Week 1 Is Almost Here

After two more drafts yesterday, my wife asked me last night how many fantasy football leagues I'm participating in this year. I didn't know off the top of my head. 1...2...3...4...5...6...7...8. "Eight I guess", I replied, to which she said, "Don't you have one tomorrow night too?". Yes, yes I do. I went into the FFN Lineup Analzer and counted the teams I have in there. There are 9. With my draft tomorrow night in the official Fleaflicker Bloggers League, that would bring the grand total up to ten. My concern is that ten is too much. With that many teams, I have such a wide array of players that watching and rooting for them all will be difficult. The game is very different with 10 leagues than 1 or 2. I'd be curious to know how many leagues everyone else is in. What's normal?



After reviewing my drafts yesterday, I'm pretty happy with where I ended up. I grabbed Jamaal Charles with the 5th pick in the FFN Users League II and followed that up with Fitzgerald on the return. Mike Wallace, Shonn Greene, and Jermichael Finley followed. I waited until the 77th pick before grabbing a QB (Matt Schaub). I felt much better about this draft than the FFN Users League I draft where I'm still kicking myself (and will continue to) for reaching on Brees instead of taking Nicks. I should have read CBS Sports 2011 Draft Prep earlier. The other thing I noticed with the Users League draft yesterday was the outstanding level of discipline from these guys. We had absolutely no runs on any position. With only a few questionable picks, I found myself saying "great pick" a lot. I am looking forward to playing against the folks in both of the FFN Users Leagues. You guys make me proud, and if I have to lose, I'm glad it's to pros like you guys!



The season kicks off on Thursday here. With the Lombardi trophy home where it belongs, my defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers take on the New Orleans Saints. Kid Rock, Maroon 5, and Lady Antebellum are scheduled to give concerts outside of Lambeau Field. Oh, to have tickets to see this game... Unfortunately, I will be at home watching the festivities on television. Thursday cannot come fast enough.



With Week 1 in our sights, FFN is starting to aggregate weekly rankings. Hopefully more sites will start publishing projections soon. A cursory glance at the rankings for Peyton Manning does not inspire confidence for those who drafted the ironman. Manning has still not practiced and the Colts are losing confidence in his ability to start against Houston on the 11th. By all accounts, it looks like Collins will probably get the nod. We'll see if we get some movement prior to this weekend, but if Peyton can't go, a lot of the Colts that we've come to depend on get downgraded. Peyton is largely responsible for their fantasy awesomeness. The Sports Network has more details.



Another QB with starting concerns is Matt Cassel. According to the Kansas City Star, Cassel may have been more hurt than we've been led to believe. Both Cassel and coach Todd Haley have publicly said that Matt will play Week 1. Let's hope so because backup QB Tyler Palko, who has never started an NFL game, doesn't translate into positive fantasy news for guys like Dwayne Bowe.



I had the pleasure to draft against my brother-in-law Andy recently. He grabbed Tim Hightower as one of his starting RB's and I noticed that he was questioning that pick after the draft. With the exception of two incredible games last year, Hightower was less than impressive in Arizona. I can't read Shanahan's mind, but I'm pretty confident that the Redskins will be playing from behind more often than not. In this PPR format, one can hope that they'll be throwing late and often. A veteran like Hightower could be a valuable recipient in that scenario. Hang tight Andy, let's see what the change in scenery brings for him.



FantasySharks.com has a great article on some tips for Week 1. This is a short week to get ready for and Walter Collazo has some great advice. I couldn't find any fault in his logic. Great read.



FFToolbox.com is reporting that the Jaguars have faith in their RB corp, but MJD will still carry the load. Good news as I have MJD in multiple leagues.



While not fantasy-related, if you're interested in a great breakdown of the divisions, CJ Sports NFL Talk has you covered. I love the prediction that my Packers will repeat as division champs, even with some of the toughest divisional competition this year.



Finally, on a much lighter note and completely off topic, I've seen one of the most disturbing things in quite some time and just have to share. I catch so much oddball news from LosersBracket.com, one of my favorite new blogs, that I can't help but laugh. They introduced me to the Fat Rocking Dancing Baby. Before you check it out, be forewarned that what you will see cannot be unseen. There - you've been warned.

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