On your way to Fantasy Bowl 2010

[Gopher]

I'm 90+ percent sure that I'm in the final in three leagues. Until that's 100%, though, I don't feel comfortable saying anything more than that. I could be up by 80, with one player left to go against me, and I'd still be nervous. Too many times down this Week 15/16 road, where things didn't work out like I expected them to. In fact, I almost feel like I'm jinxing myself, just by posting this. I guess we'll know in a few hours.

Update... Made it to the final in all three leagues, despite leaving Peterson in my lineup in two of them. Didn't really have much else, in terms of options, though... In one, it would have meant picking up the CHI or MIN 4th or 5th WR, and in the other, I would have had to promote Gerhart off my taxi squad. I had huge leads in both, but I still feel fortunate that it worked out.

 

Week 14 was rough... I had two byes, was playing to get into the playoffs in two leagues, and was playing in the first round of the playoffs in three others. Total, for the week, I went 1-4... Three of the four losses were painfully close, where it came down to a play or two, or I just started a couple of the wrong guys. The other, I won, but the team that I needed to lose ended up winning by less than a point (knocking me out). Ouch.

 

This week, on the other hand, went about as well as could be expected. I was a huge underdog in one of the three, so to go three for three somewhat makes up for last week's disappointments.

 

Good luck everyone (other than my opponents).

[Gopher]

Local Keeper League (12 teams, 21-man rosters):

 

QB Vick

RB Chris Johnson, Jones-Drew, Peterson (flex)

WR Welker, Colston, Marshall, Boldin, Obamanu (start 3)

TE Witten, Boss, Gresham

K J. Brown

DEF NE, PHI, or OAK

 

Might just bench AP, and go with all four WR's, including my flex spot. I could also go with Pierre Thomas, or go with a second TE (Boss), since we have a tiered PPR system (TE's get a full point, while RB/WR get 0.5). Will probably roll with the Philly D as well, even though the Patriots have been on a roll lately. This team looks pretty unbeatable on paper, but I was 8-6 this season, due mainly to the inconsistency of the trio of RB's, as well as Marshall and Boldin. Vick was an early waivers pickup (my QB's to start the season were Kolb and Moore). I also acquired MJD, Colston, and Witten right before Week 10 (trade deadline), giving up Finley, Shipley, Keiland Williams, and some draft picks. Colston has been great since I acquired him, and Witten came up huge last week (he and Vick won the week for me). My opponent in the championship has Arian Foster, Peyton Hillis, and Brees, as well as a decent stable of WR's himself (Fitz, Maclin, Lloyd, Austin), so it should be a shootout. MFL projections have me favored at 162-158.

 

Too Many Leagues (12-team Keeper, 3 max keepers per year)

 

QB Brees, Roethlisberger

RB S. Jackson, Forte, Hightower, P. Thomas

WR Colston, Fitz, Wallace, L. Moore, Branch

TE Boss, Daniels, Heap

K J. Brown

DEF GB, OAK

 

Going against Cincy Slammers in this BOTH league, and it appears to be another potential high-scoring, close matchup. The Green Bay defense has been solid all year, so I am comfortable starting them against just about anybody (last week was one of the only times all year that I benched them). The only real question, in my mind, is who to start as my flex... I have Wallace penciled in right now, since he's scored the most points, but I could go with a 3rd RB or 2nd TE instead. This is another league that heavily favors TE scoring (they get double yardage points), so I might go with Boss AND Heap. Hightower has been inconsistent (great Week 14, terrible Week 15), and Pierre is iffy as well. I made a couple of last-minute trades in this league as well, and got in as a wild card. Traded away Steve Johnson, DeSean Jackson, Green-Ellis, and Amendola... got SJax, Forte, Colston, and Sims-Walker (who I've since dropped) in return. Once again, Colston has been huge, and considering my best RB's before the trade were Green-Ellis and P. Thomas, Jackson and Forte have been a major upgrade. Ironically, I dropped Mike Goodson (and MSW) after making the two deals, and Cincy now has Goodson in his lineup, and Sims-Walker on his bench.

 

No Guts, No Glory (IDP Dynasty Auction)

 

QB Brees, Garrard

RB Peterson, Torain, Green-Ellis, F. Jackson, B. Jackson, R. Williams

WR Lloyd, Floyd, S. Moss, Bess, M. Williams (SEA), H. Ward, Meachem

TE Finley, Gates, Cooley, Tamme, McMichael

K Buehler

DL K. Williams, C. Campbell, G. Dorsey, VandenBosch, D. Edwards

LB Anderson, Fletcher, Bishop, Lenon, Levy, Maualuga, Bradley, McGrath

DB Whitner, Dawkins, Milloy, Finnegan, Goldson, Phillips

 

Another league where PPR scoring is tiered to favor TE's (I see a trend here). This was the initial season of this league, and I put myself in a position during the initial auction where I had limited funds to spend on WR. In other words, I had spent a fair amount to secure Brees and AP, and stud WR's were going for more than i could spare. So, with the scoring system as it is, I decided to load up on TE's (we start one RB, two WR, a TE, and two flex), thinking I would be able to start three TE's most weeks. That theory paid off, for the first half of the season, as I started out 10-1 on the season. However, my TE's soon began to drop like flies, and I was no longer able to go with the "goalline" formation. Luckily, the other thing that I did, during the auction, was make sure I saved a few blind bidding dollars for the regular season waivers. Meanwhile, multiple other teams spent their entire loot on the auction, leaving no money for waivers. I went into the regular season with almost as much cash as the rest of the league combined, and was therefore able to secure some key free agents through waivers (Green-Ellis, Torain, Lloyd, Tamme, Bishop, etc.).

 

The problem with missing out on studs, and going with a "quantity over quality" approach, is that you're left with difficult lineup decisions each and every week. I'll probably leave AP on my bench this week, but with two flex spots, I'm really not sure who I'm going to start. Meanwhile, the two guys who carried me last week in another league (Vick and Witten) are going against me in this one. Should be another high-scoring battle.

 

MFL currently has this one projected at 246-234, but my experience with MFL projections is such that any time they are close, the outcome usually goes the other way.

[keggerz]

Any Time Any Place (16 team IDP dynasty/contract league)

Me (9-4 was 8-2 before losing 2 of last 3) vs Down Goes Frazia (12-1)

 

Looks like I will be starting:

QB: Peyton Manning

RV: Torain (leaving Benson and Best on the bench, we don't even have to start a RB and I am thinking about starting Jared Cook or ESanders over Torain)

WR: Calvin Johnson, Hakim Nicks, Steve Johnson & Santonio Holmes (Emanuel Sanders on bench and

TE: Zack Miller (oak, leaving Jared Cook on bench thinking about plugging him in over Miller)

K: Scobee

P: Can't decide on which punter yet (malone vs koenen)

DT: Mincey

DE:Jared Allen and Julius Peppers

LB: DJ Williams, Vilma, Desmond Bishop & David Harris

CB: Antoine Winfileld & Chris Houston

S: Pollard & Dahl

 

Frazia has the following lineup in and his team has been killing it all year long so I will be lucky if I can hang with him let alone knock him off.

QB: Brees

RB: MJD (Moreno on his bench)

WR: Wayne & Lloyd (Braylon Edwards and Crabtree on his bench)

TE: Witten, Tamme & Watson (graduated PPR and TEs get 1.5 PPR, WRs .75 and RBs .5)

K: Crosby

P; Turk

DT: Suh

DE: Clemons & Idonije

LB: Greenway, Hawk, Lenon & Brooking

CB: Ronde Barber & Tramon Williams

S: Huff & Ed Reed

 

MFL currently shows Frazia as a 3.1 favorite but for the year he outscored me 235.5 to 223.0

 

As much as I want to win I know it is a long shot but I really do hope that neither of us crap the bed...would rather see a very high scoring battle.

MNF isn't going to be easy to watch with him having Brees to my Vilma

Edited December 23, 2010 by keggerz

[Clubfoothead]

To finally try to win a SB?

 

The last fantast super bowl I was in was when Willie Parker broke his leg on his first touch. I never recovered from that play and lost.

 

I'm starting Mendenhall tonight.

[Scooby's Hubby]

The last fantast super bowl I was in was when Willie Parker broke his leg on his first touch. I never recovered from that play and lost.

 

I'm starting Mendenhall tonight.

Mendie did fine ... for our game on my side it will be Andre Johnson or Santana Moss, depending on game-day with AJ. I don't mind b/c Santana is getting hot with Grossie back there with no fear of the pick. One thing about having divisions for your standings, Club and I were in the same division with lots of points but no wins (Sorry Darin3 )