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The 2014 NFL season was my first as a Fantasy Footballer. Well, I'm hooked. Excitement reigned supreme as I awaited this years drafts for my pair of Fantasy Football teams. Big boards, mock drafts, ADP's...the whole nine yards. I make it a point to never do anything half-ass. After all, winning isn't everything, it's the only thing!
As part of an ongoing weekly series, I'll be sharing my results, transactions and strategies with all Fantasy Footballers. Since I'm still a neophyte at this game, I hope you'll share your thoughts on how I can improve my teams and perhaps win a league championship or two!
The Snake Drafts - Strategies & Rationale
To prepare for my pair of Fantasy Football Snake Drafts, I came up with a game plan for successfully drafting the best team(s) possible. The game plan included 6 draft tenets:
1/ Research is king. I spent a considerable amount of time researching players/teams, entering mock drafts and creating a draft board of 200 players.
2/ One of the goals in each draft was to take a balanced approach through the first five rounds. In each draft I managed to take quality players at a number of positions without reaching: 2 RB's, 1 WR, 1 QB, 1 TE.
3/ I place more importance on the Defense, Placekicker and Tight End than many Fantasy Football participants do. I believe these positions can win weeks for you. I like to have both my PK and DEF selected between picks 85 and 120 if possible. If I can draft a quality Tight End, I'll take one fairly early.
4/ I like to target a half-dozen or so specific players that I feel will be available at certain points/rounds in the draft. This year, my targets were RB Arian Foster (dropped in most drafts due to injury), WR Larry Fitzgerald (a great connection with returning QB Carson Palmer), RB David Johnson (a versatile, high upside rookie with a team who knows how to use him; a great fit), RB Melvin Gordon (the rookie bell-cow back for San Diego), QB Tom Brady(dropped in most drafts due to the threat of a 4-game suspension), and TE Tyler Eifert (looking to rebound from injury).
5/ I'm never afraid to take a chance on rookies and higher-risk players with upside.
6/ In the mid-to-late rounds I tend to trust my board explicitly. BPA rules and I'm always searching for value, especially at the RB and WR positions.
Teams/Draft Results
Team Dubs (TST Live 1 Yahoo - 8 Teams)
Pick Position Player Team 1.3 RB Marshawn Lynch Seattle 2.14 QB Andrew Luck Indianapolis 3.19 WR A.J. Green Cincinnati 4.30 RB Melvin Gordon San Diego 5.35 TE Jimmy Graham Seattle 6.46 WR Jeremy Maclin Kansas City 7.51 WR Larry Fitzgerald Arizona 8.62 RB Arian Foster Houston 9.67 QB Tom Brady New England 10.78 TE Julius Thomas Jacksonville 11.83 WR Eric Decker NY Jets 12.94 DEF Denver Broncos 13.99 K Dan Carpenter Buffalo 14.110 WR Kendall Wright Tennessee 15.115 RB David Johnson Arizona 16.126 RB Andre Williams NY Giants
Frank's Team (Yahoo Public 1103417 - 10 Teams)
Pick Position Player Team 1.6 WR Dez Bryant Dallas 2.15 RB DeMarco Murray Philadelphia 3.26 QB Russell Wilson Seattle 4.35 RB Melvin Gordon San Diego 5.46 TE Travis Kelce Kansas City 6.55 RB Alfred Morris Washington 7.66 WR Sammy Watkins Buffalo 8.75 WR Vincent Jackson Tampa Bay 9.86 DEF St. Louis Rams 10.95 RB T.J. Yeldon Jacksonville 11.106 WR Nelson Agholor Philadelphia 12.115 K Justin Tucker Baltimore 13.126 TE Owen Daniels Denver 14.135 QB Joe Flacco Baltimore 15.146 RB Tevin Coleman Atlanta
Week 12 Results & Statistics
Team Dubs dodged a bullet last week. Charcandrick West, Devonta Freeman and Marshawn Lynch were all out last week due to injuries. I added Spencer Ware and Jeremy Hill to bolster the RB unit. Ware (17.50) and Ronnie Hillman (11.90) both had strong performances in a big victory for Team Dubs.
Continued bad news on the injury front: Marshawn Lynch could be out for the rest of the season and Jimmy Graham was placed on IR after Week 12. I've dropped both players (plus the disappointing Melvin Gordon), replacing Lynch and Gordon with Ware and Hill, and adding Delanie Walker to replace Graham. 4 of my top 5 original draft picks are now gone from Team Dubs.
For Frank's Team, Week 12 addition Thomas Rawls played a big role in the resounding victory last week. In addition to Rawls, a huge performance by Russell Wilson carried the team to victory over an opponent who could manage only 33.30 fantasy points in total. Another bullet dodged, for the remainder of Frank's Team performed poorly.
Gary Barnidge was added to replace Jimmy Graham, who was placed on Injured Reserve. Chip Kelly really has no idea how to use DeMarco Murray and it showed in Murray's inconsistent performances. I reluctantly dropped Murray after last weeks games. Rawls, Devonta Freeman, Charcandrick West and DeAngelo Williams still form a powerful stable of running backs going forward.
After last weeks win, Team Dubs remains in first place with a 10-2 record. With two weeks remaining, the team has already qualified for the playoffs. Frank's Team regained first place with a victory last week and also has a 10-2 record heading into Week 13. Frank's Team has also qualified for the playoffs. Hopefully, neither team will suffer any significant injuries for the remainder of the season.
5 players I'm glad I selected/added: Devonta Freeman, Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald, A.J. Green and the Denver Broncos defense. 5 players who are my biggest disappointments: Andrew Luck, Marshawn Lynch, Melvin Gordon, Sammy Watkins and Dez Bryant. My top two players drafted in each league have woefully underperformed. Luckily, solid drafting overall, my Waiver Wire/Free Agent additions and dismal performances by my opponents have allowed me to remain at or near the top of the standings in both leagues.
Team Dubs
Week Team Dubs Opponent PF PA Rank Record 1 95.12 88.72 95.12 88.72 1st 1 0 2 93.90 78.06 189.02 166.78 1st 2 0 3 150.32 59.58 339.34 226.36 1st 3 0 4 72.84 81.94 412.18 308.30 1st 3 1 5 117.90 90.26 530.08 398.56 1st 4 1 6 130.98 88.18 661.06 486.74 1st 5 1 7 113.80 83.88 774.86 570.62 1st 6 1 8 118.84 114.52 893.70 685.14 1st 7 1 9 81.92 76.46 975.62 761.60 1st 8 1 10 107.56 84.24 1083.18 845.84 1st 9 1 11 65.68 97.42 1148.86 943.26 1st 9 2 12 108.00 75.94 1256.86 1019.20 1st 10 2
Position Player Team Fantasy Points QB Tom Brady New England 23.20 RB Ronnie Hillman Denver 11.90 RB Spencer Ware Kansas City 17.50 WR Eric Decker NY Jets 12.20 WR Larry Fitzgerald Arizona 6.60 Flex A.J. Green Cincinnati 18.10 TE Jimmy Graham Seattle 7.50 PK Brandon McManus Denver 6.00 Defense Denver Broncos 5.00 Total Points Week 12 108.00
Player Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Tom Brady 27.62 28.24 22.72 Bye 25.30 23.48 29.70 30.34 18.86 19.26 14.08 23.20 Andrew Luck 19.72 11.40 18.50 Out Out 27.98 26.02 17.74 21.48 Waived Derek Carr 19.28 7.56 23.70 Andy Dalton 18.44 Waived Marshawn Lynch 12.40 6.20 2.30 0.00 Out 11.40 18.20 8.20 Bye 11.00 Out/Inj. Waived Melvin Gordon 4.70 9.80 5.10 4.60 7.40 0.90 2.90 6.10 5.60 Bye 4.90 Waived Andre Williams 1.40 4.30 8.90 Waived Devonta Freeman 32.90 25.70 27.60 13.00 13.10 13.90 Bye 4.30 Out Charcandrick West 18.20 Bye 28.10 6.40 Out Ronnie Hillman 17.50 0.10 11.10 10.40 11.90 Spencer Ware 17.50 Jeremy Hill 10.00 Arian Foster Out Out Out 1.50 11.80 17.20 24.50 IR David Johnson 11.50 16.50 4.10 12.10 12.60 1.70 Waived A.J. Green 6.30 10.50 34.70 8.20 7.80 3.60 Bye 17.80 5.30 4.70 7.90 18.10 Kendall Wright 16.10 1.70 16.80 Bye 3.00 3.40 Waived Larry Fitzgerald 8.70 29.20 25.40 7.90 11.80 9.30 3.90 12.40 Bye 13.00 9.00 6.60 Jeremy Maclin 5.20 5.50 20.10 14.80 8.50 4.80 Out 9.50 Bye 1.70 2.90 22.00 Eric Decker 9.70 15.70 Out 10.60 Bye 9.90 9.40 12.00 13.90 14.50 8.10 12.20 Brandin Cooks 22.90 Bye 3.50 Jarvis Landry 7.10 9.06 Waived Jimmy Graham 11.10 1.10 14.30 2.90 3.00 14.00 3.10 7.50 Bye 4.10 3.90 7.50 Jordan Reed Bye 7.80 14.90 2.60 9.80 Charles Clay 0.70 6.20 2.60 Waived Julius Thomas Out Out Out Waived Dan Carpenter 11.00 2.00 13.00 6.00 2.00 Waived Josh Brown 10.00 Waived Brandon McManus 14.00 Bye 11.00 6.00 1.00 5.00 6.00 Pittsburgh Steelers 2.00 Waived Denver Broncos 16.00 22.00 16.00 10.00 22.00 17.00 Bye 9.00 7.00 1.00 7.00 5.00
Frank's Team
Week Frank's Team Opponent PF PA Rank Record 1 91.34 79.82 91.34 79.82 3rd 1 0 2 91.14 60.66 182.48 139.88 2nd 2 0 3 68.90 119.06 251.38 258.94 4th 2 1 4 82.38 54.94 333.76 316.48 4th 3 1 5 81.82 63.40 415.58 379.88 3rd 4 1 6 117.32 111.02 532.90 490.90 1st 5 1 7 81.80 37.70 614.70 528.60 1st 6 1 8 88.20 74.74 702.90 603.34 1st 7 1 9 110.66 78.96 813.56 682.30 1st 8 1 10 53.48 67.00 867.04 749.30 2nd 8 2 11 74.40 67.62 941.44 816.92 2nd 9 2 12 86.50 33.30 1027.94 850.22 1st 10 2
Position Player Team Fantasy Points QB Russell Wilson Seattle 35.20 RB Thomas Rawls Seattle 14.10 RB DeMarco Murray Philadelphia 3.00 WR Allen Hurns Jacksonville 4.20 WR Michael Crabtree Oakland 7.90 WR Dez Bryant Dallas 2.60 TE Jimmy Graham Seattle 7.50 PK Justin Tucker Baltimore 10.00 Defense St. Louis Rams 2.00 Total Points Week 12 86.50
Player Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Russell Wilson 16.14 23.04 16.20 15.48 13.62 18.86 13.40 14.60 Bye 17.80 25.40 35.20 Andy Dalton 28.04 21.52 Bye 11.64 21.86 9.88 22.00 20.72 Joe Flacco 2.68 22.56 21.48 8.56 Waived DeMarco Murray 14.00 5.50 0.00 4.80 18.00 18.60 7.00 Bye 22.10 11.90 7.10 3.00 Melvin Gordon 4.70 9.80 5.10 4.60 7.40 0.90 Waived Devonta Freeman 32.90 25.70 27.60 13.00 13.10 13.90 Bye 4.30 Out Charcandrick West 18.20 Bye 28.10 6.40 Out Alfred Morris 12.10 7.20 1.90 6.50 Waived T.J. Yeldon 6.70 8.30 4.20 10.90 12.30 Out 18.40 Bye 10.10 Waived Tevin Coleman 8.00 9.20 Out Waived DeAngelo Williams 6.90 Bye Waived Thomas Rawls 14.10 Allen Hurns 9.00 11.30 Bye 18.20 12.20 1.90 4.20 Travis Benjamin 29.50 8.50 7.90 8.30 Waived 2.70 Waived Bye 16.00 Sammy Watkins 0.00 12.00 3.90 Out Out 10.80 Out Bye 22.80 1.40 3.90 27.80 Marvin Jones 1.00 Waived 1.40 Waived Vincent Jackson 5.10 11.40 4.00 20.70 3.40 Bye 1.30 Waived Dez Bryant 4.80 Out Out Out Out Out Out 1.20 16.40 4.50 10.50 2.60 Nelson Agholor 0.50 Waived James Jones 13.70 9.00 Bye 0.20 5.70 0.00 Waived Michael Crabtree 5.50 5.00 7.90 Travis Kelce 22.60 5.80 10.00 2.90 3.50 8.80 7.30 10.90 Bye 3.60 4.60 12.90 Ladarius Green 5.00 Waived Gary Barnidge 3.50 Waived Jimmy Graham 14.00 3.10 7.50 Bye 4.10 3.90 7.50 Owen Daniels 0.50 1.90 8.80 Waived Brandon McManus 6.00 Waived Justin Tucker 10.00 15.00 6.00 15.00 6.00 8.00 5.00 20.00 Bye 2.00 11.00 10.00 Carolina 4.00 Waived St. Louis 14.00 4.00 11.00 10.00 9.00 Bye 25.00 12.00 3.00 2.00 6.00 2.00
Transactions
Team Dubs
Week Added Dropped 4 Devonta Freeman Andre Williams Charles Clay Julius Thomas 6 Brandon McManus Dan Carpenter 7 Josh Brown Kendall Wright Pittsburgh David Johnson 8 Jarvis Landry Arian Foster (IR) Ronnie Hillman Josh Brown Charcandrick West Pittsburgh Jordan Reed Charles Clay 10 Derek Carr Andrew Luck (INJ) Brandin Cooks Jarvis Landry 12 Jeremy Hill Marshawn Lynch (INJ) Spencer Ware Melvin Gordon 13 Delanie Walker Jimmy Graham (IR)
Frank's Team
Week Added Dropped 2 Travis Benjamin Nelson Agholor 4 Devonta Freeman Tevin Coleman Marvin Jones Owen Daniels 5 Andy Dalton Joe Flacco Ladarius Green Alfred Morris James Jones Marvin Jones 6 Allen Hurns Travis Benjamin Carolina St. Louis 7 St. Louis Carolina Travis Benjamin Melvin Gordon Jimmy Graham Ladarius Green 8 Marvin Jones Vincent Jackson Charcandrick West Travis Benjamin 9 Gary Barnidge Marvin Jones Brandon McManus Justin Tucker 10 Justin Tucker Brandon McManus Michael Crabtree Gary Barnidge DeAngelo Williams T.J. Yeldon 11 Travis Benjamin James Jones 12 Thomas Rawls DeAngelo Williams 13 DeAngelo Williams DeMarco Murray Gary Barnidge Jimmy Graham (IR)
Week 13 Starting Lineups
Team Dubs
Status Position Player Team Starter QB Tom Brady New England Starter RB Charcandrick West Kansas City Starter RB Devonta Freeman Atlanta Starter WR Eric Decker NY Jets Starter WR Larry Fitzgerald Arizona Starter Flex A.J. Green Cincinnati Starter TE Jordan Reed Washington Starter PK Brandon McManus Denver Starter Defense Denver Broncos Bench QB Derek Carr Oakland Bench RB Ronnie Hillman Denver Bench RB Jeremy Hill Cincinnati Bench RB Spencer Ware Kansas City Bench WR Brandin Cooks New Orleans Bench WR Jeremy Maclin Kansas City Bench TE Delanie Walker Tennessee Out RB Marshawn Lynch Seattle
Freeman returns from an injury suffered early in a Week 11 game. Charcandrick West also returns from an injury suffered in Week 11. It was a tough decision to start West, for Spencer Ware may have earned additional touches after his performance in the last two weeks subbing for West. I could be making a last minute decision to go with Ware or Ronnie Hillman if there is any lingering doubt about West's health heading into Sunday's game. How the Chiefs handle the West/Ware conundrum in the coming weeks will have a huge impact on Team Dubs' fortunes.
Frank's Team
Status Position Player Team Starter QB Andy Dalton Cincinnati Starter RB Devonta Freeman Atlanta Starter RB DeAngelo Williams Pittsburgh Starter WR Dez Bryant Dallas Starter WR Michael Crabtree Oakland Starter WR Sammy Watkins Buffalo Starter TE Travis Kelce Kansas City Starter PK Justin Tucker Baltimore Starter Defense St. Louis Rams Bench QB Russell Wilson Seattle Bench RB Thomas Rawls Seattle Bench RB Charcandrick West Kansas City Out WR Allen Hurns Jacksonville Bench WR Travis Benjamin Cleveland Bench TE Gary Barnidge Cleveland
Andy Dalton, Devonta Freeman and DeAngelo Williams all get the call this week due to favorable matchups. Allen Hurns is out once again and his absence will be felt. WR has been problematic all season because of injuries.
Keys To A Winning Season
1/ A solid draft from top to bottom.
2/ Correctly setting weekly starting lineups.
3/ Avoiding the injury bug.
4/ Being proactive and vigilant with respect to the Waiver Wire and Free Agency.
5/ Having a good luck charm handy at all times!
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