A-Town Week 4 Power Rankings

So first of all I want to apologize about no article last week.  I went to Vegas and well ….. what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  So this week in the spirit of Vegas along with the usual analysis I am going to do each teams over/under for the season as well as what I say is your odds to win it all.  In the comments let me know who you want action on and maybe I will take it…

1. Anton (4)

Anton makes the jump to number one after two great performances.  Wes Welker put up 60 last week and crushed my dreams of winning a game this year.  If he can get Frank Gore going, this team seems unstoppable.  Ryan Matthews is getting more carries and making the best of them.  Anton does need more consistency out of his flex spot if he wants to stay at the top.

O/U: Anton is already 3-0 so I am saying 10

Odds to win: 3/1

2. Logan (2)

Logan still hasn’t lost and moved down a spot.  I love his team; I am just worried about Foster and the shuffling of TE’s.  When the tough got going in week 3, Logan’s team stepped up and made it happen.  Logan seems like he has a team of destiny and I see him cruising to the playoffs. 

O/U: Logan is 3-0 so I am saying 9

Odds to Win: 17/5

3. Chris (12)

Alright Chris you finally deserve a little love from this article.  Somehow beyond my understanding Chris has been able to predict the future.  Last week he knew Kenny Brit was going to go down for the season so he started Nate Washington who went off.  Tom Brady and McFadden look like the best players at their positions.  Chris has yet to be challenged.

O/U: Chris is 3-0, but I am still saying 8.5 (Yes I know you can’t have 8.5 wins it just means you can’t push)

Odds to Win: 6/1

4. Alex (2)

Alex was cruising until a tough loss to Garret this past week.  He did, however, pull off a nice trade that should bring him some value.  Alex has now put his season into the hands of players he didn’t draft.  Bold strategy, but we will see how it works out for him.  If Alex can stay healthy, he should be a shoe in for the playoffs.

O/U: At 2-1 so far, I am saying 9.  Alex has a history of winning close games

Odds to win: 13/2

5. Jeff (10)

Jeff makes a huge jump on my rankings because of all the controversy he overcame last week to win.  Jeff was having a minor meltdown right before kickoff last week, but pulled it together and put up his best week!  The players who did the worst for Jeff last week he traded away to yours truly this week.  With Calvin and Vincent lining up at WR for Jeff, I don’t see him losing very many games.  It’s worth noting that Calvin has 2 TD catches in all 3 games thus far. 

O/U: At 2-1 I am saying 8.5 because Jeff’s team is on the rise.

Odds to Win: 6/1

6. Mike (5)

Mike had a rough week and blew a great opportunity against an inferior opponent to go 3-0.  The good news is that he’s still 2-1 and in good shape.  I think last week was a fluke; I don’t expect Mike to be under the century mark again this season.  It was nice to see Roddy White show up that has to help Mike breathe a little easier.

O/U: 8

Odds to win: 8/1

7. Pat (3)

Pat Sell has lost two weeks in a row now and isn’t looking so hot.  A lot of his skilled position players aren’t playing up to their talent.  At this point I don’t think it’s time to push the panic button, but a pep talk wouldn’t be the worst idea ever.

O/U: At 1-2 I am saying 7

Odds to win: 11/1

8. Garret (9)

Garret’s team put everything together for a solid victory in week 3.  I like the direction this team is heading with the new acquisition on Julio Jones.  If Garret can get consistency like he did in week 3 his team can be very scary.

O/U: At 1-2 right now I am saying 8

Odds to win: 10/1

9. Dan the Man Schmidt (7)

Dan took a tough loss to Logan in week 3.  This next game will be telling of where Dan’s season is headed.  I think Fitzpatrick is for real, but I am starting to worry about this team’s WR’s.  If Dez can’t stay healthy, Dan may fall off the fantasy map.

O/U: at 1-2 I am saying 6

Odds to win: 18/1

10. Pop (8)

If you look at things right now I like the recent  trade for Pops, but over time I think he’s going to regret making the move.  Rivers is an elite QB and time will show that.  I worry that Pops team will be too inconsistent to make a legitimate run.

O/U: At 1-2 I am saying 7

Odds to win: 16/1

11. Kristen (6)

Kristen got absolutely demolished in week 3 by Chris.  She is going to have to deal with the roller coaster that is Michael Vicks’ health all year.  Also losing Kenny Brit for the season may crush this team’s chances.  He was an elite option and impossible to replace. 

O/U: 1-2 right now so I am saying 5.5

Odds to win: 22/1

12. Devan (13)

Devan did the impossible in week 3 - took out a 2-0 team without scoring 100 points.  As impressive as that is, it’s also very lucky.  The law firm is not producing at RB and Devan has zero depth, so I expect that to be an issue all year long.

O/U: 4

Odds to win: 40/1

13. Gill (14)

My team is weak, very, very weak.  I have no big time players and a small chance to win on a weekly basis.  I tried to mix things up with a blockbuster trade, so maybe that will make a difference.  Only time will tell.

O/U: 3

Odds to win: 80/1

14. Clay (11)

I love Clay and don’t want to rank him last but after going 0-3 and putting up 70 points my hands are tied.  Not much is going Clay’s way right now in terms of fantasy.  It looks like another lost season for Off in The Woods.

O/U: 3

Odds to win: 100/1

A-Town Week 2 Power Rankings

Week one is officially in the books.  It brought us a lot of scoring and some crazy games.  Almost everyone made a bad lineup decision, but hey it was the first week so I think we all deserve a break.  In this week there is a lot of shifting going on.  My pre-season rankings were more of a crap shoot than anything else so I think this week’s rankings more accurately portray our league. 

1. Logan (Last week 1)

Logan is being very modest about his team and trying not to jinx it.  I on the other hand am doing everything in my power to jinx Logan’s team.  If he keeps winning he’s going to stay in the dreaded number one spot! Logan’s team performed as expected even without his first round pick Foster.  Matt Stafford looked great and if he can stay healthy he could produce top 5 numbers.  With all the weapons he has and the buzz around Detroit I see Stafford reeking havoc on the league.  The toughest decision Logan is going to have to make on a weekly basis is what guaranteed 15 pt player is going to start in his flex.

2. Alex (4)

Alex expressed he’s feelings about being the defending champ and ranked 4^th in last week’s rankings.  I hate to say it but he may have been right.  His team looked dominant on Sunday.  Reggie Wayne looks like he’s going to be ok without Payton, and Ray Rice looks like he was the right choice for the first pick.  Will someone please take Alex down so I don’t have to keep ranking him so high?

3. Pat (3)

Pat Sell survived a bad week by Mendenhall with the gaudy numbers put up by Drew Brees.  I also thought Bush looked great and from the looks of it Miami is going to make sure he gets his touches.  With that being said, I am very worried about Pat’s WR core.  With Colston down for at least a month and Garcon not catching balls from Payton, this team’s WR’s aren’t looking so good.  Pat better hope Branch or Burleson step up.

4. Anton (10)

Anton is this week’s winner of the Frontier Airlines Flight of the Week moving up 6 spots!  He will be receiving a voucher for 500 miles toward use on any flight within the US.  Aaron Rodgers looked ridiculous last Thursday.  The guy just looks determined to crush any team that he comes across.  The rest of Anton’s team looked rock solid led by late round pick Aaron Hernandez.  I was very impressed by Anton in week one and expect him to stay in my top 5 for a while.

5. Mike (9)

Mike won last week thanks to some late heroics by the Jets D and the old Brandon Marshall showing up.  He was targeted 13 times and even though he had some drops still caught 7 passes.  The rest of Mike’s team didn’t show up in week one, but I trust Mike will rally the troops and come out guns a blaz’n in week 2.

6. Kristen (5)                    

Kristen is my highest ranking team that lost last week.  She had the highest point total of any losing team.  Her team is solid; she just got poor performances out of Moreno and Bowe.  Those guys along with almost all of Kristen’s team are real streaky players.  I predict she will have some huge weeks and get that coveted $5 and have some weeks where she puts up one of the lowest totals of the week.

7. Dan (12)

Dan better not be taking credit for Ryan Fitzpatrick’s performance on Sunday.  He didn’t even pick him, it was an auto pick!  Nonetheless, Fitzpatrick’s looks like he’s for real and that is saving Dan’s season.  If Burress and Dez can continue to put up 20 points a week, Dan should be highly competitive on a weekly basis and prove that I definitely under ranked him to start the season.

8. Pop (2)

Pop fell 6 spots to number 8 this week.  I am worried about Green.  I don’t think his performance was a down week.  I fear it is what we will be seeing on a weekly basis from him.  Jared Cook was a complete bust in week one and he better pick it up if Pop’s wants to stay in my top 10.  I am curious to see which direction this team goes.

9. Garret (7)

The Amendola injury won’t hurt Garret as much because of the injury to Colston.  Meachem should fill in as NO number one receiver for the time being, potentially saving this team’s season.  The rest of Garret’s team played fine, but no one went off.  I am not too worried about this team and expect them to jump back into the top of my rankings sooner rather than later.

10. Jeff (6)

Jeff got beat by 74 but he shouldn’t let that discourage him.  On the positive side Bradshaw got a red zone TD, not Brandon Jacobs, and Calvin looked great catching two TD’s.  Kendricks had a bad week one, but from everything I am hearing he’s still Bradford’s favorite target and should have a great year.  Jeff’s going to have a tough time picking his flex on a weekly basis unless one of his average players can step up.

11. Clay (8)

Boom! Steven Jackson breaks one for a 47 yard TD and Clay’s looking at a great season.  That was until he injured himself on the next carry and is now going to miss time.  If it’s longer than 3 weeks that’s the end of Clays season.  He has zero running back depth and can’t afford to play catch up later in the season.  Things were looking so good.  Too bad it was only for 10 minutes. 

12. Chris (14)

OK - so Chris may have this year’s best fantasy player in Tom Brady.  What he did in Miami on Monday night was unbelievable.  500 yards is just stupid.  However, even with Brady’s 53 pt performance Chris only scored 111 points.  Chris, I moved you out of the cellar this week, but you can’t count on Brady putting up 50 every week and Run DMC playing the Broncos ferocious defense every week.

13. Devan (13)

Bluntly put, Devan’s team sucked in week one.  DeSean Jackson is really the only player that showed a sign of life.  Matt Ryan couldn’t find the end zone despite throwing for 300 yards and the Pitt D that was taken in the 5^th round put up a whopping 1 point.  Those are definitely reasons for concern.  AP may need 50 carries a week for Devan to have a winning record.

14. Gill (13)

Everyone complains about being ranked last so I am putting myself here.  My team played uninspired, (minus Ted Ginn Jr.) and couldn’t get anything going.  Mediocrity was the name of the game for me in week one.  With a league full of dedicated fantasy players, mediocrity isn’t going to cut it.

A-Town Fantasy Football Preseason Special

Hello everyone and welcome to A-Town fantasy football 2011.  This is the first edition of my weekly article I will be writing about our league.  I will probably just do my power rankings followed by a few things that caught my attention the week before.  This week I am doing a draft recap that will involve draft grades, strengths, weaknesses, each team’s best value pick and season outlook.

First things first, I just want to bring it to everyone attention that this year’s draft took over 5 hours.  I am having my assistant check the archives but I am pretty sure that’s the longest live fantasy draft in the Rocky Mountain Region.  Next year we are definitely adding a 5 minute time limit.  With that said I think the draft went well and we all had a great time.  It was also pretty funny how the auto pick selected two kickers.  Last year I was dead wrong with my predictions as I pre-ranked Alex 14^th and he shocked the world and won!  So basically what I am saying is don’t put too much stock into these rankings and if I did rank you low that’s probably a good thing so save the hate mail.  Without further ado here is the A-Town 2011 Fantasy Football draft recap/season outlook/zero week power rankings:

1. Logan

Draft Grade: A+

Strength: WR  Getting Nicks and Wallace as your one two punch at WR in a PPR league is criminal.  Logan will have two top 10 WR on a weekly basis and that’s scary.  Santana Moss is a great depth pick and a potential flex pick.

Weakness: QB  It was pretty difficult to find a weakness on this stacked team so I settled on QB due to injury concerns.  If Stafford can stay healthy he has top 5 potential.  The only problem is that we all know he won’t stay healthy.  If I am Logan my stomach is going to be turning in late Nov and Dec with Cutler as my starting QB.

Value Pick: Davone Bess in the 9^th Round.  Bess is a PPR monster and everyone knows I love him.

Season Outlook:  I really don’t see a scenario where this team doesn’t make the playoffs.  Logan should flirt around my top 5 all year long.

2. Pop

Draft Grade: A

Strength: RB,WR,QB  Rather than having one strength I would say Pops is solid at almost every position.  With Barber gone in Dallas its Felix Jones’s time to shine and Greg Jennings is the favorite target of the best QB in the league.

Weakness: TE Don’t get me wrong I think Jared Cook is a great player and an asset to the Titans.  However, I don’t think he is a good fantasy TE.  I don’t see him getting enough targets to warrant the tag of a serviceable TE.

Value Pick: Lance Moore in the 6^th.  With Bush gone in NO it’s going to be up to Lance Moore to take his touches.  The Saints have big plans for Moore and by mid season so will Pop’s.

Season Outlook: Pops did his own thing in the corner at the draft and kept to himself.  He silently drafted a monster team and is going to cause other owners to lose sleep on a weekly basis.

3. PSell

Draft Grade: B+

Strength: Pat is in the same situation as Pops as he has a very solid team with no holes and no one standout strength.  If the Saints offense can re-discover the magic from 2 years ago this team could go a long way.  I love Reggie Bush in the 7^th.

Weakness:  The only real weakness for Pat is injuries.  He has a history of players going on the DL and Colston, Benson and Bush aren’t exactly known for their durability. 

Value Pick: Nate Burleson in the 9^th.  Did you see those two touchdown catches in the preseason!?  They showed two important things.  Burleson has elite talent and Stafford looks for him in the redzone on a regular basis.

Season Outlook: Pat looks to have a strong team once again.  If he can stay healthy look for this team to still be around in late December.

4. Alex

Draft Grade: B+

Strength: WR  Alex went with back to back WR with Wayne in the 2^nd and Austin in the 3^rd.  These are elite WR and the only reason either one was available is because the draft took a crazy turn as we saw 5 QB’s  go off the board in the 1^st! Alex took great depth picks in Steve Johnson and Lee Evans.

Weakness: RB I obviously love Rice and Wells is a very serviceable #2 back.  I am worried about the talent level after that.  Tolbert may not get the touches like he did last year if Matthews can stay healthy and after that Alex has nothing.

Value Pick: Kyle Orton in the 9^th.  Orton won’t win you a week but he certainly won’t lose you one either.  With all the talent on this roster Alex needs a QB that can put up 20 pts consistently and that’s exactly what Orton offers.

Season Outlook:  I love Alex’s draft strategy of waiting on a QB then drafting two back to back.  His roster is loaded and as long as he doesn’t drive himself crazy trying to pick the right QB on a weekly basis, he can stay atop the league standings. 

5. Kristen

Draft Grade:  B+

Strength: QB, RB Kristen took the one player who has the chance to single handedly win you the championship in Michael Vick.  If things work out he could carry her all the way.  Forte and Moreno are a great one two punch at RB and Stewart and Thomas are great backups.

Weakness: TE Celek and Vick never seem to be on the same page.  I hate this pick and Kristen better hope McNabb uses Shiancoe as his outlet all year long.

Value Pick: Moreno in the 4^th  I know I have a little home town bias but Moreno has looked great in camp and in Fox’s system is going to get a career high in touches.

Season Outlook:  Kristen looks strong all across the board.  The main questions for her are can Vick play at the same caliber he did last year and can Dwayne Bowe become an elite fantasy option?

6. Jeff

Draft Grade: B

Strength: RB Jeff’s gamble of taking Chris Johnson looks like it’s going to pay off huge.  He’s back in camp and looks ready to go.  Bradshaw had his coming out party last year and looks like the real deal.  Grant is a great backup and likely flex player.

Weakness: WR,TE  Ok so Calvin Johnson is a beast and may carry Jeff’s entire WR crop, but if he can’t I don’t like Lloyd this year and same goes for Julio Jones.  Lloyd won’t get nearly as many targets and the lockout is going to hurt Jones’ production as he wasn’t able to learn the offense and develop a relationship with Matt Ryan.  Grankowski may not even start half the games for his own team at TE so I am not sure what Jeff was thinking there.

Value Pick: Chris Johnson round 2  Shame on all of us for letting CJ drop to the second round.  He should produce like a top 3 pick.  We all knew there was no way the Titans would move ahead without him.

Season Outlook: This team is an early favorite by most.  I am not so convinced.  I am a little worried about Flacco and depth all around.  I guess only time will tell who’s right and who’s wrong. 

7. Garret

Draft Grade: B

Strength: RB, QB  First of all I love Romo.  His three favorite targets went in our first four rounds so why did it take him so long to go? He’s poised for a career year.  MJD and Best are top of the line PPR backs and Garret should have an advantage at RB almost every week.

Weakness: WR Fitz is always going to produce - we know that - but the book is still out on Amendola.  I know he catches a lot of balls but St. Louis had a lot of injuries at WR last year and now that everyone is healthy Sam Bradford will have like 9 guys to choose from.  Are we so sure Amendola is going to be his favorite? I am certainly not.

Value Pick: Crabtree in the 9^th  Crabtree hurt his foot again and that’s a major concern, but if he can come back healthy and focused he has top 15 talent and could end up being a major steal.

Season Outlook: Garret can always be counted on for his effort.  He will make the right lineup decisions and look to make trades.  If he can find a few studs on the waiver wire I see him moving up into my top 3 after a few weeks.

8. Clay

Draft Grade: B-

Strength: WR, TE Anytime you can get the best player at a position that’s huge.  Clay did it with two positions! Johnson is my favorite WR and Gates is the undisputed number one TE.  Good work Clayton.

Weakness: RB,QB Clay is relying heavily on the former Heisman winner Mark Ingram who’s  in a standing room only backfield in NO.  Behind him Scott and Snelling won’t offer much unless there are injuries to Benson and Turner.  Clay always falls into the trap of drafting guys he loves from Oklahoma.  I do like Bradford this year but not as a QB 1.  I would have liked to see Clay take another QB to start and use Bradford when it made sense.

Value Pick:  Bernard Scott in the 11^th You never know with Chris Benson so having his backup is always a good thing.  If Benson goes down or starts to suck, Scott will step right in and carry the offense.  This pick could end up being huge for Clay.

Season Outlook:  With as long as it took Clay to select his team you would think he was solving equations and coming up with algorithms to select the perfect team.  Well that wasn’t the case as Clay will have a middle of the road squad that will still surprise a few teams.  Depending on the way the cards fall he may have an outside shot of the playoffs heading into the stretch run.

9. Mike

Draft Grade: B-

Strength: WR Roddy White and B-Marsh could combine for over 200 catches this year.  Mike did a great job of selecting PPR receivers and should be rewarded for that. 

Weakness: RB It was hard to find a glaring weakness for this team but since they pay me the big bucks to dissect teams, I am going with RB depth.  Starks has the talent to take over Grant as the Packers lead ball carrier, but as of right now he’s still number 2.  After that Mike has nothing.  An injury to any one of Mikes RB could spell the end of his playoff chances.

Value Pick: Turner in the 2^nd Turner is one of the rare starting backs who will get all of the goal line carries.  He has proven time and time again that he is an elite fantasy option who gets all the chances to succeed.  He should outperform his draft position. 

Season Outlook:  With great in season management Mike can make a run at the playoffs.  Big Ben fell into his lap and if he has the bounce back year everyone is predicting Mike should be pretty happy towards the end of November.

10. Anton

Draft Grade:  B-

Strength: QB  Aaron Rodgers may win the NFL MVP this year as well as fantasy football MVP.  He can make every throw and has that perfect arrogance about him.  Anton will have the best QB week in and week out.

Weakness:  TE  For whatever reason Anton decided to neglect TE until the last two rounds.  However, he could have done a lot worse than the skilled Hernandez and big Dustin Keller.  If one of those guys can emerge he will be ok, but that’s a BIG if.

Value Pick:   Addai in the 6^th  With Manning not 100% the Colts may have to rely on their other veteran in Addai.  Expect him to take the load off the passing game.  If Donald Brown or Delone Carter fail to step up this year, Addai could get well over 200 carries and be a top 10 pick.  A great value for a guy drafted in the 6^th round!

Season Outlook:  The five teams I have ranked 6-10 could have gone in any order.  Anton has a fair chance at making the playoffs.  Drafting a QB at number 2 was risky but couldn’t have worked better as he was able to get Frank Gore and Wes Welker.  I wouldn’t be shocked if Anton comes out of the gate swinging and moves up my board.

11. Devan

Draft Grade: C

Strength: WR  Desean Jackson, Percy Harvin and A.J. Green are a solid group of pass catchers.  I think Green will be a bit inconsistent, but will have some huge weeks.

Weakness:RB After AP, Devan is in real trouble at RB.  The Lawfirm could be in a three way position battle by mid season and Ronnie Brown can’t be counted on.  Devan needs to find some better depth at RB through the waiver wire if he wants to stay competitive.

Value Pick: Mercedes Lewis in round 9  The jags didn’t sign Lewis to that big extension to just block for MJD.  They’re going to find him in the red zone and he could work his way into the top 5.

Season Outlook:  Devan is a new comer to A-Town fantasy football.  If history shows us anything it’s that newbees come out strong and make a statement.  However, I am not convinced Devan will follow suit.  Questionable picks like Ryan in the 3^rd and Pitts D in the 5^th have me thinking Devan will finish in the bottom of the pack in his inaugural season.

12: Dan

Draft Grade: C

Strength: RB  Dan’s strength is clearly at running back as he spent his first two picks on ball carriers.  McCoy catches more passes than any other back and Hillis has that blue collar mentality fantasy players love.  Michael Bush is a solid depth pick and Hardesty is a nice handcuff.

Weakness: WR Dez has top 5 talent we all know that, but he thrived last year when Romo was out.  With Romo back looks for him to spread the ball around more and not focus on Dez like Kitna did.  I am not sold that Ochocinco and Plax can revive their careers in different settings.  Dan’s putting a lot at stake into top 10 Wr’s of the past.

Value Pick: Hines Ward in round 9   Everyone is writing Hines off.  He’s still a Hall of Famer with a nasty streak who’s going to find a way to get it done.

Season Outlook:  OK, so I realize putting the league commish at 12^th isn’t going to make me any friends.  Dan has a reputation for winning and always works a few trades in his favor, but my gut tells me he’s going to have a down year. 

13: Gill

Draft Grade: C-

Strength: WR  If you spend three of your first five picks on WR it better be your strength. However, Jackson, Williams and Manningham are no sure bets.  Gill better hope this works out.

Weakness: RB  This teams RB’s are a joke.  What was Gill thinking?  Oh wait he wasn’t.  I mean who waits ‘til round 7 in a 14 team draft to take their second RB.  Good luck with that strategy.

Value Pick: Schaub in the 6^th   Schaub has stayed healthy the past two seasons and has the best receiver in the league to throw to.  He could produce like a top 5 QB and prove to be an absolute steal in the 6^th round.

Season Outlook:  I would bet against this team making the playoffs.  Gill has zero depth and will frequently lose due to a player’s bye week.

14: Chris

Draft Grade: D+

Strength: RB  Run DMC is an absolute badass and Blount isn’t far behind him.  That’s a scary one two punch.  To go on top of that Chris added great backups in LT and McGahee.  This team has the most RB depth in the league.

Weakness: WR This is the reason I have Chris ranked last.  In a PPR league Chris has 2 homerun hitter WR’s who are in awful situations.  I fear Rice will fall into the monsoon in Seattle that washed Housh right out of the league when he was in his prime!  As far as Knox goes I simply put don’t trust Culter.  If these two guys must start for Chris on a weekly basis, he is going to be in a lot of trouble.

Value Pick: Darren Sproles in the 11^th  Sproles is in a new offense, but his role shouldn’t change much.  He’s going to catch a ton of passes and be a productive fantasy RB.

Season Outlook:  It really does pain me to put Chris last.  He seems to find a way to win when his back is against the wall and cares more than almost anybody else.  Maybe he’s still got some of that magic from last year in him, but I will believe it when I see it.  Who knows, maybe Brady throws for 50 TD’s again.