Improving the league...

A commissioner's job is never done. In my case, I'm often thinking about how we can improve the league as well as make it more fun for the league owners.

I've been polling my large league over the last week or so to get some ideas about how we can improve the overall experience (and so that everyone gets their money's worth).  

Below are a few ideas on how we can change rules or setup.

1. Do a league realignment - split the league into two and recruit more players from the company.
2. Ask for two to four league owners to resign / quit the league (drop down to a 14 or 12 team league).
   
3. Change the weekly starting lineup rules. Require that the 16 teams have to start one running back, three wide receivers and a tight end.
4. Enforce roster limits and allow league owners to only have a certain number of running backs on their team.

I'll probably have the league owners vote on some of these suggestions at the end of the season...mostly so that everything is fresh in their minds and that we have time (if needed) in order to recruit new members.

It makes one wonder if the current state of injuries and change of strategy in the NFL will cause more fantasy owners grief in the long run.  To be consistent with the pro game, however, we need to adapt our leagues to fit the current trends and patterns that impact the fantasy game.

Where did the season go wrong?

In a league that is perhaps the most challenging I've ever done (partly because of the 15 other teams I compete against), I barely missed the playoffs this week. The team's destiny was in it's own hands and it completely fell apart...landing an overall record at 6-7. Which in itself was completely miraculous considering the total points scored by my team is currently the 5th lowest in the league.

Two other leagues that I participate in (not including this one we're reviewing) I'm safely at least the #2 seed going into the playoff week 14.

I thought it would be useful for next year to do a small recap about where things went wrong....starting with the draft.

Note that this is a PPR league - so top receivers CAN do as well as a top running back.


KEPT PLAYERS (from 2006 team)

We're allowed to keep 3 players. So here were my choices from last season's team.

Laurence Maroney - Consensus top 10 pick going into the season by many fantasy experts. Stuck in a pass happy offense, hurt for a number of games, and now losing touches to the "other Faulk". Heath Evans likes to get the touchdown glory.

Cedric Benson - High NFL draft pick with great college pedigree. Thomas Jones traded in the offseason - he had no competition. He underachieves all year, especially against horrible run defenses. Cedric's offensive line didn't help matters. He starts to pick it up (just in time for the playoffs) and then gets hurt.

Antonio Gates - has a good overall season, but throws up a stinker last
week thanks to Philip Rivers.


Short Draft Recap


1) Marques Colston - does nothing for the first weeks of the season
(mainly why I lost a couple two point games early), but overall turns out
okay. Throws out a stinker last week too.

Two draft picks in round 2

2a) Matt Leinart - supposed to be break out year. With two great
receivers, does nothing, then goes into time share with Kurt Warner. Then gets hurt.

2b) Reggie Brown - third year receiver - does not break out. McNabb's
injury killed his potential...and then Kevin Curtis becomes the go to
guy.

Braylon Edwards was picked three picks later.

4)LenDale White - underachieves for the first few games. I traded him in
week 5 for Javon Walker. We know how that turned out. White goes on a hot streak, and Walker stays injured.

5) Todd Heap - hurt all year. Nuff said. (Chris Cooley picked round 6).

8) Patrick Crayton - he was streaky - but turned out to be a good value pick.

9) Sammy Morris - wonderful backup to Maroney and really worked out well (while he was healthy). Matt Schaub was also picked this round.

10) Jason Campbell. My starting QB for most of the year. Had some really big games, but still learning and inconsistent. Dwayne Bowe was also picked this round.

Rounds 11 / 12 were mostly DEF and Special Teams picks.


FREE AGENT PICKUPS


I'm normally pretty active in the waiver wire. These may seem as reaches, but with 15 other teams bidding for players...here's what I was able to pickup. Note that these are only players that I STARTED any given week for my team.

Chris Henry (CIN) - Had a big game for me, hasn't done much since...filling in for Javon Walker

Priest Holmes (KCC) - Sounded promising, I sang his praises through a number of weeks...reinjures his neck and retires.

Kolby Smith (KCC) - Still playing! Put a decent number of points up for me last week.

Rex Grossman (CHI) - Started him once - didn't do well for me.

Brian Griese (CHI) - Started him a couple of times - with mixed results.

Fred Jackson (BUF) - Good game last week - got 14 points.

Adimchinobe Echemandu (HOU) - weeks ago was the hot waiver pickup. The next week, hardly plays...and scores less than a point for me.


SUMMARY


So where did this all go wrong? Mainly it was a lack of a "fantasy playmaker" for me. Someone that would consistently score a few points a week - with no major drop offs. All these guys have been mostly boom or bust - with my scores fluctuating wildly week to week. It may not be that a RB is the position that will do this for you anymore (meaning not just the top 10, but rather the top 20 used to be a safe play). It may come down to a good QB carrying your team - as long as he can stay healthy.

Busted Tees...

Check out this fantasy football t-shirt from Busted Tees.

Nice.

Denver RB Roulette!

Are there any running backs left in Denver? Paging Terrell Davis?

So we're down Travis Henry, Selvin Young, and now Andre Hall. RB Killer Shanahan might have to turn to....Mike Bell? I don't think so. Bell is back in the doghouse after the fumble on the first carry.

Even Dan Dierdorf got that. (He drew a doghouse around Mike Bell after he fumbled).



Further to the point - the reason why Cecil Sapp got the rest of the carries for the game. Cecil Sapp? The starting fullback? Huh?

Back earlier in November, the Broncos worked out Wali Lundy. Could it be possible that we see Wali suit up this weekend?

According to this report, more than likely we'll see Cecil Sapp play at RB. Although you should note, that Shanahan in his typical "lets-tick-off-the-fantasy-owners" did say that Hall could come back from the high ankle sprain this week - he's seen other guys do it before.

The only thing that is problematic with Sapp starting is that who will be used at fullback? In this this report (look further down) Kyle Johnson was being seen worked on after the game with a calf injury (and their other FB was out too).

With the matchup this week against Oakland - who ever runs in Denver should be good for a bunch of yards. Should be an interesting week in Denver - we'll know more today.