2014 Subscriber Contest is LIVE (3 Viewers)

[Bankerguy]

another year, another strategy...

QB: $26

Romo/11

Cutler/9

Going for the boom/bust potential of a couple of cheap gunslingers, late byes, but different weeks. Cutler is pretty popular with 43% ownership

RB: $86

McCoy/7

Peterson/10

Deangelo Williams/12

Jonathan Stewart/12

Andre Williams/10

Really riding the thoroughbreds here with Peterson and McCoy, Carolina RBs provide a 3rd RB, and Andre Williams is just potential - still no issues with multiple key players on the same bye week, Peterson/McCoy combo only owned by 2.6%

WR: $35

Hunter/9

Woods/9

Lattimer/4

Benjamin/12

Wheaton/12

Sanu/4

Completely punted this position. Every single one is a risk, and this will be my downfall. But, for the most part, I expect both starting WRs to be the equivalent of Flex plays each week, with 6 WRs, and no fewer than 4 every week, I just need a couple of them to hit each week - it won't happen, but that was the thought process.

TE: $82

Graham/6

Gronkowski/10

Thomas/4

Shot the wad here, 1 of 14 teams to go with the big-3 TEs - obviously my chances of advancement rest with the health and productivity of these guys. All are on prolific offenses, so my hope is they all have a very high floor each week. Up to this point, the only real Bye week issue is now having Gronk and Peterson out in week 10, otherwise, I am really only missing a single "key starter" each week.

Kickers: $10

Crosby

Janikowski

Graham

3 kickers, 3 different bye weeks

Team D: $10

Saints

Giants

Lions

ditto

Overall, fairly unique because of the 3 TEs, only two players over 30% ownership, several studs who can carry the team, but no WR that I can count on each week. I probably should have opted for at least one consistent performer at WR, and gone with a cheaper 3rd TE. Such is life.

Good luck everyone!

For me...so far this is best one I've seen. Maybe because we have a lot of similarities.

Nice rooster.

 

[eric rymer]

Here is what I am hoping pays off. I am hoping that the 1.5 PPR points will put two TE's in my flex spots each week. I just felt like the value of these guys was better than I felt for the same dollars at the WR position. Might suck but I won't know until I try.

Jimmy Graham NO/6 $30

Rob Gronkowski NE/10 $26

Julius Thomas Den/4 $26

Understand the logic, but with only 1 TE and 1 flex, you'll have a $26 or $30 player not count for you every week. Seems like a lot of lost money. Could pay off of course.

2 flex.

Yup.

Each week your top QB, top 2 RBs, top 2 WRs, top TE, top 2 flex (either RB, WR or TE), top PK and top Def/ST will count towards your weekly total. You do not have to select who will play. You will receive the maximum score based on your roster.

 

[dbc925]

This entry is still alive

Jay Cutler $12

Carson Palmer $11

Josh McCown $ 8

In any best ball format, I think it's a must to have three quarterbacks. That eliminates the possibility of getting a stud, so I'm looking at three guys who are getting a lot of good preseason pub (but man, they're old!)

Matt Forte $32

Adrian Peterson $30

DeMarco Murray $27

Maurice Jones-Drew $15

Mark Ingram $ 9

I think that RB is where you need to spend your money this year. Many have already pointed out that the values seem to be at the WR position this year. So I'll spend less there and more here. Rostering only five concerns me, but they're all starters and they have five different bye weeks.

Roddy White $19

Marques Colston $16

Greg Jennings $ 9

Kelvin Benjamin $ 5

John Brown $ 3

Jerrel Jernigan $ 3

Look how smart I was, getting Kelvin Benjamin, this year's Mr Irrelevant (as he's probably on 85% of the rosters). I love White and Colston at those prices. Once again I'm probably a hair thin at the position and need to avoid injuries here more than anywhere else. Bye weeks were also important, as none of these guys share one.

Kyle Rudolph $15

Heath Miller $10

Travis Kelce $ 8

I think that these three guys far outscore Jimmy Graham for the same price.

Mike Nugent $ 3

Adam Vinatieri $ 3

Shaun Suisham $ 3

I'm covered with at least two PK in case of injury. Then I'll still have one even on the other's bye week.

Miami Dolphins $ 3

Indianapolis Colts $ 3

Detroit Lions $ 3

Went strictly with matchups against potential bad teams here throughout the season. Not as imperative to have three to cover injuries, but I needed three to get the matchups I wanted.

Overall, I'm not missing more than one player to a bye week at any position, and except for week 12 (5), I don't have more than three players on bye in any given week. Every year, I learn something new about this contest. This year, I hope to learn how to win.

 

[shensoky]

Thought I'd throw mine into the mix. I tend to always bow out of this thing around week 8 or 9, and looking at my byes week 9 could be my undoing again this year. Went a slightly different route than normal where I just wing it and actually calculated PPD, broke the players up into tiers and tried to choose to mix in studs with upside fliers.

Tom Brady $17
Jay Cutler $12

I think Brady re-enters the top tier qbs this year, especially if everyone stays healthy... GRONK! Cutler can have a monster week at any time.

LeSean McCoy $34
Eddie Lacy $28
Ryan Mathews $20
Dexter McCluster $7

Hoping Shady and Lacy can carry me here. Not sure how I feel about Mathews in hindsight... McCluster is a crap shoot but Whiz should find a way to make good use of him.

Brandon Marshall $26
Antonio Brown $22
Cordarrelle Patterson $18
Cody Latimer $6
Kelvin Benjamin $5
Markus Wheaton $5

Love Marshall and I thought Brown was a great value at $22. Cordarrelle should out perform his price at $18 and the rest is all upside. Hoping somebody pans out.

Kyle Rudolph $15
Zach Ertz $13
Travis Kelce $8

Would have loved to get a stud at TE but spent it at WR/RB. Hoping these guys all exceed expectations.

Greg Zuerlein $3
Blair Walsh $3

Carolina Panthers $4
Houston Texans $4

Am I alone in thinking the Panthers were a deal at $4?

 

[BassNBrew]

Lost out last year on week 8 by .4 points. Would have had enough to make it through to the finals every other week. Went with the same strategy again this year; STUDS! Last year I had a lot of dead money in Bradford (injury), Stocker and V. Brown ($24) which I was really trying to avoid this year.

Tons of good value around the $10-13 range for QBs IMO. Had multiple combinations of Newton, Dalton, Rivers, Cutler, etc. Finally settled on two guys that will end up anywhere between QB5-12. Was really tempted to go with just Peyton but I decided to save a few bucks at QB and go with his WRs/TE instead.

Andy Dalton $13

Cam Newton $13

STUDS! Risky going with just 3 but I didn't see any value in the lower tier guys; just guys that had high possibilities of being dead money.

LeSean McCoy $34

Adrian Peterson $30

Eddie Lacy $28

Two studs and fliers. Lots of guys I would have liked in the $16-20 range but I just couldn't justify going with 3 of them instead of Dez and Demaryius.

Demaryius Thomas $29

Dez Bryant $27

Cody Latimer $6

Kelvin Benjamin $5

Markus Wheaton $5

Nate Washington $4

Malcom Floyd $4

Mohamed Sanu $3

Stud and the hype.

Julius Thomas $26

Travis Kelce $8

Kickers. These guys kick the ball.

Greg Zuerlein $3

Caleb Sturgis $3

Defence plays defence.

Kansas City Chiefs

Carolina Panthers

I like this lineup.

 

[Hybrid]

This was interesting. Haven't followed the NFL at all the entire offseason (like not a single article), and then did some last minute cramming about two days ago for this contest. I have a break year from FF every few years, and this is one of them. However, I couldn't stay away from this contest.

Fully expecting to go home early this year. If I don't, week 10 is going to be an issue.

Probably the thinnest my roster has ever been.

QB:

Peyton Manning ($30, BYE 4)

Never gone with the single QB approach, usually pick two midlevel guys. The thing I love about Manning is his week-to-week floor is still fairly high, and his ceiling is high enough to potentially carry me some weeks. Also, Broncos players will probably be popular picks, so I get a huge slice of that pie.

RB:

Arian Foster ($26, BYE 10)
Frank Gore ($16, BYE 8)
Danny Woodhead ($13, BYE 10)
Mark Ingram ($9, BYE 6)
Jonathan Stewart ($5, BYE 12)

Probably my weakest position. IF they stay healthy, I think Foster and Gore are great value picks, but they're definitely risky. Woodhead, on the other hand, is a fairly low risk player IMO, who I picked to counteract my higher risk studs. Ingram and Stewart...they've killed me in previous years, but I think they have a great chance of being good contributors to my team.

WR:

Calvin Johnson ($31, BYE 9)
Antonio Brown ($22, BYE 12)
Cordarrelle Patterson ($18, BYE 10)

Kelvin Benjamin ($5, BYE 12)
Mohamed Sanu ($3, BYE 4)

Love my WRs. Thin, but I think a pretty good combination of risk and reward, with some good value plays. Dropped Wheaton in a last minute scramble to upgrade some at TE. Not too comfortable with my decision.

TE:

Jimmy Graham ($30, BYE 6)
Rob Gronkowski ($26, BYE 10)

In my experience, quality TEs are very useful in this contest. They represent good $ value compared to players with similar $ at other positions. For most of my team's variations, I had Graham and Heath Miller. However, I made a last minute scramble (I believe I dropped my backup QB, dropped from Ray Rice to Frank Gore, and dropped a defense) to upgrade to Gronk. We'll see how that works out.

K

Greg Zuerlein

Sebastian Janikowski
Blair Walsh

Picked three $3 kickers who I thought were the best at the price, with no overlapping BYE weeks.

DEF

Carolina

Indianapolis

Whatever.

 

[Worm]

Kyle Rudolph $15

Heath Miller $10

Travis Kelce $ 8

I think that these three guys far outscore Jimmy Graham for the same price.

 

[msudaisy26]

I am going to listen to apalmer and repost my team with my theories. This is my first year doing it so any critique or analazing would be awesome. Thanks in advance

QB - Russell Wilson - SEA/4 - $15
QB - Jay Cutler - CHI/9 - $12
QB - Geno Smith - NYJ/11 - $7

Love what Wilson brings to the table in this contest, early bye week and rushing numbers. I love Cutler's upside, but his injury risk scared me into a third quarterback. I was between Locker and Smith here, and settled on Smith because Locker's injury history scares me too.

RB - Montee Ball - DEN/4 - $29
RB - DeMarco Murray - DAL/11 - $27
RB - Pierre Thomas - NO/6 - $17
RB - Mark Ingram - NO/6 - $9
RB - Jonathan Stewart - CAR/12 - $5
RB - Denard Robinson - JAX/11 - $3

I went with the 2 potential stud approach. I am gambling that Ball can give me better rushing yards than Moreno last year, and maybe a few less catches. I think Murray can catch 75 passes this year in that offense if he stays healthy. I love New Orleans running game in best ball formats, Stewart at 5 dollars is boom or bust, and Robinson is a total wild card.

WR - Dez Bryant - DAL/11 - $27
WR - Percy Harvin - SEA/4 - $22
WR - Hakeem Nicks - IND/10 - $9
WR - Justin Hunter - TEN/9 - $9
WR - Kelvin Benjamin - CAR/12 - $5
WR - John Brown - ARI/4 - $3

I love Dez this year, and I am gambling on Percy being healthy, I think the trio of Nicks, Hunter, and Benjamin will put up enough startable games. I just hope they come at the right times. Brown is another hail mary, looking back on my lineup I probably should have went with Latimer by getting rid of Denard and Brown.

TE - Antonio Gates - SD/10 - $10
TE - Heath Miller - PIT/12 - $10
TE - Timothy Wright - NE/10 - $5
TE - Brent Celek - PHI/7 - $3

I went with volume here, I love Gates and Miller for the value. I hope Wright will give some value and I think Celek will have some decent games, if Ertz gets hurt he becomes a borderline tight end 1

PK - Dan Bailey - DAL/11 - $4
PK - Nate Freese - DET/9 - $3
PK - Blair Walsh - MIN/10 - $3

Went with guys in good offenses or big legs

TD - New England Patriots - NE/10 - $6
TD - Carolina Panthers - CAR/12 - $4
TD - New York Jets - NYJ/11 - $3

Love Patroits defense this year, and I couldn't go with just 2 defenses with that late of a bye.

I will give my critique back if you tell me what post your lineup is so I can find it easy

 

[Soulfly3]

Love my team. Bu I always do.... And win f all in this contest:

Tom Brady $17 0.00 bye
Jay Cutler $12 0.00 bye
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Shane Vereen $23 0.00 bye
Alfred Morris $20 0.00 bye
Mark Ingram $9 0.00 bye
Mike Tolbert $4 0.00 bye
Dri Archer $3 0.00 bye
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Calvin Johnson $31 0.00 bye
Dez Bryant $27 0.00 bye
Cordarrelle Patterson $18 0.00 bye
Emmanuel Sanders $18 0.00 bye
Brandin Cooks $14 0.00 bye
Mike Evans $11 0.00 bye
Kenny Britt $8 0.00 bye
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Zach Ertz $13 0.00 bye
Timothy Wright $5 0.00 bye
Jace Amaro $3 0.00 bye
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Nate Freese $3 0.00 bye
Adam Vinatieri $3 0.00 bye
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Cleveland Browns $4 0.00 bye
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

 

[Steeler]

I played with the idea of having 3 stud TEs for a while but decided to go with an early bye week strategy instead. This is only my 2nd year in the contest so I may have overcompensated for positional weaknesses last year (RB and DT). If I make it past week 4 with 8 players on bye, including top 2 WR, 1 QB, 1 PK and BOTH defenses I'm in great shape related to bye weeks. McCoy is the only player on bye in week 7 and Forte is on bye in week 9 with only 1 PK and 1 TE. After week 5 I have basically a full complement of WRs for the rest of the year (except week 12 with Benjamin). Again, if I get past week 4 I like the strategy.

ETA: The query tool shows that I have some unique combinations too:
P.Harvin - 650 teams
R.Wilson + P.Harvin 150 teams
R.Wilson + P.Harvin + AJ Green 7 teams

L.McCoy + M.Forte 247 teams
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Russell Wilson (4)
Ryan Tannehill (5)
-------------------------
LeSean McCoy (7)
Matt Forte (9)
Danny Woodhead (10)
Mark Ingram (6)
Benny Cunningham (4)
-------------------------
A.J. Green (4)
Percy Harvin (4)
Brian Hartline (5)
Rod Streater (5)
Kelvin Benjamin (12)
Mohamed Sanu (4)
-------------------------
Kyle Rudolph (10)
Heath Miller (12)
Travis Kelce (6)
Scott Chandler (9)
-------------------------
Matt Bryant (9)
Mike Nugent (4)
-------------------------
St. Louis Rams (4)
Cincinnati Bengals (4)

 

[BillyJoeBob]

QB ($ Bye)

Tom Brady $17 10

Jay Cutler $12 9

Think Brady returns to Elite or near Elite this year. Love Cutler's upside in Trestman's offense. A little worried about Cutler's injury history, but gotta take a few risks to win. Also would rather have early byes, but I prioritize getting the players I want over early bye weeks.

RB

L McCoy $34 7

Eddie Lacy $28 9

Khiry Robinson $10 6

Andre Williams $7 8

McCoy and Lacy are my studs. Like Robinson in the PPR format and Williams is good value and should have a role that could expand as he improves in the passing game.

WR

Demaryius Thomas $29 4

Alshon Jeffery $24 9

Reggie Wayne $14 10

Justin Hunter $9 9

Kevin Benjamin $5 12

John Brown $3 10

Like by top 2 to contribute most weeks. Also think Reggie Wayne looked good in the preseason, assuming healthy he should out perform my investment. Hunter is a breakout candidate and Benjamin and Brown both look like they can contribute on occasion for a limited investment.

TE

J Cameron $22 4

Antonio Gates $10 10

Brent Celek $3 7

Started out trying to add Jimmy Graham, but decided to take a chance on Cameron as my lead TE. Hoping Gates has enough left for 1 more decent year. Celek looked good in the 1 game I watched him in preseason, guessing he contributes as a flex at least a few times.

K

Mason Crosby $4 9

Adam Vinatieri $3 10

S Janikowski $3 5

DST

Seattle Seahawks $9 4

Carolina Panthers $4 12

Just changed this last night from 3-$3 DST. Had to move a few non key guys for the extra 4 dollars, but like having SEA this year.

 

[butcher boy]

Looking at last year's winners, two things stood out to me.

1) You have to be lucky enough to avoid injury. You cant really control this.

2) You have to have studs at multiple positions and they have to go nuts weeks 14-16.

Can't control number 1, so with number 2 I really focused on players with juicy matchups weeks 14-16. I also like getting players with early byes.

QB

Matthew Stafford

Ryan Tannehill

Staffords passing matchups in weeks 14-16 are great. Also considered Rodgers for the same reason but Stafford was cheaper. Tannehill is a good replacement with an early Bye week.

RB

Lesean McCoy

Andre Ellington

Shane Vereen

Jonathan Stewart

James White

Went with McCoy to have a stud with a good late season schedule. Ellington was a no-brainer with his early Bye and I think he'll be great. Vereen felt like value at his price and Stewart because everybody took Stewart.

WR

Demaryius Thomas

Justin Hunter

Denarius Moore

Kelvin Benjamin

Brian Quick

Marlon Brown

Mohammed Sanu

Thomas is another no-brainer with his stud status and early Bye. The rest are some low cost high upside guys. I do expect most of my flex spots to be filled by RB and TE, however.

TE

Jimmy Graham

Dennis Pitta

Coby Fleener

Graham was the first guy I put on my team, and he never left it. Toyed with the idea of going Gronk/Graham but I felt Gronk cost too much for as much injury risk he brings. That's too large a chunk of money to lose to injury.

PK

Greg Zuerlein

Caleb Sturgis

Ryan Succop

Went 3 kickers in case of injury or whatever, and they're cheap. Focused on early byes where possible.

DEF

Cleveland

Miami

Focused on cheap defenses, with early byes.

 

[Obamassiah]

Here is what I am hoping pays off. I am hoping that the 1.5 PPR points will put two TE's in my flex spots each week. I just felt like the value of these guys was better than I felt for the same dollars at the WR position. Might suck but I won't know until I try.

Jimmy Graham NO/6 $30

Rob Gronkowski NE/10 $26

Julius Thomas Den/4 $26

Understand the logic, but with only 1 TE and 1 flex, you'll have a $26 or $30 player not count for you every week. Seems like a lot of lost money. Could pay off of course.

2 flex.

I think a whole lot of folks glossed over that in the rules this year .... or just didn't read the rules for this year and assumed they were the same as last year.

 

[eNdblu]

QB: $23 - Both Cutler and Palmer have an AMAZING bevy of pass catchers. Hopefully they can combine to make a really solid QB option for me.

Jay Cutler/9

Carson Palmer/4

RB: $55 - Went super light at RB, but hope that w/ the PPR scoring I can put together 2 decent RBs on a weekly basis. Grabbed Crowell as a what the heck kind of pick. I don't think Tate holds up and West was all kinds of meh this preseason.

Danny Woodhead/10

Knowshon Moreno/5

Fred Jackson/9

Jeremy Hill/4

Isaiah Crowell/4

WR: $78 - Jordy could be the #1 WR this year, Sanders/Edelman PPR hogs, to go w/ the upside of Hunter and Benjamin. Grabbed Malcolm Floyd cuz someone other than Allen, Gates, and Woodhead have to catch passes, right?

Jordy Nelson/9

Emmanuel Sanders/4

Julian Edelman/10

Justin Hunter/9

Kelvin Benjamin/12

Malcom Floyd/9

TE: $75 - Gronk smash! Loved that JT has an early BYE

Rob Gronkowski/10

Julius Thomas/4

Zach Ertz/7

Heath Miller/12

PK: $9

Mike Nugent/4

Nate Freese/9

Adam Vinatieri/10

DST: $10

Saints/5

Jags/10

Chargers/9

 

[BassNBrew]

QB ($ Bye)

Tom Brady $17 10

Jay Cutler $12 9

Think Brady returns to Elite or near Elite this year. Love Cutler's upside in Trestman's offense. A little worried about Cutler's injury history, but gotta take a few risks to win. Also would rather have early byes, but I prioritize getting the players I want over early bye weeks.

RB

L McCoy $34 7

Eddie Lacy $28 9

Khiry Robinson $10 6

Andre Williams $7 8

McCoy and Lacy are my studs. Like Robinson in the PPR format and Williams is good value and should have a role that could expand as he improves in the passing game.

WR

Demaryius Thomas $29 4

Alshon Jeffery $24 9

Reggie Wayne $14 10

Justin Hunter $9 9

Kevin Benjamin $5 12

John Brown $3 10

Like by top 2 to contribute most weeks. Also think Reggie Wayne looked good in the preseason, assuming healthy he should out perform my investment. Hunter is a breakout candidate and Benjamin and Brown both look like they can contribute on occasion for a limited investment.

TE

J Cameron $22 4

Antonio Gates $10 10

Brent Celek $3 7

Started out trying to add Jimmy Graham, but decided to take a chance on Cameron as my lead TE. Hoping Gates has enough left for 1 more decent year. Celek looked good in the 1 game I watched him in preseason, guessing he contributes as a flex at least a few times.

K

Mason Crosby $4 9

Adam Vinatieri $3 10

S Janikowski $3 5

DST

Seattle Seahawks $9 4

Carolina Panthers $4 12

Just changed this last night from 3-$3 DST. Had to move a few non key guys for the extra 4 dollars, but like having SEA this year.

I think three $3 defenses will generally out score Seattle this year.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Here is what I am hoping pays off. I am hoping that the 1.5 PPR points will put two TE's in my flex spots each week. I just felt like the value of these guys was better than I felt for the same dollars at the WR position. Might suck but I won't know until I try.

Jimmy Graham NO/6 $30

Rob Gronkowski NE/10 $26

Julius Thomas Den/4 $26

Understand the logic, but with only 1 TE and 1 flex, you'll have a $26 or $30 player not count for you every week. Seems like a lot of lost money. Could pay off of course.

2 flex.

I think a whole lot of folks glossed over that in the rules this year .... or just didn't read the rules for this year and assumed they were the same as last year.

They are the same as last year

The change from 3 WRs + 1 Flex to 2 WRs + 2 Flex happened after 2012.

 

[BassNBrew]

Read all of the lineup posts that had at least a decent paragraph discussing strategy. Blew past the other 75%+

 

[BillyJoeBob]

I think three $3 defenses will generally out score Seattle this year.

Seems to be the general consensus around here, and that is the way I played it in the past. I just had a gut feeling, so I followed it this time.

 

[FUBAR]

Here is what I am hoping pays off. I am hoping that the 1.5 PPR points will put two TE's in my flex spots each week. I just felt like the value of these guys was better than I felt for the same dollars at the WR position. Might suck but I won't know until I try.

Jimmy Graham NO/6 $30

Rob Gronkowski NE/10 $26

Julius Thomas Den/4 $26

Understand the logic, but with only 1 TE and 1 flex, you'll have a $26 or $30 player not count for you every week. Seems like a lot of lost money. Could pay off of course.

2 flex.

crap I read that but forgot.

 

[FUBAR]

They are the same as last year

The change from 3 WRs + 1 Flex to 2 WRs + 2 Flex happened after 2012.

My short term memory sucks.

 

[Mene]

So, last year was my first year cashing in this contest, and I had followed my typical 25 - 30 man roster idea, giving myself the most chances each week. When I finally started to look at who was making the most noise in the late weeks, it was the teams with studs. This year I have abandoned the high quantity, value filled, roster and went for more studs. My goal was 3 guys I felt great about at RB/WR/TE, then value plays at QB. This is what I came up with.

QB - I have always favored taking 3 QB's, especially when I see the value there. Cutler and Ben are both guys who put up there share of 20+ point games, and I like Tannehill this year.

Jay Cutler $12
Ryan Tannehill $10
Ben Roethlisberger $10
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RB - I wanted 3 guys I considered to be studs, while trimming as much $ as I could. As long as Ball stays healthy and doesn't blow it in pass pro, he should be a lock for top 12 production, on TDs and Rec's alone. Murray was excellent last year, and has a very PPR RB friendly Linehan calling plays now. I am a Doug Martin believer, and the news on him was steadily positive as the preseason went on. I'm thin, but I'm swinging for the fences this year, if they all stay healthy, I feel real good about all 3. Cunningham is a shot in the dark.

Montee Ball $29
DeMarco Murray $27
Doug Martin $24
Benny Cunningham $3
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WR - 2 guys I have targeted all draft season, Brown and White, are guys I expect big PPR years from. Brown is obvious, but I see a healthy Roddy as another possible 100+ catch guy. Someone is going to take those 5 - 8 yd passes Tony G lived on, and I suspect it's Roddy. Floyd is another guy who has had non-stop glowing reports out of camp, in a very WR friendly offense, I see a big season from him. I love Hunter and Brown in this format, expecting both to be wildly inconsistent, but proving a few big games each. I think I read in the Rules it was a must to roster Benjamin.

Antonio Brown $22
Michael Floyd $21
Roddy White $19
Justin Hunter $9
Kelvin Benjamin $5
John Brown $3
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TE - 2 breakout darlings in Rudolph and Ertz, and a steady, safe, Miller. I feel real good about Rudolph this year with Norv, and Miller should be a steady source of points and flex value now that he is fully healthy. The 1.5 per catch for TE makes Miller a great value imo. Ertz, I look at similar to Hunter in my WR pool, a guy that when he hits, will hit big. Probably will be inconsistent, but that works in this format.

Kyle Rudolph $15
Zach Ertz $13
Heath Miller $10
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K - All I wanted was domes and different byes

Greg Zuerlein $3
Nate Freese $3
Blair Walsh $3
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D/ST - Again, different byes was my main concern. None of these D/ST's excite me, but I've used the 3 cheap D/ST philosophy for years now, and it typically seems to work out.

Tennessee Titans $3
Jacksonville Jaguars $3
Pittsburgh Steelers $3

 

[FUBAR]

Rock Chalk

This entry is still alive.

Only team with Newton, Lacy, Lynch and Dez

Only team with Fitzgerald, Lacy, Lynch and Dez

 

[Rick James]

-----

QB
Drew Brees $26
Blake Bortles $3

this is my first year doing this. i wanted to get a stud QB and a cheap backup to cover for the BYE. I'm betting on Bortles taking over before week 6 hopefully to cover the Saints BYE week.

-----

RB

Shane Vereen $23
Reggie Bush $23
Maurice Jones-Drew $15
Khiry Robinson $10
Donald Brown $5
Benny Cunningham $3

I love Vereen/Bush/MJD in PPR leagues. Donald Brown and Benny Cunningham were homerun picks.

-----

WR

Demaryius Thomas $29
Vincent Jackson $23
Cordarrelle Patterson $18
Cody Latimer $6
Kelvin Benjamin $5
Markus Wheaton $5

Wanted a couple studs here, so I went with Thomas and Jackson who should have high floors every week. Patterson/Benjamin/Wheaton are good best ball players because they could explode for 30 points every couple weeks. Latimer is only $6 and could be huge the first few weeks with Welker out. If he impresses people, he's a steal at $6.

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Jimmy Graham $30

Timothy Wright $5

Went with one STUD, and betting/hoping that Wright plays a role similar to Aaron Hernandez in New England.

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then I went with 3 ($3) kickers and 3 ($4) defenses.

 

[Obamassiah]

Here is what I am hoping pays off. I am hoping that the 1.5 PPR points will put two TE's in my flex spots each week. I just felt like the value of these guys was better than I felt for the same dollars at the WR position. Might suck but I won't know until I try.

Jimmy Graham NO/6 $30

Rob Gronkowski NE/10 $26

Julius Thomas Den/4 $26

Understand the logic, but with only 1 TE and 1 flex, you'll have a $26 or $30 player not count for you every week. Seems like a lot of lost money. Could pay off of course.

2 flex.

I think a whole lot of folks glossed over that in the rules this year .... or just didn't read the rules for this year and assumed they were the same as last year.

They are the same as last year

The change from 3 WRs + 1 Flex to 2 WRs + 2 Flex happened after 2012.

Doh. I did know that. But forgot that I knew that.

 

[DepthCharts]

Thoughts on my team this year:

Don't spend money on QB's.

Find TWO QB's and hope for health and 16 games.

Don't spend money on TE's.

identify at least TWO teams that will run the most plays and/or pass for the most yards and lock up ALL of their WR's.

Find TWO kickers @ 3$ who will NOT be released and hope for health for 16 games

Now, find QB's who don't have RB bye weeks.

Minimize RB bye's during WR bye weeks so 4 rb's avail per week.

3 D's @ 3$

What you get is:

Locker, Geno

Jennings, Sproles, MJD, Woodhead and Ingram

Maclin, Cooper, Matthews, Colston Cooks, Stills, Shorts, Lee, Edelman, D Moore, Benjamin

Miller, Kelce, M Lewis

Vinatieri, Janikowski

Dolphins, Steelers and Jets

What's my logic? Well, at 4:20pm yesterday that is what I came up with, then I had some milk and cookies.

I like it....Criteria is met, no prediction other than I highly doubt this is the winner.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Don't spend money on TE's..

Why?

 

[Obamassiah]

570 teams with Alex Henery at Kicker
122 teams who effectively went all-in on the Manning/Bortles combo
65 teams who went w the most expensive player at each skill position (Manning, Charles, Megatron, Graham)
The All Suspension Team: 20 teams with Welker and Rice; 1 team with Welker/Rice/Bowe

3 Teams that spent $200 or less ($200, $186, $145). The $145 team belongs to The Turk. A staff member: http://subscribers.footballguys.com/contest/2014/113511.php

 

[gandalas]

QB: 34 points

Matt Ryan (9)

Tony Romo (11)

Matt Cassel (6)

Decided to go with two mid-pack guys who I feel have a chance to both finish top-5. Originally had Rodgers and Cam Newton. Threw in Cassel as he was so cheap, but I don't know if he will even score for me.

RB: 78 points

Rashad Jennings (8)

Joique Bell (9)

Alfred Morris (10)

Mark Ingram (6)

Jonathan Stewart (12)

Loved Jennings in the pre-season, but don't love his team. Still, he should get quite a workload. Originally had Andre Williams as well - may regret not keeping him if Jennings gets injured. Bell I like to perform quite well. Morris I feel was quite undervalued at his position. Ingram and Stewart are two disapointments from past years who were so cheap I had to go for them.

WR: 65 points

Roddy White (9)

Emmanuel Sanders (4)

Justin Hunter (9)

Mike Williams (9)

Kelvin Benjamin (12)

Markus Wheaton (12)

Brian Quick (4)

Man, all those WRs are so cheap this year. Really wanted to get a better #1 than Roddy, but couldn't sacrifice the points elsewhere.

TEs: 53 points

Jimmy Graham (6)

Kyle Rudolph (10)

Travis Kelce (6)

Went big at TE. Love Graham and Rudolph, and I see Kelce as the #2 or 3 receiving option in KC (at least if they are smart).

PK: 9 points

Nate Freese (9)

Adam Vinatieri (10)

Blair Walsh (10)

Went with 3 cheap guys on offenses that I think could generate a lot of points. Dome teams as well.

DEF: 11 points

Carolina (12)

Buffalo (9)

Detroit (9)

Carolina should be a top defense again, and Buffalo will get its fair share of sacks.

 

[Rhythmdoctor]

Overall Strategy – load up on MORE players at a value and build around a strong TE group. Put simply, I have more players, and therefore, more chances to “hit” on a player. I also think it’s much easier to find value at the QB/RB/WR positions. Because of the best ball format, I felt that having a few studs at each position with a limited roster (under 20 players) was a boom/bust play and if any of them were to get injured, I would be doomed. I believe having more players is a better strategy because it gives you more options every week. Of course, you also have to be “right” on your sleeper/value picks for this strategy to payout. For example, some teams have Peyton Manning and nobody else at QB. With that strategy, you have exactly one chance to have the best QB for a given week. I have 3 starting QBs and while none of them are as studly as Peyton in a vacuum, I have 3 chances every week to have the best QB. I’m betting that most weeks I will have pretty good QB production and some weeks I will have the “best” QB and I paid less than having only Peyton.

In total I have 26 players for a total of $249.

3 QBs = $23

Carson Palmer $11

Joe Flacco $8

Matt Cassel $4

Early iterations had me with only 2 QBs but with Arizona’s shaky line, I wasn’t confident that Palmer would be healthy all year and I didn’t want to be screwed when Flacco has a week 11 bye. I never draft stud QBs and I kept that same strategy in this contest. Cassel is no guarantee to be starter all season but at $4, he’s worth a roster spot in a Norv Turner offense.

6 RBs = $58

Chris Johnson $20

Jeremy Hill $13

Carlos Hyde $10

Andre Williams $7

Jonathan Stewart $5

Dri Archer $3

Originally I had Reggie Bush and CJ as my starters but I am heavily invested in Bush and Johnson in other leagues and I never trust Bush to remain healthy all season, so I thought it was a potential waste of money to spend starter money on a RB who seems to get injured every season. I went and found a “2-for-1” deal in Hill and Hyde (together their price = Bush’s). With 3 workhorse rookie RBs, I only need 1 to become a starter at some point. My strength is at other positions, so I don’t need to have 2 reliable RBs. I only need 1 and that 1 is CJ for now. If ANY OTHER RB on my team pans out, I’ll be in a great position.

7 WRs = $62

Torrey Smith $16

Marques Colston $16

Greg Jennings $9

Steve Smith $7

Cody Latimer $6

Denarius Moore $5

John Brown $3

I have 7 WRs in total, only plan on starting 2 most weeks. Again, I had many versions here with value guys like Larry Fitz in the rotation. Most recent version had a combo of Jordy and Fitz ($45) without Smith, Colston ($32). In the end though, I figured it was smarter to spend money on 2 guys who could be WR1 in Torrey Smith and Colston and save $15. Another 2-for-1 deal, imo when compared to uber studs like Calvin. I have other value picks in Jennings and Steve Smith. Smitty also provides insurance and a backup to Torrey Smith. Between the two, I should have the Ravens wideout production nearly covered. Considered Marlon Brown too but I don’t need 3 Raven WRs. I’ve never been a Denarius Moore fan, but once Derek Carr was named starter, I knew I wanted to add Moore to my team. They looked in sync in that week 4 preseason game – and yes I realize it was against 2nd/3rd string defense. I think Carr is really comfortable throwing to Moore and at $5, I believe Moore to be a tremendous value play. John Brown and Latimer are rookies who I believe have the best value amongst rookie WRs. I like other rookies like Jordan Matthews and Brandin Cooks but their prices are too high. Since I plan on being a 3 TE team, I only need 2 WRs to produce weekly and those two should be Torrey Smith and Marques Colston. In the event of an injury or underperformance, I have 5 other upside WRs.

5 TEs = $90

Jimmy Graham $30

Rob Gronkowski $26

Julius Thomas $26

Austin Seferian-Jenkins $5

Jace Amaro $3

Obviously TE is the strength of my team. With 1.5 ppr for TE and dual flex, I plan on having 3 TEs in my starting lineup most weeks. My first thought was to load up on upside TEs, carry as many as 7 with no studs but I kept coming back to the thought that most weeks, the top 3 should out-produce all other TEs. So I settled on 3 stud TEs. With 6 RBs and 7 WRs – I only need 2 at each of those positions to be start-worthy. This approach may be unconventional but with 14,000+ entrants, I’m not going to separate from the pack by being conventional. My backups are rookies with tremendous upside. I realize that rookie TEs rarely produce but these guys are bye week fillers and they will have a good game or two this season at the least. I had Kelce in originally but at $8 and the same uncertainty, I figured it was a better strategy to spread out that $8 over 2 players vs. one.

2 PKs

Greg Zuerlein $3

Sebastian Janikowski $3

Not much to say here. Took 2 PKs with strong legs hopping for long FGs (more points).

3 DEFs

Baltimore Ravens $4

Tennessee Titans $3

Pittsburgh Steelers $3

[SIZE=11pt]Being my first year participating in this event, my initial strategy was to take a stud DEF like SEA but then I realized that any defense can have a big week and since this is a best ball format, there’s no benefit in having the top defense (on paper). [/SIZE]I think the better strategy is to have more defenses and let the chips fall where they may. Any of these 3 defenses could match or out-produce SEA in any given week.

 

[BassNBrew]

So, last year was my first year cashing in this contest, and I had followed my typical 25 - 30 man roster idea, giving myself the most chances each week. When I finally started to look at who was making the most noise in the late weeks, it was the teams with studs. This year I have abandoned the high quantity, value filled, roster and went for more studs. My goal was 3 guys I felt great about at RB/WR/TE, then value plays at QB. This is what I came up with.

QB - I have always favored taking 3 QB's, especially when I see the value there. Cutler and Ben are both guys who put up there share of 20+ point games, and I like Tannehill this year.

Jay Cutler $12

Ryan Tannehill $10

Ben Roethlisberger $10

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RB - I wanted 3 guys I considered to be studs, while trimming as much $ as I could. As long as Ball stays healthy and doesn't blow it in pass pro, he should be a lock for top 12 production, on TDs and Rec's alone. Murray was excellent last year, and has a very PPR RB friendly Linehan calling plays now. I am a Doug Martin believer, and the news on him was steadily positive as the preseason went on. I'm thin, but I'm swinging for the fences this year, if they all stay healthy, I feel real good about all 3. Cunningham is a shot in the dark.

Montee Ball $29

DeMarco Murray $27

Doug Martin $24

Benny Cunningham $3

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WR - 2 guys I have targeted all draft season, Brown and White, are guys I expect big PPR years from. Brown is obvious, but I see a healthy Roddy as another possible 100+ catch guy. Someone is going to take those 5 - 8 yd passes Tony G lived on, and I suspect it's Roddy. Floyd is another guy who has had non-stop glowing reports out of camp, in a very WR friendly offense, I see a big season from him. I love Hunter and Brown in this format, expecting both to be wildly inconsistent, but proving a few big games each. I think I read in the Rules it was a must to roster Benjamin.

Antonio Brown $22

Michael Floyd $21

Roddy White $19

Justin Hunter $9

Kelvin Benjamin $5

John Brown $3

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TE - 2 breakout darlings in Rudolph and Ertz, and a steady, safe, Miller. I feel real good about Rudolph this year with Norv, and Miller should be a steady source of points and flex value now that he is fully healthy. The 1.5 per catch for TE makes Miller a great value imo. Ertz, I look at similar to Hunter in my WR pool, a guy that when he hits, will hit big. Probably will be inconsistent, but that works in this format.

Kyle Rudolph $15

Zach Ertz $13

Heath Miller $10

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

K - All I wanted was domes and different byes

Greg Zuerlein $3

Nate Freese $3

Blair Walsh $3

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

D/ST - Again, different byes was my main concern. None of these D/ST's excite me, but I've used the 3 cheap D/ST philosophy for years now, and it typically seems to work out.

Tennessee Titans $3

Jacksonville Jaguars $3

Pittsburgh Steelers $3

Big rosters have done well in the finals before. The most consistent theme has been 2 QBs and solid TEs.

Unless you disagree with Dodds on Gramham and Gronk and JT, one of theme was a better value then the other studs.

 

[DepthCharts]

Don't spend money on TE's..

Why?

In all honesty, hasn't worked in past, or at least who i selected to go with them hasn't. Time for a change, simply.

 

[dancingbones]

 

[lsutigers]

After doing ok the last few seasons and picking bums with best ball approach, decided to go with studs to see what that looks like

QB - $35

Brees, Alex Smith

In my 10,000th iteration, didn't pay attention to bye weeks. Both in Week 6 which may be early enough to make it. Probably wasted the $9 on Smith though.

RB - $64

Bell, Martin, Ingram, D. Brown, Turbin

Was my last position to fill out. Think Bell and Martin will have solid years, hoping for something from one of Ingram, D. Brown or Turbin as an occasional flex or hail mary.

WR - $73

Demaryius, Dez, Benjamin, Wheaton, Floyd, Jernigan

Went with two studs and some fillers as an occasional flex

TE - $57

Graham, Olsen, H. Miller

Expect Graham and Olsen to almost always be used and Miller as an occasional flex

K - $11

Tucker, Freese, Walsh

Dome guys or long FG power

D - $10

Patriots, Ravens

 

[BassNBrew]

Overall Strategy – load up on MORE players at a value and build around a strong TE group. Put simply, I have more players, and therefore, more chances to “hit” on a player. I also think it’s much easier to find value at the QB/RB/WR positions. Because of the best ball format, I felt that having a few studs at each position with a limited roster (under 20 players) was a boom/bust play and if any of them were to get injured, I would be doomed. I believe having more players is a better strategy because it gives you more options every week. Of course, you also have to be “right” on your sleeper/value picks for this strategy to payout. For example, some teams have Peyton Manning and nobody else at QB. With that strategy, you have exactly one chance to have the best QB for a given week. I have 3 starting QBs and while none of them are as studly as Peyton in a vacuum, I have 3 chances every week to have the best QB. I’m betting that most weeks I will have pretty good QB production and some weeks I will have the “best” QB and I paid less than having only Peyton.

In total I have 26 players for a total of $249.

3 QBs = $23

Carson Palmer $11

Joe Flacco $8

Matt Cassel $4

Early iterations had me with only 2 QBs but with Arizona’s shaky line, I wasn’t confident that Palmer would be healthy all year and I didn’t want to be screwed when Flacco has a week 11 bye. I never draft stud QBs and I kept that same strategy in this contest. Cassel is no guarantee to be starter all season but at $4, he’s worth a roster spot in a Norv Turner offense.

6 RBs = $58

Chris Johnson $20

Jeremy Hill $13

Carlos Hyde $10

Andre Williams $7

Jonathan Stewart $5

Dri Archer $3

Originally I had Reggie Bush and CJ as my starters but I am heavily invested in Bush and Johnson in other leagues and I never trust Bush to remain healthy all season, so I thought it was a potential waste of money to spend starter money on a RB who seems to get injured every season. I went and found a “2-for-1” deal in Hill and Hyde (together their price = Bush’s). With 3 workhorse rookie RBs, I only need 1 to become a starter at some point. My strength is at other positions, so I don’t need to have 2 reliable RBs. I only need 1 and that 1 is CJ for now. If ANY OTHER RB on my team pans out, I’ll be in a great position.

7 WRs = $62

Torrey Smith $16

Marques Colston $16

Greg Jennings $9

Steve Smith $7

Cody Latimer $6

Denarius Moore $5

John Brown $3

I have 7 WRs in total, only plan on starting 2 most weeks. Again, I had many versions here with value guys like Larry Fitz in the rotation. Most recent version had a combo of Jordy and Fitz ($45) without Smith, Colston ($32). In the end though, I figured it was smarter to spend money on 2 guys who could be WR1 in Torrey Smith and Colston and save $15. Another 2-for-1 deal, imo when compared to uber studs like Calvin. I have other value picks in Jennings and Steve Smith. Smitty also provides insurance and a backup to Torrey Smith. Between the two, I should have the Ravens wideout production nearly covered. Considered Marlon Brown too but I don’t need 3 Raven WRs. I’ve never been a Denarius Moore fan, but once Derek Carr was named starter, I knew I wanted to add Moore to my team. They looked in sync in that week 4 preseason game – and yes I realize it was against 2nd/3rd string defense. I think Carr is really comfortable throwing to Moore and at $5, I believe Moore to be a tremendous value play. John Brown and Latimer are rookies who I believe have the best value amongst rookie WRs. I like other rookies like Jordan Matthews and Brandin Cooks but their prices are too high. Since I plan on being a 3 TE team, I only need 2 WRs to produce weekly and those two should be Torrey Smith and Marques Colston. In the event of an injury or underperformance, I have 5 other upside WRs.

5 TEs = $90

Jimmy Graham $30

Rob Gronkowski $26

Julius Thomas $26

Austin Seferian-Jenkins $5

Jace Amaro $3

Obviously TE is the strength of my team. With 1.5 ppr for TE and dual flex, I plan on having 3 TEs in my starting lineup most weeks. My first thought was to load up on upside TEs, carry as many as 7 with no studs but I kept coming back to the thought that most weeks, the top 3 should out-produce all other TEs. So I settled on 3 stud TEs. With 6 RBs and 7 WRs – I only need 2 at each of those positions to be start-worthy. This approach may be unconventional but with 14,000+ entrants, I’m not going to separate from the pack by being conventional. My backups are rookies with tremendous upside. I realize that rookie TEs rarely produce but these guys are bye week fillers and they will have a good game or two this season at the least. I had Kelce in originally but at $8 and the same uncertainty, I figured it was a better strategy to spread out that $8 over 2 players vs. one.

2 PKs

Greg Zuerlein $3

Sebastian Janikowski $3

Not much to say here. Took 2 PKs with strong legs hopping for long FGs (more points).

3 DEFs

Baltimore Ravens $4

Tennessee Titans $3

Pittsburgh Steelers $3

[SIZE=11pt]Being my first year participating in this event, my initial strategy was to take a stud DEF like SEA but then I realized that any defense can have a big week and since this is a best ball format, there’s no benefit in having the top defense (on paper). I think the better strategy is to have more defenses and let the chips fall where they may. Any of these 3 defenses could match or out-produce SEA in any given week.[/SIZE]

TEs 4-5 where a waste of $. That $8 would have netted you more pts with a 3rd kicker or upgrading Cassel to a viable NFL starter.

 

[Cliff Clavin]

Overall Strategy – load up on MORE players at a value and build around a strong TE group. Put simply, I have more players, and therefore, more chances to “hit” on a player. I also think it’s much easier to find value at the QB/RB/WR positions. Because of the best ball format, I felt that having a few studs at each position with a limited roster (under 20 players) was a boom/bust play and if any of them were to get injured, I would be doomed. I believe having more players is a better strategy because it gives you more options every week. Of course, you also have to be “right” on your sleeper/value picks for this strategy to payout. For example, some teams have Peyton Manning and nobody else at QB. With that strategy, you have exactly one chance to have the best QB for a given week. I have 3 starting QBs and while none of them are as studly as Peyton in a vacuum, I have 3 chances every week to have the best QB. I’m betting that most weeks I will have pretty good QB production and some weeks I will have the “best” QB and I paid less than having only Peyton.

In total I have 26 players for a total of $249.

3 QBs = $23

Carson Palmer $11

Joe Flacco $8

Matt Cassel $4

Early iterations had me with only 2 QBs but with Arizona’s shaky line, I wasn’t confident that Palmer would be healthy all year and I didn’t want to be screwed when Flacco has a week 11 bye. I never draft stud QBs and I kept that same strategy in this contest. Cassel is no guarantee to be starter all season but at $4, he’s worth a roster spot in a Norv Turner offense.

6 RBs = $58

Chris Johnson $20

Jeremy Hill $13

Carlos Hyde $10

Andre Williams $7

Jonathan Stewart $5

Dri Archer $3

Originally I had Reggie Bush and CJ as my starters but I am heavily invested in Bush and Johnson in other leagues and I never trust Bush to remain healthy all season, so I thought it was a potential waste of money to spend starter money on a RB who seems to get injured every season. I went and found a “2-for-1” deal in Hill and Hyde (together their price = Bush’s). With 3 workhorse rookie RBs, I only need 1 to become a starter at some point. My strength is at other positions, so I don’t need to have 2 reliable RBs. I only need 1 and that 1 is CJ for now. If ANY OTHER RB on my team pans out, I’ll be in a great position.

7 WRs = $62

Torrey Smith $16

Marques Colston $16

Greg Jennings $9

Steve Smith $7

Cody Latimer $6

Denarius Moore $5

John Brown $3

I have 7 WRs in total, only plan on starting 2 most weeks. Again, I had many versions here with value guys like Larry Fitz in the rotation. Most recent version had a combo of Jordy and Fitz ($45) without Smith, Colston ($32). In the end though, I figured it was smarter to spend money on 2 guys who could be WR1 in Torrey Smith and Colston and save $15. Another 2-for-1 deal, imo when compared to uber studs like Calvin. I have other value picks in Jennings and Steve Smith. Smitty also provides insurance and a backup to Torrey Smith. Between the two, I should have the Ravens wideout production nearly covered. Considered Marlon Brown too but I don’t need 3 Raven WRs. I’ve never been a Denarius Moore fan, but once Derek Carr was named starter, I knew I wanted to add Moore to my team. They looked in sync in that week 4 preseason game – and yes I realize it was against 2nd/3rd string defense. I think Carr is really comfortable throwing to Moore and at $5, I believe Moore to be a tremendous value play. John Brown and Latimer are rookies who I believe have the best value amongst rookie WRs. I like other rookies like Jordan Matthews and Brandin Cooks but their prices are too high. Since I plan on being a 3 TE team, I only need 2 WRs to produce weekly and those two should be Torrey Smith and Marques Colston. In the event of an injury or underperformance, I have 5 other upside WRs.

5 TEs = $90

Jimmy Graham $30

Rob Gronkowski $26

Julius Thomas $26

Austin Seferian-Jenkins $5

Jace Amaro $3

Obviously TE is the strength of my team. With 1.5 ppr for TE and dual flex, I plan on having 3 TEs in my starting lineup most weeks. My first thought was to load up on upside TEs, carry as many as 7 with no studs but I kept coming back to the thought that most weeks, the top 3 should out-produce all other TEs. So I settled on 3 stud TEs. With 6 RBs and 7 WRs – I only need 2 at each of those positions to be start-worthy. This approach may be unconventional but with 14,000+ entrants, I’m not going to separate from the pack by being conventional. My backups are rookies with tremendous upside. I realize that rookie TEs rarely produce but these guys are bye week fillers and they will have a good game or two this season at the least. I had Kelce in originally but at $8 and the same uncertainty, I figured it was a better strategy to spread out that $8 over 2 players vs. one.

2 PKs

Greg Zuerlein $3

Sebastian Janikowski $3

Not much to say here. Took 2 PKs with strong legs hopping for long FGs (more points).

3 DEFs

Baltimore Ravens $4

Tennessee Titans $3

Pittsburgh Steelers $3

Being my first year participating in this event, my initial strategy was to take a stud DEF like SEA but then I realized that any defense can have a big week and since this is a best ball format, there’s no benefit in having the top defense (on paper). I think the better strategy is to have more defenses and let the chips fall where they may. Any of these 3 defenses could match or out-produce SEA in any given week.

TEs 4-5 where a waste of $. That $8 would have netted you more pts with a 3rd kicker or upgrading Cassel to a viable NFL starter.

Agreed. Could have gone with Newton/Rivers/Cutler/Ben/Eli over Smith instead of two TEs that will likely end up as dead money.

 

[ScoobySnack]

2 QB's - $25

Newton

Cutler

Originally had Romo in there as well but after many changes went with these two as descent upside QB's

3 RB's -$92

McCoy

Peterson

Lacy

Decided to go with 3 guys who would be the main back from week to week. Also choose them based on staggered bye weeks.

7 WR's - $57

Dez

Justin Hunter

Rod Streater

Kelvin Benjamin

Maclom Floyd

Mohamed Sanu

Jason Avant

Went with one Stud in Dez and a bunch of flyers elsewhere. Again gave consideration to bye weeks as well. Went with Avant at $2 giving me a nice combo of Carolina WR's.

2 TE's - 56

Graham

Gronk

Went big here hoping that Gronk stays healthy and becomes Brady's #1 target.

3 K's $10

Bailey

Zuerlein

Walsh

3 guys with different bye weeks that kick indoors and have strong legs

3 D/ST's - $10

3 different ones with different bye weeks.

All in all went with a STUD theory and really paid more attention to bye weeks then I normally had in the past.

 

[msudaisy26]

Don't spend money on TE's..

Why?

I play in 3 to 5 best ball leagues a year for the last 2 years. 8 total leagues. I have won 2 and finished in 3rd once. Two years ago I won the league with this trio of tight ends Dallas Clark, Lance Kendricks and Dwayne Allen in his rookie year. Last year I won it with 4 tight ends Julius Thomas, I got him late, Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, and Jermaine Gresham

 

[Rick James]

Don't spend money on TE's..

Why?

I play in 3 to 5 best ball leagues a year for the last 2 years. 8 total leagues. I have won 2 and finished in 3rd once. Two years ago I won the league with this trio of tight ends Dallas Clark, Lance Kendricks and Dwayne Allen in his rookie year. Last year I won it with 4 tight ends Julius Thomas, I got him late, Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, and Jermaine Gresham

do those leagues give 1.5ppr for TEs?

 

[QuizGuy66]

Here's my team

QB - Andrew Luck - 20
QB - Joe Flacco - 8

QB - Blake Bortles - 3
RB - Eddie Lacy - 28
RB - Alfred Morris - 20
RB - Jeremy Hill - 13
RB - Mark Ingram - 9
RB - James White - 4

RB - Robert Turbin - 2
WR - A.J. Green - 28
WR - Torrey Smith - 16

WR - Jeremy Maclin - 16
WR - Greg Jennings - 9
WR - Kelvin Benjamin - 5
WR - Marcus Wheaton - 5
WR - Mohamed Sanu - 3
TE - Jordan Cameron - 22
TE - Zach Ertz - 13
TE - Jace Amaro - 3

TE - Mychal Rivera - 3
PK - Caleb Sturgis - 3
PK - Nate Freese - 3
PK - Blair Walsh - 3
TD - Kansas City Chiefs - 5
TD - Minnesota Vikings - 3
TD - Pittsburgh Steelers - 3

I'll give a breakdown of this bunch later

-QG

 

[QuizGuy66]

I am the only entry with a top 4 of Luck/Lacy/Green/Cameron so I guess I got that going for me

-QG

 

[QuizGuy66]

14303 entries minus staff entries it looks like based on the querier.

Only 6651 had Kelvin Benjamin which is surprisingly low.

-QG

 

[msudaisy26]

Don't spend money on TE's..

Why?

I play in 3 to 5 best ball leagues a year for the last 2 years. 8 total leagues. I have won 2 and finished in 3rd once. Two years ago I won the league with this trio of tight ends Dallas Clark, Lance Kendricks and Dwayne Allen in his rookie year. Last year I won it with 4 tight ends Julius Thomas, I got him late, Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, and Jermaine Gresham

do those leagues give 1.5ppr for TEs?

Yes

 

[Norwood...Wide Right!]

Ok, first time in the contest, but decided to go with the 18 player minimum. Details below.

Drew Brees            $26      0.00                                                                                                       Joe Flacco             $8      0.00                                                                   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------LeSean McCoy          $34      0.00                                       Eddie Lacy            $28      0.00                                                     Pierre Thomas         $17      0.00                                Danny Woodhead        $13      0.00                                                            Robert Turbin          $2      0.00                  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Brandon Marshall      $26      0.00                                                     Terrance Williams     $14      0.00                                                                   Brian Hartline        $11      0.00                         Cecil Shorts          $11      0.00                                                                   Rod Streater           $7      0.00                         ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jason Witten          $18      0.00                                                                   Zach Ertz             $13      0.00                                       ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Dan Bailey             $4      0.00                                                                   Dan Carpenter          $3      0.00                                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Seattle Seahawks       $9      0.00                  New England Patriots   $6

 

[Rhythmdoctor]

Overall Strategy – load up on MORE players at a value and build around a strong TE group. Put simply, I have more players, and therefore, more chances to “hit” on a player. I also think it’s much easier to find value at the QB/RB/WR positions. Because of the best ball format, I felt that having a few studs at each position with a limited roster (under 20 players) was a boom/bust play and if any of them were to get injured, I would be doomed. I believe having more players is a better strategy because it gives you more options every week. Of course, you also have to be “right” on your sleeper/value picks for this strategy to payout. For example, some teams have Peyton Manning and nobody else at QB. With that strategy, you have exactly one chance to have the best QB for a given week. I have 3 starting QBs and while none of them are as studly as Peyton in a vacuum, I have 3 chances every week to have the best QB. I’m betting that most weeks I will have pretty good QB production and some weeks I will have the “best” QB and I paid less than having only Peyton.

In total I have 26 players for a total of $249.

3 QBs = $23

Carson Palmer $11

Joe Flacco $8

Matt Cassel $4

Early iterations had me with only 2 QBs but with Arizona’s shaky line, I wasn’t confident that Palmer would be healthy all year and I didn’t want to be screwed when Flacco has a week 11 bye. I never draft stud QBs and I kept that same strategy in this contest. Cassel is no guarantee to be starter all season but at $4, he’s worth a roster spot in a Norv Turner offense.

6 RBs = $58

Chris Johnson $20

Jeremy Hill $13

Carlos Hyde $10

Andre Williams $7

Jonathan Stewart $5

Dri Archer $3

Originally I had Reggie Bush and CJ as my starters but I am heavily invested in Bush and Johnson in other leagues and I never trust Bush to remain healthy all season, so I thought it was a potential waste of money to spend starter money on a RB who seems to get injured every season. I went and found a “2-for-1” deal in Hill and Hyde (together their price = Bush’s). With 3 workhorse rookie RBs, I only need 1 to become a starter at some point. My strength is at other positions, so I don’t need to have 2 reliable RBs. I only need 1 and that 1 is CJ for now. If ANY OTHER RB on my team pans out, I’ll be in a great position.

7 WRs = $62

Torrey Smith $16

Marques Colston $16

Greg Jennings $9

Steve Smith $7

Cody Latimer $6

Denarius Moore $5

John Brown $3

I have 7 WRs in total, only plan on starting 2 most weeks. Again, I had many versions here with value guys like Larry Fitz in the rotation. Most recent version had a combo of Jordy and Fitz ($45) without Smith, Colston ($32). In the end though, I figured it was smarter to spend money on 2 guys who could be WR1 in Torrey Smith and Colston and save $15. Another 2-for-1 deal, imo when compared to uber studs like Calvin. I have other value picks in Jennings and Steve Smith. Smitty also provides insurance and a backup to Torrey Smith. Between the two, I should have the Ravens wideout production nearly covered. Considered Marlon Brown too but I don’t need 3 Raven WRs. I’ve never been a Denarius Moore fan, but once Derek Carr was named starter, I knew I wanted to add Moore to my team. They looked in sync in that week 4 preseason game – and yes I realize it was against 2nd/3rd string defense. I think Carr is really comfortable throwing to Moore and at $5, I believe Moore to be a tremendous value play. John Brown and Latimer are rookies who I believe have the best value amongst rookie WRs. I like other rookies like Jordan Matthews and Brandin Cooks but their prices are too high. Since I plan on being a 3 TE team, I only need 2 WRs to produce weekly and those two should be Torrey Smith and Marques Colston. In the event of an injury or underperformance, I have 5 other upside WRs.

5 TEs = $90

Jimmy Graham $30

Rob Gronkowski $26

Julius Thomas $26

Austin Seferian-Jenkins $5

Jace Amaro $3

Obviously TE is the strength of my team. With 1.5 ppr for TE and dual flex, I plan on having 3 TEs in my starting lineup most weeks. My first thought was to load up on upside TEs, carry as many as 7 with no studs but I kept coming back to the thought that most weeks, the top 3 should out-produce all other TEs. So I settled on 3 stud TEs. With 6 RBs and 7 WRs – I only need 2 at each of those positions to be start-worthy. This approach may be unconventional but with 14,000+ entrants, I’m not going to separate from the pack by being conventional. My backups are rookies with tremendous upside. I realize that rookie TEs rarely produce but these guys are bye week fillers and they will have a good game or two this season at the least. I had Kelce in originally but at $8 and the same uncertainty, I figured it was a better strategy to spread out that $8 over 2 players vs. one.

2 PKs

Greg Zuerlein $3

Sebastian Janikowski $3

Not much to say here. Took 2 PKs with strong legs hopping for long FGs (more points).

3 DEFs

Baltimore Ravens $4

Tennessee Titans $3

Pittsburgh Steelers $3

[SIZE=11pt]Being my first year participating in this event, my initial strategy was to take a stud DEF like SEA but then I realized that any defense can have a big week and since this is a best ball format, there’s no benefit in having the top defense (on paper). I think the better strategy is to have more defenses and let the chips fall where they may. Any of these 3 defenses could match or out-produce SEA in any given week.[/SIZE]

TEs 4-5 where a waste of $. That $8 would have netted you more pts with a 3rd kicker or upgrading Cassel to a viable NFL starter.

That is one way of looking at it and a valid concern. It is something I considered. However, the strength and foundation of my team is TE and IF any of my big 3 misses games, I need to fill those spots. I also chose the extra TEs to fill gaps for bye weeks of my big 3. There are many ways to skin a cat and I chose to roll the dice with a pair of rookie TEs, who I personally believe are the best 2 TEs in the rookie class.

I appreciate the feedback for sure. Hopefully I did not waste $8.

 

[Sinn Fein]

Overall Strategy – load up on MORE players at a value and build around a strong TE group. Put simply, I have more players, and therefore, more chances to “hit” on a player. I also think it’s much easier to find value at the QB/RB/WR positions. Because of the best ball format, I felt that having a few studs at each position with a limited roster (under 20 players) was a boom/bust play and if any of them were to get injured, I would be doomed. I believe having more players is a better strategy because it gives you more options every week. Of course, you also have to be “right” on your sleeper/value picks for this strategy to payout. For example, some teams have Peyton Manning and nobody else at QB. With that strategy, you have exactly one chance to have the best QB for a given week. I have 3 starting QBs and while none of them are as studly as Peyton in a vacuum, I have 3 chances every week to have the best QB. I’m betting that most weeks I will have pretty good QB production and some weeks I will have the “best” QB and I paid less than having only Peyton.

In total I have 26 players for a total of $249.

3 QBs = $23

Carson Palmer $11

Joe Flacco $8

Matt Cassel $4

Early iterations had me with only 2 QBs but with Arizona’s shaky line, I wasn’t confident that Palmer would be healthy all year and I didn’t want to be screwed when Flacco has a week 11 bye. I never draft stud QBs and I kept that same strategy in this contest. Cassel is no guarantee to be starter all season but at $4, he’s worth a roster spot in a Norv Turner offense.

6 RBs = $58

Chris Johnson $20

Jeremy Hill $13

Carlos Hyde $10

Andre Williams $7

Jonathan Stewart $5

Dri Archer $3

Originally I had Reggie Bush and CJ as my starters but I am heavily invested in Bush and Johnson in other leagues and I never trust Bush to remain healthy all season, so I thought it was a potential waste of money to spend starter money on a RB who seems to get injured every season. I went and found a “2-for-1” deal in Hill and Hyde (together their price = Bush’s). With 3 workhorse rookie RBs, I only need 1 to become a starter at some point. My strength is at other positions, so I don’t need to have 2 reliable RBs. I only need 1 and that 1 is CJ for now. If ANY OTHER RB on my team pans out, I’ll be in a great position.

7 WRs = $62

Torrey Smith $16

Marques Colston $16

Greg Jennings $9

Steve Smith $7

Cody Latimer $6

Denarius Moore $5

John Brown $3

I have 7 WRs in total, only plan on starting 2 most weeks. Again, I had many versions here with value guys like Larry Fitz in the rotation. Most recent version had a combo of Jordy and Fitz ($45) without Smith, Colston ($32). In the end though, I figured it was smarter to spend money on 2 guys who could be WR1 in Torrey Smith and Colston and save $15. Another 2-for-1 deal, imo when compared to uber studs like Calvin. I have other value picks in Jennings and Steve Smith. Smitty also provides insurance and a backup to Torrey Smith. Between the two, I should have the Ravens wideout production nearly covered. Considered Marlon Brown too but I don’t need 3 Raven WRs. I’ve never been a Denarius Moore fan, but once Derek Carr was named starter, I knew I wanted to add Moore to my team. They looked in sync in that week 4 preseason game – and yes I realize it was against 2nd/3rd string defense. I think Carr is really comfortable throwing to Moore and at $5, I believe Moore to be a tremendous value play. John Brown and Latimer are rookies who I believe have the best value amongst rookie WRs. I like other rookies like Jordan Matthews and Brandin Cooks but their prices are too high. Since I plan on being a 3 TE team, I only need 2 WRs to produce weekly and those two should be Torrey Smith and Marques Colston. In the event of an injury or underperformance, I have 5 other upside WRs.

5 TEs = $90

Jimmy Graham $30

Rob Gronkowski $26

Julius Thomas $26

Austin Seferian-Jenkins $5

Jace Amaro $3

Obviously TE is the strength of my team. With 1.5 ppr for TE and dual flex, I plan on having 3 TEs in my starting lineup most weeks. My first thought was to load up on upside TEs, carry as many as 7 with no studs but I kept coming back to the thought that most weeks, the top 3 should out-produce all other TEs. So I settled on 3 stud TEs. With 6 RBs and 7 WRs – I only need 2 at each of those positions to be start-worthy. This approach may be unconventional but with 14,000+ entrants, I’m not going to separate from the pack by being conventional. My backups are rookies with tremendous upside. I realize that rookie TEs rarely produce but these guys are bye week fillers and they will have a good game or two this season at the least. I had Kelce in originally but at $8 and the same uncertainty, I figured it was a better strategy to spread out that $8 over 2 players vs. one.

2 PKs

Greg Zuerlein $3

Sebastian Janikowski $3

Not much to say here. Took 2 PKs with strong legs hopping for long FGs (more points).

3 DEFs

Baltimore Ravens $4

Tennessee Titans $3

Pittsburgh Steelers $3

[SIZE=11pt]Being my first year participating in this event, my initial strategy was to take a stud DEF like SEA but then I realized that any defense can have a big week and since this is a best ball format, there’s no benefit in having the top defense (on paper). I think the better strategy is to have more defenses and let the chips fall where they may. Any of these 3 defenses could match or out-produce SEA in any given week.[/SIZE]

TEs 4-5 where a waste of $. That $8 would have netted you more pts with a 3rd kicker or upgrading Cassel to a viable NFL starter.

Yup - as someone who went with the big-3 to play TE and flex, no real reason to add any other TEs - with the amount of money wrapped up in Graham/Gronk/Thomas, needed to spread the money out at the other positions.

 

[msudaisy26]

Don't spend money on TE's..

Why?

I play in 3 to 5 best ball leagues a year for the last 2 years. 8 total leagues. I have won 2 and finished in 3rd once. Two years ago I won the league with this trio of tight ends Dallas Clark, Lance Kendricks and Dwayne Allen in his rookie year. Last year I won it with 4 tight ends Julius Thomas, I got him late, Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, and Jermaine Gresham

do those leagues give 1.5ppr for TEs?

To expand a little, my leagues where I drafted tight ends early all sucked and were out of it by week 6 or so, but I drafted Pitta and Hernandez in a couple of them.

 

[jdoggydogg]

So I've got a website up and running for the live scoring and some other stuff I'm working on.

You can check it out here.

Really cool.

Hey, I tried to enter my team, but I get this error message:

That entry number does not exist. Please check the number and try again.

It's definitely the correct entry number.

 

[Steeler]

So I've got a website up and running for the live scoring and some other stuff I'm working on.

You can check it out here.

Really cool.

Hey, I tried to enter my team, but I get this error message:

That entry number does not exist. Please check the number and try again.

It's definitely the correct entry number.

I got the same thing. But my guess is that he hasn't loaded the finalized teams into his system yet.

 

[Anarchy99]

QB - Drew Brees/6 - 26
QB - Ben Roethlisberger/12 - 10

Initially was going to go with a 3 headed hydra of guys priced in the teens (Romo/Cutler/Newton), but felt that might be a bit of overkill. Brees has been so consistent year to year and week to week that I revised my thinking to go with one stud and an underrated upside guy. Brees has a relatively early bye and will be on the field in bye week hell (weeks 9 and 10), which was a huge plus. I see the Steelers running a more up tempo offense, so 4000/30 seems very likely and a good deal for ten bucks. Part of the rationale in taking Brees is he can have some crazy games and get a contest team through to another week all by himself. Some of the other more human QBs may have decent weeks but are prone to some high scoring weeks but some real duds as well. Ultimately opted out on Cutler, as I don't see the CHI passing game the same as others do. IMO, their production far exceeded their passing attempts, and some of that was due to the insane efficiency of McCown. Factor in that Cutler has had a recent history of missing some time and the fact that a lot of other teams will have him and I opted to pass on him.

RB - Giovani Bernard/4 - 29
RB - Frank Gore/8 - 16
RB - Jeremy Hill/4 - 13
RB - Mark Ingram/6 - 9
RB - Andre Williams/8 - 7
RB - James Starks/9 - 5

I liked the idea of pairing up backs from a high production offense. My first choice was a Vereen/Ridley pairing, which I believe would have cost less but I did not like having two guys on bye in Week 10. CIN should have a lot of fantasy points scored from their RB, and if one gets nicked up, the other should benefit. I think that makes more sense then the traditional stub RB/unproven back up strategy (which I have never bought into in the first place). Gore is always said to be old and getting phased out, but that hasn't happened so far. Seemed like a decent pick up for $16. I suspect Ingram should be on a ton of rosters given his cost. I think Williams has more speed and is more elusive than Jennings in NYG, so at some point I can see him playing a bigger role or even competing for the starting job. Starks is a wildcard, but I see him as an injury to Lacy from being a huge fantasy producer.

WR - Demaryius Thomas/4 - 29
WR - Keenan Allen/10 - 21
WR - Marques Colston/6 - 16
WR - Justin Hunter/9 - 9
WR - Marqise Lee/11 - 6
WR - Kelvin Benjamin/12 - 5
WR - Malcom Floyd/10 - 4

I see DT doing even better this year with the personnel changes in DEN. With a Week 4 bye, he was perfect to be able to continue scoring as the contest wore on without interruption when the competition got tougher. Allen and Floys seemed like they came at a discount, and I think the concerns that SD is now a running team are a bit exaggerated. Colston had a down year last year and seems like a decent bet to approach some of his other seasons. IIRC, he had a slow start but had a hot second half last year. Hunter/Lee/Benjamin were a few of the cheap value plays at WR. Overall, I think there were a ton more values at WR than at other positions, but I didn't want to load up only on cheap guys and hope that they all panned out.

TE - Zach Ertz/7 - 13
TE - Heath Miller/12 - 10
TE - Travis Kelce/6 - 8

It's rare that I buy into hype on players, but I think both Ertz and Kelce seemed primed to have big roles on their respective teams. Overall, I think the extra 0.5 point per reception for TEs gets a bit overblown. Unless people want to pay huge WR money for the top guys, having 2-3 cheaper options seems like a more financially solvent approach. I think a healthy Miller approaches his totals from a couple of seasons ago. I can see him as a Top 10 TE.

PK - Greg Zuerlein/4 - 3
PK - Caleb Sturgis/5 - 3

Couldn't see myself ponying up money for "real" kickers. Took two with early byes.

TD - Kansas City Chiefs/6 - 5
TD - New York Jets/11 - 3

Like kickers, I don't see a lot of upside in paying a ton for defensives. Better to spend elsewhere where production is a little more predictable and consistent.

 

[Ignoratio Elenchi]

So I've got a website up and running for the live scoring and some other stuff I'm working on.

You can check it out here.

Really cool.

Hey, I tried to enter my team, but I get this error message:

That entry number does not exist. Please check the number and try again.

It's definitely the correct entry number.

I got the same thing. But my guess is that he hasn't loaded the finalized teams into his system yet.

Correct. Sorry for the delay guys, I'm in the process of loading all the rosters now. Should be all set in an hour or so, I'll post an update when it's done.