2021 Post-Draft / Pre-Season:

WHERE IT ALL STARTED

And here we… GO

Shoutout to anyone that gets this reference or any of the other references mentioned here in this post. Y’all are the real MVP’s. If you don’t know the reference, sometimes all it takes is a little push to find out.

We got a brand-new year ahead of us, and we all know what that means: the departure and excommunicado of certain members and the arrival of new ones. Ali Bawany and Daniel Parupia were deemed to no longer be of service and were disavowed from the legion. From there, we were down to 8 members. It was critical to rebuild our infrastructure and take our league in a whole new direction. During this process, we also removed our champion from last year, Zeeshan Parupia, who was unwilling to walk the path we are headed down. This brought us to 7. The question then became, what do we do from here?

Thanks to the folding of another league due to crossover, we were able to establish a bigger and better brand at 12 strong members. The league that was shuttered just wasn’t a fair fight for anyone else. Strength invites challenge. Challenge incites conflict. And conflict breeds catastrophe. There was no other way, my strength in the league meant that the league was destined for catastrophe. From that league and beyond, we were able to bring in our 5 new members: Alex Parish, Chris Brooks, Colten Dougherty, Humza Shazad, and Sean Wali. No introductions are needed here. You will get those at next year’s draft, in person, at a city TBD.  There’s a lot to focus on this year and a lot for me to get into after conducting this year’s draft, but we will get there. You know I always like to use this forum to rant and talk about random things since this takes me hours to write and minutes for you to read. But I digress.

This season marks a great new chapter in our league’s history. Not because the league has been around for 10 years and gone through many phases, but because we are embarking on a whole new journey through a road yet traveled. For those of you who were not in the league 10 years ago, which is almost everyone, we have had 10 members for almost all 10 years, have switched from standard to 0.5 PPR, added weekly prizes, increased the buy-in, and added a trophy prize. But the most important thing our league has endured is turnover… we have not had the exact same members in the league for any 2 years in our league’s history. I’m hoping that will change starting with this year. I’m hoping that I don’t have to recruit once again. I’m hoping that my heavy time commitment to this league will be enough for everyone to endure my trade request text messages every year. I’m hoping this is enough. Nevertheless, I am confident in the direction we are moving and that with the members we have now, this will be a league that everyone will care about as much as I do.

In terms of these posts for the people who have never read them before, I will try to keep up with them weekly, but it will depend on my schedule. So please forgive me if work, school, and other activities I’m involved don’t leave much time for me to write all this out every week. I will do my best to keep it fun and entertaining, but some weeks may just be a few lines and straight to the point. I hope you enjoy this one as it is lengthier and took a while to get into.

P.S. Start thinking of locations for next year’s draft and what you want from next year’s lottery video if that is what y’all want again. We will start discussing those ideas towards the end of this year so we can all have plenty of time to prep.

DRAFT DAY

Now, let’s get to the draft. I hope everyone enjoyed this year’s draft because it’s only going to get better from here! It was a new day, via Zoom. Who would’ve thought 10 years ago that we would be having a “Zoom Draft.” I would’ve thought that meant that we all had to draft super quick and that was the tricky part… *chirp chirp* It’s okay, I know that was bad. But you can’t get all the goodness without the bad. I must bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness. Our draft, as always, was interesting to say the least. Considering this was our first with 12 members, it did not go as I expected it to, but that’s always the fun part. I’m sure for all of us, the most surprising points were at the top with Zeke and Kelce going top 5 and Kyriacos selling his entire 2022 draft to bulk up his team for this year. This does not come as a complete shock though. Some of us have longed for a championship because they have never achieved such greatness and only see despair. But it’s okay, there is still hope. You just need to be like the happiest animal on Earth: A Goldfish; they have the shortest memories. This is the key to pure joy… but will any of these shocking move’s lead to a championship? When we look back on this year, did a critical move in the draft make a difference? We can only ponder the question: What If?

Surprisingly, no draft day trades this year, despite everyone being on the call. This led to the fastest draft we have ever conducted. It was also probably aided by the fact that no one had to get up out of their seats to make their selections. What a bunch of lazy bums we are… Regardless, there were a few pre-draft day trades that were completed. Of course, I was involved in most of them, but everyone knew that was going to happen. You all can just expect to receive a bunch of texts for trades every year from me. It will never change, no matter how much y’all tell me you don’t have time, are not interested, or to just **** off and leave you alone!  I am who you thought I was, and you let me off the hook. Thanks for that, it is much appreciated.

TRADE ANALYSIS

Trade 1:

Nazim trades to Kyriacos:

2021 1st (4): Alvin Kamara, NO RB

2021 4th (45): Brandon Aiyuk, SF WR

2021 9th (100): Leonard Fournette, TB RB

Kyriacos trades to Nazim:

2021 1st (11): Tyreek Hill, KC WR

2021 2nd (14): Antonio Gibson, WSH RB

2021 8th (86): Tyler Boyd, CIN WR

This is an interesting look at if it’s better to draft at the top of the 1st round or the bottom. Here we have Kamara, who is projected to score 17.2 points/week, while Hill and Gibson are projected to score 16.3 and 15.8 points/week. For perspective, Aiyuk is projected to score 11.3 points/week. We will consider any picks below the 7th round negligible difference since these are too inaccurate to predict. Adding the 2 together, you can see that 32.1 > 28.8. So, in theory, the trade favors me based purely on points projections. We will see if this pays out as predicted.

Nazim Grade: B+

Kyriacos Grade: B-

Trade 2:

Kyriacos trades to Rimmel:

2021 16th (183): Austin Hooper, CLE TE

2022 1st Round Pick

2022 2nd Round Pick

2022 4th Round Pick

Rimmel trades to Kyriacos:

2021 1st (7): Derrick Henry, TEN RB

2022 14th Round Pick

2022 15th Round Pick

2022 16th Round Pick

This trade is a pure power grab for 2021. Kyriacos sold his entire draft stock for the 7th overall pick. This, in my opinion, is a terrible trade to make for Kyriacos. Even though, he became the most fortunate in getting Henry all the way down at pick 7 when he considered drafting him at 4, this is not the smartest move to make considering an injury could derail his whole plan. But big gambles can sometimes pay off, but as it was put to me, “I know nothing, Naz.”

Rimmel Grade: A+

Kyriacos Grade: D

Trade 3:

Nazim trades to Kyriacos:

2021 5th (52): Kyle Pitts, ATL TE

2022 16th Round Pick

Kyriacos trades to Nazim:

2021 7th (83): AJ Dillon, GB RB

2022 5th Round Pick

This will go down as the best trade this year. Mark my words here. The value of Kyle Pitts for a 5th round pick next year is huge. This will be a top 5 TE that is drafted in the middle of the draft. A huge value for Kyriacos and a big miss by me, who only gains future draft stock.

Nazim Grade: C-

Kyriacos Grade: A

Trade 4:

Nazim trades to Sean:

2021 1st (11): Tyreek Hill, KC WR

2021 6th (69): Juju Smith-Schuster, PIT WR

2021 8th (93): Jared Cook, LAC TE

Sean trades to Nazim:

2021 2nd (16): Austin Ekeler, LAC RB

2021 4th (40): Robert Woods, LAR WR

2021 10th (112): Joe Burrow, CIN QB

This is an interesting trade to look at, but I’ll use the same points/week projection as earlier to assess this trade. Hill and Juju are projected at 16.3 and 10.6 points/week, respectively. Ekeler and Woods are projected at 15.1 and 12.5 points/week, respectively. Adding the 2 together, you can see that 27.6 > 26.9. So, in theory, this trade is equal when looking at both sides. In slight favor of me, the trade is still balanced overall. We will see which of these players live up to their potential.

Nazim Grade: B

Sean Grade: B

Trade 5:

Nazim trades to Ali:

2021 7th (76): Zack Moss, BUF RB

2021 7th (83): AJ Dillon, GB RB

2021 8th (86): Tyler Boyd, CIN WR

Ali trades to Nazim:

2021 4th (44): Julio Jones, TEN WR

2021 14th (164): Ty Johnson, NYJ RB

2021 16th (188): Blake Jarwin, DAL TE

This trade is full of flyers that are just a bunch of unknowns. I am not sure about how any of them will do. A lot of it is dependent on how well each of the teams do and whether Zack Moss and AJ Dillon get a lot more touches. We shall see whether any of this plays out for the benefit for Ali and/or myself. Not much of a prediction from me in this trade. Just more of a, I have no idea what’s going to happen here…

Nazim Grade: UNK

Ali Grade: UNK

DRAFT ANALYSIS

Humza (Dak Knight Rises):

With the first overall pick, it was an easy decision to make in picking the consensus number 1 pick this year, CMC. Can’t go wrong with a team that starts out with the number 1 RB when he’s healthy. But that is the biggest question for Humza’s team this year, can Christian McCaffrey stay healthy all year long? Looking further down the team, Darren Waller was picked right at his average draft position (ADP) of 25. Chris Carson seems like a reach when you see his ADP at 41 and that he was picked at 24, but considering RB’s moved quickly off our board, this was an appropriate pick at this position with another 24 picks of waiting before drafting again. After that, Humza was able to fill out the key positions in his WR’s with DJ Moore and Adam Thielen at 48 and 49 (ADPs of 57 and 46). Acceptable picks at these positions, but a great value with Thielen, assuming the Vikings stay clear of injuries and COVID protocols. Right after that was the most important pick, Dak Prescott. Not just because he’s the QB of the team with a backup of Kirk Cousins (EWWW!), but because I pray, he stays healthy and leads the Cowboys deep into 2022. I will gladly take a big L in fantasy for the Cowboys to succeed. I’m not sure what Humza was thinking or hoping for going into that pick but is interesting to note whether this is who he truly wanted at this point in the draft. Just 8 picks before drafting Dak, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Lamar Jackson were all on the board. All of them and Tannehill were drafted during a quick QB run that happened prior to Humza’s pick. Was that what he wanted? Immediately following was Javonte Williams and I’m not sure about that pick with Denver’s running game being a huge question mark in who will carry the load. Overall, a solid team and will most likely be a playoff team if healthy.

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 119.6 (2nd)

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: Antonio Brown

Best Pick: CMC

Worst Pick: DJ Moore

Worst Human: Ja’Marr Chase

Draft Grade: A

Chris (Arian Foster the People):

The biggest question in this year’s draft across all leagues is, who do you draft after CMC? Chris never questioned it and was confident in taking Dalvin Cook. I don’t think there’s a wrong answer here. I think you bet on who will stay the healthiest out of them all and I have no idea who that’s going to be. You can see the confidence because Chris is betting heavily on CMC and Kamara getting hurt while Cook stays healthy. He chose not to draft Cook’s backup but was quick to draft CMC and Kamara’s backups. This will be the most interesting thing to watch and could mean a championship if predicted correctly. After that top pick, Chris was able to snag Justin Jefferson and DK Metcalf at picks 23 and 26, respectively. With ADPs of 25 and 19, these were solid WR’s to grab at this stage. If both stay healthy, they will be a WR force to be wrecking with. We will see if they can live up to their status of being drafted as the 6th and 7th WR’s off the board. Filling out the starters are Mike Davis, Ryan Tannehill, and Dallas Goedert. Davis will be a solid pickup as a RB2. I am not too sure about Goedert in Philly’s offense, especially since Ertz is still there, but I could be horribly wrong there. I just hate the Eagles. Ryan Tannehill still baffles me that he went off the board when Dak, Herbert, and Brady were on the board. I can’t say it’s the worst pick, because he will still have a good year, but not what I expected to happen there. Overall, another solid team and will most likely be a playoff team if healthy as well.

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 114.9

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: Pray for Star Injuries…

Best Pick: Mike Davis

Worst Pick: Will Fuller

Worst Human: Cole Beasley

Draft Grade: A-

Yaseer (We had a great day!):

A very confusing draft strategy from Yaseer this year. Starting right out the gate with Zeke at number 3 overall (ADP 8), surprising everyone who thought Kamara or Henry would go there for sure. But looking at the team with starting RBs of Zeke and Josh Jacobs, it is solid, but there is no depth there; only 1 backup RB in Trey Sermon. With that thin RB spread, comes great depth at WR and TE. Getting Kittle at pick 28 (ADP 28) will be huge in the second half of the year, where I think he will be the #1 TE in fantasy for the 2nd half of the year. Yaseer must make it that far first. Running a 2 TE system for the flex might get dicey. I might’ve been okay with the move if Pitts was taken in the 5th round instead of Hockensen, but I think this will go down as a huge error. I am also not a fan of no Michael Thomas for at least 6 weeks and still choosing to draft him in the 7th round. This team will rely on lucky wins early in the year to carry the load until the real team can win games out right in the back half of the season. Overall, I do not think that will happen and he will miss the playoffs but win the consolation bracket.

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 111.8

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: Michael Pittman Jr.

Best Pick: Corey Davis

Worst Pick: Michael Thomas

Worst Human: Ben Roethlisberger

Draft Grade: C+

Nazim (CeeDeez Nuts): Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 107.2 (11th)

Draft Grade: C-

Ali (Hunt Justin Dak Woods):

I’m not really sure what Ali’s draft strategy was here… Obviously, we were all shocked by Kelce going at 5, but so much could’ve been done differently. Travis Kelce is not a bad pick but selecting him at #5 overall when his ADP is 8 shocked everyone especially after Zeke went at 3 when his ADP is also 8. Leaving Henry on the board to fall to 7 may be costly at the end of the season considering the current RB situation for Ali. Picking up Henderson super early at pick 53 when his ADP is 86 is a reach even for a board that was heavy RB at the top. Not knowing how that backfield will shake out with the addition of Michel is the big question. But even as a solid RB1, the other backs on the team are all current backups not looking like they’ll get a lot of work barring injuries. Even with a solid top 2 WR’s on the team, there is not much depth at RB and WR, which could be detrimental for the team. Choosing to pick up a 2nd TE, 2nd QB, DEF, and K in rounds 8-11 were interesting choices when there were still solid options on the board that might have been better picks in the long run. But then again, historically speaking, after round 7, not many players are productive unless injuries occur. Overall, it is a weak team at RB with little depth at WR that will not allow Ali to make the playoffs.

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 110.9

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: N/A unless injuries

Best Pick: DeAndre Hopkins

Worst Pick: Tyler Higbee

Draft Grade: C-

Alex (The Real Slim Brady):

Right off the bat, grabbing the top WR in the 1st round is never a bad strategy. Alex was able to put together an extremely nice starting lineup between a solid pair of RB’s (David Montgomery & Clyde Edwards-Helaire) and WR’s (Devante Adams & Chris Godwin) plus a great QB. The question for this team will be the TE spot and depth at the skill positions. A wasted draft pick on Irv Smith Jr. in the 8th round really hurts since he’s out for the season before it even begins… Success this year will depend on injuries and free agency, but I anticipate that shouldn’t be an issue. Picking up Kyler Murray in the 5th round was huge and grabbing Edwards-Helaire as the 14th RB off the board was a great positional pick. The question remains if this will be enough? Overall, I think it’s a solid team with a good chance of making the playoffs as a wild card team.

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 112.8

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: Robby Anderson

Best Pick: Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Worst Pick: Philip Lindsay

Draft Grade: B+

Rimmel (Baby Chark Do DoDo):

After selling your 1st round pick, your team will always seem horrible. That being said, smart picks can salvage the season for a hopeful run. That is not what happened here. After not being able to pick until #18 overall, Calvin Ridley was the first selection for the team even though RB’s have little depth in the draft. With De’Andre Swift, Myles Gaskin, and Damien Harris as the RB’s of the team and Calvin Ridley, Diontae Johnson, and Randall Cobb as the WR’s of the team, there is not much hope here. The only hope is that Herbert can carry the team far. Picking him up in the 7th round was huge, but it won’t be enough to save the season. It is a tough outlook, but maybe luck and midseason trades can salvage a playoff run. We all know Rimmel has ample inventory of future draft picks to work with. Either that or continue to sell the season, eat the last place punishment, and wreak havoc in 2022. Overall, not a playoff team here… for now.

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 104.3 (Last)

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: Randall Cobb

Best Pick: Justin Herbert

Worst Pick: Diontae Johnson

Draft Grade: D

Ahsan (The MonStars):

Not much to analyze here. The players picked here were at their projected ADP. The roster was built inside out as should be: 2 RB, then 2 WR, then QB/TE for the next 2 picks, then backups at RB/WR for the next 4 picks, and anything after that. This is the ideal formula for drafting and Ahsan chose the best available at the spots he was positioned in. It was an average use of the strategy and produced an average result. Overall, the team is a borderline playoff team and should make it in as a wild card team.

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 113.9

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: Marquez Callaway

Best Pick: Mark Andrews

Worst Pick: Devante Parker

Draft Grade: B

Sean (Chubby Chasers):

I’m not entirely sure what Sean was thinking here when he drafted his team. It seems like Sean thought the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, and New England Patriots are the NFL elite. With the pairing of Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and OBJ from the Browns, the success of Sean will depend heavily on the success of the Browns. Sean will live and die by the Browns. From the Chiefs, there is the unstoppable force of Mahomes and Tyreek Hill, which will never be bad picks. But why the Patriots? He chose James White and Nelson Agholor from a team that, in my opinion, has absolutely no potential of succeeding. Maybe Sean holds the crystal ball none of us saw coming. Mac Jones, Rookie of the Year, and Patriots win the division? Nah… who are we kidding? That will definitely not happen! The team is weak at RB, but holds WR’s with a lot of potential, but that won’t be enough in the end. Overall, it’s a team that will have some super high scoring weeks when the Browns and Chiefs score 40 points each but will fail to get wins when they don’t. Unfortunately, this will lead to a run short of the playoffs. By the Way, Chiefs v Browns in week 1… 

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 112.0

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: OBJ

Best Pick: Tyreek Hill

Worst Pick: Kareem Hunt

Draft Grade: B-

Parth (Full Chubbz):

Replace Jonathan Taylor with Saquon Barkley and Allen Robinson / Kenny Golladay with other receivers at those draft spots and this might be the best possible draft for this year. If that had occurred, this team would be so stacked, it might be impossible to beat. Those misses might be costly but may be enough to carry the team to a huge success this year. Drafting Taylor (ADP 12) with the #10 overall pick when Barkley (ADP 7) was on the board was a huge error and could be the biggest miss of the draft. But being able to grab Najee Harris and James Robinson with the next 2 picks were gigantic wins and could be the biggest steals of the draft. WR-wise, the team has depth and will find its way, even without huge numbers on a consistent basis. Logan Thomas in the 8th round was a great pickup to solidify the TE spot. And obviously, I cannot challenge the GOAT, no matter how much I hate him and will never draft him. Additionally, the Broncos roots showed out strong with the drafting of Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos defense, and Brandon McManus. Overall, this will be one of the teams to beat this year and will make the playoffs easily.

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 116.0 (3rd)

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: Marvin Jones Jr.

Best Pick: James Robinson

Worst Pick: Jonathan Taylor

Draft Grade: A-

Kyriacos (I Do This for Fauci):

There’s really no point of analysis here. There were some picks I would’ve done differently, but when you bolster your draft picks in the fashion done here and sell your entire 2022 draft. All we can do is pray for the best week-to-week. I’m not even going to get into the free benefit of Gus Edwards in the 10th round after I lost JK Dobbins… Let’s all just look forward to next year when Kyriacos does not have a 1st, 2nd, 4th, or 5th round pick. His top 3 picks will be in the 3rd, 6th, and 7th rounds. 

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 120.2 (1st)

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: Gus Edwards

Best Pick: Derrick Henry

Worst Pick: Brandon Aiyuk

Draft Grade: A

Colten (Colt 45):

As the beneficiary of Barkley falling to #12, Colten was able to bolster his team exponentially. Grabbing Diggs and Keenan Allen as the starting WR’s for the team after that should be enough to carry the load. The real question with this team comes after that with Miles Sanders, if he can be the workhorse in Philly. Other than that, the other RB’s and WR’s are flyers that could go either way. But regardless, I don’t have much faith in the QB’s and TE’s drafted. Matt Ryan and Ryan Fitzpatrick? It can work week-to-week, but the management will need to be there. I don’t see Noah Fant or Zach Ertz being super productive this year either, but I could be completely wrong there. I have never had luck in the TE department. Overall, this is a team that can be carried by the skill positions and get enough points from the others to have a chance to win on a weekly basis. The schedule and matchups will be critical for this team, but I think it is a borderline playoff team and should make it.

Average Projection Points/Week from Starters = 112.8

Deep Picks with Value to Break Out: Laviska Shenault Jr.

Best Pick: Saquon Barkley

Worst Pick: Chase Edmonds

Draft Grade: B+

POST-DRAFT POWER RANKINGS

My Rankings:

1. Kyriacos (-)

2. Humza (-)

3. Parth (-)

4. Chris (-)

5. Alex (-)

6. Colten (-)

7. Ahsan (-)

8. Sean (-)

9. Yaseer (-)

10. Nazim (-)

11. Ali (-)

12. Rimmel (-)

ESPN Rankings:

1. Kyriacos (-)

2. Humza (-)

3. Chris (-)

4. Alex (-)

5. Parth (-)

6. Ali (-)

7. Colten (-)

8. Ahsan (-)

9. Sean (-)

10. Yaseer (-)

11. Nazim (-)

12. Rimmel (-)

PREDICTIONS

Division Winners: Humza & Kyriacos

Wild Card Playoff Teams: Parth, Chris, Alex, & Colten / Ahsan

Championship Game & Winner: Kyriacos v. Parth --> Parth

Last Place Matchup & Loser: Rimmel v. Ali --> Rimmel

Best Record: Kyriacos

Most Points Scored: Humza

Who will be crowned champion in the end? There can only be one. We have a long way to go, but part of the journey is the end. There is much that remains to be seen, but for now all we can all do is hope that we end up on top. Looking into our league’s history in the past, is it possible to determine the winner of the league? Maybe, but not really. Since we were at 8 teams last year and 12 this year, the rules cannot apply. If we extrapolate the data from 10 to 12 and disqualify last year from the data set, this means that the winner of the league will have drafted in the latter half of the draft, from picks 7-12, since that was always the case for our league’s 9-year history in the past. In addition, in the past, there has always been a 2-pick difference from the previous year’s position. If we assume last year was 2019, the champion picked at pick 1, but was technically 7 after trades, so therefore, the champion this year cannot be at pick 7 or 8. That leaves us with teams drafting 9-12. Since I have Kyriacos and Parth in the championship for my predictions, I would say those are pretty good bets. Will my predictions come true? Only time will tell though. At least no one here is Bishop Sycamore... No matter how much I want Kyriacos to be.

Philip River's wife every year

I don’t have anything else to add here, but to say good luck to everyone and I promise these posts will never be this long again!

WEEK 1 BETS

Here we go again… most likely failure as always. For those of you don’t know, I am really bad at this in football. Historically speaking, I am very much .500 in doing this. But who knows, maybe this is the year it changes! **Cross Fingers**

Look for better picks in basketball and hockey from me…

Naz’s Pick-6 (Game Lines for Bets):

1. Cowboys (+8) @ Buccaneers

2. Steelers (+6.5) @ Bills

3. Bears @ Rams (-7.5)

4. Broncos @ Giants (+2.5)

5. Browns @ Chiefs (-6)

6. Chargers (-1) @ Washington

YTD: 0-0

Naz’s Daily Dump (FanDuel Daily for Bets - $60,000: 50/50 League):

QB: Kirk Cousins - $7,200

RB: Christian McCaffrey - $10,400

RB: Najee Harris - $6,500

WR: Keenan Allen - $7,400

WR: Robby Anderson - $6,200

WR: Corey Davis - $5,800

TE: Kyle Pitts - $6,000

FLEX: James Robinson - $5,900

DEF: New England Patriots - $4,400

YTD: 0-0

Reference Check: Did you find all of them and get these references? The Dark Knight, John Wick, Vision (Captain America: Civil War) Star Wars, Ted Lasso, Marvel’s What If, Dennis Green, Game of Thrones, Iron Man (Endgame)