Dynasty Analysis
Houston is experiencing one of the most turbulent years in sports history. No other time can I remember a city losing four superstars in a matter of just three months. In December, former MVP Russell Westbrook was jettisoned to Washington. Just a month later, Houston lost another former MVP in James Harden to Brooklyn. Yesterday, Houston “mutually agreed” to part with the face of their football franchise J.J. Watt. Lurking around the corner for Houston is a parting with star quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Believe it or not, Ole Miss is not known for producing great wide receiver talent. In fact, outside of Eli Manning and Evan Engram, they haven’t produced many fantasy-relevant players. After the 2019 NFL Draft, that changed. A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf were taken with the 51st and 64th picks, respectively. In year one, Brown finished as WR21, and Metcalf finished as WR33:impressive considering rookie wide receivers don’t usually break out until the back half of the season. The two both jumped up in the rankings and flipped positions in year two with Metcalf finishing as WR7 outpacing Brown who came in at WR12.
Both receivers find themselves as top ten dynasty assets entering the 2021 season. However, the fantasy community is divided on which player is better.
In 2017 as a freshman, Dylan Moses came to the Alabama campus as a 6-foot-3, 235-pound freshman and proceeded to run a 4.46-second 40-yard dash. He then bench pressed 405 pounds, squatted 500 pounds and power cleaned 335 pounds. Four years in the Crimson Tide program has allowed Moses to add muscle weight without sacrificing explosion. Moses’ SPARQ rating (according to ESPN.com) is 132.48, which is extremely high for any athlete and elite for a linebacker.
Just a year ago people were debating if Tom Brady would resign with the Patriots. Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans were certainly not expecting his services in Tampa Bay. Fast forward to now and Brady practically owns the bay, now hearing it dubbed “Tompa Bay.” Additionally, he brought plenty of friends with him for the Super Bowl ride. The layers behind this win create an epic tale for Tom Brady, and there is now no questioning that he is beyond special, and that he just wins. Brady will continue to do things on the field that we only dream of doing in our own leagues: championship appearances, rings, etc.
I get it. Kyle Pitts is the savior that’s going to rescue your fantasy team from the desolate tight end landscape. Based on the eye-test and a lot of metrics, that seems to be true. HOWEVER, if Kyle Pitts is truly an NFL-level tight end, he would have to absolutely smash all rookie records in order to meet some of the expectations being laid out by the fantasy community.
Micah Parsons came out of Harrisburg High School in 2018 as one of the most highly recruited and talented players in the entire country. Rated fifth overall nationally in the class, and 64th all-time at any position by 247sports.com, Parsons ticks every skill box a linebacker would need to succeed at the college level as well as the NFL.
I am sure that if you follow me on Twitter, (@FF_Derrick) it is no secret that I am a proud Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. No, I did not board the ship at Raymond James Stadium in the summer of 2020 when Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady signed a two-year deal. I have been following the Buccaneers since my childhood. I promise to leave my love for my lifelong favorite team aside and give an honest evaluation of this Super Bowl.
Building a successful dynasty league can be challenging for many people. Unlike redraft leagues, dynasty leagues have a year-round aspect to them that requires extra planning and preparation. The goal of this series is to take you along with me as I write and edit my own personal league’s by-laws. This exercise is a great way, as a commissioner, to evaluate your league and take strides to make it better!
In this series, I’ll be taking a deep dive into an NFL teams’ situation as we turn to 2021. We will look at coaching/GM changes, team needs, salary cap/free agents, and overall fantasy outlook for 2021. The next team on the list: the New York Jets.
I’ve been doing this series of free dynasty profiles on 2020 rookies. I love the dynasty profile format, as it provides quick-hitting information in a short and digestible form. My previous work in this series is all found in links at the bottom of the page. Let’s jump straight into my next entry, Laviska Shenault.
This is the fourth article of the team needs series covering teams picking 16 through 20. Obviously, free-agency acquisitions will make a major difference as to who teams will draft. These predictions and needs will therefore change as we acquire more information. However, many are of the thinking that it’s better to supplement with free-agency and build through the draft. Teams want to get young assets and have them develop cohesion with the team. Therefore, the draft is often more predictive of a team’s long-term confidence in a player.
The Draft starts in Mobile, Alabama. Over the past two seasons, the player who has won Senior Bowl MVP honors was selected early in the first round of the NFL Draft. In 2019, that was Daniel Jones going sixth overall to become the New York Giants franchise quarterback. In 2020, Justin Herbert scorched the Senior Bowl, earning MVP honors and being selected sixth overall to the Los Angeles Chargers. Herbert went on to set rookie quarterback records and is one of the most valuable Superflex dynasty quarterbacks and players overall. Since 2014, there have been a number of players to play in the senior bowl and go on to become very good NFL players and correspondingly very valuable fantasy assets.
Your author covered the first three coaching hires in a previous article, so it’s time to cover the remaining four new head coaches here. Each team needed enough time and attention and a fair rundown of where their franchise currently stands. Let’s continue the break down!
This is the third article of the team needs series covering teams picking 11 through 15. Obviously, free-agency acquisitions will make a major difference as to who teams will draft. These predictions and needs will therefore change as we acquire more information. However, many are of the thinking that it’s better to supplement with free-agency and build through the draft. Teams want to get young assets and have them develop cohesion with the team. Therefore, the draft is often more predictive of a team’s long-term confidence in a player.
I’ve been doing this series of free dynasty profiles on 2020 rookies. I love the dynasty profile format, as it provides quick-hitting information in a short and digestible form. My previous work in this series is all found in links at the bottom of the page. Let’s jump straight into my next entry, Jalen Reagor.
All seven of the vacant head coaching positions that were available in the NFL this offseason have been filled. In this piece, your author is giving a rapid reaction to each hire, along with some brief fantasy football implications. Understand that these are the analyses and opinions of your author, based on the knowledge and information he possesses. The NFL is a dynamic league, and turnover at the head coach and GM positions not only occur each year but also keeps interest in NFL franchises fresh and relevant. The complete slate of additions will be covered in two articles, the first three breakdowns are here. Overall, the decisions made were underwhelming but interesting. Some teams made strong hires, some underwhelming hires, and some were true boom or bust hires. Now it’s time to dive in, in no particular order, and unpack the new coaching hires…
This is the second article of the team needs series covering teams picking six through 10. Obviously, free-agency acquisitions will make a major difference as to who teams will draft. These predictions and needs will therefore change as we acquire more information. However, many are of the thinking that it’s better to supplement with free-agency and build through the draft. Teams want to get young assets and have them develop cohesion with the team. Therefore, the draft is often more predictive of a team’s long-term confidence in a player.
Building a successful dynasty league can be challenging for many people. Unlike redraft leagues, dynasty leagues have a year-round aspect to them that requires extra planning and preparation. The goal of this series is to take you along with me as I write and edit my own personal league’s by-laws.
As I look at mock drafts, my eyes naturally gravitate towards fantasy-relevant players which led to the idea for this series. I decided to attack the needs of each team from top to bottom. This is the first article and covers the teams picking in the top five of the NFL Draft. Obviously, free-agency acquisitions will make a major difference as to who teams will draft. These predictions and needs will therefore change as we acquire more information. However, many are of the thinking that it’s better to supplement with free-agency and build through the draft. Teams want to get young assets and have them develop cohesion with the team. Therefore, the draft is often more predictive of a team’s long-term confidence in a player.
With the recent spike in attention towards Wall Street and companies clinging to existence, I am going to give you three wideouts to trade for to save your dynasty roster from the same fate. Something to build on without giving up too much is always how I approach a rebuild, and WR is the perfect position to start at when analyzing your team. Wide receivers last a long time in a world where quarterbacks and running backs come and go frequently. In my very first dynasty league, I traded away Jarvis Landry. It doesn’t matter what I received in return because I can’t remember, and Jarvis is still producing and will continue to do so for years to come. Needless to say, I learned my lesson, and I am here to tell you about some guys to go get.
The Super Bowl betting scene comes with many different kinds of bets. Some of them are related to the game’s outcome, but I think the fun lies with the side bets. I’ll cover both of those in this piece. Let’s get started!
Intro With the dynasty offseason in full swing, I wanted to give everyone a quick look into my dynasty startup first-round. I know the top players aren’t usually controversial, but I believe it’s essential to understand why particular players carry such a high dynasty value. Also, I won’t include any 2021 rookie players or picks. […]
As we close out the 2020 football season with a Super Bowl matchup between the last generation’s greatest quarterback and the next generation’s greatest quarterback, rookie fever is quickly approaching. Many people like Peter Howard (Twitter handle: @pahowdy) and Dave Wright (@ff_spaceman) have set up prospect databases that are uniquely useful, and I have posted links to each respective database so you can check them out for yourself.
With the dynasty offseason in full swing, I wanted to give everyone a quick look into my dynasty startup first-round. I know the top players aren’t usually controversial, but I believe it’s essential to understand why particular players carry such a high dynasty value. Also, I won’t include any 2021 rookie players or picks. I don’t see a Saquon Barkley-type prospect that could crack the first round of startups this year, at least not without a perfect landing spot and draft capital.