Saturday, December 31, 2011
happy new year
october 5th is the most common birthday in america. it just happens to be 274 days after new year's eve. be smart tonight, kiddos.
week 17 update, nfl predictions
fantasy football was really hit-and-miss this year. it was, sadly, one of my worst seasons ever.
league 1: i finished the regular season 4th (out of 12), $10 buy in.
i was really down on this team immediately after drafting. adam pelkey, on august 28th, commented that it "could be an ugly season for this team. sorry man." well, I'M IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP, BYYAAAHHH. this has been the only glimmer of fantasy hope this season. my original roster consisted of the following:
QB: brady
RB: hillis
RB: the law firm
WR: andre johnson
WR: brandon marshall
TE: winslow
FLEX: stevie johnson
K: henery
DST: chiefs
bench: daniel thomas, flacco, mike thomas, woodhead, walter, zach miller
my final roster is substantially different:
QB: brady
RB: cj spiller
RB: stevan ridley
WR: jabar gaffney
WR: marshall
TE: winslow
FLEX: stevie johnson
K: bailey
DST: denver
bench: andre, hillis, flacco, driver, the law firm, jared cook
needless to say, i had some waiver wire luck. ridley and spiller have merely been fillers for injury. i hate that this league waits until week 17 to have the championship. i'm hoping some of my players don't get benched early. espn's projections have me winning 143-110. fingers crossed.
league 2: 6th in regular season (out of 12), 4th place in playoffs.
this team sucked. on paper, i was always projected to go big...but i'd lose high scoring affairs. this league also pays out based on regular season, so even though i was one of the highest in terms of points, i didn't take home any money because of head-to-head standings. dang.
league 3: 3rd place in regular season (out of 12), 4th place in playoffs.
this team was in 11th for most of the season and then i made a late-season push up the standings. i didn't take home any money, but to be honest we didn't collect money for the league. i wouldn't be surprised if no one gets paid. the league consisted entirely of bockmed's friends, and i only really knew 5 or 6 of the people in it. at the very least, i beat bockmed and all of his roommates (none of them made the playoffs) so at least i can hold those bragging rights over their heads for awhile.
league 4: 9th place in regular season (out of 12), didn't make playoffs.
what really pisses me off about this team is that i had 2 regular season losses that resulted from receivers dropping a ball on the final drive of the sunday night/monday night game. had my players just CAUGHT THE BALL i would have been in the playoffs.
to add insult to injury, my team ABSOLUTELY WENT OFF DURING WEEKS 14, 15, AND 16. my team averaged 147 points per week from week 14-16. i probably would have won the playoffs. did i mention this was my $50 league? uggghhhhhh. oh well.
predictions for the coming weeks:
if the giants lose sunday, tom coughlin will be fired.
john gruden will coach the rams next year--which is a shame because i don't think it is fair to judge any coaching performance given the injuries the rams have had this season.
gary kubiak will receive a contract extension even if the texans lose in the first round.
andy dalton will win the rookie of the year award.
adrian peterson will not play in week 1. i don't care what people and reporters are saying.
i will have a better fantasy football season in 2012 than i did in 2011.
league 1: i finished the regular season 4th (out of 12), $10 buy in.
i was really down on this team immediately after drafting. adam pelkey, on august 28th, commented that it "could be an ugly season for this team. sorry man." well, I'M IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP, BYYAAAHHH. this has been the only glimmer of fantasy hope this season. my original roster consisted of the following:
QB: brady
RB: hillis
RB: the law firm
WR: andre johnson
WR: brandon marshall
TE: winslow
FLEX: stevie johnson
K: henery
DST: chiefs
bench: daniel thomas, flacco, mike thomas, woodhead, walter, zach miller
my final roster is substantially different:
QB: brady
RB: cj spiller
RB: stevan ridley
WR: jabar gaffney
WR: marshall
TE: winslow
FLEX: stevie johnson
K: bailey
DST: denver
bench: andre, hillis, flacco, driver, the law firm, jared cook
needless to say, i had some waiver wire luck. ridley and spiller have merely been fillers for injury. i hate that this league waits until week 17 to have the championship. i'm hoping some of my players don't get benched early. espn's projections have me winning 143-110. fingers crossed.
league 2: 6th in regular season (out of 12), 4th place in playoffs.
this team sucked. on paper, i was always projected to go big...but i'd lose high scoring affairs. this league also pays out based on regular season, so even though i was one of the highest in terms of points, i didn't take home any money because of head-to-head standings. dang.
league 3: 3rd place in regular season (out of 12), 4th place in playoffs.
this team was in 11th for most of the season and then i made a late-season push up the standings. i didn't take home any money, but to be honest we didn't collect money for the league. i wouldn't be surprised if no one gets paid. the league consisted entirely of bockmed's friends, and i only really knew 5 or 6 of the people in it. at the very least, i beat bockmed and all of his roommates (none of them made the playoffs) so at least i can hold those bragging rights over their heads for awhile.
league 4: 9th place in regular season (out of 12), didn't make playoffs.
what really pisses me off about this team is that i had 2 regular season losses that resulted from receivers dropping a ball on the final drive of the sunday night/monday night game. had my players just CAUGHT THE BALL i would have been in the playoffs.
to add insult to injury, my team ABSOLUTELY WENT OFF DURING WEEKS 14, 15, AND 16. my team averaged 147 points per week from week 14-16. i probably would have won the playoffs. did i mention this was my $50 league? uggghhhhhh. oh well.
predictions for the coming weeks:
if the giants lose sunday, tom coughlin will be fired.
john gruden will coach the rams next year--which is a shame because i don't think it is fair to judge any coaching performance given the injuries the rams have had this season.
gary kubiak will receive a contract extension even if the texans lose in the first round.
andy dalton will win the rookie of the year award.
adrian peterson will not play in week 1. i don't care what people and reporters are saying.
i will have a better fantasy football season in 2012 than i did in 2011.
Friday, December 23, 2011
i love stories like this
i hope this blog isn't turning into a "let's-just-post-random-youtube-videos" place, but this video was just too "feel good" to ignore.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
I'm going to touch you where your swimsuit covers.
Well then.
It's fantasy football playoffs time. In my family league, I'm the #1 seed. In some ways this gives me pause. The #1 seed has never won this league. On the other hand, in its two year history, I've always won this league. I'm facing my brother, who happens to be the one who handed me 2 of my mere 3 heartbreaking losses this season. It would seem he has my number. On the other hand, I'm due for a win. Either way, it'll be an interesting weekend. Should I gamble on Ben Roethlisberger playing monday night? Flacco and Sanchez would be my best alternatives assuming they don't get snatched up.
In my other league, I finished a completely unrespectable 7-7. I only finished ahead of 3 of my opponents in total scoring. Most of the blame can be put on some questionable drafting, but to be fair to myself, I did have several players miss significant time due to injury and only 2 (Brees and V. Davis) managed to miss the injury bug entirely. Oh well.
I look forward to a merry Kubas weekend.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
tebowing
on facebook today i posited a lighthearted (yet somewhat serious) question: does tim tebow's continued success prove that god exists?
here is what we know:
tebow is a horrible nfl quarterback
he runs a high school offense which just doesn't work in the NFL
he has a firm belief in christianity
since taking over at QB for the broncos, they have gone 7-1
the success of the broncos must be defined by one of three possible scenarios:
1) tebow is a good nfl qb
2) some external factor has led to the broncos winning
3) tebow's faith is being rewarded on the football field by the lord god almighty
per the above statement, we can rule out #1
some could argue that number 2 is true. but let's look at the facts: the games that the broncos have won have had some oddities. for example, today marion barber fumbled on an almost no-contact play. some would argue that "many players fumble in the NFL. it isn't that uncommon." but let's look at the facts: this was barber's first fumble of the season. he doesn't fumble often. prater making a 59 yard field goal? unbelievable. philip rivers fumbling a simple snap? uncharacteristic.
thus, i have only one conclusion to make. if tebow is actually having success as a QB in the NFL, it can only be attributed to the legitimate existence of an almighty creator showing favor on his life. he (tebow) does not have the skills to make it at the professional level. external factors have been odd and uncommon. perhaps divine intervention has played a role in the external factors. regardless, something is going on that has been making tebow a winning quarterback in the NFL.
i just proved the existence of god. all in a day's work...
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
copied from someone on facebook
i saw this on my news feed and it really made me think.
"In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.
After about four minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
About four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After one hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.
This experiment raised several questions:
In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?"
After about four minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.
About four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.
At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.
At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.
At forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.
After one hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.
This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.
This experiment raised several questions:
In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?
If so, do we stop to appreciate it?
Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?"
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
why tom day is my hero
today at work i was listening to his show in my office.
it was a really great set--exactly the type of music for the mood i was in.
and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere he started playing the "everybody has AIDS" song from team america. hahahaha i laughed quite a bit.
he was kind enough to text me and ask what someone still loves you boris yeltsin song i would like played. i suggested a song called "coming through" and he was kind enough to play it.
unfortunately, SSLYBY rarely releases the lyrics to their songs. the album is so new that i haven't scrutinized all of the lyrics yet. he texted me shortly after starting the song and asked "are they swearing?" honestly: i don't think they do in that song....sometimes it is hard to distinguish all of the words since they are often muffled. hopefully he won't get in trouble for it! but, as he texted me back, he's done in 2 weeks anyway....so it's not a big deal.
well. in a change of pace, i have a ridiculous amount of homework to do. i'll see you later, blogosphere.
it was a really great set--exactly the type of music for the mood i was in.
and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere he started playing the "everybody has AIDS" song from team america. hahahaha i laughed quite a bit.
he was kind enough to text me and ask what someone still loves you boris yeltsin song i would like played. i suggested a song called "coming through" and he was kind enough to play it.
unfortunately, SSLYBY rarely releases the lyrics to their songs. the album is so new that i haven't scrutinized all of the lyrics yet. he texted me shortly after starting the song and asked "are they swearing?" honestly: i don't think they do in that song....sometimes it is hard to distinguish all of the words since they are often muffled. hopefully he won't get in trouble for it! but, as he texted me back, he's done in 2 weeks anyway....so it's not a big deal.
well. in a change of pace, i have a ridiculous amount of homework to do. i'll see you later, blogosphere.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
I'll be the first to admit,
I can be a real dick sometimes. But 99% of the time, my victims have it coming.
You know those assholes that are in such a hurry to get where they're going that they weave from lane to lane every three cars, taking advantage of any open stretch of highway greater than or equal to one car length? Of course you do. Everyone has encountered these assholes on their drive to work or whatever. They always seem to be in a huge hurry to sit on the next guys bumper until it seems that the other lane is going faster, at which point they tailgate some other poor soul. They try to bully everyone else on the road into going faster or getting out of their way. Well, when I see these pricks coming up on me in my rearview mirror, I do my best to be the biggest douche I can. I'm usually a courteous driver and keep my lane changes to a minimum and always leave room so others can merge into my lane ahead of me. I will admit that I like to speed a little, but not too much, so I'm usually in the left (fast) lane. And when I see somebody like this coming up behind me I keep up the pace until they're right behind me. My lane looks so inviting until they decide to sit a foot off of MY bumper. That's when I switch on my own asshole mode. I pick a car in the lane next to me and match its speed, keeping my rear bumper even with their front, boxing in the asshole. And I keep this up until they either find another way around or I need to change lanes to prepare for an exit.
Random side-note:
My apartment finally upgraded our internet. It's actually usable in the evenings on busy school-nights, which is something we haven't ever enjoyed here. I'm quite impressed with the results.
One last random side-note:
Am I the only one that thinks Adele's "Someone Like You" is the pining of a jealous psycho-bitch?
You know those assholes that are in such a hurry to get where they're going that they weave from lane to lane every three cars, taking advantage of any open stretch of highway greater than or equal to one car length? Of course you do. Everyone has encountered these assholes on their drive to work or whatever. They always seem to be in a huge hurry to sit on the next guys bumper until it seems that the other lane is going faster, at which point they tailgate some other poor soul. They try to bully everyone else on the road into going faster or getting out of their way. Well, when I see these pricks coming up on me in my rearview mirror, I do my best to be the biggest douche I can. I'm usually a courteous driver and keep my lane changes to a minimum and always leave room so others can merge into my lane ahead of me. I will admit that I like to speed a little, but not too much, so I'm usually in the left (fast) lane. And when I see somebody like this coming up behind me I keep up the pace until they're right behind me. My lane looks so inviting until they decide to sit a foot off of MY bumper. That's when I switch on my own asshole mode. I pick a car in the lane next to me and match its speed, keeping my rear bumper even with their front, boxing in the asshole. And I keep this up until they either find another way around or I need to change lanes to prepare for an exit.
Random side-note:
My apartment finally upgraded our internet. It's actually usable in the evenings on busy school-nights, which is something we haven't ever enjoyed here. I'm quite impressed with the results.
One last random side-note:
Am I the only one that thinks Adele's "Someone Like You" is the pining of a jealous psycho-bitch?
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
I suppose it's time
to give another fantasy update.
League 1: The family league, 1st place of 12.
This team is so good it's almost boring. I'm now sitting comfortably in first place, 2 games and 97 points for ahead of second place after defending this position from then second place teams in back-to-back weeks. Ben Roethlisberger has emerged to be the quarterback I thought I was getting. I've lost my boner for Roddy White (yes even after 147 yards this week). My LeSean McCoy love has panned out for a second straight year, and I now have a raging hard-on for Arian Foster. For those just joining the show, I have those two elite backs by swinging one helluva trade, basically giving up Fred Jackson for Foster and Nicks. I'm trying not to count my chickens before they hatch though. In the past two years, the number 1 team from the regular season has been beat in the first round of playoffs in this league. That said, it's looking pretty good for me to pull off the three-peat as none of my players are in a position to be sat come week 16.
League 2: A miraculous 6th place of 12. $10 buy-in.
This team hasn't exactly panned out. My love for Mario Manningham was clearly misplaced considering the emergence of Victor Cruz. I though he was just as good a receiver as Nicks, but after watching a few games, it's pretty clear that he isn't. Andre Johnson has been injured for almost two months and now has a new QB. Between getting nicked up and inconsistent QB play, Dez Bryant hasn't been able to be all the beast I now need him to be. So there's the foundation I wanted to carry this team... crumbling. I just hope to god that McFadden stays hurt. Otherwise I don't have a running back to speak of. Both Denver backs have been injured off and on all year, and now Moreno is on IR and McGahee is hurt pretty bad. It seems that going for quantity over quality with the RBs in this league wasn't the best idea. Here's hoping a couple Drew Brees 500 yd 5 TD games can carry my sorry ass into the playoffs and a shot at at least recouping my buy-in.
I think I'm going to have to institute a couple rules for myself going forward based on my learnings of this year so far:
1)No WRs in the first round. Either bite the bullet on a RB you aren't so hot on, or take a shot on one of the elite QBs.
2)2 RBs by the end of round 4.
Basically, good WR play is nice, but quite unpredictable and the difference between rounds 2 and 3 vs a round 1 guy isn't all that huge. You can bet I won't be waiting until round 6 again to grab a RB any time soon.
League 1: The family league, 1st place of 12.
This team is so good it's almost boring. I'm now sitting comfortably in first place, 2 games and 97 points for ahead of second place after defending this position from then second place teams in back-to-back weeks. Ben Roethlisberger has emerged to be the quarterback I thought I was getting. I've lost my boner for Roddy White (yes even after 147 yards this week). My LeSean McCoy love has panned out for a second straight year, and I now have a raging hard-on for Arian Foster. For those just joining the show, I have those two elite backs by swinging one helluva trade, basically giving up Fred Jackson for Foster and Nicks. I'm trying not to count my chickens before they hatch though. In the past two years, the number 1 team from the regular season has been beat in the first round of playoffs in this league. That said, it's looking pretty good for me to pull off the three-peat as none of my players are in a position to be sat come week 16.
League 2: A miraculous 6th place of 12. $10 buy-in.
This team hasn't exactly panned out. My love for Mario Manningham was clearly misplaced considering the emergence of Victor Cruz. I though he was just as good a receiver as Nicks, but after watching a few games, it's pretty clear that he isn't. Andre Johnson has been injured for almost two months and now has a new QB. Between getting nicked up and inconsistent QB play, Dez Bryant hasn't been able to be all the beast I now need him to be. So there's the foundation I wanted to carry this team... crumbling. I just hope to god that McFadden stays hurt. Otherwise I don't have a running back to speak of. Both Denver backs have been injured off and on all year, and now Moreno is on IR and McGahee is hurt pretty bad. It seems that going for quantity over quality with the RBs in this league wasn't the best idea. Here's hoping a couple Drew Brees 500 yd 5 TD games can carry my sorry ass into the playoffs and a shot at at least recouping my buy-in.
I think I'm going to have to institute a couple rules for myself going forward based on my learnings of this year so far:
1)No WRs in the first round. Either bite the bullet on a RB you aren't so hot on, or take a shot on one of the elite QBs.
2)2 RBs by the end of round 4.
Basically, good WR play is nice, but quite unpredictable and the difference between rounds 2 and 3 vs a round 1 guy isn't all that huge. You can bet I won't be waiting until round 6 again to grab a RB any time soon.
fantasy schmantisy
league 1: 7-4, 3rd place (out of 12), $10 buy in.
this team continues to surprise me. i've basically been playing the last 7 or 8 weeks without my 1st and 3rd round picks (andre johnson and peyton hillis). yet somehow this team has pulled it together and managed to rack up wins. players like demarco murray and jabar gaffney have really helped in the clutch. 2 games separate 2nd place from 10th, so this will be a wild finish. top 8 make playoffs, so i'm confident (at this point) that i'll be a part of it.
league 2: 5-6, 7th place (out of 12), $25 buy in.
this team is so frustrating. i have the 3rd most points in this league and have over 100 more points than some of the other teams currently projected to make the playoffs. i absolutely love this lineup, especially in a TD-heavy league. i've just been getting outscored in high shootouts, totally disappointing. the top 6 make the playoffs in this league and we have 6 teams that are all within one game of each other for 3rd-6th place. so a LOT will be determined in the coming weeks. unlike other leagues, this league pays a majority of its money based on regular season standings. so i have an outside chance at 3rd place and thus an outside chance at $50. i just want to make the playoffs because i know my team has been putting up big enough numbers to win the playoffs. playoff winner also gets $50, so i have a small (but possible) chance at $100. in week 12 i play the number one team in the league who has an absolutely ridiculous team. god help me.
league 3: 6-5, 5th place (out of 12), $10 buy in.
this team has been storming back in recent weeks. the injury bug really got me early in the year (hillis, nicks, the law firm, and others) and some of my picks (i.e. mike williams) that i thought would turn out just haven't. a few weeks ago i bid a huge chunk of my FAAB on demarco murray, and that really panned out for me. when you couple that with the emergence of AJ green and stellar play for a few weeks from players like pierre garcon, matt ryan, and the weekly dominance of ray rice, this team has surged up the standings. only the top 4 make the playoffs in this league. 5 teams are separated by 1 game for 2nd-6th place. here's to hoping miracles really do come true.
league 4: 5-6, 9th place (out of 12), $50 buy in.
i say this every time i update my fantasy standings, but this team has just been depressing. when you spend over 25% of your budget on one player and he goes down in week 4 (and is only coming back THIS WEEK IN WEEK 12!!!) it really hurts. the top 8 make the playoffs and i've been trying as hard as i can to get back into playoff contention. that being said, it doesn't help when you have dwayne bowe and find out that matt cassel got hurt so now freaking tyler palko is throwing to him. it also doesn't help that your other stud receiver, jeremy maclin, went down with shoulder and hamstring injuries in week 11. woof. that being said, there are literally 10 teams within 2 games of each other from 1st-10th place. there is an insane logjam as 5 teams are 7-4 (the best record in the league) 1 team is 6-5, and 4 teams are 5-6. this week i play the team in 8th place, so it has HUGE playoff implications. we also do a "power matchup" so the final week of the regular season, week 13, 1st place plays 2nd, 3rd plays 4th, and so on. considering that there is such a huge logjam, i'm pretty sure that even if i lose this week i'll still have an outside shot at the playoffs if i win in week 13. but i need a lot of help to get there.
this team continues to surprise me. i've basically been playing the last 7 or 8 weeks without my 1st and 3rd round picks (andre johnson and peyton hillis). yet somehow this team has pulled it together and managed to rack up wins. players like demarco murray and jabar gaffney have really helped in the clutch. 2 games separate 2nd place from 10th, so this will be a wild finish. top 8 make playoffs, so i'm confident (at this point) that i'll be a part of it.
league 2: 5-6, 7th place (out of 12), $25 buy in.
this team is so frustrating. i have the 3rd most points in this league and have over 100 more points than some of the other teams currently projected to make the playoffs. i absolutely love this lineup, especially in a TD-heavy league. i've just been getting outscored in high shootouts, totally disappointing. the top 6 make the playoffs in this league and we have 6 teams that are all within one game of each other for 3rd-6th place. so a LOT will be determined in the coming weeks. unlike other leagues, this league pays a majority of its money based on regular season standings. so i have an outside chance at 3rd place and thus an outside chance at $50. i just want to make the playoffs because i know my team has been putting up big enough numbers to win the playoffs. playoff winner also gets $50, so i have a small (but possible) chance at $100. in week 12 i play the number one team in the league who has an absolutely ridiculous team. god help me.
league 3: 6-5, 5th place (out of 12), $10 buy in.
this team has been storming back in recent weeks. the injury bug really got me early in the year (hillis, nicks, the law firm, and others) and some of my picks (i.e. mike williams) that i thought would turn out just haven't. a few weeks ago i bid a huge chunk of my FAAB on demarco murray, and that really panned out for me. when you couple that with the emergence of AJ green and stellar play for a few weeks from players like pierre garcon, matt ryan, and the weekly dominance of ray rice, this team has surged up the standings. only the top 4 make the playoffs in this league. 5 teams are separated by 1 game for 2nd-6th place. here's to hoping miracles really do come true.
league 4: 5-6, 9th place (out of 12), $50 buy in.
i say this every time i update my fantasy standings, but this team has just been depressing. when you spend over 25% of your budget on one player and he goes down in week 4 (and is only coming back THIS WEEK IN WEEK 12!!!) it really hurts. the top 8 make the playoffs and i've been trying as hard as i can to get back into playoff contention. that being said, it doesn't help when you have dwayne bowe and find out that matt cassel got hurt so now freaking tyler palko is throwing to him. it also doesn't help that your other stud receiver, jeremy maclin, went down with shoulder and hamstring injuries in week 11. woof. that being said, there are literally 10 teams within 2 games of each other from 1st-10th place. there is an insane logjam as 5 teams are 7-4 (the best record in the league) 1 team is 6-5, and 4 teams are 5-6. this week i play the team in 8th place, so it has HUGE playoff implications. we also do a "power matchup" so the final week of the regular season, week 13, 1st place plays 2nd, 3rd plays 4th, and so on. considering that there is such a huge logjam, i'm pretty sure that even if i lose this week i'll still have an outside shot at the playoffs if i win in week 13. but i need a lot of help to get there.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
philosophy
if you choose an answer to this question at random, what is the chance you will be correct?
A) 25%
B) 50%
C) 0%
D) 25%
debate.
A) 25%
B) 50%
C) 0%
D) 25%
debate.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
huevos
(yesterday at the grocery store)
me, reaching for a dozen eggs for $1.44.
woman, pointing at the 18-pack of eggs for $1.77: "you should buy these, they're a better deal."
me: "yeah, but i just don't eat eggs that often..."
woman: "you could have an egg party."
me, looking puzzled.
woman: "you could invite a cute girl over and have an egg date."
me, looking perplexed.
woman: "you could eat them to bulk up and build muscle."
me, looking ashamed of my physique.
woman: "you could throw them at cars."
me, contemplating committing crime.
woman: "you could make lots of meringue."
me, frightened because i'm allergic to raw egg whites.
woman: "or you could just not buy them."
Friday, November 4, 2011
A little background
will benefit this story. The Delta Propulsion Engineering group basically just has a bunch of cubicles in one part of the main floor of Building C (tower) of the Delta MSP campus. This means that if you really want to be "that guy" you can basically talk to anyone without leaving your chair just by raising your voice slightly. It also means you can hear everyone else's phone calls.
So there's this guy who's been a propulsion engineer for NWA/Delta for longer than I've been alive (It's true, I've seen log pages with his name on them from 1988 and older). We'll call him Paul. Paul has been more of a mentor to me as a young engineer than any of the other engineers have (though they've all been great).
So yesterday morning, Paul's phone rang. Nothing newsworthy there. But instead of saying, "Engineering, this is Paul,"
he answered with, "Charlie's Pizza."
So obviously he knew the person that was calling.
But what really amazed me was how long he and this person kept up that line of conversion.
"We're actually out of chicken right now, so we can't do the bbq chicken."
...
"So are we going with the credit card we have on record here, the American Express?"
It seriously went on for 5 minutes. This guy is awesome.
So there's this guy who's been a propulsion engineer for NWA/Delta for longer than I've been alive (It's true, I've seen log pages with his name on them from 1988 and older). We'll call him Paul. Paul has been more of a mentor to me as a young engineer than any of the other engineers have (though they've all been great).
So yesterday morning, Paul's phone rang. Nothing newsworthy there. But instead of saying, "Engineering, this is Paul,"
he answered with, "Charlie's Pizza."
So obviously he knew the person that was calling.
But what really amazed me was how long he and this person kept up that line of conversion.
"We're actually out of chicken right now, so we can't do the bbq chicken."
...
"So are we going with the credit card we have on record here, the American Express?"
It seriously went on for 5 minutes. This guy is awesome.
for stiche
holy crap.
you saw his last performance ever.
preliminary reports are really shady until family is notified. was it drugs? alcohol? who knows.
did he seem out of it when you were in minneapolis??
you saw his last performance ever.
preliminary reports are really shady until family is notified. was it drugs? alcohol? who knows.
did he seem out of it when you were in minneapolis??
Saturday, October 29, 2011
help/advice
i am having somewhat of an existential/moral crisis.
i found a $20 bill on the floor in rooter's (a local bar). i was playing blackjack and accidentally dropped a chip. as i bent down to pick it up, it was lying directly on the andrew jackson.
throughout the entire time i was at the table many guys had come and gone at the seats immediately next to me, so it was pretty obvious none of them were missing the money. it had clearly come from someone long before i got to the table and yet no one had claimed it.
had i not picked it up, i'm guessing that no one would have noticed it and some employee at the bar would have pocketed it.
so: do i keep it? do i place it randomly somewhere for someone else to claim? do i use it to pay bills? do i put it on one hand of blackjack? do i take my lady out for lunch with it?
your help would be appreciated.
sincerely,
ahmed.
i found a $20 bill on the floor in rooter's (a local bar). i was playing blackjack and accidentally dropped a chip. as i bent down to pick it up, it was lying directly on the andrew jackson.
throughout the entire time i was at the table many guys had come and gone at the seats immediately next to me, so it was pretty obvious none of them were missing the money. it had clearly come from someone long before i got to the table and yet no one had claimed it.
had i not picked it up, i'm guessing that no one would have noticed it and some employee at the bar would have pocketed it.
so: do i keep it? do i place it randomly somewhere for someone else to claim? do i use it to pay bills? do i put it on one hand of blackjack? do i take my lady out for lunch with it?
your help would be appreciated.
sincerely,
ahmed.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
great timing
so for those of you who don't know, (sorry for those who already read the stiche corner blog post and found out about it) the one and only tom "all day" day has his own radio show.
his show is from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. every wednesday. the theme of the show today was black metal. my boss came into my office at about 9:59 and had a long chat with me about a project we're working on. (to make the long story short, we have this huge dataset that is comprised of 4 smaller datasets, all of which come from a separate state entity. it gets very confusing coordinating 4 different organizations to make sure that they code variables in the same way.)
so my boss was explaining the raw data to me until about 10:07 and then she took off. at that point i began to livestream KNDS and catch the stiche hour.
unbeknownst to me at the time, my volume was basically turned up all of the way. i kid you not, when the livestream finally loaded it was at 3:39 of this song.
right at that split second my boss came back into my office to ask me one final quick question about how i had been coding and analyzing one variable in particular.
as the "aaahhh, Ahhhh, AAHHHH, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" came blasting through the speakers she just kind of looked at me with her jaw dropped.
i quickly hit the mute button on my keyboard and just kind of laughed.
it was awesome because she just shrugged, shook her head, and said "the variable should be coded 1." then she nonchalantly left as if nothing had happened.
i really love my job.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
opera
fantasy update:
team 1: 5-2, 2nd place (out of 12) $10 buy in.
i had a few struggles with byes, and andre being hurt hasn't helped any. either way, i'm a lock for the playoffs and likely a run for the money. this team (despite everyone saying how bad it would suck) has more than held its own.
team 2: 3-4 6th place (out of 12) $25 buy in.
this team took a huge shat. i've lost a lot of close games and been repeatedly outscored despite putting up big numbers. this week my team is projected to just go nuts, so hopefully that will get me back on track. all of my byes are over, so i'm feeling good about this team in the coming weeks when everyone else deals with week 8-11 byes.
team 3: 3-4, 8th place (out of 12) $10 buy in.
considering this team started 0-3, i'm pleasantly surprised. matt ryan has started to play decently. my receiving corps has really started to shine: nicks, aj green, and garcon have all been playing well. i have decent depth at RB (rice and hillis) plus i still have the law firm. i picked up demarco murray and he was a pleasant surprise. i think this team just might keep going up...
team 4: 3-4, 8th place (out of 12) $50 buy in.
this team has been so hit and miss. i spent over 25% of my budget on andre only to see him go down a few weeks ago. that prompted a huge trade. my starting lineup will be solid once andre is back. however, in the mean time i have no depth at RB. i have michael turner and MJD but they have bye weeks this week and next, respectively. i hit up the waivers and picked up bernard scott, LT, and tashard choice. woof. scott will start this week opposite MJD. next week? who knows, it'll probably be turner and LT. ouch. i just have to hope i hit someone else suffering from the bye week blues.
in other news, i'm officially published a few times over and am loving it.
i've been asked to teach a class in spring semester. i'm going to do it. after all, i'd like to be a professor, so it's right down the path i want to take.
my thesis is wrapping up and i think it's finally starting to hit me. 18+ months of work are finally being rewarded.
i predict that texas will win tomorrow.
bockmed, i'm planning to visit the 4th-6th. let me know if that's cool, i would never want to intrude.
finally, i just have to say. one of my all time favorite bands, someone still loves you boris yeltsin, released their new album. it's not so much "new" as it is songs that didn't make their first 3 albums and EPs. still, they have some stuff from "broom" which has the original sound that came straight from their grandma's basement where they recorded (not even making that up). they also have a ton of stuff from "pershing" and "sink/let it sway" where the studio work is flawless. itunes has the entire 26 track (seriously, 26 tracks!) for $9.99. i already had a partial album from a few single releases, so i got 24 songs for $8.99. what a steal!
if you get a chance, check out the song "new day" here. it is hands down my favorite song from the album. absolutely flawless. they stuck to their original feel by including tracks like "bigger than yr yard" and "go upstairs." they also branched out in a totally different direction with "sweet owl" and "yellow missing signs." additionally, hidden in the album are a bunch of original demos. just incredible. for anyone who is even on the fence about SSLYBY, you absolutely must own this album.
that is all for now, blogosphere.
team 1: 5-2, 2nd place (out of 12) $10 buy in.
i had a few struggles with byes, and andre being hurt hasn't helped any. either way, i'm a lock for the playoffs and likely a run for the money. this team (despite everyone saying how bad it would suck) has more than held its own.
team 2: 3-4 6th place (out of 12) $25 buy in.
this team took a huge shat. i've lost a lot of close games and been repeatedly outscored despite putting up big numbers. this week my team is projected to just go nuts, so hopefully that will get me back on track. all of my byes are over, so i'm feeling good about this team in the coming weeks when everyone else deals with week 8-11 byes.
team 3: 3-4, 8th place (out of 12) $10 buy in.
considering this team started 0-3, i'm pleasantly surprised. matt ryan has started to play decently. my receiving corps has really started to shine: nicks, aj green, and garcon have all been playing well. i have decent depth at RB (rice and hillis) plus i still have the law firm. i picked up demarco murray and he was a pleasant surprise. i think this team just might keep going up...
team 4: 3-4, 8th place (out of 12) $50 buy in.
this team has been so hit and miss. i spent over 25% of my budget on andre only to see him go down a few weeks ago. that prompted a huge trade. my starting lineup will be solid once andre is back. however, in the mean time i have no depth at RB. i have michael turner and MJD but they have bye weeks this week and next, respectively. i hit up the waivers and picked up bernard scott, LT, and tashard choice. woof. scott will start this week opposite MJD. next week? who knows, it'll probably be turner and LT. ouch. i just have to hope i hit someone else suffering from the bye week blues.
in other news, i'm officially published a few times over and am loving it.
i've been asked to teach a class in spring semester. i'm going to do it. after all, i'd like to be a professor, so it's right down the path i want to take.
my thesis is wrapping up and i think it's finally starting to hit me. 18+ months of work are finally being rewarded.
i predict that texas will win tomorrow.
bockmed, i'm planning to visit the 4th-6th. let me know if that's cool, i would never want to intrude.
finally, i just have to say. one of my all time favorite bands, someone still loves you boris yeltsin, released their new album. it's not so much "new" as it is songs that didn't make their first 3 albums and EPs. still, they have some stuff from "broom" which has the original sound that came straight from their grandma's basement where they recorded (not even making that up). they also have a ton of stuff from "pershing" and "sink/let it sway" where the studio work is flawless. itunes has the entire 26 track (seriously, 26 tracks!) for $9.99. i already had a partial album from a few single releases, so i got 24 songs for $8.99. what a steal!
if you get a chance, check out the song "new day" here. it is hands down my favorite song from the album. absolutely flawless. they stuck to their original feel by including tracks like "bigger than yr yard" and "go upstairs." they also branched out in a totally different direction with "sweet owl" and "yellow missing signs." additionally, hidden in the album are a bunch of original demos. just incredible. for anyone who is even on the fence about SSLYBY, you absolutely must own this album.
that is all for now, blogosphere.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Updates and Stuff
The big news is that I started a co-op (for those out of the loop: an internship that takes place over multiple, usually rotating, semesters) yesterday at Delta Air Lines in propulsion engineering. So far everybody has been very nice. I've already learned quite a bit in my new workplace, but I have sooo much more to learn. Mostly acronyms. Seriously, these people use so many acronyms... To describe engine parts, official documents, procedures, regulations... Everything has an acronym. My only complaint is that I have to get used to waking up at a time resembling a productive human being 5 days a week again. The commute and business casual dress code I can deal with.
On to fantasy football. We've reached the end of week 6 and a lot has changed.
League 1: Family Feud ($20 buy-in), 4-2, 4th place out of 12
My team is very solid. My only weak spot is QB and I have a feeling Roethlisberger is going to start cleaning up his act, and I can always throw in Hasselbeck based on matchups, so even that isn't so bad. I executed another trade. I gave up Ahmad Bradshaw and Pierre Garcon and received Jason Witten and Mike Tolbert. I know I gave up too much, but frankly I was sick of sitting star players and getting jack shit out of my TE. I'm really only going to be a hair weak on my RBs bye weeks. Seriously check out this team:
QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Hasselbeck
RB: Lesean McCoy, Arian Foster, Mike Tolbert, Brandon Jacobs (and hopefully Ben Tate. Yes he's available. Don't ask why. It's the family league)
WR: Roddy White, Vincent Jackson, Hakeem Nicks, and Santonio Holmes
TE: Jason Witten (and currently Fred Davis)
K: John Kasay
D: Detroit
I love this team. I get to start 2 top 6 picks at RB, 3 quality number 1 WRs, and now the most consistent TE in football every week. Well, almost every week. Stupid byes. And my backups and QB situation aren't bad either. I just wish I had the old Roddy White. He just isn't as good this year, and sadly I expect it to continue.
League 2: The keeper league with some friends ($10 buy-in), 3-3, 7th out of 12
I should be in 10th place. We've played six weeks and I am one of 3 teams yet to break 500 points for. This team is looking like an absolute failure. My theory of taking quantity over quality with running backs and letting a quality air attack carry the team is absolutely backfiring. My wide receivers and running backs have been ravaged by injury. My team is so thin and so terrible, I was able to fill 7 bench spots with players who, due to bye or injury, weren't playing and my team put up only an embarrassing 51 points. Really Vernon Davis? 8 yards? I don't know what to do about this team. The worst part is that I only see one player as being worth keeping, given that we have to give up the pick two rounds higher than where we took a kept player. Eric Decker. There's always next year. (Or is there? Honestly, I don't like the way this league is running. We failed in putting together a clear set of rules, there's very little incentive to actually keep players, several team managers seem quite disinterested and one has failed to set his lineup two weeks in a row. *sigh*)
ttfn
On to fantasy football. We've reached the end of week 6 and a lot has changed.
League 1: Family Feud ($20 buy-in), 4-2, 4th place out of 12
My team is very solid. My only weak spot is QB and I have a feeling Roethlisberger is going to start cleaning up his act, and I can always throw in Hasselbeck based on matchups, so even that isn't so bad. I executed another trade. I gave up Ahmad Bradshaw and Pierre Garcon and received Jason Witten and Mike Tolbert. I know I gave up too much, but frankly I was sick of sitting star players and getting jack shit out of my TE. I'm really only going to be a hair weak on my RBs bye weeks. Seriously check out this team:
QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Hasselbeck
RB: Lesean McCoy, Arian Foster, Mike Tolbert, Brandon Jacobs (and hopefully Ben Tate. Yes he's available. Don't ask why. It's the family league)
WR: Roddy White, Vincent Jackson, Hakeem Nicks, and Santonio Holmes
TE: Jason Witten (and currently Fred Davis)
K: John Kasay
D: Detroit
I love this team. I get to start 2 top 6 picks at RB, 3 quality number 1 WRs, and now the most consistent TE in football every week. Well, almost every week. Stupid byes. And my backups and QB situation aren't bad either. I just wish I had the old Roddy White. He just isn't as good this year, and sadly I expect it to continue.
League 2: The keeper league with some friends ($10 buy-in), 3-3, 7th out of 12
I should be in 10th place. We've played six weeks and I am one of 3 teams yet to break 500 points for. This team is looking like an absolute failure. My theory of taking quantity over quality with running backs and letting a quality air attack carry the team is absolutely backfiring. My wide receivers and running backs have been ravaged by injury. My team is so thin and so terrible, I was able to fill 7 bench spots with players who, due to bye or injury, weren't playing and my team put up only an embarrassing 51 points. Really Vernon Davis? 8 yards? I don't know what to do about this team. The worst part is that I only see one player as being worth keeping, given that we have to give up the pick two rounds higher than where we took a kept player. Eric Decker. There's always next year. (Or is there? Honestly, I don't like the way this league is running. We failed in putting together a clear set of rules, there's very little incentive to actually keep players, several team managers seem quite disinterested and one has failed to set his lineup two weeks in a row. *sigh*)
ttfn
Monday, October 10, 2011
i left my pelkmed in san francisco
last friday (sep 30) i took a short vacay to san francisco to visit pelkmed. i was there 6 days, although only 4 were fully days (got there late friday, left early wednesday). ill briefly sum up some highlights:
saturday: went to a free bluegrass concert at golden gate park. 800,000+ in attendance over the weekend...it was a haze of pot smoke and beer. i got to see one of my favorite bands of all time, broken social scene, play live...albeit from about 1/2 mile away. still, pretty cool. after that we had a double date where i got to meet pelkmed's woman. she's great, i give a resounding thumbs up. we had afghan food for dinner at this little hole-in-the-wall place. it was delicious. i had mater challaw (lamb shanks over rice) and the meat sauce was to die for. we ended the night with a das boot at some german bar that i can't remember the name of. great day.
sunday: woke up early and watched the vikes kick off at 10:00 am local time. we were at a sports bar with nfl sunday ticket and were about only 4 vikes fans watching the game. the chiefs fans had about 5 there, but they were all VERY loud. still, it was fun. later that night we went and saw the golden gate bridge and took a few touristy pictures. at night we drove up the coast to a restaurant that has (according to the today show) the best sandwich in america. it was a lobster roll with about 1.5 lbs. of deliciously cooked lobster. i'm not a huge fan of lobster, but apparently this was the best lobster either pelkmed or alimed had ever had.
monday: slept in a bit and had lunch near the mission (home of the mission style burrito). went to a tortilleria and had an authentic mission style burrito. about 2 lbs. of solid burrito for only $5. great deal. after that we walked around the mission and then proceeded to the castro neighborhood (the gay part of SF). we went to a gay bar which had ridiculously good deals. and very homoerotic art. after that we went out on another double date for dinner at gordon biersch brewery. i wanted to try something delicious, but pelkmed's woman lives in the hilliest and curviest neighborhood in america. my motion sickness kicked in and i just felt awful. too bad.
tuesday: alimed and i slept in and then went downtown to shop for a bit. we met pelkmed for lunch and saw his corporate life. after that we had the world's greatest crepe and then proceeded to do a bit more shopping. we ended our night at the happiest place on earth: a restaurant simply named "beer zone." they had 101 beers available and over 50 on tap. also: they had dogfish head! so i finally got to try my first ever dogfish head beer. i had punkin' ale, palo santos, and 90 minute ipa. plus whatever else pelkmed and alimed bought me. the good side: they were delicious. the bad side: i was on a very empty stomach. after getting quite tipsy we went to scoma's, a classy restaurant on the bay that has the world's best seafood. in my inebriated state i ordered the penne pasta bouliognese because i didn't remember it was a seafood place. i ate all of it (which was likely meant for 4 people) and had a drunken/food coma experience. i was basically a wreck the rest of the night with a mixture of nausea from too much food and nausea from too much alcohol. apparently we walked through chinatown and little italy, although i remember none of it. heck, i don't even remember leaving the restaurant (which is a long commute back to the apartment) but somehow i woke up the next morning.
wednesday: i got up at about 7:00 am and felt like i had just competed in a hotdog eating challenge....i was still VERY full from the night before. it was quite strange. we hopped on the train around 8:00 and made it through security with hardly any time to spare boarding the plane. all in all, it was a great vacay.
one other note: in my big money fantasy football league, i learned that andre johnson is made of toothpicks. with his injury, i was looking at the foreseeable future (due to byes/injuries) of starting bess, floyd, and thomas jones every week for the next 3 weeks. desperate, i made a huge trade.
i gave up: lesean mccoy, daniel thomas, ronnie brown.
i got: dwayne bowe, maurice jones-drew, matt ryan.
ryan becomes my starting QB. new lineup:
ryan
maclin
bowe
turner
MJD
bess
pettigrew
bess will be replaced by andre once he is healthy again. i had to make a move, i just had to. i have no RB depth at all, but i'm looking to trade a QB (i still have freeman and flacco, too, i can't justify dropping one of them) for some depth at RB. who knows what will happen.
that is all.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Is it getting bloggy in here.
After seeing Ahmed's post, I was reminded that I had intended to update on my fantasy football season every three or four weeks. So this is one of those.
Team 1: 1-2, 9th out of twelve, $20 buy-in
At first glance, it would appear that I have little more than an outside shot at three-peating as champion of the family feud league. But I'm right in there for points for and have the second most points against. If Ben Roethlisberger could stop putting the ball in the hands of the defense and I had any semblance of a TE I'd be doing just fine. This past week, my team made a pretty big improvement when, lo and behold, a trade offer appeared! I was offered Hakeem Nicks and Arian Foster for Fred Jackson and Jerome Harrison. Without hesitation, I hit accept. A while later my conscience was all like "dude, I know he offered you that deal, but, c'mon, that's just not fair." After some discussion with my trade partner, it is apparent that he is aware of how much potential he gave up, but desperately needed points now. Ok. I currently am shopping my now amazing RB and WR depth (I now have McCoy, Bradshaw, Jacobs and Foster at RB and White, V. Jackson, Nicks, and Holmes at WR) to upgrade at QB and TE. Things could really be looking up for this team if Foster becomes even 80% of the Foster he was last year and some other guys start to reach their potential.
Team 2: 2-1, 5th of 12, $10 buy-in
It breaks my heart to see Ahmed's team suck so bad. If it weren't for a metric shit-ton of injuries, I'd probably be in 2nd or 3rd, but hey. Drew Brees and Andre Johnson are definitely carrying this team. For the last week or two Knowshon Moreno, Dez Bryant, Mario Manningham, have all been out or questionable. It sucks when three guys you expected to be the core of your team are all un-startable. It leads to things like starting Mike Tolbert when he doesn't do anything after week 1 and Joseph Addai having a good week against the Steelers while on my bench. At least Vernon Davis finally got some looks in San Fran. I'm still pretty confident about this team. I just need my guys to heal up and maybe trade for a reliable RB. Although I don't think I have the depth to make that really viable. I'm also really glad I drafted Eric Decker. I'm thinking he'll be kept for a number of years.
Team 1: 1-2, 9th out of twelve, $20 buy-in
At first glance, it would appear that I have little more than an outside shot at three-peating as champion of the family feud league. But I'm right in there for points for and have the second most points against. If Ben Roethlisberger could stop putting the ball in the hands of the defense and I had any semblance of a TE I'd be doing just fine. This past week, my team made a pretty big improvement when, lo and behold, a trade offer appeared! I was offered Hakeem Nicks and Arian Foster for Fred Jackson and Jerome Harrison. Without hesitation, I hit accept. A while later my conscience was all like "dude, I know he offered you that deal, but, c'mon, that's just not fair." After some discussion with my trade partner, it is apparent that he is aware of how much potential he gave up, but desperately needed points now. Ok. I currently am shopping my now amazing RB and WR depth (I now have McCoy, Bradshaw, Jacobs and Foster at RB and White, V. Jackson, Nicks, and Holmes at WR) to upgrade at QB and TE. Things could really be looking up for this team if Foster becomes even 80% of the Foster he was last year and some other guys start to reach their potential.
Team 2: 2-1, 5th of 12, $10 buy-in
It breaks my heart to see Ahmed's team suck so bad. If it weren't for a metric shit-ton of injuries, I'd probably be in 2nd or 3rd, but hey. Drew Brees and Andre Johnson are definitely carrying this team. For the last week or two Knowshon Moreno, Dez Bryant, Mario Manningham, have all been out or questionable. It sucks when three guys you expected to be the core of your team are all un-startable. It leads to things like starting Mike Tolbert when he doesn't do anything after week 1 and Joseph Addai having a good week against the Steelers while on my bench. At least Vernon Davis finally got some looks in San Fran. I'm still pretty confident about this team. I just need my guys to heal up and maybe trade for a reliable RB. Although I don't think I have the depth to make that really viable. I'm also really glad I drafted Eric Decker. I'm thinking he'll be kept for a number of years.
blog the blog
Well, believe it or not I am actually at work right now. I got really bored and decided to write a blog post. I’m not sure when I’ll post it, but you can be assured that this was definitely written on company time.
Fantasy football has been a mix of good and bad this season. I’ll briefly recap my 4 teams I highlighted earlier in the year.
Team 1: 3-0, first place (out of twelve), $10 buy-in.
There’s really very little to say other than this team is being single-handedly carried week-in and week-out by Tom Brady. Daniel Thomas has emerged as a nice replacement for Peyton Hillis (who was sick last week) and very well may end up replacing BJGE for the rest of the season if he keeps putting up these kinds of numbers. It’s a ½ point PPR league and the Johnsons—Andre and Stevie—have been doing well. Brandon Marshall may not have ridiculous numbers thus far, but he is getting plenty of targets to keep him as a starter. If he falters, I have Devery Henderson and/or Mike Thomas to replace him (both have been having good years thus far and make a viable flex option). It’s nice when you’re forced to choose between benching Daniel Thomas and The Law Firm every week. My depth is solid: Flacco has had some amazing games and Woodhead/The Law Firm make for formidable running back depth. Overall, I’m excited for what the rest of the year will bring.
Team 2: 2-1, third place (out of twelve), $25 buy-in.
For obvious reasons, I was really worried when Vick had a concussion last week and then a “broken hand” this week. I’ll have to monitor his status, although with Flacco playing the way he has, I’m not too worried if Vick misses some time. I was nervous when Knowshon had injuries of his own, although Ryan Matthews sure has stepped it up and has been a great #2 RB behind McCoy. I also have Daniel Thomas in this league, so my RB depth is amazing. When Dez Bryant went down it gave me obvious concern, but Mike Wallace has carried my receiving corps. Witten is still one of the best TEs in the game. My only reason to worry: I have no depth at WR and 2 share the same bye on week 5. I’m hitting the waiver wire as we speak…
Team 3: 0-3, twelfth place (out of twelve), $10 buy-in.
This league is depressing. It’s with guys that I’ve never played with before (Bockmed included) and I really felt like I had a crappy draft. Players didn’t fall my way and I felt that based on my randomly assigned spot in the draft I missed the tail end of every tier before the snake came back to my position. Ray Rice has been good, but injuries/inconsistencies from EVERY OTHER PLAYER ON MY FREAKING TEAM hasn’t helped whatsoever. My bench sucks because I gambled on CJ Spiller and Pierre Garcon to have favorable situations. Fred Jackson and Peyton Manning have thus far destroyed that gamble. AJ Green has been a nice surprise, although now that I finally decided to start him he decided to start sucking it up. If Matt Ryan, Mike Williams (TB), and Hakeem Nicks start playing like they did last year I might (emphasis on might) have a shot at making the playoffs. Otherwise I have a crappy team with really no one worthy of being kept next season. Good riddance.
Team 4: 1-2, seventh place (out of twelve), $50 buy-in.
This team should be doing so much better. I’ve had consecutive weeks (which I absolutely hate) where I’ve scored more points that basically every other team….with the exception of my opponent. Case in point: I’m 7th by record, but have the 3rd most points of any team in the league. It is a full-point PPR and needless to say McCoy, Andre, and Maclin have done a great job thus far. I’m nervous because it sounds like Maclin may now be out for a game or two, which means I have to start Bess at WR#2. McCoy and Turner are one of the best RB duos in this league, but with Maclin down it means I have to start Daniel Thomas at flex. If he keeps playing like he has the last 2 weeks, I’ll be just fine with this. My downfall has been inconsistency between my TE and QB options. Pettigrew went balls out this last week, but the first two he did very little. Thus far I’ve decided to flip-flop QBs based on who has the better matchup (I have Freeman and Flacco). I started Freeman weeks 1 and 3 and Flacco week 2. For anyone paying attention to fantasy football, you know that Flacco went off weeks 1 and 3 and Freeman had a much better week 2. So basically I keep leaving points on the bench. Hopefully my luck turns around.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
fantasy football - draft 4
my fourth and final draft took place on labor day. not to be disrespectful to any of my other leagues, but this one is by far my favorite. this is only the 3rd year i've been in it, but it's hands down the most competitive league i've ever been in (regardless of what sport). it mostly consists of BHS grads 1 or 2 years older than me. it is a little bit different that most leagues in that we start 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 FLEX, 1 TE, 1K, 3 IDP. there are 6 bench spots. it is standard scoring except that it is a full point per reception. it is also different because it is an auction draft, not a snake format.
i love auction drafts because there is SO much strategy that needs to be integrated into your draft. beforehand you absolutely must have a good understanding of where you value players. also, with a $200 budget, you have to budget accordingly.
furthermore, as the draft progresses, it literally becomes a "market." as teams fill in certain roster spots, the remaining players can go for ridiculously overpriced (or under-priced) amounts depending on when they are taken.
what i also love about auction drafts is that players are nominated in no particular order. if you have the very first pick of the draft, you can nominate arian foster or tarvaris jackson. whoever you want to start bidding on is fair game. if someone else is willing to pay more they'll bid more. it's really a simple format. i've always been told that the strategy is to nominate someone you don't want for $1 and then let everyone else drive up their price so that they have less money to spend later on. whether or not that seems like a good idea is up to you.
before drafting, i had developed a key strategy. this league has been around since 2001, and yahoo does a cool thing where they "archive" leagues in which the same players have been playing. so you can look at draft results over time. i analyzed trends over a few years. sometimes i analyzed how the top 3 (money winning) teams spent their $200 in the draft. i also analyzed how the top 8 (playoff teams) allocated their funds during draft day. i also examined the drafting strategies of parker and pelkey, who i consider to consistently be the best 2 players. i looked at the average money spent by these different groups and noticed that some trends emerged: lots of money was spent on the 2 WRs and almost always big-time money was spent on their #1 RB. i also noticed--in general--playoff teams did not worry about having a top-tier QB. with this in mind, i developed 2 possible strategies for spending my money during the draft:
basically, these scenarios were really similar. the difference: the extra $10 on your #1WR and #1RB gets you a top-tier guy. i was just going to play it out and see who fell on my team where and then choose which strategy i would follow for the rest of the draft.
one last thing: what i also love about auctions is that, early in the draft, you can find a lot of extremes. sometimes not enough people at a position have gone yet, so you can't gauge if you're getting a steal or a horrible deal. i've also noticed during my analysis on previous drafts, in every case, the team that won somewhere along the way got a great steal at some point during the draft. naturally, a little luck helps as well.
on my cheatsheet, i have 2 values next to each player. the lowest value is what i think a player should go for at minimum. if a player is under this value, i will generally bid on him regardless of whether or not i want him. i do this because 1) if i end up getting him, on my board it is a steal; and 2) if i don't get him, i'm making sure that someone else is spending that extra dollar (or two). it might sound crazy, but when it gets to the very end of the draft, a $2 bid versus a $1 bid is the entire difference between having that key bye-week reserve that squeaks out a victory and losing. in this league (which has the highest entry fee of all i play) that is crucial to me.
3rd person nominated overall: michael turner. i got him for: $26.
in my book, this was a complete steal. i had turner at a low of $27 and a high of $34. that means he went for under what i believed to be his minimum value!!! the first two people nominated were vick and rodgers, so turner was the first RB on the board. i don't know if people were waiting for the top-tier guys, but turner quickly went up to $20. i kept out bidding people one by one and finally i put in a bid for $26. it was crazy, but in the snap of a finger, bidding on him completely stopped. as i watched the time tick down from 3 seconds...2 seconds....1.....i couldn't believe i walked away with him at such value. he has led the league in rushing attempts 2 of the last 3 years so you know he'll get his looks. i love the falcons' offense this year and can't wait for what he has in store for me. at $26, he was only a dollar more expensive than what i wanted to spend on my #2RB. so at this point, i don't know what strategy i'll use yet...
21st person nominated: lesean mccoy. i got him for: $68.
at this point, AP, foster, charles, rice, and even chris johnson had all been nominated and taken. i tried bidding a bit on all of them, but they went over my max value, so i stayed away. but, truthfully: mccoy was my guy for the entire draft. in a full-point PPR league, he is as valuable as anyone. i had him at $71 on my board, so $68 was a steal (and $2 cheaper than what i allocated for my #1RB in scenario 2). at this point, i'm now committed to budgeting for scenario 2 (that's another key for an auction: STAY WITHIN YOUR BUDGET!). since i went over $1 for turner and under $2 for mccoy, i had a surplus of $1 to spend elsewhere. i allocated it towards my #1WR.
31st person nominated: andre johnson. i got him for: $54.
by this point larry, calvin, vincent jackson, and brandon marshall were the only stud WRs taken. i had andre at a max value of $52, but there were no other top guys left on my board, so i felt that i would try to get him. when someone else bid $53, i was really reluctant to bid one more dollar. i decided to go for it and was happy when no one else bid. he's the best WR in the game, i love houston's offense, and i think their improved defense will give the offense more time with the ball. no matter what andre will have a great year, and his targets in a PPR league are invaluable. by over-spending $3 on andre, i had to do some quick adjustments. in scenario 2, instead of spending $30 on my WR2, i allocated only $27 to this position.
47th person nominated overall: tamba hali. i got him for $1.
no IDP player should ever go for more than $1. obviously, i nominated him and got him. his 14.5 sacks last year was amazing and i'm a fan of kansas city's defense. he's one of the best LBs in the game and filled my LB slot.
59th person nominated overall: kerry rhodes. i got him for: $1.
in terms of fantasy points in 2010, he was the most productive in our league. (we do weird IDP scoring, so even though you may think of other DBs in the NFL who are far superior at their position, they may have had less tackles or less passes deflected etc. for whatever reason, rhodes led the DBs in scoring in our system last year. i'll take him for that.)
71st person nominated overall: julius peppers. i got him for $1.
i like the bears' defense. peppers had a pretty good year statistically in 2010. he wasn't the best DL on the board, but for $1....well....you can't get cheaper than that!
79th person nominated overall: jeremy maclin. i got him for $24.
he missed the entire preseason with a viral infection, but everything i had read prior to the draft suggested that he'd be available week #1. the eagles should have a high-scoring offense, and maclin will get plenty of targets. for a #2WR, he's a solid pick and considering that there weren't many good WRs left at this point in the draft, i thought he was great value. i overpaid a little for him, but at that point it was basically between him or mike thomas. read my other post to see how i feel about thomas...by saving $3 on my budget, i allocated that towards my first bench spot. (you might think, "why not towards your flex?" well, at this point in the draft, players start going for really cheap...so i wanted good depth considering at this point i probably could still get my flex guy for the $5 i initially wanted for him.)
83rd person nominated overall: mason crosby. i got him for $1.
i wasn't sure who to nominate because it was the point in the draft where sometimes who you put up for $1 you get. i didn't want to risk getting someone i didn't want and i needed a kicker. based on the green bay game yesterday, crosby may not kick a single field goal this entire year!!! still, they put up 6 extra points...so maybe they will be so high-powered that he'll still be getting me 6-8 points a week. let's hope he's reduced to just field goals when they play the vikings!!
91st person nominated overall: malcom floyd. i got him for $3.
am i high on floyd individually? no. am i high on the chargers' offense as a whole? abso-fricken-lutely. this is where my money i allocated to my first bench spot came in. i don't envision using him as my flex whatsoever, but he'll be a good fill in for one week. he doesn't get a lot of passes thrown his way, but the ones he does catch go for good yardage (and the occasional long-bomb touchdown). rivers will spread the ball, but gates and jackson will always be his primary targets. still, floyd was worth $3 in my book.
138th person nominated: daniel thomas. i got him for $4.
at this point, none of the tight ends left on the board were worth $5. so i figured i could spend more money on my bench players and still get a serviceable TE for only $1. i really needed a backup RB and like i've said before, i like thomas this year. he'll be the goal line option for miami and will get plenty of touches. if bush has another injury, thomas will only increase in value. i'll really only need him for two weeks, so i like this pick.
141st person nominated: josh freeman. i got him for $2.
at long last: my starting QB. statistically, freeman was solid last year: 25 TDs and only 6 INTs. he also had over 300 yards rushing, which is definitely a plus. many analysts/experts in the fantasy football world considered his season a fluke and project he won't come close to those numbers this year. i know tampa will have a tough time making the playoffs with the saints and the falcons in the NFC south, but i do like freeman to at least be a serviceable QB. and considering the trends i examined before the draft--historically in this league--that is all i need him to do. just. be. serviceable.
144th person nominated: michael crabtree. i got him for $2.
this was the only low point of my draft. i actually didn't want crabtree, i was sure someone else would bid him up since (on my board) he was the best WR left and some managers still needed a backup receiver. well, my plan didn't exactly work. i had crabtree on my board for $7 and given the situation thought he'd be eaten up. i don't trust san francisco's offense whatsoever. i think their addition of braylon will help, but crabtree has always had a poor attitude. if this somehow is the year he finally lives up to his college expectations, i will be very happy. unfortunately, i just don't see that happening.
146th person nominated: brandon pettigrew. i got him for $2.
pettigrew was the 2nd best player on my board. (i had zach miller higher). considering miller's new situation and that pettigrew had 70+ receptions last year, i thought i'd take a stab at him. if stafford stays healthy the offense should be solid. i like this pick and found my starting TE.
155th person nominated overall: ronnie brown. i got hiim for $1.
ladies and gentlemen, this is my handcuff. when you invest over one-third of your budget into one guy (mccoy) you sure as heck better invest in his backup in case of an injury!!!
161st person nominated overall: davone bess. i got him for $2.
believe it or not, he was the guy i was targeting the entire draft as my flex. i deliberately chose not to nominate him because i wanted him to fall as far in the draft as possible. this was because a) i didn't want people to know i wanted him; b) i knew he would go for less money the longer i waited; and c) i wanted other managers to have less money so that by the time he actually was nominated i'd be able to get him. my strategy paid off. bess had 76 receptions in '09 and 79 in '10. he's the perfect slot receiver and is projected to get between 11 and 12 points for every game this year. he's not flashy, but he's consistent. in a PPR format wes welker is one of the best WRs in the game. i consider bess and danny amendola to be the "second tier slot receivers." they'll get you points because of their catches, not because of their frequent end zone visits. i love this pickup and can't wait to see him come through for the rest of the year.
164th person nominated overall: joe flacco. i got him for $7.
at this point i had $8 left and 2 positions to fill. i had the most money of anyone left. i really needed a backup QB and flacco was easily the best available. the guy before me had $6 left and bid all $6 on him assuming he could get him. i knew i needed him and bid $7. i like this pickup (even though he went for more than freeman!!) and like i've said in other posts, i'm high on flacco. i imagine i'll be switching between freeman/flacco based on who has the more favorable matchup. again, since history tells me that all i need is a serviceable QB, this is a great strategy to employ.
166th person nominated overall: danny woodhead. i got him for $1.
that was all the money i had left. woodhead is also valuable in a PPR league. i check and saw that he's actually projected to get between about 9 and 12 points a game depending on the matchup. i don't know how he'll be used in new england with their new rookies in town, but he did have a lot of receptions for a RB last year (especially one who didn't really come on to the scene until later in the season). considering i'd only use him a maximum of 2 games, i'm ok with this pick.
lineup:
QB: freeman/flacco (depending on matchup)
WR: johnson
WR: maclin
RB: mccoy
RB: turner
FLEX: bess
TE: pettigrew
K: crosby
DL: peppers
LB: hali
DB: rhodes
BN: thomas
BN: crabtree
BN: brown
BN: floyd
BN: flacco (depending on matchup)
BN: woodhead
i really like this team. week 7 gets a little hectic with some byes, but that happens no matter what you do. i hate to sound arrogant early, but compared to some of the other teams i've assembled, i think this one is a lock for the playoffs. i have some really favorable matchups if i do make the playoffs, so this could be a great year.
that being said, in this league my week one matchup is against a guy who had both greg jennings and jordy nelson starting this week. so i don't expect to overcome a 40-point deficit, but his team was also projected to have the most points over the course of the season. either way, with sunday coming up i just can't wait for fantasy football to be kicked off in full gear. let the games begin!
i love auction drafts because there is SO much strategy that needs to be integrated into your draft. beforehand you absolutely must have a good understanding of where you value players. also, with a $200 budget, you have to budget accordingly.
furthermore, as the draft progresses, it literally becomes a "market." as teams fill in certain roster spots, the remaining players can go for ridiculously overpriced (or under-priced) amounts depending on when they are taken.
what i also love about auction drafts is that players are nominated in no particular order. if you have the very first pick of the draft, you can nominate arian foster or tarvaris jackson. whoever you want to start bidding on is fair game. if someone else is willing to pay more they'll bid more. it's really a simple format. i've always been told that the strategy is to nominate someone you don't want for $1 and then let everyone else drive up their price so that they have less money to spend later on. whether or not that seems like a good idea is up to you.
before drafting, i had developed a key strategy. this league has been around since 2001, and yahoo does a cool thing where they "archive" leagues in which the same players have been playing. so you can look at draft results over time. i analyzed trends over a few years. sometimes i analyzed how the top 3 (money winning) teams spent their $200 in the draft. i also analyzed how the top 8 (playoff teams) allocated their funds during draft day. i also examined the drafting strategies of parker and pelkey, who i consider to consistently be the best 2 players. i looked at the average money spent by these different groups and noticed that some trends emerged: lots of money was spent on the 2 WRs and almost always big-time money was spent on their #1 RB. i also noticed--in general--playoff teams did not worry about having a top-tier QB. with this in mind, i developed 2 possible strategies for spending my money during the draft:
POSITION | SCENARIO #1 | SCENARIO #2 |
QB | 5 | 5 |
WR | 40 | 50 |
WR | 40 | 30 |
RB | 60 | 70 |
RB | 25 | 25 |
TE | 10 | 5 |
FLEX | 8 | 5 |
K | 1 | 1 |
DB | 1 | 1 |
LB | 1 | 1 |
DL | 1 | 1 |
BN | 3 | 1 |
BN | 1 | 1 |
BN | 1 | 1 |
BN | 1 | 1 |
BN | 1 | 1 |
BN | 1 | 1 |
basically, these scenarios were really similar. the difference: the extra $10 on your #1WR and #1RB gets you a top-tier guy. i was just going to play it out and see who fell on my team where and then choose which strategy i would follow for the rest of the draft.
one last thing: what i also love about auctions is that, early in the draft, you can find a lot of extremes. sometimes not enough people at a position have gone yet, so you can't gauge if you're getting a steal or a horrible deal. i've also noticed during my analysis on previous drafts, in every case, the team that won somewhere along the way got a great steal at some point during the draft. naturally, a little luck helps as well.
on my cheatsheet, i have 2 values next to each player. the lowest value is what i think a player should go for at minimum. if a player is under this value, i will generally bid on him regardless of whether or not i want him. i do this because 1) if i end up getting him, on my board it is a steal; and 2) if i don't get him, i'm making sure that someone else is spending that extra dollar (or two). it might sound crazy, but when it gets to the very end of the draft, a $2 bid versus a $1 bid is the entire difference between having that key bye-week reserve that squeaks out a victory and losing. in this league (which has the highest entry fee of all i play) that is crucial to me.
3rd person nominated overall: michael turner. i got him for: $26.
in my book, this was a complete steal. i had turner at a low of $27 and a high of $34. that means he went for under what i believed to be his minimum value!!! the first two people nominated were vick and rodgers, so turner was the first RB on the board. i don't know if people were waiting for the top-tier guys, but turner quickly went up to $20. i kept out bidding people one by one and finally i put in a bid for $26. it was crazy, but in the snap of a finger, bidding on him completely stopped. as i watched the time tick down from 3 seconds...2 seconds....1.....i couldn't believe i walked away with him at such value. he has led the league in rushing attempts 2 of the last 3 years so you know he'll get his looks. i love the falcons' offense this year and can't wait for what he has in store for me. at $26, he was only a dollar more expensive than what i wanted to spend on my #2RB. so at this point, i don't know what strategy i'll use yet...
21st person nominated: lesean mccoy. i got him for: $68.
at this point, AP, foster, charles, rice, and even chris johnson had all been nominated and taken. i tried bidding a bit on all of them, but they went over my max value, so i stayed away. but, truthfully: mccoy was my guy for the entire draft. in a full-point PPR league, he is as valuable as anyone. i had him at $71 on my board, so $68 was a steal (and $2 cheaper than what i allocated for my #1RB in scenario 2). at this point, i'm now committed to budgeting for scenario 2 (that's another key for an auction: STAY WITHIN YOUR BUDGET!). since i went over $1 for turner and under $2 for mccoy, i had a surplus of $1 to spend elsewhere. i allocated it towards my #1WR.
31st person nominated: andre johnson. i got him for: $54.
by this point larry, calvin, vincent jackson, and brandon marshall were the only stud WRs taken. i had andre at a max value of $52, but there were no other top guys left on my board, so i felt that i would try to get him. when someone else bid $53, i was really reluctant to bid one more dollar. i decided to go for it and was happy when no one else bid. he's the best WR in the game, i love houston's offense, and i think their improved defense will give the offense more time with the ball. no matter what andre will have a great year, and his targets in a PPR league are invaluable. by over-spending $3 on andre, i had to do some quick adjustments. in scenario 2, instead of spending $30 on my WR2, i allocated only $27 to this position.
47th person nominated overall: tamba hali. i got him for $1.
no IDP player should ever go for more than $1. obviously, i nominated him and got him. his 14.5 sacks last year was amazing and i'm a fan of kansas city's defense. he's one of the best LBs in the game and filled my LB slot.
59th person nominated overall: kerry rhodes. i got him for: $1.
in terms of fantasy points in 2010, he was the most productive in our league. (we do weird IDP scoring, so even though you may think of other DBs in the NFL who are far superior at their position, they may have had less tackles or less passes deflected etc. for whatever reason, rhodes led the DBs in scoring in our system last year. i'll take him for that.)
71st person nominated overall: julius peppers. i got him for $1.
i like the bears' defense. peppers had a pretty good year statistically in 2010. he wasn't the best DL on the board, but for $1....well....you can't get cheaper than that!
79th person nominated overall: jeremy maclin. i got him for $24.
he missed the entire preseason with a viral infection, but everything i had read prior to the draft suggested that he'd be available week #1. the eagles should have a high-scoring offense, and maclin will get plenty of targets. for a #2WR, he's a solid pick and considering that there weren't many good WRs left at this point in the draft, i thought he was great value. i overpaid a little for him, but at that point it was basically between him or mike thomas. read my other post to see how i feel about thomas...by saving $3 on my budget, i allocated that towards my first bench spot. (you might think, "why not towards your flex?" well, at this point in the draft, players start going for really cheap...so i wanted good depth considering at this point i probably could still get my flex guy for the $5 i initially wanted for him.)
83rd person nominated overall: mason crosby. i got him for $1.
i wasn't sure who to nominate because it was the point in the draft where sometimes who you put up for $1 you get. i didn't want to risk getting someone i didn't want and i needed a kicker. based on the green bay game yesterday, crosby may not kick a single field goal this entire year!!! still, they put up 6 extra points...so maybe they will be so high-powered that he'll still be getting me 6-8 points a week. let's hope he's reduced to just field goals when they play the vikings!!
91st person nominated overall: malcom floyd. i got him for $3.
am i high on floyd individually? no. am i high on the chargers' offense as a whole? abso-fricken-lutely. this is where my money i allocated to my first bench spot came in. i don't envision using him as my flex whatsoever, but he'll be a good fill in for one week. he doesn't get a lot of passes thrown his way, but the ones he does catch go for good yardage (and the occasional long-bomb touchdown). rivers will spread the ball, but gates and jackson will always be his primary targets. still, floyd was worth $3 in my book.
138th person nominated: daniel thomas. i got him for $4.
at this point, none of the tight ends left on the board were worth $5. so i figured i could spend more money on my bench players and still get a serviceable TE for only $1. i really needed a backup RB and like i've said before, i like thomas this year. he'll be the goal line option for miami and will get plenty of touches. if bush has another injury, thomas will only increase in value. i'll really only need him for two weeks, so i like this pick.
141st person nominated: josh freeman. i got him for $2.
at long last: my starting QB. statistically, freeman was solid last year: 25 TDs and only 6 INTs. he also had over 300 yards rushing, which is definitely a plus. many analysts/experts in the fantasy football world considered his season a fluke and project he won't come close to those numbers this year. i know tampa will have a tough time making the playoffs with the saints and the falcons in the NFC south, but i do like freeman to at least be a serviceable QB. and considering the trends i examined before the draft--historically in this league--that is all i need him to do. just. be. serviceable.
144th person nominated: michael crabtree. i got him for $2.
this was the only low point of my draft. i actually didn't want crabtree, i was sure someone else would bid him up since (on my board) he was the best WR left and some managers still needed a backup receiver. well, my plan didn't exactly work. i had crabtree on my board for $7 and given the situation thought he'd be eaten up. i don't trust san francisco's offense whatsoever. i think their addition of braylon will help, but crabtree has always had a poor attitude. if this somehow is the year he finally lives up to his college expectations, i will be very happy. unfortunately, i just don't see that happening.
146th person nominated: brandon pettigrew. i got him for $2.
pettigrew was the 2nd best player on my board. (i had zach miller higher). considering miller's new situation and that pettigrew had 70+ receptions last year, i thought i'd take a stab at him. if stafford stays healthy the offense should be solid. i like this pick and found my starting TE.
155th person nominated overall: ronnie brown. i got hiim for $1.
ladies and gentlemen, this is my handcuff. when you invest over one-third of your budget into one guy (mccoy) you sure as heck better invest in his backup in case of an injury!!!
161st person nominated overall: davone bess. i got him for $2.
believe it or not, he was the guy i was targeting the entire draft as my flex. i deliberately chose not to nominate him because i wanted him to fall as far in the draft as possible. this was because a) i didn't want people to know i wanted him; b) i knew he would go for less money the longer i waited; and c) i wanted other managers to have less money so that by the time he actually was nominated i'd be able to get him. my strategy paid off. bess had 76 receptions in '09 and 79 in '10. he's the perfect slot receiver and is projected to get between 11 and 12 points for every game this year. he's not flashy, but he's consistent. in a PPR format wes welker is one of the best WRs in the game. i consider bess and danny amendola to be the "second tier slot receivers." they'll get you points because of their catches, not because of their frequent end zone visits. i love this pickup and can't wait to see him come through for the rest of the year.
164th person nominated overall: joe flacco. i got him for $7.
at this point i had $8 left and 2 positions to fill. i had the most money of anyone left. i really needed a backup QB and flacco was easily the best available. the guy before me had $6 left and bid all $6 on him assuming he could get him. i knew i needed him and bid $7. i like this pickup (even though he went for more than freeman!!) and like i've said in other posts, i'm high on flacco. i imagine i'll be switching between freeman/flacco based on who has the more favorable matchup. again, since history tells me that all i need is a serviceable QB, this is a great strategy to employ.
166th person nominated overall: danny woodhead. i got him for $1.
that was all the money i had left. woodhead is also valuable in a PPR league. i check and saw that he's actually projected to get between about 9 and 12 points a game depending on the matchup. i don't know how he'll be used in new england with their new rookies in town, but he did have a lot of receptions for a RB last year (especially one who didn't really come on to the scene until later in the season). considering i'd only use him a maximum of 2 games, i'm ok with this pick.
lineup:
QB: freeman/flacco (depending on matchup)
WR: johnson
WR: maclin
RB: mccoy
RB: turner
FLEX: bess
TE: pettigrew
K: crosby
DL: peppers
LB: hali
DB: rhodes
BN: thomas
BN: crabtree
BN: brown
BN: floyd
BN: flacco (depending on matchup)
BN: woodhead
i really like this team. week 7 gets a little hectic with some byes, but that happens no matter what you do. i hate to sound arrogant early, but compared to some of the other teams i've assembled, i think this one is a lock for the playoffs. i have some really favorable matchups if i do make the playoffs, so this could be a great year.
that being said, in this league my week one matchup is against a guy who had both greg jennings and jordy nelson starting this week. so i don't expect to overcome a 40-point deficit, but his team was also projected to have the most points over the course of the season. either way, with sunday coming up i just can't wait for fantasy football to be kicked off in full gear. let the games begin!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
I think I finally got a little
bit of respect for our favorite mister T. Paw. On tonight's Colbert Report, when asked why he dropped out of the race, after mentioning lack of funds, he said "I came in third behind Bachmann and Ron Paul. I think that's enough for any one person..." At least he sees what a joke politics has become.
fantasy football - draft 3
i had my third draft with bockmed yesterday. (see his post for scoring details). i've never played with any of these guys before, so it should be an interesting league.
i had the 4th overall pick. on my board there are 4 undoubtedly-top-tier-RBs-who-stand-out-from-everyone-else. they are foster, AP, charles, and rice. thus, with the 4th overall pick, i was guaranteed one of them. i decided that whoever fell into my lap would be my pick.
that being said, chris johnson went #1 overall, and i thus ended up having a choice between charles or rice.
first round: ray rice.
i love the guy. from his rushing ability to his dump-off sideline plays that he can turn into a 20-yarder, the man is a beast. i had him a little higher than charles (although i love that kansas city has the highest rushing rate in the league) so i went with rice. i don't have him in any other leagues, so it will be fun cheering for yet another player.
round two: hakeem nicks.
i got nicks on the comeback at number 21 overall. at that point the elite RBs were off the board and the upper echelon QBs were gone. bock took andre at 9 and roddy and calvin soon followed. nicks was the next highest on my board. he's young and athletic and is in a high-passing NYG offense. what's not to love.
round three: peyton hillis.
i was really hoping that matt forte would fall to me, but he didn't. i was surprised that mike wallace went ahead of hillis because i thought that manager would have had hillis over wallace (although he did already draft 2 RBs so he didn't exactly have a need). i didn't want hillis at all since i already own him in my other league. plus he shares his bye week with rice...which will make my week 5 pretty dicey. still, he was the best player on the board and i couldn't let myself take blount/bowe/bradshaw over him.
round four: mike williams (TB).
he was the best receiver on my board. i was looking to snipe a QB, but i felt that williams had better value here. hopefully freeman holds up this year...
round five: benjarvus green-ellis.
now i know what you are thinking: are you just re-drafting the same team you had in that other league? honestly, no. generally i have a WR as my flex. but this league isn't PPR, so you generally want your flex to be a guy who will get good yardage and a solid amount of TDs. green-ellis is basically good for 1000 yards and will get every goal line opportunity for the pats. i mean, the guy is a tank. i can easily see him getting 11 or 12 TDs this year. so he made sense for my flex.
round six: matt ryan.
best QB on the board. i'm pretty high on the falcons' offense this year. i like this pick. 'nuff said.
round seven: A.J. green.
i don't know what i was thinking here. i really wanted a TE and had been targeting owen daniels. daniels actually fell to me, but at the last second i thought that i would have a #1 receiver just in case something happens to my two starters. plus, if he pans out, he'll be a good flex play and a potential keeper next year. still, in retrospect, i should have taken daniels.
round eight: pierre garcon.
i really hesitated with this pick. i don't trust manning at all in indy. he could be the starter on day one and have a career year. he could be out six weeks. it's a risk. i like garcon coming off of the bench and if peyton has a good year...well....this could be another keeper.
round nine: C.J. spiller.
clemson connection! actually, i needed another RB to fill in for my week 5 bye. he fit the bill. and i have a spiller boner. what more can i say.
round ten: matt cassel.
hopefully he survives his rib injury. i've never been big on the chiefs' passing game (because all they do is run) and it doesn't help that moeaki is out for the season. still, the addition of breaston will take some pressure off of bowe. but i'm not sure that translates into a pick worth keeping. either way, he's a serviceable backup to ryan.
round eleven: brandon pettigrew.
i desperately needed a TE. i love him in PPR leagues, but in non-PPR leagues his value is minimum. i have to hope that stafford targets him more in the red zone...but i just don't see him taking many balls/targets away from calvin. dang.
round twelve: thomas jones.
i took him a.) for the week 5 bye dilemma but b.) in case spiller really sucks behind fred jackson. someone is gonna have to start week 5...
round thirteen: davone bess.
i know i know i know. i'm way too high on bess this year. he's another perfect example of a great option in PPR leagues but a pretty pointless one in non-ppr formats. what was i thinking?
round fourteen: chargers DST.
let's just hope they improve their punt/kick coverage. as far as DSTs go, it's a crapshoot every year. maybe they'll be a top-10 defense. maybe they'll be horrible. that's what free agents/the waiver wire is for.
round fifteen: alex henery.
the most accurate field goal kicker in college history.
round sixteen: jared cook.
you can write it down right now: he's one of my keepers for next year. now that tennessee is finally rid of bo scaife, cook will have a chance to shine. look what he did in the last 2 games of last year. if he can keep up that production (especially if hasselbeck pans out) he'll be VERY worthy of my 14th round pick next season.
starting lineup:
qb: ryan
rb: rice
rb: hillis
wr: nicks
wr: williams (TB)
flex: green-ellis
te: pettigrew
dst: chargers
k: henery
overall assessment: i'll be lucky to make it in to the playoffs.
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