All-Fantasy Team

First Team
QB-Tom Brady
RB-LaDanian Tomlinson
RB-Adrian Peterson
WR-Randy Moss
WR-Braylon Edwards
TE-Dallas Clark
K-Packers
D-San Diego

Second Team
QB-Tony Romo
RB-Joseph Addai
RB-Brian Westbrook
WR-Terrell Owens
WR-Reggie Wayne
TE-Antonio Gates
K-New England
D-Minnesota

2007 Final Standings

1. Rob 95-41 (1099.98)
2. Brad 93-43 (1142.84)
3. Joe 88-48 (1060.18)
4. Justin 79-57 (1066.54)
5. Kiah 63-73 (962.56)
6. Jon 62-74 (892.12)
7. Jerod 55-81 (886.48)
8. Bryan 42-94 (769.22)
9. Abe 35-101 (797.58)

Week 17 Results

1. Rob 8-0 (72.64)
2. Kiah 7-1 (68.08)
3. Brad 6-2 (59.72)
4. Jon 5-3 (48.04)
5. Justin 4-4 (46.84)
6. Joe 3-5 (46.52)
7. Jerod 2-6 (42.76)
8. Bryan 1-7 (37.32)
9. Abe 0-8 (37.04)

Week 17: Sunday Night Countdown (The Fat Lad Can't Sing YET)

Tonight's games has implications in a couple of races; The battle for the championship, the battle for 5th place, and the battle for last. In truth Abe needs Addai to explode (which probably won't happen because of Indy's playoff situation) to get last, but the other two races are extremely close and tonight is an important game in both races.

1. Rob 72.64
2. Brad 59.52 (Dallas Clark)
3. Kiah 58.08 (Titans K)
4. Justin 46.84
5. Joe 46.52
6. Jon 46.24 (LenDale White)
7. Jerod 39.76 (Indy D)
8. Bryan 37.32
9. Abe 35.64 (Addai)

The battle for the championship comes down to Brad needed Dallas Clark to score 13.12 pts for the tie and championship via overall pts scored. I am rooting for Clark to score exactly that so that we have a tie via our record system and a tie-breaker determined by pts. However, either way we have a new team joining the championship club. Either Brad or Rob will join Joe, Justin, Kiah, and Jerod as the only champions of the league and whichever one will be the first non-Sauk Centre native to win it.

The race for 5th is a more complex, but basically Jon needs to win this week or finish no further than one spot behind Kiah in order to finish 5th.

Week 16 Results

1. Brad 8-0 (83.22)
2. Justin 7-1 (61.38)
3. Jon 6-2 (54.06)
4. Joe 5-3 (50.90)
5. Bryan 4-4 (45.58)
6. Abe 3-5 (42.18)
7. Kiah 2-6 (40.46)
8. Jerod 1-7 (36.22)
9. Rob 0-8 (32.46)

Week 16: Monday Night Countdown

1. Brad 83.22 [Highest:1st/Lowest:5th]
2. Justin 60.42 (Gates) [Highest:1st/Lowest:5th]
3. Jon 54.06 [Highest:3rd/Lowest:6th]
4. Joe 50.90 [Highest:4th/Lowest:7th]
5. Bryan 45.58 [Highest:5th/Lowest:8th]
6. Abe 42.18 [Highest:6th/Lowest:9th]
7. Jerod 34.74 (Sheffler) [Highest:1st/Lowest:9th]
8. Kiah 29.44 (San Diego D) [Highest:1st/Lowest:9th]
9. Rob 21.90 (Tomlinson) [Highest:1st/Lowest:9th]

Week 16: Going into Sunday Night

1. Brad 83.22
2. Justin 60.42 (Gates)
3. Jon 54.06
4. Bryan 45.58
5. Abe 42.18
6. Joe 39.66 (Peterson, Cooley, Minn D)
7. Jerod 34.74 (Scheffler)
8. Kiah 29.44 (San Diego D)
9. Rob 21.90 (Tomlinson)

week 15 results

1. Rob 8-0 (73.7)
2. Joe 7-1 (51.8)
3. Kiah 6-2 (51.42)
4. Jerod 5-3 (49.76)
5. Jon 4-4 (47.52)
6. Bryan 3-5 (45.46)
7. Abe 2-6 (38.94)
8. Justin 1-7 (37.96)
9. Brad 0-8 (21.84)

Monday Night Countdown (I'm Blitzed)

1. Rob 73.70 [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 2nd]
2. Kiah 51.42 [Highest: 2nd/Lowest: 3rd]
3. Jerod 49.76 [Highest: 3rd/Lowest: 4th]
4. Jon 49.52 [Highest: 4th/Lowest: 5th]
5. Bryan 45.46 [Highest: 5th/Lowest: 6th]
6. Abe 38.94 [Highest: 6th/Lowest: 7th]
7. Justin 37.96 [Highest: 7th/Lowest: 8th]
8. Joe 30.48 (Peterson, Taylor, Minnesota D) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 8th]
9. Brad 21.84 [Highest and Lowest: 9th place]

Week 14 Results

In the next three weeks, posting of weekly results may get a bit erratic (Holiday season, plus Joe and Justin are going to the Monday Nighter next week). All the numbers will be at Yahoo! for us to tally the weekly records when we can.

1. Rob 8-0 (88.24)
2. Abe 7-1 (85.1)
3. Bryan 6-2 (68.80)
4. Joe 5-3 (66.08)
5. Brad 4-4 (65.62)
6. Kiah 3-5 (65.54)
7. Jon 2-6 (59.02)
8. Jerod 1-7 (56.62)
9. Justin 0-8 (44.64)

Week 14: Monday Night Countdown

1. Rob 88.24
2. Abe 85.1
3. Joe 66.08
4. Brad 65.62
5. Jon 59.02
6. Jerod 56.62
7. Bryan 53.24 (Drew Brees)
8. Kiah 49.86 (Marques Colston)
9. Justin 44.64

Week 13 Results

1. Joe: 8-0 (76.54)
2. Jerod: 7-1 (73.32)
3. Brad: 6-2 (71.82)
4. Kiah: 5-3 (65.36)
5. Justin: 4-4 (61.06)
6. Rob: 3-5 (52.28)
7. Bryan: 2-6 (44.34)
8. Jon: 1-7 (41.80)
9. Abe: 0-8 (29.68)

Week 13: Monday Night Countdown

1. Joe 67.54 (Patriot K) [Highest 1st, Lowest 6th]
2. Jerod 67.32 (Raven K) [Highest 1st, Lowest 6th]
3. Kiah 65.36 [Highest 3rd, Lowest 7th]
4. Justin 61.06 [Highest 4th, Lowest 8th]
5. Rob 52.28 [Highest 5th, Lowest 9th]
6. Bryan 43.62 (Welker) [Highest 1st, Lowest 9th]
7. Brad 40.40 (Brady, Moss, McGahee) [Highest 1st, Lowest 9th]
8. Jon 38.76 (Watson, Patriot D) [Highest 1st, Lowest 9th]
9. Abe 26.96 (Stallworth) [Highest 1st, Lowest 9th]

Week 13: Going into Sunday Night

1. Joe 67.54 (NE K)
2. Kiah 65.36
3. Rob 52.28
4. Justin 51.38 (Houshmanzadeh, Cincy K, Pitt D)
5. Jerod 48.12 (Ch.Johnson, H.Ward, Baltimore K)
6. Bryan 43.62 (Welker)
7. Brad 36.36 (Brady, Moss, Parker, McGahee)
8. Abe 25.76 (Stallworth, H.Miller)
9. Jon 22.56 (Roethlisberger, Watson, NE D)

Week 12 Free Agency

1. Abe-Jacksonville D
2. Bryan-Kolby Smith
3. Jerod- Justin Fargas
4. Kiah-Tennessee D
5. Jon-Fred Taylor
6. Joe-Time is no object (Kurt Warner)
7. Justin- Bengals Kicker
8. Rob-Pass
9. Brad

Week 12 Results

1. Joe 8-0 (89.98)
2. Rob 7-1 (86.46)
3. Justin 6-2 (73.86)
4. Bryan 5-3 (61.92)
5. Brad 4-4 (61.24)
6. Jerod 3-5 (59.04)
7. Kiah 2-6 (56.30)
8. Abe 1-7 (50.62)
9. Jon 0-8 (36.22)

Week 12: Monday Night Countdown

1. Joe 89.98 [Highest 1st, Lowest 5th]
2. Rob 86.46 [Highest 2nd, Lowest 6th]
3. Bryan 61.92 [Highest 3rd, Lowest 7th]
4. Justin 61.86 (Pittsburgh D) [Highest 1st, Lowest 7th]
5. Jerod 59.04 [Highest 5th, Lowest 8th]
6. Brad 57.68 (Parker) [Highest 1st, Lowest 8th]
7. Kiah 56.30 [Highest 7th, Lowest 9th]
8. Abe 50.62 (Miller) [Highest 1st, Lowest 9th]
9. Jon 32.88 (Roethlisberger) [Highest 1st, Lowest 9th]

Week 11 Free Agency

1. Bryan- Drew Carter
2. Abe- Reggie Williams
3. Jerod- Thomas Jones
4. Kiah- D.J. Hackett
5. Jon- Andre Hall
6. Joe- Heath Evans
7. Justin- Ricky Williams
8. Rob- Pass
9. Brad-

Week 11 Results

1. Justin 8-0 (89.46)
2. Joe 7-1 (76.34)
3. Brad 6-2 (72.18)
4. Rob 5-3 (65.56)
5. Jon 4-4 (60.18)
6. Abe 3-5 (57.02)
7. Jerod 2-6 (49.14)
8. Bryan 1-7 (45.36)
9. Kiah 0-8 (43.36)

Week 11: Monday Night Countdown

1. Justin 89.46 [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 3rd]
2. Joe 76.34 [Highest: 2nd/Lowest: 4th]
3. Brad 72.18 [Highest: 3rd/Lowest: 5th]
4. Rob 65.56 [Highest: 4th/Lowest: 6th]
5. Jon 57.62 (L.White) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 6th]
6. Abe 57.02 [Highest: 6th/Lowest: 7th]
7. Jerod 49.14 [Highest: 7th/Lowest: 8th]
8. Bryan 45.36 [Highest: 8th/Lowest: 9th]
9. Kiah 35.36 (Tenn K) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]

Week 11: Going into Sunday Night

1. Justin 89.46
2. Joe 68.34 (NE K)
3. Rob 65.56
4. Abe 54.78 (Stallworth)
5. Jerod 49.14
6. Bryan 42.12 (Welker)
7. Kiah 35.36 (Tenn K)
8. Jon 29.14 (Maroney, Watson, White, NE D)
9. Brad 20.24 (Brady, R.Moss)

Week 10 Free Agency

Please remember that this is the last week for trades. I think Yahoo even has the deadline set for Friday. So make any trades.

1. Abe- Shaun McDonald
2. Bryan- Chester Taylor
3. Jerod- Maurice Morris
4. Kiah- Leonard Pope
5. Jon- Warrick Dunn
6. Joe- Mewelde Moore
7. Bryan (via Justin)- Jeff Garcia
8. Rob- Koren Robinson
9. Brad

Week Ten Results

This is as the defending champ emailed them to me.

Rob 8-0 (77.54)
Jerod 7-1 (63.24)
Kiah 6-2 (56.88)
Joe 5-3 (55.44)
Justin 4-4 (54.98)
Bryan 3-5 (41.88)
Brad 2-6 (41.84)
Abe 1-7 (40.60)
Jon 0-8 (39.92)

Week 10: Monday Night Countdown

1. Rob 77.54
2. Jerod 63.24
3. Kiah 56.72 (V.Davis)
4. Justin 54.98
5. Bryan 41.88
6. Brad 41.84
7. Joe 40.08 (Hasselbeck, Gore)
8. Abe 38.48 (Engram)
9. Jon 33.92 (Seattle Kicker)

Week 10: Going into Sunday Night

1. Rob 67.66 (Tomlinson)
2. Kiah 56.72 (V.Davis)
3. Justin 52.94 (Gates, Indy K)
4. Bryan 41.88
5. Brad 41.84 (Da.Clark)
6. Jerod 37.68 (P.Manning, Indy D)
7. Abe 35.60 (Addai, Engram)
8. Jon 33.92 (Seattle K)
9. Joe 28.48 (Hasselbeck, Wayne, Gore)

Week 9 Free Agency

1. Bryan- Chris Henry (Bengal WR)
2. Abe- Bobby Engram
3. Joe (via Jerod)- Cedric Benson
4. Kiah- Justin Fargas
5. Joe- Steeler Kicker
6. Jon- Seattle Kicker
7. Bryan (via Justin)- David Patten
8. Rob- James Jones
9. Brad- Passed

Week 9 Results

1. Rob 8-0 (88.32)
2. Bryan 7-1 (81.94)
3. Brad 6-2 (69.70)
4. Jon 5-3 (61.00)
5. Kiah 4-4 (59.44)
6. Abe 3-5 (59.24)
7. Joe 2-6 (58.84)
8. Justin 1-7 (58.48)
9. Jerod 0-8 (48.66)

Week 9: Monday Night Countdown

1. Rob 88.32 [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 5th)
2. Bryan 81.94 [Highest: 2nd/Lowest: 6th)
3. Brad 67.34 (Parker) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 6th]
4. Jon 61.00 [Highest: 4th/Lowest: 7th]
5. Joe 58.84 [Highest: 5th/Lowest: 8th]
6. Justin 58.48 [Highest: 6th/Lowest: 9th]
7. Abe 52.56 (H.Miller) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]
8. Kiah 47.44 (Pitt D) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]
9. Jerod 46.54 (Spaeth, Ward, Balt K) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]

Week 9: Going into Sunday Night

1. Rob 88.32
2. Brad 67.34 (W.Parker)
3. Bryan 62.82 (Curtis, Crayton, Witten, Dallas K)
4. Jon 61.00
5. Joe 50.52 (McNabb)
6. Jerod 46.54 (Spaeth, Ward, Baltimore K)
7. Abe 42.32 (M.Barber, H.Miller)
8. Kiah 34.48 (Owens, Pitt D)
9. Justin 30.80 (Romo, Westbrook)

Week 8 Free Agency

**Remember for FA order if two teams are tied the team that did worse that week has the higher pick**

1. Bryan- Detroit D
2. Abe- Brian Griese
3. Jerod- Matt Spaeth
4. Kiah- Ryan Grant
5. Jon- Tennessee D
6. Joe- Philly K
7. Rob- Chris Henry (TEN)
8. Justin- Marc Bulger
9. Brad- Seattle D

Week 8 Results

1. Justin 8-0 (94.32)
2. Brad 7-1 (84.00)
3. Jon 6-2 (63.40)
4. Rob 5-3 (61.78)
5. Abe 4-4 (52.16)
6. Joe 3-5 (50.22)
7. Kiah 2-6 (43.20)
8. Bryan 1-7 (36.32)
9. Jerod 0-8 (33.36)

Week 8: Monday Night Countdown

1. Justin 94.32
2. Brad 84.00
3. Jon 63.40
4. Abe 51.04 (Driver)
5. Joe 50.22
6. Kiah 43.20
7. Bryan 36.32
8. Jerod 33.36
9. Rob 24.52 (Favre, Jennings, Packers K, Packers D)

Week 7 Free Agency

**Remember for FA order if two teams are tied the team that did worse that week has the higher pick**

1. Bryan- Jesse Chatman
2. Abe- Cleveland Kicker
3. Kiah- Tennessee Kicker
4. Jerod- New York Giants Kicker
5. Jon- Greg Olsen
6. Joe- Kenny Watson
7. Rob- Roddy White
8. Justin- San Diego D
9. Brad

Week 7 Results

1. Brad 8-0 (88.76)
2. Jerod 7-1 (61.02)
3. Rob 6-2 (55.60)
4. Joe 5-3 (52.84)
5. Bryan 4-4 (50.78)
6. Jon 3-5 (49.66)
7. Justin 2-6 (45.70)
8. Abe 1-7 (45.62)
9. Kiah 0-8 (41.52)

What you need to happen Monday Night

See scores going into Monday below.

Brad
beats Rob, Bryan, Jon
needs Clark to score within:
32.52 of Wayne to beat Joe
33.28 of Manning to beat Jerod
38.78 of Addai to beat Abe
44.58 of Harrison, Lewis, Indy K to beat Justin
47.36 of Jones-Drew to beat Kiah

Rob
beats Bryan, Jon, loses to Brad
needs:
Wayne to score less than 8 to beat Joe
Manning to score less than 8.76 to beat Jerod
Addai to score less than 14.26 to beat Abe
Harrison, Lewis, Indy K to score less than 20.06 to beat Justin
Jones-Drew to score less than 22.84 to beat Kiah

Bryan
beats Jon, loses to Brad and Rob
needs:
Wayne to score less than 3.18 to beat Joe
Manning to score less than 3.94 to beat Jerod
Addai to score less than 9.44 to beat Abe
Harrison, Lewis, Indy K to score less than 15.24 to beat Justin
Jones-Drew to score less than 18.02 to beat Kiah

Jon
loses to Brad, Rob, Bryan
needs:
Wayne to score less than 2.06 to beat Joe
Manning to score less than 2.82 to beat Jerod
Addai to score less than 8.32 to beat Abe
Harrison, Lewis, Indy K to score less than 14.12 to beat Justin
Jones-Drew to score less than 16.9 to beat Kiah

Joe
needs Wayne to score:
32.52 more than Clark to catch Brad
8 to catch Rob
3.18 to catch Bryan
2 to catch Jon
within .76 of Manning to beat Jerod
within 6.26 of Addai to beat Abe
within 12.06 of Harrison, Lewis, Indy K to beat Justin
within 14.84 of Jones-Drew to beat Kiah

Jerod
needs Manning to score:
33.28 more than Clark to catch Brad
8.76 to catch Rob
3.94 to catch Bryan
2.82 to catch Jon
.76 more than Wayne to catch Joe
within 5.5 of Addai to beat Abe
within 11.3 of Harrison, Lewis, Indy K to beat Justin
within 14.08 of Jones-Drew to beat Kiah

Abe
needs Addai to score:
38.78 more than Clark to catch Brad
14.26 to catch Rob
9.44 to catch Bryan
8.32 to catch Jon
6.26 more than Wayne to catch Joe
5.5 more than Manning to catch Jerod
within 5.8 of Harrison, Lewis, Indy K to beat Justin
within 8.58 of Jones-Drew to beat Kiah

Justin
needs Harrison, Lewis, Indy K to score:
44.58 more than Clark to catch Brad
20 to catch Rob
15.24 to catch Bryan
14.12 to catch Jon
12.06 more than Wayne to catch Joe
11.3 more than Manning to catch Jerod
5.8 more than Addai to catch Abe
within 2.78 of Jones-Drew to beat Kiah

Kiah
needs Jones-Drew to score:
47.36 more than Clark to catch Brad
22.84 to catch Rob
18.02 to catch Bryan
16.9 to catch Jon
14.84 more than Wayne to catch Joe
14.08 more than Manning to catch Jerod
8.58 more than Addai to catch Abe
2.78 more than Harrison, Lewis, Indy K to catch Justin

A few observations:

Three scores are locked in and I don't think anybody can catch Brad (with three players still going, Justin has an outside shot). However, if you have any player still going Monday night, it is entirely plausible that you could finish anywhere from 2nd place to 9th place.

One thing that makes any prediction impossible (and also makes rooting difficult) is that so many of the active players are dependent on each other for success. It's difficult to say precisely what you need to happen to beat an opponent when scores by Wayne, Clark, or Harrison, mean scores for Manning and the Indy K, when a score by Joseph Addai or Manning means a score for the Indy K (or to frame it conversely, Manning's score would need Wayne, Clark, Addai, or Harrison to score, and the Indy K will often require Wayne, Clark, Harrison, Addai, or Manning to score). When Indianapolis scores (points or yards), it is very rare that it will be isolated points that only affect one player.

This makes the Jacksonville players wild cards, as they depend on nobody else (or affect nobody else).

Week 7: Monday Night Countdown

1. Brad 80.12 (Da.Clark) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 6th]
2. Rob 55.60 [Highest: 2nd/Lowest: 7th]
3. Bryan 50.78 [Highest: 3rd/Lowest: 8th]
4. Jon 49.66 [Highest: 4th/Lowest: 9th]
5. Joe 47.60 (Wayne) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]
6. Jerod 46.84 (Manning) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]
7. Abe 41.34 (Addai) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]
8. Justin 35.54 (Harrison, M.Lewis, Indy K) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]
9. Kiah 32.76 (Jones-Drew) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]

Week 7: Going into Sunday Night

1. Brad 66.88 (Parker, Holmes, Da.Clark)
2. Bryan 50.78
3. Jon 49.66
4. Joe 47.60 (Wayne)
5. Jerod 46.84 (P.Manning)
6. Justin 33.50 (Henry, Indy K, Harrison, M.Lewis)
7. Kiah 28.76 (Jones-Drew, Pitt D)
8. Abe 27.34 (H.Miller, Addai)
9. Rob 20.00 (Cutler, Denver K, Denver D)

Week 6 Free Agency

**Remember for FA order if two teams are tied the team that did worse that week has the higher pick**

1. Bryan- Desmond Clark
2. Abe- Donte Stallworth
3. Jerod- Devin Hester
4. Kiah- Kevin Jones
5. Abe (via Jon)- Buffalo D
6. Justin (via Rob)- Priest Holmes
7. Joe- Jason Campbell
8. Justin- Mercedes Lewis
9. Brad- Passed [time expired]

Week 6 Results

1. Joe 8-0 (86.96)
2. Brad 7-1 (77.12)
3. Rob 6-2 (65.48)
4. Justin 5-3 (57.50)
5. Jon 4-4 (56.12)
6. Kiah 3-5 (54.76)
7. Jerod 2-6 (49.62)
8. Bryan 1-7 (44.92)
9. Abe 0-8 (32.96)

Week 6: Monday Night Countdown

1. Joe 86.96 [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 5th]
2. Brad 76.76 (Crumpler) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 5th]
3. Rob 65.48 [Highest: 3rd/Lowest: 6th]
4. Justin 57.50 [Highest: 4th/Lowest: 7th]
5. Jon 56.12 [Highest: 5th/Lowest: 8th]
6. Bryan 41.40 (Jacobs) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 8th]
7. Kiah 37.88 (Burress, Giants D) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 8th]
8. Jerod 35.04 (E.Manning, Shockey) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 8th]
9. Abe 32.96 [Guaranteed 9th]

Week 6: Going into Sunday Night

1. Joe 86.96
2. Brad 76.76 (Crumpler)
3. Rob 65.48
4. Justin 57.50
5. Jon 42.36 (Hasselbeck)
6. Bryan 41.40 (Jacobs)
7. Kiah 36.48 (Alexander, Burress, Giants D)
8. Jerod 35.04 (E.Manning, Shockey)
9. Abe 32.96

Midweek Fun: unpickupables

The suggestion that Jon and I could trade Julius Jones for Lee Evans made me ask a question: if we each dropped Jones and Evans, would anybody else bother picking them up?

This led me to a broader question: how many of us have players on our roster that, if they were available, nobody would pick them up?

Two factors play a role here:
1. Productivity: sucky players wouldn't generally get picked up, of course.
2. Name Recognition: recognizable fantasy names that have been unproductive would probably get picked up, while reasonably productive players that have not been recognizable fantasy names might not.

So let's look at each roster; here is my opinion on the unpickupable players on each team. Please, feel free to look at rosters and add names, or refute some of the suggestions I make here. I should add, too, that this isn't a suggestion that you cut these players: we have these sucky players on our rosters for depth in the unfortunate case a non-sucky player gets injured.

Brad
Steve McNair, Ted Ginn, Jr., Trent Green, Lions Kicker, Devin Hester

Justin
Drew Brees, Brandon Marshall

Rob
Donald Lee, Denver Defense, Packer Defense

Jerod
Earnest Graham, Ronald Curry, Philadephia Defense, Indianapolis Defense

Joe
Santana Moss, Julius Jones, Kenton Keith, Jericho Cotchery

Jon
Andre Davis, Warrick Dunn, DeAngelo Williams, Houston Kicker

Kiah
St. Louis Kicker, Owen Daniels, Derek Anderson, DeShawn Wynn, Darrell Jackson

Abe
Randy McMichael, Heath Miller, Isaac Bruce

Bryan
Kevin Curtis, Wes Welker, Bernard Berrian, Shaun McDonald, Matt Schaub, Chris Chambers, Houston Defense, Miami Defense

So, is this accurate? Note that some totally unproductive players aren't included because I think people would see names and want them (if they could get them for nothing), while some of these players are actually productive but I doubt anybody would bother with them.

Week 5 Free Agency

**Remember for FA order if two teams are tied the team that did worse that week has the higher pick**

1. Justin (via Bryan)- Selvin Young
2. Abe- Daunte Culpepper
3. Joe (via Jerod)- New England Kicker
4. Joe- Kenton Keith
5. Jon- Houston Kicker
6. Kiah- Giants D
7. Rob- Vernand Morency
8. Brad- Miami Kicker
9. Bryan (via Justin)- Patrick Crayton

Week 5 Results

1. Rob 8-0 (58.40)
2. Jon 7-1 (58.08)
3. Joe 6-2 (56.14)
4. Justin 5-3 (55.02)
5. Kiah 4-4 (53.98)
6. Brad 3-5 (42.62)
7. Jerod 2-6 (39.66)
8. Bryan 1-7 (33.64)
9. Abe 0-8 (32.76)

Expanded Analysis of Monday Night's Effect

Scores through Sunday are here. I'm doing expanded analysis for my own interest, and posting it because it interests others. I don't do this when I don't have as much self-interest, but if you'd like to when I don't, all you have to do is ask and you can contribute on this blog. While I did it for my own interest, it affects everybody. Here are the details of what needs to happen for anybody to beat anybody going into Monday night.

ROB
beats Brad, Jerod
needs Lee Evans to score less than .8 to beat Jon
needs Terrell Owens to score less than 5.42 to beat Kiah
needs Marshawn Lynch to score less than 6.18 to beat Joe
needs Tony Romo and the Dallas Defense to score less than 21.84 to beat Justin
needs Marion Barber to score less than 28.56 to beat Abe
needs Jason Witten to score less than 34.88 to beat Bryan

JON
beats Brad, Jerod
needs Lee Evans to score:
.8 to catch Rob
within 4.62 of Terrell Owens to beat Kiah
within 5.38 of Marshawn Lynch to beat Joe
within 21.04 of Tony Romo and the Dallas Defense to beat Justin
within 27.76 of Marion Barber to beat Abe
within 34.08 of Jason Witten to beat Bryan

KIAH
beats Brad, Jerod
needs Terrell Owens to score:
5.42 to catch Rob
4.62 more than Lee Evans to catch Jon
within .76 of Marshawn Lynch to beat Joe
within 16.42 of Tony Romo and Dallas Defense to beat Justin
within 23.14 of Marion Barber to beat Abe
within 29.46 of Jason Witten to beat Bryan

JOE
beats Brad, Jerod
needs Marshawn Lynch to score:
6.18 to catch Rob
5.38 more than Lee Evans to beat Jon
.76 more than Terrell Owens to beat Kiah
within 15.66 of Tony Romo and Dallas Defense to beat Justin
within 22.38 of Marion Barber to beat Abe
within 28.7 of Jason Witten to Beat Bryan

BRAD
loses to Rob, Jon, Kiah, and Joe
needs Tony Romo and Dallas Defense to score less than 6.06 to beat Justin
needs Marion Barber to score less than 12.78 to beat Abe
needs Jason Witten to score less than 19.1 to beat Bryan

JEROD
loses to Rob, Jon, Kiah, Joe, and Brad
needs Tony Romo and Dallas Defense to score less than 3.1 to beat Justin
needs Marion Barber to score less than 9.82 to beat Abe
needs Jason Witten to score less than 16.14 to beat Bryan

JUSTIN
needs Tony Romo and Dallas Defense to score:
21.84 to catch Rob
21.04 more than Lee Evans to catch Jon
16.42 more than Terrell Owens to catch Kiah
13.66 more than Marshawn Lynch to catch Joe
6.06 to catch Brad
3.1 to catch Jerod
within 6.72 of Marion Barber to beat Abe
within 13.04 Jason Witten to beat Bryan

ABE
needs Marion Barber to score:
28.56 to catch Rob
27.76 more than Lee Evans to catch Jon
23.14 more than Terrell Owens to catch Kiah
22.38 more than Marshawn Lynch to catch Joe
12.78 to catch Brad
9.82 to catch Jerod
6.72 more than Tony Romo or the Dallas Defense to catch Justin
within 6.32 of Jason Witten to beat Bryan


BRYAN
needs Jason Witten to score:
34.88 to catch Rob
34.08 more than Lee Evans to catch Jon
29.46 more than Terrell Owens to catch Kiah
28.7 more than Marshawn Lynch to catch Joe
19.1 to catch Brad
16.14 to catch Jerod
13.04 more than Tony Romo and Dallas Defense to catch Justin
6.32 more than Marion Barber to catch Abe

I'm human; I may have made mistakes.

Week 5: Monday Night Countdown

1. Rob 58.40 [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 7th]
2. Jon 57.60 (Evans) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 7th]
3. Kiah 52.98 (Owens) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 7th]
4. Joe 52.22 (Lynch) [Highest: 1st/Lowest:7th]
5. Brad 42.62 [Highest: 5th/Lowest: 8th]
6. Jerod 39.66 [Highest: 6th/Lowest: 9th]
7. Justin 36.56 (Romo, Dallas D) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]
8. Abe 29.84 (Barber III) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]
9. Bryan 23.52 (Witten) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]

Week 5: Going into Sunday Night

1. Jon 57.60 (Lee Evans)
2. Kiah 52.98 (Owens)
3. Joe 52.22 (Lynch)
4. Jerod 39.66
5. Brad 36.62 (Bears D)
6. Rob 28.64 (Favre, Jennings, Packers D, Packers K)
T7. Abe 27.80 (Driver, Barber III)
T7. Justin 27.80 (Benson, Romo, Dallas D)
9. Bryan 14.52 (Chicago K, Witten)

Week 4 Free Agency

**Remember for FA order if two teams are tied the team that did worse that week has the higher pick**

1. Justin (via Bryan) - Dwayne Bowe
2. Abe - Heath Miller
3. Jon - Andre Davis
4. Joe (via Rob) - Tennessee Defense
5. Bryan (via Joe) - Shaun McDonald
6. Jerod - Earnest Graham
7. Kiah - Derek Anderson
8. Justin - Dallas Defense
9. Brad - Passed [time expired]

Week 4 Results

1. Brad 8-0 (90.94)
2. Rob 7-1 (59.08)
3. Justin 6-2 (55.66)
4. Jerod 5-3 (52.78)
5. Jon 4-4 (49.10)
6. Bryan 3-5 (46.70)
7. Abe 2-6 (38.14)
8. Kiah 1-7 (36.40)
9. Joe 0-8 (30.00)

Week 4: Monday Night Countdown

As usual also listing the highest/lowest possible finish for all teams and remaining players.

1. Brad 61.24 (Brady, R.Moss) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 6th]
2. Rob 58.20 [Highest: 2nd/Lowest: 7th]
3. Jerod 50.66 (Ch.Johnson) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 7th]
4. Justin 45.66 (Houshmanzadeh) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 7th]
5. Jon 44.10 (NE D) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 7th]
6. Abe 38.14 [Highest: 6th/Lowest: 8th]
7. Bryan 33.46 (Welker, Morris) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 8th]
8. Joe 30.00 [Highest: 8th/Lowest: 9th]
9. Kiah 28.72 (Palmer) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]


Slow Clap for Bryan who is guaranteed to get his first win in Hazelweird land.

Monday's game has huge fantasy implications. There are 8 players going tomorrow night for 6 teams. Brad looks like he is going to handle the week with Brady and Moss still to go (his highest scorers so far this year). The Cincy WRs play a big role this week as the two teams who own them (Jerod and Justin) are separated by exactly 5 points, and if Cincy is shutout (thus shutting out the WRs) Jon could sneak past both Jerod and Justin with a NE D possibility.

Also looking ahead the first two picks of Free Agency are already locked in. Justin (via Bryan) will have the first pick and Abe will have the second pick.

Week 4: Going into Sunday Night

Low scores so far this week.

1. Brad 61.24 (Brady, R.Moss)
2. Rob 58.20
3. Jerod 49.98 (Ch.Johnson, Shockey)
4. Justin 45.66 (Houshmanzadeh)
5. Jon 44.10 (NE D)
6. Abe 38.14
7. Bryan 33.46 (Welker, Morris)
8. Joe 27.08 (McNabb)
9. Kiah 21.76 (Palmer, Burress)

Week 3 Free Agency

**Remember for FA order if two teams are tied the team that did worse that week has the higher pick**

1. Joe (via Bryan through Kiah)- Kevin Curtis
2. Joe (via Rob)- Jerricho Cotchery
3. Abe- Brian Leonard
4. Jon- Brandon Jackson
5. Jerod- Steeler Kicker
6. Joe- Raven Kicker
7. Kiah- Owen Daniels
8. Brad- Pass [time expired]
9. Abe (via Justin)- Najeh Davenport

Week 3 Results

1. Justin 8-0 (85.62)
2. Jerod 7-1 (71.74)
3. Brad 6-2 (62.70)
4. Abe 5-3 (54.50)
5. Joe 4-4 (53.42)
6. Rob 3-5 (51.58)
7. Kiah 2-6 (51.32)
8. Jon 1-7 (33.08)
9. Bryan 0-8 (30.50)

Week 3: Monday Night Countdown

As usual also listing the highest/lowest possible finish for all teams and remaining players.

1. Justin 85.62 [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 4th]
2. Jerod 71.74 [Highest: 2nd/Lowest: 5th]
3. Brad 62.30 [Highest: 3rd/Lowest: 6th]
4. Joe 53.42 [Highest: 4th/Lowest: 7th]
5. Abe 51.78 (Colston) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 7th]
6. Rob 51.58 [Highest: 6th/Lowest: 8th]
7. Kiah 51.32 [Highest: 7th/Lowest: 9th]
8. Bryan 25.44 (Brees) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]
9. Jon 24.68 (L.White) [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 9th]

Bryan has a shot at two firsts this week. (1) Getting his first ever win in Hazelweird. All he needs is Drew Brees to stay within .75 points of LenDale White. (2) Breaking the 30 pt barrier. Drew Brees needs to pass for some number above 225 yds or a TD and just over 75 yds passing, etc.

Week 3: Going into Sunday Night

Is this going to be par for the course? Some team putting up 50+ points on another team in an NFL game? These first few weeks have been crazy. Here are the standings going into tonight's game.

1. Justin 73.04 (Romo)
2. Jerod 71.74
3. Brad 58.30 (Chicago D)
4. Joe 53.42
5. Abe 51.78 (Colston)
6. Rob 51.58
7. Kiah 45.52 (Owens)
8. Jon 24.68 (L.White)
9. Bryan 11.84 (Brees, Witten, Chicago K)

Tonight's game between Chicago and Dallas contains 5 fantasy players spanning 4 teams in our league. Can Bryan finally crack 30 fantasy points for his team.

Week 2 Free Agency

**Remember for FA order if two teams are tied the team that did worse that week has the higher pick**

1. Justin (via Bryan) - Derrick Ward
2. Kiah (via Abe) - DeShawn Wynn
3. Bryan (via Jerod) - Matt Schaub
4. Justin (via Rob) - Brandon Marshall
5. Justin - Dallas Kicker
6. Bryan (via Jon) - Houston D
7. Rob (via Joe) - Donald Lee
8. Brad - Pass [time expired]
9. Bryan (via Kiah) - Sammy Morris

Week 2 Results

1. 8-0 Kiah (88.70)
2. 7-1 Brad (85.18)
3. 6-2 Jon (75.70)
4. 5-3 Joe (73.16)
5. 4-4 Justin (70.40)
6. 3-5 Rob (56.80)
7. 2-6 Abe (54.48)
8. 1-7 Jerod (44.52)
9. 0-8 Bryan (28.64)

Week 2: Monday Night Countdown

Well folks, two weeks are almost in the books and I think one thing should excite all of us. Randy Moss is a fantasy god again (well I am sure that excited Brad).

Here are the standings going into Monday Night, Players left, and the highest/lowest teams can finish.

1. Brad 85.18 [Highest: 1st/Lowest: 6th]
2. Kiah 82.22 (Westbrook) [Highest: 1st/Lowest:6th]
3. Jon 75.94 [Highest: 3rd/Lowest: 7th]
4. Joe 67.76 (McNabb) [Highest:1st/Lowest 7th]
5. Justin 61.36 (Portis) [Highest: 1st/Lowest 7th]
6. Rob 55.04 (Randle El) [Highest: 1st/Lowest 7th]
7. Abe 54.30 [Highest: 7th/Lowest 8th]
8. Jerod 42.52 (Philly D) [Highest: 1st/Lowest 8th]
9. Bryan 28.64 [9th Place]

It is an interesting week. The first two picks of FA next week are already set (Justin (via Bryan) 1st and Abe 2nd [Because Jerod finished 2 spots ahead of Abe last week it guarantees even if things stay the way they are that he will have a better record than Abe]).

Week 2: Going into Sunday Night

Here are the current standings and scores going into Sunday Nights game:

1. Kiah 82.22 (Westbrook)
2. Joe 64.68 (Maroney, McNabb)
3. Jon 63.94 (NE D)
4. Brad 54.32 (Brady, R.Moss)
5. Justin 52.28 (Gates, Portis)
6. Abe 50.30 (SD D)
7. Rob 44.76 (Tomlinson, Watson, Randle El)
8. Jerod 40.52 (SD K, Philly D)
9. Bryan 24.76 (Welker)

The battle between the Patriots and Chargers contains 10 players covering 8 teams in our league.

Did everyone see T.O. TD celebration? Now that was funny when he went by the goal post and acted like the football was a camera recording the game (funny shot at NE and the added rumors of cheating by taping plays from the endzone to get film of Manning's at the line audibles and hand signals).

Week 1 Fantasy Player(s) of the Week

It was an interesting week and a the rare occasion where three players scored over 20 pts and all three were integral to the success of their team. Gentlemen (intended audience the males who are in our league) I give you the Week 1 MVPs:

Tony Romo (25.34)
Vikings D (24.00)
Plaxico Burress (23.76)

It was the performances of these three players that put each team (Justin, Joe, Kiah) above the rest of the pack.

Yahoo! Predicts: Week 1 Results

So in the beginning of this blog I had a post called Yahoo! predicts, which had the scores for everyone based on Yahoo! projections and then where they would finish based on our system. I looked after lineups were set (some adjustments were made) and wrote down the total scores and now comes time to see how Yahoo! did. I will not look at how accurate Yahoo! was in terms of actual score, but rather the accuracy of their ability to predict finishes based upon our scoring system. I will do this in two ways. First, they will get a win for correct predictions and a loss for each incorrect prediction. The best Yahoo! could finish is 153-0. The other way of choosing will be based on a point system. If Yahoo! got it correct they get 3 pts, if they were off 1 position they get 2 pts, and if they were off 2 positions they get 1 pt. The max score Yahoo! could have under this rubric is 459 pts.

Here was what Yahoo! predicted:

1. Justin (61.08)
2. Kiah (59.49)
3. Rob (57.48)
T4. Joe (57.14)
T4. Jerod (57.14)
6. Jon (56.85)
7. Abe (54.13)
8. Bryan (47.79)
9. Brad (47.36)

1st Rubric Yahoo! goes 0-9

2nd Rubric

Justin (Predicted Finish: 1st/Actual Finish 3rd)= +1 pt
Kiah (Predicted Finish: 2nd/Actual Finish 1st)= +2 pts
Rob (Predicted Finish: 3rd/Actual Finish 7th)= 0 pts
Joe (Predicted Finish: Tie 4th/Actual Finish 2nd)= +1 pt
Jerod (Predicted Finish: Tie 4th/Actual Finish 6th)= +1 pt
Jon (Predicted Finish: 6th/Actual Finish 5th)= +2 pts
Abe (Predicted Finish: 7th/Actual Finish 8th)= +2 pts
Bryan (Predicted Finish: 8th/Actual Finish 9th)= +2 pts
Brad (Predicted Finish: 9th/Actual Finish 4th)= 0 pts

Results= 11 pts (out of a possible 27 pts)

Free Agency

There is a little adjustment to free agency this year because of our ability to let Yahoo manage our rosters. This year we will have 12 hour slots. Bryan who picks first has until Noon tomorrow to make his pick, and as soon as he makes his pick I will announce it over email and then Abe is on the clock for 12 hours. If you are going to be gone or not have internet access and want to make your pick without being passed email me a contingent list and I can make the pick for you via roster management. If you have not made your pick within 12 hours I will announce that the next person is on the clock and then the person passed could also make their pick at any time. If you know you are going to pass then email me so I can announce it. Here is the free agency order

1. Bryan
2. Abe
3. Rob
4. Jerod
5. Jon
6. Brad
7. Justin
8. Joe
9. Kiah

Week 1 Results

1. 8-0 Kiah (84.84)
2. 7-1 Joe (82.00)
3. 6-2 Justin (73.70)
4. 5-3 Brad (65.34)
5. 4-4 Jon (59.30)
6. 3-5 Jerod (55.00)
7. 2-6 Rob (54.06)
8. 1-7 Abe (47.46)
9. 0-8 Bryan (25.20)

Monday Night Explosion

Last year going into Monday's games either Joe or I would send out an email stating what each team must do to finish as high as they can..now this will be in post form usually done during the day on Monday. This week it will just have high/low with no information on what they must do since there are so many players, etc. I will also include a predicted place of finish just for fun (as objectively as possible).

1. Joe 73.84 (High: 1st/Low: 8th) Predicted finish:2nd
2. Kiah 64.48 (High: 1st/Low: 8th) Predicted finish:1st
3. Justin 63.90 (High: 1st/Low: 8th) Predicted finsih: 3rd
4. Brad 60.90 (High: 1st/Low: 8th) Predicted finish: 4th
5. Rob 54.06 (High: 1st/Low: 8th) Predicted finish: 7th
6. Abe 47.46 (High: 6th/Low: 9th) Predicted finish: 8th
7. Jerod 47.12 (High: 1st/Low: 9th) Predicted finish: 6th
8. Jon 42.82 (High: 1st/Low: 9th) Predicted finish: 5th
9. Bryan 23.76 (High: 1st/Low: 9th) Predicted finish: 9th

In the coming weeks this will be a far more informative post since we wont have to account for 12 fantasy players usually. That is right tonight there are 12 fantasy players effecting 8 teams in our league: Joe-2 (Heap and Cincy K), Kiah-2 (Palmer and James), Justin-2 (Fitzgerald and Baltimore D), Brad-1 (McGahee), Rob-1 (Ma.Clayton), Jerod-1 (Chad Johnson), Jon-2 (Gore and Boldin), Bryan-1 (D.Jackson).

What if?s

Well it has been a day of spectacular performances (Tony Romo, Minnesota D, Plaxico Burress, etc.), and the time has come to look at the standings going into Monday's games (big fantasy implications). Included in this post will be the What if's. What if everyone would have put in the optimal lineups (this replaces players that have yet to play with those who have and have scores, except in situations where there are no backups to replace the players, etc.) So here we go...current standings heading into Monday.

1. Joe 73.84 (Heap, Cincy K)
2. Kiah 64.48 (Palmer, James)
3. Justin 63.90 (Fitzgerald, Baltimore D)
4. Brad 60.90 (McGahee)
5. Rob 54.06 (Ma.Clayton)
6. Abe 47.46
7. Jerod 47.12 (Ch.Johnson)
8. Jon 42.82 (Gore, Boldin)
9. Bryan 23.76 (D.Jackson)

****WHAT IF****
Joe 82.32 (Heap, Cincy K)
Kiah 66.76 (Palmer)
Justin 84.02 (Baltimore D)
Brad 64.94
Rob 66.10
Abe 51.50
Jerod 67.28
Jon 59.20
Bryan 34.68

Obviously this isnt a perfect indication because Kiah wouldnt replace Edge with Jerrius Norwood, but as of right now these would have been the "Optimal Lineups." Interestingly Kiah and Brad both have their optimal lineups in (except that their remaining running backs are being replaced by players that have already played Kiah (Norwood over James) and Brad (D.Foster over McGahee), there is a good chance both managers maximized their lineups, although Leinart might outperform Palmer tomorrow night.

Decimal Scoring: A Look at One Games Results

Well after one game I thought it would be interesting to see the differences of each individuals scores if we were still under our old scoring system and had not employed our decimal scoring system via Yahoo.

Abe- (New Scoring 17.60) - (Old Scoring 16)= Overall Change +1.60
Joe- (New Scoring 16.60) - (Old Scoring 16)= Overall Change +.60
Jerod- (New Scoring 14.76) - (Old Scoring 14)= Overall Change +.76
Justin- (New Scoring 11) - (Old Scoring 11)= No Change (Kickers scoring didn't change)
Jon- (New Scoring 9.32) - (Old Scoring 9) = Overall Change +.32
Bryan- (New Scoring 4.08) - (Old Scoring 3) = Overall Change +1.08
Brad- (New Scoring 2.48) - (Old Scoring 1) = Overall Change +1.48

Had we not instututed the new scoring here would have been the standings

T1. Abe 16 (5 players to go)
T1. Joe 16 (7 players to go)
3. Jerod 14 (7 players to go)
4. Justin 11 (7 players to go)
5. Jon 9 (7 players to go)
6. Bryan 3 (7 players to go)
7. Brad 1 (7 players to go)
T8. Kiah and Rob (8 players to go)

It could be interesting to see what will come of these extra point benefits. No longer does 99 yards infuriate the players owner. Now everyone gets all the points they deserve.

Fantasy Interest in Colts-Saints

I'm guessing each and every one of us will be watching the Colts-Saints game this Thursday night. It's always fun when that first game can be a loaded fantasy interest game, and this one certainly is. According to the current lineups listed at Yahoo (which can of course still be changed), there are 8 fantasy starters playing Thursday, and those players are spread out on 6 of our teams.

Abe: Marques Colston, Joseph Addai, Saint Kicker
Justin: Colt Kicker
Joe: Reggie Wayne
Jerod: Peyton Manning
Jon: Marvin Harrison
Bryan: Drew Brees

It's a loaded fantasy night: just about everything that happens should have a fantasy impact (especially now that we're using fractional points). It's going to be fun to watch. Obviously Abe has the most at stake in the game, but Jerod and Bryan each have their starting QBs, who are big point getters.

Crazy Trade Offers

Some people like giving and receiving crazy trade offers. I know I don't mind seeing the offers: it's pretty easy to reject them. Others don't.

Yahoo! has a trading block, where you can reveal to the league which players on the team are willingly available.

I think we could create a no trade list on this blog, where you can reveal to the league the players on your team that are virtually untouchable. It's not that you're showing the league who you will never trade; rarely is any player completely untouchable. It is that you are revealing to the league the players you value the most, and the players you would only trade if you were knocked over by an amazing, outlandish trade beneficial to you.

Feel free to let people know who is virtually untouchable in the comments here, if you'd like to avoid getting ridiculous offers.

Another Auction: Comparisons to Our Beloved Hazelweird

So last night I took place in an another auction draft. Outside myself I believe there was only one other person who had participated in an auction before. The league was set up with 10 teams and a $200 cap for 17 players. The settings were very similar to ours except that yards were slightly more important (10 yds rec/rushing = 1pt/25 yds pass = 1pt). So I thought I would take Joe's earlier listing of all players who went for $30 or more in our league and show everyone how much they went for in that leauge (these numbers will be in brackets) and I will not the players that I took. So here we go.

1. Ladanian Tomlinson 123 Rob [$85]
2. Steven Jackson 96 Abe [$77]
3. Joseph Addai 75 Abe [$56]
4. Peyton Manning 75 Jerod [$57, interesting note on this..the guy had already paid $28 for McNabb]
5. Frank Gore 71 Jon [$60]
6. Terrell Owens 69 Kiah [$37....MY PLAYER]
7. Larry Johnson 63 Jerod [$66]
8. Steve Smith 59 Joe [$46....MY PLAYER]
9. Carson Palmer 57 Bryan (Kiah) [$52]
10. Torry Holt 55 Rob (Justin) [$41]
11. Marvin Harrison 55 Jon [$42]
12. Chad Johnson 53 Jerod [$45]
13. Larry Fitzgerald 50 Bryan (Justin) [$29]
14. Tom Brady 48 Brad [$41]
15. Antonio Gates 48 Justin [$36.....MY PLAYER]
16. Reggie Bush 47 Brad [$25]
17. Shaun Alexander 47 Justin (Rob) [$60]
18. Laurence Maroney 44 Joe [$46......MY PLAYER]
19. Javon Walker 41 Rob [$33]
20. Brian Westbrook 40 Kiah [$40]
21. Reggie Wayne 40 Joe [$40]
22. Rudi Johnson 40 Kiah [$46]
23. Willie Parker 40 Brad[$51]
24. Randy Moss 35 Brad [$21]
25. Donovan McNabb 35 Joe [$28]
26. Willis McGahee 35 Brad [$18]
27. Ronnie Brown 34 Jerod [$24]
28. Travis Henry 34 Justin [$16]
29. Edgerrin James 31 Kiah [$30]
30. Roy Williams 31 Joe [$32]
31. T.J. Houshmandzedhah 31 Kiah [$20]
32. Marc Bulger 30 Jon [$30]
33. Drew Brees 30 Kiah (Bryan) [$36]
34. Lee Evans 30 Jon [$20]

Viable Fantasy Strategy

Some of us have debated the validity of loading up on a high octane offense for your fantasy team. In fact Joe and I discussed the possibility of drafting the whole Colts offense and about how many fantasy points you could expect out of them. In the end we decided that it probably would be a viable option but would be hard to accomplish because of the auction costs and the inability to have a viable 2nd RB, Defense, and good bench players.

However, what about Fantasy Trio's. In the first year of this league through free agency I jumped on the Buffalo offensive juggernaut of Bledsoe, Price, and Henry and tried to acquire Eric Moulds. It worked for awhile, but then crashed. Others have had team duos, but how many other trio's have we had? I know this year currently Kiah has Palmer, R.Johnson, and Houshmanzadeh. What do you all think about starting almost half your fantasy team from one team?

RBs: 2005 draft v. 2007 fantasy draft

The fantasy football draft season focuses a lot on running backs, and it calls to mind the real 2005 NFL draft, when three running backs were selected among the top five players. Just for fun, let's look at DraftHistory.com for the top six RBs selected in 2005, and let's look at each RBs fantasy status in 2007. We can look at each player's auction value in the Hazelweird league, the average slot for each player in Yahoo! drafts, as well as the actual production of each player.

Ronnie Brown
2005 #2 pick
2007 auction value: $34
2007 average Yahoo! selection: 17.2
Best season (2006): 1,008 yards

Cedric Benson
2005 #4 pick
2007 auction value: $14
2007 average Yahoo! selection: 41.0
Best season (2006): 647 yards

Carnell Williams
2005 #5 pick
2007 auction value: $4
2007 average Yahoo! selection: 80.1
Best season (2005): 1,178 yards

J.J. Arrington
2005 #44 pick
2007 auction value: undrafted
2007 average Yahoo! selection: none
Best season (2005): 370 yards

Eric Shelton
2005 #54 pick
2007 auction value: undrafted
2007 average Yahoo! selection: none
Best season (2006): 23 yards

Frank Gore
2005 #65 pick
2007 auction value: $71
2007 average Yahoo! selection: 5.9
Best season (2006): 1,695 yards

It's pretty obvious and common to talk about the NFL draft as a "crapshoot," and to look at the early busts and late steals. But it is still interesting that in a matter of two years, the sixth RB selected, and 65th player selected overall, is now considered at least twice as valuable a fantasy prospect as the first RB and 2nd player selected overall. J.J. Arrington and Eric Shelton are worthless as fantasy prospects. But will the order of value remain the same after the 2007 season? I doubt it. Things change pretty fast in football (and fantasy football), and while right now the four worthwhile players would be ranked Gore, Brown, Benson, then Williams, a year of football could reverse that entire order (though I expect Gore to stay high: there aren't a lot of RBs capable of rushing for 1,695 yards OR 5.4 yards per attempt, much less in the same season).

Oh, and other 2005 RBs were drafted in our league, including Vernand Morency (#73), Marion Barber (#109) and Brandon Jacobs (#110).

Yahoo Projects Week 1

**Please read PV's post directly before this one first**

PV got us going right and quick by listing week 1 starters and wondering what all of us thought. I had been thinking about this, but was holding off on the post until right before Thursday of Week 1 Kickoffs. (I do plan to do the same post with up-to-date rosters going into opening week in the case of injuries or emerging stars). So here it goes, I looked at everyone's starters (same as PV's post below except Bryan fixed his starters and chose D.Jackson over A.Johnson) and then went to the week 1 projections for each team. Here is what I found with the mock standings based on projections right after.

Abe
Kitna = 7.91
S.Jackson = 9.64
Addai = 11.97
Colston = 4.21
Driver = 4.80
McMichael = 2.54
NO K = 5.97
SD D = 5.30
Total = 52.34

Justin
Romo = 12.14
Henry = 8.31
Jacobs = 9.11
Holt = 6.27
Fitzgerald = 6.29
Gates = 5.65
Indy K = 9.39
Baltimore D = 6.22
Total = 63.38

Joe
McNabb = 10.46
Maroney = 9.94
Peterson = 4.64
S.Smith = 7.99
Wayne = 6.90
Heap = 4.72
Cincy K = 6.14
Minn D = 5.10
Total = 55.89

Rob
Favre = 8.87
LT = 12.43
Alexander = 8.82
Walker = 5.79
Ma.Clayton = 3.59
Gonzalez = 3.49
Denver K = 6.39
G.B. D = 6.34
Total = 55.72

Jerod
P.Manning = 12.69
LJ = 9.45
Brown = 6.36
Ch.Johnson = 7.62
Coles = 5.18
Shockey = 3.91
SD K = 7.28
Philly D = 5.77
Total = 58.26

Jon
Bulger = 9.78
Gore = 9.98
Benson = 7.25
Harrison = 8.68
Boldin = 4.59
Winslow = 4.30
GB K = 5.88
NE D = 5.83
Total = 56.29

Kiah
Palmer = 9.59
Westbrook = 9.43
James = 7.11
Owens = 8.79
Houshmanzadeh = 6.83
Cooley = 3.92
St.L K = 7.90
Pitt D = 8.71
Total = 62.28

Brad
Brady = 9.85
Bush = 8.12
Parker = 7.13
R.Moss = 4.84
Edwards = 5.68
Crumpler = 4.22
Det K = 5.45
Chicago D = 7.25
Total = 52.54

Bryan
Brees = 8.59
Jones-Drew = 8.91
Lewis = 4.27
D.Jackson = 6.00
Burress = 6.14
Daniels = 4.62
Chicago K = 6.57
Miami D = 5.26
Total = 50.36

Results and Standings
1. Justin 8-0 (63.38)
2. Kiah 7-1 (62.28)
3. Jerod 6-2 (58.26)
4. Jon 5-3 (56.29)
5. Joe 4-4 (55.89)
6. Rob 3-5 (55.72)
7. Brad 2-6 (52.54)
8. Abe 1-7 (52.34)
9. Bryan 0-8 (50.36)

I put no stock in what Yahoo says, as I feel I more than likely will finish somewhere between 4th and 9th week 1, but what do you all think.

(I am thinking about doing this before each week and then keeping track of how Yahoo does in predicting our finishes [not our scores since that would never be right] throughout the year...and at the end of the year see how Yahoo's would have predicted our winner compared to our actual winner)

Projected Starting Lineups

Let's take a look at each team's projected starting lineup for week one.

JON
qb marc bulger
rb frank gore
rb cedric benson
wr marvin harrison
wr anquan boldin
te kellen winslow
k packers
d patriots

ABE
qb jon kitna
rb steven jackson
rb joseph addai
wr marques colston
wr donald driver
te randy mcmichael
k saints
d chargers

JOE
qb donovan mcnabb
rb laurence maroney
rb adrian peterson
wr reggie wayne
wr steve smith
te todd heap
k bengals
d vikings

BRYAN*
qb drew brees
rb maurice jones-drew
rb jamal lewis
wr andre johnson
wr plaxico burress
te owen daniels
k bears
d dolphins

JEROD
qb peyton manning
rb larry johnson
rb ronnie brown
wr chad johnson
wr laveranues coles
te jeremy shockey
k chargers
d eagles

BRAD
qb tom brady
rb reggie bush
rb willie parker
wr randy moss
wr braylon edwards
te alge crumpler
k lions
d bears

JUSTIN
qb tony romo
rb travis henry
rb brandon jacobs
wr torry holt
wr larry fitzgerald
te antonio gates
k colts
d ravens

ROB
qb brett favre
rb ladainian tomlinson
rb shaun alexander
wr javon walker
wr mark clayton
te tony gonzalez
k broncos
d packers

KIAH
qb carson palmer
rb brian westbrook
rb rudi johnson
wr terrell owens
wr tj houshmandzadeh
te chris cooley
k rams
d steelers

So there you go: we remove strength based on depth and look to the sort of lineup each of us can start week one. Some of us could go with different lineups (for example, Brad could start Willis McGahee), but these lineups seem likely. What do you think? Who's got the best looking lineup right now?

*Bryan listed Alex Smith, Hines Ward, Darrell Jackson, and Brian Leonard as his starters. I could have left those in, but I don't believe he's going with that lineup week one, so his team is the only starting lineup I altered. Sorry, Bryan, if you really do mean to leave Drew Brees, Andre Johnson, Plaxico Burress, and Jamal Lewis on the bench, but I surmised that you're not really starting Brian Leonard.

(NOTE: I changed the settings to show the comments in a pop-up window so that we can comment while reading the post. If anybody has trouble using this, please let me know via email: I will switch it back since it is a priority for everybody to be able to comment. If you simply don't like reading the comments in the pop-up window, you can click the permalink--the date and time--and scroll down for the comments. Really, if any of the settings bother anybody, please voice your objections: this blog is for all of us to use, so I want it to suit us all).

Trading Frenzy

One thing that often happens in fantasy leagues which is part of the fun is trading. This year in the Hazelweird League we saw an unusual amount of trading occurring within the first couple days of the draft being completed. When trades are done this early one way to analyze the trades can be to look at who got the best value based on auction costs. Before we begin we need to remember that this is not an exact science nor does it necessarily entail who is getting the best value since the cost of players fluctuates so much in the draft depending on who has been thrown out and who might have the money to spend. Perhaps if Plaxico Burress had been thrown out earlier he might have gone for more money or he could have gone for less and the same can go for many players, but more often then not players go for what they are expected to go for or at least close. I will begin by listing all the trades completed since the draft and then I will analyze them based on auction values. So here we go.

Trade #1: Bryan gets Brees, Cotchery, Arizona K…..Kiah gets Palmer, St. Louis K, Denver D

Trade #2: Rob gets Alexander, Reggie Brown….Justin gets Torry Holt, Jamal Lewis

Trade #3: Rob gets Dunn, Denver D…..Kiah gets Tatum Bell, Tony Scheffler

Trade #4: Bryan gets Burress, D.Jackson, J.Lewis….Justin gets Fitzgerald, Arizona K, Barber III

Trade #5: Jon gets Kellen Winslow….Justin gets Vernon Davis

Trade #6: Bryan gets Rivers, D.Lee…..Rob gets Leinart, Gonzalez

Now looking at each team here is the differences between their original teams and their current teams (auction cost in parenthesis):

Rob
Gone: J.Lewis (15), Holt (55), T.Bell (1), Scheffler (1), Rivers (20), D.Lee (1)
Added: Alexander (47), Reg.Brown (10), Dunn (1), Denver D (1), Leinart (15), Gonzalez (15)

Jon
Gone: Vernon Davis (20)
Added: Winslow (11)

Kiah
Gone: Brees (30), Cotchery (3), Arizona K (1), Dunn (1)
Added: Palmer (57), St. Louis K (1), Bell (1), Scheffler (1)

Justin
Gone: Burress (15), Alexander (47), D.Jackson (11), Winslow (11), Reg. Brown (10)
Added: Holt (55), Fitzgerald (50), Barber III (18), Arizona K (1), V.Davis (20)

Bryan
Gone: Palmer (57), St. Louis K (1), Denver D (1), Fitzgerald (50), Barber III (18), Leinart (15), Gonzalez (15)
Added: Brees (30), Cotchery (3), Burress (15), D.Jackson (11), J.Lewis (15), Rivers (20), D.Lee (1)

If we add up the total money added and subtract the total money gone then we get the value of their team over or under the drafting salary cap of $265. Here are the teams and the amount paid for the players currently on their roster listed from highest to lowest.

1. Justin $315 (+50)
2. Kiah $290 (+25)
3. Jerod $265
4. Joe $265
5. Brad $265
6. Abe $265
7. Rob $261 (-4)
8. Jon $256 (-9)
9. Bryan $203 (-62)

Again this is all relative since not all players contribute to a teams success and the fact that the values of players in draft can often fluctuate depending on when they are thrown out. Everyone is free to discuss the information provided above.

Transferring Auction Results to Snake

revised

In theory, ranking the most expensive players in our auction should give us the order of a snake draft. Of course in practice, this would never happen, as you can see. But if we do list the most expensive players, we still get an idea of how people built their teams.

Here is a ranking of every player that cost at least 30 dollars. Listed is the player, the amount, and the drafter (if the player is traded, new owner in parentheses). When players cost the same amount, I listed them in the order they were thrown out. I also listed each manager and the expense rankings of each player drafted.

1. Ladanian Tomlinson 123 Rob
2. Steven Jackson 96 Abe
3. Joseph Addai 75 Abe
4. Peyton Manning 75 Jerod
5. Frank Gore 71 Jon
6. Terrell Owens 69 Kiah
7. Larry Johnson 63 Jerod
8. Steve Smith 59 Joe
9. Carson Palmer 57 Bryan (Kiah)
10. Torry Holt 55 Rob (Justin)
11. Marvin Harrison 55 Jon
12. Chad Johnson 53 Jerod
13. Larry Fitzgerald 50 Bryan (Justin)
14. Tom Brady 48 Brad
15. Antonio Gates 48 Justin
16. Reggie Bush 47 Brad
17. Shaun Alexander 47 Justin (Rob)
18. Laurence Maroney 44 Joe
19. Javon Walker 41 Rob
20. Brian Westbrook 40 Kiah
21. Reggie Wayne 40 Joe
22. Rudi Johnson 40 Kiah
23. Willie Parker 40 Brad
24. Randy Moss 35 Brad
25. Donovan McNabb Joe
26. Willis McGahee 35 Brad
27. Ronnie Brown 34 Jerod
28. Travis Henry 34 Justin
29. Edgerrin James 31 Kiah
30. Roy Williams 31 Joe
31. T.J. Houshmandzedhah 31 Kiah
32. Marc Bulger 30 Jon
33. Drew Brees 30 Kiah (Bryan)
34. Lee Evans 30 Jon

Jon: 5, 11, 32, 34

Abe: 2, 3

Joe: 8, 18, 21, 25, 30

Bryan: 9, 13 (traded for 33: current 33)

Jerod: 4, 7, 12, 27

Brad: 14, 16, 23, 24, 26

Justin: 15, 17, 28 (traded for 10, 13: current 10, 13, 15, 28)

Rob: 1, 10, 19 (traded for 17: current 1, 17, 19)

Kiah: 6, 20, 22, 29, 31, 33, (traded for 9: current 6, 9, 20, 22, 29, 331)

You can see who is top-heavy and who has good player depth. You can also see the results of trades on different teams.

Introduction

Here is the blog for our fantasy football league. We're creating it as an idea as we go, so we don't really know what it will turn into. The intent is for the blog posts to be information and relatively objective fun, and for the comments section to be for whatever insults or boasts you wish. We will for sure post the standings weekly on this blog. We can also re-post the trades at this blog so that we can comment on them. I've also got a few fun posts in mind that will give some analysis to our league (again, as objectively as possible).

This site will serve as an easy to access source for basic information and discussion. However, you should obviously still frequently check our league's Yahoo page, your email address that we've shared so far, and your email address associated with your yahoo account for our league. The Yahoo page is still the most important page: that's where you'll manage your roster, select your starting lineup, propose or receive trade offers, and get a first look at the weekly scores.

When the season starts, I'll create permalinks on the side to see each week's standings. I've also already created a links section, currently featuring an easy link to Yahoo's fantasy football page and a link to my own sports blog (because I'm a self-promoting pig). If you wish for links to your own websites, or if there are other useful or fun fantasy football or real football sites you would like linked for easy access, just let me know.

Justin will also likely be added as a contributor (PV is Joe, for those not in the know), which means he and I will be writing the actual posts. It seems wise to keep the posters to Justin and me; the posts are supposed to be for relatively objective data and information, and we don't want nine people posting and pushing important information (like standings) further down. The comments section is where everybody can contribute--and you should. However, I'm not trying to be a tyrant: if you would like to be a contributor able to write posts yourself, let me know. It might work out to have all of us writing posts, as long as the posts remain relatively objective. Again, the comments will be for any type or manner of discussion you wish (though ideally focused on fantasy football).

If you have any suggestions or ideas for other things this blog can be used for, just bring them up: I want this to be a good league blog for all of us, so any ideas you have to make it more enjoyable and useful would be greatly appreciated.

This can be a fun place to get necessary info and to have our discussions about the league.