ExtremeSkins FF Dynasty League

[the burgundy and gold]

State of the franchise: With a Dude's Balls:

After making the championship game in the initial two seasons of this league, seasons three and four have been disappointing. With a strategy emphasizing veteran players over younger less-proven players, I think my team has the power to make the playoffs this season after missing them by one game last season.

QB: The trade for Flip Rivers was a success in my mind even though he had his worse year in terms of fantasy points. He'll be a consistent team leader for the foreseeable future. Alex Smith finally had a breakout year for the Niners last year and is now a solid back up QB/ bye week play option. Vince Young could become relevant again if he some how gets a starting gig or gets the backup role on a team with an injury prone QB. On a side note, how strange has Vince Young's career been? Blaine Gabbert had a miserable rookie season but a lot of that can be blamed on his supporting cast, I still have hope for him.

RB: RB has never been a big strength of my team. Sproles really made the Philip Rivers trade for my team. He's a great fit in the Saints offense and as long as Brees is there, he should be a huge contributor in any PPR league. Unfortunately Sproles arrival in New Orleans led to a decrease in Pierre Thomas's role. He's still a decent #3 back for my team and is only 27 years old, so he's a decent asset going forward. Cedric Benson is a free agent and not drawing much interest, so his value has taken a big hit. He's definitely been a solid player for my team in the last few years after I traded for him, I'm hoping he somehow signs somewhere as a #1 back but more than likely he'll be no more than a #3 option in fantasy. With Benson leaving Cincy, Bernard Scott should have a larger role there even after they signed Ben Jarvis. He's a decent pass catcher out of the back field and could be a surprise contributor for my squad this year. With Brandon Jacobs leaving New York, DJ Ware could see an increased role. Running back is definitely an area I'm looking to improve but I'm still confident a combo of Sproles and the platoon of Thomas/Benson/Scott can succeed with the other strengths of my team.

WR: Larry Fitz has been hurt the last few years by his lack of a QB, we both certainly miss the impact Kurt Warner had on our teams. Even with the terrible QB situation, Fitz has still put up very solid numbers but hasn't been able to break out in the way most expected after his crazy playoff performance a few years ago. He's still one of the most elite receivers in the league and could definitely improve his numbers if Kolb ever steps up or they get an elite QB. Steve Smith had a great season last year with the breakout season from Cam Newton. He just signed a three year extension so he should be considered an elite receiver going into next season. Hopefully has two more elite seasons in him. The Dexter McCluster for Steve Smith trade is turning out to be one of my best trades. Outside of those two I have a ton of receivers who could be solid contributors. Darius Heyward-Bey showed signs of breaking out last year and if I like his chances with an offseason to work with Carson Palmer. Malcolm Floyd is very inconsistent but can definitely put up some points. Santana Moss could be a decent bye week play if he and RG3 can work well together. Burleson, James Jones and Andre Roberts are also decent options who can put up some good games.

TE: I love the trade for Gates last season. With Vincent Jackson leaving it will certainly be interesting to see how Gates performs. I love the double points I get from the Rivers-Gates combo. Obviously there's some concern with his age and injuries but he's still an elite TE. Zach Miller was a great TE prospect when I drafted him four years ago, unfortunately he never broke out. Hopefully with an improved QB situation in Seattle, Miller can be a decent back-up option. Heath Miller is a pretty decent back-up/bye week play.

D: My defensive guys have always been a strength for my team. Drafting Patrick Willis really set me up to have great defensive production for the next decade. D'qwell Jackson has been a surprising player who has been one of the top linebackers in the league the last few years. Jon Beason was a stud until his injury, hopefully he recovers well from it and regains that production. I don't have a lot at DB but that position doesn't typically supply a lot of point production. Getting Suh in the D-Line draft this year was a big win for me, I think he'll really breakout in the next few years and become the dominant force he's supposed to be.

K: Graham Gano, meh.

[Touchdown Redskins]

Hey guys, just checking in again. I'm really sorry about not being available. I've hit kind of a rough patch in my life along with being on some time-consuming rotations. Things are looking a little bit clearer now so I should be more active. I'll try to post a state of the franchise for my team in the next coming days. Thanks for having patience with me.

[Drop]

Good to hear from you TDR. Be aware that our rookie draft starts Monday April 30th.

And don't go turning into Kur on us pal. lol

---------- Post added April-23rd-2012 at 06:57 AM ----------

oh and...

[MattFancy]

Hey some of us work!

[GOSKN5]

one week from today.... our draft starts... im stoked guys... cant wait to talk crap about picks and see where everyone heads...

this draft is VERY interesting to me... especially after the first 6 or 7 picks... there are about 10 guys who could be picked from that point on in just about any order IMO... gonna be cool to see where people head with their picks.....

[Drop]

Hey some of us work!

LOL, i was just joking with ya. After the meme thread it just seemed appropriate.

And yeah GO, the draft has me stoked too man. This one kicks it off for all my leagues....can't wait.

[Drop]

I might be the only person on the planet buying LeShoure...but i think he can be a nice sleeper if he stays healthy and the NFL doesn't crack down on him too hard for the weed stuff. Kevin Smith nor Jahvid Best scares me in the slightest. Health is the key for LeShoure, Best, and Smith, but if Leshoure's back from the knee injury, I think he makes the nicest addition to my bench. And i was eager to get into the 3rd Round, so i liked picking up the 3.10. Now i can focus on some offense and some defense in the draft.

Oh and CCFF...please update the draft thread to reflect that I now own the 3.10 in this years draft. Thanks.

[MattFancy]

I might be the only person on the planet buying LeShoure...but i think he can be a nice sleeper if he stays healthy and the NFL doesn't crack down on him too hard for the weed stuff. Kevin Smith nor Jahvid Best scares me in the slightest. Health is the key, but if he's back from the knee injury, I think he makes a nice addition to my bench. And i was eager to get into the 3rd Round, so i liked picking up the 3.10.

Oh and CCFF...please update the draft thread to reflect that I now own the 3.10 in this years draft. Thanks.

Yeah I don't like getting rid of him, but I think it was worth it for me. Crabtree showed some potential down the stretch and Brinkley could see some time if Mathews gets hurt.

[Drop]

yup, same reason i grabbed brinkley last season. who knows what they do with Tolbert gone as far as filling the void, but I think Brinkley has as good a shot as anyone else.

And people are down on Crabtree, but like i told you, Moss is ancient. Anyone getting caught up in his hype is leading themselves to dissapointment. I don't think the guy will even be fantasy relevant after the first 6 or so games. And Manningham is a nice addition, but Crabtree has the inside track on both of those guys as far as the system goes. And honestly, Manningham's injury concerns are worse than Crabtree's at this point. Simply put, i like Crabtree's longterm fantasy prospects better in San Fran than either Moss or Manningham. I may be in the minority, but he's still young and he finally started to show flashes of what he's capable of. As crazy as it sounds, he could end up being their model of consistency at WR.

[Touchdown Redskins]

State of the franchise: Don't Make Me Watch!

Despite having an incredibly talented roster, my team has been a disappointment in 3 of our first 4 seasons, making the championship game once while failing to make the playoffs in the other seasons. My strategy has centered around mortgaging my draft for proven players, which has only been sustainable by finding gems on the waiver wire or later rounds of the draft (Peyton Hillis, Doug Baldwin, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez). As long as I am able to find those gems, my roster will be competitive; however, if I am unable to fine those diamonds in the rough, my roster will age without any influx of youth. That is the crossroads I am at this season, as I believe I have one championship run left with my current roster, and that is why I have loaded up on 1st round picks for next year's draft.

QB: This position had at one point been a position of strength for me, with Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, and Tony Romo rounding out a consistent if not spectacular group. However, as I have made risky moves, I have chosen to go into this next season with a weak bench behind a fragile Romo, with the inconsistent Carson Palmer and Ryan Fitzpatrick comprising the veteran group. Behind them, there is very little developmental youth, with only the talented but capricious Ryan Mallett behind them. I need Romo to have a big season, or I won't sniff the playoffs again.

RB: This group has taken a turn from being supremely talented but shallow (AD, S-Jax, and Peyton Hillis) to being consistent and deep (AD/Gerhart, Gore, CJ Spiller, and Hillis). Unfortunately, I see this group with the injured AD not being able to win games for me, but simply providing consistent points. I made a lateral move by trading S-Jax for Gore (among others), but gained draft picks by doing so, which should help my aging roster. Right now I'm banking on AD returning to form and Spiller showing the flash he did last season to make this a strong group, but if that doesn't happen, then Gerhart/Gore/Hillis will simply have to be consistent.

WR: This group is by far my most talented and deep group. It may be the best WR group in our league, with Calvin the leading WR in the NFL, Andre a healthy season away from being dominant once more, and a bevy of choices for a WR3 position, including Boldin, Laurent Robinson, Reggie Wayne, and Randy Moss. I will have the flexibility to be explosive or consistent from the WR3 position, while having enough depth to elevate any of those choices to WR2 in case Calvin or Andre go down. This group will win me games and provide consistent point production.

TE: This group has potential to be the best in the league, depending on Rob Grownkowski's health and Matt Schaub's health. If Gronk can recover from his shreaded knee, he will once again be a top 5 TE. Owen Daniel's will be consistent in a passing attack that features him as the second best pass catcher. Scott Chandler is a TD machine, but a poor route runner who depends on the up-and-down Fitzpatrick to do damage. Thus, I have poor depth, but potentially top tier talent. Again, this group, along with QB will decide whether I reach the playoffs or not.

Def: I have consistent producers, but with the new rule changes, my DL will suffer. I'm banking on Greg Hardy to lead the DL group, which while possible, is a shot in the dark. My LBs and DBs are consistent, but aging. I will have to be vigilant of the waiver wire in this regard, because I could suffer a lot of losses with this group if they falter.

K: Whatevs.

Prediction: I will sneak into a wild card position, but no championship this season for me. Waiting for the 2013 draft to reload with top tier talent and improve my depth.

[Drop]

Nice TDR.

League, in anticipation of our draft coming up in less than a week, i'd suggest everyone take a minute next time you check the thread here, to also clear out your pm inbox. Just a thought to make sure we can all get in touch with one another if trade talks begin.

[MattFancy]

Yeah I'm definitely looking to wheel and deal on draft day.

[GOSKN5]

Good idea Drop...

I will listen to offers on any of my picks.. Now or after draft

[MattFancy]

I'm looking to add a few more picks for the draft. So if anyone sees anything on my team let me know.

[Drop]

Damn, i just noticed how good the bye week gods were to me for this upcoming season. None of my starters except Maclin and Reggie Bush have the same bye week. Witten/Moeaki and Newton/Roethlisberger have different byes. Ray Rice and Torrey Smith have the same bye (duh) but that doesn't really cause a problem. Not bad at all.