{Current Mood: Ubiquitous}
Umm,
So you may have heard me talk about how I was already looking ahead to next fantasy season in previous notebook entry blogs.
This is because I’ve identified the source of all my frustrations: shitty drafting.
The draft is the one day of the season you can’t afford to screw up and I did more prep work for this years drafts than I have for any other year. The problem was the execution.
I consistently deviated from my draft strategy in every league except for the one I’m currently 5-0 in. And even though I couldn’t follow my strategy exactly for that league, I still followed some basic guidelines that I, for whatever reason, didn’t follow in the other drafts. And that was the third of the five drafts that I did so I still made the same mistakes in other leagues I drafted for later on and deviated from the master plan.
Well, I deviated but I didn’t. It’s a long, arduous story but the point is I know now what I’ve done wrong, won’t make those same mistakes next season, and am already thinking of ways to improve my drafting.
Oh yeah, and I won’t wait until the beginning of August to start prepping. That didn’t help any and is helping contribute to the issues I’m facing. Call it Super Bowl hangover from last year being the best year I ever had, call it overthinking, call it having a shit ton of wrestling shows this summer, I just hope it hasn’t cost me to the point that my season is already lost in the majority of my leagues.
Citizens of the Pond: Come have another good laugh at my expense as has become customary to this point of the season (and hopefully will change unless I’ve buried myself to the point of no return with my shitty drafting).
1) MONTOYA’S LEAGUE (12 teams, non-PPR, 2 QB, 3 Flex) (The Dayman) (5-0) (1st place in Division 2) (1st place overall) (1st in total points)
-The Dayman d. Popcorn Playaz by the score of 132.40 to 90.20-
Raise your hand if you know of anybody else who won a head to head fantasy matchup this week with Timmy Tebow in their starting lineup.
Of course, monstrous outings from Victor Cruz and Reggie Wayne helped… a lot… and even though it wasn’t a huge outing, we still put up the fourth highest score for the week, remain the only unbeaten team, and still lead the league in points.
And with the news that Jake Locker is definitely going to be out this Thursday night against the Steelers, it looks like I gotz to roll with Timmy T once more.
Damn Texans failed me by not beating Sanchez badly enough for the Jets to bench him.
-The Dayman – Week 5 Roster-
QB- Matt Ryan (22.20)
QB- Timothy Tebow (1.90)
RB- Shady McCoy (14.00)
RB- Jamaal Charles (16.10)
WR- Victorino Cruise (23.00)
WR- Reginald Wayne (27.20)
TE- Martellus Bennett (3.00)
RB/WR- RB Clarence James Spiller (2.40)
WR/TE- WR Michael Wallace (1.70)
RB/WR/TE- TE Kyle Rudolph The Red Zone Reindeer (8.30)
K- Robert Bironas (1.00)
DEF- Cardinals (11.60)
Total – 132.40
Bench- QB Jake Locker (0.00)
Bench- RB Donald Brown (11.20)
Bench- RB Michael Bush (5.20)
Bench- RB Bilal Powell (1.80)
Bench- RB Brandon
Bench- WR Lance Moore (0.00)
Bench- WR Jeromy Simpson (0.00)
Bench- TE Dennis Pitta (2.20)
Bench Total – 25.80
-Popcorn Playaz - Week 5 Roster-
QB- Matt Schaub (12.36)
QB- Cameron Newton the Third (7.84)
RB- Steven Jackson (7.60)
RB- Reginald Q. Bush (13.20)
WR- Carolina's Steve Smith (4.00)
WR- Dwayne Bowe (6.00)
TE- Robert Gronkowski (3.50)
RB/WR- WR Golden Taint (9.00)
WR/TE- TE Heathcliff Miller (4.10)
RB/WR/TE- Michael Floyd (1.70)
K- "Young GZ" Greg Zuerlein (7.00)
DEF- Vikings (13.90)
Bench- QB Matthew Cassel (-0.92)
Bench- RB LaMichael James (0.00)
Bench- RB Isaac Red Man (4.10)
Bench- RB Mike Tolbert (0.30)
Bench- WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (0.00)
Bench- TE Jason Witten (0.00)
Bench- K Jason Hanson (0.00
Bench- DEF Jets (24.00)
2) BALLBUSTERS (12 teams) (Sizzlers) (1-4) (4th in “Death Division”) (12th place overall) (4th in total points)
-Canes d. Sizzlers by the score of 85 to 77-
Well it’s official: The King is Dead (for the moment, anyway).
We end 2011 on a tear, win the league, eek out a win in Week 1, lose four straight, and are now in dead last even though we’re 4th in total points. Being second in points against (455) plays a big part in that but the team with the most points scored against them (458) is 3-2 and only sixth in total points. How that works logistically is among the most confusing things I’ve encountered all day.
We lost with the 5th highest score of the week, lost to the team with the 4th highest score of the week, and left yet ANOTHER win on our bench.
All week long, I was able to justify our starting lineup but our optimal lineup would have netted us 86 points. We would’ve won by one point.
I planned on playing Kenny Britt at WR but he was hurt all week and I didn’t plan on leaving him in and having him wind up being inactive because, being at the Giants game, I wouldn’t have been able to change my lineup. You can imagine my reaction when I found out he was active and it was too late to switch him in. Sure he only outscored Jerome Simpson by three points but he still outscored him.
And, lo and freakin behold, it was the one guy who I never planned on playing in the first place, Andre Roberts, who would’ve led me to victory had I played the optimal lineup. He was on a hot streak but the Rams defense was too good and Kevin Kolb sucks too much for me to have felt comfortable playing him. And he only got six points, but it still was six more points then Jerome got for me. If Kolb didn’t overthrow Roberts in the end zone, I would’ve cried myself to sleep that night.
Donald Brown only outscored Ray Rice by a point but you can’t bench Rice for Donald. How Rice didn’t get more than seven against KC is beyond me.
And when I picked up Scott Chandler, I elected to not play him because I already had my two TE set finalized and didn’t want to overthink it. Well, I should’ve realized that Seattle
I felt like, with the exception of the tight end position, I made the right lineup calls. And regardless, a win on the bench is a loss in the standings and now we’re in dead last because of shitty lineup decisions which have been the bane of my existence in this league since I’ve joined.
That being said, we’re still only two games out of the wild card spot and in sixth in the CBS-generated league power rankings so there’s always that.
We’ve gone from first to worst and now have to work our way back up to first. It’s gonna be tough but I feel like we have the roster that can pull it off.
-Sizzlers - Week 5 Roster-
QB- Peyton Manning (24)
RB- Raymell Rice (7)
WR- Jeromy Simpson (0)
TE- Gregory Olsen (4)
TE- Kyle Rudolph the Red Zone Reindeer (11)
Flex- RB Ryan Mathews (18)
K- Robbie Gould (11)
DEF- Giants (2)
Total - 77
Bench- QB Jake Locker (0)
Bench- RB Clarence James Spiller (1)
Bench- RB Donald Brown (8)
Bench- WR Hasheem Nicks (0)
Bench- WR Miles Austin (0)
Bench- WR Andre Roberts (6)
Bench- WR Kenneth Britt (3)
Bench- TE Scott Chandler (6)
Bench Total - 24
-Canes - Week 5 Roster-
QB- Aaron Rodgers (23)
RB- Stevan Ridley (14)
WR- Brandon Lloyd (4)
TE- Martellus Bennett (5)
TE- Jermichael Finley (3)
Flex- WR Victorino Cruise (25)
K- David Akers (9)
DEF- 49ers (2)
Total - 85
Bench- QB Blaine Gabbert (1)
Bench- RB Daniel Thomas (8)
Bench- RB Jacqueline Battle (2)
Bench- RB Rashard Mendenhall (13)
Bench- WR Carlos Santana Moss (12)
Bench- WR Gregorio Jennings (0)
Bench- TE Aaron Hernandez (0)
Bench- K Jason Hanson (0)
Bench Total - 36
3) CONVICKS (10 teams) (This Guy) (2-3) (8th place overall) (9th in total points)
-This Guy d. Silver Bullets by the score of 136.70 to 97.38-
I trailed by 24.18 points heading into the Sunday night games. Marques Colston and Ryan Mathews got me 66 points combined to put me up by 41.82 and I held on to win by 39.32 points to end my three-game skid.
Yahoo is providing interesting statisticals this year in their computer generated game recaps. Some good ones: Colston had the second highest WR score of the week and third-highest of the season (40.10), Mathews had the second highest RB score of the week (25.90), Julio Jones had the eighth highest WR score for the week (25.50), Kyle Rudolph had the fourth highest TE score for the week (12.30), & I was actually favored to win by 5.83 points and covered the spread.
Compelling stuff indeed.
This was the highest point total I’ve put up all year and was the fourth highest point total for the week. The Bullets had the second lowest point total for the week. Points have been excruciatingly difficult for me to come by this year so I’ll take it while I can, especially with some big games looming on the horizon.
The Bullets leaving Ahmad Bradshaw and Tony Gonzalez on the bench is pretty painful. I’ve left plenty of wins on the bench this season in various leagues so I know this feeling all too well. In all honesty, I probably would’ve benched Bradshaw to play Shady and Peterson as well… I can’t say for sure whether I would’ve benched Gonzalez for Vernon Davis.
The win bumps me up two spots to eighth place overall although I’m still ninth in points and fourth in points against. Yahoo apparently also thinks higher of me after the victory because last week I was projected to finish in last at 5-9 while this week I’m projected to finish in eighth at 6-8.
The climb back to respectability is a slow, long one but I believe it’s possible with the right blend of roster retooling and smart lineup decisions. And I’m still only one game (but a lot of points) out of the playoffs so anything is possible.
-This Guy – Week 6 Roster-
QB- Killer of Dogs (16.60)
RB- Ryan Mathews (25.90)
RB- Clarence James Spiller (2.40)
WR- Julius Jones (25.50)
WR- Marques Colston (40.10)
WR- Jeremy Maclin (8.90)
TE- Kyle Rudolph, Everyone's Favorite Red Zone Reindeer (12.30)
K- Robert Bironas (1.00)
DEF- Cardinals (4.00)
Total – 136.70
Bench- QB Jake Locker (0.00)
Bench- RB Douglas Martin (0.00)
Bench- RB Donald Brown (13.20)
Bench- WR Andre Roberts (9.20)
Bench- WR Gregorio Jennings (0.00)
Bench- WR Kendall Wright (15.60)
Bench- TE Heathcliff Miller (8.10)
Bench Total – 46.10
-Silver Bullets - Week 5 Roster-
QB- Jayson Cutler (23.88)
RB- Adrian Peterson (13.30)
RB- Shady McCoy (18.00)
WR- Andre Johnson (2.50)
WR- Randall Moss (2.10)
WR- Justin Black Man (7.00)
TE- Vernon Davis (15.60)
K- David Akers (9.00)
DEF- Giants (6.00)
Total – 97.38
Bench- QB Cameron Newton the Third (7.84)
Bench- RB Ahmad Rashad Bradshaw Layfield (30.90)
Bench- RB Mike Tolbert (0.30)
Bench- WR Vincent Jackson (0.00)
Bench- WR Plaxico Burress (0.00) (Yes, THAT Plaxico Burress)
Bench- TE Old-Ass Tony Gonzalez (31.30)
Bench- DEF Steelers (8.00)
Bench Total – 78.34
4) KIRBY’S ALL STARS (12 teams) (Powdered Toast Man) (1-4) (4th in Kel Division) (10th place overall) (5th in total points)
-World’s Wildest Police Videos d. Powdered Toast Man by the score of 136 to 135-
This loss easily hurts the most. What is it with me and losing by one point in this league?
And a note to the fantasy gods: two years ago, I lost my Week 1 matchup in this league because of a stat correction that went into effect three days after I thought I had won. I’ve been waiting for over two years now to win a game because of a stat correction because these things are supposed to even out. I’m all about fairness and just wanted to make sure you haven’t forgotten this.
The loss bumps me down to tenth place though I moved up to fifth in points. I also have had the most points scored against me (744) by a wide, 51-point margin. I’m still in fourth in the Kel division as well behind three 3-2 teams.
I lost this matchup with a 25-point RB and two 20-plus point WRs. This is also the second loss I’ve suffered by a single digit amount of points. I’m really struggling to figure out what I did to deserve the drubbing that’s been put on me in this league ever since that fateful one-point loss in last year’s championship game.
All I had to do was be smart enough to play Donald Brown over CJ Spiller or stick with Kendall Wright as my flex and I wouldn’t have to worry about a stat correction giving me a victory. Of course, neither Brown or Wright is on my team anymore as they’ve both been traded to the Animaniacs (and defending league champion Vinnie) for Jake Locker.
The trade was accepted on Friday night and was supposed to go through on Sunday night but couldn’t go through until this morning when the players involved unlocked. I’m still high on Locker and believe he’ll put together a very good season statistically once he returns from injury.
Between guys like Stafford, Nicks (when he’s healthy), Mathews, Megatron, & Demaryius Thomas (among others), I have the firepower to be able to hopefully make a drastic turnaround. And, at this point, I’m going to need all the help I can get.
-Powdered Toast Man - Week 5 Roster-
QB- Christian Ponder (23)
RB- Ryan Mathews (25)
RB- Clarence James Spiller (2)
WR- Demaryius Thomas (25)
WR- Brian "The Hitman" Hartline (9)
WR- James J. Jones (20)
TE- Kyle Rudolph the Red... you know what, you should get the point by now (12)
Flex- TE Jermaine Gresham (11)
K- Robert Bironas (1)
DEF- Bengals (7)
Total - 135
Bench- QB Anthony Romo (0)
Bench- QB Sir Matthew of Stafford Town (0)
Bench- RB Donald Brown (12)
Bench- WR Calvin Johnson (0)
Bench- WR Hasheem Nicks (0)
Bench- WR Kendall Wright (15)
Bench Total – 27
-World's Wildest Police Videos - Week 5 Roster-
QB- Peyton Manning (29)
RB- Adrian Peterson (12)
RB- Andre Brown (0)
WR- Dwayne Bowe (12)
WR- Sidney Rice (11)
WR- Victorino Cruise (28)
TE- Coby Fleener (9)
Flex- RB Jamaal Charles (19)
K- Matt Bryant (10)
DEF- Giants (6)
Total - 136
Bench- QB Josh Freeman (0)
Bench- RB Mark Ingram (1)
Bench- RB Brandon Bolden (6)
Bench- WR Dexter McFuckCluster (0)
Bench- WR Kenneth Britt (4)
Bench- TE Brandon Myers (0)
Bench Total - 11
5) CCFFL (14 teams, points league w/ head to head games) (The Houston Oilers) (2-3) (2-1 in the AFC) (4th in the AFC) (7th place overall)
-Skilletlickers d. The Houston Oilers by the score of 100 to 87-
Well, at least I still would’ve lost by one had I played my optimal lineup.
But leaving any points on your bench in this league is really detrimental because it could come back to bite you in the ass by season’s end.
This loss is devastating. This could be the week that knocks me out of serious league championship contention. Two weeks in a row now I’ve put up a bottom five, sub-90 score, and it’s my third week with a score in the bottom half of the league and my third week with a sub-90 score.
My score was the fourth worst of the week (a new season low), the lowest score I've put up all season, and I'm now also 70 points out of first place. Not good.
I’m in the middle of the standings so I won’t get high enough waiver priority to fix my roster unless I catch lightning in a bottle by some miraculous act of God and I can’t get anyone in this league to trade with me if my life depended on it. I even had a trade accepted by accident that would’ve given me Mikel Leshoure but because the trade was accidentally accepted, it was agreed upon to be vetoed.
It’s time like these where I have to resist the urge to ram my head through my computer screen in anguish.
-The Houston Oilers - Week 5 Roster-
QB- Peyton Manning (29)
RB- Trentylocks Richardson (17)
RB- Clarence James Spiller (1)
WR- Julius Jones (20)
WR- Domeniko Hixon (7)
WR- Leonardo Hankerson (1)
TE- Gregory Olsen (3)
K- Robert Bironas (1)
DEF- Bengals (8)
Total - 88
Bench- QB Sir Matthew of Stafford Town (0)
Bench- RB Lamar Miller (0)
Bench- RB Jizzybaluba Rodgers (1)
Bench- WR Kenneth Britt (3)
Bench- WR Jeromy Simpson (0)
Bench- WR Gregorio Jennings (0)
Bench- TE Owen Hart Daniels (13)
Bench Total - 17
-Skilletlickers - Week 5 Roster-
QB- Jayson Cutler (23)
RB- Ahmad Rashad Bradshaw Layfield (19)
RB- Adrian Foster (14)
WR- Golden Taint (10) (I’m so fucking sick and tired of all my opponents picking up scrubs to play against me and those scrubs having phenomenal fucking games. Seriously, this needs to stop like right the fuck now)
WR- Randall Moss (1)
WR- Carolina's Steve Smith (6)
TE- Vernon Davis (10)
K- Larry Tynes (11)
DEF- Giants (6)
Total - 100
Bench- QB Jake Locker (0)
Bench- RB Mike Tolbert (0)
Bench- RB Brandon Jacobs (0)
Bench- WR Plaxico Burress (0) (Again... yes, THAT Plaxico Burress)
Bench- WR Vincent Jackson (0)
Bench- TE Zachary Miller (5)
Bench- DEF Steelers (10)
Bench Total – 15
-IN CONCLUSIONASTICAL-
Ever since my 5-0 start, I’ve gone a collective 6-14. My players aren’t getting healthy, I’m losing games on my bench at a record clip, I’m getting little to no breaks going in my favor, I’ve had a trade accidentally accepted and then vetoed that would’ve given me Mikel Leshoure, I’ve had a trade accepted verbally but then backed out on that would’ve given me Scott Chandler, I’ve had people tell me they were thinking about accepting trades that would’ve given me Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Mathews, & every team I face seems to have the game of their life against me.
This is bad. I’m officially in Panic Mode.
Deuces,
-Ray-
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