Well, this one is gonna be short and sweet. Well maybe not sweet. Might actually be dry. But things can be dry and sweet at the same time, though, right? Think raisins and dates here. So let’s whip out the food dehydrator, make some dried mango slices and see how this new rule is going to affect our 2013 fantasy football season…
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Author: Sky
Sky Sperling has been a contributor since 2012 for Razzball Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Football and formerly wrote under the name 'Oregon Nut Cups'. Don't ask. He's also a lover of fine beer, fine women and fine-toothed combs. You can follow him on twitter @Sky_Razzball and in your most sweetest of dreams.
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It seems like the more we see of Greg Jennings in the media, the less news there actually is about him concerning football. Last year his owners got to see his believe in your smellf campaign more than they got to see him on the football field as he only played in 8 games in 2012. It was like the exact oppostite of Bader-Meinhoff Syndrome (real thing) as his owners started a Go F@#$ Your Smellf campaign (not a real thing) in protest of his absence. Then at the start of free agency and even leading up to it, Greg Jennings talking on ESPN was more commonplace than Greg Jennings actually signing as it took until most of the rumored suitors had moved on with another player before he ‘picked’ the Vikings for a 5 year deal. Honestly, this was a desperation play on both sides that could benefit the fantasy community quite handsomely. You see, for all the issues with how bad Ponder was last year – and yes make no mistake he was bad and not in a Michael Jackson sort of way – he still produced a top ten caliber wide out before Percy Harvin got hurt and then moved on to the double entendre ‘Evergreen State’ this off-season. There’s no reason to think Jennings can’t still hold value without Aaron Rodgers at the helm. Of course, there IS a question of whether or not he can stay healthy enough to produce as he’s only played 21 games in the last two seasons. In a way too early way to evaluate things, Jennings is looking like a 6th round pick right now and the 27th wide receiver off the board and this is before many mocks have happened with the new locale for him. Something tells me Greg is going to keep slipping which should create a reasonable value when considering volume being a factor. Before losing Harvin to injury, 36% of Ponder’s completions went to Percy. To put that in perspective, of Stafford’s 435 completions, 25% went to Calvin Johnson. Being a big fish in a little pond is a huge boon to fantasy value even if the pond is covered in algae and has the local sewage run-off going into it. If Jennings can stay healthy, he’s going to reward his owners with a WR2 season for a fraction of the cost. Sleeper potential is high here.
Please, blog, may I have some more?Though most of the rumors had SJax becoming a cheesehead for most of Wednesday, it was the Falcons that landed Steven Jackson on a three year deal Thursday which lead me to relive all the great acts from the dirty south. Somehow despite having Outkast available I went with Ludacris which is…well its ludicrous but it’s happened and now we must move on from it. The writing had been on the wall for most of the 2012 season that the Rams wouldn’t be bringing Steven back so for him to land on the Falcons is a blessing for many in the fantasy world. Firstly, SJax himself gets a major boost as Atlanta was an offensive juggernaut in 2012, finishing in the top 5 in total yards last year and 7th in PPG, leaving a Rams team that finished 23rd and 25th, respectively. Factor in that his predecessor Michael Turner averaged 3.6 yards per carry and still finished as a top 20 fantasy running back in 2012 and the ceiling for Steven Jackson just got a lot higher. Like we’re talking vaulted ceilings and you’ll need an extension for your sticky buddy to clean up all the uh…joy that you’ll release if you get to draft him this year. You see, Turner was burned out last season. In three of his five seasons with the Falcons, Turner had 300 or more carries with one of those seasons being only 11 games after carrying the ball 376 times in 2008. Though it’s not the same kind of concern that goes along with Arian Foster and his 400 touches, 300+ carries is a heavy burden to bear. I mention all these things because even with a terrible burnout year, Turner still scored 11 total touchdowns. That’s 1 more than SJax has scored in the last 2 years combined. I can tell you’re blinking rapidly with surprise and shock at that so I’ll give you a moment to let it settle in. Good, now I’ll tell you that SJax has only scored 10 or more touchdowns twice in his career and the last time it happened was in 2006. Hello, you still there? Crap, someone call a paramedic I think we lost one! When you factor in Jackson’s versatility – Turner only has 70 career receptions compared to Jackson averaging 49 in a 16 game season for his career – the fantasy world will be his for the taking and yours as well if you take him. I might be wrong but I think we get some vintage SJax in 2013.
Please, blog, may I have some more? Detroit Elects For A Bush Reggie-m
March 14, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 4 Commentsby: Sky
Well there were rumors of it and inklings and rumors of said inklings but it finally happened. On Wednesday, Reggie Bush signed with the Detroit Lions on a 4 year deal which sets in motion some fantasy commotion of major implications. Firstly, getting the former Kim Kardashian ass caddy is going to make waves in Detroit which is funny because he just moved from South Beach to do it. At least I think that’s funny. *Checking* no, it’s decidedly not but what is funny is Bush’s new teammate Mikel LeShoure eating a bag of weed before the officers could find his stash. Maybe they should trade him to Denver or Seattle now…well anywho, I’m not here to talk about Mikel. At least not yet. In getting Reggie, the Lions grabbed a great Jahvid Best replacement. You know, the running back who was probably the starter had concussions not taken his career from him. Why do we like this and by this I mean the Bush signing and not the concussion? Because in 22 games as a Lion, Best caught 85 passes which is a 62 catch pace for a 16 game season. When you consider Detroit has attempted the most passes of any team the last two years, the passing volume for great things is going to be there for Bush to be fairly Sprolesy. Overall, he probably will cede some touches to both Mikel and Joique Bell, there’s enough to go around for him to stay a solid RB2 in PPR leagues. And of course, Reggie’s exit from Miami along with the Mike Wallace signing should increase the stock of Lamar Miller dramatically. Sounds like I have some game film to watch and a post to write, yes? Yup and yup but we’re not here for that right now so let’s take a look at more moves from day two of the NFL free agent market for 2013 fantasy football…
Please, blog, may I have some more? Hurricane Wallace Rocks Miami
March 13, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 21 Commentsby: Sky
Well, if it wasn’t clear last year to you that Mike Wallace would no longer be a Steeler this off-season it should definitely be now. Yesterday, Mike signed a 5 year $65 million dollar deal with a Dolphins squad that went on an FA shopping spree this off-season. What, you wanted a funnier intro? Well, I would’ve gone with Mike Wallace retires to South Beach but the 60 Minute man is dead, both the the guy from the show and the man who wrote the song so you’re gonna have to make due with whatcha get. But more back to the point, this is a very expensive move by the Dolphins but – in all honesty – the right one for the team. Yadda to the 3rd power, Sky, what does this have to do with fantasy? Yes, yes my friend, we’re getting there. You see, the Dolphins had already signed Brian Hartline to a 5 year 30 mil deal last week but if you know anything about last year’s Miami team, you know that Hartline is not a #1 wide receiver. Alright, technically I don’t consider Wallace one either but he does stretch the field and gives young QB Tannehill the downfield threat he was missing in 2012 and makes Hartline a clear WR2 which he should fill the role of quite nicely. In all, much like the Percy Harvin trade I talked about yesterday, I don’t see this affecting Wallace for the better or the worse but I do see it as a boon for the value of Tannehill and Hartline and maybe to a lesser extent even Davone Bess in deeper leagues. Miami hasn’t had this big of a threat since Brandon Marshall…who went to the Bears…for 5 years…and only 44 million…eh, well again I’m no analyst on how that worked out but I can assure you this bodes well for many wearing Dolphins uniforms for fantasy purposes. But of course, Wallace wasn’t the only major roster move yesterday so without further fooferah, let’s see what other signings and releases will have an affect on our world for 2013 fantasy football…
Please, blog, may I have some more?Yesterday or as I like to call it, ‘the day before real trades could be made but just like the Alex Smith trade no one pays attention to these arbitrary dates’, the Seattle Seahawks traded away multiple draft picks to pick up the disgruntled Percy Harvin from the Minnesota Vikings. The internet was abuzz, ablaze and other things that start with ‘ab’ upon hearing the news, especially from Seahawks fans. But before we fans – yes, I’m a Seahawk fan and yes I still b!tch about all those bad calls from Super Bowl XL to this very day – get too ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at Percy, what he does and how he fits within the Seahawks for 2013 fantasy football…
Please, blog, may I have some more? Off Season News & Rumors: Flacco Fallout
March 4, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes |by: Sky
Much to the surprise of no one, recently crowned Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco signed a big deal with the Baltimore Ravens which, in the fantasy world, is actually not big news. Or at least not as big as his eyebrows. Seriously, have you seen what he used to look like in college? The ladies must’ve been all over him…with wax strips. I think Joe Flacco could’ve made a great endorsement deal with Geico had he not sculpted that forehead caterpillar into two furry islands instead of leaving it the Pangaea it already was. But I digress, that type of material should solely be used on your opponents who draft Flacco in regular leagues and not for fantasy analysis. The reality is the contract is very incentive-laden and backlogged in terms of payout so there are no immediate worries or concerns we should have about the Ravens not having enough to resign free agents or more quality players where it’s needed. Now that the Ravens have their man and – more importantly – the continuity of a returning QB, they will need to set their sites on either resigning Anquan Boldin or finding a Boldin clone. As I previously mentioned in my Torrey Smith analysis, Torrey is not ready to be the short-route guy in Baltimore and may never be. While there’s nothing wrong with that, per se, it will be deadly to the value of him and Jacoby Jones if they aren’t allowed to go out and do what they do best: stretch the field and make big plays. And while many scouting reports make note that Tandon Doss is a great route runner, they also mention he lacks the strength to fight in the short passing game, much like what Boldin can do. Overall, the return of Flacco still needs a few more parts to keep everything on offense copacetic. Overall, Flacco is still the fantasy quarterback he was last year: a bench QB. But the cool news for you is, some n00b is gonna draft him higher than he should go. You know, because he’s won a Super Bowl and is elite. Just like Trent Dilfer! In other news and rumors for 2013 fantasy football…
Please, blog, may I have some more? KC Adds Smith To Their Alex-icon On QBs
February 27, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 4 Commentsby: Sky
I heard the news on Wednesday…oh boy. About an Alex Smith that was in a trade. My apologies to the Beatles, their fans, Chiefs fans, and any other amalgamation of those three, this is gonna get ugly fast. The 49ers agreed to trade Alex to the Kansas City Chiefs for compensational picks on March 12th, the first day off-season trades can be made official. At the time of this writing, it sounds like a 2013 second round pick and a similar pick for 2014 in exchange for a quarterback whose most successful season came in 2012 with 3,144 yards and 17 touchdown passes. If you’re unable to read sarcasm font or just aren’t familiar with fantasy football in general, this isn’t going to be sleeper post on Alex. In fact, most of this post is going to take a look moreso at what others will do with this move than it will be to do with what Alex will. Sorry for you diehard game manager quarterback lovers out there, this post probably won’t be for you. But enough with this, let’s see what impact Alex Smith and this trade will have on the 2013 fantasy football landscape…
Please, blog, may I have some more? Arian Fosters Fantasy Fears After 400 Touches
February 27, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 2 Commentsby: Sky
I’ve been talking about this since last season and I’m sure no doubt you’ve heard about it plenty this off-season as well. Arian Foster went over the 400 touch mark in 2012, finishing the playoffs with 460 total on the season. Now there are great achievements you want your running backs to unlock over the course of the season. You love it when they clear 1000 yards rushing. It’s great when they clear the 10 touchdown total as well. But joining the Misfortune 400 List isn’t exactly something to strive for as history can attest to. Consider this a pre-draft warning that Foster is going to carry a lot more risk in 2013 than many will assume. To find out what I mean by this, pretend I’m the ghost of fantasy football season’s yet to come and you’re Ebenezer Scrooge as we journey into what the future might hold for Arian for 2013 fantasy football…but wait, there’s more! But not about Arian, this is about Facebook. In particular the Razzball Facebook page. For many years, we couldn’t stand each other. We just HAD to have a different Facebook page for each sport and we were spreading the love thin. Well, now you can go to one place on the Facebook interwebs to get your Razzball lovin cuz like a human centipede, we’ve merged into one page! That exclamation was for excitement not sarcasm! Ok a little sarcasm but mostly excitement! So if you could, mosey on over to that Razzball Facebook link and caress it, hold it, love it, and lick the screen. After all that, all we really wanted was a ‘Like’ from you and a ‘follow’ if you’re in the mood for such things. We don’t ask much…ok, we will ask for one more thing. You see that big mural of how we’ll work for fantasy sports? Yeah, like that too. Maybe if you’re lucky, we’ll even let you poke us…woah, we meant on Facebook! Ok, now on with the fantasy sports…
Please, blog, may I have some more? Break Out Review: C.J. Spiller
February 20, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Break Out Season Review |by: Sky
Over the course of the off-season we’ll be looking back at some of the major players who ‘broke out’ or outperformed their ADP by a drastic amount in the hopes that we can get a feel for what their 2013 fantasy football season holds and whether the break out is here to stay. Today’s review subject is C.J. Spiller.
Please, blog, may I have some more? Michael And Eagles Extend Lease, Avoid E-Vick-tion
February 13, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Daily Notes | 6 Commentsby: Sky
Fun google facts to start your day off with. Did you know that the nickname ‘City of Brotherly Love’ comes from the latin roots of the city’s name itself? Compounding Philos or ‘loving’ with Adelphos or ‘brother’ is what brought that city’s well known mantra to be. Of course, I only tell you this because I’m sure Michael Vick can attest to Philadelphia being the city of anything but love over the last two years for him. Well and I wanted you to know I’m not just a pretty face. I’m learned, yo! But enough about my degree from Clown College, we’re here to talk about Michael Vick and what we should expect from him for 2013 fantasy football…
Please, blog, may I have some more? 2013 Third Year Wideouts: Torrey Smith
February 8, 2013 | 2013 Fantasy Football, Third Year Wideouts |by: Sky
There is a general inkling in fantasy football that the third year of a wide receiver’s career can and usually is their breakout year in the NFL. Over the course of the off-season, Razzball will take a look at some wideouts heading into their third year in the league and see if they’re a breakout candidate for 2013 fantasy football. This week we will review Torrey Smith.
Please, blog, may I have some more?