Fantasy

July 26, 2013 Daily Fantasy Bit

     In an attempt to get this blog some publicity I recently applied to be a writer for the Bleacher Report.  Willis did as well, but was promptly denied.  While that was unfortunate, I am hoping that their delayed response to me (we applied at the same time on the same day) means that they are at least considering me.  I submitted the second step to my fantasy plan as my writing sample, hoping that something a little more edgy would catch their attention.  Needless to say having some backlinks from Bleacher Report would help this poor little blog get some attention, but it would also gain it some credibility.  So keep your fingers crossed for that if you are an avid follower.  Meanwhile I am trying to decide if I want to do a real draft in a random league rather than a mock today.  The ownership craving is starting to set in.  I want to own a team better than everyone else's already.  The league I am commissioner of, The Men Engaging N Sports League, or the MENS League, will not have its draft until after all the preseason games, and I am getting antsy.  I know MJD will move up the draft board after he proves himself in preseason.  Studs keep getting injured (see Arian Foster, AJ Green, and Percy Harvin).  All of this adds up to fewer RBs and my chances of snagging a second top tier guy diminishing.  Not to mention everyone is starting to talk up Larry Fitzgerry, the other stud I'm trying to snag later than he deserves.  My whole strategy might have to change if any more players go down.  Oh well.  Drafting on the fly is a necessity to succeed, and you never know who is going to get picked ahead of you.  Let's just hope those injuries I mentioned aren't serious.  Schefter mentioned that Harvin's injury could be season ending, and that's bad news for fantasy players.  However, as a Panthers' fan I am secretly delighted, because the NFC needs to get weaker.  Just stay healthy Cam!

July 25, 2013 Daily Fantasy Bit

    Two days ago I finished reading Matthew Berry's new book, Fantasy Life.  It isn't about how to win fantasy, so much as why he loves it.  I recommend the read to any fantasy lover, and will probably read it again at some point.  In one section of the book he details the twenty worst ways to lose fantasy.  All of them are hilariously painful, but I want to talk about one in particular today.  It's always great to see the team of one of your players putting up lots of runs or TDs.  You get excited and look at the box score to see that everyone on the team seems to be getting theirs.  Everyone, that is, except your player.  There he sits 0-4 with three strikeouts or with one reception for seven yards.  Last night the Cardinals put up 11 runs, as they often do, but my boy, Carlos Beltran, had absolutely nothing to do with it.  He went 0-4 with one strikeout while everyone around him was getting in on the fun.  The odds of that happening have to be insignificant. Especially when it's one of the best players on the team, right?  This definitely happens a lot more in baseball than in football, as there are fewer offensive threats on a football team.  Usually the only places to worry about this are teams loaded on offense like the Packers, Saints, Patriots, and this year, the Broncos.  Everyone gets 100 yards and a TD except the guy you have, Marques Colston.  It doesn't seem possible, and you probably have the other Saints' receivers on your bench to top it off.  This happened frequently to a friend of mine last year as he had Greg Jennings (hurt), Randall Cobb, and James Jones.  Each week he would pick either Cobb or Jones to go with Roddy White, and each week the receiver he didn't pick would go off.  Hilarious from afar, but painful if it's you.  Head shakingly painful

July 24, 2013 Daily Fantasy Bit

    Recently I have been struggling to decided whether I prefer roto baseball leagues or points leagues.  I started with points leagues, and I love to watch points accumulate (seriously it's like half the reason I play fantasy sports), but pitchers are overpowered and it's just about amassing as many solid starters as you can.  I appreciate the need for a balanced team in roto leagues, but detest how one horrible pitching outing can ruin you WHIP and ERA for an entire week.  You can recover from a negative 15 point performance.  However, a 15.00 ERA and 5.00 WHIP from one start will have you hoping for shutouts from the rest of your guys all week.  I bring this up because last night one of my relievers, Ernesto Frieri, went 1/3 innings and gave up 5 earned runs.  For you math gurus out there that is an ERA of 135.00 (he also had a whip of 15.00).  So, since I haven't had a starter go yet I'm sitting on a beautiful 135.00 ERA.  Sure, it will come down, but that's five earned runs that I have to hope my starters do not give up.  I thought closers were supposed to be sharp??  It hurts, and I'm not sure I'll recover this week.  Luckily my offense is killing it, so I should salvage a tie at the least.  I think I am still partial to points leagues, but the one roto league I'm in is for money, so I guess I'll  have to continue putting my heart and soul into that team for the time being.  But seriously, 135.00??  

July 23, 2013 Daily Fantasy Bit

    Have you ever had one of those mornings where you wake up and your fantasy team is really different.  I don't mean one guy is injured, or one of your players got traded; I mean three of your players are headlines on SportsCenter.  These can be good or bad headlines, or a mix of both, but either way your team will be different for the rest of the season.  This morning was one of those mornings for The Honest Brauns.  My team name just got even more ironic!  It's a ten man roto league on Yahoo, and you'll never guess who I picked with the third overall pick!  Let me thank you Ryan Braun for stabbing all of your owners in the back.  I wanted to believe you were innocent.  I took every interview last year to be fact and rejoiced when you won your appeal.  Then you come and slap me across the face?  It hurts.  You're lucky that two of my other players made my team better over the same night, or I'd be really pissed.  I've been playing the waiver wire game pretty consistently in the last month or so, picking up and dropping people as they heat up and cool down.  Most recently I snagged Matt Cain, which feels like a steal.  But the two pickups that have really paid off recently are Matt Garza and Alfonso Soriano.  How often do two of your players get traded off the Cubs at the same time?  Never?  But they weren't just traded to average teams, they got traded to above .500, competitive teams.  Sure the Yankees are struggling a bit, but they're still better than the awful Cubs, and the Rangers are a perennial playoff team now (except they might lose Nelson Cruz which would hurt....a lot).  Needless to say I'm happy with the two new locations, and I hope they continue to play well.  As for you, Braun, I thank you for making my name more hilarious (although it was already great), but please leave and never come back.  No one likes you.  Except apparently Aaron Rodgers who said he would bet this year's salary you're innocent....maybe I should move him down in my QB rankings....

July 22, 2013 Daily Fantasy Bit

    

   Today I want to talk a little bit about trades in fantasy football.  Am I the only one who NEVER sees these things happen??  The only trade that has ever occurred in any of my leagues was proposed by yours truly, and it was a steal I might add.  I traded the Texans D for Matt Stafford.  It sounds great, and it felt great, but it really didn't help either team that much.  I traded with the team I would eventually meet in the championship, so you can tell we both had a surplus of talent (I was rocking the turnover machine that is the Bears D).  Trades are awesome and I wish they happened more often.  I just think its really difficult to come up with a fair trade.  No one is going to propose a trade unless they think they are getting the better end of it, right?  Why else make the trade?  Either you want to get rid of a guy on a hot streak, or you want to sell a bust who someone else thinks will turn around.  You never see the Calvin Johnson for Arian Foster trade.  That's the stuff I want to see.  But in the end most owners are just fine with waiting for their team to eventually turn it around, and watching the waiver wire in the meantime.  How droll.  

July 19, 2013 Daily Fantasy Bit

    Fantasy baseball faces owners with one particular challenge that doesn't really apply to fantasy football.  Do I start this pitcher against that loaded offense?  A difficult question, as baseball might be the most variable sport night to night.  Some experts might recommend you sit a C-grade pitcher against a team like the Rangers, but then you sit on your thumbs, watching as your guy pitches an 8 inning shut out.  I personally never sit guys, regardless of their match-up. The only time I consider it is if I am winning going into the last day and my opponent has no pitchers.  Otherwise, the damage does not outweigh the benefits.  If you are in a roto league those wins are hard to come by; you can't just let one get away.  Sure you tempt fate in your ERA and WHIP categories, but the damage is usually fixable.  That is, unless your guy goes 2/3 innings with 8 earned runs.  Then you're screwed for the rest of the week.  But hey, sometimes that happens and you just have to move on and kick butt in the offensive categories.  You didn't pick any pitchers to only play them against weak teams.  In fact, if this guy is so iffy that you might not start him against a team, drop him.  I only want guys I would start against anyone.  Let those pitchers be someone else's headache.  Unless you are in a points league; then pick up every pitcher ever.  Seriously, how does ESPN not understand how over-powered pitchers are?   Regardless, if you face this question sometime in the coming weeks, I say start em.  Be bold; I'd rather live with consequences than regret losing a win.

July 18, 2013 Daily Fantasy Bit

   I want to take this time to brag about a REALLY awesome mock draft I had last night.  Like I would cream for this team.  Andrew Luck, Ray Rice, MJD, Larry Fitzgerry, Wes Welker, Greg Olsen, Steve Smith, Seahawks D, and some kicker that doesn't matter.  The focus is on the two RBs and WRs.  I got two of my favorite guys for this year, AND I managed to grab a top five WR as well as a top 17 guy.  Usually I attribute this kind of mock success to some asshat drafting Aaron Hernandez first overall, but not this time.  Everything just fell into place.  It was beautiful.  The sad part is that football is still 52 days away, but I'm making the most of it.  Nothing is quite as exciting as a pretend fantasy team that you imagine would kick ass.  That's about as rooted in reality as it gets.  I have started leaving mocks after getting the QB, RBs, and WRs though.  Everything after that point just feels wasteful.  Precious minutes picking guys like Johnathan Franklin for my bench.  I would like to only have to do that once if at all possible.  But man am I hyped by the potential squad I can get in my league.  For anyone interested I drew the sixth spot this year, and I like my odds to get two legit starting RBs.  If you get to pick your spot I recommend 5th to 8th as the spots to be for grabbing the best team.  You heard it here first.

-Patrick

July 17, 2013 Daily Fantasy Bit

    If you're like me you're REALLY bored this week.  Why this week?  Fantasy is at a standstill.  The All Star week has halted baseball for the time being, and football is still 53 days away.  Real football that is.  None of that pre-season nonsense.  Ergo I think it is the perfect time to start a daily paragraph on fantasy.  Nothing in particular.  Just fantasy.  Maybe some advice, or a complaint.  Or maybe I just want to brag about a particularly awesome fantasy week for myself.  This week will fall into the complaint category.  I have three fantasy baseball teams (all doing pretty well I might add, at least third in each league), but the one team that is in a league for money is fighting me like a kid throwing a temper tantrum.  I was in first place.  Now I'm clinging to third.  Why?  Injuries.  The worst part of fantasy.  The part we have literally no control over.  Ryan Braun and Tulo went down at the same time.  Really fantasy world? You had to take both from me? Those were my two top picks!  I must have done something pretty horrible to deserve this.  A combination of Todd Frazier, Chris Johnson, and Jed Lowrie helped keep me afloat, but I can say I'm ready to send them on their merry way back to the free agent pool.  See ya guys!  You were really average for me and I have no strong feelings for you....yeah.  My stars have finally come back (Tulo at least, Braun is on the bereavement list for whatever reason), and I only hope it isn't too late.  If you have been through this injury misery with me hold on tight and don't lose hope, we still have a chance.  

-Patrick