I had some uncomfortable moments during the two-week FFPC total points playoff (in particular the entire week between Week 15 and Week 16), but I managed to come away with two FFPC dynasty championships and a third place finish to go along with four other non-FFPC titles and another three non-FFPC second place finishes. All in all, I had a good 2012. Here’s a quick synopsis of a few key leagues:

FFPC Dynasty League $1250 #1

My championship hopes were quickly dashed in Week 15 with a very weak 101 point performance while two of the other playoff teams went nuts. Dez was out of my lineup in Week 15 (replaced with Miles Austin), and I suffered dud perfomances out of Danario Alexander (a zero), Vernon Davis (2.5 points) and Josh Gordon (5.7 points) - brutal. Week 16 was a different story, and the team rebounded with a 199 point effort in Week 16 (this time with Dez and McCoy back in the lineup) to secure a 3rd place finish and $1,500, but the damage was already done. Congrats to Scott Atkins of Team Legacy, one of the best dynasty players around, for taking the title and a total of $7,875.


FFPC Dynasty League $750 #2

I had high hopes for this team going into the playoffs and it put up a respectable 161 points in Week 15, but that total was only good enough for a distant 2nd place (Chris Carlson’s American Mullet team scored 201!). Ray Rice’s dud performance in Week 15 really hurt, considering in particular that Darren McFadden’s 20 point effort was left on the bench. One of the problems with a two-week playoff is that you have an entire week to dwell on a sub-par performance and contemplate the likelihood that your team will lose. 40 points seemed insurmountable and I figured it would take a 200 point performance in Week 16 to have a chance. Right on cue, the team put up the big numbers in Week 16 (without Gronk) and reached 192 to take the title and a cool $4,550.


FFPC Dynasty League $750 #4

My strongest team when healthy, this team also sat in 2nd place after Week 15 (at 149 points) behind mediocre but acceptable performances out of Tony Moeaki (8 points in place of Gronk) and Brandon Weeden (15 points in place of RGIII). It could have been worse though as the team stood only 12 points out of 1st after Week 15. A solid Week 16 would give the team a chance to win it all, and a solid performance was what I got. The team scored 177 points in Week 16 behind studly performances by Calvin Johnson, AJ Green, Julio Jones, Demaryius Thomas and CJ Spiller. It was just enough to take the title and another $4,550.


Other Dynasty Leagues:

Out of my other 4 non-FFPC titles this year, the one I was particularly happy winning was Legends of Dynasty (my very first foray into dynasty back in 2005). I have now managed to go back to back in that league (after being schooled during the early years by Scott Atkins and other ringers), and will be shooting for a three-peat in 2013 behind a starting lineup of Tom Brady, Lesean McCoy, CJ Spiller, Jamaal Charles, Brandon Marshall, Larry Fitzgerald, Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham.

I get so stressed about fantasy football at times, especially during Weeks 14-16 when everything is on the line, that I try to avoid watching games or looking up scores for as long as I can on Sunday.

You’d figure with NFL Redzone, a fantasy football player’s dream (for those without Direct TV at least), I’d be glued to the screen all Sunday and loving it. That’s just not the case, and I’m finding it harder and harder to enjoy watching any football at all (live football that is – I still like watching NFL Game Rewind after the fact). The problem is that I inevitably can’t resist looking at some point. Once I do, I can’t stop, and it can be pure agony the rest of the way.

I would hate fantasy football if I didn’t love it so much.

$1250 FFPC Dynasty League #1

Week 14 has come and gone, and my $1250 FFPC team made it to the finals after all (to join my two $750 teams) with a 164 point effort led by Mike Wallace’s 30 and Danario Alexander’s 28. Interestingly, while 164 was about as good as I could have hoped with the rag tag lineup I was throwing out there, another team actually outscored mine by 0.25 points (2.5 yard difference), and yet another would have outscored mine by 7 but for the fact that they started Chad Henne instead of Big Ben due to concerns Big Ben could get knocked out early. The fortunate choice brought back painful memories from last year’s choice of Romo in Week 16 over Vick due to concerns that Vick’s playing style could get him knocked out early – a decision that ended up costing me the title in this league. The other team must be kicking themselves for that call (although not an unreasonable one), and I feel for them.

Anyway, while luck played a significant role in getting me to the finals,
my team didn’t make it through entirely unscathed. With my best player (Lesean McCoy) already out with a concussion, RGIII is now also out and Dez could be a decoy this week with his fractured index finger. I’ll be going with Romo for RGIII and probably Austin over Dez. Things could be looking up though if I can somehow keep it close this week (with McCoy and RGIII possibly returning in Week 16).

$750 FFPC Dynasty League #2

This may be my best FFPC team going into the playoffs. Despite Gronk being out, this team is the healthiest of my three in the finals. I like Dallas Clark this week (would prefer Gronk by a ton obviously), I’ve got Cam at QB (vs RGIII in both of my other leagues), and Darren McFadden and Pierre Garcon are available on the bench should I need them in Week 16 (in case of injury or if Knowshon puts up a stinker).

$750 FFPC Dynasty League #4

Clearly my best team when fully healthy, this team is unfortunately hurting badly with Gronk and RGIII out. I wasn’t able to secure replacements that I could be comfortable with and am forced to go with Brandon Weeden and a choice between Marcedes Lewis, Ben Watson or Tony Moeaki. I’ll have to hope that Trent, CJ Spiller, Calvin, AJ Green, Julio and Demaryius can light it up and make up for the injuries, but I’m very worried that they won’t be enough.

Having a good QB in the playoffs can be so important when competing in total points against multiple teams. My competition has Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Josh Freeman. On any given day, the good QBs can go off and give a team a huge edge. If Brandon Weeden doesn’t score in the 20s (which in itself would be a great game for him), I could find myself in a huge hole. Same goes at TE in this format, particularly when I am up against Jimmy Graham, Aaron Hernandez, Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten. Comparing those TEs with the TE I eventually choose is a joke. That said, if my team keeps it close and if Gronk and RGIII return next week, look out!

Dynasty Teams (Generally):

Overall, my other non-FFPC teams playing in Week 14 (i.e., the non-bye teams) did very well, with 6 out of the 7 making it through to the semis. All in all, I now have 14 teams in the final 4 (out of 22 teams in all), a good total for Week 15.

FFPC Teams:

I ended up making the playoffs in the $1250 FFPC after all, but I’m going in with Lesean McCoy on my bench (where it looks like he’ll stay, win or lose) and with Montell Owens (won him with $1 out of my final $2) as my starting RB2. I’ll need to finish in the top 2 out of the 4 non-bye teams. With the lineup I’m throwing out there, its not looking good, but I do have a chance – RGIII, Spiller, Owens, Dez, Wallace (or Austin depending on health), J.Gordon, Danario, Bailey, Cleveland (vs KC).

I’ve got the week off in the $750 FFPC Dynasty League #2 and #4, and my focus there over the last few weeks has been stocking the teams with a few replacement TEs in the hope that one gets hot by Week 15 to fill the huge hole left by Gronkowski’s injury. For the $750#2, I acquired Dallas Clark and Marcedes Lewis (using up most of my BBID in the process) the week Gronk went down. In the $750 #4, I acquired Marcedes Lewis and Tony Moeaki.

Non-FFPC Teams:

Out of my 22 dynasty leagues (which include the 5 FFPC leagues), I’ve made the playoffs in 15, and secured the bye in 8. Not bad, and 8 total bye teams is pretty good (I think), but the number of playoff teams is a little disappointing. With my focus on the FFPC dynasty leagues over the last three years, my involvement in the other 17 non-FFPC leagues has really suffered. Embarrassingly, in half of the non-FFPC leagues, I haven’t spent a single dollar of my free agent dollars (or depending on the format, haven’t submitted a waiver request outside of the first come first serve free for all after waivers run). My moves (this year and last) have been limited for the most part to picking up defenses and kickers and replacing bye players when necessary. It takes all my time and energy to stay on top of the blind bidding in my 5 FPPC leagues. I am just not able to scan the waiver wire in my other leagues.

On one of the neglected teams, I’m looking at my pathetic RBs (must start 2) going into the first round of the playoffs, and I’m starting Matt Forte and Ronnie Brown at RB (Stew used to be a starter – but that’s no consolation). In the meantime, my opponent is starting Arian Foster and Doug Martin. Sheesh. Earlier today, I submitted a $98 (out of $100) bid on Montell Owens to “fill” the hole, but there shouldn’t have been a hole in the first place, not when my team (PPR btw) has AJ Green, Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Andre Johnson, Dwayne Bowe and Torrey Smith at WR and must start 3 and only 3. You would think I could have simply traded one for a better RB. That’s interesting, as I am writing this and looking over my roster, I just now noticed (for the first time all year) that I have Jacquizz Rodgers on my taxi squad. I guess I don’t need Montell Owens after all (not that I could have used the $98 anyway).

This is no way to run my dynasty teams. Something’s got to change.

Anyway, good luck to everyone in the playoffs!

Going into the last week of the regular season, there are a number of exciting playoff races going on in the FFPC Dynasty universe. I have had more fun playing in the FFPC Dynasty Leagues than I've had in any other fantasy football league, so I encourage you to take a look at the leagues and participate if you get the chance in the future (by taking over an existing team or getting into a startup). Here's a link to all of the dynasty leagues in the FFPC. FFPC Dynasty Leagues

And, here is a quick snapshot of the leagues’ playoff races:

$500 FFPC Dynasty League #1

Teams Competing for Bye Slots:
Billy Beane of Fantasy Football (Kurt Paul) 33 VP
Aunt Jemima (John Terry) 32 VP
Blitzomania (Jeremy Roach / Danny Mueller) 32 VP
Badass Honey Badgers (Todd Hunter) 30 VP
American Mullet (Chris Carlson) 30 VP
Redwood Originals (Matthew Binham) 29 VP

Slight Chance to Sneak Into Playoffs:
Texas Bones (Daryl Hope) 26 VP


$500 FFPC Dynasty League #2

Undefeated and Clinched Bye:
Menobrown (Michael Cobb) 44 VP

Competing for Second Bye Slot:
Mad Genius of FB (Todd Aron) 31 VP
Make it Rain INC. (Jeff Orem) 31 VP
Grumpy (Todd Hunter) 27 VP

Fighting for last two Playoff Slots:
Ajax (Adam Calingasan) 25 VP
Addicted to Quack (Geoffrey Hendricks) 24 VP
Cover2 (Jeremy Roach and Danny Mueller) 21 VP
El Duderino (Craig Campbell) 21 VP


$500 FFPC Dynasty League #3

Clinched Bye Slot:
Big Baller (Sean Burgess) 34 VP

Competing for Second Bye Slot:
DyNasty Drinkers (Josh Held and Chip Petit) 30 VP
Shock and Awe (Lee Herman) 30 VP
Wyverns (Henry Muto and Tim Noch) 28 VP
Coots (Shawn Coots) 27 VP
The Balotellis (Steve Owen) 27 VP

Chance to Sneak Into Playoffs:
Thunder Thrashers (James Stafani) 25 VP
Crunch Berries (Christian Wareikis) 23 VP


$750 FFPC Dynasty League #1

Competing for Bye Slots:
Rude Awakening (Josh Smith) 32 VP
Miscreants (Kurt Kuekes) 32 VP
Hawkeye Hellraisers (Erike Federer and Ryan Howell) 31 VP
Coyote Streakers (Mike Santos) 31 VP
Nimrods (Kip Lockwood) 29 VP

Clinched Playoff Slot:
Cornfins (Jeff Tirabassi) 27 VP

$750 FFPC Dynasty League #2

Clinched Bye:
Cavalier King Charles (Me) 37 VP

Competing for Second Bye:
American Mullet (Chris Carlson) 32 VP
Ming Returns (Steve Targonski) 31 VP

Clinched playoff slot:
Glenneration X (Glenn Lowy) 27 VP

Fighting for last two playoff slots:
Hogs Smell Good (Michael Cobb and Michael Cupples) 27 VP
Evil Monkeys (Todd Hunter) 27 VP
Dead Cracker Babies (John Duckworth) 27 VP

$750 FFPC Dynasty League #3

Clinched Bye:
Coyote Miscreants (Mike Santos and Kurt Kuekes) 35 VP
Coots (Shawn Coots) 35 VP

Clinched Playoffs:
Blitzers (Danny Mueller and Jeremy Roach) 30 VP

Battling for last three playoff slots:
Hawkeye Hellraisers (Ryan Howell) 27 VP
Aunt Jemima (John Terry) 27 VP
Get er Done (Chuck Lanz) 26 VP
Hawaii Warriors (Ken Ford) 26 VP
Hammerheads (Steve Targonski) 24 VP
The BootyShakers (David Boutin) 23 VP


$750 FFPC Dynasty League #4

Clinched Bye:
Cavalier King Charles (Me) 39 VP

Competing for Second Bye:
Coltsfan (Wayne Ellis) 34 VP
Gryphons (Tim Noch and Henry Muto) 32 VP

Clinched Playoffs:
Big Red (Jeremy Roach and Danny Mueller) 29 VP

Competing for last two playoff slots:
BlackHawks (Todd Buhr) 26 VP
Rude Awakening (Josh Smith) 23 VP
Monsoon Fog (Rich Dunn) 23 VP


$750 FFPC Dynasty League #5

Clinched Bye Slot:
Year of the Boz (Matt Nespoli) 36 VP

Competing for Second Bye Slot:
The Return of Ashly and Ally (Mike Sheffer) 33 VP
Nimrods (Kip Lockwood) 33 VP

Clinched Playoff Slot:
Blackhawks (Todd Buhr) 30 VP
Gassholes (John Gaskell) 25 VP

Fighting for Last Playoff Slot:
Commando Fro (Christopher Hart and Toby Biolchin) 21 VP
MarissChris (David Martino) 20 VP
GOAT (Nate Villarreal and Brian Riley) 20 VP
Redshirted Seniors (Dave Asrani) 20 VP
Joint Endeavor (MJ) 18 VP


$750 FFPC Dynasty League #6

Clinched Bye Slot:
Michigan Fanatics (Mark Peraino and Erik Salmons) 39 VP

Competing for Second Bye Slot:
HGH (Deron Liebrenz) 37 VP
Rough Riders (Hans Grieble) 33 VP

Secured Final Playoff Slots:
Hawk of Achill (David Graziano) 29 VP
Rednecks (Larry Jilton) 28 VP
Finesse II (Richard Watkins) 28 VP


$750 FFPC Dynasty League #7

Clinched Bye:
Bobcats (Brandon Workman and Wally Corter) 34 VP
Trust Fund Babies (Matt Keifling) 34 VP

Battling for 4 Playoff Slots:
Ginger’s Boys (Mike Weber) 26 VP
Mediocrity Not Accepted (Chris Worstell and Jeffrey Hobbs) 25 VP
Stella Blue (Roger Bassin) 24 VP
The Godfather (Jason Aberli) 23 VP
Do Not Disturb (Daniel Bogatz) 23 VP
The Big Deals (Jason Fernandez) 23 VP
Cavalier King Charles (Norm Cruz) 22 VP


$750 FFPC Dynasty League #8

Competing for Bye Slots:
Blue Dragons (Henry Muto) 32 VP
Spaniards Vengeance (Tejas Bodiwala) 29 VP
Rebels (Walton Tate) 29 VP
2 Friends No Stranger (Christoper Prince) 27 VP
Funbelievable (David Roberts) 27 VP
MFP-11 (JAB) 26 VP

Fighting For Last Playoff Slot:
Hawknation 2012 (Shane Schroeder) 25 VP
ER (Travis Hanna) 22 VP
Nips and Hips (Thomas Smith) 22 VP


$1250 FFPC Dynasty League #1

Competing for Bye:
Invictus (Michael Bronte) 37 VP
Three Arch Bay Bandits (Kurt Kuekes) 36 VP
Team Calvin (Scott Atkins) 36 VP

Clinched Playoffs:
Qwik-6 (Joe Jefferson) 30 VP
Show me your TDs (Dominic Groz and Scott Schwartz) 30 VP

Battling for last playoff slot:
Cavalier King Charles (Me) 27 VP
Cornfins (Jeff Tirabassi) 24 VP


$1250 FFPC Dynasty League #2

Competing for Bye Slots:
Mermen (Graham Dawick) 36 VP
Atom Bombs (Adam Grossman) 33 VP
MustSeeTV (Derek Pierson) 32 VP

Clinched Playoffs:
Raider Nation (Adam Miller) 28 VP

Fighting for Last Two Playoff Slots:
Rude Awakening (Josh Smith) 27 VP
Crosby Commandos (Mark Crosby) 27 VP
$ EARN-IN MOUNT VERNON (Carl Stillitano and Pat Stillitano) 24 VP


$1250 FFPC Dynasty League #3

Clinched Bye Slot:
K9 (KJ Duke) 35 VP

Competing for Second Bye Slot:
Big Black Robots (Josh/Paul/DJ) 33 VP
Jimmy Football (Jimmy McNamara) 30 VP

Clinched Playoff Slot:
Big Pork Sammich (Don Metter) 28 VP

Fighting for Two Playoff Slots:
CaveHawks (Scott Billings) 26 VP
Delta 9 (Lance Turbes) 25 VP
JAM/Ricky Vaughn (Josh Miceli and Drew Miceli) 23 VP
WOLF (Matt Bayley) 22 VP
Da Bears (Danny Mueller and Jeremy Roach) 22 VP


$2500 FFPC Dynasty League #1

Competing For Bye Slots:
Atom Bombs (Adam Grossman) 32 VP
MustSeeTV (Derek Pierson) 31 VP
Cornfins (Jeff Tirabassi) 31 VP

Competing for Last Three Playoff Slots:
The Big Janikowski (Josh/DJ) 28 VP (could still win bye slot or miss playoffs)
Jesus Loves Me (Nathan Vargas) 27 VP
K9 (KJ Duke) 26 VP
George of the Jungle (Steve Ligato) 25 VP

Overall Leaders

With the success of my teams in the $750 #1 and $750 #2 leagues in 2012, I was curious to see how they stacked up from a redraft standpoint to the other teams in the twelve FFPC Dynasty Leagues.

Here are the top 20 teams in 2012 in the FFPC dynasty leagues (based on total points as of the end of Week 12):

1. Cavalier King Charles (Norm Cruz) - $750#4 – 1,948 points
2. Bobcats (Brandon Workman and Wally Corter) - $750#7 – 1,885 points
3. Invictus (Michael Bronte) - $1250#1 - 1,854 points
4. Cavalier King Charles (Norm Cruz) - $750#2 – 1,851 points
5. K9.Dynasty (KJ Duke) - $1250#3 – 1,847 points
6. Badass Honey Badgers (Todd Hunter) - $500#1 - 1,834 points
7. Big Baller (Sean Burgess) - $500#3 – 1,831 points
8. MustSeeTV (Derek Pierson) – $2500#1 - 1,822 points
9. Year of the Boz (Matt Nespoli) - $750#5 – 1,819 points
10. Rough Riders (Hans Grieble) - $750#6 – 1,816 points
11. Coyote Miscreants (Mike Santos and Kurt Kuekes) - $750#3 - 1,815 points
12. Rednecks (Larry Jilton) - $750#6 - 1,813 points
13. Big Black Robots (Josh/Paul/DJ) - $1250#3 – 1,791 points
14. Team Calvin (Scott Atkins) - $1250#1 – 1,787 points
15. Michigan Fanatics (Mark Peraino and Erik Salmons) $750#6 - 1,777 points
16. Atom Bombs (Adam Grossman) - $1250#2 - 1,776 points
17. DyNasty Drinkers (Josh Held and Chip Petit) $500#3 – 1,769 points
18. Aunt Jemima (John Terry) - $500#1 - 1,762 points
19. Coots (Shawn Coots) - $750#3 - 1,758 points
20. Hawk of Achill (David Graziano) $750#6 - 1,755 points

Note that total points between leagues does not count for anything in the FFPC, but it was fun to look at.

Here’s a run down on my three key dynasty leagues in the FFPC. With one week to go in the regular season, my teams in the $750#2 and $750#4 leagues have now clinched the #1 seed, a bye in Week 14 and the league total points title. I can rest easy for the next two weeks until we get to the final 4 in Week 15. At that point, it will be a two-week total points playoff among the 4 teams where I think I’ll have a good chance to win it all (particularly if Rob Gronkowski, whom I have on both teams, can make it back by Week 15).

Unfortunately, the road to the final 4 will not be as easy for my team in the $1250 league. The good news is that my team there is currently sitting in the sixth playoff spot with a 3 VP lead over the next team (and a 90 point lead for tiebreaker purposes). I “only” need either to secure 1 VP myself or hope the next team does not get 4 VP. Simple enough? Not exactly. My team is hurting right now with McCoy down, Austin and Stew (emphasis on ewe) gimpy and Mike Wallace without a QB – getting that 1 VP this week is not all that likely. Accordingly, I can only hope that the other team does not get those 4 VP. If I manage to squeak into the playoffs and if McCoy manages to make it back by Week 14 (which is looking bleaker by the day), I think my team has potential to do some damage.

Big Trade - $750#4

In the $750#4, I pulled off a monster trade at the trade deadline of Vernon Davis, Matt Ryan and 3 1st rounders (including the likely 1.3 and what appears to be two in the 1.7-1.12 range) for Rob Gronkowski. Not looking so great right now with Gronk going down, but it could be huge in the short run if he comes back for Weeks 15 and 16 and very good in the long run with Gronk in my top 5 overall in this format.

The limited roster slots in this league (both in the offseason and in season) played a factor in my decision. The availability (or lack thereof) of top 8 players (partly due to 4 others already being on my team) in this league played another. No other top 8 player was available at this price or less. Basically, it was Gronk or nothing if I wanted to add another elite piece (and I desperately did at TE in particular with Vernon Davis’ inconsistency).

That said, at this premium price, the trade has potential to backfire on me in a big way, and odds are I’ll end up regretting at least to some extent the trade down the road, but right now, I feel ok about the trade.

The lineup, with Gronk, is now RGIII, Trent Richardson, CJ Spiller, Calvin Johnson, AJ Green, Julio Jones, Demaryius Thomas and Rob Gronkowski, which is as good a dynasty starting lineup that you could have with the only possible improvement being replacing RGIII with Rodgers and/or replacing Spiller with Ray Rice, but I don’t necessarily view those as definitive upgrades.

Big Trade - $750#2

I made a similar trade in the $750#2 league, this time for Ray Rice. I sent Torrey Smith, Demarco Murray, a 1st rounder (in the 1.7 – 1.12 range), Sidney Rice and Daryl Richardson for Ray Rice, Pierre Garcon and 2 2nd rounders. Hated to part with Torrey Smith in particular, but I think it was worth it to get Rice in the FFPC Dynasty format. My lineup is now Cam Newton, Ray Rice, Darren McFadden (or Reece), CJ Spiller, AJ Green, Julio Jones, Demaryius Thomas and Rob Gronkowski.

Two weeks in the books and the three FFPC Dynasty teams of mine that have legitimate shots at a title this year ($1250, $750#2 and $750#4) have each started strong – all taking down the maximum 8 victory points thus far (with already one 200+ point week in $750 #4).*

$1250 FFPC Dynasty:

The team I once thought would be one of my best for years to come is now the worst of the three (in both short and long term prospects). Just goes to show how fast things can change in dynasty. Needless to say, this team is falling way short of what I thought I would have at this time and even further short of what I COULD have had at this time. That can happen of course when you trade the 1.1 and 1.3 (possibly AJ Green/Julio Jones) plus Jared Cook for Chris Johnson. I could put together a list of other “not so good”, “bad” and even “monumentally bad” trades that I have made with this team, but I’d rather begin the healing process and move forward.

Surprisingly, while looking pedestrian compared with my $750 #2 and $750 #4 teams, this team still looks pretty good and does have some very nice pieces. For that reason, I am not overly concerned, but I will need to be proactive in doing what I can to restock it with dynamic youth and potential (at the expense of the short term).

The team now consists of:

Robert Griffin III
Mike Vick
Tony Romo
Josh Freeman

Lesean McCoy
CJ Spiller
Rashard Mendenhall
Dexter McCluster
Isaiah Pead
Darryl Richardson

Dez Bryant
Mike Wallace
Miles Austin
Greg Little
Josh Gordon

Vernon Davis
Jermichael Finley

Two 2013 1st round picks (neither of which are my own)

Despite the team’s shortcomings and what “could have been”, the team still has a nice long term outlook and has enjoyed an early fast start.

$750 FFPC Dynasty #2:

Sitting at 1st overall in points after two weeks, this team is looking very strong and could possibly be the top contender in 2012. Here is the current team:

Cam Newton
Josh Freeman

Darren McFadden
CJ Spiller
Demarco Murray
Jon Dwyer
Jahvid Best
Darryl Richardson
Felix Jones

Julio Jones
AJ Green
Demaryius Thomas
Torrey Smith
Sidney Rice
Greg Little

Rob Gronkowski

One 2013 1st rounder (not my own)

Side note: The oldest player in the starting lineup is......CJ Spiller at 25 years old.

$750 FFPC Dynasty #4:

This team is, in my opinion, quite possibly the best dynasty team in all of the FFPC. Like the $750 #2 team, this team also boasts the #1 overall points lead in its league after two weeks.

Made up very similarly to my $750#2 team, this team is just a little bit better in most areas. Like the $750#2 team, this team’s strength is at WR with the same dominant trio of Julio Jones, AJ Green and Demaryius Thomas. One small difference - this team also has Calvin Johnson!

At RB, both teams have CJ Spiller (already a top 5 dynasty RB on my board). Where the $750 #2 has Darren McFadden, this team has the superior Trent Richardson (a top 3 dynasty RB). Where the $750#2 has Demarco Murray, this team has Jon Stewart, Chris Wells and Rashard Mendenhall (even). Overall, I’d give slight advantage to $750#4 at RB.

At QB, Cam Newton is difficult to beat, very difficult. However, this team has what I believe to be the superior duo of RGIII and Matt Ryan (either or possibly BOTH of which may outscore Cam in 2012).
The only advantage the $750#2 team has over this one is at TE where it has the Great Gronk instead of Vernon Davis. Vernon, however, is no chump, so the shortfall may not be as great as it might seem to many.

The clincher: Where the $750 #2 team has one 2013 1st rounder (not mine), this team has THREE (also not mine). Taken altogether, this team is just better (overall dynasty, not necessarily 2012). Here it is:

RGIII
Matt Ryan

Trent Richardson
CJ Spiller
Jon Stewart
Rashard Mendenhall
Chris Wells
Felix Jones

Calvin Johnson
Julio Jones
AJ Green
Demaryius Thomas
Stephen Hill

Vernon Davis

3 2013 1st rounders (none of which are my own)



*Note, I have a total of 5 dynasty teams in the FFPC. The two teams not discussed here are currently in build mode and both look VERY promising for next year. Both are striving to repeat the success of the $750#2 and $750#4 teams and will be the topic of discussion later in the year.

As I indicated in my prior post, keeping this team stocked with potential (i.e., looking pretty) takes precedence over building a winner. What?!!!

Staying perfectly in line with that objective, just before the kickoff to the 2012 season, I traded away Ryan Mathews (a back capable of leading a team (in particular, mine) to a championship in 2012) for a combination of picks and players that looked to provide zero help in 2012 - to a top 3 team no less.

The trade:

Ryan Mathews, Jon Dwyer and a 2013 3rd rounder

for

Robert Griffin III, Daniel Thomas and 3(!) 2013 1st rounders.

Nothing says potential more than a future 1st rounder. Future 1sts certainly won’t help you win in the now, so potential is ALL they are. Throw into that mix a QB that hadn’t yet played a down in the NFL, and you have the makings of a trade for a whole CRAPLOAD of potential - hopefully with the focus on “load” rather than “crap”.

While the trade may NOW look like a slam dunk (after Griffin’s stellar debut that is), at the time of the trade, the risk was very real. Handing a player of Mathews’ caliber (and Cam Netwon previously) to one of the top 3 teams and quite possibly now my toughest competition was an iffy proposition. Fact is, even in hindsight, my team could really use Mathews’ elite scoring at RB, Griffin will still likely be on the bench for most of the year behind Ryan, and the picks aren’t going to do anything to help my chances in 2012.

My lineup without Mathews (or Cam) is now as follows:

Matt Ryan, RGIII

Richardson, CJ Spiller, Stewart, Wells, R. Brown, Mendenhall

Calvin, Julio, AJ Green, Demaryius, Stephen Hill

Vernon Davis

At one time, I loathed this team. Right from the beginning the team seemed cursed when I traded Hakeem Nicks after the startup draft for Marques Colston. From there, things seemed only to get worse until…they got better. MUCH better.

Rewinding a bit, here is a synopsis of where this team has been:

Startup Draft: I put together what I thought was a team that would compete in Year 1 (in my estimation, a top 3 team actually) but hedged a bit by acquiring a total of 4 1st rounders (which is counterproductive when also trying to win, but I am really glad I did that in retrospect).

Year 1: Sidney Rice never played in Year 1, MJD had knee ailments early on, and my team floundered badly as a result, going 0-3 to start the season. I pushed the panic button early and blew up the team (in hindsight, I probably would have made the playoffs had I kept the team together) for an all out youth movement. One of the worst trades I made that year (and ever) included trading Greg Jennings (then in his prime) for what ended up being the 1.8 and Eddie Royal.

Year 2: With the rookie picks I had, I proceeded to foolishly pass on AJ Green and Julio Jones and traded all of my rookie picks to pick up then-superstar vets like Jamaal Charles and Brandon Marshall in order to “win now”. When Charles went down with the knee, I proceeded to trade Kenny Britt for Jahvid Best to pick up the slack. That was a disaster (still is). I then traded Charles and a guaranteed top 3 future 1st for Darren McFadden to again pick up the slack. McFadden proceeded to Lis Franc his way onto the bench the rest of the way and was the nail in the coffin for 2011. I eventually blew the team up again in favor of youth and picks. Fortunately, one of those moves landed me Julio Jones (Sproles + Marshall for Julio and a 2012 1st ). I ended the season with 5 1st round picks including the 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5 and 1.8.

Year 3 (Offseason): Over the offseason, I made a number of moves and traded (again) all of my rookie picks except for the 1.1 to pick up vets, this time with less emphasis on winning and more emphasis on picking up the dynasty talent I liked best including, most notably, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and AJ Green. In a gamble of a move which could really bite me in the end, I traded Trent Richardson for Rob Gronkowski (I needed help at TE).

Today, I have the following:

QB: Cam Newton, Josh Freeman

RB: Darren McFadden, Demarco Murray, CJ Spiller, Jahvid Best, LaMichael James, Jon Dwyer, Felix Jones

WR: Julio Jones, AJ Green, Demaryius Thomas, Torrey Smith, Greg Little,

TE: Rob Gronkowski, Marcedes Lewis

Not quite as good at WR as my $750 #4 team, but still VERY good and better at TE and QB. RB is a wash for redraft with a slight advantage to the $750 #4 team for dynasty.

While I would like to win with this team in 2012, that is not my overriding goal. My #1 priority with this team and the $750 #4 team is to keep the two teams loaded with the dreaded “p” word – POTENTIAL.

2011 $750 FFPC Dynasty League #4 – Final Tune Up

It’s the Sunday before the start of the season, and I am now just making tweaks to the team in preparation for the long season ahead. This team, which was once just a shell of a team, is now ready to go up against the best in 2012 (I think).

I spent $300+ in FAAB on Jonathan Dwyer and traded Cam Newton for Ryan Mathews and Stephen Hill and now have the following going into the season:
QB: Matt Ryan

RB: Trent Richardson, Ryan Mathews, CJ Spiller, Jon Stewart, Chris Wells, Jon Dwyer, Ronnie Brown

WR: Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, AJ Green, Demaryius Thomas, Stephen Hill

TE: Vernon Davis, Ed Dickson

I am happy with where this team has ended up to this point and win or lose in 2012, I consider it a success. I’ll need to be careful not to make the same mistakes here that I made in the $1250 (in the interest of winning now) which has really hindered that team from being as good as it could have been and as good as I had hoped. This team is far better, and I will do what I can to keep it that way.

Now featuring......Calvin Johnson!


The rookie draft in my FFPC leagues are approaching and the excitement is building. I am feeling good about my FFPC Dynasty teams in general, but I am most excited about the prospects of my team in the $750 FFPC Dynasty League #4.

The $750 #4 was formed in 2011, and in the startup draft, I took an extreme approach of drafting ultra young and trading away a large part of the team in order to acquire nine(!) 2012 1st rounders. With the few picks I had left, I drafted AJ Green, Julio Jones and Jon Stewart in the 3rd and CJ Spiller in the 5th for a very nice nucleus to start.

By the end of the season, I ended up with the 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9 and 1.11, and the following team:

QB Andy Dalton
RB CJ Spiller, Jon Stewart, Donald Brown, Felix Jones
WR Julio Jones, AJ Green, Demaryius Thomas
TE Vernon Davis

Early in the offseason, I made the following trades:

1.2 and 1.11 for Mike Wallace and 2.4
1.4 and 1.9 for Jeremy Maclin
1.8 for Matt Ryan

Right away, the 2012 team began to take shape. I acquired my QB for the present and future in Matt Ryan, filled my lineup with Mike Wallace and added the luxury of Jeremy Maclin as my WR5.

More recently, I made a few notable trades, including a monster trade of Jeremy Maclin, Mike Wallace, Andy Dalton, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7 for Arian Foster, Ben Tate and Cam Newton.

Just today, I traded Arian Foster and Ben Tate for Calvin Johnson (FINALLY, I have him on one of my FFPC teams).

I now hold only one 2012 rookie pick, the all important 1.1. The 1.1 this year is SO important relative to other years with Trent Richardson being far and away the only must-have player.

My team now (which will include the drafting of Trent Richardson) is as follows:

QB: Cam Newton, Matt Ryan
RB: Trent Richardson, CJ Spiller, Jon Stewart, Chris Wells, Felix Jones
WR: Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, AJ Green, Demaryius Thomas
TE: Vernon Davis

It would be IMPOSSIBLE to assemble a better top 3 WR corp for dynasty than Calvin, Julio and Green. Demaryius Thomas is no slouch either and is also in my top 10 of dynasty WRs. I love what I have at QB in Cam and Ryan and the TE position with Vernon Davis (the TE3 on my board). So that leaves RB. With Trent Richardson (the #2 RB on my board behind only Lesean McCoy) and CJ Spiller (whom you know I love and own in 3 of the 4 FFPC teams) as my RB1 and RB2 plus Stewart and Wells as RB3s, I’d say RB is looking quite good as well.

Overall, from a redraft perspective, this team could be better and may not even be the best team on paper in this league (although, it just might be). Unlike the $1250, I have not made trades in this league to bolster my 2012 team at the expense of the future.

As a result, from a dynasty perspective, with 5 legitimate 1st round startup players (Calvin, Julio, AJ Green, Cam and Trent) this may well be my best team in the FFPC.

Well, it took a while to recover to write this, so as you might have guessed, I chose wrong. I started Romo in Week 16 and, as it turns out, it was in fact the difference between the $7,000 and the $2,750. Interestingly, or sadly, minutes before the start of the game, I was about to click Vick with the NYG up against the Jets, since I was worried that Dallas might sit Romo in the 2nd half with nothing to play for, but the Jets looked like they were going to make a comeback. I was also concerned that VICK could take a fluky hit early and get knocked out of the game. Instead, it was Romo taking the fluky hit and posted a big fat ZERO. Oh well, that's fantasy football. Still, second in total points in the regular season and second in the championship rounds is a good season, and I am looking forward to building on that in 2012.

Speaking of 2012, I got an early start this year and traded the 1.4 and Demaryius Thomas for Mike Wallace. From a value standpoint, I liked the 1.4/Thomas side. No doubt really.

My main goal with the trade was to diversify my FFPC-wide portfolio. I have four teams - this $1250 FFPC Dynasty League and three $750 FFPC Dynasty Leagues. I owned Demaryius Thomas in all four leagues (that's $3500 worth of FFPC Dynasty Leagues). I love Demaryius (as you may have read in past articles here), but that's a lot of eggs in one basket, so I wanted to cash out on some value and cut down the risk by trading him in one of the four leagues. I plan on keeping him in the other three as although that is still a lot of risk in one player, there is a very good chance he will sneak into the top 10 in dynasty WRs over the next year, and I want a large enough investment in him to make a real difference.

In any event, Wallace is a fine addition to this team. I am very much looking forward to sticking him in my lineup in 2012.

Here is the team now:

Tony Romo
Michael Vick

LeSean McCoy
CJ Spiller (yeah!)
Rashard Mendenhall
Donald Brown
Shane Vereen

Dez Bryant
Mike Wallace
Greg Jennings
Marques Colston
Miles Austin
Leonard Hankerson

Jermichael Finley
Vernon Davis
Julius Thomas

As of now, I am really liking my chances in 2012. I am especially looking forward to seeing Vernon Davis this year. I believe his monster playoff performances are a sign of great things to come.