Monday, December 30, 2013

Year End Awards: Wane McGarity All Stud Team/Stud Of The Year

The last awards given out are the most prestigious awards given out. The players who made the most impact in our league make the elusive All Stud Team. Also, the most impactful player of the season will be named the Stud Of The Year. So without further ado....the 2013 Wane McGarity Bowl All Stud Team

QB
Peyton Manning(Channel 4 News Team)
QB Rank-1
Overall Rank-1
1st Selection to All Stud Team
5211 Passing Yards, 51 Passing TD's, 10 INT, 1 Rushing TD, 6 Fumble Lost, 385 Fantasy Points 
 
Despite being on Albert's last place team, it's hard to overlook the historic season Peyton Manning had. Though Week 17 was irrelevant, Manning ended up breaking Drew Brees yardage record for a season, after breaking Tom Brady's Touchdown record the week before. He ended up with an absurd 55 TD passes. Manning was heads and above the best QB in fantasy football. He earns his first selection to the squad this year.
 
WR
Calvin Johnson (Not Even Lying)
WR Rank: 3
Overall Rank: 16
3rd Selection To The All Stud Team
84 Receptions, 1492 Receiving Yards, 12 Receiving TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 254 Fantasy Points 
 
The only player to be named to every All Stud Team, Calvin had another dominant season. Injuries might have slowed him down the last 4 weeks of the season, but he still finished as the 3rd highest scoring receiver. Almost 1500 yards receiving and 12 TD's, Kenny will have the luxury of keeping Calvin as long as he wants. Must be damn nice!
 
WR
Josh Gordon (Welcome 2 Goodburger)
WR Rank:1
Overall Rank: 13
1st Selection To All Stud Team
80 Receptions, 1564 Receiving Yards, 9 Receiving TD's, 88 Rushing Yards, 253 Fantasy Points
  
It looks Calvin might have some competition. Gordon was a flat out stud and stats wise was superior to Calvin. Gordon led the league in receiving yards despite being suspended the first 2 games of the season. Imagine if he had a QB that was actually worth a crap? Very intriguing indeed.

WR
Demaryius Thomas (Not Even Lying)
WR Rank: 2
Overall Rank: 15
1st Selection To All Stud Team
92 Receptions, 1430 Receiving Yards, 14 Receiving TD's, 266 Fantasy Points
 
Yeah all that talk of "too many mouths to feed" was pure nonsense. Thomas was JUST FINE with almost 1500 receiving yards and 14 TD's on the season. He's the 2nd highest ranked receiver of the season and combined with Calvin Johnson helped Kenny advance all the way to the finals. As long as Peyton Manning is his QB, Thomas will be a top 5 receiver for a very long time.
 
RB
LeSean McCoy (Danny's Little Giants)
RB Rank: 2
Overall Rank: 4
2nd Selection To All Stud Team
1607 Rushing Yards, 9 Rushing TD's, 52 Receptions, 539 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 288 Fantasy Points
 I had McCoy the last time I was in the Finals in 2011, which is the last time he made this team. This time though, he was even more valuable as he helped me secure my 1st Wane McGarity Bowl Championship. At draft time, taking McCoy at #4 as actually considering a bit of a gamble. Especially since favorites like Arian Foster and Doug Martin were still available. I had a gut feeling about McCoy bouncing back from an awful 2012 (I had him last season as well) and went against the grain and snatched him with that #4 pick. It paid off bigtime. McCoy shattered both rushing and yards from scrimmage franchise season record and also won his 1st Rushing Title. He had over 2100 total yards and 11 total touchdowns in a remarkable season. The awesome thing is, I get to see him do this all over again next season as he's a no brainer keeper for next year.

RB
Jamaal Charles (Dr. Light's Robots)
RB Rank: 1
Overall Rank: 2
1st Selection To All Stud Team
1287 Rushing Yards, 12 Rushing TD's, 70 Receptions, 693 Receiving Yards, 7 Receiving TD's, 2 Fumble Lost, 330 Fantasy Points
 
After 3 years of auto-drafting, Matt showed up for his first live draft and boy did he hit a home run with his first ever pick. Jamaal Charles was FINALLY given the full time job (including goal line work) and he proved why he is above and beyond the best current running back in the game today. 19 TD's, almost 2000 total yards, Charles can do it all. It's a shame Matt narrowly missed the playoffs, because that's when Charles had the best game of the season (unofficially the best game in the Wane McGarrity Bowl History) when he scored 5 TD's. At least Matt has an excellent building block to contend for the championship next season. 
 
TE
Jimmy Graham (The Bad Robofies)
TE Rank: 1
Overall Rank: 10
1st Selection To All Stud Team
86 Receptions, 1215 Receiving Yards, 16 Receiving TD's, 254 Fantasy Points
 There isn't a position where there is one guy who is just above and beyond better than anyone else at their position than Jimmy Graham and the Tight End Position. Hell, he produces like a WR #1 in a talent thin position. He ranked higher than all wide receivers and if you take QB's out of the equation, he's the 6th highest player ranked this season. You know how Dad was able to survive crappy running back play and mediocre QB play? Because Jimmy Graham was THAT damn good. 16 TD's, over 1200 receiving yards, anyone who doubted Graham was worth a 2nd round selection was dead wrong. Graham actually looks like a steal there. It's crazy this is his first selection to the All Stud Team. It definitely won't be his last.

Wane McGarity Stud Of The Year
LeSean McCoy (Danny's Little Giants)
 
Jamaal Charles was statistically better, but McCoy not only had an awesome season, but in the championship game, with everything on the line, he came through HUGE  with an amazing 30 point performance. Had Matt made the playoffs, a better case could've been made for Charles, but when it absolutely counted McCoy was clutch as anyone could be. He's without a doubt this year's Stud Of The Year.
 
That will officially do it to wrap up the 2013 season! What a great season it was! I hope everyone had a great time and we'll see you sometime in the Summer of 2014!
 
 
 
 
 

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Year End Awards: All Draft Day Steal Team/Draft Day Steal Of The Year

It happens every year. Players outperform their draft position big time. You go back and look and go "wow I can't believe this guy was taken in the 10th round" etc. Here are the players who had a way bigger impact than their draft position would have indicated

QB
Peyton Manning(Channel 4 News Team)
Drafted: 4th Round (37th Overall)
# of QB's Drafted Ahead of Manning: 2
QB Rank-1
Overall Rank-1
5211 Passing Yards, 51 Passing TD's, 10 INT, 1 Rushing TD, 6 Fumble Lost, 385 Fantasy Points
 
This is the 2nd straight year Manning wins this award. Why do we keep doubting his skills? No doubt in my mind this was a steal even though he was the 3rd QB taken in the draft. 12 teams passed on him 3 times before Albert snagged him at the beginning of the 4th round. All he did was break Tom Brady's Touchdown record and throw for over 5200 passing yards. He was not only the #1 QB in fantasy but the #1 fantasy player overall. 36 players were taken over him. That's unbelievable regardless of the position. He'll be a year older and will probably be a candidate for this award yet again next season. We'll just never learn!

WR
Josh Gordon (Welcome 2 Goodburger)
Drafted: 8th Round (90th Overall)
# of WR's drafted ahead of Gordon: 39
WR Rank:1
Overall Rank: 13
80 Receptions, 1564 Receiving Yards, 9 Receiving TD's, 88 Rushing Yards, 253 Fantasy Points

 Here's the crazy thing. He wasn't even the highest suspended player taken! Mark took Justin Blackmon (who had a 4 game suspension, while Gordon had a 2) 1 pick before Gordon landed in Mike's hands. He missed two games and STILL outperformed Megatron. He had a four game stretch where he scored 20.5, 36, 43, and 27.5 fantasy points. That's BEYOND INSANE. He did it with one of the worst collection of QB's in the league. 39 receivers were taken ahead of him. Lance Moore, CHRIS GIVENS, Miles Austin, Tavon Austin, just a few of the receivers teams apparantly had more faith in. Even Mike himself tried to trade him on two occasions only to get denied (once for TRENT RICHARDSON, the other to me in the package for Marshawn Lynch, I chose V-Jax over Gordon). The value is crazy good here, and there's no doubt Gordon has established himself as an elite receiver in the fantasy game. 

WR
Alshon Jeffrey (Bigger Balls)
Drafted: 9th Round (105th Overall) By Eugene
Acquired: Traded to Mayra by Eugene for Fred Jackson
# of WR's drafted ahead of Jeffrey: 46
# of WR's drafted ahead of Jeffrey in the 9th round alone: 4
WR Rank: 7
Overall Rank: 28
86 Receptions, 1341 Receiving Yards, 7 Receiving TD's, 105 Rushing Yards, 223 Fantasy Points
 
To say that Jeffrey busted out BIG TIME, would be one of the biggest understatements of the year. He was the 5th receiver taken.....IN THE 9TH ROUND. Kenbrell Thompkins, DeAndre Hopkins, Kenny Britt, Vincent Brown, just some of the "winners" taken right before Jeffrey. Unfortunately, Eugene traded him before he really peaked to Mayra for Fred Jackson. Mayra benefited from the trade big time as he helped lead her to her first playoff berth. Jeffrey made some unbelievable catches and is making a legit case as being the #1 receiver on his own team (remember, he has Brandon Marshall on the other side, who's not exactly a slouch). A top 7 finish at the position and top 30 overall, Jeffrey might not even be available next year as he's a prime candidate to be kept. A far cry from the late round selection of this year.

WR
Antonio Brown (Bigger Balls)
Drafted: 5th Round (54th Overall) By Kenny
Acquired: Traded to Mayra along with Knowshon Moreno for Calvin Johnson
# of WR Drafted Ahead of Brown: 20
WR Rank: 5
Overall Rank: 24
101 Receptions, 1412 Receiving Yards, 8 Receiving TD's, 1 Kickoff TD, 245.5 Fantasy Points
 
When you trade Calvin Johnson away and actually WIN the trade, you know you got a great player. Antonio Brown was expected to step up after Mike Wallace's departure, but I don't think anyone expected a top 5 season performance. Obviously with 20 receivers taken before Brown, teams didn't think much of him. Dwayne Bowe, Danny Amendola, Hakeem Nicks, just some of the "names" taken over Brown. Brown was a PPR monster, he finished with over 1400 yards and 100 catches. Only 4 receivers finished with better numbers and 3 of those were 1st and 2nd round picks. Brown's definitely going to be a coveted receiver going into next season. Especially if Mayra can't keep him due to her depth at the position.

RB
Knowshon Moreno (Bigger Balls)
Drafted: 11th Round (126th Overall) By Kenny
Acquired: Traded along with Antonio Brown to Mayra for Calvin Johnson
# of RB's taken before Moreno: 41
RB Rank: 4
Overall Rank: 7
1015 Rushing Yards, 10 Rushing TD's, 55 Receptions, 507 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TD's, 250.5 Fantasy Points

Jamaal Charles, LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte. The only running backs who had more fantasy points than Knowshon Moreno. Draft Position? 3 for Charles, 4 for McCoy, and 8 for Forte. Moreno? Saw 41 RUNNING BACKS TAKEN BEFORE HIM. Guys like LaMichael James, Roy Helu, Bryce Brown, Bernard Pierce, hell his own teammate, rookie Montee Ball was taken 7 rounds earlier! Where did this come from?! Wasn't Moreno supposed to be done?! There were even preseason rumors that Moreno wouldn't even make the Broncos ROSTER much less be the starting back. Moreno was flat out DOMINANT though. Unfortunately for Kenny, he never believed the hype and traded him with Antonio Brown for Calvin Johnson. It was great trade for both teams, but when you look at the stats, it's almost like Kenny gifted a top 5 running back for free to Mayra. Over 1500 total yards and 12 TD's. Just an amazing season that no one expected. The funny thing? Moreno will probably have to overcome the same rumors yet again, especially with Montee Ball gaining a year of experience. It's always fun seeing these types of seasons though. Who would've thought the guy drafted in between Martellus Bennett and Fred Davis would outperform his draft position by 10 rounds?!

RB
Danny Woodhead (Next!!!)
Drafted: 10th Round (120th Overall)
# of RB's taken before Woodhead: 40
RB Rank: 19
Overall Rank: 58
411 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD's, 69 Receptions, 563 Receiving Yards, 6 Receiving TD's, 2 Fumble Lost, 175.5 Fantasy Points
 
How bout this. The running back taken right before Moreno, Danny Woodhead, makes the team as well. With so many busts at running back in the early rounds, guys like Woodhead ended up being vital as late round gambles. Despite splitting time with Ryan Mathews, Woodhead still managed nearly 1000 total yards and 8 TD's, and was solid RB 2 especially in our PPR format. Woodhead ranked inside the top 20 which is crazy considering 40 running backs were selected ahead of him. Leland didn't have too many bright spots in his squad, but Woodhead was definitely one.

TE
Julius Thomas (Hoosier Daddy)
Drafted: 13th Round (148th Overall) by Me
Acquired: Traded along with David Wilson, Cam Newton, and DeSean Jackson to Ryan for Tom Brady, Marshawn Lynch, and Marques Colston
# of TE's taken before Thomas: 19
TE Rank: 3
Overall Rank: 43
60 Receptions, 752 Receiving Yards, 12 Receiving TD's, 177 Fantasy Points
 
 I took him as a flier in the 13th round. He was the 20th tight end taken and 2nd to last one drafted overall (Mark drafted an injured Heath Miller to stash him). In a position that is always unpredictable and very thin to get the 3rd best tight end of the season with the 148th pick of the draft is nothing short of amazing. I thought he couldn't keep up what he was doing, so I stupidly dumped him in a trade to Ryan. Thomas even missed two games and it didn't matter he still finished only behind Vernon Davis and Jimmy Graham. 12 TD's and over 750 receiving yards, and in a great offense. He established himself as among the best at the position. I'm just glad trading him didn't come back to bite me at the end of the day.


Draft Day Steal Of The Year
Knowshon Moreno (Bigger Balls)

 A couple of interesting facts about this squad. 3 Denver Broncos made it, and fantasy wise, 3 of Mayra's players made it. There were some really good candidates for this award. I think because it's the running back position and to get a top 5 running back in the 11th round is just absurd. Peyton Manning's season isn't THAT surprising, both Alshon Jeffrey and Josh Gordon had some upside going in to the season (though no one saw what they did coming) and though Julius Thomas because of where he was drafted was probably the closest to win this award, I took Ryan not making the playoffs into consideration. Moreno completely defied the odds and proved to everyone just how talented he was.
  

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Year End Awards: All Waiver Wire Team/Waiver Wire Pickup Of The Year

Waiver Wire Pickups are essential in fantasy football. Team are constantly scouring free agents looking for the next gem to help ride their team to a fantasy championship. Every year a handful guys break out from fantasy irrelevance to fantasy superstardom. Here's the best of this year's crop.

QB
Nick Foles (Shock The Monkey)
2628 Passing Yards, 25 TD Passes, 2 INT, 226 Rushing Yards, 3 Rushing TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 236 Fantasy Points 
QB Rank: 15
Overall Rank: 34
The Pro Bowl snub team 
It's a little ironic, Foles became the QB Pickup of the Year, considering his first foray into our league was Matt spot starting him and costing him a win against Dad (Foles suffered a concussion in the game). He quickly rebounded and despite not being the starter the whole season still put up 28 total TD's (3 rushing) while only throwing 2 picks. Mark picked him up after Matt Ryan basically lost all his offensive weapons and Foles was vital in Mark earning a playoff berth. 

WR
Keenan Allen (I'm A Paul Heyman Guy)
66 Receptions, 957 Receiving Yards, 8 Receiving TD's, 166 Fantasy Points
WR Rank: 16
Overall Rank: 60
San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, right, celebrates his touchdown with teammate wide receiver Eddie Royal against the Oakland Raiders during the first half of an NFL football game on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013, in San Diego
 Technically a draft pick but released before the season even started, Allen wouldn't be on a roster until Week 5 when Drew picked him up. Allen was not only the best rookie receiver in the league, but also a legit top 15 talent had not been for lack of playing time the first 3 games of the season.

WR
Riley Cooper (Next!!!)
44 Receptions, 796 Receiving Yards, 8 Receiving TD's, 147 Fantasy Points
WR Rank: 21
Overall Rank: 69
Philadelphia Eagles' Riley Cooper, right, pulls in a touchdown pass against Chicago Bears' Chris Conte during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2013, in Philadelphia 
Before the season started, there wasn't even a guarantee Cooper would be on the Eagles after his racial slur fiasco. When Michael Vick went down though, and Nick Foles stepped in, he quickly developed excellent chemistry with Cooper and turned him into a legit fantasy wide receiver. He finished just one spot out of the top 20. Not too bad for a guy who was so close to being out of the league.
WR
Harry Douglas (Hoosier Daddy)
78 Receptions, 1009 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TD's, 140 Fantasy Points
WR Rank: 32
Overall Rank: 98

Atlanta Falcons v Buffalo Bills
  When Julio Jones went down with an injury and with Roddy White dealing with injuries of his own, it gave Harry Douglas the perfect opportunity to step up as basically the only receiver in town. I originally snatched him up but traded him with Larry Fitzgerald in a stupid trade for Torrey Smith (thankfully I still won despite the dumb trades I made with Ryan). Douglas was more than adequate and though touchdowns were lacking, he still had 1000 yard receiving season. It's doubtful Douglas is ever fantasy relevant again, but at least for this season the starts aligned and Douglas made the most of the opportunity. 

RB
Zac Stacy (Welcome 2 Goodburger)
958 Rushing Yards, 7 Rushing TD's, 22 Receptions, 118 Receiving yards, 1 Receiving TD, 158 Fantasy Points
RB Rank: 18
Overall Rank: 53
Rams' Stacy finishing season strong 
The 2nd award for Stacy, who statistically was the best running back to be picked up off the waiver wire. When he finally got his chance, he was great, and was a huge reason Mike made the playoffs.
 
RB
Rashad Jennings (Not Even Lying)
724 Rushing Yards, 6 Rushing TD's, 34 Receptions, 284 Receiving Yards, 144 Fantasy Points
RB Rank: 21
Overall Rank: 64
NFL: Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders 
"Thank God for Rashad Jennings". Do you know how many times Kenny said that after alllll the running back problems Kenny had and yet he was still able to pick up a running back the caliber of Jennings? Without Jennings, there's no telling if Kenny makes the playoffs much less finishes 2nd overall. He was very important and came through big when Kenny needed him to.  
 
TE
Charles Clay (Not Even Lying)
65 Receptions, 716 Receiving Yards, 6 Receiving TD's, 15 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing TD, 141.5 Fantasy Points
TE Rank: 7
Overall Rank: 70
NFL: Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers 
Kenny's key waiver wire moves are a big reason he came so close to winning a championship. Charles Clay was another vital player to Kenny's roster. Clay was a great success ,finishing well within the top 10 at the position. In fact, Clay was so valuable, that Kenny almost lost BECAUSE he didn't play him in the semi-final against Mayra. Kenny replaced Clay with Jared Cook and Clay went on to have a 23.5 point day while Cook barely had 5.5. Had Kenny lost (which he almost did) it would've been solely because of benching Clay. 
 
Waiver Wire Pickup Of The Year
Rashad Jennings (Not Even Lying)
Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings (27) celebrates his touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys with Mychal Rivera during the first half of an NFL football game, Thursday, Nov. 28, 2013, in Arlington, Texas 
Gotta go with the impact Jennings had on Kenny's team over Zac Stacy and his slightly better stats.
 

Friday, December 27, 2013

Year End Awards: Michael Wiley All Dud Team/Dud Of The Year

Busts, Disappointments, Duds, they all mean the same thing in the world of fantasy football, and it's always inevitable that for some reason or another, players just don't live up to their wildly high expectations. For those who drafted them, it's a near death blow that can cripple your franchise for the season. Here's a look at the Dudliest of the Duds. I took into consideration, the player, the reason, the relative draft position, and how it affected the team that had them. Here's the Michael Wiley All Dud Team.


QB
Robert Griffin III (Dr. Light's Robots)
QB Rank: 17
Overall Rank: 46
3202 Passing Yards, 16 Passing TD's, 12 INT, 489 Rushing Yards, 4 Fumbles lost, 206 Fantasy Points
Acquired: 6th Round (70th Overall)
 
After such a successful rookie season last year, the expectations were super high Griffin would have an encore performance even despite RGIII coming off a major injury. He never really got it going. His sporadic performances had Matt use in a QB carousel with Michael Vick and for a game Nick Foles, so even when he had decent games, Matt didn't use him. When he finally settled on Griffin as his QB, he was flat out dreadful. In fact, his 4.5 points in Week 12 cost Matt a shot at the playoffs as he lost to Drew by 1 point. Had he won that game, he would've made the playoffs. Griffin's big advantage was supposed to be his running game but he didn't score one rushing TD. His play was so bad he was benched the final 3 games of the season for Kirk Cousins. He'll probably be heavily discounted and be primed for a bounce back season next year, but for this year it was nothing but disaster. When Ryan Tannehill and Alex Smith are better fantasy options, you know you've had it rough.

WR
Victor Cruz (Shock The Monkey)
WR Rank-26
Overall Rank-81
73 Receptions, 998 Receiving Yards,  4 Receiving TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 151.5 Fantasy Points
Acquired: 3rd Round (32nd Overall) 
 
This is the 2nd straight year Cruz makes the Dud Team, but at least this season the stats back it up even more. The Giants offense as a whole was just so pathetically bad, so yes, some of this falls on Eli Manning, but still when you're as talented as Victor Cruz, you should be able to overcome bad QB play (Just look at Josh Gordon, who had Brian Hoyer, Jason Campbell, and Brandon Weeden throwing to him all season).  He was the 13th receiver taken off the board, and was Mark's #1 receiver. He had only 4 TD's all season and 3 of those CAME IN WEEK 1!!! He scored his last TD in WEEK 4 and was done after that. He's Victor Cruz though, so you can't bench him. He helped attribute to Mark's 2nd half season slide and his days as a WR1 in fantasy have got to be considered over. Receivers that outperformed him? Marvin Jones, Brian Hartline, Michael Floyd, Riley Cooper, Julian Edelman..yeah not exactly ELITE options. 

WR
Danny Amendola (I'm A Paul Heyman Guy)
WR Rank: 60
Overall Rank: 181
53 receptions, 624 Receiving Yards, 2 receiving TDs, 96.5 Fantasy Points
Acquired: 3rd Round (26th Overall)

 Wes Welker he ain't. In fact, the Patriots had a Wes Welker replacement on the roster they just failed to realize it until Amendola..what a shock GOT HURT. Julian Edelman ended up as a top 25 receiver, while Amendola had a couple of good games, but for the most part was an absolute bust. Even his own teammate, little used Aaron Dobson, outranked him. 59 receivers outranked him. The 26th player taken? Drew whiffed majorly on this one. Andre Johnson and Vincent Jackson were still available in that round alone. He's a big reason that a team that had an Adrian Peterson/Reggie Bush backfield failed to reach the playoffs.

WR
Roddy White (Dr. Light's Robots)
WR Rank: 61
Overall Rank: 188
55 Receptions, 620 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 94.5 Fantasy Points
Acquired: 3rd Round (27th Overall)
 
Man the 3rd round was brutal for wide receivers. Throw in Randall Cobb was suffered an injury that wiped out most of his fantasy season and it was just a horrible round for drafting wide receivers. Roddy White is a warrior, but unfortunately being a warrior is the biggest reason that he was a bust. White played through numerous injuries but was wildly ineffective. It took him 5 outright terrible games, before he came to grips that he needed to take some time off to recover. He missed 3 games, and took another 3 games after that to finally look close to 100%. Again, because of the name, Matt kept plugging him in his lineup every week he was active. White's been pretty good the last few weeks, but it's too little too late as Matt failed to make the playoffs. It really sucks to have a guy like White on your roster, as you never want to bench him for the chance he just explodes. Unfortunately, Matt would've been just fine had he gone with other options all those weeks.

RB
C.J. Spiller (Next!!!!)
RB Rank: 31 
Overall Rank: 97
822 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD's, 28 Receptions, 157 Receiving Yards, 1 Fumble Lost, 111 Points
Acquired: 1st Round (1st Overall)

CORRECTS PHOTOGRAPHER TO PHELAN M. EBENHACK FROM JOHN RAOUX - Jacksonville Jaguars middle linebacker Paul Posluszny (51) stops Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller after a short gain during the first half of an NFL football game in Jacksonville, Fla., Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013
 Worst #1 Pick EVER MADE. With the entire league for his choosing, the defending champion decided to go outside the box and take C.J. Spiller #1 overall. Over Adrian Peterson. Over Jamaal Charles. Over LeSean McCoy. It single-handedly CRUSHED his season and Leland never really recovered. Spiller was beyond pathetic all season and yes there was an "injury" but regardless, he wasn't even close to being the best running back on his own team. That would be old washed up FRED JACKSON, who Spiller could never shake off. At the time, Spiller was all hype. Experts salivated over what Spiller could do with a full workload (and to be fair, a full workload was promised by the head coach) considering what he did last year splitting time with Fred Jackson. It was the ultimate high risk/high reward pick. Unfortunately, there was no reward. 30 running backs finished with higher fantasy point totals. 30. Donald Brown. Andre Ellington. Ben Tate. Danny Woodhead. Rashard Mendenhall. Just a few of the less than inspiring names that were better than Spiller. Honestly though, this is probably league specific more than anything, cause there were a TON of disappointing 1st round running backs. They just didn't happen to go #1 overall like Spiller did. Is he even keepable? We'll find out next year, but there's no doubt this pick will live in infamy for a long time.

Trent Richardson (I'm A Paul Heyman Guy)
RB Rank: 34
Overall Rank: 111
538 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD's, 33 Receptions, 299 Receiving Yards, 1 Receiving TD, 1 Fumble Lost, 106.5 Points
Acquired: 1st Round (9th Overall) By Eugene. Traded to Kenny for Chris Johnson and Kenbrell Thompkins. Waived by Kenny. Picked Up By Drew
NFL: Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs 
This is was a horrible year for running backs. So many busts to go through. Some of them have to be mentioned. Ray Rice was BRUTALLY BAD, especially as the 5th overall pick of the draft. Arian Foster, the same, plus an injury ended his season. Doug Martin? Pathetic, even before a season ending injury. He had no excuse because both MIKE JAMES AND BOBBY RAINEY played better than he did before the injury. Steven Jackson? Bust for the most part. MJD, bust for a better part of the year. David Wilson and Lamar Miller? "Experts" were way off. Darren McFadden? Another injury plagued season. Outside of Ray Rice and Lamar Miller (and even Ray Rice had some injury problems) most of those running backs named had some sort of injury problem throughout the season. Not only that, but only David Wilson was on a non playoff team, and his season was cut very prematurely short due to injury. There was one running back drafted in the 1st round who was 100% healthy and just flat out SUCKED. Trent Richardson. Beyond horrible. If Spiller wasn't drafted where he was, there's no doubt Richardson would've been the worst draft pick ever. Richardson was even traded a better situation and SUCKED EVEN WORSE. DONALD BROWN...BEAT HIM OUT OF A STARTING JOB. DONALD BROWN, who was buried behind Vick Ballard and Ahmad Bradshaw beat out Trent Richardson for a starting job. Eugene traded him when he still was thought to have a little value, and made out like a bandit. Richardson was so god awful Kenny finally had enough and just flat out cut him. Had Donald Brown not suffered an injury, Richardson would've likely stayed on waivers the rest of the season. Drew picked him to play in the consolation bowl though. At least there still may be SOME upside with Spiller. Richardson is a bum and had no excuse. You know what's funny, last year I thought he would suck and I said so. It's good to know I was actually right all along.

TE-Rob Gronkowski (Shock The Monkey)
TE Rank: 14
Overall Rank: 112
39 Receptions, 592 Receiving Yards, 4 Receiving TD's, 99.5 Points
Acquired: 5th Round (49th Overall) By Leland. Traded to Mark for Jason Witten
Column: Injury toll a heavy one in the NFL
 Here's a somewhat controversial pick as he didn't "suck" but hear me out. Leland took yet another gamble by using a pretty high draft pick (49) to stash Gronk hoping that he would only miss a couple games at the most and then when he came back...BOOM, best tight end in the league. Well a couple of games turned into 6 and by the time Week 7 rolled around, Leland was already 1-5 and his season was basically over. Before he even used him in a game, Leland traded Gronk away to Mark for Jason Witten. At first, it looked like it was a great, shrewd move for Mark. He played in 6 1/2 games and 5 of those were great. Then he got hurt...AGAIN...for the season..AGAIN and now who knows if he'll be ready for the beginning of next season. Deja vu alllll over again. Will someone take such a high stakes gamble next season yet again??


Michael Wiley Dud Of The Year
C.J. Spiller (Next!!!)

Atlanta Falcons v Buffalo Bills
Just because the magnitude of the it being the #1 pick and the impact it had on Leland's season.


 

Thursday, December 26, 2013

Year End Awards: All Rookie Team/Rookie Of The Year

It's time to announce the Year End Awards for our league. Now the criteria is specifically for this league only so for example Le'Veon Bell had a pretty good rookie season, but since Albert basically only used him for his bye week, he had little to no impact in our league, so he was not eligible for consideration. To be considered eligible you had to have been a significant player used in our league. First up will be the All-Rookie Team.


No QB-This was a very weak QB class and no QB was eligible for consideration. I know Geno Smith was used by Mark for a spot start (and he sucked) but only Mike Glennon was really a decent rookie but no one ever started him. 

RB
Eddie Lacy (Hoosier Daddy)
1,112 Rushing Yards, 10 Rushing TD's, 33 Receptions, 242 Receiving yards, 201.5 Fantasy Points
RB Rank: 8
Overall Rank: 25
Acquired:3rd Round of Draft (34th Overall)
 
 Ryan might of had a miserable season, but he did get a hell of a steal in the 3rd round with Eddie Lacy. Despite missing a game with a concussion, Lacy was hands down the best running back of the rookie class and he finished 8th overall in the position. He rushed for over 1000 yards and finished with double digit TD's and that's with Aaron Rodgers hurt a lot of the 2nd half of the season so defenses could focus more on stopping Lacy. He still performed. Lacy seems to be on his way to becoming an elite option in the fantasy game.

RB
Zac Stacy (Welcome 2 Goodburger)
958 Rushing Yards, 7 Rushing TD's, 22 Receptions, 118 Receiving yards, 1 Receiving TD, 158 Fantasy Points
RB Rank: 18
Overall Rank: 53
Acquired: via Waiver Wire by Matt. Traded to Mike for Marques Colston
 
Here's where league impact takes precedent. Two rookie running backs actually finished better than Stacy. Gio Bernard and Le'Veon Bell. However a couple of factors to keep in mind. Stacy was a total non-factor in the first four games of the season due to being buried on depth chart behind Daryl Richardson, Benny Cunningham, and Isaiah Pead as crazy as that sounds now. He was finally given a shot in  week 5 and never looked back. Despite those 4 missed games basically, he STILL almost rushed for 1000 yards. You have to think had he been given the starting job in Week 1, he had a chance to surpass even Eddie Lacy for top rookie running back honors. Plus, Albert never used Le'Veon Bell, and Eugene used Gio Bernard sporadically as well. Plus Zac Stacy was part of two teams fighting for a playoff spot. Matt had a surplus of running backs so he traded Stacy away to Mike who immediately became the #2 RB for Mike and helped him get the #3 seed and almost beat me in the semi-finals. "Experts" might give the nod to Gio on their All Rookie lists, but in our league, Zac Stacy had way more an impact and is way more deserving.

WR
Keenan Allen (I'm A Paul Heyman Guy)
66 Receptions, 957 Receiving Yards, 8 Receiving TD's, 166 Fantasy Points
WR Rank: 16
Overall Rank: 60
Acquired: 14th Round (168th Overall) by Leland; Waived by Leland; Picked up by Drew
 
He was the last pick of Leland's draft, and Leland had gone on a young WR binge, drafting DeAndre Hopkins, Markus Wheaton, and Keenan Allen hoping one of them would pan out. He just didn't wait long enough as Allen was quickly dropped before the 1st game of the season and understandably so. He was buried on the depth chart and was a non factor the first 3 games of the season. Injuries at the WR position for the Chargers though, opened up an opportunity for Allen and after a 20 point week 4 performance, Drew snatched him up and never looked back. He's another "late bloomer" so to speak, and I have no doubt he would've been ranked higher had he been utilized more than he was the first 3 games of the season. He'll no doubt pass 1000 receiving yards, but since we don't count week 17, it's not a factor in our league, but regardless Allen was hands down the best rookie WR this season, and the days of being picked in the 14th round or picked up off waivers are long gone indeed. 


TE: No TE qualify though Jordan Reed was the closest for consideration. He just was too much of a late bloomer and then got concussed and missed 5 straight games. There wasn't enough of a sample size to give him the nod.

Wane McGarity Bowl Rookie Of The Year
Eddie Lacy (Hoosier Daddy)

Even if the class was deeper, there's no denying Eddie Lacy had a terrific fantasy rookie season. He joins Cam Newton and Doug Martin to win this category.







Monday, December 23, 2013

Wane McGarity Bowl Results: A New Champion Is Crowned

It started wayyyyyy back on July 13th. I opened the league up to officially start to the 2013 season. 12 teams signed up all with one goal. To win it all. To be named champion. Two of those 12, Albert and Leland, have already had the good fortune of earning that very title. One is never enough though (or in Albert's case, 2). Winning a championship..never gets old. So 12 teams put $50 on the line for a chance at immortality. To show up fellow league mates and be the all important #1. Through the draft lottery, to the draft itself. All the injuries, trades, waiver wire pickups, blowout losses, winning streaks, losing streaks, heartbreak wins and heartbreak losses, we all felt it one way or another. Before you know it, 12 teams dwindles to 6..then to 4 once more to 2 until there is just one left. After last night, there was just one left standing. One team standing above all. One team that could claim the one title 11 others were clamoring for. Last night, a new champion was crowned. Last night, someone etched their name in the Wane McGarity Bowl Hall Of Champions. And without further ado, the 2013 Wane McGarity Bowl Champion is......

Danny's Little Giants (2-0)        104
Not Even Lying (2-1)                 76.5

That's right folks, Yours truly is YOUR 2013 WANE MCGARITY BOWL CHAMPION. After the fantasy year from hell last season, where I finished 9th out of 10 teams, I rebounded like no other and claimed the ultimate prize this year against a very worthy opponent. The score doesn't indicate how close this really was. It all started with a 4 vs 4 in the early games. Each of us had a standout receiver, with Demaryius Thomas going off with 8 receptions, 123 yards and a TD, but Pierre Garcon basically matching him with a 11 reception, 144 yard, 1 TD performance of his own. For me though, Vincent Jackson was relative quiet with 98 receiving yards, Jason Witten was non existent with 2  catches for 13 yards, and Chris Johnson was serviceable but underwhelming with only 90 rushing yards. Luckily for me, Drew Brees wasn't that great as he only threw for 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions. Charles Clay did more than Witten, but it wasn't by much but Marvin Jones was actually a good plug n play with 6 for 85 and I found myself down 2.5 at the end of the early games. Next group of games would see a 4-2 and literally right off the bat Shane Vereen and Emmanuel Sanders both scored TD's very quickly for Kenny as that lead jumped to almost 20. Unfortunately for Kenny, that's all they did as both exited with injuries and wouldn't return. This was a huge blow for Kenny. Also, before the game, there was talk about Calvin not being 100% and being a true game time decision. Well, he no more than a glorified decoy as he did nothing of note which also affected Matthew Stafford who was BRUTAL yet again, and did his best to single handedly lose me yet another game. He finished with only 7 points. Pathetic performance. Kenny also had Rashad Jennings, who got screwed out of a TD by Darren McFadden, then couldn't convert a 2 yard goal line opportunity. He finished with only 45 rushing yards. Torrey Smith woke in the 2nd half and had 69 receiving yards but did nothing else of note. I was down 13.5 going into Sunday Night with Brandon Marshall and LeSean McCoy to go. No problem right? For sure Brandon Marshall would play as the Bears were playing for the division. If they beat the Eagles they would win the division and get in the playoffs. The Eagles had nothing to play for thanks to that miracle Cowboys win earlier in the day. Would McCoy play the whole game? Would he play just enough to help me get the win? Or would he Romo me and I'd lose by the narrowest of margins only because my guys were limited for non health related issues. Thankfully none of my worries came to be as LeSean McCoy saved the day with a huge 133 rushing yard, 2 rushing TD, 6 catches for 29 yards, 30 point performance. Hands down the no brainer Wane McGarity Bowl MVP. Brandon Marshall even added a TD for the hell of it. And that folks is your ballgame. I became the 3rd winner of the Wane McGarity Bowl. Validation. That's what it is. Fantasy football is made up of a combination of luck and skill. To win a championship though, validates yourself as a Fantasy Football Player. To beat fellow competitive teams led by Mike and Kenny made it even a sweeter ride. This is the total opposite of my crap the bed performance in my first Wane McGarity Bowl in 2011. And how fitting, that the only two guys I stuck with from Day 1. The only two guys on my team that were untouchable, Pierre Garcon and LeSean McCoy, were the ones that came up the biggest on the biggest stage. What a feeling. No matter what happens from this point on, I am a champion. It's very difficult to get tot this point much less win it. You always hope it's you, but things happen and for some reason or another, opportunities are blown. Not this time though. I've always said I love the cash part, but I love the WINNING part even MORE. For this one season, I am.....THE BEST. For Kenny, it had to be disappointing that he couldn't take advantage the majority of my team underperforming. It's still an amazing accomplishment to get to the finals and $150 in your pocket isn't too shabby at all. To get that close, but not close enough, sucks for Kenny, but I have no doubt he'll always be a major player in our league, and this season can be labeled as nothing short of a success. Another year is in the books, and I'd like to thank everyone in the league, for playing and participating. I hope everyone had fun overall cause that's what it's all about..fun (I know...I know, now that I won a championship I can start using the cliche bullshit). For me, it never ends, me, Albert, Kenny, Drew, and Ryan, now must focus on Basketball and that league but I think I can take a couple of days to let it all sink in and enjoy the moment. I'll be doing the Year-End Awards sometime this week and then it's a several month hiatus until next season! Thanks again to everyone for making this league successful, a league is only as good as the players in it, and we've got a great league of people who play the right way. We'll do this alllllll again next season!!

Wane McGarity Bowl MVP
LeSean McCoy (Danny's Little Giants)
133 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD's, 6 receptions, 29 receiving yards, 30 points
Chicago Bears v Philadelphia Eagles


Other League Notes:  I am very proud to announce that Dad placed in the top 3 taking out Mike in the 3rd place game. Dad placing is huge, and I'm glad he was able to get some playoff success and finish in the top 3. Congrats Dad!! Eugene's team caught fire a little too late, but at least he finished #7 thanks to a win against Matt. Leland actually beat Drew in the 9th place game as we know now the official standings of the league with everything 100% done. Here's the final look as the official placing of the teams in the Wane McGarity Bowl.

Champion-Danny's Little Giants (Me)
2nd place-Not Even Lying (Kenny)
3rd place-The Bad Robofies (Dad)
4th place-Welcome 2 Goodburger (Mike)
5th place-Bigger Balls (Mayra)
6th place-Shock The Monkey (Mark)
7th Place-Springville-Warrior (Eugene)
8th Place-Dr. Light's Robots (Matt)
9th Place-Nexxxxt!!! (Leland)
10th Place-I'M A Paul Heyman Guy (Drew)
11th Place-Hoosier Daddy (Ryan)
12th Place-Channel 4 News Team (Albert)

 
 

Friday, December 20, 2013

The Wane McGarity Bowl Preview

 

We're here once again...championship time. It's time for the 4th Wane McGarity Bowl which pits me and Kenny against each other. This is probably the most personal finals matchup in the small history of the Wane McGarity Bowl as me and Kenny go wayyyyys back. We've known each other since 8th grade, and you won't find two people more competitive than us. We've had many thrilling encounters in other fantasy sports before, but never in football and never with so much on the line. The winner gets it all, the cash, the title, and the bragging rights for life.  "The Best Friend Bowl" should be one for the ages.

Wane McGarity Bowl IV
The Best Friend Bowl
Danny's Little Giants (Chris) 
vs
Not Even Lying (Kenny)

Chris Puente (Danny's Little Giants)
#2 Seed (8-5)
3rd Place Winner (2010)
2nd Place Winner (2011)

How I Got Here: By doing what I do best. Assembling the best team I possibly can via trades. It's pretty much a known fact that by the time the season is over most of roster will have been traded away from opening day. It's how I operate. The results have been pretty good negating 2012. I started the season on fire with a 3 game winning streak, then went cold real fast losing 3 in a row. Of course my achilles' heal is losing heartbreakers and this year was no different. 4 of my 5 losses were 5 points and under. The one loss that wasn't, was a blowout loss to Kenny. Probably the biggest trade I made to help deepen my team was trading Marshawn Lynch to Mike for Brandon Marshall and Vincent Jackson. Adding Pierre Garcon and Torrey Smith to those two gave me a pretty lethal receiving core. The addition of Matthew Stafford and Jason Witten via trades also helped strengthen the rest of my squad, led by LeSean McCoy. I rode a 5 game winning streak, before losing two a row to close the season, but because of points I still got the coveted bye and made the playoffs for the 3rd time out of 4 seasons. I was able to survive Mike in the semifinals beating him by 2.5 points, and advancing to my 2nd  Wane McGarity Bowl where I hope to do a lot better this time around after getting annihilated by Albert in 2011. 

Key Drafted Players
LeSean McCoy- One of only two players left from my original draft, I hit the jackpot with McCoy at pick #4. In a year where there were sooooooo many running back busts, I lucked out and got arguably the 2nd best running back in the game today behind Jamaal Charles. McCoy's been my main guy and I'm hoping for at least one more 1st round performances before the season is all said and done.

Pierre Garcon- The only other player I kept was my 5th round pick. The good thing about PPR is Garcon hasn't been disappointing like he has in standard leagues. He catches at least 5 balls a game, and had his biggest game of the season last week when I needed it the most. He's got another favorable matchup against the Cowboys this week and I'm counting on a great performance yet again.

Key Waiver Wire Pickups: I really don't have any on my squad and if I did I traded them away as part of packaged deals. All my starters are a combination of my own guys or trades I made.

Key Trades
I traded Marques Colston and Marshawn Lynch to Mike for Vincent Jackson and Brandon Marshall- I had earlier traded away half my team for Marshawn Lynch which was a regret, so I wanted to get some depth back. This deal literally took a whole day to complete but at the end of the day I got the receiver depth I so desperately needed. 

I traded Tom Brady, Greg Olsen, Torrey Smith to Leland for Matthew Stafford,  Jason Witten, Emmanuel Sanders- I got impatient with Tom Brady and swung for the fences in this deal. I would end up reacquiring Torrey Smith a couple weeks later anyway, so this was another good deal that help stabilize my team.

Season Lowlights
The David Wilson Saga-Right off the bat this was a bust when my 3rd round pick,  David Wilson,  fumbled twice and was promptly benched. He would never be relevant again. Wilson screwed me over and I thought I was for sure cooked early since I had no legit RB#2 now that he was a failure. He ended up getting hurt and I traded him as a thrown in to Ryan in the Marshawn Lynch trade. Still can't believe I was able to overcome that mistake.

3 game losing streak-I went from being 1st place to being almost out of the playoffs after suffering a 3 game losing streak in the 1st half of the season. It felt like the shitty luck was coming back because two of those losses were to Dad and Albert by 5 and 2.5 points respectively. My thoughts sitting at 3-3 at the time? "Here weeeee go again"

2 game losing streak to end the season-I was in prime position for the bye after winning 5 in a row and was 8-3 with lowly Leland on the horizon next. A win against him all but assured the bye for me. Typically, it didn't happen as I lost by half a point that week. Now, I had let Mike and Kenny back in for a shot at the bye, and once again I failed to win, as I lost to Matt by 1.5 points. Luckily for me Kenny and Mike lost as well, and I kept my #2 bye. Still, didn't exactly go into the playoffs confident about my teams chances.

Season Highlights
3 game winning streak to start season-There's no better way to start of a fantasy football than to keep winning, and for the first three weeks of the season that's exactly what I did.

5 game winning streak in crucial stretch of season-I was legit nervous after falling to 3-3, and felt like every game was a must win from here on out. I was able to pull away from most other teams by going on a 5 game winning streak which at the time was only behind Dad's winning streak (which went to 8) in longevity. This helped me secure a bye in the playoffs.

Highest Point Scorer- At 1330.50 points, I lead the league in scoring this year. This is important because it was the tie-breaker between me Kenny and Mike for the  #2 seed and bye.

#2 in Fantasy Points Against- Everyone talks about Dad and his "magic powers" but how about mine? I was actually 2nd in fantasy points against this season allowing only 1061.5 points on the year. The closest to me? Mark at 1145.50.

Kenny Bybee
Not Even Lying
4th Seed (8-5)


How He Got Here: Kenny basically employs the same strategy as me but also is a little better at making waiver wire moves and using those guys on his team. It's pretty crazy that Kenny made it this far, because it seemed like the fantasy gods were against Kenny all season. He started the season 0-2 before picking up his first win in week 3.  He lost Randall Cobb to a season ending injury, then he lost Doug Martin to a season ending injury as well. Martin had been a bust anyway, but was Kenny's first round pick so there he went wasted. He then made a trade for Trent Richardson, but just like Doug Martin, Richardson was a total bust and that didn't work out at all. Probably the biggest trade that paid off big time was Kenny trading Antonio Brown and Knowshon Moreno to Mayra for Calvin Johnson. Calvin had some very good games for Kenny down the stretch and his 1-2 Demaryius Thomas and Calvin Johnson combo is the deadliest in the league. Facing a loss in the last game of the regular season, Kenny decided to take a very big gamble and basically purposely fall to to 4th for a chance to play my Dad in the 2nd round. It was not a lock and he had to play Mayra in the 1st round, but he felt his best way to the finals was to go through Dad. The strategy worked, as he barely got by Mayra before beating Dad easily and cruising to the Finals. Kenny's hoping to add a title in his first ever Wane McGarity Bowl appearance.

Key Drafted Players

DeMaryius Thomas- Kenny's 2nd round pick. Thomas would be the best receiver on any other team, but on Kenny's he's a WR #2 thanks to Calvin Johnson. Because of the offense he plays in and his talents, Demaryius is always a good bet for a monster game. He'll be one of the keys in Kenny's quest for a championship.

Drew Brees-His 3rd round pick. You can't get too much better with Brees as your QB, who's basically a lock week in and week out to put up nice numbers.

Key Waiver Wire Pickups
Rashad Jennings-Kenny was on top this pickup the minute he saw Darren McFadden was going to miss time and so far he's been his best running back since he's gotten him.

Shane Vereen- Despite what happened last week, Vereen has been a pretty valuable add and stash for Kenny. He'll need to step it up this week if Kenny wants to win it all.

Key Trades
Kenny traded Antonio Brown and Knowshon Moreno for Calvin Johnson- The biggest and most impactful trade Kenny made. Mayra needed RB help and this ended up being a win win for both teams as Kenny had excess running backs at the time. To be able to trade for the league's #1 receiver doesn't come along often, so Kenny took advantage of the rare opportunity.

Season Lowlights
0-2 start-Not only did Kenny get off to a bad start, he got blown out by Mark and Mayra to start the season. It was looking to be start of a very lonnnng season for Kenny, but as you can see he bounced back just fine.

Injuries-Kenny traded for Randall Cobb, than lost him to a season ending injury. Same with Doug Martin and same with HIS replacement Mike James. 

Season Highlights
Two 3 game winning streaks-The majority of Kenny's wins came off an early season 3 game winning streak and late season winning streak.

1st playoff win-Kenny made the playoffs back in 2011 but lost to Leland in the 1st round. This season, he was able to beat Mayra for his 1st playoff win. He would go on to defeat Dad for win #2.

Matchup Stats 
All Time Record: Kenny leads 4-3
Last Matchup: Kenny beat me 106.5-83.5 in Week 4

Position Matchups
QB
Matthew Stafford (Danny's Little Giants)
vs
Drew Brees (Not Even Lying)
Overview: Both guys are elite QB's, but Stafford comes into the Championship game in a bit of a slump. His last two games have been horrific and I'm hoping he can bounce back against a New York Giants team that has little fight left. For the 2nd time in this playoffs Kenny has to hope Drew Brees can shred the Panthers Defense. He did last time, though this time it's on the road where Brees' stats have been somewhat disappointing compared to at home. I think Kenny's got the better QB here and also he's not in the kind of slump Stafford has been on.

Advantage: Kenny

WR
Pierre Garcon (Danny's Little Giants)
Vincent Jackson (Danny's Little Giants)
Brandon Marshall (Danny's Little Giants)
Torrey Smith (Danny's Little Giants)
vs
Calvin Johnson (Not Even Lying)
Demaryius Thomas (Not Even Lying)
Emmanuel Sanders (Not Even Lying)
Marvin Jones (Not Even Lying)

Overview: Here's where it gets tricky. Kenny owns the top two receivers on either team in Demaryius and Calvin. That's a huge advantage. However he fills the rest of his team with WR #4's so the depth isn't there. The matchups are great for all four of Kenny's receivers as well. For me, I have legit number 1 in Brandon Marshall, and three high to low end #2's in Garcon, VJax, and Torrey Smith. I have better depth though Kenny has a better top heavy 2. The one thing I loved when looking at the matchups, was my receviers and who the play. Garcon gets the hapless Cowboys, VJax the Rams, Torrey Smith the Pats and Brandon Marshall the crappy Eagles. My only concern is Marshall not playing much if the game doesn't mean anything in real life to the Bears. I think overall it's a push in the WR Dept.
Advantage: Push


RB
LeSean McCoy (Danny's Little Giants)
Chris Johnson (Danny's Little Giants)
vs
Rashad Jennings (Not Even Lying)
Shane Vereen (Not Even Lying)

Overview: I have the 2nd best running back in football and also a guy who's a top 15 back in Chris Johnson. Kenny has a waiver wire pickup (albeit a successful one) and one of 4 Pats running backs they use (again, he's the best one though, especially in PPR). McCoy has a PRIME matchup  against the Bears, but again I worry he won't get a full workload because the Eagles game might not mean anything. Chris Johnson still gets the volume and is heavily involved in the passing game as well and should do OK against Jacksonville. Shane Vereen gets the Ravens and he's coming off a brutal game against Miami. He should bounce back while Rashad Jennings matchup is great against the Chargers. Still, given the talent and who's more reliable, I give the RB advantage to me.

Advantage: Me 
Tight End
Jason Witten (Danny's Little Giants)
vs
Charles Clay (Not Even Lying)
Overview: Witten's definitely the most consistent and battle tested of the two. Charles Clay had 24.5 two weeks ago and then was held to half a point last week. Very inconsistent. He has a good matchup this week against Buffalo, but you just never know how much he'll get targeted. Witten has a great matchup against the Redskins, and he's been scoring TD's galore recently. I give the Tight End advantage to me.

Advantage: Me 

Final Predictions
Yahoo Says: I win 115-97
I Say: I win but only dependent on a couple things. The Bears-Eagles game must mean something. I need a full workload from both Brandon Marshall and Lesean McCoy. If I get this, I should definitely be on track to win. If not, it'll be a huge hit as those are my top two guys and it could give Kenny the opening to take advantage and take the title.

Other League Notes: I think Mike will beat Dad for 3rd place. Dad's team is just struggling to much and Mike has a team that can easily outscore Dad.