This year, the top 6 scores in the Open bracket advance to week 16 for a chance at the grand prize of $10,000 for the Stanima Football contest (www.stanima.com). Heading into Monday night, only one team had secured a spot and a second was pretty much guaranteed a spot. There were 8 teams fighting for the other 4 spots. Half of the teams had players playing in the game and half didn't. The standings looked like this:
Plan Eight for outer space 147 + M.Wallace
Ruggles Roo 143.74
Special K 2 140.34
Boogs 2 137.56
Drabus3 135.08
Brown is best 133.58
-----------------------------
kbach2 127.56 + Akers
naked boot legs 4 125.1 + akers + pitt dst
31st bday present 122.12 + m.wallace + v.davis
panda boy 108.28 + m.wallace + 49ers dst
skowman 108.56 + a.brown
azzurri4 84.24 + mendenhall + brown + pitt dst
The first half was pretty uneventful, but a good one for kbach2 and NBL4 as Akers knocked home 2 short field goals knocking brown is best out of the top 6. The shutout and a few int's by the 49ers defense got panda boy in the hunt. Wallace had a respectable 55 yds, but was open for a few other long plays that Roethlisberger didn't connect on.
Mid way thru the 3rd quarter, Alex Smith hit Vernon Davis 3 times including a touchdown, which ensured 31st bday present a spot in the top 6, giving Zebb 2 teams in (ruggles roo is also his). His Panda Boy team was also in the top 6 for now, but a TD by Pittsburgh, and he would drop out. NBL4 was in 6th even though his Pitt dst dropped a few points on the TD.
As the 4th quarter started, there were still 5 or 6 teams fighting for 3 spots. Zebb was assured of having 2 teams in at this point, with a chance at 3. With 9 minutes left in the game, a relatively new NFL rule, and a dumb one if you ask me, came into play and had serious consequences. SF kicked a short FG which put kbach2 into the top 6 and knocking out drabus3 and putting nbl4 within 1 PAT of passing boogs 2 for the last spot. However, Pitt was called for leaping/leveraging giving the 49ers first and goal and 1 play later gore ran the ball in. This penalty cost kbach2 2 points and nbl4 3 points as his defense loss an extra point. At this point, the top 6 were Plan 8, ruggles roo, 31st bday, panda boy, special k, and boogs2. Kbach was 1.2 pts out of the top 6 and NBL4 was almost 4 pts back. Also, Panda Boy had a chance to drop down if Pittsburgh scored a TD or 2 because of the SF defense.
The 49ers defense held up the rest of the game and got another turnover. No more kicking chances for Akers, so the final 6 stayed as it was after the Gore TD and Zebb had 3 teams in the top 6. The change of a FG to a PAT cost kbach2 a spot in the top 6 and Boogs 2 was the beneficiary.
Good luck next week to the 6 finalists! Kbach2, I feel your pain. I suffered similar disappointment 3 years ago. At that time, there were 15 finalists and top prize was $1 million. Much more at stake, but probably just as disappointing.
Merry Christmas to all!
Tuesday, December 20
Thursday, December 15
Stanima week 15
It's here. The all important week 15 which will narrow down the remaining field of 29 to the lucky final 6. The final 6 will be guaranteed at least $500 and will get a free weekend in Vegas. Having been a part of one of these finals parties in the past, the package is valued at over $500, so essentially, each finalist is getting at least $1000 and one hell of a time in Vegas!
I've gone through all the final 29 teams in hopes to make a prediction for the final 6. To pick the final 6 is like picking powerball winners. Not quite as tough, but anyone to correctly guess at least 4 final teams would be doing great. Anyone else who wants to guess 6 teams to make the finals, is welcome to post a comment here, or send them to me via email at saw111671@yahoo.com
At first glance, the only team that jumped out to me as a final 6 team is "Plan Eight from Outer Space". All teams in the top 29 have talent. A few have some key injuries (Forte, McFadden, Jennings). This team has both talent and matchups I like. They are the team to beat this week IMO. My other first glance impressions show 11 teams I feel have a shot at making the top 6, 8 teams that might have an oustide shot, and 9 teams that I don't think have a shot in making it. Granted, any couple of players can have a big week giving their owners a chance. However, with matchups and talent, I have given the following 9 teams no chance. If you are on the least and make it, feel free to rub it in my face.
No chance: Special k2, Lugnuts 2, boldin shower, daddys little angel, azzuri 4, for a good time...., skyt 2 hotty, team boogs 8, lugnuts 1
I also see a number of lineup changes that I would do if I were the teams owner. I realize they still have a few days to make these changes, so it's possible that some teams haven't gone through their lineup yet. I won't post the changes here as I don't want to be accused of helping someone win. My advice is free, but I won't go out of my way to tell someone my opinion on who they should/shouldn't start.
I already mentioned "Plan Eight from Outer Space" as one of my final 6 predictions. Going through the 11 other teams I think have a decent chance to advance, I have picked out the following 5 as my other final 6 predictions:
Team Boogs 2
Skowman
Drabus3
Panda Boy
Eagles 6
Those are my official picks, and I stand by them. My short list of honorable mentioned include:
31st bday present from mom
Brown is Beast
Dreamers
The other interesting part about this time of year is that the games aren't all played on Sunday. So after Thursday, owners of Ryan, Turner, White, Bryant, ATL and MJD may think they have a good/bad shot depending on how their players do. Then on Saturday, some more teams will be excited with Romo, F.Jones, Austin, Bryant, Witten, DAL, Winslow and M.Williams going.
wr - Roddy White
te - Jimmy Graham
k - Neil Rackers
def - Steelers
There aren't a lot of teams with players going on Monday night, but hopefully it's enough to make the cutline watch interesting. Hopefully it is a blog-worthy night.
Good luck to everyone!
I've gone through all the final 29 teams in hopes to make a prediction for the final 6. To pick the final 6 is like picking powerball winners. Not quite as tough, but anyone to correctly guess at least 4 final teams would be doing great. Anyone else who wants to guess 6 teams to make the finals, is welcome to post a comment here, or send them to me via email at saw111671@yahoo.com
At first glance, the only team that jumped out to me as a final 6 team is "Plan Eight from Outer Space". All teams in the top 29 have talent. A few have some key injuries (Forte, McFadden, Jennings). This team has both talent and matchups I like. They are the team to beat this week IMO. My other first glance impressions show 11 teams I feel have a shot at making the top 6, 8 teams that might have an oustide shot, and 9 teams that I don't think have a shot in making it. Granted, any couple of players can have a big week giving their owners a chance. However, with matchups and talent, I have given the following 9 teams no chance. If you are on the least and make it, feel free to rub it in my face.
No chance: Special k2, Lugnuts 2, boldin shower, daddys little angel, azzuri 4, for a good time...., skyt 2 hotty, team boogs 8, lugnuts 1
I also see a number of lineup changes that I would do if I were the teams owner. I realize they still have a few days to make these changes, so it's possible that some teams haven't gone through their lineup yet. I won't post the changes here as I don't want to be accused of helping someone win. My advice is free, but I won't go out of my way to tell someone my opinion on who they should/shouldn't start.
I already mentioned "Plan Eight from Outer Space" as one of my final 6 predictions. Going through the 11 other teams I think have a decent chance to advance, I have picked out the following 5 as my other final 6 predictions:
Team Boogs 2
Skowman
Drabus3
Panda Boy
Eagles 6
Those are my official picks, and I stand by them. My short list of honorable mentioned include:
31st bday present from mom
Brown is Beast
Dreamers
The other interesting part about this time of year is that the games aren't all played on Sunday. So after Thursday, owners of Ryan, Turner, White, Bryant, ATL and MJD may think they have a good/bad shot depending on how their players do. Then on Saturday, some more teams will be excited with Romo, F.Jones, Austin, Bryant, Witten, DAL, Winslow and M.Williams going.
For what it's worth, here's my prediction for the highest scorer at each position, using only players owned by the final 29:
qb - Drew Brees
rb - Arian Fosterwr - Roddy White
te - Jimmy Graham
k - Neil Rackers
def - Steelers
There aren't a lot of teams with players going on Monday night, but hopefully it's enough to make the cutline watch interesting. Hopefully it is a blog-worthy night.
Good luck to everyone!
Tuesday, November 1
Playoffs?!?!?!?!?!?
We come to the all important week 9 in the Stanima leagues. It's the last week of the regular season and it's the first time I will actually pay attention to who plays who and what lineups they have. With this wonderful 18 game scoring format, the standings are often bunched up so 5-7 teams are fighting for this last push to make the cutline bracket (by finishing in the top 3).
I have 6 teams in the Stanima contest this year, and going into week 8, I had 5 teams with a good chance of making the top 3 and 1 team that was still in the hunt only 2 games back. However, week 8 was a major blow to my teams. Partially because I have Aaron Rodgers on 3 of them and he was on bye. Running back injuries have hit me as well. As much as I worry about making the top 3, you really want to be in the top 2 so you have a chance to win the league playoffs in week 10 and the $250 price. Here are my current playoff scenarios for Sunday:
Two teams are just 1 game behind me, but they are both at least 60 points behind me (first tie breaker is points scored). As long as I get 1 win this week, I should remain in first or second and make the championship. The bad news is I play against Lugnuts, the first place team. He has Stafford and Best on bye, so that helps. It's possible I can fall out of the top 3 if I go 0-2 and both teams behind me go 2-0. I have some very bad match ups and Calvin Johnson on bye. I will need Forte to carry me as he's up against the shotty Eagles run defense.
This team took a bad 0-2 last week. I needed 12 points out of Dwayne Bowe on Monday night, and it would have been a 2-0 week and I'd be in 3rd place. Now I need a miracle. I have to go 2-0 while 2 other teams need to go 0-2 and a third team can't go 2-0. With all that, I also have to gain 50 points on 2 of the teams. My best chance is to make one of the 25 wildcard spots (based on points). Currently 5th place is 943, and this team is at 921. I can't say I like my matchups enough to get a 130+ point week.
My only team that is virtually locked into the cut line bracket. I have a 2 game lead on 3rd thru 5th, but even if I go 0-2 and 2 of those teams go 2-0, I have a 100+ point lead on them in points. Only one of the teams behind me is within 70 pts, so I should be in the league championship week 10. The odds of me not making the championship are about the same odds the Cardinals had of winning the world series about a month ago.
This team was a virtual lock until an 0-2, 80 point week now makes it interesting. I dropped from first to 3rd, so I not only have to work to make the championship, but also to stay in the top 3 to make the cutline. Three other teams are tied with me at 9-7, but I have them all by 60 points, so I control my own destiny. The top 2 teams are 1 and 2 games ahead of me, and they play each other. I have more points than them, so a 2-0 week should get me into the championship game. I play one of the other 9-7 teams, so if I can go at least 1-1, the other 2 9-7 teams will have to go 2-0 to knock me out. I'd say my chances are 70% since I have ARodge against the Boltz and Forte against Philly.
Mathematically eliminated from the top 3 in my league, so I need points. I'm currently 12 points away from a wildcard spot. With Rodgers back this week, I have a decent chance. I also have Schaub at home against Cleveland. There's a chance teams currently above me in the wildcard chase will move into the top 3 in their league, so I can also move up without gaining points. The opposite is true as well...I may lose ground by teams with more points falling out of the top 3 and joining the wildcard field.
Another one of my teams in good shape that took an 0-2 week. This team is locked out of the top 3 and with only 909 points, a wildcard is unlikely. This team has almost no chance of making the cut line bracket.
Last week, I was hoping to get 5 of the 6 teams in. Now 2 have very little chance and 2 are pretty solid locks to get in. Looks like at best, I can get 4 in, but most likely it will be 2 or 3. I'll be in San Diego cheering on Aaron Rodgers in person, so hopefully that karma lets him have another one of his monster weeks to carry my teams in the playoffs!
I have 6 teams in the Stanima contest this year, and going into week 8, I had 5 teams with a good chance of making the top 3 and 1 team that was still in the hunt only 2 games back. However, week 8 was a major blow to my teams. Partially because I have Aaron Rodgers on 3 of them and he was on bye. Running back injuries have hit me as well. As much as I worry about making the top 3, you really want to be in the top 2 so you have a chance to win the league playoffs in week 10 and the $250 price. Here are my current playoff scenarios for Sunday:
Jose Cuervo, league #126 - Currently 2nd place at 13-3
Two teams are just 1 game behind me, but they are both at least 60 points behind me (first tie breaker is points scored). As long as I get 1 win this week, I should remain in first or second and make the championship. The bad news is I play against Lugnuts, the first place team. He has Stafford and Best on bye, so that helps. It's possible I can fall out of the top 3 if I go 0-2 and both teams behind me go 2-0. I have some very bad match ups and Calvin Johnson on bye. I will need Forte to carry me as he's up against the shotty Eagles run defense.
Jack Daniels, league 141- Currently 6th place at 8-8
This team took a bad 0-2 last week. I needed 12 points out of Dwayne Bowe on Monday night, and it would have been a 2-0 week and I'd be in 3rd place. Now I need a miracle. I have to go 2-0 while 2 other teams need to go 0-2 and a third team can't go 2-0. With all that, I also have to gain 50 points on 2 of the teams. My best chance is to make one of the 25 wildcard spots (based on points). Currently 5th place is 943, and this team is at 921. I can't say I like my matchups enough to get a 130+ point week.
Jim Beam, league 155 - Currently 1st place at 12-4
My only team that is virtually locked into the cut line bracket. I have a 2 game lead on 3rd thru 5th, but even if I go 0-2 and 2 of those teams go 2-0, I have a 100+ point lead on them in points. Only one of the teams behind me is within 70 pts, so I should be in the league championship week 10. The odds of me not making the championship are about the same odds the Cardinals had of winning the world series about a month ago.
Jameson, league 156 - Currently 3rd place at 9-7
This team was a virtual lock until an 0-2, 80 point week now makes it interesting. I dropped from first to 3rd, so I not only have to work to make the championship, but also to stay in the top 3 to make the cutline. Three other teams are tied with me at 9-7, but I have them all by 60 points, so I control my own destiny. The top 2 teams are 1 and 2 games ahead of me, and they play each other. I have more points than them, so a 2-0 week should get me into the championship game. I play one of the other 9-7 teams, so if I can go at least 1-1, the other 2 9-7 teams will have to go 2-0 to knock me out. I'd say my chances are 70% since I have ARodge against the Boltz and Forte against Philly.
Brewers 5 Scrubs 2 (phone draft), league 162 7th place, 7-9
Mathematically eliminated from the top 3 in my league, so I need points. I'm currently 12 points away from a wildcard spot. With Rodgers back this week, I have a decent chance. I also have Schaub at home against Cleveland. There's a chance teams currently above me in the wildcard chase will move into the top 3 in their league, so I can also move up without gaining points. The opposite is true as well...I may lose ground by teams with more points falling out of the top 3 and joining the wildcard field.
Red Stag, league 169 - 5th place 9-7
Another one of my teams in good shape that took an 0-2 week. This team is locked out of the top 3 and with only 909 points, a wildcard is unlikely. This team has almost no chance of making the cut line bracket.
Last week, I was hoping to get 5 of the 6 teams in. Now 2 have very little chance and 2 are pretty solid locks to get in. Looks like at best, I can get 4 in, but most likely it will be 2 or 3. I'll be in San Diego cheering on Aaron Rodgers in person, so hopefully that karma lets him have another one of his monster weeks to carry my teams in the playoffs!
Friday, September 23
Match ups...how much weight to put on them
One dilemma that fantasy owners face from week to week is who to start. Later in the season, it gets easier as some players get hurt or are on bye. You also have many players step up to the 'must start' status. The tricky part comes when you have an average player with a great match up. Do you start them ahead of a top FFL player?
Normally, I play match up with running backs, but no other positions. Some teams are definitely susceptible to the run each year, so it's wise to start a rb against these teams (Philly this year). I also like to start rb's on teams I feel will win their game and shy away from those that will lose for obvious reasons. You don't always have the flexibility to play match ups, but when you do, it's a nice luxury.
My preference is to start your best players, unless your top player has a bad match up and your mediocre player has a good match up. I ran into this in one league last week and luckily it paid off. My first 2 picks in this league were Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew. Both sat on my bench last week. Instead I went with the favorable match ups of Fred Jackson (Oak) and James Starks (Car). Lucky for me, it worked, as Jackson (28) and Starks (11.5) both outscored my top rb's (CJ -6.5 MJD -10.7). However, my 2 top rb's will be back in the lineup this week as they have more favorable match ups.
It's very easy to over-think your weekly lineup. My advice is to play your top players every week and play match ups with your other starting spots. On the rare occasion that your top rb/qb is going up against a defense like Pittsburgh and your have an alternate option that has a favorable match up, you can bench a top tier player in favor of a 2nd or 3rd tier guy. I wouldn't make a habit out of benching your top picks, but sometimes it's warranted.
Normally, I play match up with running backs, but no other positions. Some teams are definitely susceptible to the run each year, so it's wise to start a rb against these teams (Philly this year). I also like to start rb's on teams I feel will win their game and shy away from those that will lose for obvious reasons. You don't always have the flexibility to play match ups, but when you do, it's a nice luxury.
My preference is to start your best players, unless your top player has a bad match up and your mediocre player has a good match up. I ran into this in one league last week and luckily it paid off. My first 2 picks in this league were Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew. Both sat on my bench last week. Instead I went with the favorable match ups of Fred Jackson (Oak) and James Starks (Car). Lucky for me, it worked, as Jackson (28) and Starks (11.5) both outscored my top rb's (CJ -6.5 MJD -10.7). However, my 2 top rb's will be back in the lineup this week as they have more favorable match ups.
It's very easy to over-think your weekly lineup. My advice is to play your top players every week and play match ups with your other starting spots. On the rare occasion that your top rb/qb is going up against a defense like Pittsburgh and your have an alternate option that has a favorable match up, you can bench a top tier player in favor of a 2nd or 3rd tier guy. I wouldn't make a habit out of benching your top picks, but sometimes it's warranted.
Sunday, September 11
The life of a Fantasy Football owner
As I life long Packers fan, I was quite happy when "my team" stopped Mark Ingram on a last second goalline stand to preserve an 8 point victory over the Saints. However, as a fantasy football owner, I couldn't fully enjoy the victory as much as in the days prior to fantasy football.
The sport of fantasy football has taken over the NFL world. Whether you have a small family league for fun, or are a serious participant spending thousands of dollars on high stakes contests, most people who watch the NFL are in a fantasy football league. As enjoyable as fantasy football is, I believe it has hindered fans and their loyalties to their favorite teams.
When I'm watching the Packers games in a public place, it frustrates me to hear so called Packers fans say it's OK that they just gave up a touchdown because their fantasy player is the one who scored it. That's kind of like saying you're happy you got shot because you weren't killed by the bullet wound. Maybe not the best analogy, but you get my point.
Not only does it affect how people root for their own teams, but people these days are focused in more on the small scroll line at the bottom of the screen than the actual game going on the majority of the screen. Even the tv networks and nfl stadiums have catered towards the fantasy football owner with constant stats and scoring info popping up on screens and scoreboards everywhere.
Fantasy football has also clouded the judgment of many fans. They constantly want to coach to call a play to give the ball to their fantasy players rather than run a play that will work effectively. I've seen Packers fans disappointed after a Rodgers TD pass because he threw it to Nelson instead of Jennings. Disappointed at your team scoring a TD? Really?!?!?
Fantasy football has changed viewing games in many ways, and I found myself in the middle of it on Thursday. I have Mark Ingram on over half of my 18 teams, so although I was jumping up and down when the Packers stopped him at the goalline, a small part of my was disappointed I didn't get those extra 6 points for my fantasy team. Right or wrong, this is the state of the typical NFL fan in the year 2011.
The sport of fantasy football has taken over the NFL world. Whether you have a small family league for fun, or are a serious participant spending thousands of dollars on high stakes contests, most people who watch the NFL are in a fantasy football league. As enjoyable as fantasy football is, I believe it has hindered fans and their loyalties to their favorite teams.
When I'm watching the Packers games in a public place, it frustrates me to hear so called Packers fans say it's OK that they just gave up a touchdown because their fantasy player is the one who scored it. That's kind of like saying you're happy you got shot because you weren't killed by the bullet wound. Maybe not the best analogy, but you get my point.
Not only does it affect how people root for their own teams, but people these days are focused in more on the small scroll line at the bottom of the screen than the actual game going on the majority of the screen. Even the tv networks and nfl stadiums have catered towards the fantasy football owner with constant stats and scoring info popping up on screens and scoreboards everywhere.
Fantasy football has also clouded the judgment of many fans. They constantly want to coach to call a play to give the ball to their fantasy players rather than run a play that will work effectively. I've seen Packers fans disappointed after a Rodgers TD pass because he threw it to Nelson instead of Jennings. Disappointed at your team scoring a TD? Really?!?!?
Fantasy football has changed viewing games in many ways, and I found myself in the middle of it on Thursday. I have Mark Ingram on over half of my 18 teams, so although I was jumping up and down when the Packers stopped him at the goalline, a small part of my was disappointed I didn't get those extra 6 points for my fantasy team. Right or wrong, this is the state of the typical NFL fan in the year 2011.
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