Fantasy Football help needed - please

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Our (Rico and me) lives have left me out of touch with the world the last 5-6 weeks, including preseason football, and not able to spend any time following what’s happening with teams/players, the predictions or expectations this season.

I’ve never been a good fantasy football player but do enjoy trying it. I wasn’t able to draft before the season started but I have two teams that were drafted today. I’ve spent the morning looking over the lists of predictions, rankings, etc. and now I’m more confused and overwhelmed then when I started. :confused:

Please help me get as best a start on the season as possible. I’m going to post my teams and who I am considering replacing and who I’m thinking of replacing them with. Please tell me what your takes are on these two teams and what you would do if you were in my situation. or any other info… your favorite color, your favorite fast food, etc. whatever you think I need to know. :wink:

In the past, I’ve always just done the best I could with the teams I ended up with, but I’m loosing my sense of humor. I really need to enjoy something right now so I’m asking for your help. Thanks in advance! :slight_smile:

First team:

SPUNKY DOLPHINS

Active:
Garcia, Jeff QB SF
Staley, Duce RB PHI
Taylor, Fred RB JAC
Harrison, Marvin WR IND
Mason, Derrick WR TEN
Gonzalez, Tony TE KC
Akers, David K PHI NE
Packers

Reserve:
Plummer, Jake QB DEN
Hambrick, Troy RB DAL
Booker, Marty WR CHI
Wycheck, Frank TE TEN
Edinger, Paul K CHI
Titans

Pending Add/Drops
Wesley TE GB for Wycheck, Frank TE TEN
Alexander, Stephen TE SD for Wycheck, Frank TE TEN
Bryant, Matt K for NYG Edinger, Paul K CHI
Second team:

STRATOPHERES

Active:
Favre, Brett QB GB
Faulk, Marshall RB
Green, Ahman RB GB
Johnson, Chad WR CIN
Robinson, Koren WR SEA
Jolley, Doug TE OAK
Lindell, Rian K BUF
Titans

Reserve:
Testaverde, Vinny QB NYJ
Taylor, Fred RB JAC
Booker, Marty WR CHI
Stevens, Jerramy TE SEA
Hollis, Mike K NYG
Redskins

Pending Add/Drops
Bryant, Matt K NYG for Hollis, Mike K NYG
Dawson, Phil K CLE for Hollis, Mike K NYG
Johnson, Doug QB ATL for Testaverde, Vinny QB NYJ
Kitna, Jon QB CIN for Testaverde, Vinny QB NYJ
Fiedler, Jay QB MIA for Testaverde, Vinny QB NYJ
Holcomb, Kelly QB CLE for Testaverde, Vinny QB NYJ
Ramsey, Patrick QB WAS for Testaverde, Vinny QB NYJ
Stewart, Kordell QB CHI for Testaverde, Vinny QB NYJ

Go ahead … dazzle me with your opinions :smiley:

2

I’d replace Testaverde with Holcomb, I think he has the most upside of any of those QBs you listed.

3

Two very different leagues, from the looks of things. If there are 10 teams in the second draft, that was an excellent draft. I can’t quite figure how Faulk, Taylor, Green works out in terms of picks, but unless there are 8 or fewer teams that’s very well done. I’ll address that team first. Of course you didn’t specify so I’ll have to assume fairly standard scoring (although you only list 2 WR starting spots).

First, it almost never makes sense to carry two kickers (especially in such a shallow league, so I’d advise that you forget about Dawson and Lindell and stick with Bryant, and use that extra slot to improve your depth at the skill positions. I’d probably also give the same advice about TE. Past the first 4 or 5 those are a crapshoot anyway, Stevens and Jolley are just about equally as likely to score on a given day (Stevens’ preseason injury and the presence of Mili are negative factors there, but he is probably higher on the red zone read chart than Jolley… so that might come down to whether your league favors yardage or TDs), so you’re better off taking another WR.

QB: There are some questions about Favre this year, and now with his #1, 2, and 4 receivers out there are more. Free’s return should help, but he’s not working with much at this point. So you need a solid backup. Stewart’s not an option. I like Doug Johnson a lot as long as you have a Plan B when Vick gets back. Holcomb’s got talent, and a nice set of guys to throw to, but may be on a short leash. Fiedler’s underrated but nothing special and Kitna should be last-ditch. Ramsey’s a wild-card. Aside from Stewart they’re all better than Testaverde, though.

RB: Absolutely stacked. You should have two superior matchups for stud backs every week choosing from Faulk, Green, and Taylor. Personally I always carry at least 4 RBs just for safety – if a Hambrick, Mack, Dunn, or even Betts is available that’s a much better use of a roster spot than backup kicker. But multiple injuries are your only concern.

WR: The value of a wideout in a given week is more strongly dependent on matchups than any other position. Given that, I almost always like to carry far more than I’ll ever need. Talent should be very available in a league this small with only 2 WR spots per team, so you should be able to pick up a good starter every week from the free agent pool. Robinson may be an every-week starter, and CJ will emerge this week, but Booker’s hurt a lot by having a hack at QB, and won’t usually be worth a start. CJ’s @Oak this week, they have an old but talented secondary (on the other hand, the Bungles will be behind early, so should be a lot of action in the passing game). Consider looking for someone like Stallworth (Saints will put up a lot of points vs. a bad Houston secondary), Javon Walker (new #1-by-default in GB at home and hungry for blood against a possibly overconfident Lions team), or somebody along those lines. I’m confident there’s somebody better than Booker available in the pool in that league, and you’ll also want at least a 4th WR.

TE/K addressed above. DEF: Titans might be quite good, Washington may not be worth carrying. But you never know who the good ones are from a fantasy perspective until at least Week 5 or 6.

4

First team, if it’s in a comparable league, is much worse than the second.

QB: Garcia is wildly overrated, and will be fully ineffectual or out by Week 8. And you don’t want to start him Week 7 regardless. Plummer’s a loose cannon and with Garcia starting I’d want a more dependable backup – Plummer is a project pick in that he may finally break out this year, but we won’t know if that’s the case for a while. He certainly didn’t look at all good in Week 1. See if you can’t acquire another backup.

RB: Hurting here. Week 1 in Philly must have made you happy, at least as far as Duce goes, because so far it looks like Buckhalter will be no more than a change of pace back, when for a while it looked like he would be the feature back. Taylor’s solid, but won’t be able at all to carry your team. Hambrick’s a decent #4 but as your only alternative on a bye week or bad matchup needs a lot of improvement. Personally I’d try to find someone with a need at TE and use Gonzo to trade up at RB.

WR: Harrison is always capable of carrying a team on any given week. He’s one of the very, very few WRs that should start every single week. Mason is good, fairly reliable, and will have success this season. Booker again isn’t strong as a #3. However, I think you actually need to improve your 3rd WR less in this league than in the second one, because both Harrison and Mason are mature, battle-tested players who don’t tend to have stinker weeks whereas Koren and CJ are both young and unproven.

K/TE: Same story. If you’re going to keep Gonzo you only will ever need a 2nd TE in Week 9. Both Walls and Wycheck should be dropped like a bad habit if this is the case. If not, neither of them are very good options – Walls may become a red-zone threat in GB but Franks will take away some looks, and Wycheck’s days as a fantasy starter are over. I’m not high on Alexander, he’s had about 3 years of hype now and never a drop of performance to back it up, and after the way Josh Norman played last Sunday I wouldn’t ever feel comfortable starting him. Akers is fine, Bryant would do, and Edinger shouldn’t be anywhere near your team. Again, I am of the opinion that you can always find a kicker for free days before you need to start him. Use that spot on an RB or WR, you’ll need it. It might be a good idea in this league to take a flyer on Betts because he’ll be acknowledged as the starter soon, and if Spurrier keeps his ego in check he might actually get enough carries to evolve into a solid fantasy back. It’s hard to make specific recommendations, though, without being able to see what’s available in your league.

Essentially you have a huge problem at RB unless Duce REALLY steps up his game (which I don’t really see happening the way his preseason went, or rather didn’t really go). That’d be my first priority.

Please keep in mind that everything I’ve said in both these posts is my personal opinion only, and regardless of how I may talk or act elsewhere I understand that that does not constitute actual fact. While I have never been wrong before, I wouldn’t rule it out as a (remote) possibility that it might happen some day. And don’t take it personally if I said anything negative about your team please.

5

Just one quick comment on the second team - don’t go with Doug Johnson as your backup to Favre. Like WL, I like him till Vick gets back - but he’s got the same bye week (8) as Favre. Ramsey does too. I’d suggest Fiedler, since his job appears more secure than Holcombe. You also have that problem with Garcia / Plummer on the first team in week 10, so you may want to see who is out there.
I also agree with WL that a second WR backup is a good idea. I maybe would lean toward dropping the second kicker before getting rid of Stevens or Jolley. I also agree that Booker’s overrated.

On preview - I disagree with WL about Garcia. I think he’s been run down by fantasy experts - I’m not aware of any reason why he isn’t a top 10 QB with upside potential.

Boy, am I glad I found something to disagree with WL on!

6

I didn’t even think of including what kinda league it is. 12 teams. I’m looking for the scoring info but can’t find it. It’s located at http://fantasy.nfl.com/ if any of ya are familiar with the scoring system there.

Kathy

7

Maybe it’s my overexposure to the SF media, Wilson, but I am not optimistic about an undersized QB with a chronically bad back who has gotten by on grit and toughness for 3 years and still hasn’t figured out how to slide when he scrambles. He’s not in good shape, I can tell you that.

The main thing about him, though, is that I constantly see him going in the third or fourth rounds, or even higher – and that’s just a travesty when guys like Green, Mcnair, and Hasselbeck are consistently available as late as the 8th or 9th round in a 10-team league. I’m fully willing to go on a limb here and guarantee that 2 of those 3 qbs will record more passing yardage than Garcia this season, and that 2 of those 3 qbs will record more passing TDs than Garcia. And that Mcnair will record more rushing yards and TDs than Garcia.

Good call on the bye weeks. I always forget to consult those.

8

Stratospheres is in a 12-team league? Insanely good draft in that case. Possible to link to the league?

9

let’s see if this works

10

that worked… here’s Spunky Dolphins league

11

Nope, looks like your login has to be cookied or something, those links default to http://fantasy.nfl.com/ for me.

12

WL I bet you are right about the cookies. Any ideas how I can get around that and show you?

k, let’s see how well I’ve followed what you’ve said with who is available.

For the Stratospheres here are the pending add/drops:

Bryant, Matt K NYG for Hollis, Mike K NYG
Fiedler, Jay QB MIA for Testaverde, Vinny QB NYJ
Walker, Javon WR GB for Booker, Marty WR CHI
Betts, Ladell RB WAS for Lindell, Rian K BUF

for Spunky Dolphins:

Fiedler, Jay QB MIA for Plummer, Jake QB DEN
Williams, Moe RB MIN for Wycheck, Frank TE TEN
Betts, Ladell RB WAS for Edinger, Paul K CHI
Williams, Ricky RB IND for Hambrick, Troy RB DAL

I’m pretty nervous now that Gonzalez, Tony is injured… do I need to rethink/plan for another TE?

Kathy

13

As a Giants fan, let me assure you that Hollis is a worthless fantasy player. I believe (but could be wrong) that he is on IR and is therefore not allowed to play at all this season.

Bryant is exceptional. He began last season 10-0 on field goals. (3-0 this year so far.) He also never missed a 4th quarter/overtime FG all season, including playoffs. That guy is the very definition of “clutch”.

Go Big Blue! (Game of the week on Inside the NFL this week.)

14

Everyone in my money league must have thought the same as you…I got Garcia in the 9th round (pick 86). I will take him there in every single draft I am in. Backed him up with Brad Johnson in the 13th. And those licks from Urlacher he took last week? He’s not going to get hit harder than that all year and He showed no ill effects whatsoever.

Yes, there are better QBs availble, and yes taking him in the 3rd is insanity…but to say he’s wildly overrated is wrong, IMO. Maybe it is all the homers you hear in the SF area that are jading your opinion.

15

The Ricky Williams (sometimes called “Little Ricky”) for the Colts who you are picking up is not a good player at all (as opposed to the Dolphins’ Ricky Williams, who is of course a fantasy stud). He’s like the Colts third running back. Hambrick clearly has a lot more value.

I don’t think you should worry about Gonzalez yet. I seriously doubt there is a good option at TE available to pick up, anyway. Of course, if Gonzalez goes out you’ll have to pick up someone, but even Gonzalez at 50% is better than 98% of the TEs in the league.

16

I had the two Ricky’s confussed. Was wondering how it was he was avail. I withdrew that pending add/drop.

Kathy

17

Yeah, Hollis is on the IR and won’t play. Good news for Bryant, Giants fans, fantasy players, and former pawnbrokers everywhere. He’s a much better kicker than Hollis, so Hollis’ injury (back, was it?) to end the kicker controversy in Jersey makes everybody happy.

Good catch on RW.

I forgot about Gonzo’s injury. What’s his status, anyway?

mb: Saying somebody’s a good take in the 9th but not in the 3rd isn’t at all incompatible with saying he’s overrated, is it? I’m sure I’d have taken him in the 9th too, especially if I could have BJ in the 13th as well. But he is overrated. He’s top-5 at the position on most ‘expert’ draft boards I’ve seen, and that’s just not appropriate.

Funny that you mention the hits he took on Sunday. Every time he took one of those I shook my head and clucked my tongue because he’s just too dumb to protect himself. Especially in a gimme like the game against Chicago. I disagree that he’s not going to get hit any harder, though. The Niners are playing Tampa in Week 7 (and Pitt, GB, Balt in 11-13, and Philly in 16, if he makes it that far); even if those are the worst licks he takes all year, it adds up. And for a guy with a chronic back problem… well, I’ve made that point.

18

Tony Gonzalez’s status from nfl.com:

Kathy

19

Nice.
By the way, just to make a point I turned over my kicker in each of my 4 leagues for Week 2.

-Viniateri to Bryant (through Elling, somebody had Bryant as their second kicker, dropped him, and I was waiting for him to clear waivers) (10 team league with my friends)

-Viniateri to Hanson (14 teams, the SDMB league)

-Stover to Elling (10 team Yahoo public league)

-Nedney to Janikowski (no idea why he was available) (10 team Yahoo public league)

And in every league there were at least 1 or 2 additional kickers that I’d also have been fairly comfortable starting.

Just thought I’d share.

20

Moe Williams actually isn’t such a bad pick. I could understand you dropping him for a productive TE, and I think Wycheck might have a pretty good year. The Vikings #1 back, Michael Bennett is out for a half year (at least) with a broken foot, so the #1 slot for RB has been a bit up in the air for the Vikings. Williams showing against the packers may have cleared up that issue somewhat. The Vikings will still have a bit of RB by comittee, but Williams is essentially their #1 now, and considering the break in Bennet’s foot is next to a screw, Williams may be #1 alll year. Certainly worth giving up Hambrick for.