Roster Overview Part II

Time to look at last year's rosters for each team and make observations on what each team might be looking to do as far as their keeper situation. I'll be doing this in 4 installments of 3 teams apiece. Here's Part II, the last of the playoff teams.

Albert (Channel 4 News Team)

QB- Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers

WR- A.J. Green, Alshon Jeffrey, Steve Smith, Anquan Boldin, Donte Moncrief, Cordarrelle Patterson,

RB- Arian Foster, Frank Gore, Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller, Kerwynn Williams

TE- Greg Olsen

Potential Keepers: Peyton Manning, A.J. Green, Alshon Jeffrey, Arian Foster

Overview: Albert had a very weird team, as his team was very veteran based, but surprisingly highly productive (especially Steve Smith and Anquan Boldin). A tiebreaker loss to Matt is what kept him out of his 4th trip to the Wane McGarity Bowl. Now here's the tricky part. Who exactly does Albert intend to keep. All viable keepers have question marks around them. Because it's now a 5 point per TD pass league, Peyton Manning is an option, though he slowed down at the end of last season and is in a new offense now, and also lost a key receiver in tight end Julius Thomas. Still, everytime we doubt Peyton, he proves us wrong, and there's still some gas left in that 39 year old tank. A.J. Green was disappointing, but he's still considered one of the best young receivers in the game. Alshon Jeffrey is the man now that Brandon Marshall is gone, will he live up to the hype that many had for him last season? Then there's the ultimate high risk, high reward player....Arian Foster. Look, when he's healthy, he's no doubt a BEAST in the fantasy game...he just seems so injury prone all the time. If Foster ever stays healthy for a FULL season, he'd be a contender for #1 RB for sure. We'll find out soon enough what Albert plans on doing. The decision will be tough, no doubt. 

Drew (Sons of The Harpy)

QB- Jay Cutler

WR- Demaryius Thomas, Golden Tate, Kelvin Benjamin, Julian Edelman

RB- Justin Forsett, Adrian Peterson, Rashad Jennings, Andre Ellington, Andre Williams, Doug Martin, Stefan Taylor

TE- Julius Thomas, Kyle Rudolph

Potential Keepers: Adrian Peterson, Demaryius Thomas

Overview: The smartest move Drew could do was hold on to AD, despite what happened last season. Now along with the trade for Demaryius Thomas trade, Drew's the only team where there's no need to guess or speculate who he's keeping, it's those two guys. He made a mild run last year by not giving up too much for RB depth (Forsett and Jennings) but he ran into Matt in the first round. If Peterson can regain his prime form, and Demaryius lives up to his elite status,  those two will be a DANGEROUS combo to build a team around and Drew's going to need that considering he lacks a 3rd round pick, though unlike the others, he didn't entirely gut his team for his run last year.

Alex (Winter Is Over)

QB- Drew Brees

WR- T.Y. Hilton, DeSean Jackson, Percy Harvin, Brandon LaFell, Eddie Royal, Kenny Stills

RB- Eddie Lacy, Marshawn Lynch, Ray Rice, Mark Ingram,LaGarrette Blount

TE- Rob Gronkowski, Delanie Walker

Potential Keepers: Drew Brees, Eddie Lacy, Marshawn Lynch, Rob Gronkowski

Overview: Alex really had a darkhorse of a team last season, and I really believed outside of Eugene, he had the best shot of dethroning Mayra.  He made a key trade for Eddie Lacy, and that along with a solid foundation of Gronk, Brees, Lacy, Lynch, T.Y. Hilton, and DeSean Jackson made this a very scary team to face. Unfortunately, he came up short and now he comes the tricky part. Finding who to keep. Because of his New Orleans roots, Brees seems to be a lock, and with QB's becoming a more valuable commodity this season, you can't really argue with that. The talent though is pretty deep, and you can bet the rest of us are chomping at the bit at Alex's leftover's. Does he go with the proven veteran Lynch who year after year keeps producing, or does he go for the younger Lacy? Or maybe by far the best tight end in the league today? Or does he do the unfathomable and drop Brees for a chance to keep 2 of those guys? It's a decision I don't envy Alex having to make, but still, he should end up with two very solid guys to build his sophomore team around.



 

Roster Overview Part I

Time to look at last year's rosters for each team and make observations on what each team might be looking to do as far as their keeper situation. I'll be doing this in 4 installments of 3 teams apiece.

Matt (Dr. Light's Robots)

QB- Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco

WR- Jordy Nelson, Emmanuel Sanders, Odell Beckham Jr, Sammy Watkins, Andre Johnson

RB-Jamaal Charles, Toby Gerhart, Trent Richardson, Joseph Randle, Knile Davis

TE-Larry Donnell, Jordan Reed

Potential Keepers- Jamaal Charles, Jordy Nelson, Odell Beckham Jr.

Overview: As the defending champion, Matt is relatively unscathed, which in the year of trading draft picks, is very rare. He only gave up a measly 8th rounder for Ben Roethlisberger, so as far as playoff teams go, he's in much better shape than the rest. Outside of Jamaal Charles, Matt's RB's were very weak, yet thanks to the ungodly performance of Odell Beckham Jr, Matt was able to overcome that in route to his championship. WR was obviously Matt's strong suit as Matt had Andre Johnson as bench fodder, showing how deep his receivers were. Keeper wise, it's a no brainer, Charles is coming back to Matt for a 3rd year. It's 2nd keeper that becomes tricky. Beckham was SO dominant, was it a sign of things to come, or will some regression take place? Then there's Jordy Nelson, who carried Matt before Beckham arrived. The Nelson/Beckham question is Matt's biggest one going in to the season. Regardless of who he keeps, it's the solid foundation for a chance at a repeat performance.

Mayra (Bigger Balls)

QB-Andrew Luck, Eli Manning

WR- Dez Bryant, Antonio Brown, Mike Evans, Mike Wallace, Chris Hogan, Larry Fitzgerald,

RB-Le'Veon Bell, Matt Forte, Jerick McKennon, Ahmad Bradshaw

TE-Antonio Gates, Mychal Rivera

Potential Keepers- Andrew Luck, Dez Bryant, Antonio Brown, Mike Evans, Le'Veon Bell, Matt Forte

Overview: Here's the most interesting team of the bunch. Mayra went all in last year, and now it's time to break the team up. I'm pretty sure what Kenny does with that #1 pick will be heavily influenced by Mayra's keeper decision. Mayra has 5 legit 1st round keepers, and even a sneaky 2nd rd prospect in Mike Evans. I'm pretty sure Forte and Evans will be thrown back, but I honestly don't know which 2 of the four Mayra will keep from the rest. Bell WOULD'VE been a no brainer but a looming suspension and lack of a 3rd rd pick might force Mayra to actually throw Bell back in the pool. Combine that with two of the best receivers in the game, and Andrew Luck (with QB scoring going up to 5 pts a TD Pass) and it's a decision that's not going to be easy. Whatever she ends up doing, 2 of these 4 guys will more than make up the lack of a 3rd round pick.

Eugene (Rocket Man)

QB-Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford

WR- Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, Randall Cobb, Jeremy Maclin, Harry Douglas

RB-DeMarco Murray, Lamar Miller, Shane Vereen, Ryan Mathews, James Starks

TE-Martellus Bennett, Jordan Cameron

Potential Keepers: Aaron Rodgers, Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, Randall Cobb, DeMarco Murray

Overview: This is the 2nd most loaded team from last year and just like Mayra, Eugene has some huge decisions to make when it comes to keepers. Those are some prime receivers to have, as all 3 are top 10 at their position. Throw in last year's leading rusher and Aaron Rodgers (remember 5 pt per TD Scoring) and Eugene's decision is not easy in the least. Yes, Murray's not gonna be the workhorse he was in Dallas, but still in that offense, he should still be a fantasy star and elite fantasy back. It seems like Calvin Johnson has been overshadowed by Dez, Antonio Brown, and Odell Beckham Jr as fantasy's best receiver, but let's not act like he all of a sudden sucks now. Julio and Cobb are elite as well, and whoever Eugene decides to drop, will most certainly get swallowed up by the remaining teams not keeping anyone. His decision, like Mayra's, will shape how the draft will end up going.

Draft Lottery Results/Draft Order

 

Just held the draft lottery tonight and as if Kenny didn't already have an advantage over everyone with his 3 3rd rounders, he now picks #1 in the upcoming draft. Picking #1 ensures Kenny he'll have 5 of the top 35 picks of this year's draft. That's a huge advantage. Not too many teams had keeper questions going into the lottery, most were going to start from scratch, but a couple of teams will have to make that decision. Will Leland feel McCoy is worth a #2 pick? How about Dad with Jimmy Graham at #3, or Ryan with Jeremy Hill at #4? It'll be interesting to see if those teams decide to go for the sure thing or gamble for something better that might come along. The season hasn't even started and I'm already pissed off that I'll be picking last in the lottery. Between keepers, and everyone else drafting ahead of me, I won't be looking at first round talent at all more than likely. My only bright spot is Dad picking 3rd in the 3rd round becomes my pick. Here's how the lottery shaped up.

#1 Kenny

#2 Leland

#3 Dad

#4 Ryan

#5 Mark

#6 Me

The rest of the draft is set up by order of final overall finish

#7 Drew

#8 Alex

#9 Albert

#10 Eugene

#11 Mayra

#12 Matt

 The next step is keepers. This should be interesting as most of the playoff teams ended up being pretty damn stacked so some prime talent will no doubt be let go.

It's Time For Year 6 Of The Wane McGarity Bowl!

Season 5 ended on one of the most improbable championship runs we've ever seen, as Matt's solid but average team was able to do the unthinkable and narrowly edge Mayra's undefeated squad, who had destroyed everybody in her path all season en route to the championship game. Last season was the introduction of traded draft picks, and though that was only a 1 year deal (draft picks cannot be traded anymore) it'll be interesting to see the aftermath of those teams who gave up early and hoarded draft picks, and also those who sacrificed the future for a chance at the title. I think for the first time, there are no changes in the participants, everyone from last season it's back. So without further introduction, here are the participants for Year #6 of the Wane McGarity Bowl!

The Players and Teams

The Reigning Wane McGarity Bowl Champion

Matt Gonzales (Dr. Light's Robots)

6th Season
# of Playoff Appearances-3
Previous Season Finishes- 4th in 2010
                                           9th in 2011
                                           4th in 2012
                                           8th in 2013

                                           1st in 2014

Thanks to Odell Beckham Jr's emergence, Matt stunned the world and took home the Wane McGarity Bowl championship by defeating Mayra's heavily favored undefeated team in what was a nail biter championship match that came down to the final player (Emmanuel Sanders) on a Monday Night Game. The good thing about Matt's run is that he also basically kept his draft picks in tact as he only made one trade for a draft pick (an 8th rounder for Ben Roethlisberger) so he won't be depleted like other playoff teams might be. Even with that being said, it's gonna be real difficult to repeat, with the non playoff teams having a draft pick advantage. Still, if Matt ends up keeping Beckham and Jamaal Charles, there's no doubt that's a combination that will keep him in the thick of things and a chance for title #2.

Mayra Lopez (Bigger Balls)
 4th Season
# of Playoff Appearences-2
Previous Season Finishes- 10th in 2012
                                             5th in 2013

                                             2nd in 2014

Well, what was a dream season for Mayra came to a nightmarish end after losing her 1st game in the most important game of the season. Bitter ending aside, it was a very successful year, and thanks to excellent drafting, and also taking advantage of the trading draft pick rule, Mayra built a dream team that destroyed all competition. She broke all kinds of records (which will probably never be broken) and 2nd place isn't all that too shabby. Mayra has a deep roster to chose her keepers from, so despite losing a 3rd and 5th round pick, she should still be very competitive in her quest to climb the mountain and this time win it all this time around.

Eugene Lawrence (Rocket Man)

3rd Season
# of Playoff Appearances-1
Previous Season Finishes- 7th in 2013

                                           3rd in 2014

Though finishing 3rd place is a great accomplishment, it's got to be a disappointment considering the team Eugene built. Eugene traded multiple picks away in order to field a super competitive team and many felt he was the only team that could come close to competing with Mayra. He had his shot, but got destroyed like everyone else and now his 3rd season looks a little murkier than others. By keeping the right players, and smart drafting though, Eugene can still have a shot at fielding a competitive playoff team. 

Albert Rodriguez (Channel 4 News Team)
6th Season
Playoff Appearances-4
Previous Season Finishes- 1st in 2010
                                           1st in 2011
                                           2nd in 2012
                                          12th in 2013

                                           4th in 2014

Albert's run so far has been fairly impressive. 3 straight finals, 2 championships and after a disappointing last place finish in 2013, Albert was as close as one can get in securing a 4th trip to the Wane McGarity Bowl. He ended up tying Matt in the semifinal and lost via a heartbreaking tie breaker. He then lost to Eugene in the 3rd place game and because of a 0 pt Sidney Moncrief performance against Matt, cost him any shot at winning money. Like others who made the playoffs, Albert sacrificed a couple picks to try and win last season, so it'll be interesting to see who he choses to keep and how he drafts.

Alex Kronberger (Winter is Over)

2nd Season

Playoff Appearences-1

Previous Season Finishes- 5th in the 2014

Alex's first season has to be deemed a success as he made the playoffs in his debut season. He fielded a real competitive team, that looked like a real dark horse to make a nice run. Unfortunately, his first round opponent was Eugene, who that week was just to strong to overcome. Again, draft pick trading will affect his season, but he has a multitude of players to chose to keep at his disposal, so no doubt he'll have a strong foundation to build on. 

Andrew Mata (Sons Of The Harpy)
5th Season
Playoff Appearances- 2
Previous Finishes: 2nd in 2010
                              DNP in 2011
                              8th in 2012
                             10th in 2013  

                    6th in 2014

Drew actually benefited from trading a draft pick to secure a keeper in Demaryius Thomas, and though it was kind of obvious he wasn't a frontrunner last season, he only traded one pick away, and with a full season of Adrian Peterson and also Demaryius Thomas, Drew has an intriguing foundation to build on last year's playoff disappointment. Drew actually tanked to avoid Mayra's bracket, but ended losing anyways to Matt. If Peterson comes back in MVP form, this will definitely be a team to reckon with. 
  
Robert Puente (The Bad Robofies)
5th Season
# of Playoff Appearences-3
Previous Finishes- 5th in 2011
                               6th in 2012
                               3rd in 2013

                               9th in 2014
Dad was the only team who traded his 3rd round pick and didn't make the playoffs. After three straight playoff appearances in his first three seasons, Dad's team unfortunately fizzled out at the end of the season. Not having a 3rd round pick hurts, and unfortunately Brandon Marshall not only was a disappointment, but he's even in a worse situation now with the Jets, making him pretty much unkeepable. This will be Dad's toughest test yet, as he'll have a huge mountain to climb to make an impact this season.

Kenny Bybee (Woe Is Me)
6th Season
# of Playoff Appearences-2
Previous Finishes- 5th in 2010
                               6th in 2011
                               7th in 2012
                               2nd in 2013
                               7th in 2014 

After making the Finals in 2013 while also securing the keeper rights to Calvin Johnson, most had Kenny as the heavy favorite to win it all last season, with his dangerous Calvin/Demaryius Thomas combo. Things couldn't have worked out any worse for him. Demaryius's slow start and Calvin's injury cost Kenny early in the season and he was one of the first to punch out early and play for the upcoming season. Once again, he'll be the heavy favorite as he'll have the benefit of a staggering 3 3rd round picks after trading both Calvin and Demaryius away. This could be Kenny's best chance at his first Wane McGarity Bowl Championship.

Hoosier Daddy (Ryan McKinnis)
6th Season
Playoff Appearances-2
Previous Season Finishes- 8th in 2010
                                           3rd in 2011
                                           3rd in 2012
                                          11th in 2013
                                            8th in 2014

I'd have to say Ryan has the 2nd best chance on paper to be a favorite to win it all, as he too decided to cash in on some picks as he traded away Alshon Jeffrey and Eddie Lacy away for an extra 3rd and 4th respectively. After consecutive 3rd place finishes in 2011 and 2012, Ryan's missed the playoffs the last two seasons. This is a chance for him to bounce back in a big way and contend for a championship.


Mark Freeman (Shock The Monkey)
 3rd Season
# of Playoff Appearances-1
Previous Season Finshes- 6th in 2013
                                         10th in 2014

Mark was the first one to cash in and open up the draft pick trade floodgates when he traded his away his only keepable player in Matt Forte to Mayra for a 3rd round pick. The rest of his team was pretty disappointing but that was last season and now Mark gets an extra 3rd round pick to help him have a leg up on a lot of the competition. If he drafts well and uses that 3rd rounder wisely, he'll be one of the favorites to win it all.

Leland Lawrence (No Soup For You)
5th Season
Playoff Appearances-2
Previous Season Finishes- 4th in 2011
                                           1st in 2012
                                           9th in 2013
                                          11th in 2014

It seems like Leland hasn't been able to get out of a funk since winning the whole thing in 2012. The C.J. Spiller pick doomed him in 2013, and last season was just another season of guys who were disappointments. Here's something that'll help Leland though, he acquired a keepable player (thanks to me) in LeSean Mccoy without even giving up a draft pick, and he picked up an extra 6th for Mike Evans. You can never sleep on a former champion, and Leland will look to regain that championship glory this season.

Chris Puente (Kumamon Express)
6th Season
# of Playoff Appearences-3
Previous Finishes-3rd in 2010
                             2nd in 2011
                             9th in 2012
                             1st in 2013
                            12th in 2014

And then there's me. You would've never guessed I was the defending champion after the way my team pathetically played all season. It was the worst season I've ever had by far in any sport. My team underachieved to unimaginable heights. I've been waiting for the new season for a lonnnnnng time, because I played a lot of damn irrelevant football last season. An extra 3rd and 5th will help me along the way, but I have no keepers anymore, so I'll be starting from scratch. All I want is to be competitive, and if history shows anything, I usually bounce back strong after hitting rock bottom. There's no excuse for me to finish dead last again. Here's hoping to rise back up to the cream of the crop.

It should be an exciting and interesting season to say the least. We'll see just how much the draft pick trading really affects teams this year. We also have a couple new rule changes for the season.

Fractional Point Scoring- This is being implemented to avoid ties as much as possible. It had to suck for Albert to miss the finals because of a tie breaker. Fractional points solves this problem

5 Pts per TD Pass- QB scoring as gone up 1 pt per TD Pass as well.

It's crazy to think it's almost here, but the next step will be Draft Lottery!