Monday, December 14, 2009

Things You Shouldn't Care About

Things You Shouldn't Care About

Just a Fantasy Football Update. After succeeding for three or four years in not playing multiple fantasy football teams, I've ended up with three teams this year. Now is the time I will report out on their success (or, lack of, in one case).

I'll speak first of my Dad's work league (Football Knights), which I joined at the last minute, because they needed an even number of teams to draft, the draft coming one day before the Titans/Steelers game that started the season. This team, The Slobberknockers, managed to pick up Adrian Peterson, DeAngelo Williams and Thomas Jones with its first three picks, mostly owing to the small league size (6 teams) It also features Marques Colston, Phillip Rivers (drafted eighth round or so), and Week 3 Waiver Wire pickup Wes Welker. This league actually began its playoffs this week, I sat out this round owing to that I locked first place throughout the playoffs three weeks ago, finishing the regular season at 10-3.

This league is interesting, though...one team in particular (Jabberwocky) has been an effort in futility...I'd thought the owner had quit the league, but he'd been changing players out, and ended up having the worst injury and performance luck I've seen in years. Jabberwocky ended up the six-seed in a league where all teams make the playoffs, finishing with a record of 1 win, 12 losses. They play the 3 seed, who lost a final regular season game to drop into the third place slot (losing to the team that took over the 2nd slot, and who took the bye this week). This team (The Warrior), who dealt me 1 of my 3 losses this season, is currently losing their playoff game to that 1-12 team. Each has one player going tonight...

Things to think about: The 2 seed (Stronghold) in the league is the team I lost my other 2 games to, this year. Also, next week, I'll play my Dad's team (Butt Kicker), and he takes theses losses personally.

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The Work League (I Like Cupcakes), in which I'm playing with those folks from the job. I found myself entering the last week of the regular season in a second place tie.

A team I've had to work on, since I missed the live draft owing to (begorrah!) a date, I had to work with a team made from my pre-rankings, which wasn't all that bad, just not exactly what I wanted. Injury problems (McNabb, and a couple other small ones) hurt my team (Athens Midgetcrushers) early in the season, as well as one particular pesky week, where I forgot to take out a couple of players on a bye week. At the end of week 6, I was sitting second from last with a 2-4 record.

I then reeled off six straight wins, alternating between Donovan McNabb and Matt Schaub (paying attention mostly to the pass defense the Texans were playing each week). And then there's a little guy named Chris Johnson, who runs faster than I can think.

This was our last week of regular season. Four teams make the playoffs. Here are the standings:

*1. The Pelts 9-4-0 .692 1400.22 W-2 8 23
2. Bodes Bros 8-5-0 .615 1587.11 W-3 2 10
3. Athens Midgetcrushers 8-5-0 .615 1495.23 L-1 5 15
4. DaBadabooms 7-6-0 .538 1454.88 W-2 6 21
5. Fighting Armadillos 7-6-0 .538 1429.00 L-2 4 11
6. KansasCityCrew 5-8-0 .385 1373.73 W-1 7 36
7. smackdown 5-8-0 .385 1186.70 L-4 3 10
8. ravenskiller 3-10-0 .231 1320.05 L-3 1 17

One team could not be knocked out of the playoffs. The Pelts has held on to first much of the year (sharing, or sole possession). His point total ranks somewhere in the bottom half, but somehow, through luck or design (or a little of both), Ben managed to beat his opponents by 5 & 10 points every week. I would like to note that 2 of Ben's four losses came to yours, truly. This week was also not Ben's week. He is currently losing to DaBadabooms, themselves seeking to secure a playoff spot. It's not looking optimistic for tonight. Unless Frank Gore can score 41 points for Mr. Pelton, it looks like Ben is in the playoffs, but will likely fall to a 3 seed.

Why?

I found myself, after a loss last week (Schaub's Shoulder killed me and my bid for a seventh straight win) tied in second with my grocery manager Jeff (Bodes Bros). Jeff's team's been a point machine all year, but with Chris Johnson surging, and Schaub and Andre Johnson having occasional very solid weeks, I've averaged 145 points a week, and am currently sitting with the second most points in the league, to Jeff (we have identical win-loss records).

Jeff and I are both winning. Jeff scoring some 106.66 points. Meanwhile, I've ridden Brandon Marshall's record-breaking performance, along with Andre Johsnon, Chris Johnson and double-digit performances from three defensive guys and Ricky Williams to an eye-popping 195.85 points. I would have lamented not playing Matt Schaub, who ended up with a couple fantasy points more than Donovan McNabb, if Jeff's team weren't playing Larry Fitzgerald and Karlos Dansby tonight. Of note, though is that Jeff's opponent (The Fighting Armadillos) has a couple players going tonight as well. And while I don't often expect a Tight End or a Wide Receiver to impact a game with a swing of 20 points, stranger things have happened...

If the season ended today, I would find myself the 2 seed in the 4-team playoff, playing The Pelts.

The bugaboo is DaBadaBooms. That's my boss's team. And his team's beaten mine twice this year. Losses to his team bookend my six-game win streak. Still, the upside for me there is that Peyton Manning might end up resting some over the next several weeks. Other than that, he's just got a tremendously consistent team. Nobody breaks out a huge game, but nobody bottoms out at zero, either.

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Lastly, I'll speak on my Dynasty League I joined. I was invited by my buddy Eric, when a league owner passed away in the spring. I paid my entry fee. And I'm getting my ass kicked. The team (which was called Judo Chop, which I promptly renamed Notoriously Stupid), had a few holes. Honestly. Who knew Boomer Esiason had retired?

Actually, it's not all bad. I've not been blown out. I just tend to lose games by five and ten points across the board. I am winning this week, however. This is the last week of the regular season there, as well. I stand to finish the season 4-9-1.

That tie was the first in the five year history of that Dynasty League. The current first place team (The Bulkamaniacs) and I finished with identical scores of 101.85 in week 6.

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Fantasy football. Gotta love it. I sit here and write 19 paragraphs (or go to work on Monday and crow about beating somebody) like I've actually accomplished something myself....

God Bless America.

1 Comments:

Blogger T.Church said...

What a beautiful country!

7:41 PM  

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