Draft Order 2015

Last year, the defending champs got the #1 overall draft pick. This time, 100 Acre Wood Pooh Bears threatened to do the same, with their plethora of extra first rounders. Actually, I didn't know this, but the lottery is weighted in favor of the best non-playoff team, meaning that the winning teams were at an advantage. And since this was our last lottery (ever?), it would have been exciting to see a one-in-a-million shot team like P Funk All Stars win the first pick.

Alas, Detroit Players, with a 8/36 chance -- Pooh Bears and Ann Arbor Bamfers both had 7/36 shots -- won the whole shebang and will have the right to select first in 2015. Still, it's a fitting end to this lottery system, as the team that "deserved" it, got it. And starting next season, it's the Toilet Bowl!

2015 Draft Order:

1. P Funk All Stars (2-11)
2. Ann Arbor Bamfers (3-10)
3. Hungry Hungry Ouroboros (4-9)
4. Squirtle Squad (4-9)
5. Mandalorian Warriors (5-8)
6. MoRRie’s Pogiboys (5-7-1)
7. 100 Acre Wood Pooh Bears (7-6)
8. Detroit Players (6-5-2)
9. Team Cameltoe (6-7)
10. Original Salt (6-7)
11. Another Bad Creation (8-5)
12. Sweep the Leg Zabka (8-5)
13. Italian Stallionz (8-5)
14. Shoguns of Harlem (8-4-1)
15. Fockers (10-3)
16. Jedi Knights (12-1)

2015 Keeper Analysis: Western Conference

We took a look at the Eastern Conference keepers the other day, so here's the rest.

The Moose Knuckle (Hoke-A-Mania)
MoRRie’s Pogiboys -1(14): Tom Brady (2) Eddie Lacy (3) Devonta Freeman (1) Denard Robinson (1) Calvin Johnson (3) Travis Kelce (2)
Team Cameltoe -1(12): Russell Wilson (2) Doug Martin (2) Lorenzo Taliaferro (1) Julio Jones (3) Jordy Nelson (3) Jordan Matthews (1)
Hungry Hungry Ouroboros -2(9): Matt Ryan (3) Giovani Bernard (1) Joseph Randle (1) Eric Decker (1) Torrey Smith (1) Martellus Bryant (2)
Ann Arbor Bamfers -2(8): Colin Kaepernick (1) Frank Gore (2) CJ Spiller (1) Golden Tate (2) Kendall Wright (1) Delanie Walker (1)

In a division where everyone’s keeper cores went downhill (and nobody finished with a winning record last season), MoRRie’s Pogiboys again have the best six guys. They have the pretty good on paper trio of Tom Brady, Eddie Lacy, and Calvin Johnson as carryovers, but the rest of the roster is purely speculative. Trent Richardson was a disaster last year, as was Percy Harvin. Michael Crabtree was okay but definitely couldn’t return to his pre-injury numbers. Now those three guys have been replaced by Devonta Freeman, Denard Robinson, and Travis Kelce, who all have flashed some talent, but are far from proven. There was talk pre-draft that Alvin was looking to ship off Megatron in an effort to rebuild, but a division title could always be around in the corner in this sorry division.

Last year’s winner, Team Cameltoe, got the honor of renaming the division, and grabbed an upset playoff victory to boot. The huge trades from 2013 that Felipe boldly undertook is still under evaluation but it has already resulted in losing 2014’s #1 overall selection. The good news is that Russell Wilson has a pair of superior targets to throw to: Julio Jones and Jordy Nelson. The run game “features” Doug Martin but that’s not saying a lot. Can new keepers Lorenzo Taliaferro and Jordan Matthews help keep Cameltoe on top? It’ll be tough with Jordy Nelson recently declared out for the season with a torn ACL but this is The Moose Knuckle so anything could happen, even a division winner with a losing record!

There aren’t a lot of worse keeper cores than what Hungry Hungry Ouroboros are rolling out this off-season. Matt Ryan is a steady presence at quarterback but last year’s trade for pre-suspension Ray Rice was a disaster. Giovani Bernard has been supplanted by Jeremy Hill in Cincinnati and although a starting spot has opened up for new keeper Joseph Randle, he’s not exactly a franchise runner. And the receiving corps were in shambles too, as Victor Cruz was injured most of the season, along with Dennis Pitta. Two pre-draft trades brought in Torrey Smith and Martellus Bennett to slot in next to holdover Eric Decker (kept instead of Victor Cruz), but all three are at best average. Looks like Ouroboros’s losing ways will continue this season, and beyond…

Speaking of shoddy keeper cores, Ann Arbor Bamfers are straight awful. With two very high 2015 first round picks, GM Randy better hit some home runs. The two keeper QB conundrum from last year has been solved, as Colin Kaepernick is now slotted in as the leader of this team — over Nick Foles, a toss up decision really — but he won’t have much to work with. There’s a chance Frank Gore still has some gas left in the tank, and Golden Tate broke out last year in Calvin Johnson’s absence, but it’s tough to sell season ticket holders on CJ Spiller, Kendall Wright, and Delanie Walker. Ann Arbor Bamfers need an infusion of young talent, asap!

Knights Who Say Ni
Another Bad Creation -2(13): Aaron Rodgers (3) Marshawn Lynch (3) LeSean McCoy (2) Joique Bell (1)  Andre Johnson (2) Vincent Jackson (2)
Jedi Knights -1(12): Peyton Manning (3) Alfred Morris (2) Emmanuel Sanders (2) TY Hilton (2) Marques Colston (1) Greg Olsen (2)
Original Salt +0(10): Ben Roethlisberger (3) Matt Forte (2) Roddy White (2) Doug Baldwin (1) Jordan Cameron (2) Ravens Def (0)
P Funk All Stars +0(8): Joe Flacco (1) Derek Carr (1) Ryan Mathews (1) DeSean Jackson (2) Michael Floyd (2) Eric Ebron (1)

Another Bad Creation suffered an embarrassing first round upset last season but they are still strong contenders even despite their setback. The trade for LeSean McCoy during the great Mandalorian Warriors firesale of Oct 2014 could pay off this season, and that would give Marshawn Lynch a great running mate — unless Joique Bell can finally stay healthy. Aaron Rodgers will challenge for the best fantasy player inn the land and he’ll have aging Andre Johnson and Vincent Jackson to throw to. Overall, Oliver’s squad is almost certainly headed into the post-season, its just a matter of what his team can do once they get there.

And if we’re gonna talk about upsets that sting, how about last year’s 12-1 team, Jedi Knights, that romped through the regular season — starting 2014 on a nine game win streak — before getting upended by eventual champion Original Salt?! Chris will be looking for revenge this season and will ride Peyton Manning as far as he can go in his twilight years. Last season’s first round pick, TY Hilton, was a steal, and Emmanuel Sanders replaced Wes Welker on the Jedis and the Broncos. Both are borderline fantasy stars and Sanders’ value should increase with our new PPR rules. The corpse of Marques Colston is still around, and Greg Olsen replaces Jason Witten at tight end. The lone holdover RB, Alfred Morris, is steady but not spectacular, but that should be enough to get Jedi back into contention.

You just don’t expect a team that ends the season on a 0-5 slide to squeak into the playoffs and then pull off the greatest post-season upsets in Maize and Blue history. BUT THAT’S WHY THEY PLAY THE GAME! We don’t need to recap Original Salt’s run to the title, but it was spectacular. (Frankly, I might have considered retirement from fantasy after a run like that.) Ben Roethlisberger led the NFL in passing yards last season and he’ll lead this veteran team in its back-to-back title defense. Matt Forte is still a top back, if not exactly elite, and Roddy White, Doug Baldin, and Jordan Cameron all return with shiny championship rings on their hands. Ravens DST is the sixth keeper here, a strange decision. Sure, they were a top defense last season but we just can’t get behind keeping defenses. Wouldn’t taking a flier on just about anyone on the roster be worth it? Then again, who are we to question the defending champs? Nobody, that’s who! Let’s see if Reno can continue his magical run. Last thing: We feel like Reno should make a division name change, I mean, he should just call it “Reno Reno Reno” or something after his jaw dropping title run.

After challenging for a division title in 2013, the bottom dropped out for P Funk All Stars as they found themselves with only two wins last season. Joe Flacco is back for another go-around, this time joined by Derek Carr on the keeper list. (It’s always a winning solution to bring in two sub-20 ranked QBs in a sixteen team keeper, right?) There’s not a single star player on this roster, unless you want to count on Michael Floyd smoothly taking over for Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona. DeSean Jackson is still a nice deep threat but he’s boom-bust as always. The light has gone out on the Ryan Mathews train, and TE Eric Ebron has the skills but not the track record. Overall, P Funk faces a long climb back to respectively. Then again, they surprised us two years with a keeper roster far worse than this, so anything could happen.

Top Five Keeper Cores

1. *Fockers (15): We’ve seen keeper cores with 17 scores before, but *Fockers score out at the top this year with a mere fifteen. Mortagaging the future enabled them to add a third gold caliber player in Dez Bryant and this team is ready to win now.
2. MoRRie’s Pogiboys (14): It’s a shame Tom Brady could miss four games, otherwise this could be the top team in the league with Eddie Lacy, Calvin Johnson and some promising side parts.
3. 100 Acre Wood Pooh Bears (14): Last year’s #1 overall, Brandin Cooks, will get his chance to shine but most of this grade is out of respect to Jimmy Graham, but if he slips even a little, Pooh Bears rank slightly lower.
4. Detroit Players (13): The only team without a QB on its keeper roster, Players have an outstanding collection of running backs, as well as AJ Green and breakout candidates in sophomore WRs Martavis Bryant and Jarvis Landry
5. Another Bad Creation (13): Aaron Rodgers and Marshawn Lynch are both studs, and everyone else here is above average serviceable. That’s enough to get a top five keeper ranking.

2015 Keeper Analysis: Eastern Conference

Alright, as we embark on yet another exciting season of Maize and Blue, we have a new set of keepers, as well as new rules that maybe affected a few keeper decisions? Let's take a look! And as always, we sort out the keepers into gold/silver/bronze status and here's the keeper spreadsheet. [2014 East | West]

The Wood
*Fockers +2(15): Andrew Luck (3) Le’Veon Bell (3) LeGarrette Blount (2) Demaryius Thomas (3) Dez Bryant (3) Davante Adams (1)
100 Acre Wood Pooh Bears -2(14): Cam Newton (2) Carlos Hyde (2) Antonio Brown (3) Mike Evans (2) Brandin Cooks (1) Jimmy Graham (3)
Italian Stallionz +1(12): Matthew Stafford (2) Jamaal Charles (3) Andre Ellington (2) DeAndre Hopkins (2) Brandon Marshall (2) Mike Wallace (1)
Squirtle Squad -2(12): Ryan Tannehill (1) Adrian Peterson (3) Justin Forsett (2) Randall Cobb (3) Keenan Allen (2) Allen Robinson (1)

It’s been all uphill since Hong took over the reins from Eric and went from the Human Amoebas to *Fockers. After two seasons of steady contention, and a Super Bowl showing last year, GM Hong pushed all his chips into the middle of the table in an effort to take that final step toward a title. On paper, this team is the early favorite. Andrew Luck and Le’Veon Bell are (not very arguably) the best options at their position. Heading into the keeper declaration, Hong was facing a slight dip in talent — Montee Ball was a slated keeper — but he pulled off a blockbuster at the last minute, acquiring Dez Bryant and Davante Adams from 100 Acre Wood Pooh Bears. Adding Bryant and Adams to Demaryius Thomas makes this the best receiving corps in the league. Who else has two top five WRs on their team? Nobody!? If RB#2 LeGarrette Blount can stay healthy, he’ll pound in touchdowns for the Patriots and help lead *Fockers on their “win now” path.

Our champ from two years ago had an incredible keeper core heading into 2014 but couldn’t defend their title. Instead of pushing hard for another championship, Jose seems to have decided to restock for the future. They still have Antonio Brown as an all-world receiver but Dez Bryant has been shipped out (for an enormous future haul) and he’ll be flanked by last year’s #1 overall pick, Brandin Cooks, as well as last year’s rookie TD machine, Mike Evans. Carlos Hyde will get a starting job this year, replacing Shane Vareen as a keeper, and of course Cam Newton and Jimmy Graham are still around. The big question is if Graham can maintain his elite TE status with the Seahawks. Either way, Pooh Bears are still a talented team and will fight in the toughest division in the land.

If you’ve been watching Hard Knocks, you’re probably convinced that DeAndre Hopkins is going to be a franchise caliber receiver. He looks amazing, doesn’t he? And what style too! The Italian Stallionz sure hope Hopkins is ready to dominate, and despite a down season from Matthew Stafford, the addition of Brandon Marshall should give Stafford a new target, alongside deep threat Mike Wallace. Jamaal Charles is a contender for the best RB around, and maybe the Andre Ellington hype train hasn’t fully left the station, but was just delayed a bit. Does Porta's team have enough to build on last year's 8-5 record?

Squirtle Squad went 4-9 last year and know they have an uphill battle to climb back into the post-season. Out goes Zac Stacy, Josh Gordon, and Julius Thomas. In comes Ryan Tannehill, Justin Forsett, and Allen Robinson. Robinson basically had a lost rookie season but he showed flashes of being very good. And while Forsett had a surprise breakout year, it’ll be a relief for Brian to have Adrian Peterson back on the field following his suspension. Morals, schmorals, show me the touchdowns AP! Plus, Cobb is going to catch 200+ balls now that Jordy Nelson is out for the year, perfect for our new 0.5PPR rules!

Sum Dum Goy (Lebowski Achievers)
Detroit Players +2(13): DeMarco Murray (3) Jeremy Hill (2) Mark Ingram (2) AJ Green (3) Martavis Bryant (2) Jarvis Landry (1)
Sweep the Leg Zabka +3(13): Eli Manning (2) Latavius Murray (1) Odell Beckham Jr (3) Sammy Watkins (2) Kelvin Benjamin (2) Rob Gronkowski (3)
Mandalorian Warriors -4(11): Drew Brees (3) CJ Anderson (3) Ray Rice (0) Larry Fitzgerald (2) Julian Edelman (2) Dwayne Allen (1)
Shoguns of Harlem -3(10): Tony Romo (2) Arian Foster (2) Alshon Jeffery (3) Jeremy Maclin (2) Tyler Eifert (1) Texans Def (0)

What is this madness! Detroit Players have the best keeper core in the division AND they are adding the #1 overall pick in this draft?! Ariel’s team went 6-5-2 last year but missed the playoffs despite a lot of great breaks for them. DeMarco Murray has a monster season, Jeremy Hill and Mark Ingram were both wonderful, and even though AJ Green was dinged up, he should be back to elite form again. Plus, Detroit Players added young WRs Martavis Bryant and Jarvis Landry to the mix, repalcing Zach Ertz and Kyle Rudolph. With a deep RB and WR core, the only question is which QB will be tapped to carry this team now that Robert Griffin III is on the outs.

In his rookie year as owner, Alan piloted Sweep the Leg Zabka to a 8-5 record and a playoff showing. Very impressive! Plus, Alan transformed a roster that was mostly old and boring to one that is full of promise and excitement. He hit huge on a trio of rookie receivers: Odell Beckham Jr, Sammy Watkins, and Kelvin Benjamin. (Sure, Benjamin is out now but he’s still a great keeper.) And Beckham and Watkins should be stars for years to come. Latavius Murray is unproven but he’s more exciting the all three backs Alan had kept last season: Maurice Jones-Drew, Knowshon Moreno, Rashad Jennings -- the latter two via pre-2014 draft trade. Eli Manning replaces Andy Dalton at the helm and we’re predicting another great year for Sweep the Leg Zabka. No beginner’s luck here!

Remember when Mandalorian Warriors were the most feared team in the league? They had the best keepers, an endless future, and a title to boot. Now, the mighty Warriors have dropped to Earth. And the ride has not been smooth. If you had told me Warriors would go 5-8 two years after their title, I would have spit in your face! GM Matt realized his team was no good and launched into a full rebuild last October, shipping out LeSean McCoy, Brandon Marshall, Greg Olson, Chris Ivory, and Seahawks DST all in one week. So it’s no surprise that their keeper core is quite diminished, wit the likes of Dwayne Allen now on the keeper roster. Still, Broncos RB CJ Anderson was a find last season, and Larry Fitzgerald and Julian Edelman are reliable pass catchers. Drew Brees can still be a force and it’ll be interesting to see if he’ll be around to enjoy the benefits of the rebuild. And how about Matt keeping Ray Rice, who is currently still out of the NFL… Bold move!

Last year's division winner from the former Lebowski Achievers is ranked at the bottom of keeper talent rankings? What gives! Is this just disrespect? To that we say, “sum dum goy!” Mike’s team will still feature the threesome of Tony Romo, Arian Foster, and Alshon Jeffery but Ben Tate, Chris Johnson, and Vernon Davis are out. Tyler Eifert and um, Texans DST are in! (I have to give big fat zeros to any DST that’s kept, sorry, personal policy.) Jeremy Maclin came back strong from his injury last season to post a career season and maybe he can put up another nice showing with the Chiefs. However, with Foster sidelined for possibly the first eight weeks, it’ll take a Herculean effort for these Shoguns to repeat as division champs. Then again, sum dum goy!

Rules Changes: 2015

Hey! Remember a year ago when we had a vote on possible new rules? Well, here we are, at the precipice of the 2015 season and all those new rules are about to go into effect! Let’s take a look, by order of how many “yes” votes each rule garnered. Remember, it was majority rule for something new passing, meaning it took nine votes to get something approved...

1. Flex Position: TE Eligibility (15 "yes" votes)
The flex position will now expand to include TE along with RB/WR. Trivia: Our one dissenter here was Oliver!

2. Use Fees for the League URL (13)
We still don’t have a URL, and we haven’t collected fees in awhile, but it’s good to know we’re mostly on the same page here!

3. First Overall Draft Pick is determined by Toilet Bowl (11)
Yes, a Toilet Bowl is coming after the 2015 regular season! That means no more lottery and it’ll take some real effort to win that coveted #1 overall draft pick. Wait, is the loser of the Toilet Bowl awarded the #2 overall pick? We should clarify Toilet Bowl rules and seedings. As an example, here is what we use in my other keeper league for Toilet Bowl rules. Mainly we have to decide if matchups are conference specific or if they re-seed according to power ranking or something. Regardless, hooray, a Toilet Bowl to prevent tanking and amp up owner engagement!

[Edit 12/12/18: Toilet Bowl is not conference exclusive, so we re-seed #9-16 regardless of conference. However, we keep the same matchups regardless of upsets, and don't re-shuffle each round. Ex) If #16 seed upsets #9 in RD1, they don't have to face #10 in RD2.]

4. 1/2 Point Per Reception (9)
Nine “yes” votes took us into PPR land, and then twelve “yes” gave us half a point per reception (rounded up or down?) when we asked the second part of the question: "If PPR is approved, half point?” So yeah, this is the rule with likely the biggest impact and it passed by just a smidge!

5. FG Scoring Change (9)
We will now adjust FG scoring to the following:

• FG from 0-49 yards = 3 points
• FG from 50+ yards = 4 points

Note: Previously the rule was that 50+ yarders got five points, and 40-49 yarders were worth four.

Moving forward, how do we change rules, is there a yearly review, bi-yearly? For the record, these were the rules that didn’t pass. Along with some suggestions below.

REJECTED:

• Add Starting Flex (8 "yes" votes)
• TD Pass Scoring Change (7)
• Fractional Scoring (6)
• Missed FG Penalty (6)
• Add Starting RB (6)
• Add Starting WR (3)
• Free Agent Auction Bidding system (3)

SUGGESTIONS:

• Using the Toilet Bowl to determine draft order for next year, but still keeping the lottery system for the first overall pick.
• Increasing the number of keepers. One owner proposed that if a RB or WR or Flex position is added, then we consider increasing the number of keepers.
• Another suggestion is that missed FGs 50+ yards do not count as negative, but all else do.