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The NFL Draft is many different things for many different teams. For teams like the Jaguars, it’s a time to regroup and rebuild towards the future. For others like the 49ers, it’s a time for the rich to get richer. For teams like the Cowboys, it’s a time to make confusing picks and further alienate their fanbase. How ’bout dem Cowboys? You ever wonder if Jerry Jones just likes playing with his money but pretends he really cares? Like he goes to restaurants and orders Peking Duck then gives them $100 bills to wrap his leftovers up in then takes it outside and sets it on fire for no apparent reason? Then later announces he doesn’t understand why his leftovers tasted bad? Yeah, me too. But I start with this intro so that we can discuss the Seattle Seahawks and their drafting of Christine Michael. Now clearly anything and everything I say is pure speculation here. I have no insider information nor do I have Spidey senses, though my left arm is tingling. Signs of a possible heart attack. Thanks, WebMD! Though more than likely it’s because I passed out while reaching into a cooler full of dry ice. Yeah, that’s not possible without more serious issues but this is the internet and we lie about shizz all the time. But more to the point, Marshawn Lynch has carried a large load over the last couple of years…hehe, ‘load’. For reals, since 2011 Lynch has touched the ball 351 times. Sure, that’s not a 400 carry pace which always raises the warning flag but you have to consider the running style here. Lynch isn’t exactly someone you’d call a ‘dancer’ in the hole. They don’t call him Beast Mode for nothing as he’s not one to back down from contact and that style of running can catch up to you pretty quickly. When you factor the nagging back injury issues, this 27 year old running back might be closer to a 30 year old one in terms of tread on the tires. Of course and again, this is all pure speculation but it IS odd that the Seahawks would draft a running back of a similar build and style to Marshawn so high in the draft when the team had other spots that many thought would be addressed. Overall, this draft pick could resonate louder after this season but it’s also a sign that the Seahawks do not see Turbin as anything more than a change of pace back and that Christine Michael is the back to own if you are looking to handcuff Lynch for the 2013 Fantasy Football season…oooooooh, I’m not done yet. We’re working on a Razzball Football Glossary Term page like the Fantasy Baseball side has and we want to steal praise your glorious minds by putting your definitions in for some much needed fantasy football funny for terms. We’re totally FUBU around here. So below are some topics of discussion and you’re free to throw ideas out there on other ones as well. We don’t discriminate but we do playa hate. Wait, what? Anyways, your input is needed, Razzball Nation so put on your thinking caps – mine looks like an upside down ice cream cone – and tickle our fancy with your input….oh, a secondary psyching? Yep! We did an off-season podcast last week if you didn’t know about the 2013 NFL Draft and some of the off season moves. We recorded it around a drum circle while @NickCapozzi and @jaywrong did interpretive dance about their affections for Jennifer Lawrence. It was haunting…but for reals, help us out below, we’d greatly appreciate it and love you forever or at least until we forget you were the one that helped us.

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Nick has been trying to chase me down and finally caught me. You’ve been warned: you’re gonna hear my voice on the podcast for the first time here. It will be just as shocking as it was for this little kid but more than likely will end in tears of annoy than tears of joy. For the NFL Draft, we went with a three-headed brigade as Murph will swing the RBs, JB will take on the wide outs and Jaywrong will talk quarterbacks and tight ends and most likely a little Jennifer Lawrence. It’s not stalking if it’s on the internet, right? In any case, here’s to hoping scheduling-wise we can get our IDP guy Kevin Kumpf on the next ‘cast (I can call it a ‘cast cuz I’m now part of the industry) so we can figure out how the draft and some off-season moves will play out for the defensive side of the oblong ball. Unfortch, he’s on vacation. I think he’s out with the Gronk on some tropical island with no legal age restrictions. Totally guessing there. But that’s for next time. For this time, here’s your off season version of the Razzball Podcast for the 2013 fantasy football season…

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It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of the players that go in the early rounds and forgetting about those that fall but one thing to remember: the round taken rarely correlates to a player’s success. For every Russell Wilson (75th pick by the Seahawks) there is a Jamarcus Russell (1st pick overall […]

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As the second round of the draft started early on a Saturday I decided to head out to one of my favorite bars in San Diego and watch what I anticipated to be a very interesting draft after an exciting first round. As the draft unfolded there were a lot of surprises causing a lot of controversy with draft “experts”. I was also given the experience that we saw Geno Smith go through in the first round as I waited and waited for my player of 2013 Johnathan Franklin to be drafted. Was it the second round? No Was it the third round? No Maybe the fourth? Yes after hours of waiting Johnathan Franklin was finally drafted behind my least favorite running back Eddie Lacy to the Green Bay Packers. I can only hope that I am right about both and Franklin becomes the every down back I envisioned him to be for the Packers, but enough about me lets talk about the rest of the draft. One thing that we did see was that after a fairly offensive line and defensive player heavy first round the offensive skill players started to fly off the board and land in some very intriguing situations. As fantasy football enthusiasts these are the players we care about most. Lets take a look at a round two and three analysis of the players and how their landing spot effects their value for fantasy football in 2013 and in the future.

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With the first round of the draft completed and behind us we begin to absorb the aftermath and feel the effects from what was anything but a normal opening day that appeared to match the intensity of the anticipation leading up to it. With 9 picks being offensive lineman and 18 being defensive players that leaves us with 5 picks that could be considered fantasy football relevant for 2013 and in future NFL seasons. Many of you will be unhappy with the pick your team made but we still have 6 rounds to go and there is plenty of talent in those middle rounds, if you are still upset just think about the Cowboys who took a center in the first round. Now that should make you feel better, unless you are a Cowboys fan and if so I apologize, well not really, go complain to Jerry. Lets take a look at some of the picks that could be assets to fantasy teams in 2013.

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After weeks of studying this draft class with my elite research team, the AT&T kids, we have come to the conclusion that this Wide Receiver class is being slightly underrated, even if we can’t tape a cheetah to the back of the slow ones. It is well known that the position of Wide Receiver, unlike Running Back, has a huge learning curve when a player steps into the NFL, but can a player be successful straight away? Sure, if put in the right situation a player can and will make an impact. This is going to be an exciting year for Wide Receivers in this year’s draft mostly due to the depth at the position. While it’s unlikely there is a Megatron or AJ Green that will come in and make an immediate impact, there are several receivers in this draft, due to their athletic ability, that have extremely high ceilings in terms of Fantasy Football. Most of the players you read about here won’t be immediate household names, but you can be sure that a few will be coveted 2013 Fantasy Football assets in the coming years. Let’s take a look at some of the top receivers in the 2013 NFL Draft and where the best landing spot would be for each. Even with major moves in the off season, there are still several teams that need to improve their Wide Receiver corps as the passing game has become such a huge part of what it takes to be successful in the NFL and for your Fantasy Football teams…

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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…

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The NFL Combine or as I call it, a reunion for a dysfunctional family we call the National Football League. The combine provides Owners, General Managers and Coaches a chance to reconnect, make generalized statements to the media and observe potential draft prospects in the first official event of the off season. Unfortunately two players that I really wanted to see – Matt Barkley and Eddie Lacy – did not participate. Some of my favorite moments include Chip Kelly’s “Erroneous” interview, GM Tom Telesco stating that Ryan Mathews will be the starting running back for the Chargers (not buying it), watching the hundreds of people gather at Manti Te’o’s interview only to get the same information we have known for months, the blazing 40 times including 6’ 5” 305 LB Terron Armstead run a 4.65 and of course everyone’s overreaction to under or over performers. I half expected for Jerry Jones to have an interview stating that he was looking forward to watch Leon Sandcastle and that he was on the Cowboy’s radar…sorry Jerry, it’s just a joke. Seriously though it might have been entertaining to watch in regards to the background noise but ultimately we watch the combine for one reason and that’s to keep an eye and get a first look as Fantasy Football owners of the talent that could possibly land on our fantasy rosters and give us the best opportunity to win the coveted championship. Lets take a look at a few combine standouts from each position and how their performance effects their relative draft position. One thing to keep in mind with these grades and scores is that a good evaluation does not always mean that a player is or is not a great NFL prospect this is more of a track meet and as we know there is more to football than running, jumping and lifting weights. Track speed and strength does not always translate to football speed and strength. But enough about that, let’s see how the 2013 NFL Combine played out and what, if any, effect it will have on 2013 fantasy football…

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The Running Back; a player that gets a large majority of Fantasy Football enthusiasts excited. We all understand the basic logic of drafting talented “stud” Running Backs to our Fantasy teams but I believe there is something more to it. When we draft players like Jamaal Charles, CJ Spiller, Chris Johnson and Darren McFadden we do it knowing there is inherent injury risk but we continue to keep drafting these players. Why? I can’t speak for everyone but for me it’s one of the most exciting things to watch in football when that player breaks an electrifying 90 yard run and your team goes from hopeless to winner in a matter of seconds. Not saying that other positions aren’t important but your fantasy Running Backs can be true game changers. So why get so excited about this draft class? The position of Running Back in the NFL is not that much different than the position played in college for these players, it’s not like Wide Receiver where there are multiple routes to learn and timing to establish with the Quarterback. The proof of this was seen last year in NFL rookies early on like Trent Richardson, Doug Martin and Alfred Morris. Then with the frequent injuries at the position, David Wilson and Bryce Brown were given opportunities late in the season and did not disappoint. The game is changing so get ready for these young talented athletes to make a huge impact on the NFL and on your Fantasy Teams. Many are saying that the talent pool of Running Backs in this year’s draft lies mostly with the Underclassman but lets take a look at some of the under appreciated upperclassman that were asked to display their skills in this year’s Senior Bowl and how they might affect 2013 fantasy football after the 2013 NFL Draft.

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After an entertaining 2012 NFL season Fantasy Football fans begin to shift their focus to the talent displayed in the upcoming NFL draft. With the high level of success by NFL rookie quarterbacks you have to think teams like the Oakland Raiders are shaking their heads in disappointment for giving up what turned out to be valuable opportunities to gain immediate impact players. Of the twelve playoff teams in 2012 six of those teams had either first or second year quarterbacks and almost all of which were an asset to many fantasy teams as well. The first order of business in the grueling months of NFL scouting is the Senior Bowl and although there weren’t any standout performances from a group that has been most recently described as “mediocre” we did learn a few things other than the most popular topic of top prospects Geno Smith and Matt Barkley choosing for better or worse not to participate. Best potential Fantasy QB? I have mixed feelings and think it’s too early to tell but here are some assessments of what we have seen so far for the 2013 NFL Draft and some things to think about for 2013 Fantasy Football.

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