Did this fantasy season go by fast or what? My team's record was shit this year in our Knob Hill league, but I've happily guided two other teams and Grace's work league team (she gave me full control) to the championship games. So overall, a good year. Unfortunately I have to give the championship belt I've held onto for a year to either Grace or Adam. Sigh, it was nice for awhile...
This is my 2008 fantasy review. I know the season hasn't finished completely, but I wanted to write something before the Christmas break, and this was really my only shot. So, let's recap!
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS:
1) Joseph Addai will be a fantasy disappointment.
Spot on. I went to look up Addai's stats and compare them to the other running backs, and I had to look on the second page of running backs to find him! Less than 600 total yards of rushing. Couple that with a poor O-line and injuries, and he's been a nightmare to own this season. Honestly I didn't think he'd be this bad, but he definitely still falls under the 'disappointment' category.
2) This will be the last year of the LT reign.
It appears that way. He's lost the explosiveness. He doesn't break away for 20+ yard runs anymore. He's just an ordinary back. Don't get me wrong, he's still decent. He is, as of this post, 11th in scoring overall, but I think it's safe to say next year he won't be top-5. Or ever again, for that matter.
3) Tom Brady will throw 30+ TDs...but closer to 30, than 40.
My whole point with this prediction was to make the statement that Brady would have a difficult time reaching the absurd numbers he posted last year. So my prediction really went unanswered, as Brady never had a chance to prove himself. I guess I'll make the same one next year.
4) Jason Witten and Antonio Gates were 1-2 in TE scoring last year. They will not be 1-2 this year.
This will be a close one, but as of right now the top two are Tony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark, making me correct. I cannot believe how good Tony Gonzalez has been. He's about 20 points better than Dallas Clark. That's just amazing to me.
5) The only rookies worth drafting are Darren McFadden and Dustin Keller.
Wow, how wrong was I? How about Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, Kevin Smith, Eddie Royal, John Carleson, Deshaun Jackson, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, and others I'm probably forgetting right now. It was a good year for rookies, which is a good thing for fantasy. More good players to go around next year!
THE MAN CRUSH- MARION THE BARBARIAN.
Sadly, my love affair with Marion has ended. I will no longer be targeting him with my first round pick next year. He started off the season just as I expected him to, but he wore down- whether it was due to Romo being out, the O-line playing poorly, or injuries he sustained, he just wasn't the same explosive runner. When all of those factors are not there, Barber is great. But that's a lot of shit that has to happen for Barber to be effective in fantasy circles. Throw in the fact that Choice and Jones have proven that they are capable backs, and I think Barber could be looking at a time share again, circa Julius Jones era.
The trade for LT. As of now, LT is about 7 points ahead of Barber point wise. I think Adam would agree that neither of us "won" the trade, as much as survived it. Holt and Colston have been disasters, and with LT and Barber being hurt/inconsistent (LT and the beginning, Barber at the end), they haven't exactly been pleasant to own. Neither of us are starting them in the final week. That says all you need to know right there.
I do, however, have my eyes on another player for next year that I'm sure I'll be infatuated with.
THE DRAFT
It was fun to do the best/worst list after the draft, now let's do it after the season. The best and worst picks of the 2008 draft by round.
Round 16: Best- New York Giants Defense (Stacey), Worst- Ben Utecht (Brian)
Round 15: Best- Bernard Berrian (Stacey), Worst- Devin Thomas (Adam)
Round 14: Best- Aaron Rodgers (Adam), Worst- Jacob Hester (Kevin)
Round 13: Best- Chicago Bears Defense (Adam), Worst- Vince Young (Kevin)
Round 12: Best- Michael Turner (Kevin), Worst- Nate Burleson (Mike)
Round 11: Best- (tie) Kurt Warner, Matt Forte, Greg Jennings (Mike, Dave, Kevin), Worst- Joey Galloway (Stacey)
Round 10: Best- Thomas Jones (Kevin), Worst- Edgerrin James (Grace)
Round 9: Best- Ronnie Brown (Stacey), Worst- Jon Kitna (Amber)
Round 8: Best- Philip Rivers (Dave), Worst- Jason Hanson (Brian)
Round 7: Best- Anquan Boldin (Dave), Worst- Roy Williams (Brian)
Round 6: Best- Jay Cutler (Amber), Worst- Julius Jones (Brian)
Round 5: Best- Maurice Jones-Drew (Stacey), Worst- Matt Hasselbeck (Adam)
Round 4: Best- Calvin Johnson (Dave), Worst- Marvin Harrison (Brian)
Round 3: Best- Larry Fitzgerald (Grace), Worst- Patrick Crayton (Brian)
Round 2: Best- Drew Brees (Grace), Worst- Braylon Edwards (Mike)
Round 1: Best- Brian Westbrook (1), Worst- Joseph Addai (Amber)
I think Round 1 is the most interesting. Of all the picks, Brian Westbrook is the only one that is top-5 at his position in points. Peyton Manning is currently, but that's because his stats are padded by Thursday's early game. He probably will be 6th at the end of the week. So if you were to tell me that only 1 out of 8 of us would draft a player that end up being a top-5 player not overall, but just at his position, I would have thought you were crazy. Yet we managed to pull off that interesting feat.
And if before the season I told you your roster would consist of the following...
QB- Matt Hasselbeck
QB- Jon Kitna
WR- Braylon Edwards
WR- Roy Williams
WR- Joey Galloway/Marvin Harrison
RB- Joseph Addai
RB- Julius Jones/Edgerrin James
TE- Ben Utecht
...you woudn't be ecstatic, but you would feel like you'd at least have something to work with. All of these guys made my "worst picks" list...
Conversely, if your roster was...
QB- Aaron Rodgers
QB- Philip Rivers
WR- Anquan Boldin
WR- Greg Jennings
WR- Calvin Johnson
RB- Michael Turner
RB- Thomas Jones
...you'd be a little nervous of the unproven talent that you had drafted. Shows how much stock you can put into those fantasy magazines I guess.
I also said in my post-draft post that Adam and Grace had the most solid teams. And which two are in the championship right now? Just saying...
And Kevin built his team based on early and late picks. Thomas Jones, Michael Turner, and Greg Jennings??? Amazing pick-ups. Adrian Peterson, Reggie Wayne, Adrian Peterson, and Frank Gore were absolutely tremendous picks to start the draft. How is he in the last place game??? How the hell did he miss the playoffs????
LOOKING AHEAD...
Top 5 Running Backs
1. Michael Turner (Atlanta runs, and this guy finds the endzone)
2. Adrian Peterson (I wish he had more TDs...)
3. Brian Westbrook (When he's on the field, he's amazing)
4. Maurice Jones-Drew (Finally no more Fred Taylor)
5. Brandon Jacobs (Beast...when not injured)
Top 5 Wide Receivers
1. Randy Moss (Good year, and with Brady back...better year)
2. Larry Fitzgerald (With Warner at QB, of course)
3. Calvin Johnson (With shit for a QB and being double-covered, he's still the top-scoring fantasy WR at this point)
4. Terrell Owens (With Romo, of course)
5. Andre Johnson (More TDs would be nice)
Top 5 Quarterbacks
Okay, one would assume it would be these five in some order: Brees, Brady, Peyton, Romo, and Warner. I'll try and do 6-10.
6. Philip Rivers (LT is going down, Rivers is going up)
7. Aaron Rodgers (him and Jennings are great together)
8. Jay Cutler (he puts up the yards, that's for sure)
9. Donovan McNabb (a new team might be good)
10. Brett Favre (assuming he comes back)
Well it's been fun. Good luck to everyone in their final week of play. I look forward to reclaiming the title that is rightfully mine.
~Mikey D
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1 comments:
It really did go fast. I think the summary of this season was "rookies and unsung heroes". Who would have thought the top QB would be Philip Rivers, Calvin would be the #2 WR, and the top 4 RBs would be DeAngelo Williams, Michael Turner, Thomas Jones, and Matt Forte?? I think the main reason can be attributed to injuries - Brady (also affected Randy Moss), Peyton recovering in the beginning of the year, LT and Barbarian's foot issues, and Anquan Boldin's crazy head injury. I think next year, we will see some of these guys take over (Turner, Chris Johnson) and others take a step back to reality (Thomas Jones, Matt Forte).
It was a fun year! You're kidding yourself if you think you're getting the title back, though.
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