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| Caddyshack's Carl Spackler |
Boyer will look to defend his first division title since the inaugural 2006 season, but history says it won't be easy in a division that has had all three teams claim the crown at least once in the last three years.
The Spacklers, whose mascot will be none other than Carl Spackler from Caddyshack, also are coming off their second trip to the Super Bowl — the first team not named the Jammers to make more than one trip — and with Tom Brady at the helm for the seventh straight season, Boyer is in line to do it again.
T-Money finished second in the poll with 18 points and three first-place votes, while the Toasters garnered 15 points and one first-place vote.
Below are the team capsules in the order in which they were selected to finish, and I personally agree that Boyer will defend his NFC East crown this season. The team he has assembled looks great on paper and I'm predicting it will look great after Week 13.
Boyer's hoping it looks great after Week 16.
1. Team Boyer, a.k.a. The Spacklers
2011 Record, Finish: 10-5, lost Super Bowl, NFC East Champion
Career Record : 47-38-1 (.552)
Playoff Record (Appearances): 4-4 (4)
Tom Brady easily gives Boyer a top QB rating, but Carson Palmer pulls it down from a 5 to a 4½. That’s a shame, I know. But who cares? Outside of the Patriots’ bye week, the Spacklers are rolling out a five-star QB every week.
And Brady has a new toy in Brandon Lloyd, who I think is going to have a decent season. He’s got a chance to really be explosive in an offense that has so many weapons. Brady will like what Lloyd provides, opposed to what he got out of Chad Johnson last season.
What about Palmer? He’s been awful in preseason. He was not-so-great last season. He wasn't great in his final snaps as a Bengal. So for Boyer’s sake, he hopes for a healthy Tom Brady in 2012, because if he has to start Palmer for more than one week, things are going to get ugly quick — I'm talking World of Noise draft recap circa 2011 ugly.
Running Backs ★★★½☆
If Marshawn Lynch isn’t suspended and if he can duplicate what he did last season, Boyer has a decent duo at running back between Lynch and Matt Forte. If he has any issues with either — or both because Forte is coming off an injury — he’s in trouble.
Boyer desperately needs to not be in trouble, because behind Lynch and Forte, the bank is empty. Jonathan Stewart, Pierre Thomas and James Starks are all battling with at least two other running backs on their team for playing time. Stewart was good for goal line carries up until Cam Newton came around last season and took most of them. Whatever was left over will certainly go to Mike Tolbert this season.
Thomas is behind Sproles and Ingram, while Starks is buried beneath Cedric Benson.
Overall, I think both Lynch and Forte should do the trick for the Spacklers, but the depth certainly scares me.
Wideouts ★★★½☆
Dez Bryant, Vincent Jackson and Hakeem Nicks are a decent trio of wideouts, but they’re three of just four wideouts on Boyer’s team. He may need to work on his depth here, but rolling with the top three should work.
The talent is there for all three, but I can’t say I’m a fan of Bryant. He’s super talented, but I just think the Cowboys are going to continue to struggle this season. I don’t like their offense whatsoever. And Bryant continues to have off-the-field issues, so much so that the Cowboys have instituted a midnight curfew for him, given him security guards and created a strict set of rules — you know, the Lindsay Lohan treatment. It will be interesting to see how this affects him — positively or negatively.
No matter what — the struggles of the Cowboys or his off-the-field issues — Romo is going to find Bryant throughout the season for at least 1,000 yards and about eight TDs.
Jackson also is in line for a decent season. I know Tampa Bay was a mess in 2011, but I really think a new regime in Tampa will help Josh Freeman get back on track this season, and that will greatly help Jackson.
Nicks, if healthy, will work alongside Victor Cruz to help Eli Manning get to 4,000 passing yards and 40 TDs, so clearly he should have a good season.
Tight Ends ★★½☆
Boyer went big last year with Antonio Gates, but that didn’t work out as injuries kept him from being a top fantasy threat. This year, the Spacklers shot a little lower, and that’s just fine because lower may prove to be greater. Jacob Tamme has the potential to be a top tight end this year because Peyton Manning needs a new Dallas Clark — and Tamme can be that guy.
Team Outlook
Last year, I predicted that Team Boyer would win the division and contend for the Super Bowl. Now that I'm done patting myself on the back, I'm going to say it again: The Spacklers will win this division and contend for a Super Bowl.
I know you can't sense it there because it's just words on a Web page, but I was a little nervous with that statement. I think T-Money's team is a bit stronger this year and I really struggled to pick Boyer over him. With NFC West being extremely strong, I believe it will be really tough for two teams from the NFC East to make the playoffs, so this battle between T-Money and the Spacklers will be a great one to watch in 2012.
2. T-Money
2011 Record: 6-7
Career Record : 43-42 (.506)
Playoff Record (Appearances): 2-5 (5)
We all know that Jimmy — yes, speaking third-person here — dislikes Tony Romo as a fantasy quarterback. I'd hate him even more if I were a fan of the Cowboys, but alas, I'm not.
It's well documented that each year I say I don't like him and I always dog the Money Man for it.
But hey, it's 2012. It's time for me to be nice. For one, I have to commend T-Money's commitment to his franchise QB. But in 2011, his franchise QB didn't lead him to the playoffs. His backup QB to start the season, Eli Manning, easily could have led him there, but he dropped him early in the season.
Hopefully, for his sake, he doesn't do the same to his current backup QB Jay Cutler.
Cutler is another guy who I have made fun of in fantasy, but I have to say that I'm on the Cutler bandwagon this season. I think the reunion with Brandon Marshall is going to do wonders. I think the addition of a short-yardage back in Michael Bush is going to keep drives going.
It's going to be a season to remember for Cutler and T-Money shouldn't let him go — and in fact, he should consider starting him on most weekends.
Running Backs ★★★★½
Four and a half stars may be a little bit high for T-Money, but I'm going with it.
He brings back Frank Gore and drafts Fred Jackson to be his main feature backs, while Ahmad Bradshaw, Jacquiz Rodgers and the Redskins tandem of Roy Helu and Evan Royster chill on the bench.
I particularly like the T-Money's pool of backs for a few reasons. (1) His starters — Gore and Jackson — should have decent 1,000-yard seasons, barring injuries. Bradshaw has a chance to get some more carries with Brandon Jacobs not in New York anymore, while having both Helu and Royster pretty much guarantees that if the Redskins have an RB that explodes this season, he'll be on the T-Money's roster.
Lastly, Rodgers reminds me a bit of a Darren Sproles type, in that he can rack up receiving yards out of the backfield and return yards. The third-down, return-man back has proven to be a great commodity nowadays in fantasy football, and Rodgers has the chance to be a spark-plug on the NFC South's Division winner, in my opinion. I think Matt Ryan is going to have a beastly year and Rodgers will be a part of it for sure.
Wideouts ★★★★☆
Last year, T-Money's wideout situation was not ideal.
In 2012, things are shaping up nicely. He has five talented wideouts and four of whom could make serious impacts in 2012.
The top three are Brandon Lloyd, Steve Johnson and Reggie Wayne. I personally thing Lloyd can have a great season in New England. Tom Brady hasn't really had an elite down-field threat since Randy Moss exploded for 23 TDs in 2007.
Lloyd has been explosive in every place he's been, but he just hasn't had the greatest of QBs. He had to deal with Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow, A.J. Feeley and an injured Sam Bradford.
Insert him into an offense run by one of the best QBs to ever play the game and I think we're in for another special season. Also worth noting is that T-Money can steal points from Boyer in their matchups since the Spacklers roll with Mr. Brady.
Johnson also is very talented and he should be in good shape to be on the other end of several Ryan Fitzpatrick TD passes — as long as the pre-major-contract Fitzpatrick shows up this season. The good thing for T-Money is, when the Bills are in the red zone, he's golden, owning both Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson. The percentages are high that if a TD is scored, Johnson or Jackson will be the one dancing.
Wayne is in a new situation, learning how to play with rookie QB Andrew Luck, but Luck appears to be ready to make an impact in 2012. If that's the case. Wayne has to become a favorite target instantly. If Luck truly is one of the best QBs to come into the NFL, then to Wayne, it should feel like the old days when a guy named Peyton Manning use to toss TDs to him.
Also on the roster is Greg Little, who has shown he has the ability to be a big-play wideout, unfortunately, none of the Browns' QBs have shown the ability to get the ball to him consistently. If there's any good news here, rookie QB Brandon Weeden relied heavily on a tall WR at Oklahoma State (Justin Blackmon) and he'll certainly look to duplicate that with Little, who is much taller than his last name suggests.
James Jones rounds out the wideouts, but he'll be lost among several Green Bay wideouts. I'm sure he'll have a good game or two, but T-Money is going to have to be a fantasy genius to start him the correct weeks to benefit from them.
Tight Ends ★★★★½
Jason Witten and Brandon Pettigrew are a great pair of tight ends to have. T-Money will have to keep an eye on matchups weekly to make sure he's starting the right tight end, but still, it's better to have that problem than not have a tight end to start at all. With Witten possibly out for a few games to start the season, Pettigrew should get some early starts and if he flourishes in the Detroit offense — like he should — he might just earn a permanent spot ahead of Witten.
Team Outlook
T-Money has the makings of a sixth playoff appearance in seven years. He missed out on the dance last season and that has to bug him, but looking at his team, he has to be happy with his chances. I think he'll battle Boyer for the division title, but if all goes well with his top two RBs — that or one of his backups emerges as a top-tier option — he'll surprise Boyer and win it.
3. Dottsville Toasters
2011 Record: 5-8
Career Record : 42-40 (.517)
Playoff Record (Appearances): 3-1 (2)
The Toasters walked up to the podium at the 2012 JFL Draft. He placed his arms firmly down onto the wood, gave the room a "you're not going to believe I'm doing this" smile and stated he was going to "live or die" by his pick.
With the fourth selection in the 2012 draft, the Toasters said he wanted to change the direction of his franchise.
It was words like these that had everyone in the room wondering, "Is he taking Andrew Luck this high in the draft?"
Then, he said, "With the fourth pick in the 2012 draft, the Toasters select ... R-G-3."
My jaw dropped. I waited a second for the, "Ha-ha gotcha" moment, but it never came.
The Toasters weren't kidding. This was truly a "Live or die" pick.
In my mind, I haven't seen enough in preseason to push it into the "Live" category. So for now, "The Griff," as I now like to call him, is about a 3-star rating to me.
The Toasters get only two stars because Alex Smith and Nick Foles are the backups. Smith had just six 20-point games last season and Foles is another rookie, who has looked great in preseason, but it's just preseason.
I could be 100 percent wrong. Griffin could have a Cam Newton-like season and make me look like a fool, but I'm OK with that.
Either way, one thing is for sure. The Griffin selection at No. 4 overall allowed others to select top-tier fantasy players. Griffin could have easily been selected in the fourth or fifth round, in my mind, but still, the Toasters followed one of my golden rules: If you have a player you desperately want, forget about the projections and draft him. You'd much rather end up with your guy than miss out of him because you went for Rotoworld's next "projected" pick.
Running Backs ★★★½☆
I can't say I love this group as a whole, but considering the talent at wideout for the Toasters, he'll just need two RBs in most weeks.
Chris Johnson is back with a full offseason of not holding out, so he has a better chance to be the RB who earned a ridiculous contract. The Titans have already said they plan to get him more open-field looks — where he's the most dangerous — with toss plays and swing passes. Add in a talented rookie QB, Jake Locker, who is mobile and can spread the field, and Johnson has a chance to explode for at least 1,500-1,800 yards from scrimmage.
Next up on the depth chart will likely be Michael Bush. The yardage will not be high — unless Matt Forte falters — but the TDs will be there. If he gets 50 yards and a TD, the Toasters will take it. If he scores twice in a game, well, hello Mr. Bush.
Steven Ridley has potential with the Patriots, but I dislike any RB in New England because they never get enough touches.
The Toasters other two RBs are questionable, too. Felix Jones continues to regress and DeMarco Murray will hoard most of the carries away from him. Kendall Hunter is stuck behind Frank Gore, who continues to churn out big seasons.
Wideouts ★★★★½
Calvin Johnson is all I have to say. That's worth several stars alone. Add in Dwayne Bowe, who with a healthy Matt Cassel should have a decent season, and Eric Decker, who actually has a QB who knows how to throw a football, and the Toasters have a great trio of receivers.
Santonio Holmes is a nice addition, too. He's really the only wideout the Jets have, and if he gets his wish and is traded, he could prove to be a great pick for the Toasters. If he doesn't and Tim Tebow starts getting a lot of snaps ... well, just ask Eric Decker how that will work out.
Danny Amendola and Leonard Hankerson also don the Toasters' jersey in 2012, but they likely will not see much playing time.
Tight Ends ★★★½☆
Michael Vick should know by now that Brent Celek is a key to the Eagles passing offense. He had TDs in all three of the Eagles final games of the 2011 season — all wins (hint, hint Andy Reid). Vick should look at the game film and realize how important it is to get the ball to his big tight end. If this happens, the Toasters will have himself a great tight end option. ... If Vick gets injured, well, the backup should know how to find him. Wait? Backup. That's Foles. Holy crap. Are the Toasters rooting for a Vick injury?
Team Outlook
If the Johnson and Johnson Co. can rise to dominance together, we could be in for a repeat of 2009 when the Toasters rolled to a Super Bowl title.
And even though I think those two will have great seasons, I just don't see the Toasters overcoming the hole at QB. I think it will be an on-going issue and I think he struggle with the second RB position.
Worst case scenario, the Toasters learn from his mistake and draft a real QB in the first round next year.
Best case scenario, he goes up to the podium with the No. 12 overall draft pick in 2013, looks right at me and calls me a bad name while holding the JFL trophy.
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