Peterson and I worked out: No big deal

I went up to Minnesota to check on my boy.  He's doing pretty well.  We decided to have a little competition while I was up there.  I got a medal for besting him in a bench press competition and in the 40 yard dash. He was a good sport about it though.  His friend was a little confused by the whole situation.  I also beat Percy Harvin, but he said camera flashes give him migraines, so he couldn't pose for the picture.  I also grew a little taller since the last time any of you have seen me, just in case you didn't think this was legit.

 

Compensation Subtelties

I would like to point out one of the finer points of fantasy football.  Of course you know about balance in terms of not loading up on a single position.  But I suggest there is a finer balance than this, and it comes in the form of player compensation (and not the monetary type but one player on a team picking up the slack for another player).  If this seems esoteric for now, let me try to clarify using myself as an example.

Last year the Vikings were a good team, there's no doubt about that.  Adrian Peterson had a career year and so did Brett Favre, Sidney Rice, and Visanthe Shiancoe.  There were plenty of points to go around.  Because of this, and the fact that I had Peterson, it benefited me greatly that I had Rice as well.  The thinking is this, although I limit myself in the ability to put up ridiculous numbers with my top WR and RB on the same team, I also make my team more consistent.  It would have been better for me to have Favre and Peterson instead of Rice and Peterson simply because I could really get points from basically every bit of offense and not just the receptions by Rice and the rushes by Peterson.   I also did the same thing with Derrick Mason and Ray Rice.  The idea: find a high-powered offense and get two players on it (one in the passing game and one in the running game).

Contrast this to Everett's team.  This was also a great team last year, but there were NO players on his roster playing for the same team.  This led to some ridiculous weeks (week 2 for example with 224 points), but also wild swings from one week to the next (week 1 he only scored 72 points).

On the other hand, it is a bad thing to roster more than one RB or WR on the same team other than handcuffs.  If the passing game or running game is shut down, both players suffer.  Moreover, it can be maddening trying to figure out which RB to start (ask Ben or Tyler).

Finally, it is not necessary to roster players from the same team if you can find a favorable matchup schedule which serves the same purpose. This, however, is much more difficult than getting two players on the same team.

Just DO NOT draft more than two players on the same team if you plan on starting all of them.  This can be a disaster. Just see my '08 draft (i.e. worst draft in history) for evidence of this plan backfiring.

The Junta

Junta, a term used throughout Hispanic history has been used to describe a number of different governing organizations. Each Junta is different and defined by its own people, structure, and function in history. Generally, Juntas are the first group of leaders to take hold of a young country or to signify a radical change in policy or culture.

My team name, The Junta, is being used this season not only to describe the attitude of my Fantasy Team but a new era in Upstanding Pirate Gentlemen history. To assume that our history is defined so simply by the work of a few individuals is myopic in understanding our league. Upstanding Pirate Gentlemen will continue for a long time and starting this year everyone will see that our history can never be set in stone and The Junta will begin its reign on the people of the UPG League.

The photo above of a certain Junta represents the dark side of history that these small groups of leaders can represent. Let this photo be a warning to everyone in UPG that my Junta will do what it takes to win and to lead this League of Upstanding Pirate Gentlemen.

The Panty Dropper

Let's face it, it's hard to beat Jason Swinney as a team name.  However, Taylor's feeble mind cannot get past the confusion caused by this.  As such, my new team name is The Panty Dropper in homage to Kenny Powers' jet ski of the same name.

Avatar Depression

For those of you who are unaware, a few months ago, Taylor and Ben had a conversation with Tyler regarding the movie "Avatar." After a discussing a few of the finer details involved with Tyler's experience, Ben and Taylor got on WebMD and quickly diagnosed Tyler with Avatar Depression. His treatment for this affliction has been aggressive, and we're all hoping for the best, but keep him in your thoughts.

Team Names That Didn't Make the Cut

Tibetan Dream Yogi

The Voynich Manuscript

Bilderburg Club

and

The Palaiologos Dynasty

Stabbing Robot