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Over the next two weeks of this rankings post, let’s celebrate and reflect on the biggest surprises and disappointments of the fantasy season so far. Since I am a “glass is half empty” kind of guy, we’ll start with the disappointments. By the way, I saw an article recently that said it might actually be better to be a “glass is half empty” person because you are more in tune with reality and more likely to seek a solution to whatever it is that you are being a “Debbie Downer” about. I’m going to reference that exact point next time someone says that I’m bringing the mood down, when in all actuality, I’m just trying to ruin their good time. Ask Zach, I do it to him all of the time.

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From a fantasy perspective, that was certainly one of the most wildest two weeks to open the NFL season! The 2017 NFL season started off with a bang as the Kansas City Chiefs went into New England and stunned the Patriots with a thrilling 42-27 victory that saw rookie running back Kareem Hunt score not one, not two, but three touchdowns and rack up 246 yards from scrimmage. Hunt followed up his marvelous debut with 109 total yards and 2TDs against the Eagles too!  Pour one out for the homie David Johnson, the consensus #1 overall draft pick, as he was unfortunately placed on IR with a dislocated wrist last week.

Since I’m sure MB from Razzball.com has all the major news of Week One and Two here, let’s dive into the main reason you clicked on this link; Razzball 2017 RCL updates on Fantrax!

Since the sample size is obviously very limited through only two weeks of football, don’t be too elated or discouraged if you see your squad throughout the rest of the article.  Below, you can see the Top 10 list of most combined fantasy points across all Razzball RCLs:

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It’s hard to believe that it’s already Week 3, but we also need to remember that it is ONLY Week 3. Human instinct tells you to sell off or drop your struggling assets because they haven’t helped you win in the first couple weeks. Mike Lombardi states it best when he says that September is basically an extended preseason. I try not to overreact to bad performances when I’m writing my articles this early in the season. When I tell you I’m cold on Cam Newton or another star, it’s just to have them wait it out on the bench.

There are always certain situations like Adrian Peterson that were head-scratching from the start. Having three backs rotating on the field in a pass heavy offense doesn’t make any sense. I’d drop him, at this point because there are always exceptions to the rule. Obviously, there are always guys who were on the fringe of being roster-worthy in the first place that should be dropped to pick up waiver wire studs like Tarik Cohen. Don’t panic on A.J. Green or Joe Mixon until we see what the new offensive coordinator has in store. Wait to see if Sammy Watkins can develop a rhythm with Jared Goff over the next three or so weeks. Same with Isaiah Crowell, his schedule is going to get a little easier over the next few weeks. This is also the perfect time of year to buy low on the Cincinnati offense or Terrelle Pryor Sr.

Here are my rankings for Week 3…

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Before I get into this article, let me be clear about one thing:

Terrelle Pryor is an absolute physical freak!  He is a 6-foot 4-inch tall receiver that can run a 4.4 forty yard dash and I was able to witness his dominance first hand in Nashville last season when Pryor snagged 9 receptions for 75 yards and 2 red-zone touchdowns.

Now that I stated the obvious, please allow me to spend the rest of this article arguing that 2017 Fantasy Football drafters should not be buying the Terrelle Pryor hype because he is an unpolished receiver, his new team underwent turnover in the offensive locker room, and most importantly, his draft cost is simply too high.

Take me on in the Razzball Commenter Leagues for a chance at prizes! Free to join, leagues still open!

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The Draft podcast that was recorded live during our draft can be listened to after the jump, which was again hosted by former ESPN Producer PodVader. Come to think of it, he not only hosts this league year-after-year, but he also special hosts for the actual podcast! Two birds! One stone! You know how the saying goes… (Hint: if you’re a bird, you’re f*cked.) And with this expert draft in the books a season after I took the championship (blind squirrel, nuts, I like your nuts joke, etc.), it’s time to write about said draft in a self-deprecating manner that will captivate all of my first dates (and not so coincidentally, my last dates) to no end. So first, let’s introduce the players… (and if you’d like to check out the team that pulled it off in 2016, you can grab your context here. But grab lightly! Think juggling with jazz hands…)

ESPN’s former Producer PodVader, (Jay Soderberg) from Next Fan Up and BlogTalkRadio, DFSR‘s Doug Norrie, Mat Harrison from LeagueSafe (use promo code: RAZZBALL for $10.00 League credit!), “d-Rx®” (yes, that’s his name, no, he’s not a T-Rex with a silent ‘T’, unfortunately) from Pyromaniac, Matt Freedman from FantasyLabs and RotoViz Radio, Pro Football Weekly‘s Kyle Nabors, Joel Henard from Fantasy Insiders, Chris Schubert from FanRag Sports, Brandon Marianne Lee from Her Fantasy Football, Dale from Eat-Sleep-Fantasy, Matt Chatham from Football by Football, Kevin from The Fantasy Football Guys, Todd from The Fantasy Sharks, and Jay from Razzball (hey, that’s me!) And now? The recap!

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IDP leagues have been around for years.  More and more leagues are gravitating towards them as people look for something different. At Razzball, we are embracing IDP this season as well.  Jay recently announced that Razzball will be including IDP slots in RCL lineups as a replacement for kickers and D/ST slots.  This is such a great and exciting way to replace the two least exciting spots in our fantasy football lineups. To keep things interesting, we will have 1 spot for a defensive lineman, 1 spot for a linebacker, and one spot for a defensive back.  Not only are we replacing the boring positions, but we are adding another starting spot.  Some of you may be unfamiliar with IDP as a whole.  Some of you may not know how to value an IDP position or strategize these spots in your draft.  I think I can help give you a few pointers.  As somebody who has been playing in leagues with 1-9 IDP spots for the last five years, I have pointers for people who are familiar with IDP as well.

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Along with the two sophomore quarterbacks that are sparking a lot of Fantasy Football interest, there were a few free-agent moves that are going to shake things up as we build our rosters in August.  We have a few new veteran receivers in this division and a veteran name at running back that’s going to make the Philadelphia backfield situation confusing.  Also, there’s a rookie running back in Washington who is looking to take a chunk out of the backfield work.  I’m going to quit burying the lead and get the damn thing started.

Before we get into the NFC East, I want to take a paragraph and congratulate Jay, Grey, and Rudy for their Top-3 (TOP EFFING THREE!) finish in Fantasy Football draft rankings for FantasyPros last season.  These guys have been at it for years making Razzball not only one of the best fantasy baseball sites, but also one of the best fantasy football sites.  Keep telling your friends about us, the results from our content speaks volumes when you see stuff like this.

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Folks, it is already June and we are within double digit days from the regular season.  When you’re in a dynasty league, the season never ends.  I’ve been thinking about the 2017 season for my dynasty team since the day after week 16 ended.  I guess that I’m like Bill Belicheck with four fewer titles.  I may have won the championship, but I was 3 weeks behind everybody else in the fantasy football offseason.  I’m just joking (kind of), that would be a bit obsessive.

Before I get into a few stand out players, I have just a little bit of house keeping.  Zach and I started a podcast called Razzblitz and it’s really easy to find.  If you subscribe to the Razzcast on iTunes or whatever app you download podcasts on, our podcast will be on that thread.  Or, if you just click on the football side of the Razzball blog, our podcast will be up as posts as well.  Zach and I want to provide you with as much fantasy knowledge as possible and keep each episode pretty digestible time-wise while doing so.  We have two up so far this off season with Episode 3 and beyond coming soon…

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The NFL draft is now behind us and there is a lot to digest.  The Bears made the worst trade in the history of the draft and teams were able to find some value later on Thursday night.  I’m going to pick a couple handfuls of the picks throughout the draft and let you know what you can expect from a fantasy football standpoint.

It’s very difficult to gauge rookie production going into a new season but there are players who were drafted to play a big role right away.  Training camp and the preseason obviously will be the biggest deciding factor for every player’s participation in the regular season, but what is the fun in waiting?  We should talk about football now, we should try and make projections all of the time.  Plus, the more that I write, the more opportunities there are for you to tell me that I’m wrong…

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Look people, you try to make a pun out of “Ark”… Regardless, it appears that the top AFC teams coming out of the halfway point in the 2016 season are the usual New England Patriots and the… Oakland Raiders…? I honestly wish I knew why this was happening. I… I think the sun is starting to set on where I live, and I mean that in the most figurative way possible, because, you know, daylight savings time. But this is indeed a strange world we live in. The Oakland Raiders, led by the one Carr brother that’s actually not bad, Amari Cooper, and Latavius “I’ll always be 3/4 of an elite back” Murray, have managed to find themselves in first place in the AFC West with an impressive 5-0 record on the road. Because honestly, the only things that do well in Oakland are bails bondsman, and, you know, gentrification. Progress I guess. But wouldn’t it be great if the Raiders could be added that list? As a totally-not-biased-at-all-trust-me Chargers fan (and I’m throwing up a little in my mouth right now typing this), but it’s a shame that the Raiders have a solid chance to have a pretty great year, and it’s being overshadowed with rumors of the team possibly moving. And we’re talking about a post-Los Angeles not being able to be used as leverage timeline that we’re in, and Mark Davis is still able to do this. Maybe they’ll move to a magical place… called Houston. I don’t think there’s a team there… Listen, my life receives no benefit for suggesting such a radical idea as rooting about a specific aspect for a franchise that, at times, was the black eye (literally too!) of the league, but I did it anyways. A Chargers fan speaking kindly of the Raiders? Truly, the end is nigh.

Here’s what else I saw during yesterday’s Week 9 Sunday games…

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One is an underrated story that fell apart under it’s own depressive weight and the other is the movie 28 Grams. For those who are wondering why Mark Ingram (3 CAR, 5 YDS, 1.7 AVG, 2 LONG, 1 FUM) did his best impersonation of Toby Gerhart, behold:

New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram lost a fumble for the second straight week during Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks. …After that, all of the Saints’ handoffs went to Tim Hightower and rookie Daniel Lasco. Ingram was not available for comment in the locker room after the game. “He wasn’t carrying it loose,” Payton said of the fumble against the Seahawks. “They were able to just pull it free. We’ll be back to work with him.” Payton said not fumbling had been a point of emphasis for Ingram after the previous game, which explains the quick decision to go to Hightower.Source.

I just want to add that Tim Hightower fumbled in the same game AND Ingram has five career fumbles. Five. You know, it would really screw up my week if I have to drive all the way out to New Orleans to punch Sean Payton in the d*ck. Anyhow, we’re here to get ready for Halloween by eating a copious amount of Twix bars to talk about Sunday’s games and Fantasy Football, so let’s get started!

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