Having played fantasy football for over a decade, CHANGE is pretty much the only constant in fantasy. Beginning in the early 2000s, standard scoring leagues were the most popular leagues (at least from where I saw things). You had your standard roster: QB, RB1, RB2, WR1, WR2, WR3, TE, K, DEF…done. Everyone knew the values of players and it was just a matter of whether or not you would reach or wait on a player. The last 7 years or so, my life has been turned upside down! What started out as a fun way to enjoy football Sundays when my team wasn’t playing has turned into total MADNESS. I am a diehard Jets fan and I can honestly say it is extremely difficult to watch a game in its entirety and not be more focused on my fantasy team. Fantasy Football, I can say, has become my main focus on Sunday. 24 hours, 7 days a week, IT’S ALL ABOUT FANTASY! Working on trades, deciding whom to add/drop, studying player matchups, watching the weather in different cities, you name it. I mean, who cares about the weather other than where they are??? From PPR to Auction to Half PPR to Keeper Leagues to FAAB…who can keep up? Fantasy football has taken over my life from late July through December and I love every freaking minute of it. My feeling is if it doesn’t consume close to every second of your life, it’s just your hobby. And I have no problem with that, and nor should you. I’ll just take your money!
Let’s Be Frank for a minute:
RBs – Long gone are the days of starting two top running backs in a weekly lineup. Gone are the days of Priest Holmes, Shaun Alexander, LaDanian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson and Clinton Portis. Now we have committee backfields with the likes of Rashard Jennings and Andre Williams or Chris Ivory and Chris Johnson. The position has become an embarrassment. And then, of course, you have a coach like Mike Shanahan or Mike Pettine who decides on a whim that one running back will start and that player plays one series all game! Thank god for guys like Matt Forte.
QB – The position of QB is solid all around. If I’m drafting, there is no reason to reach in an early round to get a QB because there are more than enough to go around. Outside of Peyton, Luck and Rodgers, the field is up for grabs as to who will be that next tier. Matt Ryan seems to have fallen off, Wilson and Kaep are dangerous because of what their legs bring and guys like Rivers, Romol, Eli and Big Ben are always capable of giving 30+ performances. This is a passing game and almost all QBs are capable of giving quality starts based on matchup. Well, maybe all except Ryan Lindley.
WR – Calling Joe Horn? Calling Joe Horn? WR is the deepest position of all heading into 2015-2016 season. It is frightening the amount of talent that is in the league. Every year 3-5 draftees are making names for themselves in fantasy and it’s hard to keep up. It’s a very exciting time, but this is usually where drafts can go horribly wrong. Many fantasy “gurus” fall in love with guys and over rank them, and then they fall flat on their face. Last year for example, Corradelle Patterson was getting so much love and was drafted in the 3rd through 5th round and really damaged some drafts. Note to self: Don’t draft a Kansas City WR.
TE – This is one of those positions that when you think it’s deep, it isn’t. Then when you think it’s weak, it’s very deep. Guys like Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce and Julius Thomas have changed the way people look at tight ends. No longer lumbering guys that run basic routes, these athletes have taken the position to new heights. I can’t wait to see who emerges next.
K – Kickers get a bad wrap! Many leagues are doing away with the position, but I love it. Especially when I have a great one on my team. Some fantasy owners like to use them interchangeably from week to week while I like to find one to stick with. I don’t think a kicker has ever killed me, but I know others who have been done in by them. It will be interesting to see what happens to kickers scoring with the extra point moved back to the 32-yard line. Will it be the end of kickers in fantasy, or do we award 2 points for an extra point now?