Another fantasy year dawns - Now we've spent the last few nice weeks of summer fussing over our teams, arranging our strategies. I can't help think of the constant refrain of HBO's titties & dragons series Game of Thrones. To paraphrase, these are the running backs of summer, and Winter is Coming. Such unquestionable sequential logic, foreboding and of course calendrer-wise acumen. Winter is always coming in the Fantasy world. Between now and the championship nothing is certain other than a huge degree of attrition. So brood over your squad's preparedness and lets get out there and rape and pillage (in the infowar)! Thanks everybody for an exciting opening week that saw a full round of in-division grudge matches. The range of victory margins ran from razor thin (.2) to country-mile (53.4). Four out of six of the winners were playoff teams last year with the Sachs and Spinners crashing the party. Week 1 even prompted a mega-trade, which by now, you've heard about. I'm not going to reassess the rankings, but I'll leave it to your imaginations this week and analyze the fallout pattern next time.
1.) AEthernauts (Last week - #1) - 1-0
The Balloonists had clear skies for a week 1 victory over Phat Girls, despite never fully inflating their potential. Mike Vick's body armor produced a win, after four picks. And Turner Overdrive was decidedly pedestrian in the Falcons aerial assault. Good work from the Johnson&Johsnon receiver corps was plenty to beat the Girlz. But with only Dalton backing up Vick we wouldn't be surprised to see the Explorers in the market for a new backup to Vick.
Next week -
HomeSpunNeckBloodz - The Explorers stay in the Eleatic for a match against fellow victors Bloodz. They may need a little more air to leap their competition here and stay atop the rankings.
2.) HomeSpunNeckBloodz (last week 7) 1-0
-their stay near the top may be short-lived, but the Bloodz shocked the world with a resounding victory over the Primordial Ones in Week 1. They did it by having several players beat expectations - none more so than Peyton Manning. If Chris Johnson can avoid a repeat of last year's slow start, the Bloodz will be formidable from week to week. There's a lack of depth here, but quality near the top. The Spinners need to toss some free agents in the cyclotron, see who spins out a quality week-to-week presence.
Next week -
AEthernauts - The Bloodz can prove they're no fluke by besting a playoff team from last year. If they over perform like week 1, there's no reason they can't get there.
3.) TakingTigerMountain (last week 4) 1-0
-Moving up spot is hard to do when you make the kind of managerial miscues the Mountain performed this week. Their two top picks, both active but un-popular with the fantasy talking heads, were left on the bench to waste their week 1 numbers. TTM's five bench players totaled 78 points. Part of the reason for that number (and the main reason for the upgrade) is a handcuff payoff in CJ Spiller. If Fred Jackson misses serious time he could be the elusive 3rd back for the system. Eclipsing 100 with what they did use makes them the all around fantasy franchise this week. If they can straighten out who to start, they should be headed to the top half of the Eleatic.
Next week -
Phat Girlz - The Mountain shouldn't sleep on Monique's club. They got lucky this week, but another week of Stafford miscues could expose how heavily invested in Detroit they are. With a match against a brutal SF defense, is an upset brewing?
4.) SanFranciscoFerries (last week 2) 1-0
-Better to be lucky than good? The Ferries narrowly avoided the PSAS "fate worse than death" - a tie. The Boatmen drew a painful zero from Deangelo, while leaving Greene's points on the bench. They needed Monday night nailbiting to skim by the Pelicans. Anytime your kicker is leading your points tally, you might be in trouble. But when your kicker banks in a 63 yarder off the crossbar, the g0dz have you in their pocket that week. We'll attribute early-season rust to Cam's frustrations and Cruz droppings, but more than half the league would have taken advantage here.
Next week -
Tusken Raiders - when the tougher-than expected Tuskens come to town the Ferries better have the kinks worked out or else.
5.) BldgDW3LL1NGTh1nk1ng (last week 3) 1-0
-The BDT faced a bye of sorts against a re-stocking Trichs club, so the victory is 2nd to some important titration. Fred Jackson's injury is a serious downgrade for a team with a lack of bench depth. Foster and Rice put in staring roles as expected. Schaub was passable, but the wideouts looked 2nd tier. Help could come from Lafell on the bench, but it's hard to rely on him. The German Philosophers should be active on the wire looking for flex help this week.
Next week -
ThePelicanBrief - Don't expect the Legal Thrillers to be as tame as last week. This one won't be a walk in the park. RG3's prospective debut, will make this must see TV.
6.) GrossmanSachs (last week 8) 1-0
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Polish MNF heroics turned out to be icing after the Ravens IDP racked up plenty of hits on Cincy, but there's a lot
to like about the Wall Streeters all around. Romo looked surgical in
his season debut, and the double titration with Austin is a force to be
reckoned with. Fitzgerald and White will see better days. Frank the
Tank is still a draft horse. And their bench depth could pay off in a
variety of ways, since they're an obvious trade candidate with WR and RB
pieces to spare. (Update: Rodgers...wow, hope you bought these guys low).
Next week - Trichs - the Bankers will try and knock off the Hair Pullers and move into the top tier of the rankings.
7.) Pr1m0rdi4lLyfestylz® (last week 6) 0-1
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the Primordial Ones had a narrow miss against a surprising Bloodz club in week 1, but it still showcased how strong their game plan can be. The Brady-Gronk connection worked. Julio Jones looked elite. Demarco Murray looked ready to rumble. Decker looked well in sync with Manning. There's a variety of handcuffs in their roster, they may need to decide one way or the other on. But good IDP production can float a few extra points, the Primordial Ones are definitely a force to be reckoned with this year.
Next week -
Cincinnati Dangles - this one could go either way. With both teams 0-1, it's going to be serious business out there.
8.) ThePelicanBrief (last week 5) 0-1
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the Grisham-ites saw a couple low-balls from their returning players and couldn't quite make MNF magic happen. We've seen Welker go hot-and-cold before, so it's no worry. And it's hard to call 20 points from Rodgers under-titrating, but with a busting-out RGIII on the bench, conflict has to be brewing in the WOPR's algorithms. (Something caused it to pick the Bills D/ST) McFadden will need to carry a heavy load here, unless PB can get a deal done for another elite producer. (Obviously PB dig get a big deal done. They say week 1 is the best time for value in a trade time line, so....).
Next week -
BldgDW3LL1NGTh1nk1ng - the Pelicans will have an uphill battle to avoid going 0-2. If Welker can find a few endzone looks, they'll be right in the thick of it. No doubt we'll see RG3 and Frank the Tank attempting to render legal aid. We couldn't be more intrigued.
9.) Tusken Raiders (last week 11) 0-1
-Ever unpredictable the Raiders put up big numbers and nearly upset a heavily favored Sachs team this week. Matt Ryan's stellar day was the primary mover on their scoring uptick, but both RBs looked good. And Philadelphia's D/ST may be playable week to week. There's lots of potential on the bench here too with touchdown vulture Bush, and Peyton's TE Tamme (trade bait?).
Next week -
SanFranciscoFerries- they would have bopped the boatmen this week, but the Star Wars franchise will need to look for more over-titrations if they continue with their famously lax IDP policies.
10.) Cincinnati Dangles (last week 10) 0-1
-The Dangles came up short in a winnable game against all-too-human TTM this week. Drew Brees' underwhelming performance is a big part of that, but that shouldn't be a problem week to week. Randall Cobb looks like a diamond in the rough, although perhaps better as trade-bait so he doesn't crowd Jennings in the Dangles lineup. A little more IDP titration and this lineup should match up with the elite week-to-week.
Next week -
Pr1m0rdi4lLyfestylz® - With both teams desperate for a win, this should be a bloody week 2 brawl.
11.) Phat Girlz (last week 9) 0-1
-The Girlz drew a tough match against the Nauts in week one and weren't up to the task. The team is a bit hobbled until Ryan Matthews can start, but they can still do better than this. Lynch should be in there over an aging Benson. Colston and Wallace are totally capable of producing big numbers. Graham will be elite again this year. Eli looked reliably underperforming, but Alex Smith is a mirage on the bench. The Girlz have the makings of a good team, they just need a few more pieces to fall into place.
Next week -
TakingTigerMountain - The Girlz need to find a way to eek out a win
before Matthews returns. They'll be big underdogs in this one, but with some tough match-ups the Commish might just cough one up here.
12.) Trichotillomaniacs (last week 12) 0-1
-a fascinating strategy left the Trichs uncompetitive in week 1, but may pay dividends for the rest of their season. Opting not to play IDP, they held onto lots of 2nd tier backs and handcuffs instead. They may have hit the temporary jackpot on the Shanahan wheel with Morris, but Dwyer emergence deserves a look too, especially if Big Ben ascends to the starting QB role. The Trichs still need to hit a homer on the wire, and there are a few tempting options this week - we'll see how deep they go, how early.
Next week -
GrossmanSachs - The Trichs need to continue to practice their Eastern arts of asymmetric warfare if they want to compete this year. It might not be a bad idea to start game planning for bye weeks now.
