It’s been hot as hell for two months here in Texas, but the rest of the country seems to consider Memorial Day Weekend as the kickoff of the summer. The NFL is no different apparently, as it’s using the start of bikini season to get rid of those excess LBs. In this case, I’m talking about Sean Lee and Daryl Washington, but Andy Reid and the Ryan brothers can always stand to drop some weight. Let’s take a look at how the loss of two studs for the season affects the IDP landscape for 2014:

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Learn more about our 2024 Fantasy Football Subscriptions!

The best blend of accurate and bold weekly projections for QB/RB/WR/TE + PK + Defensive Teams and IDP as well as a kick-ass DFS lineup optimizer and projections for DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo!

2014 Rankings: Top-200 | Top-200 (PPR) | Top-200 (Half-PPR) | QB | RB | RB (PPR)| WR | WR (PPR) | TE | TE (PPR) | K | DST | IDP Rankings: Top-100 | DL | DB | LB

A lot of people come to me and ask “How should I go about drafting a kicker?”. And I respond, “Really bro, that’s what you want to talk about?” Actually, not really. None of that ever happens, and there’s a good reason for that. First, I’m always in my mom’s basement, so no one really comes up to me to ask about anything. Secondly, no one actually cares about kickers. Okay, okay, there are *some* people who draft kickers for one reason or another, but all those reasons are wrong. The Razzball approved strategy here is: Don’t be that guy you know. Which I guess is the opposite of Velveeta’s new slogan. We aim high here folks. Look, they are what they are, and that’s a low-tier position on the totem pole of fantasy football. And that’s no joke, because the totem pole exists. Somewhere in New Mexico, with the face of Roger Goodell and Cobra Commander. Hail HYDRA!, amiright? Anyhow, let’s go over a few things about this position (that’s what she said), and then rank-o-rama starts. Prepare your alcoholic beverages…

Please, blog, may I have some more?

We all know winter is coming. What this post presupposes is, what if we aren’t Game of Thrones? And so, as has been stated in the title, the time to release rankings for the 2014 Fantasy Football season is among us. Here’s how it’ll all play out:

June 10th – Kickers

June 12th – Defense and Special Teams

June 17th – Tight Ends

June 19th – Tight Ends (PPR)

June 24th – Wide Receivers

June 26th – Wide Receivers (PPR)

July 1st – Running Backs 

July 3rd – Running Backs (PPR)

July 8th – Quarterbacks

July 10th – Top-200 

July 15th – Top-200 (Half-PPR)

July 17th – Top-200 (PPR)

*Updated 6/14

And don’t worry, we’ll still be covering league news, IDP rankings, and Draft Strategy in or around those dates above. (Also, projections sometime in July) Basically, we’re making a Draft Kit, which I guess I could have just told you earlier and saved all this typing, but them’s the way it goes sometimes. But not really, because I have no idea what I’m saying at this point. The more important question is, do I ever? No. Not really.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

You know fantasy football season is right around the corner when the NFL Draft passes us by, but it really hits you when you start doing mock drafts.

For many, doing mocks in May is a tad bit early, but I am one of the millions of fantasy owners who have embarked on this journey – whether I like it or not!

Fantasy football is becoming increasingly more popular – not to say it wasn’t a juggernaut already – but there are people playing it all around the globe and from all walks of life.  While people used to draft a team or two a week or so before Opening Kickoff, you now have guys (and girls) with multiple teams (we’re talking dozens here), and they’re drafting all year round.  Dynasty league gurus have affectionately coined the term: “In dynasty leagues, there is no offseason”.  Such is the ADD/OCD culture we live in today.

I wasn’t planning on doing a mock so early, but I was invited by the esteemed website, Lindy’s Sports, to participate in a mock draft that would later be featured in their magazine’s 2014 Fantasy Football Preview Edition.  When glancing at some of the names on draft order list, I was sure that this would be a challenge.  Amongst my mock-mates were writers from some of the biggest fantasy football sites and publications out there.  This was gonna be interesting.

The following is a recap of what went down for me on that warm, Southern California night.  The settings for the mock are as follows: 14 teams, 14 roster spots (3 WR/2 RB/FLEX format), non-PPR, standard scoring settings.  I had the 14th pick.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Welcome to my fourth, and last installment of my fantasy football rookie sleepers.

So far, I’ve covered the first-year quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers who could sneak up on owners this year and are worth drafting in fantasy leagues.  These are “sleeper picks”, so you won’t see the Lions’ Eric Ebron on this list.

Not all players suggested stand to have an immediate impact, but they will be relevant in dynasty leagues for years to come.

Today I will be focusing on the young tight ends (roll porno credits here) in the NFL.  Traditionally, rookie tight ends don’t shift the fantasy football landscape, but there are a few recent draftees that have fallen into favorable situations and warrant your attention.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Tuesday afternoon, shortly after Cleveland Browns OTA’s, Johnny Manziel was spotted in a McDonald’s drive thru on the west side of Cleveland. Ordinarily, this would not be news, but it seems that the former Heisman trophy winner was ordering off the dollar menu. The dollar menu is not nearly complex enough to test the ordering skills of an NFL quarterback. I mean, really! Everything is the same price, so it’s super simple to add the total up in your head. Plus, all the dollar items are located in a small box on the bottom of the menu board. He didn’t even have to scan the entire menu in order to see what he wanted to drink! He just ordered a value sized Diet Coke. NO dessert. Unbelievable…

Browns fans are starting to lose patience with the highly touted gunslinger from Texas A&M. Forget about trips to Vegas and parties in New York City, Manziel better start getting it together in his own backyard. He needs to challenge himself constantly. No more trips through the ‘ten items or less’ lane. He HAS to use the self check out line. Everything done with a purpose… bringing a championship to the great city of Cleveland.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Now that the draft dust has settled and mini-camps have started, we can start to get serious about rookie wide receiver and tight end contributions in fantasy football this year.  The wide receiver class is full of studs; those who could potentially unseat the incumbents and make some serious noise.  The tight end class is much weaker, as there are only a couple of  names that could potentially see a significant amount of playing time.

Before we get too excited about some of these guys, I always consider the quarterback throwing them the ball first.  We have all made mistakes in the past drafting high profile, high potential receivers (ahem, Larry Fitzgerald) with the hopes that they can miraculously make their quarterback’s smarter, or mechanics better.  Be realistic here, and still stick with drafting wide receivers and tight ends who have proven passers.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

What makes a fantasy football team come out on top?  Well, having the best roster helps.  Sure, there is some luck that goes into that — as well as good timing — but only one owner in your league would have been fortunate enough to have added a Riley Cooper or a Marvin Jones before their breakout years last season.  Those types of players don’t just fall from the waiver wire tree.  The best way to map out a favorable outcome for your team by season’s end is to do your scouting now.  This way, when draft day comes, you’re not caught off guard.

This year’s NFL Draft featured a plethora of talent from the wide receiver position.  While guys like Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins, and Brandin Cooks should be snatched up pretty quickly in redraft leagues, there are other guys worth targeting in later rounds and in dynasty formats.

I’ve already covered the top sleepers at the quarterback and running back positions, and today I’ll highlight a few of the rookie receivers I feel are ready to make an impact in the fantasy football world.  Who knows, you may have the next Cooper or Jones on your hands.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

With the NFL season shortly approaching, now is the time for fantasy football owners to start preparing for their drafts.

We’re not even into the month of June, but getting a leg up on the season will go a long way.  Understanding where rookies stand is a key component of dynasty and redraft leagues.

Earlier, I discussed the top rookie sleepers to watch for at the quarterback position, and today I’ll be delving into the first-year running backs.

(Players aren’t listed in any specific order; college attended in parentheses)

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Every fantasy owner wants to show their draft prowess in front of all their buddies. What’s the best way to show your stuff? Drafting rookies that wind up killing it their first year of the NFL. The best example over the last few years is probably Cam Newton.  Not very often does a Cam Newton come out of college and and put up the kind of numbers that he did his rookie year. Will Teddy Bridgewater or Derek Carr be this year’s Cam Newton? Let’s take a look.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

We witnessed an entertaining NFL draft last weekend, and with rookie minicamps starting, it’s a perfect time to evaluate what some of  this year’s freshman class will have in store for fantasy football owners.

There were quite a few big name players selected at Radio City Music Hall, but the purpose of this article is to highlight some of the sleepers that could make an impact on your fantasy teams this year and beyond.

You won’t see me hyping QBs like Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles or Teddy Bridgewater, or even WRs like Mike Evans and Sammy Watkins.  Those players, and others like them, could and should be taken somewhat earlier in redraft leagues.  This column will feature guys who are either rosterable in dynasty leagues, or ones that are worth gambling on in the later rounds of redraft leagues.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

The NFL Draft… I’m about drafted out. In the Cleveland area, local talk radio has been so Browns focused that I’m not even sure if we have a professional baseball team. Check that, we do… we just don’t have a closer, but I digress. Holding the draft three weeks later than last year just added to the amount of BS we had to sift through trying to figure out who was going where. As much as I would love to give you yet another recap of what happened, and it actually turned out to be a fairly exciting night, I’m moving forward.

Watching the NFL Draft is kind of like watching a R-rated movie when you were a teenager. Remember waiting with baited breath for some girl to rip her top off for no reason? That’s the draft. You watch a few lineman taken, a defensive back, where’s the QB??? This year we got our money shot early with Blake Bortles being drafted third. What we really want to know is: How will he and some other guy from Texas A&M do this year? I’m going to tell you about these two QBs this week, and a couple more next week.

Please, blog, may I have some more?