Fantasy football 2016

Shared in case any of you want to feel good about yourselves:

"Expensive" league team has what I call a "contract keeper" format. Immediately after the draft, each team must dole out X years of non-renewable contracts to players they drafted. Helps you lock up a stud long-term, but they are uncuttable for the life of the contract. This year's keepers carrying over were Tyler Eifert (didn't play until Week 7), Jonathan Stewart (OK, was traded for 2017 draft picks in November), Justin Forsett (who was cut by the Ravens on the day of my draft), Demaryius Thomas (underperformed) and Ryan Tannehill (an attempt several years ago to lock down a quarterback of the future).

Because of the contract thing, the draft doesn't snake. Based on last year's finish, I picked 11th of 12. My first five rounds were Mark Ingram, (pick traded away at last year's deadline), Matt Jones (was underperforming before he lost his job at midseason and has been a healthy inactive each of the last three weeks), Michael Floyd (who conveniently got a DUI last night) and Torrey Smith. Unless one of them retires or is run over by a bus, I will not be able to cut Ingram or Floyd until after the draft IN 2018.

The league isn't standard scoring, but the league average of points scored for the season was 797.75. I had 662 and the next-worst team had 750. This is the league that introduced the loser's press conference. I've done it four times, no one else has gone more than twice. Somehow I won 5 games (four of my five wins were against the team that had to themselves do that week's press conference).

And I've finished second in this league in both 2015 and 2009 and was top seed in 2015 and 2013.

 

I have two defenses on the roster of one of my playoff teams -- Buffalo and San Diego. Guess who they're playing in Week 15 and 16 (respectively)? Hint: It's the same team, and it's named after a Hall of Fame coach.

My other playoff team has Miami against the Jets in Week 15 and San Diego, which faces you-know-who in the final fantasy week.

 

Survived the first round in my work league to at least get my money back by reaching the semifinals. Only won because my opponent was horseshit. Got nearly half of my points from Manny Sanders and Graham Gano. Hopefully that bodes well for the next round ... they can't all suck like that two weeks in a row, right?

 

I've got Fitzgerald locked in as one of my WRs, so I need to pick two of the following:
Cooks vs. Arizona
Rishard Matthews at KC
Tyreek Hill vs. Ten
Crabtree at SD

I've got Brees at QB, so I could potentially double on points with Cooks, but they've been shit for a few weeks now. Not sure they'll break out against Arizona.

 

I love Tyreek Hill in that game, though with Maclin back, I guess there's a nagging doubt. Cooks has killed me more than once this season. My trust in him is nil. But, again, there;s doubt because he has the potential for big games.

 

Even though they mercifully ran off Perrish Cox, hard to go wrong betting against the Titans secondary.

 

Hill does seem to be the hot hand right now.

 

Brees is close to "that guy can eat a bag of dicks" level for me. He's scored three points for me, total, in the past two weeks. Had a gut punch loss in Week 12 that wasn't his fault, and then he's almost single-handedly cost me two more losses that dropped me from a top 5 seed to a lucky to be there No. 8.

 

Made it to the semis with a motley crew of receivers/flex options. I'm OK at QB this week with Rivers against Oakland (he went for 34 points against them last time, and the Raiders don't defend the pass well at all). I'll roll with Zeke and Rawls at RB. I can't really bench Jordan Reed, even though he's hurt. He didn't seem to have any setbacks against Philly even if he was limited, and he gets until Monday this week to rest up. Can go with Gates if it looks like Reed is iffy by Sunday afternoon.

Here are my options for the two WRs and 1 flex spot:
Manny Sanders vs. NE
Sammy Watkins vs. CLE
Taylor Gabriel vs. SF
Allen Robinson at HOU
Devontae Booker vs. NE
Dontrelle Inman vs. OAK

My lean right now is Sanders, Watkins and Inman. Robinson is unusable. Gabriel is boom or bust and totally dependent on the health of Jones/Sanu. Booker seems to have blown his chance as a lead back, but picking up Forsett and rolling with him doesn't really inspire confidence either.

Right choices?

 

Nut-cutting time, boys. I need one RB, one WR and a flex out of the following. Keep in mind that I have Brees and was very lucky to have a bye last week, so I'm skittish as hell on Cooks right now. If it matters, McCoy and Cooper are my RB1 and WR1.

RB
Kenneth Dixon vs. PHI
Isaiah Crowell vs. BUF
Justin Forsett vs. NE

WR
Brandin Cooks vs. ARI
Dontrelle Inman vs. OAK
A.J. Green, if he plays, vs. PIT

Currently leaning Dixon/Crowell/Inman. I'd play Green if he looks good to go, probably sitting Crowell.

 

And Cosmo, I'd sit Watkins and start Gabriel. But that's a shot in the dark.

 

Crowell, Cooks (or Green), Inman. Dixon is still in too much of a timeshare. Who knows what the hell to expect with Denver's run game? Crowell seems to at least still get most of the carries.

And we'll see on Gabriel. Want to see how the injury situation plays out in Atlanta. Gabriel is obviously more attractive if Jones or Sanu is out.