MNF Update- Week 8

Straight to business...

Concannon 85 (Mathews), Thompson 44 (Cassel)- Yow.  Another strong defensive showing for PBR, I guess.

Brett 76, Tighe 71+ Leonard (V-Jax)- Tighe and DFlam's trade made it to me prior to kickoff so those two playesr will have their scores applied once I figure out stupid Yahoo...looks unlikely for Brett here.

Now, as I board my soapbox, a quick tangent, does this game not bring up a major problem in our league?  We all obviously want Brett and Tighe to make the effort to continue winning games despite a tank mentality.  However, it is in both team's interests to lose games to improve draft stock- a position I am 100% understanding of.  To solve this issue, I think we should 'level' the lottery- all non playoff teams have an equal number of chances.  Post your thoughts or let me know via e-mail what you think.

Lee 102 (Rivers), Curran 98- Lee edges out Curran in a slow Patriots week.  I think we had some doubts on Curran's reliance on the Pats offense but this is a strong showing in a slow week- I'm impressed.

DFlam 103, Nemo 65 (Bowe)- Dflam will have BGE added at the expense of Leonard and his one point.

MNF Game of the Week
TMac 93 (Breaston?), Malinn 78 (Gates)- It looks like Tolbert is out for TMac so I am making a guess here.  Meanwhile, Malinn will need Gates to show last year's form very quickly in what I expect to be a wild MNF game.


Happy Halloween all...

MNF Update

0:00
Malinn 73, Brett 53

Thompson 71,  Nemo 67- Perhaps the nail in the coffin for Nemo's season as struggles continue for big name guys.

Concannon 88, Tighe 48- Ponder leads PBR to victory in a performance not very different from Murray in real life- unaccomplished youngster leads team to victory over struggling opposition.

DFlam 123, Lee 97 (111)- The story is that Lee called in Delone Carter for Lynch on the grounds that Lynch was inactive- unfortunately, according to Yahoo, Lynch was active and just did not play.  I will investigate but for now the 14 points from Carter are off the board.  With Thomas and Lewis to go, the result of my 'investigation' will go a long way towards the outcome.

MNF Game of the Week
TMac 96, Curran 73- Ricky Williams and Anquan Boldin here for Curran in a contest that may be a bit closer than is apparent.  Given the nature of rivalry matchups, I could see anything happening here.

Week 7 Power Rankings

Ah…week seven…

Okay, nothing really impressive to say about week seven.  But, I do have some comments for the league’s future so please plow into this hefty salad before digging in for the dessert of POWER RANKINGS.

1. The 2 QB format

My concern is that the NFL, by reshuffling the bye weeks into groups of six, has made our league much less sustainable with the 2 QB format.  My solution is very simple- move the QB2 slot into an OP (offensive player) slot.  This opens up an incredible number of position combinations but I think it has little to no effect on auction value.  In short, I believe a team without a QB2 cannot win and the OP position will allow teams to survive bye weeks and injury.  In other words, I am bitter that Lee has benefited twice in a row thanks to his opponents playing one quarterback.

A side note- I am going to start ‘fining’ teams that do not make lineup adjustments (byes, obvious injuries) in terms of rookie draft picks.  Something in the middle rounds, I think.  No hard rules so I can take it case-by-case but please stay on top of things.

2. Rookie Lottery

Perhaps overblown but I am starting to lean against a weighted lottery and am instead going to push for a balanced one.  This means all playoff teams will receive a certain number of ‘chances’ and all non-playoff teams will also receive a certain number of chances.  This will eliminate the need to ‘tank’ in addition to punting away key players while also reducing the sting of narrowly missing the playoffs.

3. Trade Deadline

Week 11, as voted by all this week.

4. League Cup

Not sure on the future of our little tournament but I think we should try one of three ideas:

A. Week 15, 16, 17 with all teams.  Two 1 v 1 matches and two three-way matches to start with semi-finals and finals to conclude.  Essentially the same tournament as always.

B. Youth Emphasis- All players are eligible but they must meet certain criteria.  We can go keepers only, rookie draft picks, under $5, whatever.  Open to all ideas.  This tournament could start earlier in the season with doubling up, I think, and I would be happy to track the points.

C. Week 17- I proposed this last year but it was very late so here goes again.  We hold a draft or auction in week 17 for just that week and play out it out for a winner take all, one shot affair.  Could be held in addition to one of the above.

So that’s that…OK, now the main event.

Week 7 Power Rankings

10. Thompson (9)- It is starting to get ugly here as Orton joins Charles on the sidelines via demotion.  The Harvin situation gets one last punt with the new QB but the RB spot is still a paper-thin McFadden and super-third down back Sproles.  Hard to see things turning upward here, really. 

9. Tighe (7)- QB problems look be the story here and the punt formation has already been called.  Vick, some may argue, is like having two QBs but with injury-riddled running backs and inconsistent WRs it does not look like he will be able to overcome the problems dogging this squad.

8. Brett (6)- A reaction to the punt here, for sure, but Brett’s team has been unable to overcome some early struggles from Indianapolis, Bradford, and the RB position.  As I pondered, the RB depth and talent was enviable but ultimately too slow-developing for this season.  With Best now starting to limp around, Bushleague begins to turn south in the weekly rankings.

7. Nemo (10)- Nemo gets the maximum bump by sticking the course and watching some new players emerge.  QB is strong with Big Ben, Big Red, and Big…well, Cutler, RB is interesting with the Brown duo and CJ, and WR is on the up with Bowe Rice, and Little making big steps of late.  Provided something happens in Cleveland, Nemo could make a late surge or simply generate momentum as an upset-special going into November.

6. DFlam (8)- Maybe a long time coming but, paradoxically, by winning despite some Newton struggles I am now more of a believer in the Beiber Fever.  TebowCam is not some creepy peepshow blog that is on Lee’s browser bookmarks but rather a potentially lethal dual-threat QB combo that could propel DFlam to the top of the league standings.  The lingering question is at wide receiver (one word, rubbish) so DFlam should be seen inquiring about some talent there in these coming weeks.  Could Hernandez and Clark form a two tight end set?

5. Curran (4)- A very tight group in my mind at these next three spots.  I bump Curran down due to an over-reliance on New England and what has traditionally been a slower offense in the second half of the season.  I am also a bit skeptical of his RB depth and the WR starters overall.  In short, and as has been the case all year, it is a Brady Bunch and this nine can go only as far as #12 takes them. 

4. TMac (5)- A bit of beef was added to the pipsqueak WR heavy roster as Arian Foster is welcomed aboard in what I saw as a bit of a swipe for TMac.  Obviously not trusting DeAngelo, TMac added Tolbert as well to bring his depth at RB up to level of both his WRs (still extraordinary) and PBR (league best, I think, in the depth area).   The season may come down to Houston and the health of the big guns, Johnson and Foster, but it is a good bet in my mind for now.

3. Malinn (3)- A tough team to peg but the top TE in Graham, solid QB play, and two big time backs in MJD and Rice make this team a tiny bit better than the Prescott pair just behind.  Malinn may have benefited from the Lloyd trade more than 99% of fantasy players worldwide as both Decker and Lloyd should profit.  And is that Antonio Gates I hear making noise in the back?

2. Concannon (2)- It is PONDER TIME and PBR is ecstatic to promote this fine young man to partner, joining Britt and Redman at the top.  In relevant news, depth continues to be tested by bye and injury but the team may ‘Battle’on, as they say, with Jordy Nelson and the other not so white guys looking to keep atop the league.  The recovery of Wells, Mathews, and Austin were all big news items and should keep this team on top, at least in points, through the end of the month.

1. Lee (1)- Now here by mere technicality, I had a hard time taking Lee over the other four below on Tuesday.  It all changed with his five-finger discount of AP (currently ‘flexed’, cute) so look for Lee to retain his top spot for another week before his depth issue sink the team even further into the…er, depths.

Best of luck to all this week and we’ll be back here for a post-Halloween edition in November.

Tim

Keeper Roster Check- Week 6

Keeper Roster Tracker 2011

Updated October 19, 2011, 10pm EST

NOTE: Dollar amount are keeper prices or auction values

NOTE: ‘V’ indicates veteran selected during rookie draft

NOTE: ‘R’ indicates rookie selected during rookie draft

NOTE: ‘(V)’ indicates waiver addition in the post-draft, pre-week 1 period (thus keeper eligible)

NOTE: ‘R’, ‘V’, ‘(V)’ players will have salaries of $0 (-$5) but this will not be noted below

NOTE: ‘*’ indicates a player has been kept for a season

NOTE: ‘**’ indicates a player has been kept for two consecutive seasons and is keeper ineligible

2012 Draft Choices- Traded (pre-auction)

Tighe has traded a 2nd and 3rd to DFlam

TMac has traded a 2nd to Concannon

Traded (during auction)

Curran has traded a 2nd to Lee

DFlam has traded a 1st to Thompson

Traded (post auction)

To be updated upon league-wide confirmation

Brett

QB

Matt Schaub, $23

*Sam Bradford, $2

*Ryan Fitzpatrick, $2

RB

Tim Hightower, $6

Brandon Jacobs, $2 (-$3)

*Michael Bush, $2

Jahvid Best, $0 (-$1)

James Starks, $0 (-$5)

Ben Tate, $0 (-$5)

Mark Ingram, R

DeMarco Murray, R

Jaquizz Rodgers, R

Alex Green, R

Dion Lewis, R

Taiwan Jones, R

Justin Forsett, V

WR

Reggie Wayne, $12

*Austin Collie, $3

Roy Williams, $2 (-$3)

Johnny Knox, $2 (-$3)

Andre Roberts, V

Jacoby Ford, V

Antonio Brown (V)

Denarious Moore, R

TE

Jason Witten, $6

Injured Reserve

RB Brandon Jackson, $0 (-$1)

WR Danny Amendola, $0 ($2 b)

Draft Choices

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

Concannon

QB

Drew Brees, $30

Eli Manning, $18

Tarvaris Jackson, $2 (-$3)

Ryan Mallet, R

Christian Ponder, R

Matt Leinart, V

Chase Daniel, (V)

RB

*Fred Jackson, $5

*Ahmad Bradshaw, $5

Danny Woodhead, $1 (-$4)

Isaac Redman, $1 (-$4)

Beanie Wells, $0

Ryan Mathews, $0 (-$1)

Kendall Hunter, R

WR

Larry Fitzgerald, $19

Miles Austin, $9, Keeper Ineligible

Jordy Nelson, $0 (-$1)

Jacoby Jones, $0 (-$3)

A.J. Green, R

TE

*Jermichael Finley, $6

Lance Kendricks, V

Injured Reserve

WR *Kenny Britt, $3

Draft Choices

1st

2nd

2nd (TMac)

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

Curran

QB

Tom Brady, $30

*Mark Sanchez, $7

Matt Hasselbeck, $3 (-$2)

Rex Grossman, $1 (-$4)

Brian Hoyer, $0 (-$5)

Carson Palmer, V

Kerry Collins, (V)

RB

Frank Gore, $19

Cedric Benson, $9

Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis, $7

LaDainian Tomlinson, $1 (-$4)

Ricky Williams, $1 (-$4)

Jason Snelling, $0 (-$2)

Jordan Todman, R

WR

Greg Jennings, $20

Wes Welker, $7

Anquan Boldin, $6

Pierre Garcon, $5

*Devin Hester, $1 (-$2)

Taylor Price, $0 (-$5)

Titus Young, R

Derrick Mason, V

Steve Smith (PHI), (V)

TE

Jermaine Gresham, $0 (-$3)

Rob Gronkowski, $0 (-$2)

Draft Choices

1st

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

DFlam

QB

Joe Flacco, $8

Donovan McNabb, $3 (-$2)

David Garrard, $1 (-$4)

Tim Tebow, $0 (-$2)

Cam Newton, R

Colin Kaepernick, R

Ricky Stanzi, R

RB

Steven Jackson, $20

*Matt Forte, $18

Ryan Grant, $10

Pierre Thomas, $5

Willis McGahee, $1 (-$4)

WR

Roddy White, $19

Marques Colston, $7

Malcolm Floyd, $2 (-$3)

Braylon Edwards, $1 (-$4)

Mike Williams (TB), $0

Jonathan Baldwin, R

Robert Meachem, V

TE

Dallas Clark, $6

*Jared Cook, $1

Aaron Hernandez, $0 (-$2)

Draft Choices

2nd

2nd (Tighe)

3rd

3rd (Tighe)

4th

5th

6th

7th

Lee

QB

Aaron Rodgers, $33

Philip Rivers, $30

John Beck, $2 (-$3)

Matt Flynn, $0 (-$5)

Blaine Gabbert, R

RB

Adrian Peterson, $35

*LeSean McCoy, $6

*Marshawn Lynch, $1

LeGarrett Blount, $0 (-$1)

Kregg Lumpkin, $0 (-$5)

Marion Barber, $0 (-$5)

Stevan Ridley, R

Delone Carter, R

Jonny White, R

Bylal Powell, R

Deji Karim (V)

WR

Calvin Johnson, $20

*Hakeem Nicks, $5

Dez Bryant, $0 (-$2)

Mike Thomas, $0 (-$2)

Kerry Meier, $0 (-$5)

Vincent Brown, R

TE

Marcedes Lewis, $1 (-$4)

Injured Reserve

RB Rashard Jennings, $0 (-$2)

Draft Choices

2nd

2nd (Curran)

3rd

3rd (TMac)

4th

5th

6th

7th

Malinn

QB

Tony Romo, $28

Kevin Kolb, $0 (-$2)

Colt McCoy, $0 (-$2)

Charlie Whitehurst, V

RB

Maurice Jones-Drew, $24

**Ray Rice, $10, Keeper Ineligible

Reggie Bush, $3 (-$2)

Thomas Jones, $0 (-$5)

Shonne Greene, $0

Ryan Torain, V

Javon Ringer, (V)

WR

Brandon Marshall, $9

Brandon Lloyd, $8

*Mike Wallace, $6

Plaxico Burress, $1 (-$4)

Davone Bess, $0 (-$5)

Eddie Royal, $0 (-$3)

Arrelious Benn, $0 (-$4)

Torrey Smith, R

Eric Decker, V

TE

Antonio Gates, $12

Jimmy Graham, $0 (-$3)

Injured Reserve

RB Mikel LeShoure, R

Draft Choices

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

Nemo

QB

*Ben Roethlisberger, $14

Jay Cutler, $9

Chad Henne, $2 (-$3)

Brady Quinn, $0 (-$5)

Andy Dalton, R

Josh Johnson, V

RB

Chris Johnson, $32

Peyton Hillis, $18

**Knowshon Moreno, $6, Keeper Ineligible

Montario Hardesty, $0 (-$5)

WR

Dwayne Bowe, $10

*Sidney Rice, $8

Josh Cribbs, $0 (-$4)

Dexter McCluster, $0 (-$4)

Deion Branch, $0 (-$5)

Nate Burleson, $0 (-$5)

Greg Little, R

Randall Cobb, R

Greg Salas, R

Donald Driver, V

TE

Dustin Keller, $0 (-$5)

Todd Heap, $0 ($3 b)

Injured Reserve

WR Jordan Shipley, $0 (-$3)

Draft Choices

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

Thompson

QB

Matt Ryan, $18

Matt Cassel, $13

Kyle Orton, $11

Jake Locker, R

RB

Jonathan Stewart, $10

**Jamaal Charles, $9, Keeper Ineligible

*Joseph Addai, $8

**Darren McFadden, $6, Keeper Ineligible

Bernard Scott, $0 (-$3)

Toby Gerhart, $0 (-$4)

Chris Ivory, V

Darren Sproles, V

WR

Stevie Johnson, $8

*Santana Moss, $5

**Percy Harvin, $5, Keeper Ineligible

*Earl Bennett, $1

*Hines Ward, $1 (-$1)

Early Doucet, $0 (-$4)

Cecil Shorts, R

Terrell Owens, V

Jason Avant, V

TE

**Zach Miller, $5, Keeper Ineligible

Ed Dickson, $0 (-$5)

Chris Cooley (-$5)

Brandon Pettigrew, V

Draft Choices

1st

1st (DFlam)

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

Tighe

QB

Peyton Manning, $25

*Mike Vick, $5

Jason Campbell, $3 (-$2)

Vince Young, $3 (-$2)

RB

Daniel Thomas, R

*Felix Jones, $2

Tashard Choice, $0 (-$4)

C.J. Spiller, $0 (-$4)

Ronnie Brown, V

WR

Chad Ochocinco, $7

Steve Smith, $3 (-$2)

*Vincent Jackson, $2 (-$2)

*Michael Crabtree, $1

Mario Manningham, $0 (-$1)

Demariyous Thomas, $0 (-$4)

Emmanuel Sanders, $0 (-$4)

Julio Jones, R

Jerrel Jernigan, R

Clyde Gates, R

TE

Owen Daniels, $3 (-$2)

Draft Choices

1st

1st (Lee)

4th

5th

6th

7th

Injured Reserve

RB Ryan Williams, R

TMac

QB

*Josh Freeman, $8

Alex Smith, $2 (-$3)

*Matt Stafford, $1

Jimmy Clausen, $0 (-$3)

RB

Michael Turner, $19

*Arian Foster, $16

DeAngelo Williams, $15

**Rashard Mendenhall, $8, Keeper Ineligible

Mike Tolbert, $5

Roy Helu, R

Shane Vereen, R

Mike Goodson, V

WR

Andre Johnson, $21

DeSean Jackson, $15

*Jeremy Maclin, $5

Mike Sims-Walker, $1 (-$4)

*Santonio Holmes, $1 (-$1)

*Lee Evans, $1 (-$2)

Lance Moore, $0 (-$1)

Steve Breaston, V

Jerome Simpson, V

TE

Vernon Davis, $6

*Kellen Winslow, $1 (-$1)

Tony Gonzalez, $0 (-$5)

Greg Olsen, V

Draft Choices

4th

5th

6th

7th

Injured Reserve

TE Tony Moeaki, $0 (-$3)

MNF Update

Surging Mac
TMac 104 , Brett 73- A key contest here as each team would have been in big trouble with the loss.  TMac moves to 3-3 and keeps his nose in the playoff race.

Late Drama...
Tighe 62 , Nemo 61(Keller)
Concannon 126, Malinn 84 (Greene, Burress, Marshall)




The Concannon-Malinn tilt is of more interest but Keller could post a zero, leaving the Rivalry Matchup in slight doubt.  Burress, a synonym for 'sucks', could still give Malinn a monopoly on all Jets short-yardage touchdowns when considered as a package with Greene.

#1 Again...
Lee 76 (Moore), Thompson 69- Lee takes another against lesser opposition with a strong showing against Thompson.  Well, weak showing.

MNF Game of the Week
DFlam 108, Curran 82 (Sanchez)- Very simple, Sanchez needs 28, and with the Dolphins holding Brady to under 600 yards in their most recent MNF outing, anything is possible.

Week 6 Update

Hi,

No official 'Power Rankings' this week- they will return next week, take another one-week hiatus, and most likely return in some form of a mid-season review in November.  For those wondering, Lee retains his #1 spot due to last week's win.

Next week I am planning on a Tuesday or Wednesday post with some administrative stuff.  No major things- the only rule requiring immediate vote is going to be the trade deadline- but things I want everyone in the league to consider. 

Good luck to all this week.

Tim

MNF Week 5

The start of the five weeks of byes means five weeks of rivalry matchups...

Game, Set...
Tighe 117, TMac 66- Or as I would rename the teams, Niners over Bucs...Mac does have Stafford to bring some respectability back into the scoreline.
Concannon 124, Brett 82- PBR continues to roll but Brett could get a miracle play here from Knox-Best duo.

 ...Match
Lee 79, Malinn 71- Lee with Calvin to play as he puts an under-gunned Malinn into his place...
DFlam 79, Thompson 40- Forte for Flam, Pettigrew for Thompson, and perhaps a reprieve for Nemo in next week's power rankings as both squads make strong cases here for the bottom two positions.

MNF Game of the Week

Curran 106,  Nemo 79- An old fashioned MNF classic- it is Cutler or bust for Nemo, a not unreasonable 27 point deficit but it will take his best showing of the season.

Week 5 Power Rankings

A bit late...sorry...busy a bit yesterday.

10. Nemo (10)- CJ starts to look promising...and then Big Ben hurts himself.  Rice gets himself going in Seattle...and then Moreno gains four yards over an ENTIRE GAME.  The loss of Henne is also a blow for a team looking to peddle QB depth for improvement elsewhere.  Not sure yet but it is starting to look like 'one of those seasons' where things will insist on going wrong at all times and things do not get much better this week with a big slate of bye weeks.

9. Thompson (8)- The results have been there but Thompson's team continues to have the look of a squad doomed to fall to pieces over the bye weeks.  I am not sure on the QB play or stability, concerned about both RB depth and ability to stay healthy (DMF) or productive (Sproles), and have no idea what Percy Harvin did to merit his lack of touches.  If things continue in this way Thompson will be hard pressed to find bodies to plug into starting positions over the course of these coming bye weeks and lose crucial ground in the playoff race.

8. DFlam (9)- Massive result for Flam last week and repeat performances will ensure further ascension in this space.  But, concerns at QB remain with only Cam Newton the sure-fire contributor- unless you fancy a little Painter- and his WRs are still underperforming, although improving of late.  If Steven Jackson gets healthy Flam moves to the Top 5 discussion but for now his various inconsistencies keep him towards the bottom.

7. Tighe (7)- Tighe holds steady but the returns of Foster and Vick hint at upward aspirations.  Still, Tolbert has been reduced in SD and I do not think Green-Ellis is a very reliable RB option moving forward so look for Tighe to make his usual slew of moves in an effort to shore up that position.

6. Brett (6)- Brett, in my mind, is perfectly in-between the top and the bottom.  His team is unspectacular but unlikely to feel the bye weeks due to solid depth.  With the exception of Collie, his team has more or less performed exactly to expectations.  There was talk of continued rebuilding here but we'll see as the ball is in his court- a move or two could push him in either direction.

5. TMac (5)- A big hit this week as TMac lost both Johnson and Mendenhall to injury.  His WR depth is strong but the timing is poor at RB due to some bye weeks.  Still a solid group moving forward, though.

4. Curran (4) and 3. Malinn (3)- A bit of a slowdown for the fast-charging Curran Express as I remain unsold on Victor Cruz as a starter and feel Greene wins the Jets RB showdown between this team and Malinn.  With an edge at RB and a slight loss at WR, I tip the scales in Malinn's favor as I look long-term at Graham over Gronk (once Hernandez heals).  Still, two strong units here that are in the thick of the race.

2. Concannon (1)- 'Flam opted out of ranking but there are not too many options here after a loss.  My team, top to bottom, is the strongest in the league in my opinion but we are still reeling from the Britt loss and remain unsold on QB2.  Top to bottom strength is also not a huge factor when considering a starting nine and others here have better starting units.

1. Lee (2)- Back to the summit for Lee as Nicks and Blount return to form while the Megatron touchdown roadshow becomes too consistent to ignore.  Still, choosing between Ridley, Lynch, and Tate at W/R seems a bit weak for a top team so look for Lee to require some Heimlich help in the near future.

The future...

Next week I am going to focus on updating the running roster list and getting up some rule changes for both this and next year.  As a result, I may skip Power Rankings (but will do a top 3 if Lee loses).  If anyone wants to make a guest showing, please e-mail.

Good luck this weekend.

MNF Week 4

Morning,

The top spot falling is but one of many interesting week four developments...enjoy.

Game Over
Tighe 137, Brett (Collie, Wayne) 51
Lee (Blount) 139, Nemo 72

Two tough ones here with the scores looking likely to be similar. 

Power Ranking Shake-Up
DFlam (M. Williams) 116, #1 Concannon 116- A big win for 'Flam beckons, the extra point all that is pending.  The efforts of Cam 'Garbage Time' Newton have allowed the league to return to 'Rank the Commish' and it may be DFlam himself who wins the honors with this showing...


Intriguing...
Curran 106, Thompson (Addai) 92- Addai can make up 14 points but so far has been a bit of a disappointment.  We'll see, but I like Coffee to brew up another win here.



MNF Game of the Week

Malinn 104, TMac (Freeman) 86- A classic MNF showdown of one man going for a reasonable deficit.  Freeman figures to be ahead, reducing his output potential, but his ability as a runner could see him eke out point even when the Bucs should stay on the ground.  Good luck to both, and all.