cut of the movie released when the DVD comes out. Either way, I would be happy to own this one.

And by the way, the band made this movie on their own. They paid for it all themselves. I heard rumors of a budget of around 18$ Million. MetallicA is not known for doing things half assed and this is no exception. As a fan, I can really appreciate how they go about things, putting in hard work to put out a good product for us. I hope this movie does good business for them. If it doesn't, oh well, but I would like them to succeed.

Any thoughts as to what was in the bag? I have a few.....

Fantasy Football Week 3 Review

2013-09-24T17:20:00.001-07:00

Fantasy Football Week 3 Review

Redraft League - Standard Scoring

Result - Win

Score 61-29

Record - 2-1

Power Ranking - 3rd

     Had a good week. This team had a few tough match ups but it just worked out that the other team had even worse games. I put up 0's from 3 different players. It's hard to imagine winning watching that unfold. A couple of my bigger names got hurt or didn't play well. Spiller had 0, Finley put up 0 but he got knocked out of the game on his first target of the game. Hilton also had 0 in a tough game against the 49ers. The Colts ran the ball a lot so I didn't get much out of Luck either, but at least he ran in a TD.

     I had great games from Charles and Brown. Charles has been a great RB for me so far this year. Brown, I drafted him with some high expectations and it is now starting to pay off. 14 from Charles and 21 from Brown.

     Bye weeks start now. I only have 1 guy on a bye and it's Finley. He probably wouldn't play anyways but had to mine the waiver wire for a TE. We'll see how that ends up. Other than the injury to Finley, I think I still look good heading into the next few weeks. Lacey did not play this week but should be fine after the bye. I benched MJD this week as he was playing against the Seahawks and of course he has a good game and scores a TD. He is hurt and was playing one of the best Defenses in the NFL so I stand by that benching. Sounds like the Steelers will be able to play Bell soon. That will give me more depth at RB and if he starts doing well I can add him to my normal starting rotation.

     Plus, I have Josh Gordon that I can start now also. I drafted Gordon knowing he would be good once he came back from suspension but I thought it might take a few games. He put up 14 points this week. I cannot expect that kind of production every week, especially from the Browns but if he can stay consistent that will help me out as the season progresses.

Keeper League - PPR Scoring

Result - Win

Score   118.69 - 110.23

Record 2-1

Power Ranking - 2nd

     Talk about a nail biting come from behind game! I went into the Sunday night game down by about 28 points. Other team was done for the week and sitting with a pretty comfortable lead. My last player, Brown has been good but not great so I was expecting a loss. Brown went off and scored my 36.26 points. Enough to come from behind and win. I needed those points after some bad games earlier in the day. Rodgers played well, but only scored 17. Lynch had a good game but it was almost like a preseason game for the Seahawks as they started pulling out their starters in the 3rd quarter. Not much from Mendenhall, 4.6. I started Marlon Brown in place of Vernon David this week and he only got 1.6. Davis did not play. I probably won't start Marlin again and might even look to drop him soon. Also had a huge day from Murray 27.8 points. (side note - DeShawn Jackson put up 7.7, I hope this trade keeps working out for me)

     So, I won but didn't have the best game and not nearly as good as I could have had. You have to make moves to stay ahead of the curve but I made a few that I would have liked to have back. I should have blown this other team out of the water. Biggest regret was dropping the Carolina defense for the Bills. My main reason for that was Panthers were playing the Giants and even though the Giants are not very good they have been throwing for a ton of yards and in this league, that can kill a defense in scoring. I figured the Bills playing the Jets, I'd be good. The Giants picked a heck of a time to suck the most. Panthers D put up 32 points while I got 2.5 from the Bills.

     I've always liked the Seahawks kicker and I was able to pick him up this week. I did have the 49ers kicker so dropping him was good as he only kicked 1 extra point this week. I'll probably hang on to Hauschka for a while, at least until his bye week. I did pick up Danny Woodhead. I like that he catches a lot of passes. He put up 10 points last week. Mendenhall is not a sure fire every week start and having Woodhead give me a little wiggle room to play matchups a bit. I'll start him this week.

     I'm starting Sam Bradford this week in place of Rodgers (bye week). I know he doesn't have a great match up against the 49ers but he has been out scoring his projections every week. Plus, the 49er defense is not what it used to be. Might be a sneaky start. I drafted Josh Gordon in this league also. He put up 27.8 in this league. He starts this week too.

     Chris Ivory is hurt again. His back up went out and ran for over 150 yards. I'll hang on to him but I don't have too much confidence he will be a starter for me. I'm still hanging on to Patterson also. He is playing well and I think he will only get more and more playing time. He is getting some good points since he also returns kicks, which we get points for return yardage. As soon as he starts scoring on a more consistent basis I'll plug him in. My hope is that I'll end up with more starting WRs that I can handle and I can make a few more trades.

     I'm still the scoring leader in this league, not by much, but still. My win this week was against a division opponent so that will factor in down the line. Right now my team is ranked 2nd over all. Feels good but at the same time, almost undeserved. But, maybe every owner goes through this, even with a team winning, still having doubts about who to start, drops and adds and all of it. I'm playing the lowest ranked team in our league this week. If I can beat him I'll brag a little but you never know. Sometimes it's the ones you least expect......

Fantasy Football Week 2 Update

2013-09-19T19:45:00.001-07:00

Fantasy Football Week 2 Updates

Redraft League - Standard Scoring

Result - Win

Record 1-1

Currently ranked 5th overall

     Won 65-59. Not a blow out but enough for my first win of the year.   Only scored 3 TDs so I got most of my points from yardage. Good enough for this week but do not want to win like this every week. My RBs are starting to wake up a little bit. Except for MJD - now he is dealing with an injury and he is facing the Seattle Seahawks this week, in Seattle. Yeah, he's taking a seat on the bench this week.

     Had some good games from my WRs and Kicker. Kicking points don't seem like a game changer but they were for me this week with 12 pints. Garcon started his game slow but once the Packers built a huge lead and started to relax on defense a little, he was able to grab a bunch of garbage time yards and even a TD. He gets a start every week and he will only get better as Griffin starts to get his leg back in shape and he starts playing better.

     My Draft of Josh Gordon will, I hope, start paying off now that he is all done with the 2 game suspension. Now that Trent Richardson has been traded away, that will leave Gordon as one of the only big play makers on the team. I'm hoping he will get the ball a lot. Eddie Lacey left the game with a head injury, doesn't seem as bad as it looked. I have yet to start him but his games are getting better and if MJD doesn't start playing better I will have to make a swap. Going to start T.Y. Hilton this week. Coaches in Indy are making plays for him and already having Luck as my starting QB, I'm hoping for quite a few double dip TD games.

      I have a tough match up this week. Opponent has Brady, Cruz and Lynch as his heavy hitters. My guys will have their work cut out for them this week. I have some good match ups this week, only Luck against SF Defense is sketchy.

Keeper League - PPR Scoring

Result - Win

Record 1-1

Currently ranked 4th overall

     I've been waiting for a game like this one. Had the highest point total in the league by far. Won 171.68 - 140.55. Had some really great games for my big guys. Rodgers put up 46.50. Even my RBs, which by this league's standards are second tier at best, had some good games. My main RB, Lynch had a great game in a tough match up, putting up 33 points.

     My lowest point totals came from my 49er guys, Davis and my kicker, Dawson. I was OK with that as they were playing the Hawks and I still got my win. Had another great game from Jackson, he put up 29.80. My WRs are pretty strong and I have a few good ones. Still not all that happy with my RBs, I even dropped Mark Ingram. I grabbed Woodhead off the waiver wire. He won't be a starter on my team now but I'm hoping his role in the Chargers offense will grow as he puts up better numbers for them.

     I received a trade offer this week. I was offered Demarco Murray for DeShawn Jackson.  My first reaction was, NO! Did you see that game this week? BUT.....my WRs are my strongest group and RBs are my weakest. We went back and forth a few times but I decided to make this trade, we also swapped a few draft picks for next season. I need another RB that can put up some points, ANY points. While Murray isn't a big game changer and he does have injury risk, he does play on a team that can and does score points and he can catch, a big plus. Giving up DeShawn wasn't an easy choice. Knowing that I have several WRs on my team that can have good games and DeShawn comes with his own injury risks as well. I watched some of the Eagles game this week and both Jackson and Vick took big shots that knocked them out for a few plays. Eagles are playing very fast paced and I'm not too confident Jackson OR Vick will last. I figured I better take a chance now and get a RB that can help me in the long run. We will have to wait and see how this trade works out but Murray is in my starting line up this week.

     Facing one of the top teams in the league this week. I think if I have some good games I can pull this one off. My guys have some really good match ups and I can see a few shoot out type games happening. Lynch at home against Jacksonville should be money. I decided to drop my defense and kicker this week and pick up a couple that have some better matchups. Not sure if I will do this every week or not, but if it works out this week I will at least entertain the idea.

NFL Fantasy Football Week1 Review

2013-09-11T15:47:00.001-07:00

     Dedraft League: Week 1
     Loss 64-94
     0-1

Stunk up the league this week. Got very little production out of some big names. Granted, there were a lot of really good games against tough defenses in week 1 so I'm not too concerned about future games. Between Spiller and MJD I only got 4 points. Ouch. I can't feel too bad though. I put up the best team I could. The only exception was Eddie Lacey from Green Bay. He actually had a good day. But that would not have helped. I was out scored big time. Adding in Lacey's 9 point game would not have made a dent. Not much else to say about this team at the moment. No one got hurt and everyone has better match ups this week. Hoping for some bounce back performances from most of my running backs.

     Keeper League: Week 1
     Loss 124.08 - 133.30
     0-1

Fared a little better but still not enough to pull off the win. Going into Monday night, I needed good games from both Garcon and DeShawn. Got the good game from DeShawn. I figured that if I could get 100 yards and a TD from each guy I could win. I was getting mad at the Redskins as they fell behind and kept rushing the ball. I got some horrible games from my running backs. Lynch faced a tough game and only got me 6 points. Ingram only got 1. That hurt. I think I'll start Mendenhall this week. He didn't have a great game last week, but he's still the main guy in that backfield and I feel better with him over Ivory and Ingram. I wasn't expecting much from my rookies and didn't get much. Michaels got nothing and Patterson was only used on a few passing plays and he ran back a few kicks so he was able to get a few points. I'm hoping Patterson gets more playing time soon. I don't feel too excited to be starting Davis but he did have a good game against Green Bay and should do well as teams are now aware of how they will be using Boldin.

My opponent had a great game from Cruz this week. If he had even half his points I would have won. It's not every week he will score 3 touchdowns. My teams don't score a ton of points so it's a matter of trying to have good match ups and have the other team hit a snag somewhere. My philosophy has been start who I have and hope the other team just sucks this week. Hooray!

Fantasy Football 2013 Redraft and Keeper League Draft Results

2013-08-24T14:27:00.000-07:00

     I thought I was pretty prepared this year, for both drafts. One thing I have learned is to research the players that I expect to be available in the late rounds. Spent a lot of time looking at Wide Receivers, a position that, in many leagues, is very deep and you can mine some good sleepers from. Helps that in most leagues you have to start 3 so a lot of big names go fast. Good rookie class of Running Backs this year also. Of course, drafting in mid August, you never know how preseason is going to end up or when the dreaded injury bug pops up. Let's start with the Redraft League

Redraft League - Standard Scoring

     Ended up with the 3rd over all pick. I was pretty happy with that. I always like to load up on RBs in this league. Last year we added a Flex position. So, having the option to start 3 RBs that could possibly score a lot of points, I had to get off to a good start. My first pick, I went with Jamaal Charles - I figured he had such a great season last year after his injury that a full year removed from it and with a better coaching staff in place, he could really put up some good numbers. Plus, I really like RBs that catch. Watching the other teams draft, it became clear that I would be choosing a couple more top tier RBs with my next 2 picks. Second pick, I went with C.J. Spiller. Slight injury concern but I could not pass up on the upside. 3rd pick, Maurice Jones Drew. Again, slight injury concern but he gets the ball a ton and in this offense he will be given every chance to score, plus he will be playing this year for a new contract.

     I decided to wait on drafting my first Wide Receiver. My first WR, I went with Pierre Garcon. With a healthy RG3, Garcon was a stud last year and he played most of the season hurt. RG3 should not be running the ball as much as last year so that means more down field passes to Garcon. Felt pretty good about that pick. We start a Tight End in this league so I tried to get a good one. Jermichael Finley should have a good year. It sounds like Aaron Rodgers has more trust in him than in previous seasons and with Greg Jennings gone and Jordy Nelson on the mend from knee surgery, Finley should see a fair amount of targets.

     With so many good Quarter Backs this year I held off as long as I could. I knew I could still land a good QB in later rounds and I did with Andrew Luck. He looked great as a rookie last season. More experience, some good receivers and a not so great running game and I see a great season in Luck. I also drafted T.Y. Hilton in the 9th round. He also looked good last year, doubling up on Colts, I never would have done that a few years ago, but these guys should score a lot this year. My second WR was Antonio Brown. I figured in the Steeler offense, Brown has a good shot at being the number 1 target down field. I feel even better about this pick now as news comes in about the injury to rookie RB Bell. Back field mess, with good QB and good receivers, should put up some nice numbers.

     Pick in the 9th round went to Hilton. My next 2 picks I went with WRs also. Josh Gordon, he should have a good year. Browns offense is not the greatest BUT their QB is improving and they have a really good RB. Should help give him room to shine. I feel good about this next pick, Cordarralle Patterson. He's a rookie but he has a similar skill set to Percy Harvin, who was traded away. I don't have a lot of confidence in the Vikings QB, but Harvin still had great seasons with him. Took a chance with Patterson. I also took a shot with Eddie Lacey in the 8th round. If he ends up with the starting job he could do well with the Packers offense.

     Grabbed a good back up QB in Dalton. He should have a good year and if my first pick pans out, I won't have to start Dalton except to cover the bye week. But if Luck happens to have a down year or get hurt, I have confidence in Dalton to be able to start for my team every week. In the 13th round, I took one of my "sleepers". Danny Woodhead. He is listed as a 3rd RB with the Chargers but if we all look back on the Chargers last year, their "star RB" Ryan Mathews, he gets hurt a lot and he had a lot of bad games last year. Recent reports have the coaches talking about using Woodhead in a "Sproles" type of roll, which I was hoping for here. Change of pace RB that will catch a lot of balls also. I don't expect a lot out of the Chargers with year but Woodhead could shine.

     I believe I left this draft in really good shape. I have a strong group of starters and some really good back ups. Even if I lose one or two guys to injuries, I can still field a good team every week and that's with not taking any guys off the waiver wire yet. I have a few names in mind for that also, but that will have to wait until the season starts to see how my team pans out.

Keeper League - PPR Scoring

     I kept way to many scrubs last year and I had a bad season because of it. I did some thinking and decided to only keep 2 players this time around. Aaron Rodgers and Marshawn Lynch. Knowing that I would be drafting 3rd I liked my chances of landing a rookie RB to help build around. But of course, the 2 teams ahead of me decided to go "all in" and not keep anyone, thus giving them the first 6 picks. So basically in the first 2 minutes of the draft I was looking at picking up a guy that I really didn't want or start drafting the guys I put back into the pool this year. It can be easy to get frustrated on draft day in this league because every team know so much about the game and they do so much research it can be hard to "pull a fast one" and sneak a guy that no one else really knows about. But, my team needs RBs.

     I was able to land some good guys. Not on the best teams in the world but, they should all be starters and get a good work load every week. My first few picks I grabbed, Chris Ivory, Mark Ingram and Rashard Mendenhall. Not my ideal team but upon closer inspection, they should all be starters on opening day. Not super concerned with injuries out of these guys either. Mendenhall was pretty bad last season but was not 100% healthy either. He should have a much better year in Arizona. Ivory's switch to the Jets, I'm not too stoked about because, c'mon, it's the Jets, but they will have to run the ball a lot since their QB situation is a mess. Ingram should put up good numbers with the Saints. The Saints are well known for passing but they also have a strong running game and Ingram should get the bulk of the carries.

     Since this league is PPR scoring, having some good WRs is a must. I had Garcon last year and was able to pick him up again this time. I also landed Brown from the Steelers (see above). I really wanted DeSean Jackson and I was able to get him. I don't really like the Eagles but that new coach seems to have a fast game plan in mind and losing Maclin for the year will only mean more targets for Jackson. Plus we gets points for return yardage and Jackson makes a lot of noise on Special Teams. I took a look at the best available pass catchers and I decided to go with Vernon Davis. He should have a great season with most of the other receivers in San Fran either hurt, over the hill or just not that good. Also picked up Josh Gordon and Cordarralle Patterson again. Young guys that should be able to step up and put together a good year.

     In this league, it pays to take a chance on some rookies and hope they pan out. I grabbed 2 and so far I'm really happy with one of them. Christine Michael RB in Seattle. I've seen him run in the preseason games and he looks just like Lynch if not a little quicker. I drafted Turbin last year as my handcuff for Lynch but something just stands out about this kid. My other reach was for Latavius Murray RB with Oakland. I know I know. I had some good games with Reese last year when he started for the often injured McFadden. I really felt good after the draft about this pick but now reports are saying he might not even make the team. Oh well. If he doesn't it's not like a wasted a high draft pick on him. I might just hang on to these 2 guys for a while and see what happens.

     I did make a HUGE mistake this year. I still kick myself for it. I had back to back picks in the late rounds. Percy Harvin was just sitting there and went undrafted and being that he won't even see the field until late in the season, most teams just passed him up. I totally forgot about this league and the IR spot. You can have one guy on it, if a player is officially placed on Injured Reserve by his team. So my plan was to draft Harvin late, but forgetting about our IR spot I thought I would have to forget about grabbing some of my late round "sleepers". so I went ahead and drafted those other guys and right after I did I regretted it. The very next pick, someone drafted Harvin and placed him on his team IR spot. Total facepalm move on my part. Maybe Harvin won't pan out in Seattle, maybe he will always get hurt and not score much. Yeah.

Draft Review for both leagues

I really feel I have a good team in the Redraft League. I might have to mine the waiver wire sooner than later but I think I'm off to a really good start. We also decided that our draft order for next year will be based on record from this year and not random. We have always done it that way before so this will be something new and will give some teams that tanked a chance at some better picks next season. I plan on having the 10th pick next year. I noticed this year that I tend to get excited when other teams start drafting QBs and WRs early and I have my choice of top 10 RBs. I ended up with 3 of them this year. Last year I had too many starters and not enough roster spots, it became a game of who to start when they can all have big games. Let's hope I don't end up like that again this year.

Aside from my Harvin facepalm moment I think I did OK. Not at all what I was expecting my team to look like after the draft but not too horrible. My only concern is that if my team starts out slow and I have to start dropping guys and combing over the waiver wire everyday I might be in trouble. I have to be patient. Too many times have I drafted a guy, dropped him to early, only to have him scooped up by another team and all of a sudden he's a starting running back on a team that run a lot.

Be patient. If you really want a guy, pick him when you want. Don't wait. If you feel like that player will help you win, do it. Unless your choice is drafting a Defense in the 4th round. Don't do that. Yes, that did happen in the redraft league. I facepalmed for him.

I already have some new plans for drafting next year. I want to try and keep track of the draft as it happens and keep an updated draft board. Not just crossing names off my book. That helps for knowing who is gone but does nothing with trying to predict what a team needs as the draft progresses.

My Rosters for both teams

Redraft League (drafted in this order)

RB Charles

RB CJ Spiller

RB MJD

WR Garcon

TE Finley

QB Luck

WR Brown

RB Lacey

WR Hilton

WR Gordon

WR Patterson

QB Dalton

RB Woodhead

DEF Browns

K Barth

RB Murray

Keeper League (not drafted in this order)

QB Rodgers

QB Dalton

RB Lynch

RB Ivory

RB Mendenhall

RB Ingram

RB Michael

RB Murray

WR Garcon

WR Brown

WR Jackson

WR Gordon

WR Patterson

TE Davis

K Dawson

DEF Browns

Stadard League Season Review

2012-12-17T21:52:00.001-08:00

Standard League Season Review

Post Season Record 1-1

It can be such an bad feeling when you load up your team for the playoffs, get a huge win in the first game and start talking smack. Only to fall flat the next game and lose by 20 points. Most owners know the feeling of having a stud player have a bad game or taking gamble and have it backfire. I had all that happen this weekend. I only had good games from 3 guys, Matt Ryan, DeMarco Murray and Hernandez. Other then that.... not much. Between Ray Rice and Doug Martin I got 1 stinkin' point. Also got a combined 1 point from both of my wide receivers, I started Jordon and Alexander.

My team was just outplayed this week. My opponent had Drew Brees, The Law Firm, Alfred Morris and Eric Decker - those guys alone won him the game, he only scored 5 points between the rest of his team. I only left 14 points on my bench so no matter who I started I still would have lost. At least I can say that, it's not like I left a guy out that ended up having a career game - I've had that happen before.

There is not much I could have changed at the end of the year. I picked up guys of the waiver wire that helped me out (and kept them away from the other teams). I didn't have too many injuries. I didn't have to scramble to keep my team together either. Just got handed a few bum games. I feel better than the last few years when I got into the playoffs but lost the first game. I was able to keep the fun going for a few more weeks this time around.

Looking ahead to next season, I know that I won't have a chance to get a team this loaded again. I knew some rookies would pay off and they did and that helped me to spend draft picks on big names early on. Now most of my team is made up of big names. That's the neat thing about a Re-Draft League, everyone gets a clean slate each year. Man, what I wouldn't give to keep a few of these guys for next year though.

Fantasy Football Season Review-Post Season Start

2012-12-08T13:11:00.001-08:00

Fantasy Football Season Review

Post Season Preview

Standard League - Record 7-6

The last month of the regular season was a nail biter. After leading the division and heading for a post season bye week, I lost 3 games in a row to lose the division lead. I had to win the last game of the season to get into the playoffs. I won and was able to grab the last wild card spot.

The last few weeks of the season I was dropping some dead weight and picking up players that are peaking at a good time. I do have a strong team but my opponent this week does too. I will need some really good games from my studs to pull this one out. My guys do not have any "bad" match ups this week, but you never know when a defence will step up and play well.

Just like I planned, I am loaded at the running back position. The bad thing is, now I have to choose who to start. Guys are getting healthy and starting to play well. I know DeMarco Murray is back but, with Ray Rice, Doug Martin and I picked up Bryce Brown this week, Murray will sit on the bench. He would get the start if we could start more running backs. I also have Maurice Jones-Drew waiting in the wings - if he gets healthy enough to start. I can't look to far ahead. I have to win this week first.

Since I am starting 3 running backs, that means I can only start 2 wide receivers. I'll go with Randall Cobb and Josh Gordon. I have Jeremy Maclin, Antonio Brown and Justin Blackmon on the bench. I like Maclin, especially with DeShawn on IR. But I don't feel like he will help me this week. The Eagles have a rookie QB playing now and if he cannot get things going, Maclin will suffer. Plus, I added Bryce Brown this week and since McCoy has been out, Brown has been putting up huge fantasy numbers. I'll go with Brown. I had Percy Harvin sitting on my bench for the last few weeks and just found out he is on the IR - ending his season. He is now the only guy on my team with no chance of playing. If I make it to the next round, I will drop him and grab another receiver.

The match up this week is a good one. Our teams are pretty equal and have about the same potential to put up huge games. The only real position that I think I have an advantage on is the tight end. I will start Aaron Hernandez and he has Vernon Davis. Davis is good and can have big games but over all has had a down season. Hernandez has been more consistent and actually has been getting more targets since the injury to Gronk.

Fingers are crossed this week. I feel confident. Going to be fun games to watch this week.

PPR Dynasty League - Record 5-8

Lost the last 3 games of the season. My team was still in the playoff hunt until the last game. I needed to win and needed another team to lose. They lost, but so did I. Adding insult to injury, I will receive the dreaded "Tranny Award" for my division. At the end of each season, the teams with the worst record in each division trade divisions.

Being this is a dynasty league, the season is never really over. Since the regular season has ended, I have already completed a trade. Teams in the playoffs will try to grab players from other teams to help them win. Those of us that missed out will be trying to plan for the draft for next season. The trade I made was for a draft pick. I was able to nab a 12th round pick for the Seattle defence. I might try to make a few trades before all the games are said and done.

I have a few players that I will be keeping for next season. I also have a few young players that I will evaluate and decide to drop or keep. It's tough every year to try and decide to keep a guy and lose a draft pick. If you have a guy that didn't have a great season, but has high potential, is he worth giving up a draft pick for? On paper, my team is pretty good. Had a few bad injuries pop up in the last few weeks. Can't really do much about that.

Time to pour over endless stats, projections and speculation. Let the research begin.

Fantasy Football 2012 Week 10 Review Standard/PPR

2012-11-11T19:12:00.001-08:00

Fantasy Football Week 10 Review

Standard and PPR Leagues

Standard League Team

Over the last few weeks I made a few changes. As of right now I am winning my division, even though I will lose this week. I am starting to plan on making the playoffs and how to put my best team forward to win those important games. I was able to drop some dead weight and pick up a couple guys that are hurt right now but should slowly make their way back and be full time starters by the time we start wrapping things up and heading into the playoffs. The biggest addition has been Maurice Jones Drew. He was dropped last week, due to his injury, which scared off many of the other owners. I've already got a few really good running backs but I could not pass MJD up. He is a full time RB on a team with no other weapons, so he gets the ball a ton no matter what. He can take a seat on my bench for now, right next to DeMarco Murray. Once those two guys get back on the field and I can add them to my lineup on a weekly basis, right next to Ray Rice and Doug Martin, look out!

Getting over injuries can be tough. This week was a bad one for me. I'm going to lose this week but I will still be on top with a 6-4 record. I got bit by some injuries and bye weeks at the same time. I even had to start 2 guys that were out because everyone on my bench was on a bye or injured. Didn't have a bad week for scoring, we put up 64 points, but just not enough. Matt Ryan is still producing at a very high level. Two other guys that usually put up good numbers, Percy Harvin and Aaron Hernandez, both out this week. I saw this coming but being that every guy on my bench was not available and our waivers are only once a week on Wednesday, there was nothing I could do.

Heading into week 11 I can drop one of my Defences and a Running Back that went and got himself suspended for 4 games. Not a big deal, he was only there to cover bye weeks anyway. I don't have a plan for what to pick up this week. It's a good spot to be in not to have to scramble every week. 2 of my last 3 games are against playoff teams, including the other division leader (at the moment). Most likely I will go after something like another Wide Receiver and maybe a Running Back. I only have 1 more bye week to cover for week 11. Trying to think ahead and not get over confident.

PPR League Team

Lost the last 2 games. I was thinking it would be 3 in a row since my main guys are on a bye week this week. I was able to add Phillip Rivers to cover for Aaron Rodgers and he put up a good game. Also had some really good games from my Running Backs, which is good because I really only have one good one with Lynch. I picked up Marcel Reece once I heard the other Oakland Running Backs were out and he put up a nice game for me. He won't be counted on once the 2 main guys get back but until then I'll start him. I also added Isaac Redman for the time being, had a good game last week so we shall see how long he can get playing time. I have Donald Brown on my bench. Once he gets healthy and gets his normal playing time he should put up decent numbers.

Last year I made the playoffs for the first time in this league. I don't think that will happen this year. After this week I will be 5-5. Not horrible, but there will be a tie for the lead in the division and also a tie for second place. I will get my big guys back next week so that will help. I will have to make a few moves to try and keep up. I don't make many trades as many other owners want my top guys and aren't willing to give up much of anything good.

I try to take advantage of starters getting hurt. It works but only for a short time. I have had to mine the waivers each week. Not in full on panic mode, but there is not much there. I have a few guys that I am hoping will turn into full time starting Running Backs for next year so I will try to do what I can while hanging on to those guys for next year. Just going to try and finish strong and at least above .500. Not too confident about my chances but you never know. Can't give up.

Fantasy Football Week 5 Review - Week 6 Preview

2012-10-11T20:28:00.001-07:00

Fantasy Football

Week 5 Review & Week 6 Preview

Redraft League - Well, started the season 2-0. Since then, dropped 3 in a row.

My team has been scoring good points each week. But we have been getting beat, quite soundly, the last 3 weeks. A lot of other mid range names have been having great games, while some of the bigger names have yet to fully realize their potential. Matt Ryan is still doing great. Had a few stinker games from my running backs. We get yardage points but only 20yds for 1 point so while a running back with a 100 yard game sounds great, its only 5 points without a TD. So, while Ray Rice is just about a lock for 100 yards each week, unless he can score, that's only 5 points.

I haven't had to scrounge the waiver wire too much to cover injuries. The thing that sneaks up on me every year is the bye weeks. Injury + bye week = no kicker. This usually happens for 1 game every year in this league. Only having the waiver wire open once a week and having the first picks go to the teams with the worst records kinda sucks. You can't just research a name and go grab him right away. You have to put in a claim and wait and see if he falls to you. If he doesn't, you're out of luck. If you were counting on that player to cover an injury or bye week, ouch.

Had a few weeks of really low scoring from my wide receivers and running backs. I'm hoping they can get back on track here soon. On paper, my team should be killing it right now. I'm not one to play the match ups, if I have a good player I'll start that player regardless if he plays against a tough defense. I have to count on my main guys to pull through, once they get rolling again I should bounce back. A couple of my receivers had injuries a couple of weeks back, nothing major but its the little injuries that can linger. You always hope your guys don't get hurt. When you have a guy get a small injury but he is still able to play, that can kill your score. A guy can start but not be 100%, so he doesn't play the whole game, and when he does play, he's not effective. Puts you in a tough spot sometimes. I was lucky enough, the players that went down with season ending injuries the last few weeks weren't any of mine.

I can shake a few of these little injury bugs and get past a few bye weeks and get my team back on track. I'm still confident about a post season birth.

Keeper League - Turned this one around, a little. Now at 2-3.

Through week 3, my highest scoring players were my back up QB and my Defense. Tough spot. Rodgers should be able to turn things around. Facing the toughest defenses in the league in the first few weeks of the season hurts. I don't even want to get into the Hawks vs pack Monday Night game.

Lynch is still doing good, he needs to score a bit more but his yardage totals are still getting points. I really felt, after the draft, that by this point I would have a few good running backs. Not the case. I kind of knew Kevin Smith would loose his starting job eventually, but it came on really fast. One week he was the starter, the next, not even one carry. I expected to see his role get smaller first and I would have time to find another decent back. I went with having to start Bush every week. Having to re lie on a #2 running back, just sucks. I dropped Smith, Pead, Turbin. Some starting backs went down with season ending injuries so I tried to act quickly and grab some back ups. La Rod Stephens Howling - I had him a few seasons ago as a back up and all of a sudden his going to be a starter, or atleast have a big role. I was a little proactive and took a chance on Jahvid Best, he should get cleared to play and see some good playing time.

Jennings is still battling with his groin injury. I have it covered but to have a guy like that out hurts. Welker was able to get some more playing time and get some good numbers. I never thought he would have as good a season as last year, but he started this year horribly. Britt. I still have him. I have yet to start him. I'm sure he will get some better games as the season get going but its hard to trust him now.

My 2 wins were really nice. one game I won by less than a point. I think that's how things will go for me the rest of this season. Kind of wierd but when I play a winning team, thier guys usually have bad games or less than average for them. In this league the waiver wire is open 24/7 and its first come first serve. I've been watching that a lot closer now. It's helped me get a few guys that should help. Time will tell. If I can get just a couple of these moves to pan out I should be able to pull out a couple more games.