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

Here it is folks, the last awards given of the season. The Official All-Stud Team. Remember not only do stats count but overall affect on this specific fantasy league. Also I will select the Wayne McGarrity Stud of the Year. Without further ado....

QB-Tom Brady (Channel 4 News Team)

4827 Yards Passing, 34 Passing TD's, 8 INT's

32 Rushing Yards, 4 Rushing TD's

Total Fantasy Points Scored: 337

Overall Rank: 4

 

Brees and Rodgers were better overall, but Brady was more clutch and has been Albert's QB for 3 straight years for a reason. He's helped delivered 2 Fantasy Championships and a 2nd place finish. Over 4800 passing yards, 34 Passing TD's and 4 rushing TD's sprinkled in, plus only 8 interceptions on the season. Just your typical great Brady season. Awesome in both real life and the fantasy game.

WR-Calvin Johnson (Poseidon Angry)

122 Receptions, 1964 Receiving Yards, 5 TD's

Total Fantasy Points Scored: 275

Overall Rank: 18

 

A two time All Stud Team member, could you imagine if he actually scored TD's this season?? Despite only 5 scores, he STILL lead all wide receivers in fantasy scoring and obliterated Jerry Rice's season receiving yardage record. He ended up being really my only consistent player, I just wish he would've found the damn end zone more!!

WR-Brandon Marshall (Channel 4 News Team)

118 receptions, 1508 receiving yards, 11 TD's

Total Fantasy Points Scored: 269 

Overall Rank: 19

   

The trade to the Bears was a blessing for Brandon Marshall. Marshall EXPLODED and reverted back to the Brandon Marshall we all knew from Denver. 1500 yards, double digit TD's, another main reason Albert was this close to a three peat.

WR-A.J. Green (Dr. Wily's Robots)

97 receptions, 1350 receiving yards, 11 TD's

Total Fantasy Points Scored: 242.5

Overall Rank: 27

 

There was a point in the season where people were already saying A.J. Green had passed up Calvin Johnson as the league's #1 receiver. Green's only in his 2nd year but has already entrenched himself amongst the league's elite receivers. Green helped Matt to the league's best regular season record. The scary thing?? He's going to only get better.

RB-Adrian Peterson (Chardee MacDennis)
2097 Rushing Yards, 12 rushing TD's
40 receptions, 217 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
Total Fantasy Points Scored: 317
Overall Rank:1

  
I can't not put him no this team. It's not his fault the rest of Drew's team basically sucked. As a matter fact a case for how valuable of a player he was? Drew benched him week 1, he lost, and would've won if he had played him and Drew would've made the playoffs. One of the greatest if not greatest comebacks in football history. Only a year removed from a torn ACL and Peterson comes back to lead the league in rushing and needed only 9 yards more to become the all time single season rushing leader. AD's back folks, no doubt about it.

RB- Doug Martin (The Twin Killers)
1454 Rushing Yards, 11 rushing TD's
49 receptions, 472 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
Total Points Scored: 272.5
Overall Rank: 7

 This was as close as close gets. Martin and Arian Foster had amazing seasons and only 4.5 points separate the two in scoring, but Martin's play led to a fantasy championship for Leland, not to mention Martin had the highest single game score in league history and also had a 33.5 point performance to boot. Foster kind of stuggled towards the end of the season as well. Martin finished up as the #2 running back in scoring behind Adrian Peterson. I don't think anyone expected the rookie to be THIS impactful, but he was indeed and he's probably a top 5 pick now for sure.

TE-Jason Witten (Hoosier Daddy)
110 receptions, 1039 receiving yards, 3 TD's
Total Points Scored: 170
Overall Rank: 70

If Witten had scored more Touchdown's this would be a no brainer. Now here's a big example of a player's affect on their fantasy team wins out over stats. Jimmy Graham and Tony Gonzalez both scored more points than Witten. Hell, I even gave Gonzo the nod on the All Steal Team even though Witten was a 10th round pick. The reason why I gave the nod to Witten here is he had more of in an impact in our league than Tony Gonzalez.  I also felt like Jimmy Graham was a disappointment considering where he was drafted and he was dealing with nagging injuries all year. Gronk would've probably won this easily had he not missed a huge chunk of the season. Witten though, was very consistent and helped Ryan get the #2 seed in the playoffs. Tony Gonzalez, on the other hand was traded twice, and believe it or not wasn't even played every week! It was very close, but I gave the slight edge to Witten based on those factors

and the Wane McGarrity Stud of The Year Award goes to...

ADRIAN PETERSON

Yes he played on a losing team, but I just simply can't ignore the season he had. It was amazing and one of a kind. It's enough to overwrite being in a non playoff team.

That will officially wrap up the 2012 Wane McGarity Bowl. Hope everyone had a great time and we'll see everyone next season for Year #4!

Year End Awards: All Steal Team

I'm combining two awards this year, as I don't think there were enough waiver wire pickups to make a team, so it's consolidated into the All Steal Team. This team is comprised of guys who outperformed their draft slot or weren't even drafted altogether and provided major value. Here is the 2012 All Steal Team

QB- Peyton Manning (Hoosier Daddy)

Drafted: 7th Round (70th Overall)

# of QB's Drafted Ahead of Manning: 9

QB Rank: 6

Overall Rank: 8

A case could have been made for RGIII who I drafted as my backup in the 10th round but A) He didn't get enough run as a fantasy starter in our league (between sitting on my bench for a couple of weeks and injuries, he didn't play the entire season) and Kenny didn't make the playoffs even with his play. Ryan's team was really weird, but the one  constant was Peyton Manning. Ironically, Ryan autodrafted him last year and had to roll with Cam Newton because he missed the entire season with a neck injury. Ryan's QB wins this award two years in a row. No one wanted to touch Peyton. He was the 10th QB taken, which means all of us drafted a starting QB before Ryan had to get "stuck" with him. He surpassed all expectation and was the big reason Ryan got a bye and inevitably placed 3rd for the 2nd straight year.

WR-Reggie Wayne (Hoosier Daddy)

Drafted: 8th Round (72nd Overall)

# of WR Drafted Ahead of Wayne: 30

WR Rank: 15

Overall Rank:52

 

After a down year without Peyton Manning, I think a lot of people thought Wayne's career was basically over. 30...yes 30 receivers were taken before I decided to take a shot at him in the 8th round.  He was Andrew Luck's go to guy and the results couldn't have been better. I ended up trading to Ryan and he became Ryan's most consistent receiver. Not bad at all for a "washed up old man".

WR-Mike Williams (Dr. Wily's Robots)

Drafted:13th round (123rd Overall)

# of WR Drafted Ahead of Williams: 40

WR Rank:18

Overall Rank: 61

 

When Matt lost Hakeem Nicks to injury, I thought he was screwed. I mean Mike Williams as his only legit backup? What a joke! He was a big bust last year, and he was a 13th round pick this season. Of course it worked out for Matt. Mike Williams was not just more than adequate fill in he was WAY BETTER than Hakeem Nicks. He finished as top 20 receiver and helped Matt not skip a beat to a regular season title.

WR-Randall Cobb (The Bad Robofies)

Drafted:13th Round (124th Overall)

# of WR's Drafted Ahead of Cobb:41

WR Rank:17

Overall Rank: 56

   

Wow what a 13th round. Cobb was drafted right after Williams, but Kenny waived him really fast. My Dad ended snatching him up and he was a flat out stud all season. My Dad's combo of Wes Welker, Randall Cobb, and Vincent Jackson definitely helped dad hide his weak RB Combo and got him into the playoffs for the 2nd straight year. 41 receivers were drafted ahead of Cobb! Just goes to show that you just never know where the next stud of is going to come from.

RB-Adrian Peterson (Chardee MacDennis)

Drafted: 3rd Round (26th Overall)

# of RB's Drafted Ahead of Peterson: 12

RB Rank: 1

Overall Rank:1

 

I know being a 3rd round pick isn't really necessarily a steal, but in this case it is. When you get the #1 overall ranked player in fantasy football in the mid 3rd round, it's as big as a steal as you're going to get. Can you please Steven Jackson, MJD, and Ryan Mathews were drafted over him? It was a record season for AD, only needing 9 yards to beat Eric Dickerson's all time rushing record. Not to mention the fact that he was coming off a torn ACL last season. It's a shame the rest of Drew's team underperformed and Peterson's efforts were not enough in our league. But he did way beyond his part and deserves to still be on this All Steal Team.

RB-Doug Martin (The Twin Killers)

Drafted: 4th Round (39th Overall)

# of RB's Drafted ahead of Martin in the 4th round alone:4

RB Rank:2

Overall Rank:7

 

Martin wasn't even the 1st running back taken in the 4th round, or 2nd, 3rd or 4th..he was the 5th! Darren Sproles, Fred Jackson, Trent Richardson (honorable mention for steal of the draft), and Michael Turner were all drafted before Leland took a shot at the end of the 4th round. Wanna know why Leland's a champion? Doug Martin had a lot to do with it, including a fantasy league high 53 point performance. He finished 2nd only to AD, and overall was the 7th best player in the fantasy game. You're definitely looking at a top 3 pick in next year fantasy's draft.

TE- Tony Gonzalez (Breaking Bybee)

Drafted: 9th Round (81st overall)

# of TE Drafted Ahead of Gonzalez: 8

TE Rank: 3

Overall Rank: 57

   

Honorable mention goes to Jason Witten who went at the end of round 10 and finished as the 5th best Tight End. Who would've thought that Tony Gonzalez could put up yet another Pro Bowl Caliber season in what looks like to be his last season of his Hall of Fame career? Obviously, not too many people as he was the 9th Tight End taken and wasn't drafted until the beginning of the 9th round. Tight End was such a clusterfuck of a position that having someone as consistent as Gonzo would give a team a major advantage. I kick myself for trading him to Kenny instead of fucking shitty ass Gates. If it is indeed his last season, what a way to go out.

Year End Awards: Michael Wiley All Dud Team and 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 effected the team that had them. Here's the Michael Wiley All Dud Team.

QB-Eli Manning (Poseidon Angry)

QB Rank: 14

Overall Rank: 31

Acquired: Drafted 6th Round (59th overall); Traded to me along with Victor Cruz and Fred Davis for Matt Ryan, Jordy Nelson, and Andrew Hawkins

 How's this for irony? Last year, Eli made the all Draft Day Steal team as an 11th round pick finished as the 6th best QB of the season. This year....BRUTAL. He SANK MY SEASON. I believed I played him in 3 games where he didn't throw a TD pass. He regressed big time, and as the 8th QB taken (ahead of brother Peyton, RGIII, Andrew Luck, and others) there was no excuse with that offense that he should have finished outside the top 10. I traded away Matt Ryan for him thinking there wasn't much separation between the two. BOY WAS I WRONG. Michael Vick was a candidate here too but honestly, his stats look better in fantasy than in real life.

WR-Larry Fitzgerald (Hoosier Daddy)

WR Rank: 43

Overall Rank: 119

Acquired: Drafted 2nd Round (11th Overall)

 

The ultimate it's not the player but the situation kind of bust. Fitzgerald is an amazing talent, but good lord he plays with the WORST group of quarterbacks I've ever seen. He was the 2nd receiver taken in the draft as Ryan thought his talent would be able to override the horrible shit he dealt with. NOPE. Guys who finished with more points? Brian Hartline, Danario Alexander, Josh Gordon,hell Fitzgerald wasn't even the best receiver ON HIS OWN TEAM. It was ANDRE ROBERTS! The thing is, Ryan felt the need to keep plugging him week after week cause well it's Larry Fitzgerald! It never worked. I'm one of those who doesn't feel sorry for Fitzgerald, he signed a fat ass contract to stick around with the Cards, he knew the QB situation. It's just a shame all that talent is going to waste.

WR-Hakeem Nicks (Dr. Wily's Robots)

WR Rank: 54

Overall Rank: 157

Acquired: Drafted 4th Round (38th overall)

 

When Chris Givens and Greg Little are ranked higher than you, you know you've had a shit season. Was he ever really healthy all season? Probably not, but when he was out there, outside of a couple of games, he did nothing of note. Matt's backup, Tampa Bay's Mike Williams, ended up being a way better receiver to use. The constant will he or won't he play question that had to be answered every week was very frustrating for Matt.  Definitely wasn't worth the trouble of a fourth round pick.

WR-Victor Cruz (Poseidon Angry)

WR Rank: 13

Overall Rank: 48

Acquired: Drafted in the 3rd Round (22nd Overall) by Leland. Traded to Me along with Eli Manning and Fred Davis for Matt Ryan, Jordy Nelson, and Andrew Hawkins

 

Hear me out, before you look at the 1000+ Yards and 10 TD's. Victor Cruz is OVERRATED. BIG TIME. He was the 3rd receiver taken, and the 22nd overall player taken, yet he finished outside the top 10. He had a couple of insane games, which is why his stats look good. Look at weeks 8-16. 5 games under 40 yards (5!!! For an "elite receiver")  and only 2 touchdowns in that span. Another reason I fucking sucked, because he was a piece of shit when it mattered. He is NOT ELITE...PERIOD. 

RB-Darren McFadden (Chardee MacDennis)

RB Rank: 28

Overall Rank: 107

Acquired: Drafted in the 1st Round (6th overall)

 

Drew hit a BIG TIME home run with Adrian Peterson in the 3rd round. But he paid the price in the 1st round by taking Darren McFadden. Even when he was healthy he was horrible. He seemed not to understand the Raiders offense and then of course he inevitably got hurt. If Drew pairs Peterson with ANY other RB, he might have made the playoffs, but wasting a 1st rd pick on McFadden helped seal Drew's fate.

RB-Ryan Mathews (Bigger Balls)

RB Rank: 30

Overall Rank: 127

Acquired: Drafted in 2nd Round (16th overall)

 

I will NEVER understand why fantasy experts everywhere keep sucking this guy's cock. HE FUCKING SUCKS. I should know, three years ago, I DRAFTED HIM 8TH OVERALL AS A ROOKIE. He was a shitty bust then, he's a shitty bust now, and he'll be a shitty bust FOREVER. Yet, fantasy experts REFUSE to acknowledge his shittiness and he'll probably be pimped again as a "bounce back candidate". He loses carries to RONNIE BROWN AND JACKIE BATTLE. Gimmie a break. You know how many TD's he scored this year? 1. Yes, 1. And of course he's brittle as fuck. He started the year hurt, and ended the year hurt. He's a joke period, and this place on this team is well deserved.

TE-Antonio Gates (Poseidon Angry)

 TE Rank:12

Overall Rank: 101

Acquired: 4th round (48th overall)

Like I said, you have to look at everything around the player on why he makes this team. Was Vernon Davis worse? Yup, big time, but the depth on Matt's team covered it. Same with Jermichael Finley, he sucked big time, way worse than Gates, but Dad trucked along and both Matt and Dad made the playoffs. Antonio Gates was A BIG REASON I lost week after week. Supposedly he looked "great" in the preseason and was healthy as ever, but once on the field, he was slow, old and shitty. He had one memorable Denver game and that's it. The stupid thing about it was I kept having FAITH, he would sort it out and be elite. I even stupidly had both Gates and Gonzalez on my team and traded away GONZALEZ out of the two! He fucked me when I played him, fucked me when I didn't. He's beyond done,and has LITTLE TO NO UPSIDE next season.

It's no coincidence I own 3 of the 7 on this list. I was 9th for a reason ya know.

Michael Wiley Dud of The Year
Darren McFadden

At the end of the day, though my guys were bad, Cruz was the highest pick in the 3rd round. Ryan still not only made the playoffs but got a fucking bye WITH Fitz on his team the whole year, and Ryan Mathews was close to getting this as Mayra finished dead last, but when you're one of the main reasons that a team with Adrian F'N Peterson DOES NOT make the playoffs, you're basically a shoe in for this award.

Year End Awards: All Rookie Team and 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 Russell Wilson had a great rookie season, but since he was never used as a consistent fantasy player in our league, 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.

QB

Robert Griffin III (Breaking Bybee)

QB Rank: 5

Overall Rank: 6

Acquired: Via Trade with Me (Originally drafted in the 10th round, 93rd overall)

 

Griffin was originally drafted as my backup QB. In fact Dad, took Philip Rivers ahead of him, giving me the chance to stash RGIII in the 10th round. Matt Ryan was on fire as well so I really had no use for Griffin so I traded him to Kenny in a package deal for Gronk. Kenny ended up using him as is primary QB, and though Kenny ultimately didn't make the playoffs, it's got nothing to do with Griffin's outstanding play. Griffin was the only rookie QB who got constant PT in our league (I started Andrew Luck for 3 or 4 games, but he was very mediocre when I did).

WR

T.Y. Hilton (The Twin Killers)

WR Rank:  23

Overall Rank: 74

Acquired: Via Free Agency

 

This rookie receiving class was so weak, Hilton is the only receiver that makes the team. When injuries hurt Leland's team, Leland turned to Hilton and he paid off big time. Hilton proved to be more than valuable and helped Leland in his fantasy football championship win. No other rookie receiver made a significant impact besides Hilton.

RB 

Doug Martin (The Twin Killers)

RB Rank: 2

Overall Rank: 7

Acquired: 4th Round (39th Overall)

 

Most believed Doug Martin would make an immediate impact in fantasy football, but the 2nd best running back in the game? Didn't see that one coming at all. His 53 point performance is a Wane McGarity Bowl Season Record and again he was another reason why Leland won this year's coveted title. You can kiss any chances of him being a 4th round pick goodbye, he's solidified himself as probably a top 5 pick next season.

RB

Trent Richardson (Channel 4 News Team)

RB Rank: 9

Overall Rank: 25

Acquired: 4th Round (34th Overall)

 

 Trent Richardson made me look like a dumbass (admittedly not hard) because I honestly did not buy into the hype. I thought because of the division they play in, him being basically their only offensive weapon, and a knee injury, that he would be a big time bust. Nope, none of that happened. Richardson had a great Rookie Campaign. Double digit TD's and close to 1,000 yards rushing on a team that yep did not have anything close to a weapon on offense besides himself. Another 4th round steal, Richardson finished as a top 10 RB, and a top 25 overall player and it's not a coincidence that the two All Rookie Selections represented both teams in the Wane McGarrity Bowl Finals. Admittedly though, Richardson kinda got in by default, because Alfred Morris had a better season, but Matt really never used him (he had Marshawn Lynch and Arian Foster, so it's understandable) so he didn't qualify for this award.

Once again, there was no Tight End that qualified for All Rookie Status.

Wane McGarity Bowl Rookie of The Year

Doug Martin-RB

 

To the victor goes the spoils. Leland used Doug Martin basically all season and won the fantasy championship because of his contributions. That was enough to narrowly edge out RGIII for Fantasy Rookie of The Year honors.

And Your 2012 Wane McGarity Bowl Champion is....

The Twin Killers                   126.50

Channel 4 News Team          118.00

All I can say is wow, when these two teams get together, anything can happen. It was a hard fought contest but at the end of the day Leland and his Twin Killers unseated the two time Wane McGarity Bowl Champion Albert by a mere 8.5 points to capture the fantasy gold. Leland got a great start by Matt Ryan who came up HUGE with 279 passing yards and 4 passing TD's, one of those to Julio Jones who Leland also played. Like I said in my preview, the key was for Leland to take the Running Back category and he did, outscoring Albert 32.5-19. He also didn't lose the WR battle that bad, even though Demaryius Thomas and Brandon Marshall were studs again with 20.5 and 15 points respectively. Torrey Smith came up big as well for Leland with a TD and 16.5 points. Outside of running back play killing Albert, Tom Brady just couldn't take advantage of a real great matchup against Jacksonville. He finished with a respectable but average 16 points. Jimmy Graham actually got double digits while Marty B sucked cause the Giants offense sucked as a whole. Albert had one last ditch effort to steal the victory. He was down 25.5 points with Seattle's Defense to go. Seattle started on our fire and even had a block field goal and a TD off it. Albert got as close as 6.5 points but a garbage time 49ers TD sealed the deal. All in all a great dramatic final to close out the 2012 season. Albert can't be THAT disappointed, I mean he's finished 1st, 1st, 2nd, in three years. It's his first playoff loss and Leland is 3-0 all time against him. Without further ado, the Wane McGarrity Bowl MVP is....

Wane McGarrity Bowl MVP

Matt Ryan (The Twin Killers)

279 Passing Yards, 4 Passing TD's, 25 rushing yards, 29 points

   

Was there any doubt? He lead Leland's team in scoring, set the tempo of the game and proved why it was worth trading for him. Congrats Matt!

Other League Notes: Man what a downer end to Matt's season. He got DESTROYED by Ryan's team Arian Foster got hurt, Hakeem Nicks got 0 and Ryan scored 138 points led by Reggie Bush and his 30 points to win 3rd place for the 2nd consecutive year in a row. Matt becomes the first #1 or #2 seed to not place at least 3rd. Kenny destroyed Drew for the Michael Wiley Loser Bowl Championship. Kenny HAS to be frustrated as hell because these last 3 weeks, Kenny's team has been pretty damn good. The waited to long to peak. And on the best note of the week, YOURS TRULY is NOT LAST PLACE!!! Despite another week of my team sucking cock outside of Calvin Johnson, I managed to beat Mayra and keep a smidge of pride by finishing 9th out of 10. How do you like dem apples Mayra!!! That'll wrap up another crazy, unpredictable season of the Wane McGarity Bowl. Throughout the next couple of weeks I'll post the postseason awards. Thanks for everyone who played. I really hoped you had fun and hope to see all of you next year!

The Wane McGarrity Bowl Championship Preview

   

It started with 10 teams then was cut down to 6 then to 4 and now only 2 remain for the most prestigious Fantasy Football Championship there is...the ever elusive WANE MCGARITY BOWL! This year's matchup features the two time champion Albert Rodriguez and his Channel 4 News Team taking on Leland Lawrence's Twin Killers. Let's take a look at the Tale of The Tape.

Channel 4 News Team

vs

The Twin Killers

Albert Rodriguez Channel 4 News Team

4th Seed (7-6)

Two Time Defending Champion

How He Got Here: The same way he always does. He wins just enough games to make the playoffs and then rides Tom Brady all the way to the championship. After week 8, Albert was actually 3-5 in the midst of a 3 game losing streak. He then proceed to win four out of his last five to secure the #4 spot in the fantasy playoffs. The only difference in his journey this season is that Albert made no trades this time around depending mostly on his own draft picks and a couple of waiver wire pick ups to lead the way. He's an amazing 7-0 in the playoffs, having never lost in the Pay League Era. He's also our only champion having won the Ken-Yon Rambo Division and beating Drew in the finals in 2010 by only 8 points and then as a 6th seed last year he beat the #1, #2, #3 seeds in route to a blowout win against me in the finals.  As the 4th seed this year, he barely got past Dad, lead by Tom Brady and a unbelievable 41 point defensive performance by the Seahawks. He then beat the #1 Seed and overall favorite Matt, by 18 points though it was closer than the score indicates. He'll now do his best to remain our only champion and become a 3 time Wane McGarity Bowl Champion.

Key Drafted Players

Tom Brady (1st Round)- Brady's been Albert's QB 3 years in a row, but this was the first time Albert actually drafted him. He was having an okish season but when it mattered, Tom Brady has come up HUGE in the fantasy playoffs, justifying being the 7th overall QB.

Brandon Marshall (3rd Round)- Man has Marshall been a stud. Going to the Bears and reuniting with Jay Cutler was a blessing. Marshall has had monster game after monster game and as a 3rd round pick was definitely one of the biggest values of the fantasy season.

Trent Richardson (4th Round)- Read my draft recap. Even in the 4th round I HATED this pick. I couldn't be more wrong. Richardson became a legit top fantasy back as a rookie and was another home run pick by Albert. I stupidly took Fred Jackson over him and Darren Sproles and Michael Turner were also drafted before Richardson. Getting an RB1 this late is a huge advantage. One of many reasons Albert's here in the title game.

Demaryius Thomas (5th Round) Seriously, I said Albert had the worst draft on paper?!  He killed the middle rounds grabbing basically two legit WR #1's and RB #2 in rounds 3-5. Great job here. Thomas would be an awesome #1 on any team but as a #2? Man, just lethal. Albert will not be able to replicate this team again, that's for sure.

Key Waiver Wire Pickups

Seattle Defense- What else can you say about it. One of the most consistent defenses out there and ironically Leland dropped them.

Mikel LeShoure- When Willis McGahee went down, Albert picked up LeShoure who has been more than serviceable as a RB #2. 

Lance Moore- He's up and down, but he's found his way into the starting lineup against a overrated drafted Dwayne Bowe.

Season Setbacks

The Willis McGahee Injury- McGahee was a more than serviceable #2 Running Back but his season ending injury threw a wrench in to Albert's running back plans. He's had to go with Mikel Leshoure who is maddening inconsistent and went with David Wilson last week who didn't do much. That wild card #2 RB slot is definitely one of the few weaknesses on Albert's team.

Underperforming Jimmy Graham- If there was one high draft pick that really didn't pan out it's Graham. Picked 14th overall, Graham just hasn't lived up the expectations based on last season's breakout season. He's been hurt as well. You start him every week hoping for the best, but for the most part, Albert's been disappointed with his play.

Season Highlights

102.5 Point Blowout Win Against Ryan in Week 2- 156.5-54, the biggest beat down in league history and one that I think will stand for a long long time.

57.5 point win against Drew in Week 4- Two weeks later, Albert obliterates Drew by almost 58 points.

Season Lowlights

105-71 loss to Mike Posey in Week 3. Bad, bad loss to a weaker team. Scoring from the previous was cut in half.

168-147.5 loss to Leland in Week- How bout this? Albert scores 147.5 points and gets BLOWN OUT because Leland scores the most points in league history. How fitting that this ended up being a finals preview

Record Setting Performances

Biggest Blowout All Time (102.5 points)

Largest Margin of Victory 2012 Season (33.83)

Biggest Defensive Performance All Time (Seattle Seahawks-41 points)

Most Receiving Yards In A Week 2012 Season (505 yards, Week 4)

Most Field Goals in a Week 2012 Season (5, Week 1)

   

  

Leland Lawrence The Twin Killers 

3rd Seed (7-5-1)

Last Season: Lost in the Final Four to Me

 How He Got Here: Ah Yes the man of mystery. "The Internet Guy" known fondly in our fantasy circles. When we expanded the league to 10 teams last season, I sent out an invite to anyone interested in the Blowout Cards Message Board Forum. Leland answered the call. He was the wild card, how would he do, how would he play the game? Questions that were quickly answered as Leland not only made the playoffs but won a playoff game against Kenny and lost to me in the 2nd round by only 3 points. He wasn't able to place last season, losing to Ryan in the 3rd place game, but the man of mystery was a mystery no more. He knew how to play the game. I invited back this year for another round and off the bat lady luck smiled on him with the #2 pick which he used on Ray Rice for the 2nd straight season. He would then trade him to me just like last season. Leland ended up making a couple of big blockbuster trades with me, trading me Ray Rice, and Eric Decker for C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson, and Rob Gronkowski. He also traded me Eli Manning, Victor Cruz and Fred Davis for Matt Ryan, Jordy Nelson, and Andrew Hawkins. Those were huge trades as C.J. Spiller and Matt Ryan are huge reasons Leland is in the finals and he made it with Gronk and Jordy Nelson missing a huge chunk of games with various injuries. The emergence of rookie running back Doug Martin also is a big reason Leland made it this far. Leland didn't start the season to hot he was 2-3 after 5 weeks, but then proceeded to win 4 in a row, and went 5-2-1 to finish the season. He lucked out and drew Mike Posey in the 1st round and easily defeated him then took on the weaker of the two bye teams in Ryan, and in a thriller beat Ryan by 7.5 points. He beat Albert earlier in the season by scoring a league high 168 points in a shootout win and now he looks to do the same on a much bigger stage.

Key Drafted Players

Julio Jones (2nd Round)- Not going to lie, it's been a roller coaster with Julio, with his bizarre road/home splits, and also minor injuries, but overall you're looking at a top 6 wide receiver despite all of this, and his play was crucial in advancing to the championship game.

Doug Martin (4th Round)- A gamble that paid off BIG TIME. Martin was the 18th running back at the back end of the 4th round. He's the 3rd ranked running back behind only Adrian Peterson and Arian Foster. He exploded with a 53 point game earlier in the season and has been very solid all year.

Key Transactions/Waiver Moves
Trading for C.J. Spiller and Gronk- The first major trade of the season. I was growing impatient with the injuries to my running back situation and knowing that when Fred Jackson came back he was going to split carries with C.J. Spiller no matter HOW badass Spiller is made throw up a huge blockbuster deal early in the season that basically gave Leland, Gronk and Spiller for Ray Rice and Eric Decker. Gronk was a force to be reckon with when healthy, and despite injuries and a timeshare Spiller is still a top 10 back and Fred Jackson's injury could't come at a better time (that sounds bad) as Spiller has the backfield basically all to himself.

Trading for Matt Ryan and Jordy Nelson- Another panic move as I didn't buy Matt Ryan's fast start and decided to "upgrade" at receiver for Victor Cruz and I thought Eli Manning would be almost just as good as Matt Ryan. WRONG. Though he fell off a little bit, he is still a top 6 QB and his playoff performance last week was crucial. Eli on the other hand is downright terrible. He's the 18th ranked QB and fantasy and real life has bombed big time. When healthy Jordy's been a beast. He just hasn't been healthy all season. If Leland had his full healthy team with Gronk and Jordy, I think he would've run away with the title. To make it this far without them shows the quality of the rest of his team. As for Victor Cruz, he came back to earth big time. He hasn't been bad, but he surely was too much of an upgrade over Jordy Nelson.

Picking Up T.Y. Hilton- This was a nice under the radar move for Leland. You could go as far as to say Hilton is Leland's #2 with Jordy Nelson out. He's been more than a capable backup also contributing to last week's narrow win against Ryan.

Season Setbacks

Injuries, Injuries, Injuries- If there's one thing that has plagued Leland is injuries to key players. Jordy Nelson and Gronk have both missed extended periods of time. Those are two big time losses, especially Gronk who is hands down the best Tight End in fantasy football. Imagine Leland's team with these two fully healthy....scary thought. 

Season Highlights 

The "All Giants" Game vs Me in Week 3- I'd never seen it before. 4 position players in the same fantasy matchup. Leland used Eli Manning, Victor Cruz, Andre Brown, and Martellus Bennett against me on a Thursday night when they played the Panthers and what was a big time risk turned to a big time reward. Thanks to the play of those 4 more specifically Andre Brown, Leland nudged out a 9 point win against me. One of the best tactical moves made of the season.

The Shootout Win vs Albert in Week 8- This wasn't even the  Doug Martin 53 point game. Leland's guys went straight up OFF in this week. Gronk-30 points, Matt Ryan-23, Julio-20.5, Doug Martin-33.5, Giants D-22. The best team scoring performance in league history. Oh and not to mention, Albert scored 147.5 points himself, so they combined for the highest combined score in league history. This is our finals folks.

Season Lowlights

Week 4 and 5 Blowout Losses to Kenny and Matt- This was early in the season but man losing by 41 points in back to back weeks. That's badddddd.

The Infamous Tie Game in Week 12- In retrospect it obviously doesn't matter, but at the time this was huge for Leland as well. Leland was still in contention for the #1 seed and a win would keep in the running. Instead I erase a 28 point lead with Bryce Brown and we end tying which did no good for me but gave Leland hope for that 2nd bye until......

Loss To Kenny in Week 13- Again, now it doesn't matter cause Ryan's playing for 3rd. while Leland's in the Championship, but at the time if Leland would've beaten Kenny, and Ryan lost, he would've gotten the #2 seed and a bye. Instead, Kenny blows him out and even though Ryan did lose, he kept the bye.

Record Setting Performances
Highest Score in League History (168 points, week 8)
Highest Individual Score in League History (Doug Martin, 53 points, week 9)


Matchup Stats
All Time: Leland leads Series 2-0
Last Matchup: Leland Beat Albert 168-147.5 in Week 8

Position Matchups

QB

Tom Brady (Channel 4 News Team)

vs

Matt Ryan (The Twin Killers)

Overview: Both have super nice matchups. Brady's got the better chance of maybe getting sat out because the lead might be to big but it IS the Patriots. If there was ever a time Matt Ryan needed to have a huge game this is it. The Falcons actually play tonight and this could be a major determining factor as to who wins. I think I'll give the slight edge here to Leland as I really do think this game won't be a total blowout and the Patriots have a better running game than the Falcons. Gonna be Real Close.

Advantage: Leland slightly

WR

T.Y. Hilton (The Twin Killers)

Julio Jones (The Twin Killers)

Torrey Smith*(The Twin Killers)

vs

Demaryius Thomas (Channel 4 News Team)

Brandon Marshall (Channel 4 News Team)

Lance Moore (Channel 4 News Team)

Overview: This is where Albert has to win and win big. On paper, he obviously has the much better receiver core. Torrey Smith is questionable so Leland might need to scramble and find a backup to replace him. T.Y. Hilton has been good, but pales in comparison to Thomas and Marshall and is probably on the level or little bit higher than Lance Moore. Julio Jones is going to have carry the majority of the load tonight, but this is one area where I think Albert has the clear cut advantage.

Advantage: Albert

RB

Doug Martin(The Twin Killers)

C.J. Spiller(The Twin Killers)

vs

Trent Richardson(Channel 4 News Team)

David Wilson* (Channel 4 News Team)

  

  Overview: And this is where Leland needs to win big. Leland has the obvious advantage here with Spiller and Martin both top 10 backs and both with good matchups. Trent Richardson might be scoring, but his yardage has been going to down week to week, and against a tough Denver Defense, it's not an ideal matchup at all. Still not sure if Albert is going David Wilson/Mikel LeShoure, but neither are consistent enough to be 100% confident in. 

Advantage: Leland

TE

Martellus Bennett (The Twin Killers)

vs

Jimmy Graham (Channel 4 News Team)

  

Overview: You would think the obvious advantage is with Albert, but Graham has been pretty average all season. Still there's no way you're benching him and he's still got more upside than Marty B. who is tied to Eli Manning and you never know what you are going to get from Eli.

Advantage: Albert

Kickers and Defenses: Albert's playing Seattle's D against the 49ers but with the cornerback position in turmoil it might not be a great play as you think. Leland's defense is Denver and this could be a double bonus for him as he could get a good Denver D performance and shut Trent Richardson down. Kickers are kickers, you never know what you're going to get from them.

Final Predictions
Yahoo Says: Leland wins 112-103
I say: Leland wins, it's gonna be a heavyweight fight with both guys pulling out all the stops, but I'll give the slight edge to Leland here. Hopefully it's better than the embarassment I went through last finals.

Other League Notes: I think Matt easily wins the 3rd place game, I think Drew takes the Michael Wiley Loser Bowl, and Mayra will beat me making me officially dead last for the season. Why not?