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Building a Redraft League Winning Roster

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Building a league-winning roster involves being competent across many different criteria. The first box to check is having a high and consistent weekly floor. A weekly floor is important because inconsistent teams tend to not make the playoffs. It’s a long season, and your team getting cold for a couple of games here and there can be the difference between making a championship run and trying to not finish last. Now I understand that talking about players’ floors is not the sexiest topic in the world, but points win weeks. It’s as simple as that. This series will be written for those in normal PPR redraft leagues, starting 1QB, 2RBs, 2WRs, 1TE, and 1RB/WR/TE along with a Kicker and Defense. Follow these steps, and you will be on top of your league’s podium at the end of the season. 

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Startup Strategies: Drafting to Reload, Not Rebuild

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Rookie drafts are wrapping up and startups are the only thing getting dynasty owners through the off-season. If you’re a true dynasty degenerate, at least set yourself up for success from the draft. We’re not going to just set ourselves up for success now, but build a sustainable roster for the future to create a true “dynasty.” You don’t have to go all-in on big-name vets, nor do you need to only draft players under 26. Mix a little of both strategically.

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Julio Jones Traded to the Tennessee Titans

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Julio Jones will be traded to the Tennessee Titans for future second and fourth-round picks. Jones who was drafted as the sixth overall selection in 2011, spent 10 productive seasons in Atlanta. In that time Jones became one of the most productive wide receivers in NFL history hauling in 848 catches for 12,896 yards and 60 TDs. He will instantly become Tennessee’s WR1 sufficiently boosting the outlook for Ryan Tannehill’s 2021; let’s dive into how it impacts his fellow Titans teammates along with how his departure impacts the viable fantasy options in Atlanta.

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2021 Rookie RB Comps

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In this series, we are going to do a deep dive into the top 2021 NFL Draft Class running backs, and see who they compare to historically. We are going to build them out from the standpoint of their physical acumen, their athletic abilities, and then bring it full circle by looking into their college production. Combining these three components we will settle on a final comparison that I believe most accurately outlines each player’s potential range of outcomes in the NFL. In this article, we will make comparisons for the top five running back prospects in the draft.

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Joe Mixon: 2021 Dynasty Profile

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Joe Mixon played college football at the University of Oklahoma from 2014-2016. As a redshirt sophomore, Mixon racked up over 1,800 yards from scrimmage and scored 15 TDs. After his strong 2016 season, Mixon declared for the 2017 NFL Draft. During the pre-draft process, he measured in at 6’ 1”, 226 lbs. and registered an impressive 92nd-percentile speed score with his 4.50 40-yard dash. Under different circumstances, Mixon could’ve easily been a first-round pick. Due to character concerns and an incredible RB class that included Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook, and Christian McCaffrey, Mixon slipped into the second round where he was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals.

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Kenneth Gainwell is an Onion

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Kenneth Gainwell was the “onion” in Memphis’s offense; he served as their leading rusher and lined up in many different alignments. At his 2021 Pro Day, Gainwell measured in at 5’8” and 201 lbs. He ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, benched 225 lbs. 21 times, executed a 35” vertical jump, and ran a 4.46-second short shuttle. After his performance, Gainwell had some kind words to say about himself: “My skill set is very, very different. I can play between the tackles, I can play outside the tackles, I can line up at the slot. So my position is very, very different than these other running backs in the draft.”

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A.J. Brown: Big Winner in Free Agency

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As the first week in NFL Free Agency has come and gone, dynasty owners can now sit back and take in all that transpired. In general, the highly anticipated free agency period did not quite live up to the hype. There were not as many big splash landings as the dynasty community had hoped for. The reduced salary cap played a significant role in the lack of major long-term contracts we have come to expect when big names hit the open market. With that said, some moves do spark some excitement in terms of fantasy football.

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Good Luck, NFC East Defenses!

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As the great movie “Talladega Nights” informed us all, America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, bad-ass speed. Washington has taken that to heart and signed arguably the most competent and fastest wideout on the free agency market. Curtis Samuel. His signing now makes the college dream of his and Terry McLaurin into reality and nightmares for NFC East defensive coordinators. This one, two, punch is now in my mind, one of the best in the NFC, if not the NFL.

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Fantasy Football Formats: Gotta Try’em All!

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The best way to play fantasy football is to not care about the rules of the game at all. My home league had one flaw that kept hassling us as the years went by. We completely forgot that fantasy football is a game. It’s a game about a game and you make the rules. Why not play around with them? Keep you and your friends on their toes! Give no one an edge by mixing it up with your redraft leagues every year.

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DK Metcalf vs. A.J. Brown

DK Metcalf vs. A.J. Brown: Which Ole Miss WR is Better?

Dynasty / By /

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.

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Risers and Fallers from Super Wild Card Weekend

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In this weekly piece, I will bring you some risers and fallers from a dynasty lens. Whether it’s injuries, performance, or value, I want to discuss how players have moved around. Based on the week’s events, I’ll give some advice on how to act on the market’s movement, whether it’s buying, selling, or holding. Even in the playoffs, dynasty values still change weekly. I won’t limit myself to talking about any specific players or teams because I want to have the freedom to discuss whatever is most relevant. Of course, there are more risers and fallers than those I’m listing. With that said, let’s jump into the risers first, followed by the fallers.

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Week 13 Storylines

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I love writing these storyline pieces. I will go through some of the games and discuss one dynasty-relevant storyline per team that I’m excited to see. I won’t cover every game, as I don’t feel like there’s necessarily an exciting storyline to discuss for every team. However, I’ll bring you my best insights from the games I select each week.

This piece will give you something specific to look for in each contest, which I hope helps you enjoy the games even more. We all play fantasy football to enhance our enjoyment of football, and I’m trying to add to that sense of happiness here. Fun is the most essential part of this hobby for all of us, including me.

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Week 10 Buy/Sell

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You know who’s fun? Kyler Murray. He’s just amazing to watch. I have no idea how his legs move so quickly. He’s also smart. He gets slides to avoid hits better than any NFL player I’ve ever seen. What a fun player to watch. You know who is also fun? DeAndre Hopkins. Zach and I have friends who are Texans’ fans and it’s just ridiculously fun to dunk on the trade that sent Hopkins to Arizona. Nuk is an absolute baller and that trade was a travesty. Now… you know what’s not fun? When Kyler threw up what is now being called the Hail Murray to Hopkins to win on Sunday. Why was it not fun? Because it allowed Zach to beat me by six points. Yeah… not fun. So let’s talk about something that is fun. How about some trade targets!

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Thursday Night Storylines: Week 10

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The Titans are a run-first offense behind Derrick Henry. Henry somehow has 182 carries through eight games, averaging an insane 22.8 carries/game. Unfortunately, Henry has only caught 10 of 18 targets for 81 yards. Third-round pick Darrynton Evans has barely seen the field due to injuries; otherwise, he likely would’ve seen some work to spell Henry. As of now, Henry remains a workhorse RB1, although he’s not in the top echelon due to his lack of PPR upside.

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NFL Player Props: Week 9

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Welcome to part two of my weekly publication! As always, part one of this publication is my weekly picks against the spread, with a deep dive into three picks that I feel will provide a nice payout to bettors. In part two, I look at three player props that I feel have a strong chance of paying out. This article will run the gamut and will include bets such as ‘passing yard totals’, ‘first player to score’, and even ‘total tackles’ for those who love defense. In addition, I will also make one “Longshot Pick of the Week”. This pick will always feature a more difficult bet that has a greater than 2:1 payout. The odds may be tougher, but if you’re into some fun player props take a peek!

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Week 6 Early Game Storylines

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As usual, I’m trying a different type of article this week. I will go through each of the early slate games and discuss one dynasty-relevant storyline per team that I’m excited to see. If I get a chance, I might look at the rest of the games in another article, but I wanted to start with only the first set. This piece will give you something specific to look for in each contest, which I hope helps you enjoy the games even more. I’ve listed the home team first for each game. I won’t waste any more time, so let’s jump straight in!

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Week 4 Buy/Sell

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Well, that was a weird week. Did we just have two Monday Night Football games and a week four bye? Why yes… yes we did. In all honesty, props to the NFL for getting that Chiefs vs. Patriots rescheduled for Monday night. That game certainly caused a good number of fantasy commissioners to scramble for backup plans and contingency scenarios. Now hopefully we will continue to get good news about the Titans containing the COVID outbreak that left us (read: me) without Derrick Henry last week. Regularly scheduled bye weeks are upon us, which means the pool of legitimate starting players is shrinking even more. Time to get to trading. Check out who we’re buying and selling after the first four weeks of the season.

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NFL Player Props: Week 2

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In this article, I look at three player props that I feel have a strong chance of paying out. This article will run the gamut and will include bets such as ‘passing yard totals’, ‘first player to score’, and even ‘total tackles’ for those who love defense. In addition, I will also make one “Longshot Pick of the Week”. This pick will always feature a more difficult bet that has a greater than 2:1 payout. The odds may be tougher, but if you’re into some fun player props take a peek!

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