Fantasy FanHouse

Fantasy Baseball Expert Chat: 1PM ET

Matt Snyder — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:45:00 EST

The Major League Baseball season is less than a month away, which means it's fantasy draft season. The next three weeks will house many-a-draft, and we've got your back here at FanHouse. First, check out our Free Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. If you have any questions or comments, that's cool -- we'll be chatting it up here at 1PM ET. Feel free to ask questions about different formats, tell us why you disagree with some picks, etc. We're open to anything (within reason, of course).

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=d5aeac7096&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Fantasy FanHouse Baseball Chat: Prep for Your Draft&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Fantasy Baseball Expert Chat: 1PM ET originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Thu, 12 Mar 2009 12:45:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Got Any Good Fantasy Draft Stories?

Matt Snyder — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Draft Advice

Even in the internet age of fantasy sports, I still think many players only partake in the games against groups of friends. Many of these leagues have live drafts in person, and the stories that come from these drafts are always great -- especially when alcohol is prominently involved. In fact, if you play fantasy sports and you don't have at least one of these a year, you are really missing out.

Anyway, we here at FanHouse -- being the house of true sports fans, after all -- decided to give fantasy sports fans an avenue to tell their favorite draft day stories. It can involve mocking a friend, someone making a fool of him or herself, or just a really bad pick. Here are a few to get the chain started.

Matt Snyder, Story #1: Remember when Keyshawn Johnson retired in the summer months a few years ago? Well, one owner in my oldest fantasy football league certainly does. He had already drafted Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, and Chad Johnson. He was calling it his "diva receiving corps." So we get down to the last round, and he went to grab the draft board sticker from the wide receiver pile. He proclaimed, "well, might as well add another to the diva corps." All eleven other owners knew exactly what was going on, because we started making eye contact with each other, trying to keep straight faces. You see, our rule is that you can't change a pick once it's stuck to the draft board. So, we wait ... he approaches ... he announces, "Keyshawn Johnson" ... we wait ... about 10 seconds pass (and it felt like about 10 minutes) ... and finally, an explosion of laughter emanates from the Snyder household. The best part was that he still had no idea why were laughing.

The joke was on us went Moss went on to obliterate the competition at receiver that year, though.

Snyder, Story #2: When I first started playing fantasy sports -- as it says in my bio -- I was a college student. I was also a real baseball player for said school. Well, as long as "player" means "wearing the uniform and sitting on the bench." Anyway, in those days, my friends and I had a league where the owners all lived quite far apart, so we couldn't do the live thing. Therefore, we drafted via email and phone over the course of two to three weeks. On a certain day during our first drafting week, we had a game. It happened to be against my brother's team (he's only a year younger than I, and played for Valparaiso). We ended up stuck on my brother's pick right before game time. Knowing we wouldn't get his pick until about four hours after the game ended, my roommate (one of our starting pitchers) and I knew what we had to do.

As we're stretching, Valpo shows up and begins to warm up along the right field line. My roommate, under the guise of getting his conditioning in (pitchers who weren't scheduled that day had a certain amount of required running to do), decided to run by them. As he took one lap, he yelled out about five players' names to the huddle of our opposition. It likely bewildered most of the other players, and certainly the coaches. My brother knew, though, that he was hearing the names of the players who had been picked since he departed Valparaiso. On my roommate's next lap, my brother yells out "Miguel Tejada." I mean, if these were curse words, people would have thought those two had Tourettes.

My favorite part of the story is that my Dad and another one of my friends -- who were both in the league -- were sitting in the crowd. As I ran back towards our dugout, I yelled to them, "Snee picks Tejada." Snee was my bro's nickname. They got it. And they kept the ball rolling during the game via cell phone.

Will Brinson: We did a Brahsome fantasy league on AOL a few years ago and one of the guys we got to join hadn't ever used our software. With the first pick in the third round of a 10 team league, he selects Steve Smith, WR ... for the New York Giants.

He, of course, flips out and we spend the next two months making fun of him. Then he started winning. And kept winning. And eventually won the freaking league! The point of it's not so much that this guy didn't know what he's doing, as, like Snyder alluded to with his Keyshawn-Moss story, it is that fantasy football can be a fickle, fickle mistress sometimes.

Tom Herrera: My stepfather, Frank, took part in a fantasy baseball draft the day after Opening Day in 1994. You might recall a gentleman by the name of Tuffy Rhodes, who clubbed three home runs for the Cubs that first game of the season. Someone in Frank's league was obviously impressed, because he selected Tuffy in the first round. He was rewarded with only five more home runs for the entire season, not to mention that dreadful .234/.318/.387 line of rate stats.

Tom Mantzouranis: This is when conviction goes bad. In 2004, I watched the Vikings survive the last four-plus games without Randy Moss thanks the surprising emergence of Nate Burleson. That offseason, when the Vikes shipped Moss to the Raiders, I became certain that Daunte Culpepper (who was coming off one of the best seasons by a quarterback ever) and Burleson were the next unstoppable force in fantasy football. I was so convinced, sadly, that I drafted Culpepper with my third-overall pick and grabbed Burleson on the snake-around in the second. I had to have them before anyone else got them.

Culpepper promptly blew out his knee (not before throwing six touchdowns against 12 interceptions, though!) and Burleson barely cracked 300 yards on the season. Luckily, I had Drew Brees (circa San Diego) as a backup to stem the bleeding, but it was hardly enough to save my season or my ego, which went out on a limb in an attempt to look brilliant only to have the limb snap and my ego forever paralyzed by the event.

Brinson: I just read the first two lines above and started cringing and convulsing. I hate Burleson so much to this very day -- took him in the third that year.

Snyder: I had just told Mantz via gchat that I took Burleson in the third that year, too. We all suck.

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So there you have it. An incomprehensible list of some of our favorite draft day stories.

C'mon, fantasy players, you know you have one. Post your favorite fantasy draft story in the comments section. Let's see whatcha got!

Got Any Good Fantasy Draft Stories? originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brandon Marshall Gets Suspension Knocked Back to Just One Game

Will Brinson — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST

Filed under: NFL Position Rankings, Fantasy Football, Draft Advice

Good news for both the Denver Broncos and Brandon Marshall (and better news for fantasy owners who took a gamble and drafted him) broke Thursday evening, as it appears that the only receiving threat in the Rockies will miss just one game.

Originally slated to miss three games for a domestic violence incident (among other things), Marshall will now be back in time for the Broncos first home game against the Chargers.

"I am glad the NFL took a second, good hard look at the case," [Marshall's lawyer Harvey] Steinberg told ESPN.com's Bill Williamson. "I am very pleased with the results."

Marshall flew to New York on Tuesday to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell. Goodell said originally that the three-game suspension would be reduced to two if Marshall kept in touch with a league-appointed counselor and stayed out of trouble.

And, bonus for everyone involved. Although it is a little disturbing, as Clayton pointed out in his article, that drunken driving doesn't apply to the Roger Goodell Iron Fist Rules of Off Field NFL Behavior. It's not dangerous, after all, like hanging out in strip clubs.

Morality discussions aside, this is a huge bonus for the Broncos because offensively, they absolutely need Marshall on the field.

Fantasy Spin: Bump him the mess up in your drafts (if you're drafting late tonight, you best be pulling while no one's looking) and bump Jay Cutler up a few notches too. He was going about the same time as Eli Manning, and well, that's ridiculous. Both of these guys could be in store for huge seasons and you can still get them at a reasonable discount because of Marshall's off-field concerns.

Brandon Marshall Gets Suspension Knocked Back to Just One Game originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Profitable Returns for the Injured, Suspended, and Other Question Marks

Matt Snyder — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:35:00 EST

Filed under: NFL Position Rankings, NFL Sleepers, Fantasy Football, NFL Injury Report, Draft Advice

Ever hear of the economic principle, the law of diminishing returns? Basically, if production of an item reaches a certain point, it's counter-productive to create more output because the profits will decrease for each additional unit. In fantasy football, there is an opposite affect on players with question marks heading into the season.
A perfect example is Steve Smith. I already own him on multiple teams. Why? He's suspended for two games. Because of this suspension, however, owners are letting him fall too far on draft boards. You just have to approach drafting Smith like he has three bye weeks instead of one. Plug those holes with a someone like Nate Burleson -- who will be Matt Hasselbeck's top receiving option in the early season -- in the next few rounds and you're covered.

Smith is going to put up monster stats with Jake Delhomme back and other receivers attracting coverage this season in his 13 games. The point of profitable returns for Steve Smith is about round five. He can't fall lower than that.

Risky Fantasy Choices

Panthers wide receiver Steve Smith is falling down fantasy draft boards because of a two-game suspension he'll serve after his fight with teammate Ken Lucas. But if you can find a two-week replacement for Smith in the early going, it's worth snagging him because of the tremendous upside he offers.

David T. Foster III, Charlotte Observer/MCT

Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson says he's fine, but do you want to trust an early pick on a guy who will be playing through a torn labrum in his shoulder? Still, if 'Ocho Cinco' happens to fall to the sixth round, he's well worth drafting at a bargain price.

Joe Robbins, Getty Images

Willis McGahee was considered among the lower tier of top fantasy running backs, but his value has taken a sizable hit as he recovers from knee surgery. If the Ravens rusher slips to the third round of your fantasy draft, scoop him up. Just be sure to have backup Ray Rice on board, too.

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Many fantasy owners will shy from drafting emerging wideout Dwayne Bowe because of the murky quarterback situation in Kansas City. Even through QB Brodie Croyle doesn't inspire any confidence, Bowe has great potential and remains a nice No. 3 receiver for your fantasy squad.

Duane Burleson, AP

Now that Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall has had his suspension reduced to just one game, there's no longer a reason why he should be falling into the sixth round of drafts. Play off the perceived notion that Marshall is "troubled" and get this star on your team at a discount.

Doug Pensinger, Getty Images

The Giants defense lost defensive end Osi Umenyiora, pictured, for the season due to a knee injury, and has to deal with the retirement of Michael Strahan too. Without their top two sack threats, the Giants D can't be counted on to consistently put up big fantasy point totals.

Evan Pinkus, Getty Images

He's coming off a 32-touchdown season and his weapons are terrific. So why has Browns QB Derek Anderson fallen out of favor after one concussion? Don't make the mistake of letting Anderson slip -- he's a top-10 fantasy quarterback and isn't going to lose his job to Brady Quinn anytime soon.

Jim McIsaac, Getty Images

Some others:

Chad Johnson and Chris Henry, Bengals flamboyant receivers
Johnson's got a torn labrum in his shoulder. That's not good for a receiver that may need to extend his arms to catch a pass while taking a hit. This is one guy I'm probably going to avoid, but if you plant the seeds of doubt in the minds of your fellow league-mates by stressing the injury, rounds six or seven could yield great returns if he miraculously stays healthy all season.

As for Henry, his value takes an obvious spike if 'Ocho' goes down. The problem is that Henry is suspended for four weeks. That's a good enough chunk, with the possibility that this idiot gets in trouble again, to make him a serious risk on your team -- considering he's the Bengals third option through the air. Still, if you approach this thinking Johnson will be shut down before Week 5, you can gamble on 11 very productive games from a receiver with talent who has Carson Palmer throwing to him and TJ Houshmandzadeh taking eyes off him. Look for him in your last non-kicker round.

Willis McGahee, Ravens No. 1 running back
Sitting right on the lower-tier of number one fantasy running backs before the preseason, McGahee has distinguished himself by having his knee scoped. He swears up and down he's going to be ready for the season opener, but fantasy players are skeptical, as his stock is plummeting. Personally, I think he's falling too far. Even if he's not ready for Week 1 -- again, he says he will be -- you know he's going to play in Week 2. He shouldn't be falling to the third round, and in many cases he is. Just make sure to handcuff him with Ray Rice.

Brandon Marshall, Broncos suspended WR
Marshall appealed his suspension in order to get it reduced to only one game, so there's no longer a reason why he should be falling into round six of drafts. The rapport he developed with Jay Cutler late last season won't go away, as the two mature into NFL veterans together. In three of the last four games, Marshall went for over ten catches and 100 yards, and he hit paydirt five times in the Broncos' last seven games.

Giants D/ST, now without Osi Umenyiora and still-retired Michael Strahan
The Giants defense last year was quite intimidating to opposing offenses, and one number really sticks out when you view the statistics: 52 sacks. What Osi and Strahan personally had is irrelevant, because the pressure they provided often set up sacks for others or forced QBs into rash decisions and turnovers.

The bottom line is that losing these two changes the entire complexion of the defense for the defending champs, and they can't be counted on to produce starting D/ST points in fantasy. If you play in leagues where you draft two defensive teams, however, you could still do much worse. Grab them as the top backup and hope Mathias Kiwanuka and Justin Tuck provide career years.

Dwayne Bowe, studly WR with a sucky QB
Dwayne Bowe is an extremely talented football player. He racked up 995 yards on 70 catches as a rookie to go with five scores. The only problem is that Brodie Croyle is a horrifying QB, and the Chiefs seem intent on sticking with him. Not only was Croyle 0-6 as a starter -- which doesn't really matter when we're talking Bowe's fantasy stuff, I'm just throwing it in because it's embarrassing -- but he only threw for over 200 yards once. In that game, Bowe only accounted for 64 of them with no TDs. While Dwayne did manage a few quality games with Croyle at the helm -- though none were stellar -- he also turned in two awful days and three that were mediocre at best.

He has too much upside to last through the eighth round, but don't count on Bowe as more than your third WR.

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Derek Anderson, Browns concussed QB
Everyone is lining up to hate on Anderson now. He threw too many picks last year, including four in a late season loss to the Bengals which cost the Browns a playoff berth. He threw for less than 200 yards in three of the Browns' final four games. The starting offense sputtered in the preseason game against the Giants until Anderson suffered a concussion ... only to see Brady Quinn come in and start scoring points. People also like to say this situation is shaping up like Drew Brees being forced out of San Diego in favor of Philip Rivers.

And I say ... deep breaths everyone. Anderson is going to start the season as the Browns starting QB. There isn't cause for concern unless he gets injured in the regular season (especially if it's another head injury) or the offense royally sucks for multiple weeks early on. The latter scenario is doubtful because of the stout offensive line protecting him and the weapons at his disposal. He's easily a top-10 QB, and if he's falling farther than that, please draft him and stop the insanity.

To reiterate, there is still substantial risk involved for all of these guys. The true fantasy skill here lies in being able to surround whichever above player you wish to draft with quality depth at their respective position. If that happens, like with my Steve Smith example (covering him with Nate Burleson), you have taken a risk that will yield positive rewards.

On the other hand, playing fantasy football on Fleaflicker is definitely risk-free.

Profitable Returns for the Injured, Suspended, and Other Question Marks originally appeared on Fantasy FanHouse on Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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