The Adventure of Bidding

Good news folks, Razzball has renewed my contract for a third season! While I’d love to say that I am to Razzball what Game of Thrones is to HBO, or The Walking Dead is to AMC, it simply would not be true. I’m more like Silicon Valley and Better Call Saul. But hey, that’s something right? Speaking of The Walking Dead, is it too early to start the “who does Negan kill” conversation? Just let it be Glen and let’s be done with it. Ok, back to me. As excited as I’m sure you all are to the prospect of me spending another year spewing nonsense intermingled with football advice, I’m twice as excited to be back. However, I’d like to make a minor request. Good or bad, I’d appreciate you leaving me a comment after reading my posts. If after reading something I’ve written you instantly wish you had the previous six minutes back, then please say so. If taking a dump is more enjoyable than listening to my advice, then tell me about your dump. Got it? Good.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

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Should You (Gulp) Draft Ryan Tannehill?

August 31, 2016 | 2016 Buy/Sell, 2016 Fantasy Football | 26 Comments

by: mikeMaher

As I write this, I am also preparing for my first fantasy draft of the season. I have been studying projections and ADPs, creating tiers and notes in the app I use to draft, and going over the different draft scenarios and strategies in my head. And there is one thing I keep coming back to when I start going over the different scenarios for quarterbacks: Ryan Tannehill is going to be a competent QB2 this year.

Before you make the gas face and move on to Googling pictures of Ryan Tannehill’s wife (no judgment here, Google knows):

Or go back to mock drafting or whatever else you do with your life with only a week left until real football, hear me out. Ryan Tannehill is not an elite Quarterback. I am not going to try and convince you that he is or that you should make him your QB1. All I am saying is that, depending on how things fall for you in your draft, you could do worse than waiting for Tannehill in the later rounds. Stats, please!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Razzball’s AFC North Fantasy Preview

August 30, 2016 | 2016 Draft Strategy, 2016 Fantasy Football | 12 Comments

by: Mike Honcho

02_AFC-NorthReport_news

What’s up fans of American Football!? It’s your good buddy Honcho back to walk you through the AFC North. Yuck. That was my first reaction when I was assigned this division. I mean, can you think of four teams that deserve each other more than this group of franchise swapping, Super Bowl gloating, bad chili pushing tough-guy wannabees? Yeah, me either. This division is tough to love. I mean truly it is. But I’m here to give you the tour so let’s proceed.

Our first objective is to identify the participants. Let’s start with the Cleveland Browns. Okay, cool. So you’re feeling good about the NBA season, but guess what LeBron’s not under center…..And that’s probably a bad thing. They hired a baseball analytics specialist to ruin – errrrr I mean run things. The Dodgers thought so little of him they ran him out-of-town. What could possibly go wrong? So here’s the thing…I think they’re on the right track, accumulating draft picks and athletes – but this isn’t the year. Heading south, but still staying in Ohio we find the Cincinnati Bengals who have a better than average team, but just can’t win a playoff game. They’ll give it another shot this season and will probably challenge the Steelers for the top spot in the division. Speaking of the Steelers….Is there a more insufferable fan base in football? I’ve been to Pittsburgh more than a few times and you know what? Every Steelers’ fan looks the same. How is that possible? The jorts say it’s summer, the tucked in jersey says it’s football season, but the waistline says you gave up a long time ago. Ha! Just kidding Pittsburgh, I love your city! Mostly due to Primanti Brothers but hey, gotta start somewhere, right? This year you’re the team to beat in the North. Don’t mess this up. Finally we have the Ravens. Flacco’s back. That’s good. They signed Trent Richardson and then proceeded to release him shortly after. He didn’t even stick around to try Ray-Ray’s famous “Deer-Antler” spray. That was rude. Anyway, the Ravens are staring 8-8 right in the face, but if any team can luck box their way into the playoffs it’s this bunch.

So, with all that said the fantasy relevant information awaits. Per usual, I’ll list the teams in order of predicted finish. Here we go!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

LeSean McCoy’s Ranking Confounds and Compels Me

August 30, 2016 | 2016 Buy/Sell, 2016 Fantasy Football | 32 Comments

by: RotoLance

LeSeanMcCoyBills

Compels me to write about him, that is, because he’s ranked too low. Specifically, LeSean McCoy being ranked behind Mark Ingram is something I just don’t get. Nothing against Ingram, I like him. I just like McCoy better. Here’s some last minute draft advice with #analysis, starting with the reasons why McCoy should be ranked higher than Ingram…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2QB Leagues and the 6-Point TD

August 30, 2016 | 2016 Draft Strategy, 2016 Fantasy Football | 78 Comments

by: Jay

Tony-Romo-Jay-Cutler

Welcome to one of our last strategy sessions of the preseason (I think it’s our last. Besides comparing our rankings with those of ESPN, Yahoo, and CBS… which isn’t really strategy as it is, “haha, look how funny they are at ranking things type of post”). This is probably the biggest draft week (and weekend) in Fantasy Football, and I’m sure there are plenty out there who either play in formats that either start two quarterbacks, or change their touchdown point value from four to six. And in that regard, I bring you a post that should kill two birds with one stone, because ef birds, but also look guys at my profound ability to both have amazing geometric awareness and mind-bending arm dexterity to actually kill a living animal that can fly by bouncing a stone off of both of them!

Want to take on Razzball writers and contributors in the great game of Fantasy Football? For Prizes? OH MY GOD YES. Where do you sign up? Great question! (Even though you didn’t technically ask. I mean, you might have, but I couldn’t hear you…) You can join here!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Diving Deep for Lance Dunbar

August 29, 2016 | 2016 Buy/Sell, 2016 Fantasy Football | 14 Comments

by: Zach

I thoroughly enjoyed Alex Lee’s piece about Ezekiel Elliott a couple of days ago. Personally, I don’t have any issue with Elliott in the top ten, however I agree with Alex, it isn’t an ideal position for him to be in. In order to build the most ideal starting lineup, it’s probably wise for Elliott to be your early second round pick after getting a top-end WR1, which is possible in regards to current ADP. But I’d be remiss not to point out that Alex left out a crucial element about the Cowboys backfield as a whole, so I followed up with him…

“I like Dunbar as a deep sleeper option, especially in PPR. I agree that Elliott won’t have a Murray-like workload, I’d expect them to give some whole series to Morris and have Dunbar as a 3rd-down back out of the gate, with McFadden potentially being sidelined at the beginning of the season. He could take the first few weeks of the season to carve out a nice spot for himself as a Sproles-like weapon. If he does well with it early on, that would make it tough for Garrett to force him into a reduced role when DMC comes back. The problem is that McFadden is arguable a more complete player who is a competent receiver (he caught 40 balls last season), and if Dunbar doesn’t impress early on, the team probably wouldn’t hesitate to give his opportunities to McFadden or Elliott. He’s a risky play, but worth a late round stash to see how he looks coming off his knee injury and what kind of role the team has in store for him. He could pay big dividends, or be someone you drop quickly for the waiver wire darling du jour”.

Well, I guess I don’t have to write the article then. Way to go Alex. However, there are some other things I want to say and build off of, and it involves even more Lance Dunbar. So let’s get to it…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Swiftly Target Taylor

August 29, 2016 | 2016 Buy/Sell, 2016 Fantasy Football | 5 Comments

by: M@

During a football draft one year, we hit round six and I made the quote: “Here’s where it gets interesting, yet boring.” Seven years later, I still hear about it. But what those silly fools I play with don’t understand is that the statement’s not that Johnny Bananas in reality. Sure, everyone and their ~~mom~~ (mom’s don’t play fantasy football…they have Pinterest…) knows the names of the first few rounds, and you should all know to wait for upside, defenses and kickers for the final rounds, but what about the clusterf*ck in the middle? It can be a big pile of I don’t knows, wild guesses, and ESPN says he’s ranked 50th overall!!!’s. So let’s sort through the trash like Scrooge McDuck diving into his treasure room of gold coins and mine those players for the middle rounds to find some overrated hype, underrated targets, and the sleepiest of sleepers…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Romonobyl Came Early This Year

August 28, 2016 | 2016 Fantasy Football, 2016 News & Notes | 67 Comments

by: Jay

romoinjury2016

Now that the weekend has ended and we’re that much closer to the start of the NFL season, one has to ask (especially Cowboys fans and Tony Romo fantasy owners): Can I get off this wild ride? No. No you may not is probably the answer. After Tony Romo took a hit from Seattle’s Cliff Avril during a benign slide this past Thursday, the chronological order of what then took place was as follows:

“Romo Back Throwing on the Sidelines.” [Source.]
“Romo talks about minor back injury, seems completely fine. No X-rays needed.” [Video.]
“Tony Romo had an MRI Friday and has a broken bone in his back.” [Source.]

Well, that certainly escalated quickly. Oh, and what’s that imaginary narrative voice used as a vehicle to add a nice flourish whilst moving to another but related point to what was just stated? There’s more…? Oh god…

“Romo to wear back brace. Garrett not ruling him out for week one.” [Source.]

LOL, Jason Garrett, never change my man. Anyhow, there are certainly some fantasy implications with such an injury, and to be completely frank, there are probably real life implications for your liver at the moment if you’ve ever found yourself residing in the Dallas area or if you’ve ever been afflicted at all by Romoliciousness (it’s a real thing, trust me). But let’s all be honest with ourselves at this present time… you’re used to it by now… right? I mean, you have to be.

So, the rankings have been updated already, but here’s how it all settled, at least until they install a robotic spine into Romo’s body and I have to change everything all over again…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

2016 Fantasy Football War Room

August 28, 2016 | 2016 Draft Tools, 2016 Fantasy Football | 42 Comments

by: Jay

I’m proud to introduce this year’s iteration of Razzball’s very own draft tool: The War Room. First created by frequent community member and once-contributor: Nico, I’m happy to report that I’ve worked with him to bring this year’s version. You may know the Baseball version, and the Fantasy Football one follows the same general application. Here’s a brief rundown of what this tool can do for you…

The “User Input” feature enables customization of league sizes, roster settings, flex settings, and PPR settings.
The “War Room” tab summarizes the number of players taken by each team, and ranks each team by position.
The “Cheat Sheet” displays players in order of the 2016 Razzball Rankings, fully sortable, of course.
The “Projections” tab is a full display of the 2016 Razzball Projections, for those who like more in-depth information.

“Keep in mind, this spreadsheet is not locked, so if you’re an Ex(cel)pert, you can further customize this worksheet as needed. While the War Room is an excellent in-draft tool, I’ve found that a lot of value can come from it post-draft as well. Going back through the draft picks and assigning only the anticipated starters to each team can provide an even more accurate analysis of the league after draft day.” – Nico.

So after the jump, I’m happy to provide the 2016 Fantasy Football War Room!

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Razzball’s NFC South Fantasy Preview

August 26, 2016 | 2016 Draft Strategy, 2016 Fantasy Football | 12 Comments

by: MB

nfc-south-logos-800

Let’s continue our division previews on the side of the NFC. We will go with my personal favorite division, the NFC South. You might be asking why is the NFC South my favorite division? You might also be asking why would anyone care what my favorite division is? Good question but I’ll tell you anyways. I’m a die-hard Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan.

My childhood as a football fan was pretty awesome. Tony Dungy was pimping the division (NFC Central or whatever it was called at the time) with a bad ass defense including John Lynch, Ronde Barber, Derrick Brooks, and the always classy Warren Sapp. Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott did most if not all of the productive work on offense. All they needed was a touchdown and a couple field goals to win each game so that was fine. When Jon Gruden was hired in 2002 the Bucs moved to the newly established NFC South, won the first title in the division’s history and Tampa’s first ever Super Bowl. Fast forward 14 years, Tampa has only won the division twice since that year, and haven’t made the playoffs since 2007. I might as well be a Browns fan at this point. Anyways let’s get it, we’ll start with the most high powered offense of last season.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

That Price is Way Too Low, You Need to Cutler It

August 26, 2016 | 2016 Deep Leagues, 2016 Fantasy Football | 4 Comments

by: Alex Lee

deep_impact

Hi everyone! Welcome to “Imp Acts Deep”, our new recurring piece breaking down my favorite Tyrion Lannister scenes in Game of Thrones. Let’s throw it back to Season 1 for some of Peter Dinklage’s most serious… *answers call from Jay* I’ve been informed the series is actually called Deep Impact. We’ll be taking a look at options for those of you who play deeper formats, have large benches, or maybe just want to live life on the wild side even in a shallow league. During the season, we’ll scrape the bottom of the barrel for good starts that may be sitting on the wire even in 16-teamers. There they are, perfectly good starts that everyone is just wasting. Don’t you know that there are hungry fantasy football players in China that would LOVE to have these starts you just throw away?

As you’re aware though, we are still in preseason mode, so we’ll start this series by targeting some late round gambles in drafts that can pay big dividends. We’ll be looking specifically at names currently going after pick 180, long after your standard format players have ended their drafts at Hooters, polished off their Bud Lights and gone home disappointed that none of the waitresses seemed to truly appreciate their unwanted advances. This is for serious players only, if you’re not really about that life please stop reading. I’ll wait. Dave, I see that you’re still reading this, please stop… Alright, now that Dave is finally gone, let’s dive in.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Why Preseason Games Matter, Kinda…

August 26, 2016 | 2016 Draft Strategy, 2016 Fantasy Football | 5 Comments

by: RotoLance

hi-res-cec8ea43f89bf755afc71c6c99933601_crop_north

Let me take you back to the 2010 preseason. Fantasy football buzz was building for Houston Texans running back Arian Foster. The buzz started in the offseason because Foster had put together a pretty good (but short) stretch late in 2009. The buzz reached its peak after he carried the ball 18 times for over 100 yards against the Cowboys in the 3^rd preseason game. I didn’t care that much about the gaudy yardage total (though it doesn’t hurt!), it was the usage that caught my eye. He looked like a feature back in the making. Despite this he was still a relatively late pick, RB 24, with an ADP (average draft position) of 54 overall. So he was a high priority target of mine that year because presumed feature backs that come cheap are a very rare and a very good thing. And for the chance to acquire a feature back that late in the draft we should be more than willing to accept the slightly greater risk that comes with a player that has “never done it before”. I mean Arian Foster’s 2010 situation would be kind of like if Ezekiel Elliott was going in the 5th round. No brainer, right?

Please, blog, may I have some more?