Can My Fantasy Team Get Any Better?

This is my first brag post about my fantasy football team this year. I have waited long enough. This team is so outstanding it should be given an award.

It all started with the draft. This league is a 2 player keeper league, and everyone in it is so in love with WRs that they drop top 10 players just to keep one. Everyone in the league (8 teams) kept a RB and a WR. I had Drew Brees and decided to drop him so I could keep Gore and Roddy White.

We drafted the second week of pre-season, but I had my sights set on Arian Foster as my #2 RB the entire way. I planned to take him in the 5th or 6th round since I doubted anyone else would because his hype machine hadn't started yet. I ended up taking him in the 5th as I planned and he was my first RB taken after keeping Gore.

The rest of the league hasn't had to click here to lose weight yet since they have been chasing me all the way through.

Besides getting Foster in the draft I got Phillip Rivers the #1 QB so far in the 4th round. I have also been able to acquire Steve Johnson out of the FA pool, as well as just trading for Jacob Tamme the TE that replaced Dallas Clark. Like everyone else I was killed at TE with an injury since I had Jermichael Finley.

Feast your eyes on this (.5 points per reception):

QB-P. Rivers
RB-A. Foster
RB-F. Gore
WR-R. White
WR-S. Johnson
WR-W. Welker
W/RB-Miles Austin
TE-J. Tamme

Bench:

B. Roethlisberger
J. Addai
Vincent Jackson
D. Branch
B. Jackson
Ronnie Brown

I pretty much can only trade for a better WR. Miles Austin has dumped big time with Kitna at QB so I am pretty much relegated to benching him now when Addai comes back. Hopefully VJax becomes a nice boon this late in the year.

Keeper League Fantsy team post-draft

Well...I am not sure I'm real happy with my team post-draft, but my keepers were so strong that anyone that plays me would need some Powell furniture to relax on after the kicking I would be doing. I got my 6th keeper by trading up in the first round in Antonio Gates so I'm pretty happy with that overall and I think my individual defensive players are about as strong as you can get. Keepers are in bold.

League scoring:

Passing
Rule Apply To
1 point for every 20 Passing Yards ALL
2 points for every Two-Point Conversion Passing ALL
6 points for every Passing TD ALL
-2 points for every Interception ALL
Rushing
Rule Apply To
1 point for every 10 Rushing Yards ALL
2 points for every Two-Point Conversion Rushing ALL
6 points for every Rushing TD ALL
Receiving
Rule Apply To
1 point for every 2 Catches ALL
1 point for every 10 Receiving Yards ALL
2 points for every Two-Point Conversion Receiving ALL
6 points for every Receiving TD ALL
Kicking
Rule Apply To
3 points for every FG Made ALL
3 extra points for every FG of 50 or more yards ALL
1 extra point for every FG between 30 and 39 yards (inclusive) ALL
2 extra points for every FG between 40 and 49 yards (inclusive) ALL
1 point for every XP ALL
-4 points for every XP Missed ALL
-2 extra points for every FG Missed of 40 or less yards ALL
Returning
Rule Apply To
1 point for every 20 Kick Return Yards ALL
6 points for every Kick Return TD ALL
1 point for every 20 Punt Return Yards ALL
6 points for every Punt Return TD ALL
Other
Rule Apply To
-2 points for every Fumble Lost ALL
Defense
Rule Apply To
1 point for every 2 Assisted Tackles ALL
1 point for every Solo Tackle ALL
4 points for every Interception ALL
4 points for every Sack ALL
4 points for every Fumble Forced ALL
4 points for every Fumble Recovered ALL
6 points for every Safety ALL
6 points for every Defensive TD ALL
4 points for every XP Blocked ALL
4 points for every FG Blocked ALL
4 points for every Punt Blocked ALL
1 point for every Pass Defended ALL


M. Hasselbeck QB SEA TB 8 9 7 306.2 19.14 [Drop]
S. Alexander RB SEA TB 8 24 7 259.8 16.24 [Drop]
W. Parker RB PIT @CLE 6 38 13 231.6 14.48 [Drop]
F. Gore RB SF ARI 6 15 3 278.4 17.4 [Drop]
C. Johnson WR CIN BAL 5 30 1 245.7 15.36 [Drop]
C. Chambers WR MIA @WAS 9 69 19 183.6 11.48 [Drop]
V. Jackson WR SD CHI 7 106 28 141.9 8.87 [Drop]
A. Gates TE SD CHI 7 52 1 207.5 12.97 [Drop]
J. Scobee K JAC TEN 4 160 13 122 7.62 [Drop]
J. Miller DB NYJ NE 10 - - [Drop]
K. Bulluck LB TEN @JAC 4 80 1 169.5 10.59 [Drop]
R. Lewis LB BAL @CIN 8 92 3 150 9.38 [Drop]
L. Tatupu LB SEA TB 8 131 14 132 8.25 [Drop]
G. Hayes LB ARI @SF 8 191 30 113 7.06 [Drop]
Benched
Player Rank Fantasy Points * Last Availability
Name Pos Team Opp Bye All Pos Total Avg +/- Avg Vs H/L Action Status
B. Favre QB GB PHI 7 18 13 267.1 16.69 [Drop]
C. Brown RB TEN @JAC 4 120 36 136.5 8.53 [Drop]
L. Washington RB NYJ NE 10 292 43 90.1 5.63 [Drop]
R. Droughns RB NYG @DAL 9 433 54 67 4.19 [Drop]
N. Davenport RB PIT @CLE 6 436 55 66.9 4.18 [Drop]
K. Walter WR HOU KC 10 310 58 87.6 5.47 [Drop]
D. Jarrett WR CAR @STL 7 345 62 80.6 5.04 [Drop]
C. Woodson DB GB PHI 7 329 47 84.5 5.28 [Drop]

Brandon Jackson

Like I said in my previous post I guess you can understand why I would bring this guy up. Thinking aobut my fantasy football keeper league draft I guess this guy is on my mind. He is a rookie for the PAckers and has all but locked up his spot as their starting RB horse. In keeper leagues the first few picks are always rookie RBs because teams just need to ahve good RBs to win and hope that they catch lightning in a bottle with a new rookie, or a 2nd year guy that is going to be the man now. Last year you had Bush, Addai, Maroney, and Gore. All ahve become top 10 guys in fantasy football. So it isn't hard to believe that at least a couple this year will make a serious impact.

Everyone sitting at their office desks and going over who they will be have said from day 1 that both Adrian Peterson, and Lynch would be the 2 biggest rookies. Peterson you can probably say by the end of the year is the lock of the 2. Lynch was getting the starting job right away so many thought he would have a bigger impact this season. At this point I think Lynch may be #3.

Brandon Jackson i would take #2 if I was there in a keeper league draft. I just think the guy has shown he has the ability to put up some numbers thus far. He runs north and south. One cut and through the hole. HE even can pound it in inside the 5 for that TD so you aren't going to see him losing TDs to a power runner off the bench. HE also looks like he can actually block a little on the pass offense so he has even more going for him. The guy is going to be a horse.

Fantasy Football Keepers are ready

I got into a pretty competitive keeper league last year and took over a pretty shabby team. When I first got my roster I was looking at a set of 5 keepers that included T.O., Caddy, Delhome, Fred Taylor, and any random loser you can find. I quickly traded away a couple picks and moved back int he draft a bit to get Alexander and Burress. This is a start 3 RBs league so I wanted to at least get one of the bigger backs out there to help solidify my team. I was also able to pick up a 3rd RB in the name of Droughns for basically an 8th round pick. Not too shabby with what I started out with. Alexander got hurt, so the season was pretty much over.

Get your theater seating because we are ready for a ride.

Over the course of last season I made some pretty good moves. I traded away Fragile Fred and Droughns to get myself Willie Parker and a decent #2 WR. I was pretty much done for the year so I wanted to make sure that I upgraded my RB situation for this year. Jones-Drew got picked up off the free agent market after 1 good game and I decided he was worth Deion Branch after 1 good game. Some said I was crazy (haha). We all know how that turned out. So at this point I am sitting with Alexander, Parker, Jones-Drew, Burress, and Stallworth who I got in the draft.

So...another manager is a big fan of Willie Parker and decides he must have him. I get an offer of Frank Gore, and Chad Johnson for Willie and Stalworth. I take it obviously. Now I have Alexander, Gore, Jones-Drew, Burress, and CJ for my 5 keepers. Not bad, and much better than where I started. In fact I was able to win the #1 overall pick with these guys since we play for that pick instead of just giving it to the worst team to prevent bagging.

Now we get to this year and those 5 were pretty much my keepers. First day trading opens I am asked to move from #1 overall (Adrian Peterson pretty much) to #6 in the first by trading away Jones-Drew for Willie Parker. So I got him back. Now I have 3 of the top 6 ranked RBs for fantasy football and Chad Johnson. Burress I didn't want to keep so I decided I'd go with Hasselback considering there is nothing in the QB pool left and I don't want to go into the draft trying to get a guy like Eli.

Now I traded up to #4 in the draft because there are a few keepers that actually got dropped into the pool. With the 3 RB starters in our league the top 3 picks will be PEterson, Lynch, and the new hot commodity Brandon Jackson. Being at 6 I would be missing out on 2 sure things going into this draft. Boldin, and Gates. The guy at 4 needs youth, but the guy at 5 has a very solid set of keepers so I wanted to ensure myself of having 6 keeper-type players like he would and to have my choice of the 2.

So it looks like I'll have Alexander, Parker, Gore, Chad Johnson, Hasselback, and Boldin (My first choice), or Gates at the very least after the first round of drafting. I like my chances ;).

Fantasy Football is soooo close

Well i've already begun on the fantasy football strategy, and I think our league has found the best fantasy site out there. FleaFlicker.com is simply incredible. We have used CBS, Yahoo, etc. and have always paid to use the features for a keeper league. Until now. Flea Flicker is completely free and is run by a guy who tried all these sites before as well. He took what was good about all those sites and combined them all in one place. Got rid of the things we all hated and made this place about the best keeper format I have seen.

Screwing around looking at slot cars I came a crossed the site a couple months back and decided to check it out. Our league was so impressed that we junked our thoughts of going with CBS and moved over to Flea Flicker. They have everything you pay for at Yahoo and CBS for free. Live scoring, pick trading, and keeper leagues. Yahoo doesn't even have a real keeper league format so we left there long ago. Flea flicker even keeps track of draft picks 2 year sin advance. We can trade 2008 and 2009 draft picks THIS year. We don't pay for live coring at all. They also have a Mock Draft there as well you can run as often as you want. The mock draft will take all the keepers out, and make sure the traded draft picks are in order so it is a true mock of your league. Can't speak highly enough about this place. You are screwing yourself if you don't look at it and decide to pay any of the other places.

Fantasy Football

It may be a while before Fantasy Football starts up again this year, but one thing is for sure for those who take it very seriously. You want to check out several before committing to one. AAFL.com caught my eye simply because they have some big time payouts to the winners. Just take a look at some of the fantasy football prizes they offer. This is for the fanatics that know what they are doing. Managers who know what it takes to win a league title, or just pound the competition. I've been a fantasy guru for a few years now and love all the aspects of fantasy ball. The competition, the forced having to watch the games that I love, the smack talk, and the fun of making roster moves that can make or break your season.

Free tip. RBs are still the most important thing on your team. Yeah...I'm sure you knew that. Still it is overlooked at times. That ugly ranking of Payton Manning has screwed even the most seasoned fantasy players. You see him sitting there at 8-10 in the draft and figure you have to take him. Don't bother. HE isn't that far a head of guys like Bulger, Brady, etc., though i notice a lot of bad managers taking Brady in the first round often. Blows my mind. Fandom has no place in fantasy sports. Get your RBs and elite WRs first. You can get a QB in the 4th round or later in most cases and be much better off IMO. Looks like the RB corps is a bit deeper than it has been in the past few years. LT still rules the roost, but that bad man Stephen Jackson has climbed the charts to #2 in most formats. That pushes perennial top 3 guy like Larry Johnson and Alexander down. Alexander coming off an injury is going to be a nice steal I think for anyone that can pull him in at #4 or later this year. Don't fall into the trap of getting rookies. I can't even tell you how many times i saw Reggie Bush go in the first last year. HE had a decent year if your league counts receptions, but you were kicking yourself most of the year before he started to score.

Championship Week in Fantasy Football

This is the week boys and girls. Everyone is fighting it out after a long season and ready to take hom ethe big money. I'm ready to go. Got some great match ups against some pretty weak defenses. I have the Bears D going against my beloeved Liedowns from Detroit. I'm ready to take my prize money and have a nice New Year's Eve.

Then again, even though the statistics show I should win by like 51432515 points, we all know that means nothing. Head to head match ups are a crap-shoot and it just seems like the best team rarely wins. We shall see.

Good luck. We're all counting on you.

I survived the first round...

I thought I was in serious trouble with the way Peyton Manning was playing yesterday, but managed to squeek out a victory and survive another day. Next week is the Finals and I will take on a guy that knocked me off the last week of the season. The way Stephen Jackson has been playing is enough to scare anyone, but if you look at my team you would think I was home free. Just one more great week from LT please. Just one more.

Fantasy Football Playoffs are here.

Did you make it throught hte season with out losing McNabb? Did you steal Alexander away while he was injured for just this time? A guy in my league had thme both. He's done and didn't even make it in. He was one of the top 2 favorites in our league to start the year. Just goes to show you that Fantasy sports head to head leagues are 100% luck.

Well it looks like my team is in good shape going in, but I did lose this week against one of the other 3 playoff teams. I finished with the best record in the league and the #1 seed. No major injuries and Colston has shown back up in the starting line up. Still can't believe Yahoo! has him as a TE. I have Todd Heap, but when you have Colston elligible there you can't complain. Tried to trade Heap all year.

Now before I list my team I have to tell you that I'm not full of crap here. This is an 8 team league and we kept 1 player. I kept LT and I got Tiki as my first pick because the Alexander owner had him last year. Going into the year I considered this a perfect team. LT is pretty much a one man team this year so I can't take too much credit, but my team is really to the point that upgrading anywhere is unlikely. Now I'm thinking aobut benching Tiki next week in favor of Jones-Drew or Deuce because they at least score once in a while. Rode Tiki all year. Is it time to make a change? I'm just waiting to see if Fragile Fred is out this week. If he is Tiki is going to the bench for Jones-Drew.

Here was my line-up from last week:

QB-P. Rivers (Chargers)
WR-T. Holt (Rams)
WR-L.Fitzgerald (Cards)
RB-L. Thomlinson (Chargers)
TE-T. Heap (Ravens)
W/R-T. Barber (Giants)
K-Keading (Chargers)
DEF-Bears
BN-R. Moss-WR
BN-L. Coles-WR
BN-E. Manning-QB
BN-M. Bulger-QB
BN-D. McCallister-RB
BN-M. Jones-Drew-RB
BN-M. Colston-TE/WR

Going with Bulger against Oakland this week probably. Colston will be in there over Heap. Tiki is on the bubble depending on news.

So if you look at this team you wonder who the idiots have to be in my league to let me complile this team. Hey i offered a hell of a deal for LJ earlier in the year. Tiki and Holt straight up for him and the manager turned it down because I have LT already. I actually had a better team last year and lost in the first round. It was a tie. The tie breaker was TDs for the week. I had less. I lost. It was a travesty. I await the same fate this year as well.