Tag Archives: Ray Rice

Fantasy Football 2011 in Review

  December 29, 2011 - 11:00 am | ,
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In August, when we found out there was going to be a football season in 2011, I started posting FFPrep’s Draft Kit.  It is a composite of analyst ranks from ESPN, SI, CBS, Yahoo etc. as well as our rankings.  Among other statistics, the rankings also take in to account the team the player is on, the depth chart of the position, and the average draft position (ADP).

Among the successes of the Draft Kit were the rankings of Jimmy Graham, Peyton Manning,  and Ray Rice.  Some of our misses were Chris Johnson, Cam Newton, and A.J. Green.  I think I had just been burned too many times on rookies that I decided to drop them in my rankings relative to other analyst ranks.  Obviously injuries cannot be accounted for, so our rankings of Jamaal Charles and Andre Johnson were certainly off.  The Draft Kit is meant to put you in the best position, in our opinion, for Week 1 of Fantasy Football.

After the draft, your team most likely had the key starters in place for most of the rest of the season (barring injury).  That is when you turned to the Weekly Projections and Fantasy Football Tools to see who to start, and who is trending and may be worthy of a pick up.  Momentum is one of the biggest factors week to week so riding a player like Denarius Moore or Demaryius Thomas is what would have separated you from the other managers in your league.

The Bye-Weeks always present a problem to managers.  I always advocate drafting the best team possible and worry about the bye weeks later.  Other people will tell you to take the bye in to account, so go with whatever you like.  My reasoning is that, worst case scenario, your team all has a bye on the same week and you take a loss.  If that 1 loss keeps you from the playoffs then your team wasn’t that strong to begin with.

I was in two leagues this season, a 10 team league and a 12 team league.  The 10 team league, let’s call it party, had probably 3 serious managers and a bunch of rookies.  I ended up with an absolutely stacked team and didn’t have to work much to go 12-1 and win the championship.  The 12 team league was a different story.  Nearly everyone in that league is a contender each season so it is much more competitive.  I limped in to the playoffs, ending the season with two straight losses and an 8-5 record.  I ended up winning that league as well, thanks to a big performance by Calvin Johnson and an unlikely starter in Kalil Bell.

I am not posting this to brag, but rather to give this website some credibility.  I used FFPrep’s Draft Kit, Weekly Rankings, and Fantasy Football Tools and came away with 2 championships.  Luck is a major part of fantasy, so all you can do is put out the best team with the best information you have at the time.  That is what FFPrep is all about.

In January we will start posting some predictions on the NFL Draft in April.  I will also be working on the beginnings of the 2012 Draft Kit.  In June and July we will start regularly updating the draft kit in preparation for your August and early September drafts.  So check back!  We are also working on the Draft Pick Trade Analyzer so that you can account for Keepers in to your trades.  Exciting stuff if you are a nerd like me…

Thank you for regularly reading FFPrep.  Have a happy New Years and I wish you all the best in 2012.

Bye Week Solutions Week 5

  October 7, 2011 - 12:00 pm | , , ,
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Week 5 gives us our first opportunity to show to our league how well we drafted and worked the waiver wire.  Anyone can follow a draft guide and pick off the top of the list, but the bye weeks separate the men from the boys.  Week 5 will miss some big name fantasy players including Ray Rice, Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Brandon Marshall, Steven Jackson, and Santana Moss.  If you find yourself in a tough spot, you can check out the players who are being added, you can look at the easy matchups for the week, or you could make a trade.

The most added players this week include Isaac Redman, Stevan Ridley, Eric Decker, and Victor Cruz, who are all viable fantasy flex player this week (as long as Mendenhall is out).  Here is the complete list from ESPN.

The players you may not normally start, with easy matchups are as follows:

  • QB:  Mark Sanchez  @ NE, Eli Manning vs. Sea
  • RB:  Joseph Addai vs. KC, Dexter McCluster @ Ind
  • WR:  Jordy Nelson @ Atl , Julio Jones vs. GB
  • TE:  Jermaine Gresham @ Jac, Owen Daniels vs. Oak

During the bye weeks I have also noticed a lot more trade proposals being sent out, so make sure to check out our Trade Analyzer before making an impulsive trade decision that you may regret.

Week 2 Fantasy Football Outlook

  September 15, 2011 - 7:11 pm | , ,
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Week 2 in the NFL has some really exciting games in store.  Some of the highlights are Bears @ Saints, Chargers @ Patriots, and Eagles @ Falcons.   In terms of fantasy football, the players with the easiest match-ups are Matt Schaub, LeGarrette Blount, Santana Moss, Brandon Pettigrew, and Steelers D/ST.

Now for the Top 25:

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Fantasy Football Week 1 Recap

  September 13, 2011 - 5:00 pm | , ,
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Week 1 of the fantasy football season is always an unpredictable one  and this season has been no different.  We saw surprise  performances from Cam Newton, Chad Henne, Mike Tolbert, and Scott Chandler.  If you are in a deep league, these guys are worth a bench spot to see if they can build on their performances in Week 2.

  • Tom Brady and Wes Welker – Brady threw for 517 yards, 160 of that to Welker.  Welker also accounted for 2 of Brady’s 4 touchdowns.  If you had either of these two, you should have won your match up last week.
  • Chad Henne – Chad Henne threw for 416 yards and 2 touchdowns, but the real story was that he actually looked like a pretty good quarterback, making good decisions and accurate passes.  This bodes well for Brandon Marshall.
  • Cam Newton – Cam threw for 422 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He also had 18 yards on the ground and a touchdown.  He surprised everyone with his accurate passes and good decision making.  I would definitely consider adding him to your bench to see if he can build on his numbers against a tough Packers defense.
  • Steve Smith (Car) – I had a shot to draft Steve Smith, but after being burned last year, I decided to look elsewhere.  Well what does he do, but catch for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns.  So much for not having any chemistry with a rookie QB…
  • Mike Tolbert - Typically Tolbert’s points come from red zone carries.  This week he only had 35 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but he also caught 9 for 58 and 2 touchdowns.  These are not “touchdown vulture” numbers – Ryan Mathews owners should be concerned.
  • Kenny Britt -Britt caught for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Hasselbeck is typically not a good fantasy QB, but Mike Williams (sea) did produce with him at the helm last year.  Britt should make for a solid #2 receiver on your team, while he is a free man.
  • Matthew Stafford -Stafford looks like the real deal, throwing for 305 yards and 3 touchdowns in week 1.  If you drafted him or Calvin Johnson, you must feel pretty good about yourself right now.  Hopefully he is cured of the injury bug.
  • Scott Chandler -Here is his Resume:  Drafted in 07 by the Chargers, then played for Cowboys, Giants, Cowboys (again), and the Bills and before last week he had all of 1 reception for 8 yards.  Last week, he had 5 receptions for 63 yards and 2 touchdowns.  This is a guy that will be on my watch list to see if he can continue to be one of Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s favorite weapons.

I guess I should mention that I lost to MattDotRich in our weekly Gridiron Challenge. 

Ranking Updates 8/30

  August 30, 2011 - 6:38 pm | , , , ,
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Let’s rewind to, say, January.. You just won the fantasy trophy and you are collecting your winnings from the other losers in your league.  If I were to say to you then, that in August, Peyton Manning would be available with your 3rd round pick, you would think I was nuts.  Fast forward 8 months and Peyton Manning has an ADP of 33.8.  A couple more that may have shocked you would be Frank Gore (ADP 22.3), Maurice Jones-Drew (ADP 14), and Chris Johnson (ADP of 7.8).

My point is that this year has not only been unique because of the NFL Lockout, but also because of some of the value that is falling to some obscene levels.  When you are drafting this week or weekend, make sure you don’t draft rookies too high and proven veterans too low –  check out our updated Top 200. With that in mind, here is the Top 25 and the Biggest Movers for the week of 8/30:

Ranking Updates 8/22

  August 22, 2011 - 4:48 pm | , ,
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I’ll admit I was caught up in the Michael Vick fever that most of the analysts had over the past couple weeks.  I originally had him as the #2 overall pick but after a couple poor outings and some common sense, he has dropped to the #12 spot.  Just too much risk to warrant the #2 spot..

A couple of players that should be on the rise on everyone’s draft boards are Tim Hightower, Reggie Bush, Felix Jones, John Beck, Ryan Matthews, and Jahvid Best.

Some players you should drop on your draft board are Carson Palmer (he may really be retired), Andy Dalton, Jonathan Baldwin, Mikel LeShoure (IR) and Ryan Williams (IR)

Make sure to check out the Top 200 to stay up to date on the latest ranking updates.

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Ranking Updates 8/8

  August 8, 2011 - 6:18 pm | ,
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A number of players signed over the last week that will have an impact on your fantasy draft.  Some of the big names that you should update in your rankings are Michael Bush, Chad Ochocinco, Braylon Edwards, Ronnie Brown, Sidney Rice and Zach Miller (Seattle).

Other notable mentions include: Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow, Chad Henne, Ricky Williams, Malcom Floyd and Legedu Naanee.

We have updated our Top 200, as well as our Positional Rankings and D/ST Rankings (including kickers).  Also make sure you check out the Draft Kit to find relevant articles from this year and from the archive.

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