Other Poolie's Perspective- T-time on the League

Here is what T-time had to say about The League on his blog, Solomons Lines...

Television isn't typically what this blog is about, but in this case, a show about fantasy football is appropriate to talk about. The League premiered this week, and while pilots are often not as good as the show turns out to be, this one has some glaring problems that seen like they will continue. As with most sitcoms, this one will live or die on its actors and writers. The league is effectively mediocre in both categories. It will never be a 30 Rock, but it is a bit snappier than a CBS sitcom. I'll continue to watch, but mostly for the subject matter.

However, it is the subject matter that is the biggest problem with this show. Most of the jokes fall into two categories: the guys take fantasy football way too serious, and the guys don't know anything about fantasy football. This strains my suspension of disbelief too far. We're supposed to believe these guys are willing to make career decisions and kidnap kids to do well in FF but are not willing to sit down and spend 2 hours preparing for their draft, or god forbid, buy a magazine.

When The Office referenced fantasy football with an illogical reference a few years back(noone would have ever traded a top rb for defense) it was acceptable. You don't expect them to know what they are talking about. But when your show is about fantasy football, you should probably know a little about it. It as if the writers of The Office knew so little about offices they had everyone sitting on futons and using typewriters.

Some of these jokes would have worked say 6-7 years ago, when it was much harder to get information about fantasy football. Without 24 coverage on major networks and free draft kits on every sports website, I would buy jokes like the kid being the Oracle. Not now. It is just too easy to obtain reliable fantasy tips. It reminds me of something Bill Simmons was saying the other day. On his podcast, he was complaining that fantasy football is all luck now. He couldn't be more wrong about this. What has happened, is that his advantage has disappeared. 7 years ago, he had a distinct advantage over his friends that did not have sports related jobs. He had a lot more information at his disposal. Now all of his competitors can catch up in a few hours the week before the draft by Reading Berry, Karabell or whoever. The extremely lazy can just use ESPN's projections and really be just as well off as a sports columnist. It's not luck, just an even playing field. Getting back to The League, the landscape has changed, and some of these jokes don't work, if they ever would have.

Now if, I were to make a show about fantasy football, and I did have this idea a while back(it was going to be titled Keepers) I would make some of the characters way to into it. I would have a character or two that was not well informed,(you do want the jokes that are thus provided) but that character would definitely not be that into it.(yes, I have put substantially more thought into Keepers than is probably good for anyone.)

While decidedly mediocre in most elements, the show fails miserably in a few key areas. But in the end, I'm going to keep watching for a while, which is really what they were going for in the first place.

Step Footballers- Overall Preseason Rankings

I have now compiled the scores from each position (kickers and defense don't count) and put together my opinion on the best team's in my Step Footballers fantasy football league. With a score of one to five for each position, I combined them to come up with and overall score. With one caveat...each position gets a multiplier based on the importance of that position. Running backs got a x4, wide receivers have x3, quarter backs x2 and tight ends stay put at x1.

8th. Strictly 80s Giants
RB- 2.5, WR- 2.8, QB- 3.0, TE- 3.0
Score= 26.4

7th. Bengals and Hoes
RB- 3.0, WR- 1.6, QB- 4.5, TE- 1.0
Score= 26.8

6th. Your Viking High!
RB- 2.5, WR- 2.4, QB- 3.5, TE- 3.0
Score= 27.2

5th. Patriots Worldwide
RB- 3.5, WR- 2.0, QB- 3.0, TE- 4.0
Score= 30.0

4th. Skins and Gigs
RB- 3.75, WR- 2.6, QB- 2.5, TE- 3.0
Score= 30.8

3rd. 100% Rawhide Titans
RB- 3.75, WR- 2.8, QB- 2.5, TE- 5.0
Score= 33.4

2nd. Coltalina Wine Mixer
RB- 3.75, WR- 3.0, QB- 2.5, TE- 5.0
Score= 34.0

1st. Enterprise RaiderCars
RB- 3.5, WR- 3.2, QB- 3.0, TE- 5.0
Score= 34.6

Step Footballers- TE Rankings

Because I waited on a tight end last year, I was caught cycling between Anthony Fasano and Tony Scheffler at one point in the season. That is not a spot you want to be in. When I went up a against a top tight end, I was crying in my soup. As unimportant as they may seem, having confidence in your TE to produce every week can do wonders for your squad. Since not everyone in the league ended up with a backup, I'll be basing this on one tight end.

8th. Bengals and Hoes

Waiting all the way until round nine, after he selected his kicker, Pack went with Green Bay's Donald Lee. He also picked up Jeremy Shockey in the last round.

Donald Lee- 1

Jeremy Shockey- 1

Score= 1

7th. Strictly 80s Giants

Missing out on the first string of tight ends, Big Tom went with Kellen Winslow instead of Owen Daniels or Chris Cooley. Might not have been a good choice. He also picked up Kevin Boss in the last round.

Kellen Winslow- 2

Kevin Boss- 1

Score= 2

6th. Your Viking High!

Jon the bon snagged Chris Cooley relatively late and didn't go with a backup. Cooley didn't get many touchdowns a year ago, but with a lot of catches and yards he could be do for a bounce back year.

Chris Cooley- 3

Score= 3

5th. Skins and Gigs

The Bonz also waited on tight end and ended up with a guy a lot of people are touting highly this season. Owen Daniels was also lacking in tds a year ago, but gets enough targets in Houston to get the job done.

Owen Daniels- 3

Score= 3

4th. Patriots Worldwide

Brady got the last guy, in what most are calling the big four. He took Dallas Clark right after I snagged Gonzo. Peyton loves to look for Dallas in the redzone so Braids should be all set this year.

Dallas Clark- 4

Score= 4

3rd. Enterprise RaiderCars

The first to take a tight end off the board, I feel JJ went with the wrong one. Witten will have to be more of a focal point by the defenses this year (with TO gone). He can't get thrown to much more often than he was a year ago.

Jason Witten- 5

Score= 5

2nd. Coltalina Wine Mixer

Ever since the second season, when I had Kellen Winslow as a stud for me, I've wanted to get a top tier tight end again. I was very pleased when Tony Gonzalez fell to me in the fourth round. With my luck this will be the year that starts to deteriorate.

Tony Gonzalez- 5

Score= 5

1st. 100% Rawhide Titans

Ttime was the only one to keep a tight end. He's had Antonio Gates throughout his franchise. Ttime and Gates are like a package deal. With how much Philip Rivers looks for him, I don't see Gates dropping any from the past couple years, and he's the guy you can count on most in San Diego. Oh yeah, and Ttime also stole Greg Olsen from everybody who didn't pick him earlier than the 10th round.

Antonio Gates- 5

Greg Olsen- 2

Score= 5

Step Footballers- QB Rankings

I normally would say go to Solomons Lines for actual fantasy football advice, but recently young Solomon has been making ridiculous statements, like any trade involving Drew Brees should be vetoed. Maybe this is the better place to be. Everyone has two quarterbacks so that is what I used to rank the squads. As you would expect, Brees, Brady and Peyton were the three quarterbacks that were kept prior to the draft.

8th. Skins and Gigs
Of the five of us without a quarterback, The Bonz snagged one second and he went with old man Warner. I'm glad I threw out there that I really liked Warner a couple days before the draft. Otherwise he might have waited longer. The Bonz waited until most others had their backups before he took a second quarterback. Ex-Patior Matt Cassel was his selection. I'm not a Cassel fan. I do see Warner performing a bit worse than last year, but I also don't expect him to play the whole yaer again.
Kurt Warner- 4
Matt Cassel- 1
Score= 2.5

7th. 100% Rawhide Titans
Ttime went into the draft wanting Aaron Rodgers. For some reason when it came time to pick his quarterback, he went with Tony Romo instead. I don't like Romo as much as I did when he led my team to the most points last year. Since Rodgers went off the board a couple of picks later, Ttime waited 'til the end of the draft and took Big Ben Roethlisberger as his backup. I see that as a waste of a pick (not that I can say anything because I did the same).
Tony Romo- 4
Ben Roethlisberger- 1
Score= 2.5

6th. Coltalina Wine Mixer
Now this is straight homerism. If I had Romo or Warner, I'd probably still put me sixth. I got McNabb after everyone had a quarterback and Pack and JJ had two. If he stays healthy, I can see Donovan back to the top of the heap at QB. I threw away a pick by taking Eli Manning as my back up near the end of the draft. Players should get paid by how good they are at fantasy. Eli would not be paid more than a million a year.
Donovan McNabb- 4
Eli Manning- 1
Score= 2.5

5th. Enterprise RaiderCars
JJ went with two guys that I see as second tier quarterbacks. He picked both of them ahead of where I took McNabb. I don't like either Jay Cutler or Matt Schaub more than McNabb. Sure Jay Cutler has been fantastic in Denver, but I don't see him throwing it around as much with Matt Forte in the backfield. I also don't like his targets as much as the unbelievable Eddie Royal and the decent Brandon Marshall. In his first preseason game he looked rough, but it might take a bit to warm up. Schaub has been inconsistent at best, but if you think the Texans are going to win 12 games this year (like JJ does) then this might be a great pick. I don't.
Jay Cutler- 3
Matt Schaub- 3
Score= 3

4th. Strictly 80s Giants
Big Tom was the first non-QB keeper to select a thrower in the draft. He went with Philip Rivers at the beginning of the third round. I don't like Rivers' schedule, but love his situation. Don't think the Chargers defense or running will be great again, which makes way for a lot of throwing in San Diego. As his back up Big Tom went with the great upside of Carson Palmer. If he gets back to where he was when I owned him in our first season, he'll be in good shape.
Philip Rivers- 4
Carson Palmer- 2
Score= 3

3rd. Patriots Worldwide
The first mention of one of our keepers. Brady kept Brady. Confident in Loser Brady's abilities, Cool Brady waited a long time to pick his second QB, which ended up being Matt Hasselbeck. For insurance purposes, Braids took another quarterback in the last round. Too bad it was Kyle Orton, because he looked God awful in his first preseason game. I will admit that Loser Brady showed promise in the preseason game against the Eagles. Maybe he won't be as terrible at quarterback this year as he was an actor on Entourage last week.
Tom Brady- 5
Matt Hasselbeck- 1
Kyle Orton- 0
Score= 3

2nd. Your Viking High!
The top quarterback heading into the draft, Drew Brees, is the only thing keeping Jon the bon's team together. So why is he offering him to me in trades left and right? I like the Saints to not only have another high powered offensive season, but to win their division behind Brees's arm. After the first run on quarterback went during the draft, Jon the bon missed the boat on his boy McNabb. He settled on Matt Ryan, which he wasn't happy about. I wouldn't be either, he's getting a bit two hyped.
Drew Brees- 5
Matt Ryan- 2
Score= 3.5

1st. Bengals and Hoes
What Pack lacks in running back and wide receiver quality, he makes up for in quarterbacks. He held onto Peyton Manning for the fourth straight year, and he should have a big bounce back year. Last year, with an early injury, Peyton still ended up as a top eight QB. To put the icing on the cake, Pack stole Aaron Rodgers from those of us who hadn't even picked a quarterback yet. I don't like Rodgers' schedule this year, but he should throw the ball a ton with their poor defense and Ryan Grant as their running game.
Peyton Manning- 5
Aaron Rodgers- 4
Score= 4.5

Step Footballers- WR Rankings

Again if you want knowledgable fantasy football analysis, head over to Solomons Lines. If you want off-based, biased look at my fantasy football league, you're in the right spot. Next we'll take a look at what everyone ended up with for wide receivers. Heading into the draft with four keepers, teams in the league kept anywhere from zero to two wide receivers. Everyone has at least five receivers after the draft so anything after that was used as a tiebreaker.

8th. Bengals and Hoes

Pack decided to keep Reggie Bush, Ryan Grant and Thomas Jones, while throwing Reggie Wayne and Greg Jennings back into the draft pool. Interesting strategy. Wayne and Jennings were the first two off the board. After snagging Marion Barber with the eighth pick, he finally realized he needed some guys to catch the ball, and took four straight receivers. It might have been too little, too late as he was left with Chad Ochocinco, Santana Moss, Michael Crabtree and Donald Driver. Is Crabtree gonna play this year? Oh and then picked up Hakeem Nicks, while the Giants' top two receivers, Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith went undrafted.

Chad Ochocinco- 3

Santana Moss- 2

Michael Crabtree- 1

Donald Driver- 2

Hakeem Nicks- 0

Score= 1.6

7th. Patriots Worldwide

Brady also went with no wide receivers as keepers. Ronnie Brown over Dwayne Bowe is a stretch for me. Bowe of course went in round one. With no receivers, Braids took three in a row to start the draft. The injured toe of Terrell Owens was his first selection, followed by a nice value pick of Wes Welker in the second. I think the addition of Joey Galloway deters Welker from an increase in touchdowns this season. Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes in round three finishes up Braids' starters. Three unknowns fill out the roster with the new Bengal Laverneus Coles, third Cardinal Steve Breaston and new Titan Nate Washington. I see some upside but no big guns here.

Terrell Owens- 3

Wes Welker- 3

Santonio Holmes- 2

Laverneus Coles- 1

Steve Breaston- 0

Nate Washington- 1

Score= 2.0

6th. You're Viking High!

Jon the bon was stuck with only three legit keepers. He was stuck with keeping Braylon Edwards as his fourth. Luckily Randy Moss was one of his other three. He got his first two receivers in the draft during rounds three and four when he went with Mr. Celebration, DeSean Jackson and the old man in Pittsburgh, Hines Ward. I like DeSean's upside but don't like Hines' age. As Jon the bon does, he started building for the future at the end of the draft, selecting Ted Ginn Jr. and Percy Harvin as his fifth and sixth receivers. I like neither of these picks, especially Percy.

Randy Moss- 5

Braylon Edwards- 2

DeSean Jackson- 2

Hines Ward- 2

Ted Ginn Jr.- 1

Percy Harvin- 0

Score= 2.4

5th. Skins and Gigs

After the three headed running back, The Bonz settled on Marques Colston as his fourth keeper. Between a history of injuries and how much Brees likes to move the ball around, I don't think of Colston as elite. Luckily, with the second pick in the draft, The Bonz snagged Greg Jennings as his second receiver. To fill out his starting spots, he then took Antonio Bryant at the end of the second round. He probably didn't see an injury in the near future. After going quarterback running back in the next two rounds, The Bonz came back with his final two receivers, a great value in Lee Evans and then a pick I don't like that much, Lance Moore. I don't see Moore doing anything close to what he accomplished a year ago.

Marques Colston- 3

Greg Jennings- 4

Antoino Bryant- 3

Lee Evans- 2

Lance Moore- 1

Score= 2.6

4th. Strictly 80s Giants

Big Tom kept two receivers. The greatest person in the world, Larry Fitzgerald, and some idiot, Roy Williams. Obviously Fitz is the consensus top receiver, but I don't like the Roy Williams call. Sure he is the supposed number one in Dallas, but when I owned him in Detroit he was a handful. I wouldn't be surprised if Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin do better than him. On the other hand, Big Tom scooped up another one of Pack's leftovers, selecting Reggie Wayne with the first pick in the draft. Reg has to have a bounce back year, in my completely biased opinion. He then waited until round six to take another receiver, picking Jerricho Cotchery. Without Coles, Cotchery could see an increase in production, or he could get doubled more often. Chris Chambers rounds out his receiving corps.

Larry Fitzgerald- 5

Roy Williams- 2

Reggie Wayne- 4

Jerricho Cotchery- 2

Chris Chambers- 1

Score= 2.8

3rd. 100% Rawhide Titans

Instead of keeping two receivers like his brothers, JJ and myself, Ttime went with one receiver and his beloved tight end. Steve Smith is a good base for your receiving corp, and when you take two in the first two rounds, you should be sitting pretty. I loved the Dwayne Bowe pick in the first round at draft time, but word from Kansas City is that he is in the dog house with new coach Todd Haley. Vincent Jackson is just an athletic beast and should improve over last season's performance. Ttime's depth is fantastic in my mind, as he stole Anthony Gonzalez, Devin Hester and Kevin Walter in rounds four, six and nine, respectively. Picking after Ttime in the even rounds, I was absolutely gonna take Anthony, but then settled on his brother with the same name.

Steve Smith- 4

Dwayne Bowe- 3

Vincent Jackson- 3

Anthony Gonzalez- 2

Devin Hester- 2

Kevin Walter- 2

Score= 2.8

2nd. Coltalina Wine Mixer

Before the draft I was given the difficult decision of dropping two of my four beloved receivers into the draft. Although I thought it tough at the time, I'm very pleased I held onto Anquan Boldin and Roddy White and let Terrell Owens and Brandon Marshall go. Both of those guys were headaches. Roddy got a nice contract and Anquan has decided to shut his mouth this season, so my base is set. After doing my research, I decided on TJ Houshmandzadeh with my fifth overall selection. He has produced year in and year out, even last season with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm. A new city, a new (and good quarterback), TJ is set for a big year. With Marshall's legal issues and hamstring problems, I'm envisioning Eddie Royal as the number one guy in Denver. I was extremely surprised when he fell to me in the fifth round. I then went with the number one guy in St. Louis, Donnie Avery. I also didn't see a major injury in his near future.

Anquan Boldin- 4

Roddy White- 4

TJ Houshmandzadeh- 4

Eddie Royal- 2

Donnie Avery- 1

Score= 3.0

1. Enterprise RaiderCars

JJ came into the draft with the self, and everyone, proclaimed best wide receiver corps. He also left with it. The Johnson brothers came into their own as a duo for the Raiders last year. Andre gets the yards and Calvin snags the touchdowns. It does wonders for a team. Both top five guys, the Johnsons will be tough to top again this year. In round one, after Wayne, Jennings, Owens, TJ and Bowe went off the board, JJ was left with the end of the tier, Brandon Marshall. Don't get me wrong, I loved having Brandon at the beginning of last year, but his off the field troubles and injury problems can't keep Jayj confident in him. JJ then went with number one Viking Bernard Berrian in round four, but who is throwing this dude the ball? Not Brett Favrah. At the end he snagged once a great as a member of my Colts, Torry Holt.

Andre Johnson- 5

Calvin Johnson- 4

Brandon Marshall- 4

Bernard Berrian- 2

Torry Holt- 1

Score= 3.2

Step Footballers- RB Rankings

This fall I will be doing a little analysis of my fantasy football league. I'm going to compare the teams at each position and then rate and rank them. If you would like to take the advice from a fantasy football player who has yet to win a championship in this five year old league, than you're in the right spot. If you'd rather listen to the only guy to win it twice, then head to Solomons Lines.

First let's take a look at running backs. Since each team had at least four running backs on their roster, those are the players I took into account for the initial running back score. For tie breakers I used fifth or sixth backs.

8th. You're Viking High!

Jon the bon had only one out of his four keepers as a running back, the high potential but less proven Steve Slaton. With the third pick of the draft, he passed over Marion Barber for Knowshon Moreno (but hey he's building for the future). Later on he picked up ex-Giant Derrick Ward and Ray Rice. Will Ward get the bulk of the carries and Tampa? Can Ray stay atop the three-headed monster in Baltimore?

Steve Slaton- 4

Knowshon Moreno- 1

Derrick Ward- 3

Ray Rice- 2

Score= 2.5

7th. Strictly 80s Giants

Big Tom pulled a trade in the offseason in which he received Brian Westbrook and an 8th round pick for his 2nd round pick. Looked good early, but was that 2nd rounder too much to give up? He kept Westbrook and Kevin Smith going into the draft. The first running back he took off the board was the fragile Willie Parker and backed that up with third stringer Willis McGahee. Luckily he snagged LeSean McCoy to replace Westbrook once he hits the sidelines.

Brian Westbrook- 4

Kevin Smith- 3

Willie Parker- 2

Willis McGahee- 0

LeSean McCoy- 1

Score= 2.5

6th. Bengals and Hoes

Pack went the opposite route of Jon the bon, and kept three out of his four players as running backs. The problem I foresee is that one of them is Reggie Bush. If not for some punt returns a year ago, he could have been the biggest bust keep ever. This year he might be. Already hitting the injury bug, I don't see him doing much this season. Thomas Jones and Ryan Grant were his other RB keepers, and I like neither. He lucked out with everyone and my brothers skipping picking wide receivers in the first round so Marion Barber could fall to him with the 8th pick. He followed that up with the Jamal Lewis call near the end of the draft.

Thomas Jones- 3

Ryan Grant- 3

Reggie Bush- 2

Marion Barber- 4

Jamal Lewis- 0

Score= 3.0

5th. Patriots Worldwide

Braids also went with three running back keepers. He has the great, if injury ridden, Adrian Peterson to go along with two guys I don't predict having years like they did a season ago. Deangelo Williams might be good, but his fantasy season is bound to come back to earth. I thought fantasy analysts would be loving this guy, but surprisingly they agree with me. His schedule is horrendous and Jon Stewart is bound to steal more carries if he stays healthy. Ronnie Brown had 10 touchdowns in one game against the Pats last year, and other than that he was mediocre. His only back drafted (albeit he couldn't be there in person) was Big Fat LenDale White (copyright Matthew Berry). Sure he stopped drinking tequila, but are you ever gonna be confident enough in him to start him? I know I wasn't last year.

Adrian Peterson- 5

Deangelo Williams- 4

Ronnie Brown- 3

LenDale White- 2

Score= 3.5

4th. Enterprise RaiderCars

JJ came into the draft with the self-proclaimed best team in the league, and he left the same way. I agree with him that Matt Forte is the best looking running back coming into this season, but I'm not nearly as high on Steven Jackson. Those were his two running back keepers. The Rams should be God awful again this year and he does have a history of injuries. In the second round he picked up his boy, Darren McFadden. Now I love the Raiders schedule, and love their running game, but word out of Oakland is that Justin Fargas is still listed as the starter and we might be looking at a three headed monster. His next running back off the board was the already injured Beanie Wells and then went on to pick up Stupid Cedric Benson (copyright Matthew Berry). Although he looks like the man in Cincinatti, can he really be? I know I've never seen him run well. And for extra Raider love he snagged Michael Bush at the end.

Matt Forte- 5

Steven Jackson- 4

Darren McFadden- 3

Beanie Wells- 2

Cedric Benson- 2

Michael Bush- 0

Score= 3.5

3rd. 100% Rawhide Titans

Ok so after Ttime stole Chris Johnson from me off the waiver wire in week one last year, he is all high and mighty that he is so great for getting him. Taking that into account, Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew are two very good, very young backs, in very good situations to have as two keepers. I don't think he did himself any favors in the draft though. Only taking two more backs, he took Joseph Addai in round three and snagged the aforementioned Jon Stewart in the seventh. Sure my beloved Colts might have a revamped o-line this season, but I think Joseph was a part of the problem a season ago. His body might not be made for the 16 game, 20 carries a game season. I like Donald Brown to have at least 50% of the carries by mid-season. Jonathan faces the same scheduling problems as Deangelo and also seems to be an injury heavy guy.

Maurice Jones-Drew- 5

Chris Johnson- 4

Joseph Addai- 3

Jonathan Stewart- 3

Score= 3.75

2nd. Coltalina Wine Mixer

Here we go with all of my hometeam bias. I don't have a big gun, but keeping Frank Gore and Clinton Portis gives me a solid base. Portis was the top running back in the league last year (for the first half of the season). Word from San Francisco is that there is a heavy amount of carries coming Frank's way this season, and neither guy will lose out carries to backups. After picking up a receiver in round one, what I think was the best running back in the draft (not including keepers) fell in my lap in the second round. Pierre Thomas will get a Saints' share of the carries on one of, if not the best offense in the league this year. The frenchman easily has top five RB potential in 2009. I went on to take back Larry Johnson after I let him go last year. Although I'm not confident he won't bust, but his new attitude seems to be getting LJ in the right direction. Sleeper picks in late rounds were Felix Jones and the aforementioned Colts' encumbant, Donald Brown.

Frank Gore- 4

Clinton Portis- 4

Pierre Thomas- 4

Larry Johnson- 3

Felix Jones- 2

Donald Brown- 2

Score= 3.75

1st. Skins and Gigs

The Bonz came into the draft with a formidable trio of running backs. The old man, but seemingly still relevent, LaDanian Tomlinson leads the Redskins as always. His two lacks are Michael Turner and Brandon Jacobs. Although I don't love Michael Turner, mostly because of a major schedule decrease this year, both guys are in great situations. The Falcons will continue to pound it and Jacobs doesn't have to deal with that pesky Derrick Ward anymore. Between those three, I don't see The Bonz going to his bench much, but if he does he might be in trouble. He took the suspended Marshawn Lynch in round four and then went back to back at the end of the draft with the two little handcuffs, Darren Sproles and Ahmad Bradshaw.

Michael Turner- 5

LaDanian Tomlinson- 4

Brandon Jacobs- 4

Marshawn Lynch- 2

Darren Sproles- 1

Ahmad Bradshaw- 1

Score= 3.75

FF HoF- Sharpe and Wrap-up

TIGHT ENDS

Shannon Sharpe

Unlike Kellen Winslow, The Horse is getting in for his elite tight end status for many, many years. From '92 to '03 Shannon was a top five TE eleven out of 12 seasons, with the one mishap coming in '99 due to injury. Sure he talked a lot of trash, but he backed it up year in and year out. He led TEs in fantasy points four times and was sixth overall in 1993 when he had 995 yards and nine touchdowns. In '96 he eclipsed 1,000 yards for the second time and caught 10 of John Elway's 26 touchdown passes to have his best season. This induction shows that I am not biased because I didn't like Shannon Sharpe when he was a player, and I really can't stand him as a football analyst on Sundays. He doesn't detract enough from the CBS crew to bring them below the FOX squad but he's still bad. If I combined all the channels for a five man all star team it would look like this...Rich Eisen (NFL Network), Michael Strahan (Fox), Boomer Esiason (CBS), Deion Sanders (NFL Network) and Cris Carter (ESPN).

Year---Rank at TE----------Stats
'92-----4th---------------640 yards. 2 td.
'93-----1st---------------995 yards. 9 td.
'94-----2nd---------------1010 yards. 4 td.
'95-----4th---------------756 yards. 4 td.
'96-----1st---------------1062 yards. 10 td.
'97-----1st---------------1107 yards. 3 td.
'98-----1st---------------768 yards. 10 td.
'00-----2nd---------------810 yards. 5 td.
'01-----3rd---------------811 yards. 2 td.
'02-----5th---------------686 yards. 3 td.
'03-----2nd---------------770 yards. 8 td.

Hall of Fame Inductees 2009
QB-Roger Staubach
QB-Joe Montana
QB-Dan Marino
QB-Steve Young
RB-Walter Payton
RB-Eric Dickerson
RB-Barry Sanders
RB-Emmitt Smith
RB-Marshall Faulk
WR-Steve Largent
WR-Jerry Rice
WR-Cris Carter
TE-Kellen Winslow
TE-Shannon Sharpe

FF HoF- Winslow

TIGHT ENDS

Tight ends might have been the most difficult position of them all. Unlike wide receivers, there were many TEs that were consistently good. This is probably because there only a couple great pass catching tight ends in the league at a time, if you go back some years there weren't more than one or two. Deciding between some of the tight ends that I never heard of was a tough task. Todd Christensen led TEs in fantasy points four years in a row, but he's not gonna make it as a first ballot because his numbers don't stand up against the rest of the league.

Kellen Winslow

The current Kellen Winslow's father played for the Chargers, catching passes from the great Dan Fouts. Unlike Christensen's numbers, Kellen's give him the nod because he dismantled other TEs of his time. When he led tight ends in fantasy points from 1980-82 he was also 4th, 11th and 8th overall when being compared to QBs, RBs and WRs. Winslow was also 13th in the league in '83 when he ranked second amongst tight ends. Christensen only had two top 20 league performances. If it weren't for Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzalez might not be what he is today. And if it weren't for Kellen Winslow, Kellen Winslow Jr. wouldn't be at all.

Year---Rank at TE(overall)----------Stats
'80-----1st (4)------------------1290 yards. 9 td.
'81-----1st (11)-----------------1075 yards. 10 td.
*'82----1st (8)------------------721 yards. 6 td.
'83-----2nd (13)-----------------1172 yards. 8 td.
^'84----12th (77)----------------663 yards. 2 td.
'86-----4th (37)-----------------728 yards. 5 td.
#'87----4th (41)-----------------519 yards. 3 td.

*=9 games from strike
^=7 games from injury
#=12 games from injury

FF HoF- Carter

WIDE RECEIVERS

Cris Carter

What gives CC the edge and gets him in the Hall as the last wide receiver is his consistent play as a top ten guy. After his troubles in Philly with drug and alcohol abuse he was cut by Rex Ryan's dad, even though according to the coach "all he does is catch touchdowns." The Vikings took a chance on him and after a bit of a transition period, Carter proved himself as a top flight receiver in '93 with Denny Green as a new coach and veteran QB Jim McMahon under center. What makes Cris's career in Minnesota so impressive is that he dealt with a ridiculous QB carousel and still managed to be the second best WR of the 90s behind Jerry Rice. Here are Carter's QBs from 1990 to 2000 in Minny...Rich Gannon, Sean Salisbury, Jim McMahon, Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George and Daunte Culpepper. What would Cris have done if he were in Indy with Peyton for 10 years, or even in Philly Donovan for 10 years. He could have been the second best receiver hands down with a steady arm under center. Given all that, he still put up the numbers and performed as a top 10 WR from '93 to '00.

Year---Rank at WR----------Stats
'91-----18th-------------962 yards. 5 td.
'92-----21st-------------681 yards. 6 td.
'93-----5th--------------1071 yards. 9 td.
'94-----10th-------------1256 yards. 7 td.
'95-----4th--------------1371 yards. 17 td.
'96-----7th--------------1163 yards. 10 td.
'97-----4th--------------1069 yards. 13 td.
'98-----7th--------------1011 yards. 12 td.
'99-----3rd--------------1241 yards. 13 td.
'00-----10th-------------1274 yards. 9 td.

bold=led the league

FF HoF- Rice

WIDE RECEIVERS

Jerry Rice

This is kind of ridiculous. Jerry Rice was the best football player of all time. I can't imagine playing fantasy football when he was in his prime. You basically guaranteed yourself a spot in the playoffs with him on your squad. We all know that Jerry could pull of the corn rows when you are bald better than anyone, but he also caught a few touchdown passes in his day. Looking at the stats it seems he was also good for 10 rushing touchdowns from '85 to '96. In those same years, which I am calling his prime, he led WRs in fantasy points eight times. Crazy. Other than his rookie year, his other finishes were second, second and fourth. Jerry Rice is as good at playing wide receiver as Mozart was at composing music, or as Cicero was at giving speeches, or maybe even as good as my great aunt Germaine is at playing whist.

Year---Rank at WR----------Stats
'85-----22nd-------------927 yards. 4 td.
'86-----1st--------------1570 yards. 16 td.
'87-----1st--------------1078 yards. 23 td.
'88-----2nd--------------1306 yards. 10 td.
'89-----1st--------------1483 yards. 17 td.
'90-----1st--------------1502 yards. 13 td.
'91-----1st--------------1206 yards. 14 td.
'92-----2nd--------------1201 yards. 11 td.
'93-----1st--------------1503 yards. 16 td.
'94-----1st--------------1499 yards. 15 td.
'95-----1st--------------1848 yards. 17 td.
'96-----4th--------------1254 yards. 9 td.

bold=led the league

FF HoF- Largent

WIDE RECEIVERS

When looking at the top wide receivers of all time things get tricky. As we know receivers are at a disadvantage because they are the most dependent position. If their quarterback and/or offensive line is terrible, the WR will have a tough time making any receptions. That being said there are a few that have stood the test of time and been consistent playmakers over long periods of time. Inconsistencies, unstable offenses and shortened careers will keep stars like Michael Irvin, Tim Brown and Sterling Sharpe off of my first ballot Hall of Fame wide receivers list.

Steve Largent

Stevie L played most of his career catching passes from the Z Man. That's how Jim Zorn is known in the minor league baseball circuits. Other than coaching the Redskins and playing with childrens' toys in Seattle, the Z Man was quarterback for the Seahawks throughout the 70s. Largent caught a majority of the passes that Zorn threw. After his rookie season he was a top eight fantasy receiver in 10 out of the next 11 seasons. The only year he wasn't was during the strike of '82. I'm assuming he just couldn't get into a groove in such a short season (although this doesn't matter because if you were in a fantasy league in '82, I'm pretty sure the strike ruined everything). Although he only led the league once, in '79, he, unlike many other receivers, never disappointed you by being turbull (copyright Frank Calliendo as Charles Barkley) every third year.

Year---Rank at WR----------Stats
'76-----19th-------------705 yards. 4 td.
'77-----5th--------------643 yards. 10 td.
'78-----2nd--------------1168 yards. 8 td.
'79-----1st--------------1237 yards. 9 td.
'80-----5th--------------1064 yards. 6 td.
'81-----3rd--------------1224 yards. 9 td.
*'82----13th-------------493 yards. 3 td.
'83-----6th--------------1074 yards. 11 td.
'84-----4th--------------1164 yards. 12 td.
'85-----5th--------------1287 yards. 6 td.
'86-----8th--------------1070 yards. 9 td.
'87-----6th--------------912 yards. 8 td.

*=8 games due to strike
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Faulk

RUNNING BACKS

Marshall Faulk

First things first, how sweet would it have been if Marshall Faulk had played with Peyton on the Colts for more than one year. Peyton's rookie season was Marshall's last year in Indy and the tailback eclipsed 2,000 scrimmage yards for the first time in his career. He led the league in yards that season and then went on to average 2200 yards and 20 touchdowns over the next three years with the Greatest Show on Turf. Injuries were his biggest downfall, missing two or more games five out of his ten prime seasons. He still managed to lead RBs in fantasy points in 2000 and 2001, playing 14 games. Marshall broke both Barry Sanders' scrimmage yards record by gaining 2429 in '99 and the rushing touchdowns record, with 26 in '00. Many of us saw this get broken by Priest Holmes then Shuan Alexander then LDT in the recent past.

Year---Rank at RB----------Stats
'94-----4th--------------1804 yards. 12 td.
'95-----6th--------------1553 yards. 14 td.
*'96----17th-------------1015 yards. 7 td.
'97-----7th--------------1525 yards. 8 td.
'98-----3rd--------------2227 yards. 10 td.
'99-----2nd--------------2429 yards. 12 td.
^'00----1st--------------2189 yards. 26 td.
^'01----1st--------------2147 yards. 21 td.
^'02----14th-------------1490 yards. 10 td.
#'03----16th-------------1108 yards. 11 td.

*=13 games due to injury
^=14 games due to injury
#=11 games due to being old and slow
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Emmitt

RUNNING BACKS

Emmitt Smith

During the Cowboys run of three Super Bowls in four years, Emmitt Smith led the NFL in fantasy points each season. Emmitt came in with a bang in 90 putting up over 1100 yards and 11 tds in his first season. Over the next nine seasons Smith was in the top six among running backs eight times. He never lost time due to injury and his only sub par season was when he failed to get into the endzone more than four times. You could always count on him for the yardage during the 90s. He definitely hung on a little too long as the 2000s came along, but hopefully you didn't hang on with him. He dropped to a 20 something ranked running back in his final five seasons. This doesn't take away from him being the most successful fantasy running back of all time.

Year---Rank at RB----------Stats
'90-----7th--------------1165 yards. 11 td.
'91-----3rd--------------1821 yards. 13 td.
'92-----1st--------------2048 yards. 19 td.
'93-----1st--------------1900 yards. 10 td.
'94-----1st--------------1825 yards. 22 td.
'95-----1st--------------2148 yards. 25 td.
'96-----5th--------------1453 yards. 15 td.
'97-----18th-------------1308 yards. 4 td.
'98-----6th--------------1507 yards. 15 td.
'99-----5th--------------1516 yards. 13 td.

bold=led the league

FF HoF- Sanders

RUNNING BACKS

Barry Sanders

Although he would never make a touchdown celebration hall of fame, because he never did it, Barry Sanders is a sure fire inductee to my fantasy football hall of fame. Some argue he is the best running back of all time, I'd say he is definitely top three. Barry was on the LIONS for his entire ten year career and made the pro-bowl every single season. He led RBs in fantasy points three seasons and was in the top four six times. He only missed more than one game once in his career when he injured his knee during the Thanksgiving Day game. That 1993 season as well as his last year in '97, Sanders failed to put up the touchdowns to keep him an elite back. This was the type of durable back you could count on to play every week and get the yardage you needed each Sunday.

Year---Rank at RB----------Stats
'89-----4th--------------1752 yards. 14 td.
'90-----1st--------------1784 yards. 16 td.
'91-----1st--------------1855 yards. 17 td.
'92-----7th--------------1577 yards. 10 td.
*'93----16th-------------1320 yards. 3 td.
'94-----2nd--------------2166 yards. 8 td.
'95-----3rd--------------1898 yards. 12 td.
'96-----6th--------------1700 yards. 11 td.
'97-----1st--------------2358 yards. 14 td.
'98-----10th-------------1780 yards. 4 td.

*=missed five games with knee injury
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Dickerson

RUNNING BACKS

Eric Dickerson

Other than playing for the best franchise in the NFL, Dickerson also was amazing at getting yards from scrimmage. He led the league in the category four out of his first six years in the league. In those same first six seasons he topped 2,000 yards four times and totaled less than 12 touchdowns only once ('87 when was traded mid-season and only played 12 games). He led running backs in fantasy points three seasons and was second or third twice. Like many of the top backs, he deteriorated early in his career and couldn't sustain his prowess. His early dominance is worthy of a nod to the HoF.

Year----Rank at RB----------Stats
'83------1st---------------2212 yards. 20 td.
'84------2nd---------------2244 yards. 14 td.
'85------11th--------------1360 yards. 12 td.
'86------1st---------------2026 yards. 12 td.
*'87-----3rd---------------1459 yards. 6 td.
'88------1st---------------2036 yards. 15 td.
'89------9th---------------1522 yards. 8 td.

*=12 games due to mid-season trade
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Payton

RUNNING BACKS

When it came down to choosing running backs for my Fantasy Football Hall of Fame, it looked trickier than QBs. The lifespan of a back in the NFL is typically much shorter than a signal caller so I had to look at things a little differently. In the end it came down to the same factors. Which guys dominated fantasy football on a consistent basis. You don't want a dude that was top five in the league every other year, cause he killed teams in the years that he wasn't a great back.

Walter Payton

This first running back honoree into the Fantasy Football Hall of Fame was as good as they come when he first entered the league. He was a top four RB from 76-80 and led the league three seasons in a row. He went on to break Jim Brown's career rushing record in 84. After two down years, including the strike year of 82, Sweetness came back with four more top five seasons before his career ended. From 83-85 he surpassed 2,000 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns each season.

Year----Rank at RB----------Stats
*76------2nd---------------1539 yards. 13 td.
*77------1st---------------2121 yards. 16 td.
78-------1st---------------1875 yards.11 td.
79-------1st---------------1923 yards. 17 td.
80-------4th---------------1827 yards. 7 td.
81-------13th--------------1601 yards. 8 td.
#82------13th--------------907 yards. 2 td.
83-------4th---------------2028 yards. 11 td.
84-------4th---------------2052 yards. 13 td.
85-------4th---------------2034 yards. 12 td.
86-------5th---------------1715 yards. 11 td.

*=14 game seasons
#=strike ended 9 game season
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Young

QUARTERBACKS

Steve Young

Joe Montana and Brett Favre have led the NFL in QB fantasy points three times. Steve Young did four. His fantasy prowess might surprise you because you forget about all of the rushing yards and touchdowns this guy used to get. I am not enshrining him because he appeared on 90210. Taking away his years in Tampa and seasons behind Montana, Stevie played eight seasons of great football. In '94 he had a 4,000 pass yards with 35 touchdowns to go along with 300 rush yards and a ridiculous 7 rushing tds. After Montana was done in '91, the high powered 49er offense was ripe for Young's taking. If you grabbed him then and there, you had the top QB in the league for three years in a row.

Year---Rank at QB----------Stats
*'91-----6th--------------2517 pyd. 17 ptd. 8 int. 415 ryd. 4 rtd.
'92-----1st----------------3465 pyd. 25 ptd. 7 int. 537 ryd. 4 rtd.
'93-----1st----------------4023 pyd. 29 ptd. 16 int. 407 ryd. 2 rtd.
'94-----1st----------------3969 pyd. 35 ptd. 10 int. 293 ryd. 7 rtd.
'95-----10th---------------3200 pyd. 20 ptd. 11 int. 250 ryd. 3 rtd.
#'96-----8th----------------2410 pyd. 14 ptd. 6 int. 310 ryd. 4 rtd.
'97-----9th----------------3029 pyd. 19 ptd. 6 int. 199 ryd. 3 rtd.
'98-----1st----------------4170 pyd. 36 ptd. 12 int. 454 ryd. 6 rtd.

*=11 games due to knee injury
#=12 games due to groin injury
bold=led the league

FF HoF- Marino

QUARTERBACKS

Dan Marino

Marino played for 17 years throughout the 80s and 90s. It wasn't until 1995 that his play started to diminish. If you picked up the Ace Ventura star after his rookie season, you would have had a top 5 quarterback for eight years out of the next eleven seasons. The Dolphin QB's only season out of the top 7 in that time period was when he tore his achilles in the fifth game of the season. His 5,084 yard 48 touchdown season in 84 still ranks as one of the best of all time. If your league isn't huge against interceptions, he's even better.

Year----Rank at QB----------Stats
'83-----13th------------2210 pyd. 20 ptd. 6 int. 2 rtd.
'84-----1st-------------5084 pyd. 48 ptd. 17 int.
'85-----2nd-------------4137 pyd. 30 ptd. 21 int.
'86-----1st-------------4746 pyd. 44 ptd. 23 int.
'87-----5th-------------3245 pyd. 26 ptd. 13 int. 1 rtd.
'88-----4th-------------4434 pyd. 28 ptd. 23 int.
'89-----7th-------------3997 pyd. 24 ptd. 22 int. 2 rtd.
'90-----7th-------------3563 pyd. 21 ptd. 11 int.
'91-----4th-------------3970 pyd. 25 ptd. 13 int. 1 rtd.
'92-----3rd-------------4116 pyd. 24 ptd. 16 int.
'94-----3rd-------------4453 pyd. 30 ptd. 17 int. 1 rtd.
'95-----11th------------3668 pyd. 24 ptd. 15 int.
'96-----11th------------2795 pyd. 17 ptd. 9 int.
'97-----14th------------3780 pyd. 16 ptd. 11 int.
'98-----10th------------3497 pyd. 23 ptd. 15 int. 1 rtd.

bold=led the league

FF HoF- Montana

QUARTERBACKS

Joe Montana

If you picked up Joe Montana in in 1981 and held onto him, you would have had one of the top four quarterbacks in seven out of the next nine seasons. He was the top QB in the NFL three times and in the top three performers on six occasions. The only times Joe failed to eclipse 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns were his injury laden season of '86 and when he played 14 games and was in competition with Steve Young at the position in '88.

Year--Rank at QB------------Stats
1981-----8th---------------3,565 pyd. 19 ptd. 12 int. 95 ryd. 2 rtd.
*1982---1st-----------------2,613 pyd. 17 ptd. 11 int. 118 ryd. 1 rtd.
1983----3rd---------------3,910 pyd. 26 ptd. 12 int. 284 ryd. 2 rtd.
1984----4th---------------3,630 pyd. 28 ptd. 10 int. 118 ryd. 2 rtd.
1985----1st----------------3,653 pyd. 27 ptd. 13 int. 153 ryd. 3 rtd.
1987----1st----------------3,054 pyd. 31 ptd. 13 int. 141 ryd. 1 rtd.
1988----7th----------------2,981 pyd. 18 ptd. 10 int. 132 ryd. 3 rtd.
1989----2nd---------------3,521 pyd. 26 ptd. 8 int. 227 ryd. 3 rtd.
1990----3rd---------------3,944 pyd. 26 ptd. 16 int. 162 ryd. 1 rtd.

*=9 games due to strike
bold=led the league

Fantasy Football Hall of Fame- Staubach

I've always had a major problem with the ESPN Fantasy Hall of Fame. They think because some dude who has one surprising year where he's in the top ten at his position he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame? That doesn't make sense. Earnest Graham, Greg Jennings, Lance Moore...these guys aren't Hall of Famers. Graham and Moore were barely good during their one good season. Jenning has been a top ten receiver for three years so he deserves above average fantasy status.

I've decided to create my own Fantasy Football Hall of Fame of players that have excelled in the fantasy aspect of the National Football League (copyright Ron Jaworski). I've started with the 1970 season and onward.

QUARTERBACKS

Roger Staubach

In an era when quarterback didn't throw for much of anything, Staubach was the cream of the crop. From 1971-79 he never finished less than the 6th best QB in the league. He was first or second in his final three seasons, eclipsing 3200 yards and 25 touchdowns in his last two. Although some years' stats may look terrible (ex. '74 and '76) he was still the 6th and 5th best QB to choose from, so you weren't that bad off for having him.

Year---Rank------------Stats
*1971---3rd--------1,882 pyds. 15 ptd. 4 int. 343 ryds. 2 rtd.
*1973---2nd-------2,428 pyds. 23 ptd. 15 int. 250 ryds. 3 rtd.
*1974---6th--------2,552 pyds. 11 ptd. 15 int. 320 ryds. 3 rtd.
*1975---4th--------2,666 pyds. 17 ptd. 16 int. 316 ryds. 4 rtd.
*1976---5th--------2,715 pyds. 14 ptd. 11 int. 184 ryds. 3 rtd.
*1977---1st---------2,620 pyds. 18 ptd. 9 int. 171 ryds. 3 rtd.
#1978---1st---------3,190 pyds. 25 ptd. 16 int. 182 ryds. 1 rtd.
^1979---2nd--------3,586 pyds. 27 ptd. 11 int. 172 ryds.

*=14 game seasons
#=15 game season
^=16 game season
bold=led the league