February 18, 2012 8:21 AM
The 2011 season was a very successful one for Fantasy Football Maniaxs.
We submitted our preseason rankings to Fantasy Football Librarian to
determine whether our crystal ball was clear or fuzzy. We also submitted
weekly rankings to Fantasy Pros. We were very pleased with a number
of the final rankings on the season.
The highlight of all the rankings was that we were the most accurate
website out of 46 that submitted preseason Quarterback rankings to the
Fantasy Football Librarian. Check results here.
One of the keys to achieving that ranking was being one of only three websites that projected Philadelphia Eagles QB Michael Vick
outside of the Top-10, due to concerns that his injury history would
not allow him to match the numbers that colleagues such as Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers would put up.
Overall, we finished ninth in total preseason ranking accuracy, including a seventh overall ranking for wide receivers.
That does not mean that we did not also have success at ranking
running backs. While our preseason rankings did not crack the Top-10, we
finished ninth among 67 fantasy sites in running back accuracy for
Week 1 through Week 16 at Fantasy Pros. We finished 24th among 67 sites last season and were only 1.4 percent away from the top overall ranker. Results here.
While no site can perfectly predict preseason rankings or regular
season performance, our attention to detail put us with the elite
fantasy minds. Our goal for 2012 is to be even more accurate. While we
may never be able to achieve perfection, out goal is to chase it by
providing the best preseason and weekly rankings in the fantasy football
business.
Check our 2012 Offseason Rankings at every position.
February 18, 2012 8:16 AM
Now that the 2011 NFL season is in the books, we will start tackling
the top questions, dilemmas and concerns regarding some top notch
players and teams as a whole for the 2012 NFL season.
The Top-5 questions we will address include monitoring where Peyton Manning will play next year, whether or not Tim Tebow will ever develop into a franchise quarterback, if Cam Newton could take the Panthers to a Super Bowl and if the New York Jets should cut bait with Mark Sanchez, and we will also analyze if Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles can come back healthy from season-ending injuries to start the year.
1) Where will Indianapolis Colts QB Peyton Manning be playing football in 2012?
- Manning is one of the best quarterbacks to ever wear a NFL uniform.
If he never puts on a NFL uniform again, he will rank in the Top 5 in
completions (4,682), attempts (7,210), passing yards (54,828) and
passing touchdowns (399). His QB rating (94.9) would rank second among
non-active players, trailing only Steve Young, who made his
legacy with the San Francisco 49ers in the 1990s. He won a Super Bowl
and Super Bowl MVP award in 2006 and won a NFL record four NFL MVPs. It
is as impressive a resume' as any player in NFL history...
Continue reading>>>
February 18, 2012 8:11 AM
As football fans, there is nothing we do better than play Monday
Morning quarterback. What if our favorite team had gone for it on fourth
down? Should they have attempted the field goal or punted the ball? Why
did they run instead of pass? As fans, we involve ourselves in every
decision our favorite team makes. Furthermore, there is nothing we like
to do more than play Monday Morning GM. What if our team had drafted
this player instead of the current player that is not producing at as
high of a level?
Players are ranked against the players that they were drafted with or
traded for. The 1983 Draft class is remembered for having three Hall of
Fame Quarterbacks (Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly, Denver Broncos QB John Elway and Miami Dolphins QB Dan Marino).
The Indianapolis Colts are praised for going with QB
Peyton Manning in 1998 instead of San Diego Chargers QB
Ryan Leaf, who was taken one pick later and busted out of the NFL. Green Bay Packers T
Tony Mandarich will
forever be remembered as the sole player in the 1989 Top-5 Draft class
not to make it to the Hall of Fame. The Packers passed on RB
Barry Sanders, LB
Derrick Thomas, and CB
Deion Sanders to make that pick. Those three went to the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons, respectively.
There is a fascinating debate brewing from the 2004 Draft Class, which saw four quarterbacks taken in the first round. Eli Manning was taken by the San Diego Chargers with the first pick and traded to the New York Giants for the fourth selection, Philip Rivers. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Ben Roethlisberger with the 11th pick. J.P. Losman was taken by the Buffalo Bills with the 22nd pick and was a bust. The only significant selection after the first round was made by the Atlanta Falcons, who selected Matt Schaub with the 90th selection in the third round. He has since become the starter for the Houston Texans.
Continue reading>>>
February 18, 2012 8:02 AM
Well, after coming oh-so-close to not even having a 2011 NFL season, a
new champion has been crowned; if the Giants can be considered a 'new'
champion anyway. The defending champion Packers were knocked out in
their first playoff game, as were the defending AFC Champion Steelers.
In fact, of my preseason top 12, only one made it to Super Bowl XLVI,
the New England Patriots.
Now let's take a quick look ahead to next season. The NFL has
announced there will be Thursday games every week from Week 2 through
Week 15. Personally, I could not think of a worse idea, but it's all
about the money so it doesn't surprise me either.
The 2012 NFL schedule has been announced (everything except for
actual dates, that is) and boy are there some juicy matchups to look
forward to.
The Saints will host the 49ers in a rematch of arguably the best
playoff game from this season. The Packers host the Saints in a rematch
of the Week 1 opening night game and also travel to New York to try and
avenge their playoff loss to the Giants.
Tim Tebow (we assume) and the Broncos will host the Steelers.
Although, to be fair, all 16 of Denver's games will likely be considered
must-see games, thanks to Tebow.
The Giants will travel to San Francisco in a rematch of the NFC
Championship game and to Baltimore for a rematch of the AFC Championship
game. These are just a handful of the great matchups 2012 is sure to
bring.
So now that we have just a small taste of what to look forward to
next season, here are the final rankings for the 2011-2012 NFL season
with the teams' preseason ranking in ( ).
Continue reading>>>
December 5, 2011 9:47 AM
There were two games this weekend that illustrated why good fantasy
football performances are not necessarily good NFL performances. The
first example was the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots.
The Colts were down 31-3 in that game halfway through the fourth
quarter. Suddenly, the Colts caught fire and score three touchdowns and
made the score 31-24 with less than a minute to play. The Colts did not
recover the onside kick and New England was never really in any danger
of losing that game.
That did not stop RB Donald Brown from salvaging his fantasy day with 14 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown. Colts QB Dan Orlovsky had a big fantasy day with 353 yards passing, two touchdowns and an interception. WR Pierre Garcon
salvaged his day with nine receptions for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
The Colts offense put up some good fantasy numbers, even though most of
the scoring production was too little too late.
The same goes for the Dolphins and the Raiders. The Dolphins led that game 34-0 heading into the fourth quarter. Raiders QB Carson Palmer
was able to save an otherwise miserable fantasy day by throwing two
meaningless touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to finish with 273
yards passing and two touchdowns. Fantasy Owners rejoiced and Raiders
fans yawned. The game had long since been decided.
While fantasy owners have nothing to apologize for, it is a perfect
illustration of why you cannot look at your fantasy scoring to determine
if players are doing a good job. Just because players help our teams
win does not mean they are doing the same for their actual employer.
Who to start or sit in Week 14?...
December 5, 2011 9:42 AM
Fantasy Football playoffs are here for a lot of us this week. For
others, we're in what seems to be a 5-way tie for second place looking
for the edge that gives us a playoff spot. Personally, I'm in both of
those positions, so I have a team in need of some waiver assistance.
If you have question marks or need help at some positions, the waiver
wire can make or break your season at this point, so add and drop
wisely. Based upon statistical trends, remaining schedules and player
availability, the guys on this list could help your fantasy team if it
has a need...
Continue reading>>>
November 28, 2011 8:31 AM
Most fantasy teams are going to be entering the playoffs in three
weeks, which means only two games left for teams to either clinch a
playoff spot or jockey for playoff position. Players that were off the
fantasy radar at the beginning of the season, such as Denver Broncos QB
Tim Tebow are helping fantasy owners that have been struck by injuries.
Players like Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson, who had been
struggling are rushing for 190 yards and may finally be able to salvage
seasons for disappointed fantasy owners. Other players, such as San
Diego Chargers QB Philip Rivers wish that the season would be over so they can start 2012 with a clean slate.
My advice at this point in the season is that you go with your big
horses that have won games for you the first 11 weeks and use the
matchups to maximize your WR3 and flex positions. Also, use them to find
injury replacements for those weak positions on your roster that have
been struck by injuries or star players that have been ineffective to
date. Now is not the time to sit a star player with a tough matchup to
take a flyer on a guy that had a hot week in Week 11.
Here are my recommendations to Start and Sit in Week 13.
October 3, 2011 11:52 AM
With the bye weeks approaching in the NFL and Fantasy Football, now
more than ever it is important to have the right depth on your bench.
Who are some players that might surprise in Week 5?
Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals
I have been really impressed with this rookie out of TCU. Dalton
threw for just shy of 300 yards and a TD this week in the Bengals
victory over the Buffalo Bills.
More importantly, it seems that fellow rookie
A.J. Green and
Dalton have developed a solid rapport. Dalton is available in 90
percent of leagues, and it is important to remember the matchups from
week to week. In Week 5 the Bengals play the league's worst pass
defense when they travel to Jacksonville to face the reeling Jaguars...
Which other players to pick up this week?
September 28, 2011 10:20 AM
The surprise of the season so far has been the 3-0 Buffalo Bills who
have not made the playoffs since the 1999 season. This is a team that
people expect to lose a lot of games. Instead, the Bills are one of only
three teams in the league with an undefeated record.
There are two ways to look at this. According to Stats LLC, there are
only six teams in the history of the league that have won twice in the
same season in games they trailed by 18 points or more. The Bills have
done that in back-to-back weeks.
The glass half full approach would be that the last team to
accomplish the feat was the 1996 New England Patriots, who went on to
lose the Super Bowl. Bad teams are not going to be able to comeback from
18 points down and the fact the Bills have done it twice shows they are
for real. The glass half empty approach would be that the Bills have
given up 66 points the last two weeks; there is no way they can sustain
these late game heroics over 16 games.
I hope that your fantasy games have not been as down to the wire as
the Buffalo Bills last two games have been.
Which players to start or sit this week?
September 28, 2011 10:13 AM
There were quite a few surprises in Week 3 of the NFL season. For
one, the Bills upset the New England Patriots and remained unbeaten. The
Green Bay Packers are also proving that they are not suffering from the
notorious Super Bowl hangover. It appears that the lockout has
benefited the offensive side of the ball much more this season as
evidenced by big time numbers by several offenses.
The biggest story of the weekend is perhaps the play of the
Philadelphia Eagles. With yet another injury to Michael Vick (contusion
on non-throwing hand), the city of :Brotherly Love" will be desperately
searching for answers in Week 4.
Fantasy owners will search for answers, or a waiver wire gem, as well
this week. We have a few options we recommend if your team has been hit
with injures too.
Which players to pick up this week?