October 30, 2013

Dirty D Week 9 Power Ranks

Short n' Sweet  this week:


1. Tahiti Loungers (Last week: 2nd)
Note to self: Never sit Jimmy Graham. 18 snaps, 18 fantasy points in Week 8 on my bench.


2. Team Ice Cream (Last week: 1st)
Acquiring Aaron Rodgers was a great move. Losing Megatron sucks, though.


3.Crossing Guards (Last week: 3rd)
Crappy week drops #AutoBill to 7th place in the standings where he belongs.


4. Eat More Chicken (Last week: 4th)
Finally loses. Averaging just 111 point over the past 3 weeks. Too Cowboy-dependent.


5. A Pinch Better (Last week: 6th)
Huge win for Sean, very important considering tough match-ups 3 out of the next 4 weeks.


6. Victorious Secret (Last week: 5th)
Very lucky win last week. Averaging a gross 94 points over the past 3 weeks. Playoff bubble team.


7. the rental guys  (Last week: 10th)
Lucky Scheduling: Opponents averaging 86 points against Dan during current 3 game win streak.


8. Angry Pirates (Last week: 7th)
This team cant afford ANY sub-par performances from AP or Sproles.


9. A1 Providers (Last week: 9th)
Very thin, Up and Down team.



10. Boston Patriots (Last week: 11th)
Nice "replacements" type win last week. Still overloaded at QB and TE and very weak everywhere else.


11. The Godfather (Last week: 8th)
Calvin scored 83 points for Abe in weeks 1-6 combined. Calvin scored 62 against Abe in week 8. Ouchy.


12. Comeback Story  (Last week: 12th)
Bunny team averaging an astounding 74 points in October.




October 23, 2013

Trade Review + Updated Power Ranks


I posted my Power Ranks a few minutes ago and I guess around lunchtime today there was a trade.


Crossing Guards get: Shane Vereen

Team Ice Cream gets: Mike Vick


So Adam has finally made his move for a QB. I knew this was coming but I didn't know when and I didn't know what caliber QB Adam would land. To be frank, I'm disappointed.

Mike Vick missed last week with a hamstring injury. He's expected back in full this week, which is great because they have a cake matchup with the Giants. He's the conensus #7 QB this week. I like him this upcoming Sunday and into the near future.

However, as Campbell put it, "Vick is a China Doll" The dude gets hurt ALL THE TIME. He's crazy frail. And when he's playing at less than 100%, hes not effective.

It's curious to me that Adam would make a trade for Vick. He's 5-1-1 and guaranteed to make the playoffs. The playoffs start in 7 weeks. That's a looooong time to hope Vick holds up for. He didn't make it through the first 7 weeks this year. Or last year. Or the year before.

Another reason why I don't like this trade is because it eliminates a major advantage I thought Adam had- RB depth. The only RBs left on Adams roster are JC in KC, Reggie Bush and Joique Bell. The first 2 names are awesome weekly plays, and it's nice to have one of their handcuffs, but all of the sudden Adam is no longer deep at the position.

JC in KC is on pace for 400+ touches. He's a small guy and has broken down at the end of seasons before. Reggie Bush is basically the same. Has a hard time making it through a full season. Its very risky to assume both of these guys will be their healthy selves come Week 15.

Also, I have high expectations for Vereen when he returns. I'm talking like, borderline RB1 expectations.

I LOVE this trade for AutoBill. Love it. He doesn't even play Vick. If Bill can survive to week 11 with his crappy rotational Rb2, hes going to be a force when Vereen is in the lineup.

In my positional ranks earlier, I gave Adam the best RB crew moving forward. I had him as the worst QB moving forward. After the trade I would drop Adam to #3 in RB rank and I would still keep him last in QB rank. I still like every other team's starting QB more than Vick.

I had Bill with the 6th best RB crew before the trade, I have him with the 4th best now. His QB rank remains unchanged.


Lastly, here are the teams that Adam should have talk to about trading for a QB IMO

Boston Patriots- Owns both Rivers and Stafford and needs a ton of help
Eat More Chicken- Owns both Luck and Romo and needs help at RB
Comeback Story- Owns Tom Brady. Needs a ton of help.
A Pinch Better- Owns Rodgers and Pryor and has expressed interest in trading Rodgers.
Victorious Secret- Kait doesnt need much but Cutler is her backup and I like him more than Vick in Weeks 15-16





Dirty D Week 8 Power Ranks




This week's version of the Power Rank is exciting. I had a really tough time ranking the middle teams,  so I decided to go about a more mathematical way of looking at the league this week.

First, I  assigned points to each team based on position rank (moving forward ranks).

To make sure these ranks are weighted properly to the position value, I used the following:

36% weight on WR
27% weight on RB
22% weight on QB
15% weight on TE

The reason I valued WR the highest is because most of the time, teams are starting 3 WRs per week, 2 RBs, 1 QB and 1 TE

Here are the results:

(Remember, this is based on how I personally rank these players moving forward)

QB Ranks:
12 points- Victorious Secret (Peyton)
11 points- Tahiti Loungers (Brees)
10 points- A Pinch Better (Rodgers)
9 points- Crossing Guards (Cam)
8 points- Boston Patriots (Stafford/Rivers)
7 points- Eat More Chicken (Romo)
6 points- The Godfather (RG3)
5 points- Angry Pirates (Wilson)
4 points- Comeback Story (Brady)
3 points- the rental guys (Kaepernick)
2 points- A1 Providers (Matt Ryan)
1 point- Team Ice Cream (Eli/QBBC)


WR Ranks
12 points- Tahiti Loungers (Marshall/Welker/Jordy/Randle)
11 points- Team Ice Cream (Megatron/Blackmon/Garcon/Colston/Stevie)
10 points- Crossing Guards (Green/V Jax/ T Smith)
9 points- Eat More Chicken (Dez/Andre/Bolden/Hopkins)
8 points- The Godfather (Thomas/Allen/Moore/Thompkins/Jennings)
7 points- Angry Pirates (Decker/Gordon/Wright/Wallace/Bowe)
6 points-  the rental guys (Fitz/Shorts/Jones/Boykin/DHB/Floyd)
5 points- Victorious Secret (Percy/Nicks/Hartline/Douglas)
4 points- A1 Providers (Cruz/Smith/Williams/Austin/Hill)
3 points- A Pinch Better (D Jax/Roddy/Edelman)
2 points- Comeback Story (Hilton/Amendola/Jeffery/Williams/Sanders)
1 point- Boston Patriots (Brown/Gibson/Lafell)


RB Ranks
12 points- Team Ice Cream (JC/Reggie/Vereen/J Bell)
11 points- A Pinch Better (Foster/Tate/F Jax/DMC/Murray/Mathews)
10 points- Angry Pirates (AP/Sproles/Ball)
9 points- A1 Providers (Gore/Rice/Rodgers/Hunter/McGahee)
8 points- Victorious Secret (Ridley/Richardson/Spiller/Woodhead)
7 points- Crossing Guards (Lynch/ Helu/ Ivory/ Powell/ Bolden)
6 points- Tahiti Loungers (Lacy/Ellington/Wilson/Brown/Brown/Pierce)
5 points- Eat More Chicken (Forte/Miller/Tolbert/Jacobs)
4 points- The Godfather (Gio/Moreno/James/Randle)
3 points- Boston Patriots (McCoy/CJ?K/PT Loser/Blount)
2 points- Comeback Story (Morris/S Jax/Mendenhall/ Richardson)
1 point- the rental guys (Bell/Stacy/MJD/DWilly/Snelling)


TE Ranks
12 points- Tahiti Loungers (Graham)
11 points- Victorious Secret (Gronk)
10 points- Boston Patriots (Thomas/Gates)
9 points- Comeback Story (T Gonz/ Reed)
8 points- Crossing Guards (V Davis)
7 points-  the rental guys (Cameron)
6 points- Eat More Chicken (Witten)
5 points- Team Ice Cream (Bennett)
4 points- A1 Providers (Miller)
3 points- Angry Pirates (Fleener)
2 points- The Godfather (Olsen/Graham)
1 point- A Pinch Better (Cook)


After weighing out these ranks, here are the results:

1. Tahiti Loungers- 1,016 points
2. Crossing Guards- 867
3. Victorious Secret- 825
4. Team Ice Cream- 817
5. Eat More Chicken- 703
6. Angry Pirates- 677
7. A Pinch Better- 640
8. The Godfather- 558
9. A1 Providers- 491
10. Boston Patriots- 443
11. the rental guys- 414
12. Comeback Story- 349


Those would/should be my Power Ranks, except they don't take into account D/ST, Kickers, and of course, most importantly, potential from future transactions.

What jumps off the page is Team Ice Cream checking in at #4. I've had Adam at or near the top of my Power Ranks all year, but he ranks lower here for a couple reasons.

1. These ranks don't take into account D/ST and Adam has an elite option in KC that averages 20 points per week.

2. These ranks don't necessarily take into account depth. For example, Adam could trade away Marques Colston for Jordan Reed and he probably wouldn't lose any points at WR but he would gain a few points at TE. So basically these ranks are based on the rosters as they currently stand . Right now Adam has Eli Manning at QB... I expect him to acquire a better option before the deadline and that's the type of stuff I normally account for in Power Ranks that cant be assigned a numerical value. Another great example is the Boston Patriots. Mr. B could trade away the combo of Rivers/Gates for an impact starting WR. This wouldn't really affect his QB and TE ranks (He has Stafford and J Thomas) but it would certainly help his WR score.  Same goes for Donny and his 2 Tight Ends. He can trade one away and improve his score at another position.

Now, lets move on to my official Power Ranks for this week:


1. Team Ice Cream (Last week: 1st)

Another week, another blow out win for Adam. This is the 4th week Adam has finished as the highest or second highest scoring team. This time it was the newly acquired Calvin Johnson who led the way, with a monster bounce-back performance (42 points.) Adam is the first team to eclipse the 1,000 point mark this season....not like he's even needed it, though. Adam's opponents are only averaging 108 points per week, the lowest in the league. Adam may have lost Doug Martin for the season, but he's loaded at RB so it's not enough to give me any reason to drop Adam in the ranks. This week Adam gets comeback story... If there was ever such a thing as a free win, you're about to see it. The league's best vs. the league's worst.

Team Ice Cream
QB points 1 x 22 = 22
WR points 11 x 36 = 396
RB points 12  x 27 = 324
TE points 5 x 15 = 75
Point Total = 817 points



2. Tahiti Loungers (Last week: 2nd)

Week 7 was brutal for me. It started with a 3 point dud by Andre Ellington, and my QB/TE fill-in combo only yielded 19 points... easily the lowest of the season (Brees/Graham on bye.) My WRs were also pedestrian, 13-15-16 points from Marshall-Nelson-Welker is just meh. That's the best WR trio in our league so they need to do a better job for me. I traded for Blair Walsh and he immediately reminded me of why there is little difference between fantasy kickers. 1 freaking point for the consensus best kicker. Moving forward, I am sure this 104 point output will be my lowest of the season.  To compliment my bona fide super studs (Brees/Graham/Marshall/Welker/Jordy),  It looks like I can count on Eddie Lacy to put up RB1 numbers the rest of the way. I also love having Ruben Randle as my WR4 and I'm only 2 weeks away from getting back David Wilson and/or Andre Brown. I wouldn't trade my roster for anyone's.

Tahiti Loungers
QB points 11 x 22 = 242
WR points 12 x 36 = 432
RB points 6 x 27 = 162
TE points 12 x 15 = 180
Point Total =  1,016 points



3. Crossing Guards (Last week: 4th)

#AutoBill is a buzz saw right now. For the second week in a row this team scored the most points in the league. The scoring started early and often with monster performances full of long TDs. AJ Green and V Jax both went off and scored a combined 70 points. No one else really had a huge game for Bill (his defense had a nice game with 17) but make no mistake about it- this is one of the best teams in the league. Top 5 QB. Killer WR trio. High Upside TE.  Stud RB1 plus a bunch of fine options. Raise your hand if you wish your team was autodrafted...

Crossing Guards
QB points 9 x 22 = 198
WR points 10 x 36 = 360
RB points 7 x 27 = 189
TE points 8 x 15 = 120
Point Total =  867 points



4. Eat More Chicken (Last week: 3rd)

Jenna has averaged 112 points over the past 2 weeks, but still managed to escape with 2 wins and remain undefeated. AP only needed 13 points on MNF to hand Jenna her first loss but alas, that didn't happen. Matt Forte is a beast... If I was re drafting right now he would be a top 3 RB pick. Lamar Miller though, is a different story. Mired in an inexplicable time-share, his value is capped and he is a weak RB2 option. This team has quite literally no depth, so a week like this one coming up (Andre Johnson and Matt Forte on bye) is a tough test that I don't think Jenna will handle well. Her team has studs who of course can always blow up... but I don't like how top heavy this team is. I expect Jenna to lose to me this week, but with a very, very soft schedule down the stretch there's no chance Jenna misses the playoffs.

Eat More Chicken
QB points 7 x 22 = 154
WR points 9 x 36 = 324
RB points 5 x 27 = 135
TE points 6 x 15 = 90
Point Total = 703 points


5. Victorious Secret (Last week: 7th)

Kait has the team that on paper looks wayyyyyy better than it has shown on Sundays. Trent Richardson/CJ Spiller/Stevan Ridley/Danny Woodhead should be the best RB crew in the league. We'll see which one of these former studs can find their golden touch for the second half of the fantasy season. My guess is at least 2 out of the 3 guys end up with respectable 2013 fantasy numbers. Gronk came back this week and put his his standard 20 points per week... on top of that Percy Harvin is actually expected to play in Week 8. With the return of these 2 PPR studs, Kait is looking solid. With a 4-3 record and a hot/cold roster... Kait should flirt with the playoff cut line right down to the wire. Here's here remaining schedule:

Week 8- Crossing Guards
Week 9- Eat More Chicken
Week 10- Angry Pirates
Week 11- Tahiti Loungers
Week 12- Boston Patriots
Week 13- A Pinch Better.

Based on my rankings above, that's at least 4 matchups against playoff bound teams. Every win is going to be huge for Kait... Hell, every point will be important because I'm thinking Victorious Secret is a team that's legit right on the bubble for the playoffs this year and may get in or left out based on a tie breaker.


Victorious Secret
QB points 12 x 22 = 264
WR points 5 x 36 = 180
RB points 8 x 27 = 216
TE points 11 x 15 = 165
Point Total = 825 points


6. A Pinch Better (Last week: 6th)

Sean's team strength is clearly at RB. He has a stud (Foster), studs when healthy (Murray, DMC), solid secondary options (F Jax, Mathews) and top tier handcuff  (Tate.)

The problem here is that Sean is bleeding everywhere else. Yes, he has Aaron Rodgers and I ranked him 3rd moving forward but this going to Aaron Rodgers who:

-finally has a RB to lean on (Go, Lacy! woo hoo)
-is missing his top receiver in Randall Cobb
-is missing his top TE Jermichael Finley
-is  missing James Jones for at least 1 more week

AKA this isn't the Aaron Rodgers Sean picked in the 2nd round of the draft. What's worse is Sean actually owns Jermichael Finely too,  who is probably lost for the rest of the year. He picked up Jared Cook off waivers but this is a big downgrade.

The WR situation here is murky too. DeSean Jackson is great... but he will always have those weeks like this past one where he puts up a dud. If Roddy White comes back healthy, the WR rank here is def too  low, but I truly dont think we see the real Roddy for the rest of the fantasy regular season. He missed the first game of his career this past week, which followed the Falcons bye. Edelman is just "meh" and Amendola is probably close to returning again soon anyway.

If Sean can figure out how to turn all his RB depth into use-able starters elsewhere, I would like his team a lot more. I still have faith he may be able to pull something off.

A Pinch Better
QB points 10 x 22 = 220
WR points 3 x 36 = 108
RB points 11 x 27 = 297
TE points 1 x 15 = 15
Point Total = 640 points


7. Angry Pirates (Last week: 8th)

Last week when I ranked Campbell 8th I may have raised a few eye brows... but alas the Angry Pirates had a solid showing in Week 7 despite a loss (and justified my rank, at least in my mind). You just cant expect AP to have a mere 6 points per week like he did on Monday Night. Josh Gordon also turned in his first gross performance of the year, and C Bell was forced to play Ogbananayna at his RB2 slot. Even with all these gaping holes, C Bell put up 114. I like Fleener even more than I did before (Wayne injury) and Kendall Wright is turning into a trade-able asset. I still may be higher on this team than others, but there's a lot of potential here. Don't sleep on Russell Wilson... he heated up big time in November and December of last year.

Angry Pirates
QB points 5 x 22 = 110
WR points 7 x 36 = 252
RB points 10 x 27 = 270
TE points 3 x 15 = 45
Point Total = 677 points



8. The Godfather (Last week: 11th)

Finally, Abe got a break. Despite just 103 points, Abe was able to win for the 2nd time this year. RG3 is finally back to being RG3. I expect 20+ point performances on the reg for the rest of the year. Abe has the assets to move in order to upgrade at TE, which is probably his most pressing need right now. With our completely bullshit and unfair waiver wire rules this year, Abe was again able to grab the top Waiver Wire option- Mike James. Mike James is a rookie thrusted into the starting RB role in Tampa. Abe has a lot of assets... the teams that are looking for depth (Eat More Chicken, Boston Patriots, Comeback Story, Crossing Guards) could be hitting up Abe. There's probably not enough time left for Abe to make the playoffs, however he is in Prime position to play spoiler starting this week vs Sean.


The Godfather
QB points 6 x 22 = 132
WR points 8 x 36 = 288
RB points 4 x 27 = 108
TE points 2 x 15 = 30
Point Total =  558 points



9. A1 Providers (Last week: 9th)

On Sundays I usually follow along with the fantasy scoring pretty closely. This past week it seemed like all afternoon Paul's team kept scoring and popping up on the stat sheet. He ended up with a really cute week at 128 points. Here's the problem though... Paul's team lacks the upside it takes to win the championship. I thought for sure after the week I would look back and Paul would have dropped a 150 bomb. To cover myself, it's not impossible to think that Paul would win this year, but there's no way this team can string together 3 straight weeks of 130+ football. Paul's team lacks consistency, and consistency is the key to winning fantasy championship. Plus, Paul has a brutal schedule down the stretch. At 3-4, Paul really needs to take care of business this week vs Dan. Next week vs the Boston Patriots Paul will be missing Cruz and Gore. So basically if Paul loses this week and falls to 3-5, there's a good chance he loses in week 9 which takes him to 3-6... That leaves 4 weeks left. 3 out of those 4 weeks he has to play Adam, Jenna, and Bill. Even if he was able to win all 4 of those matchups (LOL) that would take him to a 7-6 record (unless he wins Weeks 8 and 9). Probably not hacking it


A1 Providers
QB points 2 x 22 = 44
WR points 4 x 36 = 144
RB points 9 x 27 = 243
TE points 4 x 15 = 60
Point Total = 491 points




10. the rental guys  (Last week: 10th)

Dan is in almost the exact same situation as Paul. He's 3-4 and faces Adam, Bill, and Jenna before the season is over. The Boykin pick and pop was a great play this past week... In fact I think Boykin will likely hold value even when James Jones returns.

The reality is that this team is averaging 103 points per week over the last 4 weeks. Dan is fortunate to be 2-2 over that span... but going .500 with low point totals is barely enough to stay afloat. Larry Fitz isnt right. MJD and D Willy are gross RB options. Stacy is a nice player, but not a difference maker. Kaepernick is slowly coming around which is nice, but his growth is somewhat cancelled out by Jordan Cameron's regression.

Over the first 4 weeks Cameron had 96 points.
Over the last 3 weeks he has just 25 points.

The QB changes and adjusting defenses can account for the downward trend, although moving forward I still see Jordan Cameron as a top 6 TE option every week.


the rental guys
QB points 3 x 22 = 66
WR points 6 x 36 = 216
RB points 1 x 27 = 27
TE points 7 x 15 = 105
Point Total = 414 points



11. Boston Patriots (Last week: 5th)

Wow. I say this every week but.... more bad luck for Mr. B. For the second consecutive week the Boston Patriots lose a stud WR. First Randall Cobb now Reggie Wayne. This team was already thin before, now it's teetering on the edge of disaster. Brandon LaFell and Brandon Gibson cant be in your starting lineup if you expect to win. I don't like Chris Johnson, and I HATE Pierre Thomas, so basically I really hate this team. There's only 3 reasons I didn't move these Patriots to the lowest spot in the ranks:

1. Antonio Brown
2. LeSean McCoy
3. QB/TE depth

There are multiple teams in the league that Mr B could trade with... He has the assets it would take to right the ship but I'm not sure he has the creativity or trading will power to make that happen.


Boston Patriots
QB points 8  x 22 = 176
WR points 1 x 36 = 36
RB points 3 x 27 = 81
TE points 10 x 15 = 150
Point Total =  443 points



12. Comeback Story  (Last week: 12th)

Donny has had the lowest score in the league an astonishing 4 out of 8 weeks this year. Clunker after clunker after clunker. The one area of strength on this team is at TE... T Gonz and J Reed are both top 8 options the rest of the way out. Donny could/should trade one of these guys away... he needs help at pretty much every other position. His WR core will stabilize after bye's and when they get healthy and same with the RBs. The problem is this isn't happening anytime soon. As I said above, Donny is playing Team Ice Cream this week which you can basically assume is a loss. You can also pencil in a loss in week 10 and 13 (Crossing Guards and Tahiti Loungers) so essentially Donny is going to have to get lucky if he wants to finish any better than 5-8.


Comeback Story
QB points 4 x 22 = 88
WR points 2 x 36 = 72
RB points 2 x 27 = 54
TE points 9 x 15 = 135
Point Total = 349 points




October 21, 2013

Pats got jobbed


Anyone not under a rock knows the Pats somehow lost to the Jets yesterday in New Jersey. In OT, the Jets set up to attempt a career long 56 yard field goal for Nick Folk, which would have won the game. First, this was a stupid call by Rex Ryan. If I'm the coach I punt the ball and play the field position game. You don't want to give the ball to Brady if he only needs 20 yards to set up a FG.

Anyway, Folk of course missed that 56 yard attempt. Wasn't even close. And then this happened:




Pats #94 Chris Jones (who actually had a nice game up to this point) was flagged for a 15 yard personal foul for pushing his own player into the "pile" on this 56 yard FG attempt.

Everyone was confused when this happen. The TV guys said they have never seen a call like this in 15 years. After a ton of confusion it was realized that Jones was being called for the penalty under a new rule that started this year. The rule is in place for the protection of the players.

After about the 63rd replay you could KIND OF see Jones leaning into his teammate. His arms weren't fully extended but he definitely pushed the momentum forward.

So Jones was flagged, the Jets got the automatic first down, and after a couple more plays Folk buried the game winning 42 yarder.


Was it a penalty? I guess so. I'm not even really ready to say "Yes it was for sure a violation of the rule" but the ref was standing right there and seemingly staring directly at the violation. (kinda seemed like he was looking to make that exact call, no?)

There have been over 400 XP's and FG's attempted this year. This rule has never been enforced. Not once. This Pats-Jets game was the first time the called was ever made. On a game deciding FG.  Are you kidding me? Does anyone here really believe this is the first time all year anyone has violated the rule? C'mon now. That's a joke. Complete and utter joke.

This "infraction" didn't effect the play at all. It didn't give the Pats any advantage during the play whatsoever.If it had, I can certainly see justification for the flag.  BUT that wasn't the case. Folk would have badly missed that FG even with Jones off the field.

Here's where my experience and an on-ice hockey official kicks in. First let me say this. Anyone that ever says "A penalty is a penalty no matter when it is in the game" has no idea how to officiate or control a game whatsoever. Sometimes a trip in the first period is called, but the exact same play in the 3rd or OT wouldn't be penalized. Pretty basic stuff for any knowledgeable sports fan. And for the record, I learned this at an elite ref camp in LA that is run by NHL officials. So it's legit.

To bring it back to the Pats-Jets... I think you see my point... even if Jones was in violation of the rule by the letter of the law, the refs truly should have let this go. I GUARANTEE that NFL refs let more go when more is on the line. For example, a ref is going to allow slightly more contact on deep passes later in the game. Or, in a playoff game, they will allow a lot more contact at the line than normal. Kinda goes along with the  "Let them play"  mentality. You DON'T make a shady game deciding call on a new rule that's never been enforced before. It's wrong.

Oh and then there's the thing where Bill Belichick said the rule only applies to players who are on the line of scrimmage. Jones was not on the line of scrimmage. I dont know who is right and who is wrong but that hardly matters. The bottom line is the Pats got jobbed.

***1:30pm update*****


Bert Breer just tweeted out that the refs were told to watch for a push by the NE field goal blocking unit.

This adds a new element to my opinion on this matter. I am going to assume that the reffing crew or Umpire or somebody who "was told to watch for the push" had relayed this info to the Patriots. In that case, the Patriots and/or Chris Jones are really, really dumb for doing something they knew the refs would be looking for. They deserve to lose from stupidity alone.

As a referee, you're job isn't just to call penalties but to prevent them where possible as well. If the refs knew the Pats player may be pushing, they really should have told Belichick or a captain on the Pats to make sure they didnt push. That's what all refs do. They do what they can to prevent penalties and call them if necessary.

If the refs DIDN'T tell the Pats to make sure they didn't push at the line, then shame on them for this whole thing. The refs failed miserably if this is the case. They allowed a penalty to decide the game when it could have been prevented.










October 16, 2013

Dirty D Week 7 Power Ranks

The Tiered Edition



Tier 1
In this tier, find the best teams. All of which are sure to make the playoffs and it's likely 2 of these teams will grab the bye's: 


1. Team Ice Cream
Another crappy QB performance but this time it didn't matter. Justin Blackmon is here to stay and just when you thought Adam's team couldn't get stronger... he goes out and adds Calvin Johnson. My opinion on this team hasn't changed- very high ceiling and millions of assets but the starting lineup can still be improved with 2 for 1's.


2. Tahiti Loungers 
Wow, my team is consistent. I haven't had the blow up weeks that other teams have experienced so far this year, but you wont see me complaining too much. 140 points this past week with an egg from Jimmy. I know this team has a 200 point effort in it eventually... one of these weeks it will all come together. Week 7, though, isn't going to be that week. My Saints are on a bye so if I win this week (I'm actually the underdog), it's gravy.

3. Eat More Chicken (Last Week: 1st)
Jenna's team- like Adam's- has a high ceiling but its weeks like this past one that would scare me as an owner. 104 was Jenna's lowest output of the season- but for now it looks like a 1 point win. The cowboys didn't have a great game so it was a "meh" week for Jenna. Whats shocking is that she had to start Mike Tolbert, and it actually worked out. Tolbert was started in only 1% of leagues and he ended up doubling his point total for the season, with  18 points (led her team.) Just straight luck right there for Jenna. Another incredibly lucky move- Jenna started Mason Crosby- the week's highest scoring kicker- over Blair Walsh. Walsh is the consensus #1 ranked fantasy kicker so I have no idea what Jenna was thinking but, surprise,surprise, it worked out for her.



Tier 2
In this tier find "Unlucky but Good" teams. Both of these teams have the rosters it takes to make it to the playoffs, but bad luck and/or bad timing have side-railed these teams so far. 


4. The Crossing Guards
Whoa. #RevengeOfTheNerds. Bill dropped a franchise record 187 bomb on Campbell's face this past week. Those who exploded for Bill: Vernon Davis (44) V Jax (34) Cam (30) Lynch (30) and AJ Green (24).  This huge week vaulted Bill into a familiar spot- 7th place. 2-4 record with the 4th most points for and most points against.... needless to say this is a bad week for me to run into Bill. This week isn't a must win for Bill, but he cant afford too many more losses. Easy schedule down the stretch will be nice, but obviously any win Bill can get before the 3 bunnys in weeks 10-11-12 (Donny, Dan Paul) would be a nice bonus.


5. Boston Patriots
Worst. Luck. Ever. Listen, does Mr. B deserve to win with just 104 points? No. But when you look at how the week played out... Mr. B got screwed again- this time suffering a 1 point loss on MNF to Jenna. On top of that, Randall Cobb is basically dead for fantasy purposes in 2013 so things aren't looking up here. It makes no sense that Mr. B is carrying an extra TE and QB when he needs help at other positions. I'm hoping to see some movement here. The "easy" part of the schedule is coming up for this team... at 2-4 Mr B needs to put together a few wins if he wants to have a shot at the playoffs.



Tier 3
In this tier we have a few teams that have a decent amount of potential, but for some reason or the other just cant seem to put it all together...yet. 

6. A Pinch Better
Luckily for Sean his opponent was weak this week... 111 points usually means a loss. DeSean Jackson and Arian Foster are studs... both are near the top in their positional ranks and both are matchup-proof starters. Finley is probably going to benefit from the Cobb injury so that's a positive sign...What really hurt this team was that Demarco Murray (Surprise!) got injured. He's not expected to miss major time but this is a guy who has a long history of not staying healthy. I'm not comfortable w/ him if I own him. On top of that Roddy White looks like he may not play this upcoming week (after their bye) so that sucks. I'm starting to think Roddy just isn't the same Roddy this year. Luckily for Sean, Amendola got ROCKED and will miss more time, which means Edelman will continue to be a viable PPR option.

7. Victorious Secret
The RB drama continued this week for Kait. The good news is it looks like Stevan Ridley may be back...He was a BEAST this past week on Kait's bench. The bad news is is that T Rich had another slow game and I'm starting to lose faith in him as a starter. It's CRAZY that a talented starting RB for a run-heavy team cant produce fantasy numbers. CJ Spiller was on a limited snap count but still produced 8 fantasy points... If only these 3 guys were themselves Kait's team would be stacked. Her 4-2 record afford her a little time to right the ship. Another major disappointment is one Robert Gronkowski. He is officially screwing over Kait. Not that is cost her a loss this week, but she needs her stud TE to get back ASAP. Peyton Manning has kept Kait afloat thus far... its not a coincidence that he had a slow week and so did Kait. Percy Harvin is simmering nicely on this bench.

8.  Angry Pirates 
Ick. Gross effort from this team. I'm giving C-ball one more week to justify this rank. Dwayne Bowe absolutely sucks... I'm betting C Bell is kinda pissed he "threw in" Justin Blackmon in that trade with Adam a couple weeks ago. Angry Pirates in 2013 are likely to be a team that misses the playoffs, but breaks hearts down the stretch. With AP, Decker, Sproles, and Gordon this team can make some noise. Russell Wilson may be poised for a big 2nd half...if that's the case maybe, MAYBE this team can squeak into the playoffs. 




Tier 4  
This is the "My team sucks but I still think they are good and still foolishly think I have a chance to make the playoffs" tier. 



9. A1 Providers
Gross week for Paul. Not even really much to say here. Matt Ryan is just a guy now. Ray Rice is somehow a shitty RB all of the sudden.... I dont know WTF is up with him. This past week Paul got a combined 27 points from Rice, Gore, and Cruz. He is going to need these 3 studs to put up closer to 20 each per week to even have a chance to compete. These next 2 weeks are critical for Paul... With Donny and Dan on the schedule Paul needs to win both to stay competitive.

10. the rental guys
Injury city. After losing Julio for the season, Both James Jones AND Cecil Shorts left their games early with ailments. Both players seem to have avoided long term injury, but their low totals were a big reason why Dan scored just 80 points. Those 80 points were somehow good enough to win this week... actually it'as the 3rd lowest winning score all time in our league. I don't see this team making the playoffs.. with Adam, Bill, Jenna, and Mr. B on the remaining schedule, Dan is going to need more luck like this past week to eek out wins. 



Tier 5
The "is 2014 here yet?" tier



11. The Godfather
Abe actually scored the 4th most points in the league this past week... but you simply cant expect to win with just 120 points. Megatron had a very weak game... he wasnt used sparingly. It would have been much better for Abe had Megatron been ruled out and didnt play, of course when someone like Mega is active its nearly impossible to sit him even if you think he will be limited. Colston put up another dud and with that, Abe traded these 2 WR studs away. In return comes Demaryius Thomas and Keenen Allen...2 guys I love. They should give Abe a better chance of winning in the short term, so I like the move. RG3 is close to coming around I think, and I also like the direction that Gio is headed. This team shouldn't be 1-5, but it is what it is. I expect Abe to crush dreams down the stretch, starting this week with Kait.

12. Comeback Story 
Well, the 2 week outburst was certainly short lived. After averaging 140 points in weeks 5 and 6, Donny dropped way down back to his normal, abysmal point total numbers. Danny Amendola is now concussed and out... pretty much turned out to be a complete waste of a draft pick. There's no doubt that Donn'ys team will get a boost when T Gonz is back this week from his bye, but still, this team lacks playmakers. Donny is basically relying each week on a monster individual performances from inconsistent guys with high ceilings. That's not a winning strategy. Over the next 7 weeks Donny has to play against Adam, Me, Jenna, Mr B and Bill. There's basically a 0% chance this team makes the playoffs. 



October 10, 2013

Dirty D Week 6 Power Ranks


Through 5 weeks:


Highest Weekly Points For:

149- Eat More Chicken
143- Team Ice Cream
135- Boston Patriots
133- Tahiti Loungers
128- A Pinch Better
128- A1 Providers
126- Victorious Secret
124.7- Average score 
120- the rental guys
119- The Crossing Guards
106- The Godfather
106- Comeback Story
101- Angry Pirates


Highest Weekly Points Against:

151- The Crossing Guards
134- the rental guys
133- Boston Patriots
132- A1 Providers
128- A Pinch Better
127- The Godfather
124.7- Average score 
121- Tahiti Loungers
120- Comeback Story
115- Eat More Chicken
114- Team Ice Cream
114- Angry Pirates
107- Victorious Secret



1. Eat More Chicken (Last Week: 2nd)
Avg points for: 149
Avg points against: 115

#SophomoreSuccess. Jenna got 111 points from her Cowboys trio (Romo-Dez-Witten) which helped her leap frog over Adam into first place (both in the real standings and in these Power Ranks.) She also has the highest amount of points scored, averaging a tick under 150 points per week this season...Combine that with her weak schedule (4th easiest in the league) and it's easy to see why Jenna has the only remaining undefeated team.  The only weak spot on this team is RB depth... for now Jenna is fine with Forte-Miller-Tolbert but it wouldn't hurt to bolster the depth. Jenna's team would be 45-9-1 if she played every team every week.




2. Tahiti Loungers (Last Week: 3rd)
Avg points for: 133
Avg points against: 121

It's sad but true: The 22 points combined I got from Spiller and Lacy was the highest I've had from my RBs this season. Spiller remains a weekly mystery for now... 11 of his 12 points came on one run and he only had a few carries. The 10 day rest will help but CJ likely wont be 100% for another few weeks. It's baffling that he had 0 targets and seemingly isn't involved in the passing game. Keep in mind Spiller really heated up in the second half last year, I believe he was fantasy's #2 RB behind AP over the last 10 weeks of the fantasy season. Eddie Lacy had a nice game but didn't score...Im happy to have him as a solid RB2. Jimmy Graham didn't score either but still put up a monster week... The Brees/Graham is the best combo possibly to have in fantasy football. The floor is very high for my team- 122 points in week 2 was my lowest score of the year. I do feel like I could win the championship with my roster as is, but I would still like to improve my RB situation and upgrade at flex. (Inquire within) My team would be 33-22 if I played every team every week.




3. Team Ice Cream (Last Week: 1st)
Avg points for: 143
Avg points against: 114

Adam's team had it's 2nd "low" week of the season. I think right now this team probably has the highest blow up potential, but it's weeks like this past one that bring Adam back down to earth. Another week, another QB debacle. This time was bad luck with an early game Hoyer injury but still... I didn't like the Hoyer play from the beginning. Jamaal Charles is an absolute animal. AP, Charles and McCoy have separated themselves, in my mind, into a tier of their own. It's downright shocking Demaryius Thomas was held to just 10 points in a 51 point Bronco effort.... I dodged a major bullet there. Another bright spot for Adam was recently acquired Justin Blackmon... he went off for 5/136/1. The Jags are playing in Denver this Sunday so that basically means a full game of playing catch up. The Broncos just got torched by the Cowboys so I'm guessing the Jags know how to watch video tape. Adam would be 37-17-1 if he played every team every week.




4. Boston Patriots (Last Week: 4th)
Avg points for: 135
Avg points against: 133

Another week, another tough loss for Mr. B. It seems like this happens every week... a nice score (138) but a small margin loss to an unexpected blow up (143 from Donny.)  It was a perfect week to play Pierre Thomas at the flex... I wouldn't be banking on him even scoring half of 29 points again this year but it certainly was a nice plug and play this past week. With 2 solid QB options and 2 nice TE options, Mr. B should cash in on his depth at some point soon via the trade market. Mr. B would be 34-21 if he played every team every week.




5. A Pinch Better (Last Week: 5th)
Avg points for: 128
Avg points against: 128

A nice bounce back after 2 slow weeks for Sean earns him a victory over his older, but less cool, brother. My major concerns with this team is the long term health of the players who are carrying the load thus far-

Edelman- Now that Amendola is back Edelman in bench material
McFadden- Hurt right now
Roddy- Huge mess. Just when he's about to get over the ankle injury he pulls a hammy.
Mathews- Injured, concussed, outplayed by Danny
F Jax- Healthy now but hes old and already starting to get banged up
Murray- Amazing so far but this is Murray. It's almost a guarantee he misses time at some point.

The good thing here is that Foster seems to have re established himself as the clear lead back in Houston. That's a big deal and affords Sean the opportunity to shop his secondary backs around if he wants to. Sean would be 31-23-1 if he played every team every week.




6. Dr. Victorious Secret (Last Week: 6th)
Avg points for: 126
Avg points against: 107

Kait just keeps rolling along. We've seen this before... Great draft and solid squad BUT inactivity and complacency in regard to the waiver wire is starting to hurt her team. Kait has made 0 moves this year so far and she is lucky to be 4-1.  As long as Kait has Peyton Manning she is going to contend, but the RB duo of T Richardson and S Ridley is amazingly unproductive and disappointing. Kait has a lot of nice WR options- esp with Harvin cooking on the bench- and FINALLY it looks like Gronk will be back in the lineup this week. Outside of week 1 Kait is averaging a very pedestrian 115 per week but she has been lucky with scheduling thus far (over those same 4 weeks her opponents are averaging just 99 points.) We'll see which direction this team heads but I could see it going either way. I say this all the time... "You can't win your league on draft day but you CAN lose it."...Kait is a perfect example for the former part of that sentance. Even with a great draft you cant expect to win if you don't make in-season moves.  Kait would be 29-25-1 if she played every team every week.




7. The Crossing Guards (Last Week: 7th)
Avg points for: 119
Avg points against: 151

The fantasy Gods were NOT happy with #DeutscheBill missing the draft this year. They may have rewarded him with a nice roster but WOW is he getting screwed by the schedule. Bill is averaging a league worst 150 points against. That's right.... 150 points against. Bill has more points against than the highest scoring team has points for...The WR trio of Green-Smith-V Jax is no joke... the major issues on this team continue to be RB depth/scoring. Its borderline crazy town that Bill inherited an auto drafted team and hasn't made a single trade yet. Stay tuned. Bills team would be 23-32 if he played every team every week.




8. Angry Pirates (Last Week: 11th)
Avg points for: 101
Avg points against: 114

Big trade last week followed up by a big (lucky) win so Campbell gets the 3 spot bump up this week. First it needs to be mentioned that Campbell has actually scored the least amount of points in the league so far this year, but has been lucky with scheduling and is sitting in 5th place at 3-2. This past week was the first time C-Bell got over the 100 mark since week 1... and AP was on a bye. The draft picks of the suspended guys - Gordon and Blackmon- paid off nicely for C-Bell. Rolling out AP, Sproles, Gordon and Decker is real nice... now if only Dwayne Bowe could wake up this team would be in business. Campbell's team would be 9-46 if he played every team every week.




9. A1 Providers (Last Week: 8th)
Avg points for: 128
Avg points against:  132

The Julio Jones injury effects more than just the Julio Jones owners. I highly doubt Matt Ryan is a top 8 fantasy QB moving forward. The Owen Daniels injury is another tough break for Paul... Heath Miller is a fine replacement but he lacks the upside Daniels had. It was encouraging effort from Ray Rice who had his best output of the season, but still- this team is very unexciting right now. Just kind of meh. Paul may need another 40 point effort from Cruz tonight if he wants to win this week. Paul would be 29-26 if he played every team every week.




10. Comeback Story (Last Week: 12th)
Avg points for: 106
Avg points against: 120

Holy Comeback. In the matchup of the week, Donny pulled off the upset on Monday night and pulled out the much needed victory. This is the week Donny finally played the right WRs... Amendola was bland in his return but Alshon Jeffery and TY Hilton put up a combined 82 points. Defenses have been "taking away" Brandon Marshall the past few weeks, leaving Jeffery open on single coverage. The performance from this past week will serve as an eye-opening experience for defensive coordinators. I expect regression for Jeffery but he is looking like a solid weekly flex play for the rest of the season. I'm pissed I dropped him. Another positive note for Donny is the return of Alfred Morris this week, and hopefully S Jax next week. Also, Brady is going to be better moving forward with the return of The Gronk.....This happens every year. Donny has a ridiculously slow start, but claws back and battles for a playoff spot. We'll see if he can pull it off again this year. Most appropriate name ever. Donny would be 18-37 if he played every team every week.




11. the rental guys (Last Week: 9th)
Avg points for: 120
Avg points against: 134

Rough week for Dan.  3rd consecutive loss and then Julio. After the Julio news came down, Dan made a trade. Here it is:

Dan gets: Larry Fitz, Le'Veon Bell, MJD
Adam gets: Doug Martin, Shane Vereen

I like the trade a lot for Dan. I also like it for Adam, who is clearly making moves for the future, but Dan made a nice trade here in response to the Jones injury.

New staring lineup for Dan:
Kaep/ A Smith
Fitz
James Jones
Leveon Bell
D Willy/ MJD
Cameron
Shorts/ T Austin

Will this team compete? Sure. Do I see this team performing well enough to make up the ground Dan has already lost? No. I highly doubt Dan continues his playoff streak this year unless he gets very lucky. Dan's record would be 26-29 if he played every team every week.




12. The Godfather (Last Week: 10th)
Avg points for: 106
Avg points against: 127


Woof. #SophomoreSlump is trending hard right now. A second consecutive week in the 80s for Abe drops him to last place. Megatron getting scratched last minute REALLY hurt this team this past week. I actually thought the pick and pop of Broyles was going to be a great play, but Broyles did nothing. RG3 was on a bye (Although Bradford was a great play- 20 points). Colston and Thompkins both had their worst games of the season. This was a week to forget. Looking ahead, Abe has a tough schedule the rest of the way. It will be interesting to see what kind of moves are made here before the deadline...Abe's record would be 14-41 if he played every team every week.




October 7, 2013

Bruins Sox and Pats weekend roundup


Big weekend in Boston Sports... Bruins, Sox, &Pats thoughts below:





Ya, good luck trying to see that puck, goalie. 

1. The Bruins are Incredible

I made a joke comment about the Bruins going undefeated on Facebook.... obviously they cant do that but wow this team looks amazing through 2 games.

-Torrey Krug is emerging as a one of the best offensive defenseman in the league. Through 20 NHL games Krug has 5 goals and 3 assists and his presence on the point during the PP is unmeasurable. Like I said in my season preview, if the Bruins can afford to keep Chara down low in front of the goalie, this PP can dominate.

-Jordan Caron looks like hes not going to let his "last chance with the Bruins" go to waste. While Soderberg has been out due to injury, Caron has capitalized. He buried a really nice pass from Reilly Smith the other night and had a really nice goal that wasn't allowed in the first game. THIS is the reason why the Bruins have hung on to Caron for so long.

-Tuukka has stopped 57/59 shots with a couple highlight-reel saves in there. No one will be surprised if Rask turns in a Vezina-worthy performance this year.

-Bookmark this link:  http://thespokedblog.com/

If you are looking for more in-depth Bruins stuff go to this site. It is updated far more often than my website and the guys over at The Spoked Blog know what they are talking about.








2. The Red Sox are also incredible and I suck for predicting them to lose

I predicted the Sox to lose to the Rays in the ALDS but that's not going to happen. The Sox crushed the Rays on Friday and then on Saturday night David Ortiz blasted 2 HRs en route to another win over David Price.

-I brought this idea up last Summer. If David Ortiz leads the Red Sox to another World Series victory, he HAS to be considered one of the best Red Sox players of all time. I'm talking like, Ted Williams status.

-It is AWESOME to have playoff baseball back in Boston. I was at Howl at the Moon on Saturday night.... when Papi hit that 2nd HR the place went CRAZY!!!! I haven't seen a reaction like for a baseball play in at least 5 years.




-In case you missed it, David Price freaked out after the game saying he was upset Ortiz took an extra few seconds at the plate on his 2nd HR. Price is a clown for being upset... Ortiz was standing there to make sure the ball was fair, not to show up Price (as you can see in the video above.)  After the game Price then got in a Twitter fight with fans and felt the need to list his accomplishments....Petty shit for Price here after what could be his last game as a Ray.

-Also, an interesting stat I found out that entering this game David Price was the best left-handed pitcher in Fenway Park history. How wild is that????





3. The Pats sucked yesterday

Pats only managed 6 points vs Cincinnati yesterday, which in the first time the didn't score a TD in like 20+ years. Brady's TD tossing streak ends at like 50 games or something like that... 2nd all time to Drew Brees. (I hate to say, Brees got SO MUCH PUB when he was on his streak. I've barely heard any for Brady)

-Bad luck with the sky deciding to open up just in time for a game-tying drive

-Even though the offense sucked, the defense kicked ass again. HUGE turnover by Mayo at the end gave us a chance to win the game. BIG test next week vs Brees and the Saints.

-Aqib Talib is like, a top 5 or 6 corner in the league. Completely shut down AJ Green this week. Pretty sweet to FINALLY have a reliable corner. It will be interesting to see what kind of offer the Pats will make him after this season. He's probably the early favorite for the franchise tag even though I think he has been vocal about not wanting that.

-Amendola came back but wasn't completely healthy, this offense is desperate for the return of Gronk, hopefully next week. The undefeated Saints are coming to Foxboro and they actually know how to play defense now so it is going to be a really good game.




October 3, 2013

BBBBBBruins are back! 2013 prediction here




The Bruins 2013-14 campaign kicks off tonight vs. the Lightning and I am DAMN excited for the season to start. Last year we were robbed of hockey in the Fall due to the lockout, but this year we have a full 82 game schedule to look forward to.

In the Summer I went over in detail how our two new featured acquisitions will be used and what type of impact they will have.  Jarome Iginla is starting a season outside of Calgary for the first time ever, and playing with Lucic and Krejci has to be exciting for him. Loui Ericksson is slotted to play w/ Mr. Bruin, Patrice Bergeron, and Brad Marchand.

Briefly, here are the main things I am looking for this season:

-Improved PP. Obviously this has been the Bruins Achille’s heel for a long time now, since the departure of Marc Savard, but FINALLY it looks like the Bruins PP may actually be an asset this year. Iginla has looked great on the PP unit this pre-season, and with the addition of the young D men the possibilities are endless. Having their shots on the point free up Chara to finally be able to stand in front of the net during the man advantage. I’m a big proponent of this… Chara in front of the net is an enormous distraction for the opposing team and goalie. He can’t be moved.




-Young D men. Bartkowski and Krug look to continue on the success they had in the playoffs last year, while Hamilton looks to take his game to the bnext level. All 3 of these guys made the team but it seems like each night one of them will be forced to sit. Hopefully 1 if not 2 of these guys emerge as “must-starts.” Quality D man depth is a good problem to have

-Tuukka Rask. The guy has pretty much proven all the doubters wrong… now I want to see him win a Vezina. He certainly has a shot if he stays healthy. I don’t think just because he got paid he is less focused.

-Absence of Seguin and Horton- I really don’t think the Bruins will miss Seguin’s speed or anything else about his game,  really. They aren’t the type of team that features skilled players like Seguin. The only area I feel like the Bruins will miss him is in the shoot out. For Horton, we will certainly miss his big time goals. I'm not too worried about his production being replaced... but it does suck not having this guy on the team.

-3rd line. The 3rd line last year sucked all year. Even going into the playoffs no one really knew who was going to be playing. It looks like Chris Kelly will be centering Carl Soderberg and Reilly Smith.

Who IS Reilly Smith you ask?

He’s a second year pro we acquired from Dallas last year. Here is what Claude Julien says about him:

““He’s very smart,” Chiarelli said. “He makes good plays in small spaces. He’s got a real good shot. For me, I’m still evaluating. I haven’t seen a lot of him. I saw him a couple times in college. I didn’t see him live in Dallas. Our guys scouted Dallas quite closely last year. Very good stick on the wrong side. He picks pucks very well. Very good on the wall. He’s not the biggest guy, but I think he plays with an edge. He’s got a lot of the things we like.””





And we all know who Carl Soderberg is. The one eyed Swede. A gifted scorer that has been playing in across seas for years. He had a cup of coffee with the Bruins in the playoffs but ultimately his style of play is too risky to deal with in the playoffs. I’d bet Soderberg ends up with 15-20 goals on the 3rd line this year, which the Bruins would have to be happy about.

-David Krejci got awarded the “A” to split with Kelly this year… A classic case of someone who leads by example on the ice. He’s quiet but dedicated and it would be wise for our younger guys to watch this guy work. Well deserved.

My official prediction is that the Bruins win the Cup this year. I don’t see any team knocking them off within the Conference (keep in mind the Red Wings are our rivals now) and frankly I think this year’s squad is more talented than last years. Combine that with one more year of deep playoff experience for all the guys on the team and it adds up to a Stanley Cup parade if you ask me.

Enjoy the season everyone. It could be one to remember for a long time.




Trade Review: Decker/Sproles/NE DEF for Demaryius/MJD/Blackmon



Team Ice Cream gets: Demaryius Thomas, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Justin Blackmon

Angry Pirates gets: Eric Decker, Darren Sproles, New England Defense/Special Teams


Big trade here. I think the easiest way to break it down is my personal guess on the remaining value of all these studs.


Demaryius Thomas- Top 5 weekly WR option. Locked and loaded WR1 with upside

Darren Sproles- Rock solid PPR option. He's a low end RB1 on an explosive offense

Eric Decker- Locked in WR2. There will be a few duds but for the most part Decker is a very safe option w significant upside

Maurice Jones-Drew- Disappointment thus far, and stuck in a gross offense. Will still produce as a low end RB2/ flex the rest of the way.

Justin Blackmon-  WR3. Coming off suspension who knows what to expect, but Blackmon will demand targets and produce value at some point. If he wasn't a Jag he would be a legit WR2 with upside.(Josh Gordon esque)

New England Def- Whatever. They are solid but nothing special.


Overall I think the trade was pretty fair. Adam probably got the better end of the deal because he got the best player- Thomas- but Sproles is a nice take for Campbell and will solidify his RB squad. Campbell has some other nice WR options so I think this trade benefited both teams. Adam improved his starting lineup and Campbell addressed a need on his team. Nice work guys.

Adams scary ass W/R squad:

WRs: Thomas, Fitzgerald, Garcon, Stevie J, Blackmon
RBs: Charles, Bush, MJD, Bell, Bell

Dangerous. Thankfully only 5 of these guys can play each week!




Obligatory Red Sox post (Predictions included)




The Indians lost to the Rays in the AL Wildcard game last night which means the Sox and Tampa will kick off a 5 game series tomorrow night in Fenway.


Game 1: (Friday afternoon in Boston)  Jon Lester vs Matt Moore

Game 2: (Saturday night in Boston)  John Lackey vs David Price

Game 3: (Monday in Tampa) Clay Buchholz vs TBD

Game 4: (Tuesday in Tampa) Jake Peavy vs TBD

Game 5: (Thursday in Boston) Jon Lester  vs TBD


This season the Sox are 12-7 vs the Rays

This is the first time the Sox have made the playoffs since 2010, where they were swept away by the Angels

The last Sox playoff win was in the ALCS on October 18, 2008 vs the Rays. That was 1,811 days ago. To put that in perspective for people who know me well... I stated dating Ms. NWOTB about a month after that game.

The Rays eliminated the Sox in 2008 in Game 7 of the ALCS. Jon Lester started the game for the Sox that night. David Price was a rookie and earned the save. He struck out JD Drew in the bottom of the 8th with the bases loaded to essentially end the game.

This year the Rays received dominating pitching from Price, Alex Cobb, and Matt Moore. Jeremy Hellickson is also a quality pitcher that can eat up innings for the Rays

Here's how America thinks the series will go:






Here are the current Vegas odds to win the World Series:

Red Sox 3/1 (Started the season at 28/1)

Dodgers 4/1 (Started the season at 12/1)

Tigers 5/1 (Started the season at 8/1 as the league favorite)

Cardinals 5/1 (Started the season at 20/1)

A's 8/1 (Started the season at 18/1)

Rays 8/1 (Started the season at 25/1)

Braves 9/1 (Started the season at 16/1)

Pirates 12/1 (Started the season at 40/1)



My honest gut feeling is that the Sox lose to the Rays. The Rays are dangerous, have better starting pitching, and just seem to have the Sox number over the past few years or so.  The Red Sox have obviously had a nice season- no one expected them to be a playoff team- but the magic will end vs the Rays.

Predictions:

Rays over Sox in 5 games
Tigers over A's in 4 games
Pirates over Cardinals in 5 games
Dodgers over Braves in 4 games

Tigers over Rays in the ALCS
Dodgers over Pirates in the NLCS

Tigers over Dodgers in the World Series.





The Tigers are too good. They have the best lineup, tons of experience, a great starting rotation, and a fairly deep bullpen. They got swept out of the World Series last year but I think they ca go the distance this time around. I'm rooting for the Sox first, the Pirates second, and after that I could care less.

Also, Here are all the World Series Winners and Losers since I started really caring about and understaing sports. Around age 9. (click the picture to zoom in)






Go baseball.


October 1, 2013

Dirty D Week 5 Power Ranks



Rainbow and Sparkles Edition  (for Abe) 


Last week I was too "mean" in my power ranks for some people. This week I'm going to keep it nice and fluffy so no one's feelings are hurt.








1. Team Ice Cream (Last Week: 3rd)

Ding Dong! that's the Le'veon Bell. Another RB for Adam to dangle. Ended up w a Tie last week and acquired Larry Fitz/ Joique Bell. Darren Sproles coming out party. Most points in the league. Looking forward to our matchup this week.







2. Eat More Chicken (Last Week: 1st)

Monster effort from the Cows here. Jason Witten was the lowest scorer at 9 points. No one wants to play this team right now. Apparently Andre Johnson just cant be stopped even if he is injured and facing the leagues best pass D.






3. Tahiti Loungers (Last Week: 2nd)

Actually last week I was criticized for "shitting on" every other team except my own which I apparently only had praise for. So let me make amends and just trash on this shitty roster for a minute. 8 points combined from the 2 RBs? Joke. I should have known both Reece and Spiller would leave their games with injuries. This team obviously blows, it's impossible to have a good fantasy team when you have shitty RBs. Brees and Graham got lucky this week, that probably wont happen again. Kenbrell Thompkins? Sucks. He can't catch and so that means he's a terrible fantasy option. Jordy Nelson was on a bye this past week but his 0 points are still unacceptable. Brandon Marshall has only 26 points in the 2 weeks since I acquired him... washed up. Guy cant play anymore. Trade rape city. Also, Brian Hartline, Andre Ellington, Coby Fleener, Montee Ball, Greg Jennings and Andre Brown all suck horribly and should probably be dropped.





4. Boston Patriots (Last Week: 4th)

109 points isn't necessarily the best week ever, but I applaud the Boston Patriots on their effort. The important thing is that everyone had fun... LeSean McCoy and Matt Stafford have been having a lot of fun all year.. the fun continues this week with comeback story on the schedule.






5. A Pinch Better (Last Week: 5th)

YAY! Roddy White played most all of the snaps! He's going to be back soon! There's three reasons why I didn't drop Sean in the ranks this week. 1 is that Foster got most all of the carries for the Texans and if that trend continues, look out world. Also DeMarco Murray continues his asasult on the league this year with another nice effort. The 2nd reason is that Aaron Rodgers and Jermicahel Finley were on bye so I give a pass to sean on the 26 combined points from the QB and TE this week. The 3rd and most important reason why I didn't drop Sean in the ranks is because that is just too mean. The kid just lost, dropped to 1-3, I think the last thing he needs mentally is to drop in my power ranks.




6. Dr. Victorious Secret (Last Week: 7th)

Peyton Manning is dominating the NFL... Kait is going to be a weekly threat to drop 150 as long as Manning is in her lineup. 76 (over half) of Kait's points this week came from her Denver trio (Manning/Welker/Denver D) en route to a victory over Dan. Gronk coming back is gravy for this team.





7. The Crossing Guards (Last Week: 8th)

AutoBill is on the board in 2013! See! Computers can have fun too.  A very nice bounce back week for Bill after 2 tough battles. Torrey Smith finally found paydirt this week and the TE decision of Clay over VD turned out to be a very good one. Good job good effort Auto Bill.




8. A1 Providers (Last Week: 11th)

Paul scored 120% higher in week 4 than he did in week 3. He went from 73 points scored all the way up to 163 points scored. Matt Ryan, Frank Gore, Victor Cruz and Jacquizz Rodgers all put up their best efforts of 2013 in Week 4. I expect a few more weeks like this sprinkled throughout Paul's season... clearly this team has blow up potential.





9. the rental guys (Last Week: 6th)

Jordan Cameron is a stud and he's here to stay. Seriously, the guy has to be regarded as the 2nd best TE option weekly. Right now for the rest of the season I would take Cameron over Gronk. Another stud: Julio Jones... basically hes unstoppable, especially when hes partner Roddy is banged up. Dan is 1-3 but has never missed the playoffs so maybe a mini-run is on tap?






10. The Godfather (Last Week: 9th)

Last week Abe turned Fitz/J Bell/R Mathews into Colston/Moreno/Pierce after a couple trades. I like the end result. Even though he lost, Week 4 was going to be tough for Abe to win anyway with Lacy and Olson on a bye. The important thing here is that Abe had fun playing fantasy football this weekend... that's what its all about. Having fun. Everyone wins if everyone has fun.





11. Angry Pirates (Last Week: 10th)

Did you see that AP run?! WOW! and Demaryius Thomas... WOW! So many positive things to talk about here! Campbell isn't a bunny at all!





12. Comeback Story (Last Week: 12th)

Everyone thought Tony Gonzalez was dead. Apparently he isn't.

Weeks 1-3: 11 catches, 93 yards, 1 TD
Week 4: 12 catches, 149 yards, 2 TDs

It was actually the most yardage T Gonz has ever gained in 1 game in his entire career. Too bad he is going on BYE in week 5, though. Another positive for Donny is that Tom Brady actually looked like Tom Brady this week... with a growing rapport with the rookie WRs and Gronk coming back... Brady will be the golden boy again soon and maybe I'll bump Donny up out of the cellar.



I hope everyone had FUN reading the power ranks this week!