So the draft was almost 2 weeks ago. After discussing how fruitful and accurate the last draft review/season preview was, and through the prodding of Douglas, here comes this year's version.
Here is how this is gonna breakdown: Team owner, key players, pros, cons, analysis and prediction.
And....go
Ian
Key Players: Peyton Manning, Maurice Jones-Drew, Desean Jackson, Jermichael Finley
Pros: A Top-3 QB and TD machine at RB. Finley is going to be strong in that Packer offense. Mike Wallace looks like he will build on his solid rookie campaign.
Cons: None of the WRs really strike me as a #1, especially with the Eagles QB situation and Sidney Rice out for 8 games. The second RB spot could be a weakness if Felix Jones continues to get hurt.
Analysis: I think this team has the power to finish at the top of the league based on its keepers. To win the league, Ian will need another player or 2 (Felix Jones, Finley) to really put up good numbers.
Prediction: 3rd
Erik
Key Players: Calvin ‘Megatron’ Johnson, Deangelo Williams, Eli Manning
Pros: Excellent RB depth with Williams, Jamaal Charles, and Jahvid Best. Best looks like a freak so far. Manning may not be spectacular, but he’s going to throw 25 or so TDs. Megatron is ridiculous. Good value getting Tony Gonzalez, who Matt Ryan likes in the red zone.
Cons: Charles and Best are slight unknowns. Charles did a lot of work very late in the year – will he do it again? Best is a small back – can he be a full-time back and get the hard yards? Another con is your whole bench. Fuckin’ Heyward–Bey and Josh Morgan as back-up WRs? Chad Henne as a back-up QB cements Eli as your weekly starter. While Henne may not suck, he’s not a legit fantasy option.
Analysis: Erik is going to need some help to win this league. But the true analysis of Erik’s team is that he isn’t trying to win – he can’t be. And because of that, we are all winners.
Prediction: 11th
Benedict
Key Players: Tom Brady, Rashard Mendenhall, Shonn Greene, Chad Ochocinco
Pros: Two good RBs, both of which can muscle it in at the goaline. A top-5 QB. High ceiling on bench players. Good TE (Witten) who will get in the end zone more this year.
Cons: Both Cincy WRs? I guess you are convinced Cincinnati’s passing offense will be strong this year. Bold…and probably dumb. Couldn’t stay away from Darren McFadden, could you?
Analysis: One of the most balanced teams in the league. No insane superstar (since Brady finished 7th in QB TDs last year) but a number of very good players. If they perform as expected, you’ll be in good shape. If not, you have a high potential bench (Brown could be getting more carries in Indy, Royal as a #1 WR in Denver).
Prediction: 2nd
Doug
Key Players: Aaron Rodgers, Steven Jackson, Steve Smith, Matt Forte
Pros: Best QB in the FF world. Jackson is still a workhorse, despite his team being a congregation of also-rans's and never was’s. Smith produces all the time, and probably will this year too. Colston and Maclin are good WRs in pass-happy offenses.
Cons: Reliance on Matt Forte. Not taking a back-up QB. Either Rodgers is invincible or you are basically saying that if he gets hurt, your team is f’d. You might be right but still. Jacobs is not a reliable fantasy back this year.
Analysis: Needing good to great production from a RB in a Mike Martz offense (Forte) is precarious. Justin Forsett might be a starter, but that doesn’t mean he’s very good. However, he is decent depth, as is TJ Housh. Your starters are gonna have to go balls out, and Rodgers is going to have to perform to every inch of what is expected to pull this one out. Please note the disgraceful and poorly veiled phallic innuendo. Thanks in advance.
Prediction: 8th
Hoffman
Key Players: Michael Turner, Lesean McCoy, Joe Flacco, Mike Williams (WR)
Pros: Turner and McCoy are a good RB combo. Spiller is an excellent back-up. You have the #1 ranked fantasy defense in the Jets. You always seem to do better in fantasy football than your team would indicate.
Cons: Almost everything non-RB. Let’s start at the top: Joe Flacco is your starting QB. I do think he’ll have a good season, but he’s still on a team which runs the ball a ton. Your WRs include one keeper, but its blasian man Hines Ward. Santana Moss wins the award for “Guy who people still think is a productive NFL player, when the reality is he hasn’t had a good season in 4 years”. While I agree that award’s title is ridiculous, it is still apt. Your bench has 2 Rams WRs. What. The. Fuck. Are. You. Thinking?
Analysis: Seriously, it so hard to judge Pete. It’s like when you are playing sports and a mentally-handicapped kid wants to play. You get bummed that this tardo is going to ruin the game, but you still have the perspective to realize that it is not his fault. Plus, as mentioned in Pete’s ‘Pros’ section, he always pulls some crap and does really well. But looking at his team, I cannot in good conscience predict that.
Prediction: 12th
Matt
Key Players: Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Ben Roethlisberger, Knowshon Moreno
Pros: That 1-2 WR punch is insane. Big Ben is a legit fantasy starter if he comes back and picks his game up right away. Moreno is a good back, and will get opportunities this year. Dez Bryant could be a good player – low risk, high reward. Niners defense is going to be the best fantasy D this year.
Cons: QB situation. McNabb is not going to save the Skins. Big Ben could play well right when he comes back, but that is by no means a guarantee. Speaking of the awful Skins offense, Portis as a number 2 RB is risky to say the least. Plus, you are backing him up with an aging LdT and the seocnd string RB on the Browns.
Analysis: You are going to get sick production from your receivers. For you to win this league you need one of those 2 to QBs play well. You will also need a RB or 2 to produce higher than expected. That is a too much unpredictability to give you the win.
Prediction: 4th
Ant
Key Players: Phillip Rivers, Brandon Marshall, Ryan Matthews
Pros: A top-5 fantasy QB. Two excellent WRs (Marshall and Anquan Boldin), as well as Malcolm Floyd, who could produce big numbers without Vince Jackson (who you also have). Matthews has everything pointing toward a good season. I like Stafford as a back-up QB this year.
Cons: Too heavy on one team. 5 Chargers, even if one is your best RB’s back-up, is too many. You also have 3 Oakland Raiders (SebJan is a kicker; Michael Bush and Zach Miller, however, are not). Half your players play in the worst division in football.
Analysis: You have good enough players to win. I think your team is going to need the best management. You are going to have players put up great weeks but they will not always be obvious starters. For example: Michael Bush and Ronnie Brown will be an interesting coin toss each week. You'll need to guess right a lot to win.
Prediction: 7th
TJ
Key Players: Frank Gore, Randy Moss, Jay Cutler, Michael Crabtree
Pros: Possibly the best RBs depth in the league (Gore, Ahmad Bradshaw, Jonathan Stewart, and Fred Jackson). Cutler should put up some TDs. Moss is good…now. Vernon Davis was in the end zone all year last year.
Cons: Like Ant – Too much reliance on one team. However, Ant is relying on the sick Chargers offense. You are relying on flaccid Niners offense. Crabtree is a talent, but you need him to really step up if your team is going to win. You have a lot of WRs (Moss, Crabtree, Don Driver, Kevin Walter, Legedu Naanee, Jabar Gaffney, Davonne Bess), but none outside of Moss should be relied on too heavily.
Analysis: Aiko Aiko Naanee….and you’re not going to win.
Prediction: 6th
Sharnoff
Key Players: Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, Matt Schaub, Mike Sims-Walker
Pros: Best starting RBs in the league, or in any fantasy league in the world. If you were in a league with no keepers and only 2 teams, your starting running backs would be worse. Schaub threw nearly 30 TDs last year, and could very well throw more this season. Your starting and back-up QB’s last names rhyme (Schaub and Kolb). Jermaine Gresham has nice potential in Cincy. But really, it comes down to one player: Johnson, Steve.
Cons: WRs. Bowe may have a decent season, but he is your number 1 and he had under 600 yards receiving and 4 TDs last year. Injury or no, that’s not good. Sims-Walker had a good year last year, but you need his production too. And then we drop off to Earl Doucet.
Analysis: There is not much to analyze here. With your RBs you have no right to lose this league. If you do, it will be due to a down season from Schaub, or your WRs.
Prediction: 1st
Riecker
Key Players: Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Pierre Thomas, Joseph Addai
Pros: One of the ultimate exploders in the league – Romo and Austin. While not flashy or putting up huge numbers, your starting RBs produced last season. Also, your back-up RBs (Cadillac Williams, Tim Hightower, Mike Bell in Philly) could have solid seasons if the pieces fall into place. Your starting WRs are among the best in the league with Austin, Welker, and Johnny Knox.
Cons: Your RBs aren’t in the best positions. Thomas is in a pass-happy Saints offense. Addai has a first-round pick behind him, waiting to take carries. If the Romo-Austin marriage breaks up, your team will suck. Finally, it’s questionable whether Mark Sanchez should be owned in any fantasy league.
Analysis: You are going need guys with tenuous holds on their jobs (Addai, Chris Cooley) to keep them by playing very well. While I don’t like putting stock in the preseason, what the Cowboys have done thus far would have me worried if I were you. Also, stop liking ‘The U’. For ser.
Prediction: 10th
Corey
Key Players: Ray Rice, Reggie Wayne, Roddy White, Matt Ryan
Pros: Ray Rice is a little power-pack who is also a great receiver in addition to his RB awesomeness. Great top 2 WRs tandem. Plus, with Sid Rice hurt for the first half of the year, Berrian could be much more valuable. Arian Foster is good. Gates could easily end up being the best TE in the league this year, with the suspension and overall bad things surrounding Vincent Jackson.
Cons: I understand that RBs are crucial and you need to draft them early and often. However, it’s QBs who get the most TDs. And your QBs are not good. You are risking your whole season on the assumption that Matt Ryan or Alex Smith will better than expected, maybe even much better than expected. And if you are not assuming that, you don’t want to win.
Analysis: Your team has the players to win – Rice/Foster and Wayne/White is an excellent base. If you get QB play, you will be right there. But you left that question mark too big.
Prediction: 5th
Marnie
Key Players: Drew Brees, Ryan Grant, Cedric Benson, Greg Jennings
Pros: A top 3 QB can cure a lot of ills. Grant and Benson are not flashy players, but both went over 1,200 yards last year. Jennings is the best receiver on what may be the best offense in the league. Dallas Clark had a ridiculous year last year, and he and Manning always seem to be on the same page. Shiancoe is a great back-up with Favre coming back for another year.
Cons: The WR corps is relying heavily on potential and health. Jennings only had 4 TDs last year. Percy Harvin could benefit from Rice being out, but his migraines are a concern. Robert Meachem has an injury now and a poor history of injuries. Anthony Gonzalez was out all of last year. Also, no RB depth. Marion Barber and Fred Taylor as back-ups mean that if one of the top 2 get hurt, its lights-out.
Analysis: This is a boom or bust team. An excellent QB, with similar to last year production from the top 2 RBs, and health from the WRs could mean victory. But too many if’s is never a good place to start.
Prediction: 9th
Final Predicted Standings:
1. Sharnoff
2. Benedict
3. Ian
4. Matt
5. Corey
6. TJ
7. Ant
8. Doug
9. Marnie
10. Riecker
11. Erik
12. Hoffman
