The Fantasy Football Thread 2018

[rtiff68]

With FFB drafts right around the corner, please share any thoughts, questions, or observations about the upcoming season in this thread.

-This is the deepest year at RB that I can remember. While there's typically 2-3 "blue chip, practically can't miss" RBs at the top of the draft, this year there's closer to 12. Consider this: Kareem Hunt won the rushing title as a rookie, is a dual threat, the unquestioned starter in an Andy Reid offense, and he could conceivably slip out of the 1st round in 10-12 team leagues. That's nuts.

Based upon that, I think the best place to be in the 1st round this year is at the turn, where you can go WR heavy (very thin at the top this year). If that doesn't work out, I'd rather be top 6 (to guarantee getting one of Gurley, Bell, Zeke, DJ, Kamara, or Brown).

-Sleepers:

DJ Moore: Rookie WRs don't have a great track record in fantasy, but CAR doesn't have many weapons in the passing game, I have a feeling Norv Turner is going to have Cam operating from the pocket more, and DJ can pretty much be had in rounds 9-11. Not a bad investment/risk for a guy with at least a shot at being a WR1 or WR2.

Nyheim HInes: He'll come cheap, and he's a Darren Sproles type pass catcher on a team (Colts) w/o a strong incumbent starter. Like Moore, worth the relative "risk."

Sony Michel: "Sleeper" is probably an exaggeration here as he was a 1st rounder, but I love him at his ADP (5th- 6th round). He's extremely talented, and I see no reason why can't/won't slide right into the role Dion Lewis played last year for the Pats.

-Julio Jones has officially become the Andre Johnson of this generation-- a safe selection because the receptions and yards are always going to be there, but at this point I think expecting a TD explosion is simply wishful thinking. Jones has been going anywhere from a few picks to a full round ahead of Michael Thomas and Davante Adams, and I think I'd rather roll the dice with the latter two due to TD upside. Those robust TD totals are what win leagues, especially in H2H standard scoring formats.

[rtiff68]

Settings suggestions:

If you're looking to start a league, below are some suggestions I have for settings based upon what I've observed while playing in a multitude of leagues since '99. The goal behind these is to keep the league as competitive as possible.

1) Money/Enthusiast League: If you're starting a league where everyone does their homework and is super engaged, I would recommend the following...

-QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, W/T/R flex, K, DEF. A lot of leagues only start two WRs, but having that third slot gives the advantage to the deeper team, and in a league where everyone knows what they're doing, you want the deeper teams winning, not the teams who hit a home run on 1 or 2 picks.

- .5 PPR. People will always argue/debate PPR vs. Standard, this is a nice compromise.

-Deep benches. Deep benches place more emphasis on the draft (the most fun part for people really into it) and encourage trades rather than waiver wire hawking.

2) Sharks and Minnows League: If you're starting a league where some people are extremely prepared and others are green, I would recommend the following...

-Same as above only with 2 WR slots. This places more emphasis on home run hitters (who anyone can luck into it) and less emphasis on overall team depth/quality.

-6 points for TD passes. Conventional FFB wisdom dictates waiting on QBs while stacking WRs and RBs. By making this adjustment to passing TDs, how one prioritizes drafting QBs shifts, and since inexperienced players tend to pick QBs too soon anyway, this helps to level the playing field.

[3effs]

6 point for TD passes is the way to go imo...the QB is devalued too much in 4 pt leagues.

[rtiff68]

6 point for TD passes is the way to go imo...the QB is devalued too much in 4 pt leagues.

Not a fan of that in competitive leagues.

Remember, in 4pt passing TD settings QBs still put up the most fantasy points by a healthy margin. They are only "devalued" b/c the difference between them isn't as significant as one might assume.

If your league is strong, you want to set it up so depth/overall quality >> 1 or 2 blue chippers, and bumping up the value of passing TDs has the opposite effect (hence, why it's a good setting in leagues where the experience/skill of the players varies considerably-- it levels the playing the field).

[gaskill15]

I did a superflex league yesterday and it was fuckin stupid. You never don’t put a QB in there.

[rtiff68]

I did a superflex league yesterday and it was fuckin stupid. You never don’t put a QB in there.

I'm not familiar with those. What's the format?

[gaskill15]

I did a superflex league yesterday and it was fuckin stupid. You never don’t put a QB in there.

I'm not familiar with those. What's the format?

It's a position. You can put a QB/WR/RB/TE in there. Everybody puts a QB in there though.

[rtiff68]

I did a superflex league yesterday and it was fuckin stupid. You never don’t put a QB in there.

I'm not familiar with those. What's the format?

It's a position. You can put a QB/WR/RB/TE in there. Everybody puts a QB in there though.

Yeah, that sounds completely pointless.

If you're going to do that, just do a 2QB league.

[rtiff68]

Guice going down really sucked from a FFB perspective— I think he was poised to be a low end RB1 for 3rd- 5th round value.

As a Niners fan and someone who plays in 2 PPR leagues, I held my breath yesterday when it was revealed that Jerick McKinnon was having an MRI on his knee. No tear, thank God.

[PhutureDynasty]

Guice going down really sucked from a FFB perspective— I think he was poised to be a low end RB1 for 3rd- 5th round value.

As a Niners fan and someone who plays in 2 PPR leagues, I held my breath yesterday when it was revealed that Jerick McKinnon was having an MRI on his knee. No tear, thank God.

Agreed. What are your expectations for the 9ers this year?

Playoffs? Having the Rams in your division will be tough.

[Dagger]

Bullish Vikings offense this year.

[Buckets]

While RB may be deeper, the top 4 are still a tier above the rest (can bank on 20 PPG) as is usually the norm.

[rtiff68]

Guice going down really sucked from a FFB perspective— I think he was poised to be a low end RB1 for 3rd- 5th round value.

As a Niners fan and someone who plays in 2 PPR leagues, I held my breath yesterday when it was revealed that Jerick McKinnon was having an MRI on his knee. No tear, thank God.

Agreed. What are your expectations for the 9ers this year?

Playoffs? Having the Rams in your division will be tough.

10-6 is my optimistic prediction (8-8 is probably more likely), but I think it's doable. The schedule looks rough, but I love our coaching staff and I like a lot of our young pieces on defense.

[gaskill15]

Guice going down really sucked from a FFB perspective— I think he was poised to be a low end RB1 for 3rd- 5th round value.

As a Niners fan and someone who plays in 2 PPR leagues, I held my breath yesterday when it was revealed that Jerick McKinnon was having an MRI on his knee. No tear, thank God.

Agreed. What are your expectations for the 9ers this year?

Playoffs? Having the Rams in your division will be tough.

10-6 is my optimistic prediction (8-8 is probably more likely), but I think it's doable. The schedule looks rough, but I love our coaching staff and I like a lot of our young pieces on defense.

If Reuben Foster can somehow get his act together he’s gonna be a star. He’s got all the tools to be a great NFL LBer.

[rtiff68]

With FFB drafts right around the corner, please share any thoughts, questions, or observations about the upcoming season in this thread.

-This is the deepest year at RB that I can remember. While there's typically 2-3 "blue chip, practically can't miss" RBs at the top of the draft, this year there's closer to 12. Consider this: Kareem Hunt won the rushing title as a rookie, is a dual threat, the unquestioned starter in an Andy Reid offense, and he could conceivably slip out of the 1st round in 10-12 team leagues. That's nuts.

Based upon that, I think the best place to be in the 1st round this year is at the turn, where you can go WR heavy (very thin at the top this year). If that doesn't work out, I'd rather be top 6 (to guarantee getting one of Gurley, Bell, Zeke, DJ, Kamara, or Brown).

-Sleepers:

DJ Moore: Rookie WRs don't have a great track record in fantasy, but CAR doesn't have many weapons in the passing game, I have a feeling Norv Turner is going to have Cam operating from the pocket more, and DJ can pretty much be had in rounds 9-11. Not a bad investment/risk for a guy with at least a shot at being a WR1 or WR2.

Nyheim HInes: He'll come cheap, and he's a Darren Sproles type pass catcher on a team (Colts) w/o a strong incumbent starter. Like Moore, worth the relative "risk."

Sony Michel: "Sleeper" is probably an exaggeration here as he was a 1st rounder, but I love him at his ADP (5th- 6th round). He's extremely talented, and I see no reason why can't/won't slide right into the role Dion Lewis played last year for the Pats.

-Julio Jones has officially become the Andre Johnson of this generation-- a safe selection because the receptions and yards are always going to be there, but at this point I think expecting a TD explosion is simply wishful thinking. Jones has been going anywhere from a few picks to a full round ahead of Michael Thomas and Davante Adams, and I think I'd rather roll the dice with the latter two due to TD upside. Those robust TD totals are what win leagues, especially in H2H standard scoring formats.

Feeling pretty good about my Hines and Michel calls...

[Shill Jackson]

I picked up Ebron off of waivers. It’s not every week you get 30+ from your TE.

[rtiff68]

I picked up Ebron off of waivers. It’s not every week you get 30+ from your TE.

That’s huge, especially on TNF.

[rtiff68]

With FFB drafts right around the corner, please share any thoughts, questions, or observations about the upcoming season in this thread.

-This is the deepest year at RB that I can remember. While there's typically 2-3 "blue chip, practically can't miss" RBs at the top of the draft, this year there's closer to 12. Consider this: Kareem Hunt won the rushing title as a rookie, is a dual threat, the unquestioned starter in an Andy Reid offense, and he could conceivably slip out of the 1st round in 10-12 team leagues. That's nuts.

Based upon that, I think the best place to be in the 1st round this year is at the turn, where you can go WR heavy (very thin at the top this year). If that doesn't work out, I'd rather be top 6 (to guarantee getting one of Gurley, Bell, Zeke, DJ, Kamara, or Brown).

-Sleepers:

DJ Moore: Rookie WRs don't have a great track record in fantasy, but CAR doesn't have many weapons in the passing game, I have a feeling Norv Turner is going to have Cam operating from the pocket more, and DJ can pretty much be had in rounds 9-11. Not a bad investment/risk for a guy with at least a shot at being a WR1 or WR2.

Nyheim HInes: He'll come cheap, and he's a Darren Sproles type pass catcher on a team (Colts) w/o a strong incumbent starter. Like Moore, worth the relative "risk."

Sony Michel: "Sleeper" is probably an exaggeration here as he was a 1st rounder, but I love him at his ADP (5th- 6th round). He's extremely talented, and I see no reason why can't/won't slide right into the role Dion Lewis played last year for the Pats.

-Julio Jones has officially become the Andre Johnson of this generation-- a safe selection because the receptions and yards are always going to be there, but at this point I think expecting a TD explosion is simply wishful thinking. Jones has been going anywhere from a few picks to a full round ahead of Michael Thomas and Davante Adams, and I think I'd rather roll the dice with the latter two due to TD upside. Those robust TD totals are what win leagues, especially in H2H standard scoring formats.

Did pretty well with these predictions.

-Adams is WR2 and Thomas is WR5 in most standard and PPR formats, while Julio leads the league in receiving yards but only has 5 TDs (Andre Johnson 2.0).

-Michel has been an RB2 during healthy weeks, well worth a 6th round pick.

-DJ Moore and Hines have been decent flex plays at times; Moore has been coming on a bit since Week 11 (and they were both dirt cheap).