SDMB FF Dynasty League: Year Three

[Really Not All That Bright]

Mason Crosby went nuts, so now he has Jason Hanson and a 16 point deficit. Possible, but not likely. 4-1!

[SenorBeef]

Rough start for me - I'm leading the league in scoring, but I'm 2-3, and I was a few points from starting 1-4.

[SenorBeef]

Just when I settle in on Jordy Nelson being a pretty good starter, the Rodgers switches back to James Fucking Jones.

[SenorBeef]

Uh, false alarm? I'm seriously considering starting the entire Green Bay offense. Now I just need to trade for Greg Jennings.

I may actually start Rodgers/Nelson/Jones/Starks/Finley next week.

[Hamlet]

In the latest "fuck you" to fantasy football players, Shanahan announces Tim Hightower is his starter, and proceeds to not put him on the field at all. Why o why did I believe any word out of that stupid fucks' mouth. At least the Redskins got their asses handed to them.

[SenorBeef]

I need 35 points out of Bess, Gould, and the Vikings D to beat Stringer. Unlikely, but maybe Cutler has an epic meltdown for the Vikes.

Ellis Dee needs 39 points out of Burress, Holmes, Keller, and the Jets D to beat RNATB and break his 5 game losing streak.

Furt needs 24 points out of the Bears D to beat Petey.

[Justin_Bailey]

Uh, false alarm? I'm seriously considering starting the entire Green Bay offense.

Who would you give up for Donald Driver? ;)*

Also, I'm 5-1! Holy everloving shit! How did that happen?

* Winky face, but also a serious offer.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Barring the Jets' pass offense going nuts tonight, I will be too, even though the other two good teams in the division have outscored me by about 100 (and I've outscored the second worst team by just 20). It's nice having the lowest points against total for once.

[Stringer]

I am cheering for Brandon Marshall to outscore Shonn Greene tonight so Hamlet wins and I take back my division!

Can't believe Beef is 2-4 with #1 points for because of #1 points against, wow.

[SenorBeef]

I'm not sure if that's meant to mock me or not. Seems like a legit gripe.

I almost wish I lost that close 3 pointer the other week, just so I can be top scorer with a 1-5 record. If you're going to get fucked, you might as well get fucked full blast.

[Stringer]

Nah dude I'd be pissed if I were you, I'm not trying to be a dick.

[SenorBeef]

Ah, I thought you might be mocking me because I've mentioned the big league year 1 a bunch of times, where I was the top scorer out of 20 people but had an absurd number of points against. Like 10 different people had their year-high score against me. The top scores against were like 1750, 1450, 1430, 1390 or something crazy like that. And I finished 15th out of 20th with a 5-8 record but the top score.

[Justin_Bailey]

I'm not sure if that's meant to mock me or not. Seems like a legit gripe.

Of course it's a legit gripe. I mean, I thought it was bad last year when I finished 6-8 after having the third highest Points For (I also got blasted with the third most Points Against).

[SenorBeef]

Well, I'm starting Rodgers, Nelson, James Fucking Jones, Starks, and Finley. That's almost the entire Packers offense.

As the Packers go, so will I.

[SenorBeef]

Damn, all the Packers offense is running through Jennings, and John Kuhn has a touchdown. Covering 85% of the Packers offense isn't working this week so far.

[Really Not All That Bright]

I was sort of keeping pace with RetroVertigo until... well, until that play.

You better come up huge this week, Robert Meachem.

[Hamlet]

*sigh*. After a nice draft and an OK start, I'm being reminded of why fantasy football sucks so fucking hard. Beanie goes out in the second quarter, Ernest Graham gets injured in the first quarter. Two fucking running backs, done before halftime. At least in real football, coaches have the opportunity to use their bench. Sometimes I fucking hate this shit.

[SenorBeef]

Varlos has a 6 point lead and the Ravens D to play against Hamlet's Cundiff.

RNATB needs 3 points out of Boldin and Meachem to beat Retrovertigo.

Justin Baley has a 23 point lead, Gabbert, and Saints D against Isotope's Flacco and Dickson.

Ellis Dee has a 50 point lead and Pierre Thomas against Dale's Brees, Ingram, Ricky Williams, and Vinatieri.

[Hamlet]

*sigh*. After a nice draft and an OK start, I'm being reminded of why fantasy football sucks so fucking hard. Beanie goes out in the second quarter, Ernest Graham gets injured in the first quarter. Two fucking running backs, done before halftime. At least in real football, coaches have the opportunity to use their bench. Sometimes I fucking hate this shit.I forgot to mention Percy Harvin's rib injury. Nearly a third of my fucking roster don't finish their games.

Next year, I'm playing fucking fantasy origami.

[Petey]

It's funny how things change. Last week I score 135 points and think I have an overabundance of RBs.

This week everyone's on byes. The only decent RB I can start is McFadden and he leaves in the first quarter.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Continuing my trend of taking everyone's worst shot- I'm sort of the anti-SenorBeef. This week I get a fifth win by virtue of the fact that my opponent only put up 67 points, despite scoring at least 100 every week until now.

Thanks, Tom Brady's bye.

[SenorBeef]

Man, it was looking like I might go 5-0 across all my leagues this week as of about 4th quarter of the afternoon games. Since then, I have a real chance of going 0-5.

Edit: Woops, 1-4. Big league win is set.

[Hamlet]

Who knew 2 IR spots weren't enough. I have three players going on IR this week alone.

[SenorBeef]

The Packers are on a bye after I started 5 of them last week. I'm amazed I can field a halfway decent projected team without them. Not that it looks great, but I am tied in projections at 105 points, against the #1 seed nonetheless at 6-1. Still, not a good week for me, and slipping to 3-5 when the division leader already has a two game lead on me is a scary prospect.

[Really Not All That Bright]

I wouldn't worry about it; I may be in first place, but I'm damn near last in total points. I don't think this can continue.

[Justin_Bailey]

The Packers are on a bye after I started 5 of them last week. I'm amazed I can field a halfway decent projected team without them. Not that it looks great, but I am tied in projections at 105 points, against the #1 seed nonetheless at 6-1. Still, not a good week for me, and slipping to 3-5 when the division leader already has a two game lead on me is a scary prospect.

Yeah, it's not a great week for my team either. Matt Forte (my #1 player) and Roddy White are both on a bye and Willis McGahee is out the next two games with a hand injury.

In all honesty, my 6-1 team is pretty damn shallow when it comes to bench players and if any of my big play guys get hurt, I am in trouble.

[dalej42]

Looks like my opponent forgot to set his lineup. Shonn Greene and Packers D on bye and Danario Alexander not playing.

Hopefully this was just an overlook and that nothing is wrong with No Use For A Name.

[SenorBeef]

Justin Bailey has a 25 point lead and Witten to play against my Mathews, McCoy, and Henery.

Dale has a 7 point lead and Steve Breaston against Retro's Austin.

RNATB has a 3 point lead with Vincent and Desean Jackson against Hamlet's Rivers.

[dalej42]

I can't believe I'm only beating a team that didn't set their lineup by 7 points plus whatever Breaston gives me.

[Really Not All That Bright]

RNATB has a 3 point lead with Vincent and Desean Jackson against Hamlet's Rivers.
Didn't get much from Jackson. Need all of Rivers' touchdowns tomorrow to go to V-Jax, basically.

[SenorBeef]

It's hard to believe I won a game against the #1 seed with John Beck posting less than 2 points as my QB and all of my Packer starters on a bye, but I'm going to do it with room to spare.

Gotta get some wins to get back into the playoff race.. I have the points, but I'm only 4-4.

[SenorBeef]

Actually my prospects are pretty good. I'm projected to score an average of 130 points for the rest of the season and I've already had the hard part of my schedule, and I have a chance to face Isotopes and RNATB to gain in the division lead. I think there's a decent shot I win my division this year despite the really bad start.

[Stringer]

I just realized I miss the GM/Head Coach rankings this year. It was fun to see how poorly I picked my lineups every week.

Also I feel like talking about my team because I'm obsessed with this league...

I traded Pierre Garcon to Varlosz for Mike Williams before last season and spent the last year kicking myself for it. But so far this year Garcon has been the 8th best WR and Williams the 60th. Not that Garcon was in my lineup for his 2 biggest games, but still! Crazy how fast fantasy football changes.

My 3rd round pick Antonio Brown is so sneaky-good in this league because of return yards. He is currently WR10 (with only 1 TD) and is an every-week 3rd WR for me.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Don't get too excited, Beef. You're going down like a three dollar whore.
I just realized I miss the GM/Head Coach rankings this year. It was fun to see how poorly I picked my lineups every week.
I am especially disappointed because I think I have like 98% of my possible points this season. Easy to have a great HC ranking when you have no depth at all.

[SenorBeef]

I keep meaning to do the GM/coach rankings but the prospect of doing 8 weeks for 5 leagues is daunting and I put it off. I suppose I could do it one league at a time.

If you're interested, though, I can send you the program and you can do it yourself. You just need to copy/paste the text from the roster pages for every team every week into the program and it spits out the results. It's simple and well designed.

[Stringer]

I would be very interested in the program, send me a PM about it?

[Hamlet]

Also I feel like talking about my team because I'm obsessed with this league...I'm not obsessed (I'm in too many leagues to commit to one), but I enjoy this league. With the deep rosters, deep starters, and dynasty setting, an emphasis is put on finding guys who are under the radar. One thing I'm realizing though is that it doesn't necessarily negate the lottery factor inherent in fantasy football. Injuries, massive fluctuation in scoring (Austin Collie, from #1 WR to garbage in one year, while Steve Smith rises from the fantasy grave), and the head to head nature will still kill a season in this league just like every other. I've been in the top 4 scorers every year (including this one) in this league and once #1, and have one third place finish to show for it.

But I do like the emphasis on finding hidden talent. This year, I drafted and made moves to revamp the bottom half of my roster, in the hopes of grabbing more guys who will be good in a couple years. It's been interesting. Not necessarily fun (I'm 3-5 despite being #4 in points scored), but interesting. And I pay a lot more attention to the rosters in the NFL. For example, I heard that Ahmad Bradshaw's foot injury might be worse than suspected, so I checked his backups and went to pick them up (I do love me some DaRel Scott), only to be beaten by another player. It's fascinating.

[Omniscient]

I'm not obsessed (I'm in too many leagues to commit to one), but I enjoy this league. With the deep rosters, deep starters, and dynasty setting, an emphasis is put on finding guys who are under the radar. One thing I'm realizing though is that it doesn't necessarily negate the lottery factor inherent in fantasy football. Injuries, massive fluctuation in scoring (Austin Collie, from #1 WR to garbage in one year, while Steve Smith rises from the fantasy grave), and the head to head nature will still kill a season in this league just like every other. I've been in the top 4 scorers every year (including this one) in this league and once #1, and have one third place finish to show for it.

But I do like the emphasis on finding hidden talent. This year, I drafted and made moves to revamp the bottom half of my roster, in the hopes of grabbing more guys who will be good in a couple years. It's been interesting. Not necessarily fun (I'm 3-5 despite being #4 in points scored), but interesting. And I pay a lot more attention to the rosters in the NFL. For example, I heard that Ahmad Bradshaw's foot injury might be worse than suspected, so I checked his backups and went to pick them up (I do love me some DaRel Scott), only to be beaten by another player. It's fascinating.

I scooped up DJ Ware in every league I'm in. Raced to get there when the news broke. Watch Da'Rel Scott get all the reps and Jacobs all the TDs. It's been that kind of year.

[SenorBeef]

Yikes, I'm not getting any Green Bay points because their defense is scoring them all.

[VarlosZ]

I changed our league's trade deadline to make it as late as possible (12/2), as in previous years.

Sorry I haven't been around much to participate in the thread or respond to trade offers; it's the combination of having an awful, overstuffed fantasy season in general, and having some actual real-world scheduled responsibilities for the first time since college (which takes some getting used to, believe me). I'll try to do better on both counts in the coming weeks.

[SenorBeef]

I have a 12 point lead and McCoy against Omni's Roethlisberger.

Justin Bailey has a 4 point lead and Forte against RNATB's Boldin and DeSean Jackson.

[SenorBeef]

I can't believe I've only scored 107 points on a day where Green Bay put up 48. I'll probably win, because McCoy is awesome, but it'll be a close one.

The Raiders D sucked. I figured playing against Tebow was a good opportunity but they scored -6. Atlanta is on my bench with 18. Damn.

Also, someone take Tony Gonzalez. I'm not gonna start him ahead of my other guys but he's a top 5 TE still.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Justin Bailey has a 4 point lead and Forte against RNATB's Boldin and DeSean Jackson.
Game of the Week hasn't disappointed.

[Justin_Bailey]

Game of the Week hasn't disappointed.

Yup, Monday night is going to be very interesting. But damn, who knew Eddie Royal was going to return to form this week and I left him on my bench!

[Really Not All That Bright]

Who knew Eddie Royal was ever going to return to form?

[SenorBeef]

Tebow makes everyone look good.

Edit: Actually, I think I had Eric Decker in all my leagues and totally bailed on him last week under the assumption that Tebow couldn't make any receiver viable. Woops.

[Justin_Bailey]

Edit: Actually, I think I had Eric Decker in all my leagues and totally bailed on him last week under the assumption that Tebow couldn't make any receiver viable. Woops.

That's exactly why I left Royal on the bench and started McGahee over Brandon "Mr. Inconsistent" Jacobs. Tebow's for real! Start spreading the news!

[SenorBeef]

Somebody please stop letting RNATB win games.

[Justin_Bailey]

Somebody please stop letting RNATB win games.

Tell Matt Forte.

[Really Not All That Bright]

It's certainly not out of the question that I lose this week. DeSean has pulled a bit of a disappearing act lately and Forte has been super-productive, other than scoring touchdowns.

Certainly Forte has the better matchup.

[Really Not All That Bright]

AAARGH. Down by 0.06 points.

[Justin_Bailey]

Somebody please stop letting RNATB win games.

You're welcome Beef.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Fudge.

3.46 points from going 4-0 across my leagues this week.

[SenorBeef]

Good, that only puts me 1 loss behind RNATB. I wish points was the first tiebreaker but it's division games, and he's one ahead of me in that category. I do get to play him again, so I guess we can settle that there.

I think the wildcard will probably come from our division. The other divisions have one clear leader - Justin Bailey's 7-2 vs 3 teams at 4-5, and Stringer's 7-2 against 5-4, 3-6, and 3-6. Both Isotopes and I have a better score than our record would indicate, giving us a likely tiebreaker, and RNATB is a win ahead of anyone else that would be in the wildcard race.

[SenorBeef]

I'm actually a 141 to 98 projected favorite of RNATB for our rematch. I've actually got huge projections for the rest of the season - I'm a 30+ point projected favorite in every single game, so there's a chance I win out. Unlikely though, and I actually have started to have a susperstitious fear of a huge projected lead, because I seem more likely to lose if I'm a 40 point favorite than if I'm a 10 point favorite.

[Really Not All That Bright]

The huge projected win will just make it extra delicious when I destroy you.

[SenorBeef]

It's time for regression to the mean - and the mean has me destroying you.

[Stringer]

I'm just gonna beat you by 98 in the playoffs again, Beef.

[SenorBeef]

My team has just got to take it one game at a time. You know, show up and make sure you improve every single game. Just get out there and execute.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Don't forget to stick to the game plan.

Seriously, though, my team is way strong except at quarterback- but when Andre Johnson comes back, you're all fucked.

[furt]

Seriously, though, my team is way strong except at quarterback- but when Andre Johnson comes back, you're all fucked.You're right. Andre Johnson is a beast. His return to action will be a thing to behold.

He's available, too.

[Justin_Bailey]

I am looking to trade for a top-tier WR and I'm willing to give up youth to get one.

Looking for a young QB? I've got Christian Ponder and Blaine Gabbert, two QBs who could be very good someday and are putting up decent numbers today.

Looking for a young RB? For the right price, I'll give up Ben Tate. Brandon Jacobs (who has said he's likely finished with the Giants and still has some life left in him) is also available.

[Stringer]

I am looking to trade for a top-tier WR and I'm willing to give up youth to get one.

Looking for a young QB? I've got Christian Ponder and Blaine Gabbert, two QBs who could be very good someday and are putting up decent numbers today.

Looking for a young RB? For the right price, I'll give up Ben Tate. Brandon Jacobs (who has said he's likely finished with the Giants and still has some life left in him) is also available.

I want Tate but not sure our teams match up for a trade. Take a look and let me know?

[SenorBeef]

I got an offer for Tony Gonzalez. I'm not too enthusiastic, but with my TEs running so deep I'm not going to be starting Gonzo (even though maybe sometimes I should, by the matchups) so I'll take someone I might actually use someday.

But it wouldn't take too much to move me off the offer if anyone wants to do better. I'll give it today and if I don't get any better offers I'll make the trade.

[Justin_Bailey]

I want Tate but not sure our teams match up for a trade. Take a look and let me know?

Yeah, I don't think it's going to work. TO EVERYBODY ELSE: Brandon Jacobs is getting the start this week with Bradshaw out and he's available for the right price. I think I have too many starting RBs. Although, that's not a bad problem to have. Except when you leave big points on the bench.

ETA: Also, I just realized I posted this in July about my RBs: "For the record, I have an awesome RB unit."

[SenorBeef]

Got an issue. Omni and I are trading Josh Cribbs for Tony Gonzalez. He made the offer early in the week, but I wanted to give people a final chance to make offers and held off on accepting the trade until Saturday, figuring that if Omni wanted the trade to go through, I'd just approve it as per usual in my leagues. Except I forgot that I'm not the commish of this league, and I'm not sure if it's set up for commish approval, so I'm not sure if Varlos can push it through even if he's around.

I don't want Omni to get punished by me forgetting the situation and waiting too long, and he wants to start Gonzo this week. So is there some way we can get the trade pushed through, or at least retroactively fixed? If Omni states exactly which position/player Omni would start over Gonzo, Varlos can go back and switch it after the games start.

Anyway - not sure when Varlos will be around next, but I'll send him a PM.

[Really Not All That Bright]

*shrug* I kind of think pushing trades through should be a once-in-a-while thing rather than an every-time thing. If you want to trade players for a given week, make the trade in time.

I don't have a problem with it being pushed through, though.

[SenorBeef]

Most people do their fantasy roster management on the weekend, so not allowing trades to go through is pretty limiting. There's not really any downside to allowing them to be pushed through.

[Justin_Bailey]

I'm sure trades have been pushed through early before. And Josh Cribbs for Tony Gonzalez is not crazy enough to require any discussion (it's downright normal for any trade Beef is usually involved in).

[SenorBeef]

Yeah, it's automatic in my other leagues (if both players make it clear they intend for the trade to go through) so I didn't even think about it. The 48 hour thing is designed for public leagues or other generally hands-off leagues that might require player intervention in those sorts of matters and who may have an absentee or biased commish. Also, SDMBers don't like to object to trades and I don't remember having a trade voided by anyone in our long history, even with some lopsided trades. None of us are going to dump players when our season is over or otherwise ruin the league, so we're not really the people that the default 48 hour system is designed to protect against.

Otherwise you have to get trades down before 1pm ET friday morning for them to go through, which is kinda rough when maybe you don't know the injury status by then, maybe a player got injured late in the week, maybe you've been negotiating with the other owner for a few days and it's already friday, etc etc. I just like to give people the max amount of time available to work trades.

What I would personally do, since Varlos may not make it back in time, is to have Omni declare his intent (who would be benched in favor of Cribbs) and have Varlos fix it retroactively. But it's not my league, so it's up to him.

FWIW, it doesn't matter to me a bit as far as self interest because I'd bench both of them. I just don't want Omni to get screwed if he was expecting the trade fast as per standard procedure in the other leagues.

[Omniscient]

Since Dallas Clark is out, I'm really hoping that this gets retroactively fixed. Hopefully Varlos can weigh in soon.

[Omniscient]

Yeah, it's automatic in my other leagues (if both players make it clear they intend for the trade to go through) so I didn't even think about it. The 48 hour thing is designed for public leagues or other generally hands-off leagues that might require player intervention in those sorts of matters and who may have an absentee or biased commish. Also, SDMBers don't like to object to trades and I don't remember having a trade voided by anyone in our long history, even with some lopsided trades. None of us are going to dump players when our season is over or otherwise ruin the league, so we're not really the people that the default 48 hour system is designed to protect against.

Otherwise you have to get trades down before 1pm ET friday morning for them to go through, which is kinda rough when maybe you don't know the injury status by then, maybe a player got injured late in the week, maybe you've been negotiating with the other owner for a few days and it's already friday, etc etc. I just like to give people the max amount of time available to work trades.

What I would personally do, since Varlos may not make it back in time, is to have Omni declare his intent (who would be benched in favor of Cribbs) and have Varlos fix it retroactively. But it's not my league, so it's up to him.

FWIW, it doesn't matter to me a bit as far as self interest because I'd bench both of them. I just don't want Omni to get screwed if he was expecting the trade fast as per standard procedure in the other leagues.

I didn't see this before kickoff, but last night I removed Cribbs from my starting lineup and slotted in waiver wire fodder for my TE spot just in case. I'm assuming that there's no one out there thinking that I'd actually pick Pitta over Gonzo. Hopefully Varlos weighs in before Pitta turns in his 80 yard, 2 TD performance in the late game making me flip the fuck out.

[Stringer]

2 weeks in a row I should have played Carson Fucking Palmer over Vick and Cutler. What is this world coming to!

[VarlosZ]

Crap, didn't see this until now, was at a high school speech & debate tourney this weekend w/o wi-fi.

My stated policy has always been that trades will not be fast-tracked as a matter of course, but can be if I feel the circumstances warrant it. In this case, the trade is thunderously non-controversial, Omni adjusted his starting roster on the assumption that the trade would go through, it's really obvious who Omni would have started, retro-fixing the rosters won't change the result of the game (thank god), and I feel bad about missing this yesterday night. So, once the trade goes through, I'll retroactively slot Gonzo in for Omni in the TE spot (which will net him about 9 additional points).

Obviously no one did anything wrong here, but, just for future reference, I'd reiterate that everyone should count on trades taking 2 days to process, so plan accordingly.

[Justin_Bailey]

With no one left to play, I'm thoroughly boned this week.

Ponder/Gabbert/Tate/Jacobs are still up on the trading block for the right WR.

[Really Not All That Bright]

So, I need 20 points from Mason Crosby. That's... a lot.

[SenorBeef]

I may be screwed. I need 50 points out of my Green Bay players, but the early defensive TD and the TD to the one GB player I don't own is a bad start. And they're going to get out ahead so fast that they're going to stop scoring. Damn.

[Hamlet]

So, I need 20 points from Mason Crosby. That's... a lot.10% of th e way there.

[Hamlet]

10% of th e way there.25%

[Really Not All That Bright]

Oh well. I'm now tied with Beef, which means our game next week will more than likely decide who wins the division.

Schaub's injury is not exactly helpful to my cause.

Who wants to trade me a quarterback?

[SenorBeef]

I might still have John Beck!

Edit: No, I don't. I guess you can put together a package for Rodgers.





I think I can still win the division even if I lose to you next week but it'd be difficult. I'm probably going to make it in as a wild card if not, but then I'd rather wait to face Stringer in the championship and not the first game.

[Justin_Bailey]

Who wants to trade me a quarterback?

I've got Christian Ponder and Blaine Gabbert up for trade if you're willing to part with a good WR.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Not for them, I'm not. I would give up Meachem for Ponder.

I'd give up more for Andy Dalton.

[SenorBeef]

This is the league of lowball trade offers. No one is even in the right ballpark with values IMO.

[Really Not All That Bright]

That's because we all weigh present and future value differently. I'm a "win now" kind of guy (as is Justin).

[Hamlet]

This is the league of lowball trade offers. No one is even in the right ballpark with values IMO.At least you got rid of one from your glut of TE's finally.

People value players differently, go figure. I think your estimation of value on Finley is too high, you think it's right. You think my estimation of value on Eric Decker or Steve Smith is too high, I think it's right. So trades don't get made. Viva la difference.

[SenorBeef]

I'd have traded Finley for a tier 3 receiver, so my valuation isn't that high I don't think. I mean, people were offering me scraps like Jerome Simpson and Jacoby Jones.

If I had cut Finley at the end of last year, he'd probably be a top 3-4 pick in our draft. Those other players would be round 3-4 guys. That says the value is nowhere near right.

In any case, for dismissing those sorts of scraps, I was dismissed as "holding out for Calvin Johnson", which made little sense since there's an obviously huge gap between Jacoby Jones and Calvin Johnson.

[Justin_Bailey]

That's because we all weigh present and future value differently. I'm a "win now" kind of guy (as is Justin).

True. I think the last dozen posts I've made to this thread have been pleas to obtain a top-flight WR because I want to win this year.

[Omniscient]

True. I think the last dozen posts I've made to this thread have been pleas to obtain a top-flight WR because I want to win this year.

I'm building for the future. If I had top flight WRs to spare I wouldn't be.

[Justin_Bailey]

I'm building for the future. If I had top flight WRs to spare I wouldn't be.

What if I dangled Ben Tate, Christian Ponder and a WR Not Named Roddy White in front of you for Wes Welker?

[Really Not All That Bright]

Your problem is that Finley isn't the top banana in Green Bay anymore. He's not even second banana - Jordy Nelson has more yards, catches and touchdowns.
What if I dangled Ben Tate, Christian Ponder and a WR Not Named Roddy White in front of you for Wes Welker?
I'll give you V-Jax, Anquan Boldin or DeSean Jackson for that bunch. They're pretty top flight.

[Omniscient]

What if I dangled Ben Tate, Christian Ponder and a WR Not Named Roddy White in front of you for Wes Welker?

Would you consider that deal? Seriously?

A backup RB, a rookie QB who has shown next to nothing and a WR not named Roddy White (knowing full well that Roddy White has sucked this year and anyone else would likely be even worse)?

Yes, trading my one asset for a bunch of shabby lottery tickets is precisely the way to build for the future.

[SenorBeef]

Your problem is that Finley isn't the top banana in Green Bay anymore. He's not even second banana - Jordy Nelson has more yards, catches and touchdowns.

Oh, it's not that. All along I've offered all of my TEs - I'd be happy to trade Jimmy Graham or Ron Gronkowski too. It was just at the time, early in the season, Finley seemed to be the most proven prospect and long term value, so I stressed him.

Jimmy Graham and Ron Gronkowski are the top TEs by a huge margin (158 and 151 points, Witten is third with 110), and they're both the top guys in two of the most prolific offenses in the league, and yet... no interest. No offers.

[Justin_Bailey]

I'll give you V-Jax, Anquan Boldin or DeSean Jackson for that bunch. They're pretty top flight.

If you're serious, I would absolutely trade that bunch for V-Jax.

A backup RB, a rookie QB who has shown next to nothing and a WR not named Roddy White (knowing full well that Roddy White has sucked this year and anyone else would likely be even worse)?

Yes, trading my one asset for a bunch of shabby lottery tickets is precisely the way to build for the future.

See, this is where people value players differently. I see Ben Tate as a young RB who is going to have a long and great career ahead of him. But what will we for me do in December? Nothing. But for the future, he's a great pickup.

Christian Ponder is a question mark, I'll give you that. But I think he could be a Schaub-type QB for a long time. You could do a lot worse.

[Omniscient]

If you're serious, I would absolutely trade that bunch for V-Jax.



See, this is where people value players differently. I see Ben Tate as a young RB who is going to have a long and great career ahead of him. But what will we for me do in December? Nothing. But for the future, he's a great pickup.

Christian Ponder is a question mark, I'll give you that. But I think he could be a Schaub-type QB for a long time. You could do a lot worse.

I love Ben Tate more than anyone around here, I was in the tank for him before he was drafted. The fact of the matter is that Arian Foster isn't going anywhere any time soon and the Texans aren't going to trade Tate. Now Schaub is out, and his value is uncertain for the rest of the year. If we were talking about a guy like DeMarco Murray, with a clearer path to relevance or a guy like Jamaal Charles who's injured but assured a future role it might be worth it.

Welker is the #2 WR in the league and 8th RB/WR. You're high if anything short of a starting RB would pry him away. Tate has the talent to be one, but the path is far to uncertain.

[Hamlet]

I'd have traded Finley for a tier 3 receiver, so my valuation isn't that high I don't think. I mean, people were offering me scraps like Jerome Simpson and Jacoby Jones.

If I had cut Finley at the end of last year, he'd probably be a top 3-4 pick in our draft. Those other players would be round 3-4 guys. That says the value is nowhere near right.

In any case, for dismissing those sorts of scraps, I was dismissed as "holding out for Calvin Johnson", which made little sense since there's an obviously huge gap between Jacoby Jones and Calvin Johnson.Nevermind. Not worth it.

[SenorBeef]

Which part of what I said was incorrect?

[Really Not All That Bright]

I'm serious. Make me an offer w/ Gaffney and I'll accept by phone if it lets me.

[Justin_Bailey]

I'm serious. Make me an offer w/ Gaffney and I'll accept by phone if it lets me.

Done.

[Hamlet]

Which part of what I said was incorrect?If you insist.

I offered you your choice of 4 WR's, including Steve Smith, who has 52 more points, and Eric Decker, who has 23 more points, than Finley. When you throw in the fact that Gronkowski and Hernandez were both 3rd round picks last year, and guys like Jake Ballard (who is within 17 points of Finley) weren't even drafted, and I think you're seriously overvaluing Finley.

Which is fine. I don't have a problem whatsoever with you valuing guys more than I do. It's your team and your perogative. It just irks me a bit when you make it seem like everybody else is wrong for not valuing like you do and decrying that no one is making smart enough offers for your guys. Especially after how defensive you get when I mention Devery Henderson in the other league.

[SenorBeef]

Again, hindsight. You made the offer in week 2. Did you expect Steve Smith to have 950 receiving yards at this point in the year in week 2? How about Eric Decker, a 2nd WR on a John Fox team that might soon have to deal with Tebow at QB?

Finley's expectations were also higher at the time, since he was always the primary focus of the GB offense when he was in, prior to this year.

I didn't say no one was making "smart enough" offers, I just said they were lowballs.

As far as Devery Henderson, it makes no sense to say "I'm attacking you by saying your decision making is poor!" and then someone saying "No, the decision was fine, here's why" and then saying "WHY ARE YOU GETTING SO DEFENSIVE?!?!"

[Hamlet]

Again, hindsight.Would you do the trades now, with that hindsight? Back then, I think you said you would have been "massively on the wrong side" of the trade. I didn't think that then, and, with hindsight, I don't think so now.

Finley's expectations were also higher at the time, since he was always the primary focus of the GB offense when he was in, prior to this year.That's simply wrong. The primary focus has always been Rodgers, and he spreads the ball around. Jennings is target #1 and always has been.

I didn't say no one was making "smart enough" offers, I just said they were lowballs.Which indicates to me that you thought they weren't even close to good enough offers. Which, once again, is fine.

[SenorBeef]

Steve Smith would be tough. If I weren't loaded at TE, I definitely wouldn't do it - I'm not going to trade youth for age in this league unless the current values are way out of whack. Knowing that I can't start all my TEs and no one else is giving me any offers, I might. It'd be a tough caller.

Decker is interesting because he's consistently surprised in a bad situation, but doesn't seem ridiculously talented or anything, and they're not going to design the offense around him. Too unpredictable.

If I took either of those trades, it would've been similar to what I just did with Gonzalez - "fuck it, I'm not starting him and I can't do any better I guess" sorts of trades.

BTW, in case it's not clear, I'm still looking to move any of the TEs. Jimmy Graham essentially is what I hoped Finley would be, and Gronkowski seems to have a 20+ point game every other week. I'm willing to trade either of them and then use Finley in their place.

[Stringer]

Colston is available for one of your TEs if you're still looking to move one. Not sure how crazy I am about Finley lately though.

[Justin_Bailey]

In case anybody missed it during the values discussion, a TRADE to announce:

RNATB gets:

Ben Tate
Christian Ponder
Jabar Gaffney

My Gusterhoids get:

Vincent Jackson

Am I dumbass, or did I pick up the last piece of a championship puzzle?

[SenorBeef]

You got the better of that deal, I think. I mean, not looking at team composition, so it could be mutually beneficial. But if I had to pick between which side of the trade I wanted I'd take Jackson.

[Hamlet]

Am I dumbass, or did I pick up the last piece of a championship puzzle?Not dumb at all. I like the upside of Ben Tate, he's been outstanding in just a shared time roll and if he ever gets the bulk of the carries, he could be special. And I'm on record saying I liked Ponder of all the rookie QB's (mostly because of early value, he went pretty high), so he has nice upside too. Gaffney is a fill in at best and likely cut material. Vincent Jackson is only 28, so he has more than a couple good years left and, when healthy, he's good. So it looks to me to be a relatively fair trade. Jackson is certainly more of the proven guy, but Tate and Ponder both have the potential to be special.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Am I dumbass, or did I pick up the last piece of a championship puzzle?
You have talent, youth and depth. I have better talent, but no youth and no depth. Now you have V-Jax, who can score three touchdowns in any given quarter, and I have future stars at RB and QB and a plug-in until I draft someone to replace Jackson.

[Justin_Bailey]

I forget, how does this league feel about gametime decisions? Because no one's going to know if Willis McGahee will play tonight until about 8:15.

If McGahee's listed as inactive at the last minute, would I be able to slip Brandon Jacobs into the lineup in his place?

[Stringer]

I don't understand, why can't you move Jacobs into the slot yourself tonight if McGahee is inactive?

[Justin_Bailey]

I don't understand, why can't you move Jacobs into the slot yourself tonight if McGahee is inactive?

Because I don't know if I'll be at a computer in the 20-minute window when they announce whether or not he's playing and the game starts.

Beef is a big supporter of this system, but I know he's not commish here, so I figured I'd ask.

[Really Not All That Bright]

2010 called, and they wanted to know why you still don't have a smartphone. :)

[Justin_Bailey]

2010 called, and they wanted to know why you still don't have a smartphone. :)

Because I hate cell phones and I'm a cheap bastard who still uses the flip phone I bought in 2005 (or thereabouts).

[Really Not All That Bright]

Well, if you get over your hatred of phones you won't have to stress about your fantasy lineups. The Yahoo fantasy app is free.

[Omniscient]

Well, if you get over your hatred of phones you won't have to stress about your fantasy lineups. The Yahoo fantasy app is free.

Not on my phone, which pisses me off to no end.

[Really Not All That Bright]

What kind of phone do you have?

[Hamlet]

What kind of phone do you have?Rotary.

[Justin_Bailey]

McGahee is playing and I'm at my computer to find it out, so OUR LONG NATIONAL NIGHTMARE IS OVER!

[Justin_Bailey]

McGahee is playing and I'm at my computer to find it out, so OUR LONG NATIONAL NIGHTMARE IS OVER!

But my nightmare is just beginning! I have negative points! This is a disaster!

[dalej42]

A couple of years ago, the Saints were on bye and I had to start JaMarcus Russel instead of Drew Brees. This time, I get to start Cam Newton!

[SenorBeef]

My green bay TDs are being stolen by some 9th string receiver and a defensive lineman.

[SenorBeef]

Green Bay likes to have odd players score just for the challenge of it I think.

[Omniscient]

I'm starting to feel pretty good about that Locker draft pick. Haven't see much of the game, but the numbers look impressive. It's a shame I didn't start him, since this was a week when starting a backup was actually something I maky have been forced to do. Why didn't one of you guys steal Skelton before I added him?

[Justin_Bailey]

Why didn't one of you guys steal Skelton before I added him?

I thought about it, but I snapped up Leinart instead. And after Ryan Fitzpatrick's performance this week, I may start him.

But unless Wes Welker tanks tomorrow night, I think you've got the win in our game.

[Omniscient]

I thought about it, but I snapped up Leinart instead. And after Ryan Fitzpatrick's performance this week, I may start him.

But unless Wes Welker tanks tomorrow night, I think you've got the win in our game.

I bid on Leinart too, just didn't go high enough, IIRC. I had Cassel, Schaub, Moreno and Jones in several leagues. I was a bit of a mad scramble to find players this waiver period.

[SenorBeef]

Edit: Woops, wrong league.

So, uh, RNATB is gonna lose again, so that's good. And I'll win, giving me the division lead.

[SenorBeef]

After being a few points from starting 1-4, I've ripped off 5 wins in a row and my schedule is looking pretty good for the rest of the year. Stringer has the only roster that scares me and it's not 100%. Well, Green Bay slowing down due to weather potentially is scary too.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Yeah, my margin for error is now officially down to zero, thanks to Hasselbeck getting pulled. It's beat you or bust.

[SenorBeef]

The preliminary projected numbers for that matchup is 141.02 to 96.83, although you'll get more points for replacing Hasselbeck. With... Christian Ponder I guess.

My team has become a monster down the stretch.

I was one pick away from getting Calvin Johnson too, and I almost picked up Arian Foster because I was a Steve Slaton owner. Oh what could've been. Not bad for starting off in last place in year one. The whole dynasty thing seems to be working.

Oh, and Jordy Nelson. Turns out you guys were right (Mostly Ellis Dee) about the whole Jordy Nelson vs James Jones thing. (Not about Chris Chambers vs Jones, but over the where Donald Driver's old production would go) Fortunately I just grabbed them both.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Those projected numbers would worry me if Yahoo! projections actually meant anything. Not that I'm not a little worried about not having a quarterback and all, but hey.

[SenorBeef]

The projections have been pretty on the spot for me this year.

Week 11: Projected 128, actual 123 with Gronk still to play
10: 144/129
9: 131/127
8: 105/112
7: 113/111

Face it RNATB, your string of flukey wins has come to an end. You'll finish 3rd in the divison!

[SenorBeef]

Dale needs 21 points out of Breaston and Green Ellis to beat Hamlet.

Omni has a 5 point lead, Welker, and McCluster against Justin Bailey's Branch and Gostkowski.

[Stringer]

With Cutler likely out for the rest of the fantasy season and Vick nursing broken ribs, I am pretty glad I was able to get Carson Palmer for only $36.

I can clinch my division with a win this week against RetroVertigo, but he has much better matchups than I do.

And Beef coming on strong lately with his all-Packers offense. It'll be interesting to see how that division plays out.

[Omniscient]

That was a heck of a lot closer than it should have been.

[Justin_Bailey]

That was a heck of a lot closer than it should have been.

Yeah it was. I would have won if the Patriots kicked the field goal on their last drive instead of running it in on 4th and 4.

[Omniscient]

Yeah it was. I would have won if the Patriots kicked the field goal on their last drive instead of running it in on 4th and 4.

Good thing for me that Belichick wasn't pissed at the Chiefs and Todd Haley this year.

[Justin_Bailey]

In past years the first tiebreaker was Divisional Record, but this year its Points. Did that get changed and I just don't remember?

[Really Not All That Bright]

The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. That's why I was ahead of Beef last week.

[SenorBeef]

Are you sure? I think the tiebreaker for the division win is division record, but amongst wild card contenders it's points.

[Really Not All That Bright]

I thought it was division record but then I noticed furt is in third place in the Northeast division despite a better division record than Varlos. It can't be points, because as you'll remember I was ahead of you last week despite having fewer points.
3. The Gusterrhoids 7-4-0 .636 3-0-0 1189.50 1129.77 L-2 $69 5
7. Varlos' Zzzzzzz 5-6-0 .455 1-2-0 1240.78 1268.36 W-1 $100 5
8. Fightin' Quakers 5-6-0 .455 2-1-0 1202.91 1188.16 L-1 $110 9
10. New York Fanboys 4-7-0 .364 0-3-0 1173.10 1339.38 L-2 $102 3

[Justin_Bailey]

Are you sure? I think the tiebreaker for the division win is division record, but amongst wild card contenders it's points.

OK, that makes sense. Carry on. Nothing to see here.

[SenorBeef]

Tiebreakers for division leagues (http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/sports/fantasysports/football/scoring/football-163.html)

It says divison winning percentage and total fantasy points as the first two for the division win, and overall win percentage and fantasy points scored for the first 2 in wildcards.

But

"In leagues where division winners are guaranteed a playoff spot, Wild Card teams are selected without consideration for divisions. Non-division winners will be ranked in the playoffs according to winning percentage."

So I think the first 3 seeds are done by the division winner tiebreaker, but then after that, maybe it's points? In other words, for all matters except determining the division winner, total points is the tiebreaker. That's my guess.

[Justin_Bailey]

So I think the first 3 seeds are done by the division winner tiebreaker, but then after that, maybe it's points? In other words, for all matters except determining the division winner, total points is the tiebreaker. That's my guess.

That's what I got from that page too.

[Justin_Bailey]

With that settled, we can talk about the end-of-the-year divisional matchups and the playoff picture.

In the Northeast Corridor, I'll take the division with two wins OR a loss by furt and a loss by Varlos OR a victory in this week's game against furt.

In the Midwest, Stringer takes the division with a win OR a loss by RetroVertigo.

In the Sunbelt... the hell if I know. Two wins by Beef would more or less lock up the division, but RNATB or Petey could still run the last three games and sneak in there if he gets those two wins.

[SenorBeef]

With my projected matchups I'd say there's at least an 80% chance I win my division, but even if I somehow don't, it's very likely I get the wildcard spot. I crush anyone on tiebreaker points and my main contenders are also in the division - meaning if someone else wins the division that's one less competitor for the wildcard slot, and since Isotopes and RNATB play each other, it's very unlikely they'll both somehow win the division and the wildcard slot - so unlikely I'm not even going to do the work to figure out if it's impossible :P

Guessing now, we'd have
1. Stringer
2. SenorBeef
3. Justin Bailey
4. Isotopes

Which would be fine with me, I'd get to play what will probably be the lowest scoring playoff team, and Stringer and I could have a dramatic championship*






*now that I've said that, I lose in round 1

[Really Not All That Bright]

Bah.

[SenorBeef]

If it makes you feel any better RNATB, I will try to put you out of your misery this week so that your agony does not have to go on long. I'd be amazed if you managed to beat me this week. Then again, I have all my eggs tied up so hard in one basket that an off week could do me in. But... Green Bay at Detroit on Thanksgiving is not likely to be that day.

I will make you all rue the day that I was desperately trying to get rid of Gronkowski and no one had the slightest bit of interest. (I did get some interest for Finley btw, working on that, thanks)

Also, Jordy Nelson is the #5 WR. How nuts is that? I had him #3 or #4 on my draft board this year, but even I didn't see this coming. At least the autopicker got one of my picks right. Who cut him?

[Justin_Bailey]

With my projected matchups I'd say there's at least an 80% chance I win my division, but even if I somehow don't, it's very likely I get the wildcard spot. I crush anyone on tiebreaker points and my main contenders are also in the division - meaning if someone else wins the division that's one less competitor for the wildcard slot, and since Isotopes and RNATB play each other, it's very unlikely they'll both somehow win the division and the wildcard slot - so unlikely I'm not even going to do the work to figure out if it's impossible :P

If you lose all three of your remaining games, you're out.

[Stringer]

Which would be fine with me, I'd get to play what will probably be the lowest scoring playoff team, and Stringer and I could have a dramatic championship*

The best part about this is that I have really good week 16 matchups, AND the Packers are playing my fearsome Bears defense on Sunday night.

[SenorBeef]

Yeah, the championship week is not fantastic for me.

Quick, someone trade for all my GB players in exchange for players with better week 16 matchups.

[Really Not All That Bright]

It's not going to matter, because you're going to lose to me anyway. Fear my Ponder!

[SenorBeef]

Ponder? You're starting Grossman. Who's about due for one of his 4 TD wtf games.

I like that your highest projected scorer by far is the St. Louis defense. Although your revised roster has a lot of solid double digit projections, putting you only 30 points behind.

I'm surprisingly not dependent on GB this week. I'm starting Rodgers and Nelson only. Starks is hurt, and Finley is the odd man out between Gronk and Graham.

[Really Not All That Bright]

I wasn't sure I would get Grossman. I put a fairly small FAAB bid on him.

[Petey]

Last week I had 6 RBs with 'O' status and still won. Now Fred Jackson is out.

So I'll have 2 RBs with 1% starting percentage. Fun.


Pete

[Omniscient]

I wasn't sure I would get Grossman. I put a fairly small FAAB bid on him.

I bid on him with a claim of 0 dollars. I would have gone higher!

[SenorBeef]

RNATB goes down, and if Isotopes doesn't make a comeback, I'm up 2 wins in the division.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Oh well. I'm gonna win HHM instead.

[SenorBeef]

My team has been hitting the high projections. I've actually closed the points gap on Stringer to 25. I could win the points title this year.

It'll be pretty epic if the championship is me vs Stringer.

[Justin_Bailey]

It'll be pretty epic if the championship is me vs Stringer.

You've got to get past me first.

[Hamlet]

My team has been hitting the high projections. I've actually closed the points gap on Stringer to 25. I could win the points title this year.I'm third in points. Not too shabby.

But, being this league, I'm also 3rd in points against and sitting at 5-7. I hate this league.

[Justin_Bailey]

But, being this league, I'm also 3rd in points against and sitting at 5-7. I hate this league.

That was me last year. I ended 6-8.

[Hamlet]

That was me last year. I ended 6-8.Year 1: 1st in total points, finish 3rd place.
Year 2: 4th in total points, 1st in points against, 6-8.
So far this year: 3rd in total points, 3rd points against, best finish possible: 7-7.

I like the head-to-head matchups for the special flavor, especially in the playoffs, but sometimes it can be a tad bit frustrating.

[Stringer]

My team has been hitting the high projections. I've actually closed the points gap on Stringer to 25. I could win the points title this year.

It'll be pretty epic if the championship is me vs Stringer.

Last season I avoided any major injuries, my team has really struggled this year in the injury department. If I win it'll be a testament to the depth of my team, but I have really struggled at points in this season (this weekend's 142-108 slaughter being a prime example.)

[Hamlet]

Last season I avoided any major injuries, my team has really struggled this year in the injury department. If I win it'll be a testament to the depth of my team, but I have really struggled at points in this season (this weekend's 142-108 slaughter being a prime example.)While I'd kill for your points against number, you're still the top scoring team and sitting nicely at 9-3. You've gotten yourself one heck of a great team.

[Really Not All That Bright]

108 points is struggling?

[Really Not All That Bright]

Whoah. I just realized I'm still in contention for the wild card, and I'll have the points tiebreaker over RetroVertigo if he loses a game.

[Stringer]

108 points is struggling?

In 3 years I have only scored less than 100 twice!

[Really Not All That Bright]

Bloody hell. I just went back and checked and even in the first season when I won the championship I scored under 100 (actually, under 90) twice- though in fairness I also scored at least 120 in every other game.

I scored under 100 four times last season and six times this season.

[SenorBeef]

I'm pretty consistent this season. I haven't scored under 100, and I'm usually within a few points of my (usually high) projection.

[SenorBeef]

Wow, even at this stage I haven't locked up a playoff spot. Justin Bailey and Stringer are the only ones.

I'd have to lose out and be outscored by 200+ points to lose my division though.

The wild card race is likely to be between Retrovertigo, Petey, and RNATB. Retro has a win up but the lowest score. RNATB and Isotopes play this week, knocking one of them out of it. Isotopes then has to play me the final week. Meanwhile Retro doesn't play a top team, so I'd say he's likely to get the spot.

Likely playoff seeding at this stage:

1. Stringer
2. Me
3. Justin Bailey
4. Retrovertigo

[Justin_Bailey]

Wow, even at this stage I haven't locked up a playoff spot. Justin Bailey and Stringer are the only ones.

I'd have to lose out and be outscored by 200+ points to lose my division though.

If you lose out AND Isotopes or RNATB win out AND RetroVertigo wins out, you'll be knocked out completely. Unlikely, but I wouldn't unpack the champagne just yet.

[SenorBeef]

I'd put the chances of that at around .005 or so.

[SenorBeef]

The trading deadline is this Friday, Dec 2. Please check your leagues/offers often during the next few days.

[Really Not All That Bright]

To think I'd be in the driver's seat for the wild card if I'd just started any defense but Kansas City in Week 9. Or none at all - I lost by 3 and a half points and KC scored -4. :mad:

[Justin_Bailey]

The trading deadline is this Friday, Dec 2. Please check your leagues/offers often during the next few days.

I'm still willing to move Brandon Jacobs if anyone is interested.

[Hamlet]

In theory, it is possible for there to be three division leaders, and a slew of 7-7 teams fighting for the #4 seed. That would require Retro to lose two games in a row, though, which given the fact that he faces the lowly Ides of Martz in the last week, isn't too likely. The fact that I've scored over 10 points a week more than him doesn't really keep me warm at night.

But he has to face me this week. I guess I'll have to grasp onto my role as potential spoiler and hope for the best. Time to load up the starting lineup with high upside guys.

[dalej42]

Andy Dalton is available if anyone is looking for a potential dynasty QB. Ideally looking for RB depth, but will consider any RB/WR/TE in trade.

[Really Not All That Bright]

My entire team is available on the cheap except DeSean Jackson.

[SenorBeef]

I want to make some sort of trade deal happen before the deadline, so could you please acquire more valuable players?

Seriously though I'm not sure how you're in the playoff race.

Hmm....

[Really Not All That Bright]

Remember, I had Vincent Jackson until last week. He has a huge game every other week, and does nothing in between, so it kind of makes sense that I'm .500.

[Stringer]

My entire team is available on the cheap except DeSean Jackson.

Trade me Tate!

[Justin_Bailey]

Trade me Tate!

I think you're taking this Dynasty thing a little too literally. ;)

[Really Not All That Bright]

I just traded for Tate like last week.

Erm... what will you give me?

[Stringer]

I just traded for Tate like last week.

Erm... what will you give me?

I would consider most of my WRs to be available if you are looking for interesting plays for next year. Wayne and Garcon are both free agents next year if you are looking to speculate, though I expect one or both to be re-signed by Indy to pair with Luck.

I have a lot of depth and I love Tate, especially as Foster's owner, so if you like one of my WRs let me know.

[SenorBeef]

Are you interested in selling low on DeSean Jackson after he's shouting I'M A CANCER, NO ONE TOUCH ME?

[SenorBeef]

You know what's crazy? Rob Gronkowski is going to have a serious chance of being the top scoring receiver.. even if you include WRs. He's #3 at the start of the week and already has 2 TDs.

[SenorBeef]

Fuck me, I started the Oakland defense against Miami instead of Miami or Atlanta, both of which are doing rather well.

I started Oakland in 3 leagues too.

Might cost me my win streak.

Come on Gronk, put up 3 more TDs!

[Justin_Bailey]

Matt Forte may be out for the year! Shit!

Any thought of winning the championship is slowly falling away for me.

[Justin_Bailey]

You know what's crazy? Rob Gronkowski is going to have a serious chance of being the top scoring receiver.. even if you include WRs. He's #3 at the start of the week and already has 2 TDs.

The game's over and Wes Welker still has 25 points on him. I think the dream is dead.

[Stringer]

If I had only started Garcon, I would have beat Hamlet's all-time league high score of 202.60. I guess I still could if Colston + Kasay get 33 combined.

[Stringer]

Going into the final week...

The Gusterrhoids, We Do HGH and Exploding Pancakes have all clinched their respective divisions.

RetroVertigo will win the wild card with a win vs Ides of Martz or Isotopes loss vs Exploding Pancakes.
Isotopes will win the wild card with a win vs Exploding Pancakes and RetroVertigo loss vs Ides of Martz, assuming he can maintain his lead of 19 overall points.

Exploding Pancakes can take the #1 seed with a win vs Isotopes and We Do HGH loss vs CuteWiddleBunny, and outscoring We Do HGH by 77.

Probable playoff seeds:
1. We Do HGH
2. Exploding Pancakes
3. The Gusterrhoids
4. RetroVertigo

[Hamlet]

Woo Hoo. I've moved up to #2 in points against while holding on to my #3 in total points.

When is draft day?

[SenorBeef]

So this whole dynasty thing is turning out well for me. I finished last in our first year, but third last year and #2 seed this year so far. The only roster I'd take over my own is Stringer's, and it's not that huge a gap anymore. If I had only been smart enough to handcuff Arian Foster to my #1 overall pick Steve Slaton, our places would be reversed.

Lowest scoring week this year was 108.

I did get off to a 2-4 start though due to a string of unlucky head to head, and just a few points from 1-5, but since then I've gone 7-0 to finish 9-4. In all of my losses my opponent scored 177, 146, 140, and 129, so none were crappy games on my end.

The interesting thing is that my team has been rock steady. For the last games, my projected score / real scores have been

131/127
144/129
128/147
137/131
140/144

Which will be interesting if I end up playing against Stringer, because he's equally capable of 105 or 160.

[Hamlet]

So this whole dynasty thing is turning out well for me.How did injuries go for you this year? No Jamaal Charles, Andre Johnson, or Michael Vick? Tim Hightower, Peyton Manning, or Jahvid Best?

I wasn't hit too hard by injuries this year either, but some teams were. I'm very impressed that HGH could take a hit like Jamaal Charles and still put together a great season.

[SenorBeef]

Almost injury-free. Mathews was the only major player to miss significant time. I want to say Blount too but I can't remember if he was hurt or just sucked. And yeah, I said Stringer has a better roster, not trying to take any credit from him. Just saying I'm proud I managed to turn around the team that finished last in year one into what appears to be a perennial contender.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Foster wasn't even second string when you would have had to handcuff him. You would have had Derrick Ward.

[Stringer]

One thing that helped me overcome the injuries to Charles, Vick and Manning was drafting this year's #1 fantasy defense Niners with the 12th pick of the 2nd round. I wasn't sure if this was a good pick for me at the time but it sure panned out, wow!

[Petey]

And here I thought I owned Manning. I'm glad you could overcome his injury.

After my team being the walking wounded all year, I'm lucky that I even have a chance, albeit small chance for the last playoff spot.

[Stringer]

Hey man, I was depending on the Colts WRs this year. Curtis Painter did not help me.

[SenorBeef]

I didn't expect to get outbid for Brandon Saine of all people. Bid $23. Maybe I should've expected it, given all the money chasing the dearth of talent.

[Stringer]

I didn't expect to get outbid for Brandon Saine of all people. Bid $23. Maybe I should've expected it, given all the money chasing the dearth of talent.

I was gonna claim him for free last week but spaced on it. After I won the bid I forgot we discussed rolling over FAAB dollars so I might have screwed myself...

[SenorBeef]

I think we agreed that rolling FAAB was something we wouldn't do mid-season and would take place next season at the earliest. I'm against it, FWIW. I don't want to disincentivize team management too much.

[dalej42]

I still support rolling over FAAB money, let's make a definite decision during the off season in 2012.

[dalej42]

If I do end up with the #1 pick next year, I'll be looking to trade either the pick, Newton, or Brees for a stud RB. I'm not phoning it in at the end of the season, though. I started what I thought was the best lineup and starting Newton over Brees so far has worked out.

[Really Not All That Bright]

I'd be happy if you were phoning it in. I'm still alive for the consolation bracket.

[Justin_Bailey]

If I do end up with the #1 pick next year, I'll be looking to trade either the pick, Newton, or Brees for a stud RB. I'm not phoning it in at the end of the season, though. I started what I thought was the best lineup and starting Newton over Brees so far has worked out.

Unless some freak accident happens (like C.J. Spiller putting up 60 160 points), you've already won the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

So I guess... let the trade talk begin!

ETA: Did my math wrong.

[SenorBeef]

I might trade Blount for the #1 overall pick but I doubt he qualifies as stud

[Justin_Bailey]

I might trade Blount for the #1 overall pick but I doubt he qualifies as stud

I'd consider doing the same for Frank Gore.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Why would anyone want Gore? He's only got a year or two left in those knees, if that.

[Justin_Bailey]

Why would anyone want Gore? He's only got a year or two left in those knees, if that.

Shh!

[Really Not All That Bright]

Did I say Gore? I meant Moore. Yeah, Mewelde Moore.

[SenorBeef]

I just told Rodgers to let Ryan Grant have a few TDs cause I'm already 100 points ahead. I am a fucking wrecking ball. WHO WANTS ME IN THE PLAYOFFS?

[dalej42]

I'm loaded at QB so I might consider some unbalanced trades.

[Justin_Bailey]

I just told Rodgers to let Ryan Grant have a few TDs cause I'm already 100 points ahead. I am a fucking wrecking ball. WHO WANTS ME IN THE PLAYOFFS?

Can I face you with my team from the first half of the year. We were much more evenly matched then. It's mostly the same players, but I was somehow 6-1 in the first half of the year and I'll likely end up 2-5 for the second half.

[Stringer]

I'm loaded at QB so I might consider some unbalanced trades.

I'd probably be interested in Cammy Cam next year but I'd want to see how free agency for Tolbert and Rice work out first.

[SenorBeef]

Justin Bailey locked up the northeast corridor division with the lowest score in the division.
Stringer has had the midwest for a while, with the highest overall score.
SenorBeef wins the sunbelt division by 3.5 games despite the horrible head to head start - 8 game winning streak. Second in points.
RetroVertigo wins the wildcard.

I also crushed Isotope's playoff chances. Or he did, by scoring so low, if Retro ends up losing.


1. Stringer
2. SenorBeef
3. Justin Bailey
4. Retrovertigo

[Stringer]

I am a fucking wrecking ball. WHO WANTS ME IN THE PLAYOFFS?

A lot of big talk from a guy who won't even be top 3 in scoring for the week!

[Omniscient]

Well, the die has been cast for the Ides of Martz for the season in this league. This will be the first in a series of post-mortems that I'm going to complete for my legion of leagues.

The Ides of Martz are probably going to finish in 11th place in spite of a truly dominant final week victory over division rival RetroVertigo in which I scored the most points in the league, this will be my only Midwest division victory. On the scoreboard it's been a really difficult year for my boys, we're finishing dead last in the Midwest division with the 2nd worst record and the 3rd worst total points. However, when looking a bit closer there's a ton of reason for optimism.

Let's take a moment to review, I inherited this team which was frankly in dire straits 2 years ago. In a dynasty league you're going to be an a bit of trouble when your 3 best players are Terrell Owens, Clinton Portis and Hines Ward, which was the case entering the 2010 season. I did myself few favors in the subsequent season with a terrible draft and some short sighted roster decisions, particularly clinging to some under achieving veterans in hopes of winning in the short term while bypassing some potential rookie role players on the wire. This year was dramatically better in this regard.

First off, I entered the draft fully admitting that this would be a rebuilding year. I was very aggressive in my cuts before the draft to ensure I had as many bullets in my gun as possible. I avoided the temptation to hang onto Owens in hopes of him latching on somewhere, which wasn't a crazy thought back in August. The only cut I regret is Jabar Gaffney, but I don't think his performance this year is likely to be a long term thing. I entered the draft with a league most 9 picks.

Here's my brief draft review (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14223289&postcount=169). For the most part I was spot on. The big wins were obviously my first 2 picks in Julio Jones and DeMarco Murray. Huge value for the long term. I'm personally very excited about having Locker on my roster as well. It's going to be a long time before I'm ready to turn the page on Big Ben as my starter, but with what Locker has shown so far it's clear he'll have a shot to become a starter. There's virtually no chance that he disappears quietly as a career backup which is exactly what I'd hoped, I think his upside is better than all the QBs taken after him in the draft with the notable exception of Dalton, though Ponder is worth watching. When Kenny Britt returns he could be a fantasy beast if he starts next season. I had higher hopes for the back end of my draft, especially Rudolph. Also this was before we knew the severity of the Manning injury so having Addai/Brown as a RB combo wasn't completely useless and honestly, it might be useful again next season with Luck or Manning.

Where I really excelled this season was in my managing of the waiver wire. I added a ton of young impact players to my team that will pay dividends in the future. Obviously Jones and Murray should give me the star power that I desperately needed if they don't fall off a cliff, but the players that will take be from the cellar to the podium in the future will be Torrey Smith and Doug Baldwin along with a few nice poker chips in young backup RBs Ware and Scott. None of these guys are a sure things, but would it be a complete shock to see a viable starting lineup of Locker, Murray, Scott, Jones, Smith, Gonzo and Baldwin in the flex in, say, 3 years? I probably need to find some more reliable options at RB to complement these guys in the future and at least one of those WRs is likely to flame out but I'm really happy with my keepers going into next year. Oh yeah, I was able to get Tony Gonzalez in a trade to insure Dallas Clark's uncertain future.

I'm still a long ways from being a title contender and there's a bunch of uncertainty, but the number of players whose best years are behind them is shrinking on this team and I'll actually have some difficult choices to make come draft time.

[SenorBeef]

Exploding Pancakes year review:

Still have Aaron Rodgers? Check.




Edit: I guess my made fun of tight end squad is actually probably more responsible. Two WRs that produce like #1 WRs is quite a potent tool. On the MVP page - the one that shows the most common players held by the best team - I have 4 of the top 5, and 1 more in the top 10. And every single one of them is entering the prime of their careers.

Further edit. Just noticed McCoy is the top RB too. My team is some awesome.

[SenorBeef]

The game's over and Wes Welker still has 25 points on him. I think the dream is dead.

Gronk is 3 points behind Welker in our scoring system, 15 points ahead in standard.

[Hamlet]

On my Dynasty Page:

"No Games Scheduled."

:(

Third in total points and I couldn't even qualify for the consolation bracket. Good Luck in the playoffs.

[SenorBeef]

I congratulate you Justin Bailey. Winning your division with the 15th best score in the league is quite a feat... of luck. No shame in losing to the eventual champion though. Might want to start drinking early this week.

[Justin_Bailey]

I congratulate you Justin Bailey. Winning your division with the 15th best score in the league is quite a feat... of luck. No shame in losing to the eventual champion though. Might want to start drinking early this week.

It's doubly impressive considering there are only 12 teams in the league. :p

But like I said, my team now is much different than my team in the first half of the season. In the first 7 games, when I went 6-1, I was #3 in scoring with 810 points. In the last 7, I went 2-5 with only 630 points. If I kept up that pace, you'd be begging to play anyone else in the first round.

[Really Not All That Bright]

I almost won our division with an even lower score. My Dynasty league team only outscored my HHM team by 57 points.

Weirdly, I went 5-2 in the first half and 2-5 in the second half but my average score over the first 7 weeks was only 5 points more.

[Hamlet]

And I hate you both.

[Really Not All That Bright]

Don't look at me. I didn't want to realign the divisions.

[Justin_Bailey]

Don't look at me. I didn't want to realign the divisions.

:confused: We never realigned the divisions. They're the same as they were during the first season. And please don't take this as a knock on my divisionmates, but I love playing the same people multiple times a year. It makes it feel like a real league.

[Stringer]

Yeah please, nobody wants to be in the Midwest division with me.

[Really Not All That Bright]

I could have sworn we ended up with almost everyone but me in favor of realignment so I just assumed we did realign. :smack: I think Beef's move from worst-to-first shows I was right, at least.

[SenorBeef]

I'm not sure how my rise proves you were right. I still think (strongly) realignment every year based on results would be the funnest way to run this.

[Omniscient]

I'm not sure how my rise proves you were right. I still think (strongly) realignment every year based on results would be the funnest way to run this.

Eh, I like the regionality.

[SenorBeef]

My defense got robbed on that crappy last second garbage time TD.

[Justin_Bailey]

I'm not sure how my rise proves you were right. I still think (strongly) realignment every year based on results would be the funnest way to run this.

Your rise proved we didn't need realignment to create parity. Teams will rise and fall in the ranks based on long-term planning and a little luck. We don't need to fiddle with the divisional makeup and I'm glad we didn't.

[SenorBeef]

Ah, the parity thing is only as far as it relates to the playoffs - obviously the divisional realignment wouldn't affect the actual quality of the teams. My team would've made the same rise with results-based divisions.

I think the worst thing about this league is the arbitrary divisions, actually. I don't care who else is in my division - I'm barely aware of it. I consider Stringer to be my real competition. Which would work out better if we were both in the same (top) division most of the time. I'd rather have no divisions than the current divisions, because they're meaningless. Basing it on geography is silly - in real life it works obviously for travel consideration for the teams, but also because it makes it easier for fans to travel to divison rivalry games, there's often familarity between the culture of the fanbases when it's regional, etc. None of that stuff has any meaning in fantasy football. We basically drew straws out of a hat to pair us up randomly and decided that's just how it's going to be indefinitely.

[Really Not All That Bright]

So what? The Cowboys are in the NFC East. Don't see anything wrong with our divisions matching the NFL system. :)

[Stringer]

I still hate the idea of division realignment. Why is it fair to have good teams get punished for being good?

Also, if we realigned the divisions I would win the division and Beef would get the wild card. Why would we want the two best teams playing each other in the semis instead of the finals?

[SenorBeef]

We don't really need to re-argue the point. No one is going to change their mind. I just thought that it was silly to bring up my team as an example of why it was good that we didn't re-align divisions. Non-sequitor as far as I can see.

But.... as far as good teams being punished - don't you want to beat the best? Would you prefer to just beat up on weak teams all year long? Why not just go join a yahoo public league if that's your desire?

In sports where relegation happens like soccer, are teams "punished" when they're deemed good enough to move up a league to face tougher competition? No, they're happy to have the prestige, and the chance to compete at a higher level.

I just don't understand the attitude. I try to make my leagues as tough and competitive as possible because I want to defeat the greatest possible challenge. What are you here for?

[Omniscient]

I still hate the idea of division realignment. Why is it fair to have good teams get punished for being good?

Also, if we realigned the divisions I would win the division and Beef would get the wild card. Why would we want the two best teams playing each other in the semis instead of the finals?

Agreed. Plus I like playing Hamlet twice a season. Feels like a rivalry to me.

[Stringer]

In sports where relegation happens like soccer, are teams "punished" when they're deemed good enough to move up a league to face tougher competition? No, they're happy to have the prestige, and the chance to compete at a higher level.

I don't think this analogy holds because the Premiere League doesn't hold playoffs or compete in any way with the Football League.

I guess I just want the highest level of competition to be in the playoffs, and not during the regular season. It feels more like real sports to me that way I suppose?

[SenorBeef]

Then a divisionless system would produce the best results. A division winner will always come from the worst division. Seattle made the playoffs by winning the NFC west last year. Having no divisions puts the top 4 seeds in the playoffs regardless of arbitrary grouping.

[Stringer]

Then a divisionless system would produce the best results. A division winner will always come from the worst division. Seattle made the playoffs by winning the NFC west last year. Having no divisions puts the top 4 seeds in the playoffs regardless of arbitrary grouping.

Yeah I can't argue against that. I'd rather have no divisions than re-alignment.

[Really Not All That Bright]

In sports where relegation happens like soccer, are teams "punished" when they're deemed good enough to move up a league to face tougher competition? No, they're happy to have the prestige, and the chance to compete at a higher level.
Well, yeah, but teams which are relegated don't get to play for the championship. Are you saying only the teams in the top league would be eligible for the playoffs?

[Justin_Bailey]

But.... as far as good teams being punished - don't you want to beat the best? Would you prefer to just beat up on weak teams all year long? Why not just go join a yahoo public league if that's your desire?

But which are the weak teams and which aren't? I really feel like we're all pretty evenly matched and that, aside from Stringer, no one is guaranteed a playoff spot in this league. There are no weak teams to beat up on. We beat the best already.

[SenorBeef]

About half the league has really weak rosters, IMO.


So how many of you tried to pick up Demaryius Thomas off of waivers over the last few weeks? He did absolutely nothing for 2 or 3 years now but I kept him on my roster hoping he'd bloom. I think he's going to make his first start today...

[Justin_Bailey]

About half the league has really weak rosters, IMO.

Who specifically?

Look at the #12 team, Warner's Brothers (dale). he has Brees, Cam Newton, Mark Ingram, Andy Dalton, and the #1 pick. He's just a trade or two away from a very good team. That's parity.

[dalej42]

What happens to the divisions if I end up moving to Chicago? There's at least a 50 percent chance of that happening before football season next year. Leaving me in Sunbelt is fine since I'll still be an Arizona Cardinals fan.

[SenorBeef]

Brees and Newton are nice to have. Ingram isn't even in the top 30 RBs. He's young, but it's never reliable to have a New Orleans back, especially as your main guy. Not an enviable situation there. Dalton isn't going to be a QB1 during his career. Other than that, scraps.

RNATB's team is not good or young. His brief contention this year came down to the luck of head to head matchups.

Your team, despite making the playoffs, doesn't impress me. Gore doesn't have much time left, neither does McGahee. Fitz and Gabbert as your only QBs is not a place I'd want to be. I don't think you have much in the way of young prospects either.

Omni has managed to scrape together a decent bunch of starters, but no depth and little youth.

What's good on Ellis Dee's team is essentially the Giants offense, and I'm not sure they're so consistent that you can bank on them like that, but maybe. Gates and Steven Jackson are near the end of their careers without any replacements.

That was just a quick glance at the rosters, not a thorough evaluation of how I'd rank the teams.

[Justin_Bailey]

Your team, despite making the playoffs, doesn't impress me. Gore doesn't have much time left, neither does McGahee. Fitz and Gabbert as your only QBs is not a place I'd want to be. I don't think you have much in the way of young prospects either.

You've mentioned all of the trouble spots on my team without mentioning Forte (the #6 RB), Roddy White (the #3 WR), Vincent Jackson, and Jason Witten. Also, Gabbert is a young prospect who has performed pretty well in his rookie season for the Jaguars. I may not be contending next year, but I've made the playoffs two out of the three years we've done this league. What else would qualify me as one of the strong teams?

[Really Not All That Bright]

RNATB's team is not good or young. His brief contention this year came down to the luck of head to head matchups.
It's not bad. I have two very productive running backs, and bear in mind that I've been platooning Hasselbeck and Grossman as my quarterbacks for more than half a season thanks to the Schaub injury.

I agree that my early season record had a lot to do with luck though.

[SenorBeef]

You've mentioned all of the trouble spots on my team without mentioning Forte (the #6 RB), Roddy White (the #3 WR), Vincent Jackson, and Jason Witten. Also, Gabbert is a young prospect who has performed pretty well in his rookie season for the Jaguars. I may not be contending next year, but I've made the playoffs two out of the three years we've done this league. What else would qualify me as one of the strong teams?

You scored 1440 points this year, which is the third worst. Only RNATB and Dale have scored fewer points. You made the playoffs in the first year while scoring 80 less than the average score. Your playoff appearances have come from H2H matchup luck.

I didn't mention your bright spots because I was pointing out why your roster was poor. Forte and White are studs. Vincent Jackson is major boom/bust. Witten is good but old.

I don't know how you can seriously contend that Gabbert has performed pretty well, or has any real fantasy prospects at this point.

I'm not trying to bash people for having poor rosters, I'm not even sure what you think this line of argument proves regarding our division structure. But the idea that we all have roughly equal rosters is pretty clearly false.