Have you played FF before in other places? Do you have any specific questions? I don't want to give an overview if you have the basics down, both because I don't want to bore you AND I am only fair at it....while I have had some good teams, my results are mixed at best. Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I've never played, however I'm pretty sure you explained the basics to me last year. And I forgot. I think someone may have linked me to some FAQ page or something...
Essentially, I know nothing. To demonstrate my cluelessness: where do I go to play?
ETA: I'm having trouble trying to find a thread from last year. Am I thinking of '07?
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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OK... I gotta participate. I think I did once here many years ago (under my original "Godric" handle), but I've been playing FF with friends every year for the last 4 and my skills have been improving. I fully expect, despite my absence, to finish in the top 3.
Bring it!
(What fun is FF without some smack talk, eh? )
Posts: 382 | Registered: Jan 2008
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OK. I'm the Advertisers (selling uniform real estate on a first-come, first-serve basis). When's the draft?
Posts: 382 | Registered: Jan 2008
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I always have a great team on paper, yet end up dead last (or close to it).
Last year I had Moss AND Welker, yet did nothing. I was 2nd or 3rd in point scored, but EVERYONE had a great day against me most of the time, and I ended second from last.
We do the automated draft, and I'll be figuring out when once we have the teams nailed down.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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In my friend's league last year I finished 1st in points, but 3rd place overall. i fully expect to dominate all leagues this year (I always say that, of course).
Posts: 382 | Registered: Jan 2008
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I have no chance of doing well. I've only been watching football for two seasons and know next to nothing about any players that aren't in the NFC East. I'm just in it to learn this year.
Registered as the Zondas. I just have cars on the brain, I guess.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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It's all good...anyone want to invite people they know, as long as they register at Hatrack, let me know. I'd rather have more teams than we had last year...we had so few people playing that everyones team had crazy depth.
Anyone who played last year...any suggestions for this year, any changes you'd like to see?
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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So, I'm confused about the draft. Do we have a league-wide draft? Or am I supposed to do my draft on my own?
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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You pick the people you want to draft at each position, and rank them. The we hit the auto-draft button, and it goes though every players picks, and you end up with a team.
RB is probably the most important position, and keep in mind that there are others drafting, so my first 20 pick will probably be BR's, as we start 2 per game plus a flex position for WR/RB.
Leave kickers and defensive players until after the draft, and you can pick them up as free agents. Focus on the players who will score a lot, or get lots of yards.
We have free agents and trades as well, so keep in mind that if you end up with 3-4 top RB's and a mediocre QB, you can probably work out a trade for a better one.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Normally, no. I've been part of matchups where the tight end makes all the difference; it'd also be good to look at teams that might not have an outstanding group of WRs (*coughBearscough*).
I, personally, hope to stay away from any of this team's players, if only to avoid getting the song stuck in my head. (I should probably tack on the "profanity in comments" warning here, but let's face it, it's YouTube).
Posts: 3932 | Registered: Sep 1999
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I have a very awesome way of drafting. First I pick players that I know about, then I pick the ones that are smiling. Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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The prime TEs (Witten, Gonzalez, Gates) can go near WR #s, production wise, but generally, no.
It's worth going through a mock draft through yahoo to see how other people tend to pick...
I'm of the opinion that QBs can be quite important.
It's worth doing some research and not just going by yahoo's rankings. An unimportant example: Patrick Crayton is the Cowboys' #2 receiver, yet he is ranked 247 and Miles Austin, who will be 3rd or 4th on the depth chart, is ranked 140.
Posts: 3846 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Yeah...at this point I'm just kind of going by who starts. I plan on spending some time here in a couple of days doing a few mock drafts.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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We will be drafting in about a week or two, a week or so before the regular season kicks off. Unless anyone has a better idea.
I will probably kick it off on a Sat, when I have time to do it, and I plan on giving us at least a week to add players and trade.
Keep in mine that just because I submit it on a given day doesn't mean it goes live on that day. There is usually a backlog, and it takes time to clear though the system.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I actually think Vick is a great pickup for the Eagles, who are now capable of fielding one of the deadliest Wildcat lineups out there.
Posts: 3846 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Actually, I don't mind that they picked him up. I was going for a laugh above.
I think what he did was wrong, but I also think his sentence was a little harsh in comparison to other crimes. But he served it and I don't have any problem with him coming back to play in the NFL.
You knew it was going to cause an uproar though... But I guess it's just par for the course in Philly sports news.
Posts: 382 | Registered: Jan 2008
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Pretty much agree all around, Godric. Not so much that his sentence was harsh, but that he's become such a paraiah over it. When they started trying him twice for the same crime, that's when I felt it had gone entirely too far, and the monetary punishment was ridiculous.
I expect stadiums will have "Who Let the Dogs Out", primed and ready for every time he goes into the game.
And, Psi, he'll play a few snaps a game as their "Wildcat" QB, and maybe get into the regular line up as a RB or WR. If he ends up spending extended time as their regular QB, the Eagles will not do as well. If Vick is used exclusively as a central weapons platform for an attack based on speed and deception (i.e., the wildcat), he could be exceedingly deadly, even with just 4-5 snaps a game.
Posts: 3846 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Also, McNabb has tendency to go down for a few games every season or two, so he'll be a reliable, if not as intimidating backup. I assume he's kept himself in shape...
Posts: 382 | Registered: Jan 2008
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Jim, talk to me. What can I expect out of the Boys this year? Are they going to be worth following? I'm still kind of burned from last season, and I haven't been following them long enough to be a staunch supporter.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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They could be awesome or they could be crap, but, contrary to what a lot of people are saying, there are many reasons to expect them to be better this year (and reasons why they might be slightly undervalued as fantasy picks). In the order they come to mind:
1) upgrade at back up QB -- The drop off in QB rating from Romo to Johnson was the biggest in NFL history. Let that sink in a minute. Without Johnson's awful play, Dallas easily beats the Rams (who had horrific line problems last year) and the Eagles aren't playing for anything in the last game of the season, so 44-6 doesn't happen.
2) easier schedule -- not saying this year's teams are going to be cake, by any stretch, but last year Dallas played EIGHT games against the top 5 defenses in the NFL, including 4 in a row in December. That was a brutal stretch... And there were unusual and rare circumstances that led to the two most significant losses (against Pittsburgh and Baltimore). A victory against either of them, and, again, 44-6 doesn't happen because Dallas has clinched a playoff spot.
3) Romo has worked on protecting the ball while moving, and it was evident in the first preseason game. The TD to Witten would have likely been a stripped ball in '08. Romo's fumbles were far more damaging than his INTs last year. Also (little known fact) Romo's INT % has dropped each year. 2nd little known fact, '08 was considered an off year for Romo, but had he played 16 games instead of 13, he would have had more yardage with fewer INTs in '08 than in his Pro Bowl '07.
4) they have upgraded significantly at strong safety. Gerald Sensebaugh is a huge upgrade over Keith Davis (who started most of the year at safety) and a coverage upgrade over Roy Williams. Michael Hamlin is a very promising rookie.
5) A healthy Felix Jones changes everything.
6) Martellus Bennett has emerged as a force, both blocking and receiving. Dallas is finally in a position to really make waves with the 2 TE offense envisioned by Parcells a few years ago.
7) TO. Not that I think he was some kind of cancer, but that he simply wasn't that much of a factor in '08. '07 he was unquestionably one of the top 3 receivers in the game. '08 he barely topped 1000 yds, and only because he got 100 garbage time yards in the last Eagles game after the score was already 34-3. Take out that game and the one game against a disorganized and demoralized 49er defense where he went off for 200 yds, and TO averaged a very pedestrian 50 yds per game. The aforementioned Bennett may replace that production by himself.
I do, however, think TO will have a productive year in Buffalo with Lee Evans there to help keep coverage off of him.
8) Roy Williams *will* have more than 19 catches for 198 yds. The other WRs are unproven (outside of Crayton), but they *are* good. Unfortunately WRs 3-5 (on this year's team) all spent significant time injured last year.
Against all that is one big issue: Depth.
Dallas has a pretty severe drop off all around, but most notably at offensive line and 2nd team defense front 7. If two defensive linemen, *any* linebacker, or two offensive lineman go down, Dallas is in for a very long year. I mean like 5-11 long.
I'm thinking 10-6 and a wild card berth with the Eagles winning the division.
Posts: 3846 | Registered: Apr 2004
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quote: 5) A healthy Felix Jones changes everything.
Amen to that. I'm so dang happy about Jones that I could spit. I've loved him since his Arkansas days.
And I've wondered about TO. With my limited football knowledge, I just assumed that he wasn't getting yards because he was always double covered. *shrug*
Thanks for all that insight. Football is frustrating to me because I tend to be the kind of person to only get involved in an activity if I can be the best/know the most. But I love football and I don't know why, and I hate being a n00b.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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quote:Originally posted by PSI Teleport: And I've wondered about TO. With my limited football knowledge, I just assumed that he wasn't getting yards because he was always double covered. *shrug*
It may well be... between Witten being injured all year (gotta love a TE who puts up near 1000 yds and 6TD playing with broken ribs all season) and Felix going down for the year early, there was no one to really demand a double team, leaving them free to play a corner in press coverage at the line with safety help over the top.
For evidence of this, Romo connected with TO for four long (30 yd+) TDs all year. Three of them came before Felix Jones went out.
Posts: 3846 | Registered: Apr 2004
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Patriots are looking good this year too. Hope Brady is back, by all indications it seems like he is. Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Yep. A lot of teams that could be really good, too... too many-- they can't all get in.
Gonna be interesting to see Carolina, Atlanta, New Orleans, Chicago, Minnesota, Green Bay, Miami, Tennessee, Indy and Houston do. I put the whole NFC East in that group, too. I could see any of those teams going 11-5 or 6-10.
Buffalo... I don't know. They seem so close. I guess they belong in that group, too.
Teams I don't see going to the playoffs include most of the AFC West, Cleveland, Cinci, the Jets, Detroit, Tampa (I expect a big year from Ward, I have always liked Leftwich, but the competition is just too intense), and most of the NFC West.
I will be shocked if Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New England, Arizona or San Diego miss the playoffs (the last two because I just don't see much competition in their divisions, though Seattle might make a run with a healthy Hassleback).
Just my $.02. My area of expertise is really limited to the Cowboys Posts: 3846 | Registered: Apr 2004
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If we end up with 12 teams, the division option this year looked interesting. That way in the playoffs, division winners can get the top seeds and it keeps things interesting for more teams...just a thought.
Posts: 137 | Registered: May 2005
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Man I wish I would have spotted this a week ago. My brother finally managed to wear me down and got me to join his fantasy league, and despite my initial feelings and having no real knowledge of the players involved, I'm actually enjoying the experience, even if my team does totally suck. Next year I'll be here with bells on.
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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Well, knowing diddly-squat about all of this, I like the looks of my team. It has all the people I like. Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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