the ball has never been thrown more (1 Viewer)

[Shutout]

Did you guys catch the stat last night on Sportscenter announcing that, per ESB, the top 4 passing weeks (cummulative) in the history of the NFL have been the first 4 weeks of this 2011 season?

Commentators cited new rules and the way the game is geared now...makes sense.

Thought I would bring it up as a topic for fantasy.

Does it make RBs less valuable?

Does it change your strategy for QBs or WRS?

Given, it is likely to slow down, but still it is the record and is something never done before. So does it affect your thoughts on the handful of QBS and WRs that have gotten off to such hot starts? Can it possibly continue?

 

[Macdaddy_2004]

I was looking at the stats and I think Rivers, Newton, Brady, Rodgers, Big Ben, Stafford are all on pace to throw more than 5000 yards.

Even McCoy is on pace for 4000.

It does change the landscape a bit for QB's.

 

[mr roboto]

It will limit the # of true stud RB's for fantasy purposes, but in PPR I think it helps the RB position retain some of it's importance.

IMO the TE has been the biggest recipient in increased production from the pass-happy NFL. With an emphasis on passing due to deeper QB talent and rules that benefit the receivers, TE's are asked to block less, and can get open in the slot/flat more often. Secondaries have to use more double coverage on good WR's because the CB's are hampered in their ability to cover the WR's, so the middle seems more open.

Plus, whatever the Chick does will be copied, with 2 excellent pass-catching TE's.

I think, in 3-4 years, the 'upside down' draft strategy will become much more utilized, grabbing the stud WRs and waiting for the emerging/sleeper RB's. We will see more production from the Sproles type RB's than the Turner-type everydown bangers.

 

[Shutout]

I was looking at the stats and I think Rivers, Newton, Brady, Rodgers, Big Ben, Stafford are all on pace to throw more than 5000 yards.Even McCoy is on pace for 4000.

It does change the landscape a bit for QB's.

Everyone needs to read that twice. That is UNREAL.

 

[Shutout]

It will limit the # of true stud RB's for fantasy purposes, but in PPR I think it helps the RB position retain some of it's importance.

IMO the TE has been the biggest recipient in increased production from the pass-happy NFL. With an emphasis on passing due to deeper QB talent and rules that benefit the receivers, TE's are asked to block less, and can get open in the slot/flat more often. Secondaries have to use more double coverage on good WR's because the CB's are hampered in their ability to cover the WR's, so the middle seems more open.

Plus, whatever the Chick does will be copied, with 2 excellent pass-catching TE's.

I think, in 3-4 years, the 'upside down' draft strategy will become much more utilized, grabbing the stud WRs and waiting for the emerging/sleeper RB's. We will see more production from the Sproles type RB's than the Turner-type everydown bangers.

That is an excelent observation.I know in my dynasty leagues I ahve gravitated towards WRs the past handful of years. It was not for the reason you stated but because I like to have continuity and then figure out the holes and a great WR is a good way to do that. But because of what you mentioned, it is just another good reason to go that way.

 

[Macdaddy_2004]

I was looking at the stats and I think Rivers, Newton, Brady, Rodgers, Big Ben, Stafford are all on pace to throw more than 5000 yards. Even McCoy is on pace for 4000.

It does change the landscape a bit for QB's.

Everyone needs to read that twice. That is UNREAL.

Not to mention also included in that listBrees

Romo

Hasselbeck has an outside shot at 5000 right now...........

Guys like Sproles and Shady McCoy have been shinning so far this year - a guy that intrigues me is Mike Tolbert - he's catching a lot of passes out of the backfield.

 

[beaux]

I was looking at the stats and I think Rivers, Newton, Brady, Rodgers, Big Ben, Stafford are all on pace to throw more than 5000 yards.

Not completely true.The QBs that have played in four games pace:6212 - Tom Brady5640 - Drew Brees5544 - Cam Newton5300 - Aaron Rodgers5144 - Philip Rivers5092 - Tony Romo4868 - Matthew Stafford4608 - Matt Hasselbeck4592 - Ben Roethlisberger4540 - Matt Ryan4264 - Eli Manning4196 - Kevin Kolb4160 - Ryan Fitzpatrick4084 - Michael Vick4020 - Mark Sanchez3956 - Rex Grossman3936 - Colt McCoy3892 - Joe Flacco3876 - Josh Freeman3844 - Matt Schaub3840 - Jay Cutler3780 - Kyle Orton3712 - Jason Campbell3472 - Andy Dalton3472 - Chad Henne3396 - Sam Bradford3384 - Tarvaris Jackson3180 - Alex Smith2752 - Matt Cassel2720 - Donovan McNabb

 

[mr roboto]

It will limit the # of true stud RB's for fantasy purposes, but in PPR I think it helps the RB position retain some of it's importance.

IMO the TE has been the biggest recipient in increased production from the pass-happy NFL. With an emphasis on passing due to deeper QB talent and rules that benefit the receivers, TE's are asked to block less, and can get open in the slot/flat more often. Secondaries have to use more double coverage on good WR's because the CB's are hampered in their ability to cover the WR's, so the middle seems more open.

Plus, whatever the Chick does will be copied, with 2 excellent pass-catching TE's.

I think, in 3-4 years, the 'upside down' draft strategy will become much more utilized, grabbing the stud WRs and waiting for the emerging/sleeper RB's. We will see more production from the Sproles type RB's than the Turner-type everydown bangers.

That is an excelent observation.I know in my dynasty leagues I ahve gravitated towards WRs the past handful of years. It was not for the reason you stated but because I like to have continuity and then figure out the holes and a great WR is a good way to do that. But because of what you mentioned, it is just another good reason to go that way.

I got a lot of strange looks in my dynasty draft last year when, with Finley on my roster, I drafted Gresham and Hernandez in the 3rd round of our rookie draft. I have already received trade requests from other teams this year for both of these guys at higher value than where I drafted them.In dynasty, if you have a flex TE spot, load up. Finley, Hernandez, and even Gresham can put up more points consistently than a 3rd or 4th WR on most rosters.

 

[The Chicken Roaster]

Seriously... what if Cam Newton breaks the passing record (most likely bested by Brady this year too) in his rookie year? Insane...

 

[Hank Mardukas]

It will limit the # of true stud RB's for fantasy purposes, but in PPR I think it helps the RB position retain some of it's importance.

IMO the TE has been the biggest recipient in increased production from the pass-happy NFL. With an emphasis on passing due to deeper QB talent and rules that benefit the receivers, TE's are asked to block less, and can get open in the slot/flat more often. Secondaries have to use more double coverage on good WR's because the CB's are hampered in their ability to cover the WR's, so the middle seems more open.

Plus, whatever the Chick does will be copied, with 2 excellent pass-catching TE's.

I think, in 3-4 years, the 'upside down' draft strategy will become much more utilized, grabbing the stud WRs and waiting for the emerging/sleeper RB's. We will see more production from the Sproles type RB's than the Turner-type everydown bangers.

I sure hope so, because that will mean that I'll be loading up on quality RBs while others are blowing their wad on a position that yields far more sleepers and WW heros. The way I see it, the increasing emphasis on the pass only puts that much more of a premium on quality runners. If teams are passing more and more, then there should be an increasing quantity of startable WRs, and a decreasing number of elite runners. The vast majority of leagues force you to start 2 RBs, and will continue to do so, so you're not replacing RBs with WRs. You'll still need to seek out those productive RBs, of which there will be fewer. I agree that some RBs, like Sproles, will benefit from the shift towards passing, but others, like Turner, will suffer. But then that only means that different RBs will be valuable, not more.

 

[Shutout]

It will limit the # of true stud RB's for fantasy purposes, but in PPR I think it helps the RB position retain some of it's importance.

IMO the TE has been the biggest recipient in increased production from the pass-happy NFL. With an emphasis on passing due to deeper QB talent and rules that benefit the receivers, TE's are asked to block less, and can get open in the slot/flat more often. Secondaries have to use more double coverage on good WR's because the CB's are hampered in their ability to cover the WR's, so the middle seems more open.

Plus, whatever the Chick does will be copied, with 2 excellent pass-catching TE's.

I think, in 3-4 years, the 'upside down' draft strategy will become much more utilized, grabbing the stud WRs and waiting for the emerging/sleeper RB's. We will see more production from the Sproles type RB's than the Turner-type everydown bangers.

I sure hope so, because that will mean that I'll be loading up on quality RBs while others are blowing their wad on a position that yields far more sleepers and WW heros. The way I see it, the increasing emphasis on the pass only puts that much more of a premium on quality runners. If teams are passing more and more, then there should be an increasing quantity of startable WRs, and a decreasing number of elite runners. The vast majority of leagues force you to start 2 RBs, and will continue to do so, so you're not replacing RBs with WRs. You'll still need to seek out those productive RBs, of which there will be fewer. I agree that some RBs, like Sproles, will benefit from the shift towards passing, but others, like Turner, will suffer. But then that only means that different RBs will be valuable, not more.

The flip side of that coin, however, is that there will be some WRs that are so valuable that it will remind us of the golden age (or dark ages, whichever you prefer) in which a single stud RB could basically punch your ticket to the playoffs (E. Smith/M.Faulk, etc). In some ways, we may already be seeing the beginnings of this type of trend. In a couple of leagues I am in, there are teams that have Welker and Calvin that are otherwise average, yet are among the the best records in the league while, at the same time, RB heavy teams that have ADP/Bradshaw or MJD/Chris Johnson are struggling because the gap between MJD and, say, Felix Jones is minimal but the gap between Calvin and, say, Roddy White, is a casm.

Most leagues will mandate 2 starting RBs but they also usually mandate 2 or even 3 starting WRs. And most comprehensive leagues have flex. So, while the use of NFL RBs is relatively staqnant, the use of WRs is blowing through the roof.

 

[delusional]

Well considering you cant do anything to a WR without a flag anymore, i am not surprised

 

[LittlePhatty]

Well considering you cant do anything to a WR without a flag anymore, i am not surprised

Did they add new rules this year?If not, why wasn't the record broken last year?I think the lockout could have something to do with it.The really good offenses (GB, NE) just picked up like they never missed a beat, while defenses are struggling. Cam Newton is an anomaly here. What he's done in his first 4 games is pretty amazing. I hope he keeps it up.

 

[Hank Mardukas]

It will limit the # of true stud RB's for fantasy purposes, but in PPR I think it helps the RB position retain some of it's importance.

IMO the TE has been the biggest recipient in increased production from the pass-happy NFL. With an emphasis on passing due to deeper QB talent and rules that benefit the receivers, TE's are asked to block less, and can get open in the slot/flat more often. Secondaries have to use more double coverage on good WR's because the CB's are hampered in their ability to cover the WR's, so the middle seems more open.

Plus, whatever the Chick does will be copied, with 2 excellent pass-catching TE's.

I think, in 3-4 years, the 'upside down' draft strategy will become much more utilized, grabbing the stud WRs and waiting for the emerging/sleeper RB's. We will see more production from the Sproles type RB's than the Turner-type everydown bangers.

I sure hope so, because that will mean that I'll be loading up on quality RBs while others are blowing their wad on a position that yields far more sleepers and WW heros. The way I see it, the increasing emphasis on the pass only puts that much more of a premium on quality runners. If teams are passing more and more, then there should be an increasing quantity of startable WRs, and a decreasing number of elite runners. The vast majority of leagues force you to start 2 RBs, and will continue to do so, so you're not replacing RBs with WRs. You'll still need to seek out those productive RBs, of which there will be fewer. I agree that some RBs, like Sproles, will benefit from the shift towards passing, but others, like Turner, will suffer. But then that only means that different RBs will be valuable, not more.

The flip side of that coin, however, is that there will be some WRs that are so valuable that it will remind us of the golden age (or dark ages, whichever you prefer) in which a single stud RB could basically punch your ticket to the playoffs (E. Smith/M.Faulk, etc). In some ways, we may already be seeing the beginnings of this type of trend. In a couple of leagues I am in, there are teams that have Welker and Calvin that are otherwise average, yet are among the the best records in the league while, at the same time, RB heavy teams that have ADP/Bradshaw or MJD/Chris Johnson are struggling because the gap between MJD and, say, Felix Jones is minimal but the gap between Calvin and, say, Roddy White, is a casm.

Most leagues will mandate 2 starting RBs but they also usually mandate 2 or even 3 starting WRs. And most comprehensive leagues have flex. So, while the use of NFL RBs is relatively staqnant, the use of WRs is blowing through the roof.

Your example is faulty. First off there are so many factors in why a team is winning or not that it's very unlikely you can isolate two players from each team as the explanation why. (Unless you're talking about a team that ended up with two huge sleepers like Sproles and Fred Jackson this year). Secondly, the specific players you chose are also problematic, given that Calvin and Welker are the #1 and #2 guys and ADP/Bradshaw are #9 and #12, and MJD/CJ2K are #15 and #23 (in my 1 ppr league). I'd say Arian Foster just last year basically blows up your argument that the very top few WRs are so much more valuable than the very top few RBs. Besides, the question is not about the top few guys; the question is what effect does the shift towards more passing have on the entire talent pool. I contend that it increases the sheer number of stat-producing WRs, therefore I'd be more likely to get quality production out of a later round WR, therefore I would rather take quality RBs in the early rounds, of whom there are an ever decreasing number (both because of RBBC and because of the shift towards more passing).

 

[baconisgood]

With such a bizarre offseason everything should be taken with a grain of salt. So far- 4 pt td, -1pt int- there have been 31 instances of a QB scoring 25 or more fantasy points in a game. Week 1 had 9, week 2 8, week 3 8, and week 4 had 6. I think the downward trend continues (obviously partially because of bye weeks) and that the last 12 games look a lot more like previous years than the first 4 did.