Year End Awards: Wane McGarity All Stud Team/Wane McGarity 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 2015 Wane McGarity Bowl All Stud Team

QB

Aaron Rodgers (Rocket Man)

QB Rank: 1

Overall Rank: 1

1st Selection To All Stud Team

4,428 Passing Yards, 40 Passing TD's, 7 INT's, 369 Rushing Yards, 4 Rushing TD's, 2 2PT Conversions, 4 Fumbles Lost, 423.52 Fantasy Points

 

Once again he was the anchor for Eugene's team, leading them to a 2nd place regular season finish and a bye. Had Eugene's team not falling apart, there would've been a solid chance Eugene would've made the Finals. Surprisingly, this is Rodgers first nod to the All Stud Team. Even when he was "slumping" in real life, he was nothing but money in the fantasy world. He was by far the best QB this season and it's long overdue he gets a chance to make this squad.

WR

Antonio Brown (Bigger Balls)

WR Rank: 3

Overall Rank: 30

3rd Selection to All Stud Team

106 Receptions, 1,284 Receiving Yards, 12 Receiving TD's, 254.30 Fantasy Points

 

The ranking is skewered because he sat out Week 17 and still only finished 2 points behind Jordy Nelson for best receiver this season. Antonio Brown once again proved just how good he is, helping Mayra get to the playoffs and making his record tying (with Gronk and Calvin Johnson) 3rd All Stud Team. This was even considered a "down" season for Brown who still finished with over 1,200 receiving yards, double digit TD's, and over 100 catches. Guy is money year in and year out.

WR

Odell Beckham Jr. (Woe Is You)

WR Rank: 4

Overall Rank: 31

2nd Selection To All Stud Team

101 Receptions, 1,367 Receiving Yards, 10 Receiving TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 246.10 Fantasy Points

 

On paper, with all the injuries he suffered, there was no way Mike should've made the playoffs. With Odell Beckham on his squad though, he was able to sneak into the playoffs. Beckham once again had a terrific season, after a slow start, finishing with over 1,300 receiving yards, double digit TD's, and 100 receptions. It's the second time he's made the team and was well worth the 3rd pick overall for Mike.

WR

Jordy Nelson (Light's Broken Bots)

WR Rank: 1

Overall Rank: 28

2nd Selection to All Stud Team

97 Receptions, 1,257 Receiving Yards, 14 Receiving TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 256.20 Fantasy Points

 

It was hard deciding the 3rd Wide Receiver for this team. I typically like to pick guys who played on teams that made the playoffs, but sometimes players have seasons too good to ignore regardless of what team they are on. This was a coinflip between Nelson and Mike Evans, but since Matt's squad finished higher and Evans kinda slumped at the end of the season, I'm giving the nod to Jordy. Jordy made the inaugural 2011 squad and 5 years later, he's back! What a story. After missing all of last year with a ACL injury, Nelson came back with a vengeance this season and proved to everyone just how elite he really is. He finishes as the #1 receiver in fantasy football. Matt had a lot of problems with injuries that lost his season, Jordy did his best to keep it afloat. At the very least, there's no doubt Matt's keeping him again as a 10th round keeper.

RB

Ezekiel Elliott (Hoosier Daddy)

RB Rank: 2

Overall Rank: 8

1st Selection to All Stud Team

1,631 Rushing Yards, 15 Rushing TD's, 32 Receptions, 363 Receiving Yards, 1 Receiving TD, 1 Fumble Lost, 309.40 Fantasy Points

 

For a guy who had sooooooo much hype coming in to the season and EXCEED expectations is beyond amazing, but that's exactly what Zeke did this year. Not only has he been a vital part to the Cowboys Super Bowl run this year, but he helped Ryan have his best ever finish in his 7 years playing. Ryan finished as the highest league scorer, the best regular season record, and carried Ryan's team on his back to get Ryan to his first ever finals. He also did his very best to complete a comeback in the finals, but of no fault of his own, was benched in the 4th quarter of the meaningless game against the Lions when the game was out of hand. He led the league in rushing (even with missing Week 17) and Ryan was rewarded big time for taking a chance on him with the 2nd overall pick. Don't be surprised if he's a mainstay on this team in the foreseeable future.

RB

Le'Veon Bell (SCLSU MudDogs)

RB Rank: 3

Overall Rank: 21

2nd Selection to All Stud Team

1,268 Rushing Yards, 7 Rushing TD's, 75 Receptions, 616 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TD's, 1 2 PT Conversion, 1 Fumble Lost, 279.90 Fantasy Points

 

He missed 3 games due to suspension, and sat out Week 17 and STILL finished as the #3 back in fantasy football. Bell proved once again that he's one of the best backs in the league, when he's not acting like an idiot and getting suspended for stupid shit. That was the worry that came with drafting him this year. It's why Mayra reluctantly let him go. He was going to miss 3 games off the bat. Alex though, took that chance and he rode Bell all the way to his first ever Fantasy Football Championship. Bell is such a huge threat in both the running and passing game that it's impossible to contain him. Proof? Look at his playoff run. Nearly 50 points in Round 1, and nearly 30 points in the most important game of the season, the Wane McGarity Bowl. He was big time when it mattered, and was the #1 reason Alex beat Ryan this year. Scary to think what kind of monster stats, Le'Veon Bell with a full season could put up.

TE

Travis Kelce (Rocket Man)

TE Rank: 1

Overall Rank: 61

1st Selection to All Stud Team

85 Receptions, 1,125 Receiving Yards, 4 Receiving TD's, 1 2 PT Conversion, 180.50 Fantasy Points

 

Tight End seemed REALLY BAD this year...case in point, Kelce finished as the #1 Tight End in scoring this year...overall he's ranked 61. Regardless, we've been waiting for Kelce to breakout for a couple years and he just never got the real opportunity...until now. Kelce finally was more involved in the offense and took advantage of the opportunity catching 85 balls and going for over 1,100 receiving yards. The TD's were kind of lacking, but the yardage was there to more than makeup for it. It's a shame injuires stripped away any chance of Eugene making a real playoff run this season. I think a team led by Aaron Rodgers, with a healthy Julio Jones, Melvin Gordon and then having the #1 tight end in the game, Travis Kelce, could've definitely contended with both Ryan and Alex. Just a shame we'll never know what could've been.

Flex

David Johnson (No Soup For You)

RB Rank: 1

Overall Rank: 4

1st Selection to All Stud Team

1,239 Rushing Yards, 16 Rushing TD's, 80 Receptions, 879 Receiving Yards, 4 Receiving TD's, 1 2 PT conversion, 3 Fumbles Lost, 367.80 Fantasy Points

 

You can point all the fingers you want on why Leland's team underachieved so much, but one guy who did his job and more was David Johnson. There's no way he CAN'T make this team, and if this was a general award, and not league specific, David Johnson is hands down the MVP of fantasy football. All the guy did was lead all non QB players in scoring (by a WIDE margin), score 20 TD's and have over 2,000 yards rushing and receiving. It blows my mind that Leland wasn't able to make the playoffs with this guy on his roster, but he did win the Michael Wiley Loser Bowl, which means he gets to pick wherever he wants and get David Johnson some help for next season. The crazy thing about it? David Johnson is a 14th round keeper. Even if he regresses a little bit, there's no risk at all. Leland will be a force next season, and David Johnson will be the centerpiece of that team.

Wane McGarity Stud Of The Year

Ezekiel Elliott (Hoosier Daddy)

  This was tough...really tough..I even thought about going Co-Studs Of The Year, but I'm really not a fan of splitting the award. Bell was beyond amazing this season and when it counted, Bell came though in the clutch big time...but so did Zeke...and Zeke had to do it in the two biggest games of Ryan's fantasy football career. Unfortunately, though Zeke came though in the Wane McGarity Bowl, Ryan still came up less than 5 points short, but he wouldn't have even been that close if hadn't been for Zeke. No, he can blame shitty Thomas Rawls and Kenny Britt for his loss, not Zeke. Overall, Zeke helped Ryan to the 2nd best regular season record in league history, and scored 30 more points than Bell (thanks to Bell's suspension, which also played a part in this decision). It's by the smallest of small margins, but Zeke gets the nod by a hair and is this year's Wane McGarity Stud of The Year.

And now this will officially wrap up Season 7 of the Wane McGarity Bowl! I hope everyone had a great time. It flew by fast and before you know it..it'll be June again and time for Season 8!! Thanks again to everyone for playing, the league only runs, because you guys chose to play and play the right way! See yall next season!

 

 

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. Keepers are excluded from this team

Matt Ryan (Bigger Balls)

Drafted: 8th Round (92nd Overall) by Mayra

# of QB's Kept/Drafted Ahead of Matt Ryan: 12

QB Rank: 2

Overall Rank: 2

4,944 Passing Yards, 38 Passing TD's, 7 Int, 117 Rushing Yards, 2 2 Pt Conversions, 2 Fumbles Lost, 388.96 Fantasy Points

 

In the past, Matt Ryan has always been in that Philip Rivers, Matthew Stafford group of QB's where it FEELS LIKE he has all the upside in the world, but ultimately he disappoints and you can't really win with him. This year he FINALLY broke through fantasy wise. Ryan was terrific all season ,throwing a TD pass in each game he played and helped Mayra secure a #3 seed in the playoffs. He finished as not only the 2nd QB but 2nd overall scorer in the league. Teams like Dad and Matt took two QB's each over Matt Ryan. Hands down he was the best QB steal of the draft.

WR

Michael Thomas (No Soup For You)

Drafted: 10th Round (109th Overall) By Leland

# of WR's Kept/Drafted ahead Of Michael Thomas: 48

WR Rank: 7

Overall Rank: 44

92 Receptions, 1,137 Receiving Yards, 9 Receiving TD's, 2 Fumble Lost, 209.70 Fantasy Points

 

Leland definitely had a disappointing season, considering expectations, but he's good at finding gems late in the draft and that's what he found here in Michael Thomas. He wasn't even the first rookie drafted, Corey Coleman and Sterling Shepard were two rookies drafted before him, also Leland used his first of two back to back late picks on Devin Funchess. Thomas more than exceeded expectations and went over 1,000 yards receiving, scored 9 TD's and finished as the 7th overall receiver this season. Saints receivers are obviously hard to rely on because Drew Brees spreads the ball around, but as a 10th rounder, I think the risk is going to be worth it, and he might be a key piece for Leland as he rebuilds his team to championship form next year.

WR

Michael Crabtree (Hoosier Daddy)

Drafted: 6th Round (71st Overall) By Ryan

# of WR's Kept/Drafted Ahead of Michael Crabtree: 37

WR Rank: 11

Overall Rank: 50

89 Receptions, 1,003 Receiving Yards, 8 Receiving TD's, 1 2 PT Conversion, 194.80 Fantasy Points

 

Crabtree was drafted as Ryan's #3 receiver behind Sammy Watkins and John Brown. He's lucky he did, because both of those guys busted BIG TIME. Ryan survived the bust and finished with the best regular season record of the season in large part to the success of Michael Crabtree. He wasn't even supposed to be the best receiver on his own team, that was supposed to be Amari Cooper. Cooper wasn't too far off from Crabtree's scoring, but Cooper was also a 2nd round pick. Michael Crabtree finished the season as a WR #1 with over 1,000 yards receiving and 8 TD's. Not bad for a guy drafted after 37 receivers were kept or drafted.

WR

Larry Fitzgerald (SCLSU MudDogs)

Drafted: 5th Round (52nd Overall) By Alex

# of WR's Kept/Drafted Ahead of Larry Fitzgerald: 32

WR Rank: 13

Overall Rank: 54

107 Receptions, 1,023 Receiving Yards, 6 Receiving TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 190.30 Fantasy Points

 

Moves like this are why Alex and Ryan made the finals and why Alex ultimately won. Thought the old and washed up, Fitzgerald wasn't even the first OR second receiver taken from the Cardinals. I stupidly took Michael Floyd and Ryan took John Brown before Alex snapped up the "old has been" Fitzgerald. Though he kinda slowed down towards the end of the season, he still had a great season and help push Alex to a playoff berth this season going for over 1,000 yards and catching over 100 balls. He finished 1 spot under a WR1 finish proving that the old man still has a little left in that tank.

RB

Melvin Gordon (Rocket Man)

Drafted: 5th Round (58th Overall) By Eugene

# of RB's Kept/Drafted before Melvin Gordon:  23

RB Rank: 7

Overall Rank: 35

997 Rushing Yards, 10 Rushing TD's, 41 Receptions, 419 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TD's, 2 Fumble Lost, 230.10 Fantasy Points

 

What a turnaround. Last season, Gordon was beyond awful, not even scoring a TD after being a much hyped rookie. This year, Gordon did a complete 180, becoming a complete back in both rushing and receiving and become a legit RB1. It was hard to believe, and I kept doubting him, but he NEVER fell off. Only a season ending injury that cost him pretty much the last 4 games of the season stopped him. No doubt he probably would've been a top 5 back but even with missing 4 games he still finished as the 7th best running back this season. Along with Aaron Rodgers and Julio Jones, Gordon was the main reason why Eugene got his 2nd straight bye. Unfortunately he showed just how valuable he was, because Eugene couldn't even score 60 points with him and Julio Jones out with injuries in the semi finals. I think Eugene has to take a long good look as possibly keeping him, especially in the 5th round.

RB

DeMarco Murray (Shock The Monkey)

Drafted: 4th Round (38th Overall) by Mark

# of RB's Kept/Drafted before DeMarco Murray: 18

RB Rank: 5

Overall Rank: 25

1,287 Rushing Yards, 9 Rushing TD's, 53 Receptions, 377 Receiving Yards, 3 Receiving TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 268.30 Fantasy Points

 

After a BRUTAL year last year in Philadelphia where everyone basically wrote Murray off and credited his initial success in Dallas to their offensive line, Murray was basically given away to the Titans. Even in Tennessee, it was thought that he would be a placeholder for Derrick Henry, the Heisman Winning rookie that the Titans took in the 2nd round of the draft. Well..not so fast. Murray had a career rebirth with the Titans, performing like the Murray from Dallas. Although Mark had a terrible season, it wasn't because of Murray who finished as a top 5 running back for the year. When you're in the elite class of Zeke, Le'Veon Bell, David Johnson, and LeSean McCoy you know you've done well. Not bad for an after thought 4th round pick.

 

TE

Jimmy Graham (SCLSU MudDogs)

Drafted: 11th Round (124th Overall) By Alex

# of TE's Kept/Drafted Ahead of Jimmy Graham: 14

TE Rank: 4

Overall Rank: 84

65 Receptions, 923 Receiving Yards, 6 Receiving TD's, 2 Fumble Lost, 156.80 Fantasy Points

 

Alex has his soft spot for Saints and ex Saints and that's why he took a shot in the 11th round on Jimmy Graham. Graham is a couple years removed from being considering a top elite option like Gronk, and he wasn't even Alex' first Tight End drafted, Alex drafted Delanie Walker a few rounds earlier, but Graham finally put together a nice comeback season, finishing nearly with 1,000 receiving, and finishing as the 4th best Tight End this season. He provided Alex with good depth and Alex even had the luxury of chosing to use two tight ends as Walker was no slouch either finishing as the #5 tight end. This was definitely a gamble that paid off in spades.

 

 RB

LaGarrette Blount (Bay Area Tanners)

Drafted: 8th Round (91st Overall) By Albert; Traded by Albert along with A.J. Green to me for Jordan Matthews and LeSean McCoy

# of RB's Kept/Drafted before LaGarrette Blount: 35

RB Rank: 8

Overall Rank: 36

1,161 Rushing Yards, 18 Rushing TD's, 7 Receptions, 38 Receiving Yards, 1 Fumble Lost, 229.40 Fantasy Points  

 

Because it's the Patriots and no one trusts Bill Belicheck, Blount was really never taken seriously as a legit fantasy RB1, with people assuming that Dion Lewis and James White would eat into Blount's production big time as the season went on, yet at 1,100 rushing yards and 18 TD's later there he is, the 8th best running back of the season. He got stuck on my loser team, but he performed week in and week out. Because you never know with the Pats, Blount will probably get disrespected in drafts yet again next season, but he has proven to be a very reliable back, not only in fantasy, but in real life.

Draft Day Steal Of The Year

Melvin Gordon (Rocket Man)

 

I chose Gordon for a couple reasons. I really believe he'd be a top 5 back this season had he not missed 4 games at the end of the season and two of those 4 games were playoff games for Eugene that Eugene lost, so it just shows how valuable he was to his team. Eugene might's at the very least finished 3rd had Gordon been healthy and played.

 

 

 

 

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

Waiver Wire Pickups are essential in fantasy football. Teams 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. Drafted players who were cut early and then picked back up do qualify for this team.

QB-Believe it or not, no QB qualifies for this award. Everyone's main QB was drafted

WR

Devante Adams (BigBadBob)

75 Receptions, 997 Receiving Yards, 12 Receiving TD's, 1 2 PT Conversion, 1 Fumble Lost, 209.20 Fantasy Points

WR Rank: 8

 Overall Rank: 45

 

Dad might not have gotten a full season worth of him, but he's been a stud on Dad's team ever since Dad picked him off waivers. He went from a 3rd round dud last year to an undrafted stud this year. This was the player Kenny was hoping for last season. Adams had nearly 1,000 yards receiving and 12 TD's and basically has made Randall Cobb an afterthought. Dad might not have had a great season, but picking up Davante Adams on free agents was definitely one of his best moves of the season.

WR

Tyreek Hill (Shock The Monkey)

267 Rushing Yards, 3 Rushing TD's, 61 Receptions, 593 Receiving Yards, 6 receiving TD's, 3 Return TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 186.5 Fantasy Points

WR Rank: 14

Overall Rank: 55

 

Talk about your ultimate do it all player. Because he was buried on Mark's team few paid attention to the amazing season Hill had. With the Chiefs offense sputtering without the likes of Jamaal Charles and Jeremy Maclin most of the season, Hill did a little bit of everything to keep the offense afloat. Kick Returns, Receiving, Rushing, Hill's speed was unmatched by many. It's hard to gauge where Hill will go in next season's drafts, but he had a pretty solid season for an undrafted fantasy player.

WR

Tyrell Williams (Light's Broken Bots)

69 Receptions, 1,059 Receiving Yards, 7 Receiving TD's, 182.4 Fantasy Points

WR Rank: 16

Overall Rank: 58

 

It's a shame that so far, all these successful pickups were made by non playoff teams. These guys could've provided huge boosts to the fringe playoff teams that made the playoffs instead of wasting away their talents for basically nothing. Tyrell Williams basically got his opportunity when Keenan Allen suffered a season ending injury in Week 1. Initially thought to be buried on the depth chart behind Travis Benjamin and Dontrelle Inman, Williams quickly established himself as Philip Rivers' go to guy and finished the season with over 1,000 yards, 7 TD's and a top 20 WR finish. WR was full of disappointments and busts from the name guys and it's guys like Tyrell Williams that help ease the pain for those who drafted poorly at WR.

 RB

Jordan Howard (Channel 4 News Team)

1,313 Rushing Yards, 6 Rushing TD's, 29 Receptions, 298 Receiving Yards, 1 Receiving TD, 1 Fumble Lost, 215.6 Fantasy Points

RB Rank: 10

Overall Rank: 41

 

Oh boy did Albert find a gem here. When Matt Forte left for the Jets and based on last season, it was a no brainer that Jeremy Langford was going to be the man for this team. The Bears curiously drafted Howard, but most felt it was Langford's job and he wouldn't lose it. Well, not only did Langford suck, he got hurt and it gave Jordan Howard a chance to shine and that he did. He had a brief slump and Kadeem Carey took over for a tiny bit, but Howard bounced back quickly and without playing a full season amassed over 1,300 rushing yards and 7 total TD's. He provided Albert the RB depth he needed after losing Doug Martin to injury and trading away LaGarrette Blount. If Albert would've have one a title, Howard would've been a huge reason why. Albert still finished 3rd though and Jordan Howard's play was a big reason why.

RB

Bilal Powell (SCLSU MudDogs)

722 Rushing Yards, 3 Rushing TD's, 58 Receptions, 388 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 168 Fantasy Points

RB Rank: 21

Overall Rank: 72

 

So despite being drafted, Powell gets the exemption because Alex dropped him right away, even before the season opener on September 8th and then I picked up him, dropped him too, and Alex picked him up in Late October and never looked back. Powell's a great back, but playing behind Matt Forte was limiting his touches. When Forte was dealing with nagging injuries though, Powell came up HUGE at the right time for Alex...playoff time. His performance in the 2nd round of the Wane McGarity Bowl Playoffs, helped him dispatch Eugene with ease. If Powell does somehow become the #1 back here, he'd be eligible to kept in the round he was drafted in. Definitely something to think about for next season for our defending champion.

TE

Dennis Pitta (BigBadBob)

86 Receptions, 729 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TD's, 1 Fumble Lost, 125.90 Fantasy Points

TE Rank: 10

Overall Rank: 121

 

I picked Pitta over Cameron Brate, because Pitta was used more overall this season first by me, then in a trade for Brandon Marshall by Dad. Yup...Dad traded for Pitta and gave up Brandon Marshall and WON THE TRADE...that's how awful Marshall was, but also how solid Pitta was. Tight End is a typical suckfest position scoring wise, so the stats might not wow anyone (especially the lack of TD's, Pitta's two TD's came in the same game), but coming off a serious injury, Pitta had a respectable 86 catches for over 700 yards and a Top 10 tight end finish for the season. Not bad for a guy who had guys like Virgil Green and Jordan Cameron picked over him.

Flex

Terrelle Pryor Sr. (Woe Is You)

41 Passing Yards, 77 Receptions, 1007 Receiving Yards, 4 Receiving TD's, 21 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing TD, 1 2 Pt Conversion, 174.94 Fantasy Points

WR Rank: 21

Overall Rank: 69

 

Fantasy wise, one of the coolest stories of the season. Pryor was a failed QB in the pros converted into a Wide Receiver playing for the CLEVELAND BROWNS. Recipe for disaster right? DEAD WRONG. Pryor was super solid, nearly finishing as a top 20 Receiver this season, and going over 1,000 receiving yards for the season. Waiver moves like getting Pryor were the reason that Mike was able to survive season ending injuries to his top two wide receivers and make the playoffs.

Waiver Wire Pickup Of The Year

Jordan Howard (Channel 4 News Team)

 

A top 10 running back that helped solidify Albert as a championship contender, no doubt Howard is the Waiver Wire Pickup Of The Year.

 

 

 

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

Cam Newton (BigBadBob)

QB Rank: 16

Overall Rank: 20

3,272 Passing Yards, 18 Passing TD's, 11 Interceptions, 353 Rushing yards, 5 Rushing TD's, 2 2 Pt Conversions, 2 Fumbles Lost, 269.68 Fantasy Points

Acquired: Keeper for Dad (9th Round)

 

Holy Regression Batman! (Sorry, I've been watching old Batman TV shows with my dad the past couple of days, so it's still in my system ha). The two time Wane McGarity Bowl Stud of The Year (and last year's real life MVP) was supposed to be the cornerstone of Dad's team this year. Best of all, he was a 9th round keeper! A "steal of the century" so to speak. Cam was absolutely DREADFUL this season. Blame the refs, blame the poor O-Line play, blame Cam himself, but Cam's terrible play destroyed Dad's chances at the playoffs and actually helped get Dad the worst regular season record in our league's history at 2-11. Dad kept starting Cam because well...he's Cam! It killed him week after week. Remember with QB's don't look at Overall Rank which is 20. Most QB's will be the highest scoring players in Fantasy. Look at his rank against other QB's. It's 16 and if you adjust it due to Tom Brady's suspension (remember Brady missed 4 games, it's the only reason he's ranked so low) it's really 17 (and a point away from 18th as Andy Dalton is barely below him)There were 16 better QB's than Cam. It means he wasn't even startable in a 12 team league. This would've been even more of a disaster had he been a redraft player, but even as a 9th round keeper, he was awful. From Stud to Dud...just shows how fast someone can rise and fall in fantasy football.

WR

Brandon Marshall (Free Agent)

WR Rank: 47

Overall Rank: 111

59 Receptions, 788 Receiving Yards, 3 Receiving TDs, 126.30 Fantasy Points

Acquired: 1st Round (8th Overall) By Dad. Traded by Dad to me for Dennis Pitta and Jeremy Maclin. Waived By Me.

 

Proof that I don't know everything when it comes to football. I thought Brandon Marshall would be a no brainer 5th round keeper for Alex and I criticized the decision for Alex to not at the very least keep Marshall at such a high round when he decided to start fresh. Well..I'm 11th place and Alex is the champion of our league. With Marshall back in the draft pool, Dad gladly took him 8th overall. PURE GARBAGE. Brandon Marshall being great last season really fooled me, because two years ago when I had him he was as shitty as you can be. Marshall teased everyone that he was "back" last season, but here we are back on the Dud team just like in 2014. Marshall is so bad, he's the first person to make the Dud team THAT'S NOT EVEN ON A ROSTER! I dropped him before Week 16 for a crapshoot guy. That's how bad he was. Totally worthless, never on the same page with Ryan Fitzpatrick, even worse chemistry with Bryce Petty, and generally looked disinterested the whole season, there were 46 better receivers than Marshall. Dad kept starting him because of his "name" and I started him a couple times thinking he'd bounce back before benching and cutting him completely. It's no shock he was on the rosters of two of the worst teams this season. Another reason Dad had such a terrible season and he made my team even worse than it was. Maybe a change of team will revitalize Brandon Marshall's career, but I know me and Dad won't be the ones to take a chance on that happening.

WR

DeAndre Hopkins (Rocket Man)

WR Rank: 39

Overall Rank: 95

71 Receptions, 831 Receiving Yards, 4 Receiving TD's, 142.6 Fantasy Points

Acquired: Keeper For Me (3rd Round). Traded by Me with Devante Parker to Eugene for Jordan Matthews and Jeremy Maclin.

 

The ULTIMATE example of "it's not his fault, it's his QB". Hopkins is an amazing talent, as evidenced by last year (he made the All Stud Team) where he had an AMAZING season. I thought I was getting a hell of a steal in the 3rd round by keeping him. Unfortunately, thanks to being tied to absolutely without a shadow of a doubt the WORST starting QB in the league today (well...not anymore because he got benched) Hopkins regressed big time. It's funny that so far, each selection on this team has been a part of either me, or my dad (or sometimes both). We definitely had shit luck drafting/keeping this year. Brock Osweiler just had no clue how to get the ball to Hopkins and of course it didn't help that defenses would scheme to take Hopkins out of the game. His slow start killed me and I had to trade him out of necessity to Eugene who thought he was maybe buying low. Nope...never happened..in fact when it really mattered, in the semi finals of the playoffs and with Julio Jones out with injury, Eugene still kept Hopkins on his bench because he simply couldn't trust him. For Hopkins sake, I hope the QB situation improves for him, otherwise as long as Osweiler/Savage are there, he'll be wasting away some prime years of his career.

WR

Allen Robinson (THE SPOILER)

WR Rank: 29

Overall Rank: 80

68 Receptions, 801 Receiving Yards, 6 Receiving TD's, 1 2pt Conversion, 152.10 Fantasy Points

Acquired: Keeper For Drew (6th Round)

 

Even his awful end of the year numbers are inflated by a 19 point, 147 yard performance in a week 16 that Drew didn't even play because his season was already over. Make no bones about it, Robinson was flat out AWFUL and that's with a QB TRYING to force feed him all season. Before that 19 point explosion, he had 4 straight games of UNDER 5 POINTS. Drew's last place finish was definitely due to underachievers like Robinson on his roster. Thought to be one of the bigger steals as a 6th round Keeper, Robinson busted beyond belief. Proof that even keepers in late rounds can absolutely destroy your season.

RB

Todd Gurley (Woe Is You)

RB Rank: 19

Overall Rank: 65

845 Rushing Yards, 6 Rushing TD's, 39 Receptions, 290 Receiving Yards, 1 Fumble Lost, 167 Fantasy Points

Acquired: Keeper By Leland (6th Round). Traded by Leland to Me along with Brandon Cooks for A.J. Green and Sammie Coates. Traded by Me along with Tim Hightower to Mike for Eli Manning and Jordan Reed.

 

Even his abysmal numbers look better than they are (a 16 point performance in week 16 that was irrelevant because Mike's season was already done, having lost the 6th place game in Week 15). Leland was supposed to have the biggest advantage of all the teams by being able to keep David Johnson in the 14th round and Todd Gurley in the 6th round. Before the season started, I actually legit wondered if Leland would even get beat this season. Gurley would be even more of a bust had this been a redraft league, because no doubt he goes before guys like Le'Veon Bell, Zeke, hell probably even Beckham and David Johnson, just based on his age and what he did last year. Welp...everyone was DEAD WRONG. Gurley looked like Trent Richardson most of the year. He had 0 100 YARD GAMES!! 0!!! NOT ONE! He wasn't nearly involved in the passing game as expected (BENNY FUCKING CUNNINGHAM WAS TRUSTED MORE). Just a god awful bust of epic proportions who's keeper status is the only thing saving him from becoming one of the bigger busts of all time. I traded for him as a "throw in", he sucked for me and I shipped him to Mike and Gurley didn't do anything for him either. Questions about whether it was him, the offensive line, the QB, the playcalling, were swirling all around. I think it was a combination of all of the above. How do you not make the playoffs with having DAVID JOHNSON on your roster? By pairing him with TODD GURLEY. That shows how bad he was in destroying Leland's team (and to an extant me and Mike's because he sure as hell didn't help us).

RB

Thomas Rawls (Hoosier Daddy)

RB Rank: 57

Overall Rank: 217

335 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD's, 13 Receptions, 96 Receiving Yards, 61.60 Fantasy Points

Acquired: 2nd Round (17th Overall) By Dad. Waived By Dad. Picked up By Ryan.

 

I don't like to pick on injured guys, but he was so bad he ALMOST cost Ryan a trip to the finals and DID  cost Ryan a Fantasy Football championship. Rawls looked AMAZING last season and looked like the real deal in supplanting Marshawn Lynch for the Seahawks starting role after Lynch retired. He looked like a lock as a keeper for Dad. Unfortunately he got hurt during Dad's playoff game and it was injury that lingered longer than most thought. Dad STILL took him in the 2nd round and it was disaster from the get go. He played in two games, scoring only 9.5 points COMBINED before an injury once again forced him to sit out 7 games. In somewhat of a blessing, the Seahawks really didn't find a guy to replace him. They used Christine Michael for a good while and he was decent, but they let him go. They turned to C.J. Prosise who was acutally doing good before HE got hurt. It was the perfect opportunity for Rawls to step back in and reclaim his starting gig. Ryan smartly picked him up before he came back, in hopes that he'd have a legit starting running back in the playoffs. After a couple of mediocre games as he got back into game shape, he teased Ryan with an amazing 24.3 Point performance in the last week of the regular season. Ryan thought he had that key last piece to help secure his first fantasy title. He sucked during Ryan's bye, but Ryan plugged him against Albert in the semi finals and Rawls was GOD AWFUL. Chance after chance to punch in 1 yard TD's and he failed miserably. Ryan luckily survived Albert but in the most important game of entire season, the championship game, he rolled with Rawls again and it was even MORE disastrous as he sucked for a half before getting injured. He finished with less than a point. With a fantasy football championship on the line and $800 and when you lose by under 5 points, getting .8 from one of your starting running backs is a DEATH KNELL. He helped kill one team at the beginning of the season, and he killed another when it matters the most. He more than deserves to be on this team.

TE

Rob Gronkowski (Light's Broken Bots)

TE Rank: 23

Overall Rank: 172

25 Receptions, 540 Receiving Yards, 3 Receiving TD's, 84.5 Fantasy Points

Acquired: 1st Round (1st Overall) By Matt

I get the allure. When he's healthy, he's by far and away the best Tight End in Football and it's not even close. The advantage is enormous. The problem is, he's never healthy and his price is always too high that taking him creates a MAJOR problem when he inevitably gets hurt. Matt was in the perfect position to make a serious title run before the season started. It looked like he was going to have two excellent keepers in Jordy Nelson (10th Round) and Odell Beckham Jr. (2nd Round) PLUS  the #1 pick overall. Could you imagine a Jordy/Odell/Zeke trio?? Or Jordy/Odell/Bell? That could've happened. Instead Matt made two high risk swing for the fences moves in keeping Josh Gordon over Beckham and then using that #1 pick on Gronk. Both didn't come close to working and Matt's season was crushed instantly. Right off the bat Gronk missed 2 games, than came back and scored a whopping 1.6 points COMBINED with a backup QB in 2 games. He had a nice 4 game stretch in which he showed just why he's so dominant before getting hurt yet again, playing one game as a decoy and scoring 0 points and then being put on IR.  He missed 4 games in the regular season, had 2 "decoy" games where he scored 0 , 1 where he scored 1.6 and another where he barely scored 7. It was a season destroying decision to draft Gronk #1. Matt never recovered.

Flex

Alshon Jeffrey (Shock The Monkey)

WR Rank: 52

Overall Rank: 120

51 Receptions, 811 Receiving Yards, 2 Receiving TD's, 118.6 Fantasy Points

Acquired: 2nd Round (14th Overall) By Mark

 

I think Alshon Jeffery's shitty season gets overlooked by many, but I'm sure Mark won't forget it. He blew a 2nd round pick on the guy and he sucked beyond belief. Every possible negative thing that could happen to the guy did except the one thing that most people were worried about when drafting him...INJURY. He NEVER got injured...he just SUCKED. He had 1 TD ALL SEASON WHEN IT MATTERED (not counting his shitty TD in the loser bracket in Week 15) and it didn't matter who the QB was, Cutler/Hoyer/Barkley, they never had good chemistry. On top being a huge failure, he got SUSPENDED for 4 games for PED use. Those are some shitty ass drugs, because they didn't do anything to improve his performance. He's one of the main reasons Mark went from 2nd place finish last year to 10th place finish this year.

Michael Wiley Dud Of The Year

Cam Newton (BigBadBob)

 

Wow...for the first time in history, a player goes from Stud Of The Year to Dud Of The Year. So why Cam? He has no injury (at least not widely known) excuse to fall back on. The expectations for Cam to repeat or come close to what he did last year were HUGE and he failed miserably. When you help lead a team like Dad's to a 2-11 record, there's really no way around it, Cam more than deserves this award. If anyone can turn it around it's Cam, I mean the guy is a two time Stud Of The Year, it just wasn't his year this year and it cost Dad dearly.

 

 

 

 

 

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. To be considered eligible you had to have been a significant player used in our league. First up will be the All-Rookie Team.

QB- As has been a recurring theme each year, there is no QB eligible to make this team. Dak Prescott was used for one spot start for Mayra, so despite having a terrific season, he wasn't too relevant in our league

RB

Ezekiel Elliott (Hoosier Daddy)

1,631 Rushing Yards, 15 Rushing TD's, 32 Receptions, 1 Receiving TD, 1 Fumble Lost, 309.40 Fantasy Points

RB Rank: 2

Overall Rank: 8

Acquired: 1st Round of Draft By Ryan (2nd Overall)

 

It is so rare that a rookie with sooooo much expectations and hype, especially on the fantasy side of things not only lives up to all of it, but exceeds it, but that's exactly what Zeke did all year. It's so risky to take a unknown commodity in the first round of the draft, much less the 2nd pick. There were established guys like Le'Veon Bell, Odell Beckham Jr., A.J. Green still on the board, but Ryan took a swing for the fences and hit a grand slam with Elliott. He finishes our season as the #2 overall running back and #2 overall non QB scorer. The guy is amazing and Ryan has the cornerstone of his team for years to come.

RB

Jordan Howard (Channel 4 News Team)

1,178 Rushing Yards, 6 Rushing TD's,  29 Receptions, 298 Receiving Yards, 1 Receiving TD, 1 Fumble Lost, 202.10 Fantasy Points

RB Rank: 9

Overall Rank: 42

Acquired: Via Waivers By Albert

 

Every season there's that one rookie who comes outta nowhere to take advantage of an opportunity given via injury and ends up dominating and become a fantasy star. This year it was Jordan Howard, who despite not being the main back for the first 3 games of the season, took advantage of a Jeremy Langford injury and never looked back. Howard had a brief two game slump, but quickly bounced back and helped Albert finish his season strong and get a 3rd place finish. Howard ended up being a top 10 back for the season and there's no doubt Albert's got an intriguing keeper prospect on his hands.

WR

Michael Thomas (No Soup For You)

82 Receptions, 981 Receiving Yards, 8 Receiving TD's, 2 Fumbles Lost, 183.10 Fantasy Points

WR Rank: 11

Overall Rank: 51

Acquired: 10th Round of Draft By Leland (109th Overall)

 

Out of what was supposed to be a deeply talented receiver class, the only constant one in the bunch was Michael Thomas (Sterling Shepard had a solid season but he was rarely used in our league). Thomas led all rookies in receiving yards and tied Sterling Shepard in receiving TD's. He was one of the bright spots on Leland's underachieving team and as a 10th round pick, Leland might have found him yet another great talent at a cheap price. Be interesting to see if he's part of Leland's rebuilding plans for next season.

Wane McGarity Bowl Rookie Of The Year

Ezekiel Elliott (Hoosier Daddy)

 

No competition. A once in a generational talent, and this year's no brainer Rookie Of The Year

 

 

The Wane McGarity Bowl Hall Of Fame: Class of 2016

So I thought it would be fun to start a new award honoring greats from the past. This year is the inaugural class of the Wane McGarity Bowl. To be eligible for enshrinement, a player must be retired and must've been relevant in within our league. In other words, this league was established in 2010, so guys like Priest Holmes, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Randy Moss, while Fantasy Royalty in the pass, do not qualify as they didn't have their prime years in our league. Contributors can also be inducted into our hall. This year's class will include 4 inductees, 3 players and 1 contributor. Without further ado..the Class of 2016

Wane McGarity (Contributor)

 

He's the namesake of our league. For those not familiar with the story behind the name of our league, it's actually an inside joke between me and Kenny Bybee from high school. There was a guy who went to our school, Matt Bode, who loved using the term "stud" to describe players. Problem is...he used the term for basically EVERYBODY, and yes one day, at a Card Show, me and Kenny ran into Matt and he was showing off his cards that he bought. He bought a Wane McGarity rookie card and of course uttered the words that would live in infamy.."yeah..Wane McGarity...he's a STUD". It's something we never forgot and when it was time to give this league an official name...that's the first thing that came into my mind. That's why the weekly awards and season ending awards are named "Stud Of The Week/Year". It's only fitting Wane McGarity is the first official inductee into the Wane McGarity Bowl Hall of Fame.

RB Arian Foster

Team Accomplishments: Part of Albert's 2011 Championship Team

Arian Foster's ascent into Fantasy Football stardom started in our inaugural 2010 season, which is when he busted out and became a perennial 1st round pick. For a good stretch of our run, he was one of the top running backs to own and was part of Albert's 2011 Championship Title Run. Foster's career might have been derailed by injuries recently, which caused him to announce his retirement, but there's no doubt when healthy Foster was one of the best running backs to own in our league. He definitely deserves a place in our Fantasy Football Hall Of Fame

WR Calvin Johnson

 

League Awards: 3x Wane McGarity All Stud Team (2011-2013)

Team Accomplishments: 3x Finals Appearances in 2011 (Albert) 2013 (Kenny) and 2015 (Leland)

Member of 2 Championship Teams 2011 (Albert) 2015 (Leland)

How can you NOT include one of the most feared wide receivers to ever play the game. "Megatron" was such a force in our league that it's no coincidence that in the 6 years he was active, he was a part of the championship game 3 times, being a two winning with Albert and Leland. He's the first player to make the Wane McGarity All Stud Team 3 times. He's definitely one of the most dominant receivers to ever play the game and it's a shame injuries cut his career short. A no brainer Fantasy Football Hall of Famer.

QB Peyton Manning

 

League Awards: 1x Wane McGarity All Stud Team (2013)

2x Draft Day Steal Team (2012,2013)

Peyton Manning might have ended his career as more of a game manager, but there's no doubt before his last season, Manning was a super elite QB option in our league. Though he was never on a championship roster, he wasn't the reason his owners wouldn't make the championship game. He was frequently on playoff rosters and made the Wane McGarity All Stud in 2013 and also was on the Draft Day Steal team in both 2012, and 2013, the only player to make that team twice. He'll be a shoo in for the real Hall of Fame, but here, he doesn't have to wait years to get inducted.

And that will complete our inaugural class of Hall of Famers!

 

 

 

Wane McGarity Championship Results: A New Champion Is Crowned

It's funny when people make the title game how initially everyone says they are "just happy to make it" and on it's face value it sounds logical. Making the title game alone guarantees you a cash prize, and in this year's case, you triple your money, so knowing even if you lose you're still going to go home with $300 certainly softens the blow of a loss..that's the mentality for most...until the games start going on. Then, the competitive juices kick in. Every lineup decision is sweated. "Did I play the right guy?" "I hope he doesn't get hurt" "WHY AREN'T THEY USING HIM IN THIS SITUATION?".  You see, money can buy a lot of things, but it can't buy the label "Champion". It's gotta be earned. Not only does it get you an extra $500, which of course isn't a bad incentive to care, but you get that glorious title of "Champion" which to me is priceless. That's why despite the guaranteed loser's purse, those that have lost in the championship round feel like they lost it all and gained nothing sometimes. All that preparation all year, all the smart moves, trades to get the championship only to fall short. Considering how fickle and unpredictable Fantasy Football is, no one ever knows when's the next time you'll be back in this situation. Look at Drew for instance, Finals in 2010 and not even a 2nd round appearance sense. It's been 3 years counting for me, including to shitty finishes of 12th and 11th since I've won the big one. Matt? Two years since he's been in the playoffs. Albert? He made the first three Finals and hasn't been back since. You just never know and you want to make the most of it. You want to seize the opportunity because the journey is hard and difficult. So yes, the losing hurts just as bad..weather you get $300 or nothing...it feels the exact same way. So who came away with the 2016 Wane McGarity Bowl Championship this year? Well...without further ado...

SCLSU MudDogs (10-6)              101.66

Hoosier Daddy (12-3)                    96.76

HO-LEEEEEEEEE CRAPPPPP. WHAT A MATCHUP. Definitely up there with the Matt-Mayra classic from two years ago. I couldn't be more right in my prediction that this was going to be a hard fought and super close matchup and boy was it. So where to begin? Well...let's start from the beginning, which was Saturday early afternoon, when Alex had 3 guys going (Bilal Powell, Julian Edelman, and Delanie Walker) against Ryan's 1 (Greg Olsen). Honestly..it was pretty slow start for Alex and Bilal Powell was very disappointing with only 8.4 points, and Delanie Walker scored a TD (very late into the game, it was really looking like Walker was going to get blanked) but only had 23 yards receiving, and Julian Edelman did OK with 5 catches for 89 yards, but with the Patriots beating the crap out of the Jets, it was a bit disappointing Edelman wasn't the beneficiary of one of the many TD's scored. Luckily for Alex, Greg Olsen didn't do much for Ryan as he had 6 catches for 59 yards. So it was pretty much an early Saturday afternoon wash, and what happened next would end up having MAJOR consequences in the overall finish of this matchup. So, remember in my Playoff Preview when it said a concern on Ryan's was going to be who to chose between Kenny Britt and Steve Smith? Britt's had a remarkable season this year considering the team he plays for and has bailed out Ryan on more than one occasion during the regular season, but Steve Smith..isn't bad either. The fact is though, he really hasn't had a "wow" game since Week 11, and had scored under double digits 3 out of the last 3 games.  Britt, on the other hand had scored double digits in 5 out of the last 7 games and was playing the crappy 49ers defense. Ryan had Steve Smith in his lineup alllllll week before making a crucial lineup change. He decided to go with Britt and subbed him in right before the 3:00 Saturday games. Britt got hurt early in the game, but stayed in...until the 3rd quarter where he aggrevated the shoulder injury he had suffered earlier in the game and he never came back. He finished with 1 catch for 15 yards...a HUGE blow to Ryan's chances at winning. Along with that play, for the 2nd straight week, Thomas Rawls was flat out AWFUL. What a disappointment he ended up being after being thought to be a boast to Ryan's team. He didn't even finish with a point and didn't play the 2nd half as he got hurt with a shoulder injury. It's easy to play armchair quarterback now, but Ryan's other RB options were Tevin Coleman and Jacquizz Rodgers. Coleman had a tough matchup as well against the Panthers, but finished with 19.40 Points, and Jacquizz Rodgers ended up starting for Doug Martin, who was a healthy scratch, and had 14.80 points. Ryan left a TON of points on his bench and naturally the "what if's" start creeping in his mind. It is what it is though and luckily for him, Mark Ingram, who's so unpredictable, had one of his best games of the season with  with 90 yards and 2 TD's. This was HUGE for Ryan, and kept his chances of winning alive after the Britt/Rawls fiasco. Michael Crabtree looked like he was on his way to a nice game, but kind of stalled after catching 7 passes for 90 yards. He briefly left with an injury but he only missed one series, he was just a non factor in the 2nd half so although 12.5 isn't too bad, it could've been a lot better game from him. Despite all this, it's not like Alex's guys were entirely taking advantage of Ryan's misfortune. As bad as Ryan's guys were performing, Alex had an opportunity to blow this game up, but his guys just couldn't take advantage. Drew Brees was pretty disappointing with only 1 TD pass (and it didn't help that Ryan had Mark Ingram, who took two TD's away). Larry Fitzgerald predictably had a bad game against the Seahawks defense, and though Carlos Hyde scored early, he did nothing of note afterwards, and actually ended up getting hurt himself and finished with only 11 points. Tavon Austin added a TD, but the yardage wasn't there and he too had 11 points. At the end of  Saturday, this matchup was still up in the air, as both guys had scoring problems and we were now down to a 3-1 for Sunday/Monday night..with Ryan having Big Ben/Demaryius Thomas on Sunday against Le'Veon Bell for Alex on Sunday. I actually believed at that point, the advantage belonged to Ryan as I felt after all the Saturday plays, and to still have 3 pretty good plays, he was in good shape...of course Alex had Le'veon Bell so it's not like he's a bum or anything. So the Steelers/Ravens game was the first game Christmas Day and at first it was a slow start for both Ben and Bell. Both guys though delivered BIG TIME, and the last two TD's scored by the Steelers had all the drama and intrigue you could ask for. First Ben finally threw his 2nd TD of the game...BUT TO LE'VEON BELL. Man...for Ryan..what a bittersweet moment as he needed the Big Ben points, but because it was too Bell, it not only cancelled it out, but Bell actually netted at least 1.5 points from the TD. Thinking that was it for Ben, Ryan was feeling pretty deflated, but the Steelers ended up marching down the field for a game winning drive, all passing and NONE OF IT TO BELL, before Ben threw a Game Winning TD to Antonio Brown. JUST what Ryan needed. Ben ended up with 279 yards, 3 TD's and a couple picks and 23.06 points, while Le'Veon Bell once again came up CLUTCH with 137 total yards and 2 TD's. Again, the reason why Alex took a gamble on him. He's been a savior this playoff run and he did it ONCE AGAIN. Oh and a sidenote...remember the Steve Smith benching? Because it's fantasy football, Steve Smith went OFF with 79 yards, a TD, and a two point conversion. 19.4 points...a 17.4 difference from Britt. SOOOOO critical and just like Albert from the week before, it just shows you how important lineup decisions are when the stakes are high. This matchup would've basically over had Ryan stayed the course. Despite that miscue Ryan was only 30.5 points with two guys to go, Zeke and Demaryius Thomas. That's basically 16 points a player which with these two guys is entirely doable, especially Zeke and Alex's guys were done playing. If he were to win, 101.66 points would have to do the trick. Unfortunately, the Broncos were TERRIBLE Sunday Night, especially the offense, and Demaryius Thomas was held to 3 catches for 20 yards and 3.5 points. SUCH....A....KILLER. It was all but over for Ryan. All he had was Zeke left. Ezekiel Elliott. His #2 pick who carried him to the championship. Ryan was down 26.6 points. Last Week, Zeke came though with 26.3 points...could he do it AGAIN?? Well, there was worries going into this game that because Dallas had already wrapped up the division, #1 seed and home field so they had nothing to play for really. Although Jason Garrett had promised that the starters would play a full compliment of snaps, it was still a worry that if the game got out of hand either way, the starters would be pulled. So it came down to last night..down 26.6 points..would Zeke be able to do the impossible? Ryan decided to stop by and watch the game here, and he sat in the same place on the couch that he did when he watched the games with us last week! Anything to hope bring back the magic he got against Albert. Right away in the 2nd drive of the game....Zeke scored on a 55 YARD RUN! Just like that BOOM 11.5 points. We officially had a game. Alex was texting me, getting a little nervous and Ryan was at my house nervous as hell. It was insane. We were going to literally come down to the wire. Every Cowboys score was nerve wrecking for both guys. Dak ended up throwing an AMAZING TD pass to Dez Bryant before the half and Zeke didn't do much else at half, but still had over 14 points and was only about another 14 more to clinch the win. In the 2nd half though, again, with over 10 minutes left...ZEKE SCORED AGAIN, this time a 1 yard TD. Things were getting REAL. Unfortunately it also looked like Darren McFadden was getting involved a little more than usual as the game was getting out of hand. The Cowboys had one more drive going in the 3rd, and Zeke was in and they got all the way to the 9 yard line. It looked like it could be Zeke territory and at this time Ryan was down 4.9 points, a TD seals the deal and more than likely this was the last drive for Zeke as the game was a huge blowout. Unfortunately for Ryan (and lucky for Alex) the Cowboys on a trick play on which Dez threw a TD pass the Witten and that basically sealed Ryan's comeback bid. Zeke was done for the night and after a night of dramatics and watching a 26.6 point lead wash away to under 5 points, Alex had survived the comeback and when the clock hit 0:00...it was official...ALEX KRONBERGER HAD BECOME THE 2016 WANE MCGARITY BOWL CHAMPION. WHAT...A...GAME. Wow...just an amazing performance from both teams and the big guns (Zeke and Bell) both came up as big as big can be. What a journey for Alex, who in his 3rd season has made it to the pinnacle of the league. It took a lot of guts to NOT KEEP ANYONE and start fresh and even more guts to take a guy with a 3 game suspension with the 4th overall pick but boy...did it pay off in spades! Not only was Bell was amazing, but when it really mattered, in the playoffs, he MORE THAN CAME UP HUGE and without a shadow of a doubt Le'Veon Bell is this year's Wane McGarity Bowl Championship MVP. The drafting of bell not only rewarded Alex with a championship, but Alex told me in all the years he's played this game, this is his first championship in Fantasy Football! How sweet it is!! You what makes Alex's story great? His team was ultimate proof that you can win a championship and not have the most stacked roster in the league. If anyone was at a theoretical disadvantage it was him. He kept noone, while the rest of us kept 2 players a piece and a lot of us kept great players at high rounds. He didn't let that deter him. He did he had to do, he didn't give up hope, he made smart draft picks, smart waiver wire picks, and played the game and he won. He didn't have a David Johnson 14th round keep, hell he didn't even have the #1 pick of the draft, he started from scratch and built a championship team. His playoff journey was amazing, he beat the #3, #2, and eventually #1 team on his way to a title. What a great job by Alex and this is a well deserved and well EARNED championship. Congratulations man, you earned it!! For Ryan...damn man...it was a hell of a season. Ryan too did a great job drafting, making waiver moves and trades to construct a team that pretty much dominated all season finishing with the 2nd best record in league history. He's got a once in a lifetime talent in Zeke Elliott, and there's no doubt he's keeping him next year. He was able to beat a truly stacked team in Albert to get to the championship and if not for a critical last second lineup change, it would be Ryan hoisting the proverbial trophy. I know finishing 2nd place sucks, especially when Ryan was pretty much 1st all season, but it's still an accomplishment to get to the championship game and it's nothing to hang your head down about. Hell, I was the #1 seed last season and I didn't even place! In fact, that streak continued, as still no #1 seed has ever won it all for 7 straight years. This is the 2nd time a 6th seed has won. So for Ryan, it was still a super successful season and although it hurts to lose, hopefully that $300 in your pocket makes it a little better! All in all, the championship match delivered and puts a final cap on what was another successful (albeit frustrating for me, lol) season. And yes...all my talk about this being the "final year" was just that....talk. I'm not shutting the league down (though I'm not going to lie, I seriously thought about it). I think we have a solid group of teams and I'd hate to break it up just because I'm a super sore loser. I usually vent and get over it..so as long as you don't mind seeing works like dickfuck, shitassfuck, etc from time to time next year, we'll be back next season for year 8 where Alex goes from being the hunter to the HUNTED as he'll look to defend his newly won title. But that's something he can worry about a year from now. For today and into the new year Alex Kronberger is the Reigning and Defending Wane McGarity Bowl Champion. Champion...a title that can be never taken away. Once it's earned..it's earned forever and now Alex is part of that exclusive club.

Wane McGarity Bowl MVP

Le'Veon Bell (SCLSU MudDogs)

122 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD's, 3 Receptions, 15 Receiving Yards, 27.20 Points

 

 Other League News: Albert's really kicking himself for that Ty Montgomery/Doug Martin Fiasco as he would've easily beaten Alex for his 3rd title had they played in the championship round. Instead, he'll have to settled for a 3rd place finish as he easily dispatched Eugene's team who was looking for his 3rd straight 3rd place finish himself. Hey, at least Albert got his money back and this is the 4th time he's placed in our league, which is the most of everyone. Dad's fairy tale run in the consolation bowl came to a screeching halt as Leland absolutely destroyed him and now Leland gets the right to pick where he wants to draft. This could definitely be the key in Leland getting back into the championship picture next year after a super disappointing 2016. And in the super irrelevant 9th place game, Matt beat Mark in one of those "why do my guys have to do awesome when there is nothing to play for" games. 

I'll start posting Year End Awards tomorrow, starting with a new award I came up with...the Wane McGarity Hall Of Fame which highlights players who were big time players in our silly game of make believe. So here are the official final standings of the 2016 season.

Champion-SCLSU MudDogs (Alex)
2nd Place-Hoosier Daddy (Ryan)
3rd Place-Channel 3 News Team (Albert)
4th Place-Rocket Man (Eugene)
5th Place-Bigger Balls (Mayra)
6th Place-Woe Is You (Mike)
7th Place-No Soup For You (Leland)
8th Place-BigBadBob (Dad)
9th Place-Light's Broken Bots (Matt)
10th Place-Shock The Monkey (Mark)
11th Place-Bay Area Tanners (Me)
12th Place-THE SPOILER (Drew)