2013 Dirty D Recap

The fantasy football Gods awarded me with my 3rd "D" after beating Adam and Team Ice Cream last Sunday.

Here's the final tally:

Some notes:

-Andy Dalton won me this championship. He was the 2nd best QB in Week 16, proving that a fantasy title CAN be won with a QBBC.

Over the past 4 weeks, here are the QB scoring leaders:

1. Peyton 126
2. Foles 99
3. Dalton 91
4. Brady 82
5. Tannehill 75

And here are the QBs I used (With Rodgers on my bench)

Week 13- Dalton 9
Week 14- Flacco 19
Week 15- Tannehill 26
Week 16- Dalton 33

That's 87 points. QBBC baby!


-Aaron Rodgers never played 1 week for me this year. I took a gamble trading for him back in November... he never came back. This mostly effected Jordy Nelson, who was a completely different fantasy receiver before and after Rodgers went down. Next year, I expect Nelson to come at a discount in drafts. He's a top 10 fantasy WR with Rodgers at the helm. Sticking with the Pack, Eddie Lacy was a stud all year. Easily the best trade I made this season, (K Thompkins for Lacy) I was paid off in a big time in Week 16 with a 2 TD performance from Lacy. AND he left the game early.

-My team actually scored the most points in Weeks 14, 15, AND 16. That means no matter who I played in any week, I would have won the D. This normally isn't the case, but it was this year, and I am happy knowing that I clearly had the best team at the end of the season. Over those 3 weeks my team averaged 172 points per week. In Week 15, I set a new franchise record (and 2nd highest score in League history) with 203 points. And it feels great because through all 33 weeks I had to spot start guys like Rod Streater, Jordan Todman, and of course my QBBC. I definitely earned/deserve this D.

-Congrats to Jenna and her team Eat More Chicken for 3rd place. No #sophomoreslump here!

-Jamaal Charles obv was a monster contributor to this title. You can even argue that I actually won the big trade with Adam where I got Rodgers and Charles, simply because Charles was such a beast down the stretch.

-I swung and missed on Rueben Randle. I love the guy's talent but he didn't come through for me. Next year I expect a rebound from Eli and the Giants so Randle will be on my radar.

-Adam has ALWAYS loved Reggie Bush. BUT... that was before Reggie cost Adam a "D."  Bush fumbled in the first half and dropped a big pass in the 2nd half, and was benched for Joique Bell for most of the game. Joique actually had a career high in carries, and even the 3rd string RB came in for a TD over Bush in the second half.... Not that anyone would have ever suggested this move... but if Adam had ever played Joique over Bush, he would have won  the matchup 142-134. Ouchy.

-Ryan Mathews is a beast. If you've been burned by him in the past, ( I have!) You should probably get over it and seriously think about drafting this guy next year. He's young, talented, and maybe he found a way to stay healthy. Finished as the #16 RB in our league this year, and keep in mind there was a long stretch where Woodhead was stealing all of the playing time.

-Streaming Defenses is King. I ended up rolling with the KC defense in Week 16... and they screwed me over by scoring just 3 points. I was THIS close to playing the Rams DST or the Lions DST, both of which scored much much better. To be fair, Adams streaming defense, the Browns, actually only scored 2 points. The Jets somehow played a great home game and didn't turn the ball over. Still... at the beginning of the week, Adam had the chance to gram the Lions or Rams off waivers, but passed. Lets take my annual look at how my streaming defenses fared vs the top units in the league.

Top defenses in the league:

KC- 228 points
Seattle- 208
Carolina- 203
SF- 187
AZ- 183

And a week by week breakdown of how my streaming D worked:

Week 1- Tampa Bay 13 points
Week 2- Carolina 7 points
Week 3- Minnesota 9 points
Week 4- Baltimore 10 points
Week 5- St. Louis 18 points
Week 6- NY Jets 8 points
Week 7- San Diego 16 points
Week 8- New Orleans 14 points
Week 9- New Orleans 4 points
Week 10- AZ 13 points
Week 11- Houston 6 points
Week 12- Houston 10 points
Week 13- Miami 18 points
Week 14- KC 28 points
Week 15- KC 18 points
Week 16- KC 3 points

That's a total of 195 points, which would be the 4th highest on the list. I do realize that KC in week 14 kinda of throws this off a bit... but I think the point is proven once again. If you don't draft an elite defense (which you will have to spend a 7th or 8th round pick on) you are much better off going with streaming defenses.

Also, The KC and Carolina defenses were both available after the draft. I even used Carolina in Week 2 and then dropped them. So when you are drafting next year... I will once again suggest on waiting for a Defense. Instead, use the draft pick to select someone like... I don't know... Josh Gordon?

-I didn't own Josh Gordon in this league, but I HAVE to mention him. He finished our league AHEAD OF CALVIN JOHNSON. Oh, and did anyone forget Gordon was suspended for the first 2 games? Yea that right. That makes Gordon the #1 WR in fantasy this year, and it's not even that close. I owned Gordon on 4 of my 5 teams... and the only team I DIDN'T own him on, I won the championship. Crazy fantasy football...

-I also have to mention Jimmy Graham here. I took a chance on him with an early draft pick... something I've never really done before... and it paid of in a huge way. Graham carried my team the first half of the season, and although his pace was slowed down in the 2nd half... he still finished so far ahead of the #2 TE that Graham should DEFINITELY be a 1st round pick next year in PPR drafts... and you can probably make a case for him as the #1 overall pick. He finished 90 points ahead of the #2 TE (Julius Thomas).. outscoring him 295-205. That's a MONSTER advantage.

Now that 2013 is in the books... lets go back and look at the draft. Here are the top 15 picks in my opinion:

Jamaal Charles #5 overall,  Team Ice Cream
Jimmy Graham #17 overall, Tahiti Loungers
Peyton Manning #37 overall, Victorious Secret
Pierre Garcon, #43 overall, Team Ice Cream
DeMarco Murray, #46 overall, A Pinch Better
Eric Decker #54 overall, Team Ice Cream
DeSean Jackson, #67 overall, Team Ice Cream
Antonio Brown, #68 overall, Boston Patriots
Ryan Mathews, #69 overall, The Godfather
Josh Gordon, #96 overall, Angry Pirates
Jordan Cameron, #98 overall, the rental guys
Fred Jackson, #118 overall, A Pinch Better
Alshon Jeffery, #128 overall, Tahiti Loungers
Julien Edelman, #142 overall, A Pinch Better
Knowshon Moreno, #147 overall, A Pinch Better

Looking back now, its clear that Adam (Team Ice Cream) and Sean (A Pinch Better) probably had the 2 best drafts.

Here are the best in-season pick ups IMO:

Julius Thomas, Week 1, Boston Patriots
Andre Brown, Week 2, Tahiti Loungers
Andre Ellington, Week 3, Tahiti Loungers
Philip Rivers, Week 3, Boston Patriots
KC Defense, Week 3, Team Ice Cream
Alshon Jeffery, Week 5, Comeback Story
Garrett Graham, Week 6, The Godfather
Zac Stacy, Week 6, the rental guys
Keenan Allen, Week 6, Team Ice Cream
Terrance Williams, Week 6, Comeback Story
Jordan Reed, Week 6, Comeback Story
Michael Floyd, Week 6, the rental guys
Jarret Boykin, Week 7, the rental guys
Nick Foles, Week 10, A Pinch Better
Rashad Jennings, Week 10, The Crossing Guards
Riley Cooper, Week 10, A1 Providers
Julie Edelman, Week 11, The Godather
Josh McCown, Week 11, A1 Providers
Cordarrelle Patterson, Week 13, Team Ice Cream
Phil Dawson, Week 14, Tahiti Loungers

Look at the names on that list. From pick-ups alone you could possibly be starting:

QB- Philip Rivers
WR- Keenan Allen
WR- Alshon Jeffery
RB- Zac Stacy
RB- Rashad Jennings
TE- Jordan Reed
Flex- Julien Edelman
KC Defense
Justin Tucker

That's a nasty lineup. Point here: Makes moves people. Jenna, Kait, and C Bunny all should have been more active on the wire. Jenna's team would have won the ship (like Kait in 2011) if she paid a little bit more attention/ was more active.

 Here are the final 2013 scoring averages Weeks 1-16 (the number that goes in the record books) for every team:

Tahiti Loungers- 134.9
Eat More Chicken- 130
Team Ice Cream- 129.5
Boston Patriots- 127.5
The Crossing Guards- 127
A Pinch Better- 121.7
Angry Pirates- 115.9
the rental guys- 112
Victorious Secret- 111.9
The Godfather- 110.6
Comeback Story- 106.3
A1 Providers- 104.9


And here are the updated all time standings (2009-2013):

Breaking Down the 2013 Dirty D 'Ship

Player by Player Breakdown Tahiti Loungers vs Team Ice Cream 2013 Dirty D Championship

QBs- Andy Dalton vs. Drew Brees

Brees and Dalton have played for both mine and Adam’s team this year. Brees is obviously the stud… a bonafide fantasy superstar. Dalton? He’s purely a matchup QB…. And a pretty good one at that if you spot start him at the right time (at home vs a bad opponent.) Check out these splits (8 road games, 5 home games):

Road #s- 27 TDs, 16 INTs, 87.6 rating

Home #s- 14 TDs, 5 INTs, 98.9 rating

Road fantasy output:  15-5-26-28-8-14-9-19   (17.25 average)

Home fantasy output: 16-13-8-33-11-30  (18.50 average)

I actually thought the fantasy numbers would have a wider gap. The 11 and 8 point showings at home came against the Pats (when they had a good defense) and the Browns.

Anyway, I expect that 18.5 point average at home to be the floor for Dalton this week. Coming into town is the Minnesota Vikings, who have recently yielded:

Week 15- Nick Foles- 39 fantasy points

Week 14- Joe Flacco- 19 points

Week 13- Josh McClown- 24 points

Week 12-  GB QBs- 25 points

Overall this is the second worst passing defense. Last week they couldn’t stop DeSean Jackson (10/195/1), so I’m not sure how they have any chance of  stopping AJ Green this week.  Plus it helps that the Vikings are somehow scoring points on offense to keep the games competitive and high scoring.

Overall I expect AT LEAST something along the lines of 300 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, and 15 rushing yards. That’s 21 fantasy points. I’d be pretty happy  with that, if Dalton gets me 20+ that’s all I can really hope for with my QBBC.

As for Brees…. Well, he’s Drew Brees. I am not inside Adam’s head so I can only assume he is taking the “start your studs” mentality this weekend. Its obv very tough to ever sit Drew Brees… but I’m going to lay something out to you real quick.

Road fantasy output:  14-19-16-21-19-7-21  (16.7 average)

Home fantasy output: 22-33-38-35-33-16-30 (34.28 average)

Huge, huge gap there. Brees is twice the fantasy QB at home as he is on the road, having not scored over 21 points yet this season outside the dome.  What’s worse for Brees owners is that this week’s game- on the road in Carolina- is against a tough defense. The Carolina defense has been stellar vs QBs this year, giving up the 2^nd least points to opposing QBS.  The most they have given up all year, though? Brees 2 weeks ago in the dome (30). The most they have given up at home? Russell Wilson Week 1 with 16 points. They gave up 13 to Brady a few weeks ago on MNF. This defense is for real.

So that seems like it may create a situation where Brees owners may think about looking elsewhere. I own Brees in a different league I am playing for the Championship in, and I am starting him (Over Cousins and Cutler.)  Adam’s other choices are Kirk Cousins and Ryan Fitzpatrick… although I think he mostly picked up those cats to “block” me. Cousins may be a tempting play this week after lighting up the Falcons last week… but at the end of the day he’s still Kirk Cousins.  Hard to trust in his 3^rd career start, even if he IS going against the worst passing defense in the league.

So anyway I assume Adam will stick with Brees (who I traded him, by the way) and here my prediction for him:

280 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. That translates to 17 fantasy points. That’s right in line with Brees’ road average, and would be the 3^rd highest amount of points scored against Carolina this year.

WR1- Jordy Nelson vs Desean Jackson

Aaron Rodgers not playing this week means a massive downgrade to Jordy Nelson. With Rodgers at the helm, Nelson is a mid rage WR1. Without him, Nelson is merely a WR2.  

Jordy avg fantasy points with AR:  21.42

Jordy avg fantasy points without AR:  10.42

That’s a massive difference. I only started Jordy last week because of the great matchup (and he rewarded me with his first TD since Rodgers went down.) Ideally he would be on my bench but I have been throttled with injuries to star players in the past few weeks. Welker got that concussion and is out. Victor Cruz also went down with injury.  Ultimately, compared to my options, Jordy is my best WR play this week. I believe in this guys talent… and I think stupid Matt Flynn is getting better game by game. The Packers offense has a little bit of mojo going and with this Jordy Nelson play, I am banking on a TD. Im not going to project the TD but my best guess is Jordy ends up with a 5 for 70 type afternoon vs Ike Taylor. If he scores a TD that’s gravy, but officially Im only projecting 12 points from Jordy.

DeSean Jackson…possibly the best “big play” receiver in the NFL. He’s so freaking fast. He’s 5^th in the NFL in yardage but only 21^st in targets… what does that mean? They take deep shots to this guy and he’s pretty good at catching them. He’s #2 in the NFL on plays that go for 25 yards or more.

So yes, this guy is scary to face. This week the Eagles are playing Chicago… a team that is TERRIBLE vs the run. So I expect a heavy dose of LeSean Mccoy…. That’s means one of two things for D Jax. If Chicago sells out to stop the run, D Jax is going to have a field day with single coverage. Multiple long TDs. Pleas God do not let this be the case! Hopefully it goes the other way… with the Bears concentrating on shutting the passing game/big plays down and making the Eagles beat them on the ground.  Regardless, its pretty scary to see D Jax on the other side of my matchup. He HAS scored single digits in 4 different games this year… but coming off a monster 41 point performance I doubt we see a dud. I’m projecting a 6/120/1 game. 26 fantasy points.

WR2- Ruben Randle vs Pierre Garcon

Another WR matchup blood bath in Adam’s favor. Let’s take a looksie at Garcon and his Week 16 outlook:

A.      He’s facing off against the Cowboys, the worst passing D in the league

B.      He will have Kirk Cousins passing to him again… a guy who’s willing to take shots deep. Last week Garcon dropped 7/129/1, his best game since Week 10.

Garcon has yet to have a game where he catches less than 5 passes. He has a great matchup. Projecting him for anything less than 8/120/1 is just dangerous. 28 fantasy points.

Rueben Randle is the guy I’m (most likely) gambling on this week. I love this guy’s talent. I had him rostered for most of the year as a back up for Cruz. I dropped him a few weeks ago when the Giants offense went in the toilet. Speaking of the Giants offense… so gross. They just got shut out at home by Seattle. Eli threw 5 INTS. Gross city.

HOWEVER- the Lions defense (and secondary) are not near as imposing as the Seahawks. I am somewhat concerned loser Eli will be under a ton of pressure all game, but it may only take a few catches for Randle to make a big play. He has 6 TDs on the year compared to 4 for Cruz and 0 for Nicks.  I’m rolling the dice on this gut call and going with Randle over guys like Andre Caldwell, Rod Streater, and Marvin Jones. Don’t let me down Rueben!  Projection: 5/75/1,   18 fantasy points.

RB1- Jamaal Charles vs Reggie Bush

Phew. Thank God we are done with the WR projections. I’m feeling like shit right now. What the best medicine for my shitty WRs? How about my bomb RBs? Charles is in a league of his own this year. He has SIXTY more points than the #2 RB (Mccoy). Last week’s  5 TD heroic effort proved that Charles probably has the highest ceiling for any RB. He just makes plays and doesn’t go down. His #1 concern coming into the year was durability.. well he has 311 touches already and is only improving.

Although he is matchup proof, this week Indy comes to town having only yielded two 100 yard rushers all year. Marshawn Lynch in Week 5 and Ryan Mathews Week 6. Charles, however, is a swiss army knife. If your stopping the run, he’ll catch dump offs all day. Guy can’t be stopped. For this week I am projecting 88 rushing yards, 5 catches, 60 yards, 1 TD.  That’s 25 fantasy points.

Reggie Bush has also been a stud all year, when healthy. He’s missed some time but none of it matters now, he’s healthy entering the last week. The Lions are playing the Giants, and Bush should feast per usual. The Giants have given up a rushing TD in 3 straight games, and opponent RBs are averaging 5 catches against. Ass in the fact that this is a must win for the Lions and they are at home… you get a very nice play here for Adam. My only hope is that Joique Bell steals the goal line looks and plays well enough to command snaps.  Projecting Reggie at 80 rush yards, 6 catches, 55 receiving yards, 1 TD which equals 25 points.  (Adam would certainly be happy with Bush cancelling out Charles, which is how I have it projected.

 RB2-  Eddie Lacy vs. Ryan Mathews

Ryan Mathews has been a nice surprise for his owners this year, especially as of late. Earlier in the season Danny Woodhead was stealing all the playing time, but the Chargers coaches love Mathews and are determined to make it work with him. He’s stayed healthy and been very solid. On the schedule this week is Oakland, who just surrendered 65 fantasy points to Jamaal Charles last week. Needless to say, Mathews is probably drooling at this matchup. I don’t see how he doesn’t continue his production of 20+ point games. Projecting him at 130 rushing yards, 1 TD, 2 catches, 20 yards. Another 25 point projection.

Eddie Lacy is a beast. Just your typical big bodied downhill punishing runner. Without Rodgers playing his upside is limited… the Steelers are just going to load the box and try to stop this guy. He can definitely be slowed down between the 20s, but near the goal line he’s an animal. He also has a nice pair of mitts out of the backfield. Ill project Lacy at 110 rushing yards, 1 TD, 3 catches for 25 yards. That’s  22 fantasy points.

TE- Jimmy Graham vs Greg Olsen

Last week I put up a franchise high in points, with a lowly 4 spot from the stud Jimmy Graham. He’s actually been pretty containable over the past 6 weeks, averaging just 10 fantasy points per game. With a tough matchup vs. Carolina… I expect Brees to lean pretty heavily on his favorite target. A big bounce back week is expected from Jimmy, and this is something I will likely need if I want to win the D. Projecting Graham for 7/90/1 which translates to 22 fantasy points.

It looks like Adam will be rolling with Greg Olsen, so our Tight Ends will be facing off vs each other. Olsen put up a nice 8/40 line vs the Saints 2 weeks ago… and Kam Newton has shown trust in his TE target this year. The Saints will have a hard time covering Olsen, so the hope here is that he is contained on the field and doesn’t get into the end zone. Ill project G-Reg for 7/60 and no TD. That’s 13 points.

 Flex- Jordan Todman vs Andre Brown

***This just in. When looking for a pic of Todman (right)  I found the one above from the MIAA Super Bowls in 2007. Jordan Todman is from Dartmouth, MA!!!! Crazy. Never knew that. I guess that explains why he went to UConn****

This guys are in very, very similar situations this week. Jordan Todman could end up being my hero this year. The speedy JAX backup got the start for injured MJD last week, and rewarded me with 18 fantasy points. He didn’t get into the endzone, but he looked good and flashed skill. The Jags receiving core is a mess, so they figure to lean on Todman this week. Through shear workload (and talent) alone, Todman should be able to find some room to run vs Tennessee, the 2^nd worst defensive unit. The rest of the offense sucks so expectations should be tempered.  Projecting 90 rush yards, 1 TD, 3 catches, 30 yards,  21 fantasy points.

Andre Brown has been a horse since he returned. You basically have to throw out last weeks dud… the entire offense had no chance vs Seattle. The Lions run defense IS pretty good, so I don’t expect Andre Brown to go buck wild, but again, like Todman, through workload and talent alone Brown will produce some fantasy points.   Projecting 95 rush yards, 3 catches, 25 yards. 14 points.

Defense-  KC/DET/STL vs CLE

I haven’t decided what D/ST to roll with yet. Here are my options:

KC- These guys have delivered all year, except for a 3 week window when they played Denver twice and SD. KC at home is nice… but I have my concerns. Andrew Luck and the Colts just don’t turn the ball over. And I think this game could be high scoring. To play the KC defense I would have to bank on a TD which I don’t know if I can do. This unit is very very good, though, so even in a “bad” matchup vs Indy, they are still a  top 5 option.

Detroit- Detroit is playing Eli and the Giants at home. Nuff said.

St Louis- The Rams are really good at home. And their D/ST has blown up this year. Tavon Austin probably isn’t playing so the return TD threat is essentially nil, but at home vs TB this is a pretty safe play.

Adams rolling with the Cleveland defense, playing against the mighty Jets. Cleveland crushed it last weekend, an 18 point effort vs the Bears. I doubt they score 2 TDs again this week, but I have to project them for at least 15 points because they are playing the Jets. Whichever defense I end up going with, I will project them for the same amount.

Kicker- Phil Dawson vs Matt Prater

Normally I would give Adam an advantage here, but this week it should be pretty even. Prater scores more at home (this week he is on the road) and the SF offense has been extra bad at finishing drives recently. I still think Denver has the potential to score at will so Prater is the preferred guy, but its close. Ill project Prater for 14 and Dawson for 12.

So here is my prediction:

Tahiti Loungers

Dalton- 21

Nelson- 12

Randle- 18

Charles- 25

Lacy- 22

Graham- 22

Todman- 21

Defense- 15

Dawson- 12

Total:  168

Team Ice Cream

Brees- 17

Jackson- 26

Garcon- 28

Bush- 25

Mathews- 25

Olsen- 13

Brown- 14

Cleveland- 15

Prater- 14

Total: 177

So there you have it. 

My official prediction is a Team Ice Cream win 177-168.

While its almost guaranteed I am way too high in my projections, I think what the biggest takeaway here is the fact that these 2 teams should produce a very,. very close matchup. It’s going to come down to who’s studs perform better…there’s a dozen or so players involved that could easily go OFF. There's always a chance you will be disappointed too… like I said last week Jimmy Graham had 4 points. Inexplicable. That shit happens sometimes. So no matter what the result, I am proud of both of these teams for competing down to wire this year. Both teams deserve to with the D. That being said, fuck off Adam, Tahiti Repeati !!!!!! LETS GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

2013 Dirty D Championship: James vs Adam (2010 re-match)

Week 15 was a wild one...after the highest scoring week in NFL history (again), my team actually came through in the clutch. Adam also won to set up a re-match of the 2010 Championship.

I don't want to spend too much time on Week 15, but I HAVE to note my team's performance (especially after I wrote a blog last week LOL-ing at my lineup). 203 points is the 2nd highest score in League History... and it was done with a roster that included Ryan Tannehill, Jordan Todman, and Rod Streater. Jamaal Charles also dropped 65 point of his own.... and Jordy scored his first TD since ARod went down. It's been 2 consecutive weeks for my team performing its best all year... Great timing! (especially because it was just 3 weeks ago I had my lowest output of the year in Week 13.)   On the other side of the semi's, Adam was able to hold off a monster comeback effort from Justin Tucker. #AutoBill loses for the first time since before Halloween and his league record tying 6 game win streak comes to an end. D Jax led Adams team with over 40 points, and even in a "bad" game Drew Brees still tossed up 20 points.

Now, lets move on to the championship match!!

Last year I thought Adam and I had the 2 best teams. Adam lost in the semi's but this year he took care of business and we have our re match from 2010.

Just for fun lets look at every matchup Adam and I have had head to head in League history:

2009 Week 3- Adam wins 107-91
2009 Week 14- James wins 151-95
2010 Week 2- James wins 175-63
2010 Week 13- Adam wins 128-102
2010 Week 16- James wins 129-88
2011 Week 5- James wins 101-93
2012 Week 6- James wins 169-131
2013 Week 5-  James wins 130-108

So as you can see I've dominated with a 6-2 record and haven't lost to Adam since before my first Title in 2010.

Unfortunately for me, this literally means nothing for this upcoming week. This isn't real football, I'm not actually playing Adam. My roster is competing indirectly with his roster.

Here is a comparison, week by week of the 2 teams in 2013.

Week 1- Adam 145  James 136
Week 2- Adam 182  James 122
Week 3- James 135  Adam 113
Week 4- Adam 168  James 140
Week 5- James 130  Adam 108
Week 6- Adam 164  James 140
Week 7- Adam 133  James 104
Week 8- James 162  Adam 121
Week 9- Adam 146  James 128
Week 10- James 110  Adam 92
Week 11- James 112  Adam 100
Week 12- James 125  Adam 113
Week 13- James 98  Adam 98
Week 14- James 179  Adam BYE
Week 15- James 203 Adam 144

So if you take out week 14 when Adam didn't have a matchup, our head to head record this year would be 7-6-1. (7 wins for James, 6 for Adam, 1 tie)

Overall, that's about as close as it gets, folks. Something that DOES favor me is that Adams team was strong at the beginning of the year and since Week 7 I've only been outscored by Adam one time (to go along with one tie.)

Both of these teams look a lot different now than they did toward the beginning of the season. In fact, just prior to Week 11 Adam and I made the following trade:

Adam gets: Drew Brees, Andre Brown, Michael Crabtree, Denarious Moore, AZ Defense

James gets: Aaron Rodgers, Jamaal Charles, KC Defense.


This obviously severely altered the look of both these teams. I traded for Rodgers under the assumption he would be back by now...as of this writing it looks like a true coin flip 50/50 situation on whether he will play in Week 16 or not.

SINCE THE TRADE:

Adams average score: 113.75
James average score: 143.40

Obviously the last 2 weeks have helped me pull way ahead of Adam here. In fact, with those 2 monstrous weeks I took over the points lead (played 1 extra game than Adam and Jenna) but also the average weekly score in 2013.

FULL SEASON AVG SCORE

James- 134.93
Adam- 130.57

In case anyone is wondering, those numbers represent the 2 best in the league all year.

Not for nothing but here is the league leaderboard for  # of moves Weeks 1-13 (stats aren't kept on this once the regular season is over)

James- 66
Adam- 37
Bill- 36
Sean- 34

Those are pretty much the 4 best teams. 2013 was a good year to prove my theory that in our league, success can partially be estimated by activity.

Anyway, using almost any metric you want, it's clear these have been the 2 top teams this year and I'm looking forward to the rematch!!!


I will do an in-depth player by player matchup and post it later this week. No Thursday Night game this week (Thank God) so there's plenty of time.

This is Adam referring to the 2010 defeat 

Let's all LOL at my fantasy lineup for Week 15 (Predictions for Semis)

I haven't posted anything about the Dirty D in a while... but we are down to the final 4:

Tahiti Loungers vs Eat More Chicken

and

Team Ice Cream vs The Crossing Guards

The last time I posted here my team was in great shape. Injury free, except for Aaron Rodgers- who I traded fro AFTER his injury. However, as we all know... Rodgers isn't back yet. He ain't coming back. This injury is my worst nightmare... not only do I need to replace my elite QB, but this also drains the value of Jordy Nelson and even Eddie Lacy. Rough city.

Jordy Since Flynn took over at QB:

Week 14-    12 points
Week 13-    3 points
Week 12-    9 points

This past week I also lost Wes Welker to a concussion. Thankfully this was after he contributed 17 points, but on a short week vs SD, he's been ruled out for tonight's game. Too bad, juicy matchup.

Another problem I have this week: Victor Cruz is playing vs Seattle. They give up the fewest points to opposing fantasy WRs. I feel like I cant trust Cruz. I don't want to play him. His past few weeks:

Week 14-   9 points
Week 13-   14 points
Week 12-   2 points

SOOOOO in the final stages of 2013 I'm being forced to make some tough decisions. I picked up Rod Streater and I'm pretty sure I am going to play him over Cruz.

More Packer problems:

Last week Eddie Lacy had a minor injury before halftime, an ankle issue. He came back in and finished the game but now he's being held out of practice and his Week 15 status is in doubt. THANK GOD I was able to pick up James Starks off the waiver... I'm basically guaranteed to have the Green Bay starting RB in my lineup this week, just not sure if it is going to be Lacy or Starks.

Another player I picked up this week was Jordan Todman. He is the speedy back up to MJD... who pulled his hammy at the end of last weeks game. Todman was already getting touches, but if MJD sits out Ill most definitely be playing Todman out of my flex... I'm very much rooting for this to happen.

As far as a QB replacement for Rodgers goes, Ill be turning to yet another new face. QBBC for the win baby!

Since I traded away Drew Brees (LOL, hurts to type) here is what my QB spot has produced-

Week 11- Case Keenum 8 points
Week 12- Case Keenum 4 points
Week 13- Andy Dalton 9 points
Week 14- Joe Flacco 19 points

So Yes, last week was a nice breath of fresh air for me at QB. This week I think I am going to roll with Ryan Tannehill, facing YOUR New England Patriots.

Tannehill has been good. He hasn't scored under 14 fantasy points since Week 8. The past 3 weeks he's scored 19-23-23 points. He's getting rushing yards and now faces a NE defense who gave up 31 points to Jason Campbell last week. He should be good for a minimum of 15 points.

So, without further adieu, here is my potential lineup for this semi final matchup:


QB Ryan Tannehill 
WR Jordy Nelson
WR Rod Streater 
RB Jamaal Charles
RB Eddie Lacy or James Starks
TE Jimmy Graham
Flex Jordan Todman or Ray Rice or Victor Cruz or someone crazy
Defense KC
Kicker None yet


Yikes. Not the ideal lineup like I'm used to, but we'll see if I can get it done and advance to the ship to defend the D!!!


My predictions for the Semi's:

Tahiti Loungers
Tannehill- 17 points
Jordy- 12 points
Streater- 14 points
Charles- 20 points
GB RB- 15 points
Jimmy- 20 points
Flex guy hopefully Todman- 12 points
KC Defense- 12 points
Kicker- 6 points

Total: 128 points 



Eat More Chicken
Tony Romo- 18 points
Dez Bryant- 17 points
Andre Jonhson- 22 points
Matt Forte- 20 points
Lamar Miller- 8 points
Jason Witten- 10 points
Anquan Boldin- 16 points
Seattle Defense- 15 points
Kicker- 8 points

Total: 154 points 




Team Ice Cream
Drew Brees- 19 points
Desean Jackson- 18 points
Pierre Garcon- 14 points
Lions RB- 16 points
Ryan Mathews- 12 points
Garrett Graham- 16 points
Flex (A Brown or Crabtree or Pattersonor Thomas) - 12 points
NO Defense- 8 points
Kicker- 12 points

Total: 117 points 



The Crossing Guards 
Kam Newton- 23 points
AJ Green- 18 points
Vincent Jackson- 14 points
Marshawn Lynch- 18 points
Shane Vereen- 22 points
Charles Clay- 16 points
Torrey Smith- 16 points
SF Defense- 12 points
Kicker- 8 points

Total: 147 points 



So I guess my official prediction is Eat More Chicken vs The Crossing Guards in the Championship. Obviously let's hope I'm wrong!!!

My Thoughts on the Thornton/Orpik/Neal Incident

Last night there were a series of incidents at the Garden in the 1st period of the Bruins-Penguins game that lead to an ugly scene at the Garden.

Theres a video on youtube that has real-time and slow motion replays of all the incidents written about below.


Just 12 seconds into the game, Pens D man Brooks Orpik laid a huge hit on Bruins forward Lou Erikkson. The puck was coming around the boards but took a funny bounce out toward the middle of the ice. Orpik was clearly already committed to putting a body on Ericsson, which he did- even though the puck never arrived near the collision. The hit was high...not very dirty, but it was one that DEFINITELY should have been called for interference.   But unfortunately, it wasnt. It's my opinion (and I referee hockey 3-4 times a week) that the officials could have diffused the entire game/situation with an Interference call here. Given the recent "chippy" history between these two teams, that borderline Interference call was a PERFECT opportunity for the officials to "take control of the game." I once attended a Referee clinic in Los Angeles, run by current NHL officials. A major takeaway from that camp I got was that it is important to establish the baseline of the game with a strong penalty call at the beginning of the contest. The referee actually did call a penalty on this play... after the whistle Chara got a little too aggressive and was called for roughing. This would have been a good "first call" as well, if they hadn't missed the much more important one on Orpik a few seconds earlier.  


The Bruins went down a man right away to the hottest PP unit in the League (8/16 over their previous 5 games. 50%) The Penguins of course scored and now led 1-0. This  was very frustrating to the Bruins. Over the next 6 or so game minutes there were big hits laid down by both teams.

At one point, Shawn Thornton got in Brooks Orpik's face and challenged him to a fight, in essence to "pay" for his questionable hit on Ericsson (who left the game and would not return.) Orpik denied the request and Thornton actually got called for "roughing" on the play. Its unfortunate Orpik didn't just man up and fight Thornton. Orpik isn't a fighter- his last fight was over 4 years ago- but given the fact that this is your biggest in-conference rivals (and team thats beaten the shit out of you over the past 6 games including a sweep in the playoffs), and your wearing an "A" on your jersey... man the F up and fight so hockey justice can be restored and the "playing field" can be even again.  Anyway he didn't fight, and the virtual target on his back remained.

With just under 9 minutes left in the period, things got ugly. It started with James Neal skating out of his zone and intentionally kneeing Brad Marchand in the head. This was a horse shit play... and Neal did end up getting a minor penalty but I am guessing he will get further discipline form the NHL. He should. The principle point of intentional contact was Brad Marchand's head while he was down on the ice. Crazy dangerous. We are lucky Marchand was fine after this.

Further down the ice Orpik was standing near a small scrum. Thornton comes bowling in from the left and immediately goes up to Orpik. Thornton basically shoved Orpik to the ground and punched him twice while Orpik was falling down/on his back. Orpik.... aka glass jaw... somehow got knocked out. Luckily now we know he is OK... it was scary because they had to take him off on a stretcher.

Thornton was given a Match penalty... removing him from the game immediately. When play resumed it was 4 on 4 for two minutes, and as soon as Neal came out of the box, he recieved a pass and sniped another goal making it 2-1 Penguins. This is how the period scoring would end.

Back to Thornton... this is what he said after the game (almost in tears):

"Obviously I made a mistake. Im aware of it. I've been told they're having a hearing and its hard for me to say much more than that. It was not my intention. I feel awful. I felt sick all game. It's always my job to defend my teammates, but I prided myself for a long time to stay within the lines. Its hard for me to talk about right nowI cant say 'I'm Sorry' enough. Im sure Ill be criticized for saying it, but its true and I hope he's doing all right. I heard that he's conscious and talking and Im happy for that."


Clearly Thornton crossed the line in this situation. I am sure he will get a suspension and/or fine... but this is a guy who's known for 'playing the game the right way'  so I doubt they give him the hammer for this one mistake.

Neal, however, should get a suspension as well. I think you can make a pretty big argument that Neal's actions on the play were worse than Thorntons. His intentions were for sure. Kneeing someone in the head is crazy. And then of course he came out of the box to score and take the lead? Fuck you James Neal.


Also, yea this situation sucks and no one wanted it to happen... but hey Pittsburgh... hows it feel? to lose a guy from a cheap shot? Remember that guy named Marc Savard? If this situation HAD to happen to Thornton... I couldn't be happier that in came against the Penguins. Oh and by the way, the Bruins scored 2 goals in the last 90 seconds to win the game in regualtion. Sucks to suck Pittsburgh. See ya in the playoffs. 


Click here if to see the video of ALL of this. 

Robinson Cano: Now one of my favorite players in MLB

Robbie Cano...  just today signed a 10 year deal worth $240 Million with the Seattle Mariners. Here are my thoughts on this signing in bullet point form:



-It's AWESOME to see the Yankees lose out on a free agent, especially when he was originally one of theirs.

-Their reported best offer was 7 years for 175 Mill. Also, there's no income tax in Washington so.... Cano is making a TON more for the Mariners than he would have for the Yankees. They reportedly told Cano they wouldn't go north of 200.

- Please someone tell me how the Yankees are going to justify to this to their fan base? What is their response going to be when people ask why they didn't re sign him? They CANT say it was too much of an investment.. we all know that's a lie. They just gave out 150M to Jacoby Ellsbury... and Cano is much, MUCH more valuable than Ellsbury. Idiots.

-People who say Cano sold out and left for the money... well they are correct. He did. But he's also changing gears in his career. He's going to put an entire franchise on his back. He's a leader and the guy the Mariners will build around. The face of a franchise for the next decade. This is a lot of responsibility.

-Mariners are likely to sign David Price too, now that they are "all in."  Finna be my 2nd favorite team again.

-I remember drafting Cano to my AL Only fantasy baseball team in his rookie season. I liked him a lot back then despite being a Yankee. I've always liked him. He's a stud. and a future HOF'er.

-There's now a major hole in the Yankees lineup and at 2nd base.

-So much for the mistake of hiring Jay Z as his agent. Deal got done so it looks smart again.



PS...  World Championships in the past 10 years:

Yankees 1
Red Sox 3

Dirty D 2013 Regular Season Wrap up

Another regular season is in the books for the Dirty D... and like most years in the past, 7 wins is what it took to get in the playoffs this year. Here is a snapshot of the final regular season  league standings:

-Congrats to Jenna for winning the regular season crown and also scoring the most points. This is also the first time she's qualified for the playoffs.

-Congrats to #AutoBill for finally making the playoffs for the first time in 5 years.

-Dan misses the playoffs for the first time. Luck finally caught up to him... 1753 points against was 91 more points against than the next unluckiest team. He ended the season on a 5 game losing streak

Speaking of most points against, here is the average points against each team this year:

134.8- the rental guys
127.8- Tahiti Loungers- playoff team
120.5- Victorious Secret
120.1- Comeback Story
120.0- Angry Pirates
118.8- The Godfather
115.8- A Pinch Better - playoff team
115.5- The Crossing Guards- playoff team
114.8- Boston Patriots- playoff team
111.7- Team Ice Cream- playoff team
109.8- Eat More Chicken- playoff team

and now, avg weekly points for:

131.9- Eat More Chicken- playoff team
129.5- The Crossing Guards- playoff team
129.5- Boston Patriots- playoff team
129.5- Team Ice Cream- playoff team
126.3- Tahiti Loungers- playoff team
120.8- A Pinch Better- playoff team
118.7- Angry Pirates
112.5- Victorious Secret
110.7- the rental guys
108.9- The Godfather
105.6- A1 Providers
104.3- comeback story


-I'm pretty happy about the playoff teams this year... the 6 teams to qualify were the 6 highest scoring teams. Also, interestingly, 5 out of the 6 teams to have the least points AGAINST them made the playoffs this year. My team was the lone example... I had the 2nd most points against but still managed to get in the playoffs.

-Just to re-enforce a point I made in the pre-season:

Avg # of moves for playoff teams: 30.5
Avg # of moves for non-playoff teams: 18.66

^ As has been the case every year... the more moves you make the more likely you are to make the playoffs. This doesn't necessarily apply to other leagues but in ours... its clear.


Updated # of playoff appearances through 5 years:

5- Tahiti Loungers
4- the rental guys, A Pinch Better
3- Team Ice Cream
2- A1 Providers, Victorious Secret, Boston Patriots
1- Crossing Guards, Eat More Chicken, The Godfather, Angry Pirates, comeback story, fatalberthayneworth




 I also want to note Angry Pirate's record breaking performance in Week 13. Although it was a meaning less game, C Bunny beat the league record by 30 points and a team finally broke 200 for the first time ever:

Lastly, here are the top scorers at each position:

Stay tuned for Playoff Power Ranks...