Kickers Stay

I appreciate Jason's motion to get rid of kickers and glad that we have now settled an issue that has been discussed in our fantasy circle for sometime. Based on our vote, we will have kickers this season. We will only be carrying 16 players on our rosters.

Ben, John, Steve, Tyler and Brandon (changed vote) all voted to keep kickers

Jason, Taylor, Scott, Everett and Jim all voted get rid of kickers

No majority means we keep kickers.

Rule Change Vote

Brothers,

It appears we've touched on an issue, but not yet voted on it. I'll attempt to articulate the potential amendments as objectively as possible. Last year, each team was entitled to a 17-person roster, which provided ample room to store depth, and, in my opinion, made the waiver selections notably less than desirable. I propose that we reduce the rosters by one spot. I also move that we eliminate kickers from our scoring system. Kickers have become a disease-riddled scourge of our league. They are hated by all, without exception. Most belong in prison, and none should ever date any of our sisters. Now, if we rid ourselves of kickers, that would effectively reduce the rosters to fifteen spots. So, under the first proposal, we'll have 16 guys if kickers are in, and 15 guys if kickers are out. Please vote accordingly. Thank you.

1. Reduce rosters by one spot
2. Remove kickers from scoring system

Sports Guy's Take on Fantasy...

I understand that the season hasn't started yet, but I am going to go ahead and provide one of many links I am accustomed to providing on the blog each season. This one links to a good article I recently read on ESPN.

I'm sure all of us either read or have read at some point a piece by Bill Simmons. He wrote a pretty good article talking about what changes/suggestions he would make for fantasy football. Enjoy...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/100806

On a side note, have we decided when we need to claim who our keepers are going to be?

Who I Most Want to Play in the Championship

With all due respect to each of you, and remember I'm saying with all due respect to each of you, I will be in the championship game next year and there's not a damn thing any of you can do about it. In the first two years of our league's existence, I had one of the top two teams and made the championship game both years. Last year I had maybe the fourth best team, but I still made the championship. By any employment of mathematical statistical thing, I will be in the championship again this year. The only question will be - who will be there with me?

Here is who I would like to see from the most to the least:

1) Cpt. Winston Montana: Nothing I remember better than Packers/Bears, Week 16, Championship game, Mason Crosby's field goal blocked. As humbly as I can state this, the Gods stop what they are doing in order to watch Montana's and my games.

2) Commissioner Haystacks Calhoun: He talks a lot. I'd love the opportunity to shut him up on the big stage.

3) Luigi Piccolo: Chances are he doesn't realize he's in the Championship and forgets to put the correct lineup in. Easy win.

4) Woodrow: Ultra-competitive, lots of trash-talking, would be a fun week leading up to Sunday.

5) Digital Doppelgaenger: Revenge from last year, lots of trash-talking, but ultimately it's like beating your own child in something really bad. He is my protege, he has modeled his game after my own, so in some ways its like beating myself. Now, I think I'm smart enough to figure out how to beat myself, but it's not as enjoyable, because I still lose.

6) Dr. Martin van Nostrin: Our rivalry is well documented, which would provide for some good pregame interviews with the media, but ultimately, he never brings it in the playoffs. The games with the Doctor are much more entertaining during the regular season.

7) El Granuja: He was robbed of a championship last year, so I'd love to see him get another shot. However, there's not a lot of fantasy history between the two of us, and although it would be pitting two great teams on paper against one another, I think ultimately it would the interest of the league would be low.

8) Steven: Teams become increasingly dangerous later in the year, although dissapointed in the playoffs last year. Will have a new baby at this time of the year, and I do not want to lose to someone who will be that busy, while I spend three or four hours a day thinking about fantasy. It would be a smudge upon my legacy, can't have that.

9) Admiral Jameson Sax: He would consider it a victory to just make the championship. It's a lose-lose situation for me.

My Favorite Team

In order, from who I most want to win the gentlemen's title this year to who I least want to win it all:

1) Admiral Jameson Sax: I highly doubt it, unfortunately.

2) Luigi Piccolo: He stood up for those of us on the outside looking in last year when the 2nd place tournament got cancelled.

3) Dr. Martin van Nostrin: What's not to like about the Good Doctor, who manages to sneak into the playoffs every year?

4) Commissioner Haystacks Calhoun: Would be higher, but, since he's good at real sports, he shouldn't be good at fantasy sports.

5) Steven: I'm still perplexed by his choice to play BenJarvis Green-Ellis five weeks in a row down the stretch a couple of years back, but he is the sole representative of western Kentucky.

6) Woodrow: I hate his team names, he never participates on the blog, and he lives in Zoomtown.

7) Digital Doppelgaenger: May come as a surprise that he's not lower, but I think every league needs a villain.

8) El Granuja: Never participates on the blog, I've heard he cares more about another fantasy league, and he spends more time in Las Vegas than Wayne Newton.

9) Captain Winston Montana: Everybody loves this guy, and another championship for old faithful would just be too boring.

10) HAL 9000: Has asked me 3 times in the past month: "Who do you think I will play in the championship this year?"

No Favre

Just read that the Minneapolis Star-Tribune is reporting that Favre has begun telling teammates and team officials he will not return next year. Jay Glazer also reporting the same.

This hurts Sidney Rice, and I think Peterson a little. Any thoughts?

Also, read my previous post.

The Waiting Game: Quarterback or Tight End?

At this point in our league's history, I would consider us all to be intelligent, strategical fantasy drafters. We've all made mistakes, but in most cases those mistakes were caused by following a logical progression that just didn't pan out. With that in mind, on draft day it becomes crucial, this year more than ever, to follow each manager's previous picks and predict what positions they plan to draft between your picks.

For instance, if you have two picks separated by two managers each picking twice, it is really important to know what these guys have on their roster and what they plan to do with those four picks between your two picks. If you notice both guys have a WR1 and WR2, there is a good chance they are going running back with one of their picks. If you have two running backs left on your board at the bottom of a tier, you may want to draft RB at that spot, even though a higher ranked WR is out there and you still need a WR1, because the chances are that the WR will be there for your next pick, but not either RB.

Where I think this really comes into play is during the run on QB's and TE's. I think both positions have higher value than the guys at yahoo, espn, and most other sites. But if you are on the bottomside of the run, you are possibly in a position to wait on either QB or TE and get really great value on the position in a much later round because other manager's won't have the need at those positions. For instance, in two drafts I've been able to snag Owen Daniels in one, and Chris Cooley in the other, in much later round than anticipated.

Now, I personally think the TE class is much deeper for a ten-team league than the QB class. At TE, I have Gates and Clark ranked as my two elite guys at the position. I have Vernon Davis just outside of that elite status, followed by Witten, Celek, Gonzalez, Finley, Daniels, Shiancoe, and Zack Miller. I don't see much of a difference between the bottom seven. All seven will get targets, red-zone looks, and will play on decent teams (yes, I think the Raiders will be decent this year, 7-9). Gates and Clarke are highly featured in their offense, and are proven veterans in the league. A team with either has a clear advantage at TE. Vernon Davis burst onto the scene last year, and was a great get for Jason, but most of his production came from TD's, which are harder to duplicate than yards. I still think he's in a class above the bottom seven. Regardless, Gates averaged 10.2 fantasy points per game last year. Celek averaged 9.1, Gonzo averaged 7.7, Shiancoe averaged 7.7, and Miller (without a decent quarterback) averaged 6.6. It's not a huge dropoff in terms of production. The point is, if the TE's are drafted in the order I have them ranked, and you are on the downside and have a choice between Daniels, Shiancoe or Finley, I think you can wait until the 12rd or so to snag one.

It's a similar situation for QBs, except having a good QB is much more important for fantasy success. I have Rodgers and Brees in a class of their own. Followed by a group of Manning, Brady, Rivers, Schaub, and Romo. Then, I think there is a somewhat significant dropoff to Favre, Cutler, Kolb, E. Manning. The biggest difference I see between the top seven, and the bottom four is consistency. I think you can play the top seven against any opponent and they will have a good game of at least 15 fantasy points. I think the bottom four are capable of putting up some pretty bad games. With Favre and Cutler you get the potential for huge games, and with Kolb and E.Manning you get the potential for two guys to develop into top-notch QBs in pass-heavy offenses. The difference between QB and TE is that there is a larger group of top talent at QB, than there is at TE. What that means is that if you have the opportunity to get in that top seven, I think you have to do it. If you miss, you can play the waiting game and snag one of the bottom four in a later round. Another difference is that most people have stronger feelings about the potential production of a QB rather than a TE. So, if you are in the bottom tier of QBs, but especially feel that Kolb will make that leap this year, or that Cutler will explode with Martz calling the shots, then you can't afford to wait as long as you may be able to for a TE.

This may have descended into a ramble, but there you go - my thoughts on the waiting game with QBs and TEs.