And finally, the most important division.
No, no, no. It’s not because I’m in it.
It’s because the last two Super Bowl champions are in it.
The Sunday Slackers and the Jimmy Jammers have won the last two JFL titles, and they’ve been in a fierce battle for the division title for years.
Well, it was fierce in 2011. In 2012, it was a skirmish that lasted only two weeks. The Jammers went 3-10 and became a mocked man in the JFL.
Meanwhile, the Slackers continued to prosper and won his first Super Bowl.
Heading into 2013, what do we know about the Slackers?
For starters, when you look at his team page, you instantly see that he spent more time on his pre-draft spreadsheets than he did on his new team logo.
That MS Paint masterpiece-of-crap features an upside down triangle and poorly drawn letters that surprisingly spell his team name correctly. It’s like the Slackers broke into an elementary school, handed a color-blind kindergarten student a black crayon and forced him to draw.
After an agonizing 70 seconds, the promising child produced this thing to the left.
It’s almost as annoying as the Jaguars’ new helmet.
If a Super Bowl title warrants a new logo, perhaps that kid will be revisited in the first grade, because the Slackers are favored to win the division again. A unanimous pick, earning nine first-place votes, the Slackers scored 27 points in the poll.
The Jammers were the unanimous second pick with 18 and the Jawz Attack were third with 9 points.
Now, we all saw the poll pan out this way last year, as the Attack stepped up and finished second anyway, so he will shrug off this lack of respect easily.
AFC East Preseason Poll
1. Sunday Slackers.............27 points (9 first-place votes)
2. Jimmy Jammers..............18 points
3. Jawz Attack.....................9 points
Sunday Slackers
2012 Record, Finish: 12-4 (AFC East Champion, AFC Champion, Super Bowl VII Champion)
Career Record : 35-34-1 (.507)
Playoff Record (Appearances): 3-2 (3)
Quarterbacks ★★★★★
The Slackers are in great shape at quarterback. They have arguably the best fantasy starter in the QB ranks with Drew Brees, and he has the poor-man’s favorite fantasy QB in Ben Roethlisberger.
So if anything happens to Brees, he has a viable backup in Big Ben. Brees threw for 5,177 yards and 43 touchdowns last year, despite having thrown 19 interceptions. He had 11 starts where he reached 28 or more fantasy points, which to me is the desired output from a QB. I’ve always drawn the line at around 26 to 28 points. If you can get that, you’ll be in line to win.
Brees averaged 31.7 a week, and that’s why the Slackers were racking up the wins. That should continue in 2013.
Running Backs ★★★★★
Here we go again, five more stars.
Ray Rice and C.J. Spiller are the best RB tandem in the JFL — on paper. The Slackers did pick up Bernard Pierce as a handcuff to Rice for a reason. He has to know that four straight years of 300-plus touches (rushing and receiving) is taking its toll on the halfback. I know he’s only 26, but we often see a decline after three to four years of heavy work.
I’m not saying it’s going to happen, and in fact, I’d go as far to say that it won’t, but it does have to be a thought that creeps into the Slackers’ mind.
But I guess that’s why he moved up to No. 1 overall to get C.J. Spiller. He’s everyone’s favorite for a huge breakout season. Spiller actually out-gained Rice last year, so in many ways, he could be considered the Slackers No. 1 back.
Needless to say, the Slackers will roll with two backs on a weekly basis. There will be no need to squeeze in a WR in that flex spot.
Oh, and Roy Helu says hello from the bench.
Wideouts ★★★★☆
Torrey Smith rejoins the Super Bowl champs for another season. I like him and he was a target for my team, but a target as my third wideout. He may not crack the starting lineup with Demaryius Thomas and Mike Williams also on the roster. Thomas, who ranked sixth among fantasy wideouts with 1,434 yards and 10 TDs, will certainly be the No. 1, although I expect his 141 targets from Peyton Manning to decrease significantly with the addition of Wes Welker. Welker is sure to get 80 to 100 targets, and that has to come out of someone’s payload.
Williams had an up and down year, but he should be worthy of a start on most weeks, unless the Slackers’ late picks of Emmanuel Sanders and Rueben Randle turn out to be this year’s A.J. Green discovery. … I have my doubts there.
Nevertheless, with the amount of points Rice and Spiller will rack up each week, there really is no need for his wideouts to go crazy. Low double-digits will do the trick. If they fall into the low single-digits, that’s where we’ll see the opportunity for teams to upset the Slackers.
Tight Ends ★★★★☆
Everyone goes after Jimmy Graham in the first round, meanwhile Jason Witten is available in the fourth round. With 110 receptions and 1,039 yards, he is an exceptional fantasy tight end to have. The only downside last year was his red zone production, which led to only three TDs. The Slackers will hope for at least eight to hold a nice advantage over most teams at the tight end position.
Team Outlook
I can downgrade the wideouts all I want. Nothing will change the fact that this is a great fantasy team out of the gates. It’s understandable why he’s the favorite to win the division for a third straight year, and if that happens, the Jammers dynasty will truly come to an end. And the Jawz will petition to move to the NFC North and form a lopsided conference.
Jimmy Jammers
2012 Record, Finish: 3-10
Career Record : 67-37 (.644)
Playoff Record (Appearances): 9-4 (6)
Quarterbacks ★★★★½
Matthew Stafford took a step back last year, but only in the touchdown department. He still threw for 4,967 yards and had some big fantasy weeks. He had only five TD passes in the first six weeks of the season and that was a huge problem for the Jammers as he scored more than 23 points once during that span. He had a few more poor performances after that.
So the big question was why? What happened in 2012?
The simple answer was Calvin Johnson wasn’t open. Teams were able to triple team him — and he still beat that at times — because the Lions didn’t have any other threats. They had no running game. Their other wideouts had bricks for hands. I watched several Lions games and the amount of dropped passes were unbelievable. Stafford easily could have been right there with Brees flirting with the yardage record if it weren’t for these bonehead drops.
To help alleviate the pain on offense, the Lions brought in Reggie Bush, and in my mind, this was one of the best moves of the offseason. He will be able to do a couple things in this offense. First of all, he’ll be able to create a running game that wasn’t there, and secondly, in passing situations, he’ll have to draw the attention of the secondary. That means Calvin Johnson will not be covered by three guys, and if he is, Bush is open. Stafford should bolster his TDs back up into the high 30s and that will be a significant boost for the Jammers.
If that fails, there’s a wild card in Michael Vick. The new Chip Kelly offense could be explosive, and that’s why when Stafford is on the bye and the Eagles play the Raiders, the Jammers should be OK with Vick. Of course, that's if Vick is still healthy in Week 9.
Running Backs ★★★½☆
I kind of already gave you the inside scoop on Reggie Bush, so you can be guaranteed to see him in the flex position weekly. Joining him at RB will be David Wilson, who should be the main guy in New York. He’ll get the chance to carry the ball 250 to 280 times this year, and based on what he did on 71 carries last year, the Jammers should be in for a treat.
If not, it’s possible Mark Ingram gets the nod as he seems to be ready to carry a bigger load this season. He didn’t have a 100-yard game last season, but he did finally start to see double-digit touches late in the season. That led to four of his five TDs, and in those games, the Saints were 3-1. Maybe it’s time to run the ball a little more.
Yeah, I know. I only say that because I want Drew Brees to slow down.
And lastly, Knile Davis is on the roster just in case Jamaal Charles disappears — injury, kidnapping, alien abduction, I don't care which. Although, the latter would be cool, even though I would critique the aliens on their No. 1 Overall Intergalactic Abduction Expansion Draft Pick. We all know that if an alien world wanted to start their own NFL franchise, they'd have to take Brandon Weeden first. Right, Toasters?
Wideouts ★★★★★
Five stars at wideout? Yes sir.
Am I biased? Yes sir.
Am I wrong? No sir.
Julio Jones and Dez Bryant are atop the wideout rankings after combining for 2,580 yards and 22 TDs in 2012. Jones was up and down with nine double-digit performances throughout the season, while Bryant took off in Week 10, scoring double-digits in seven straight games. He had 10 TD catches and took over the Cowboys offense.
Naturally, I believe both are in store for big seasons in 2013, and if they can duplicate their 2012 success, the Jammers will be in much better shape.
T.Y. Hilton also had a strong 2012 as a rookie with 861 yards and seven scores, and with a year’s worth of experience with rookie QB Andrew Luck, it’s possible the Colts have their new Manning-to-Harrison tandem in Luck and Hilton.
Alshon Jeffery, whose had a lot of targets during the preseason from Cutler, and Kenny Britt also join the Jammers in 2013. I believe Jeffrey is primed for a breakout if Cutler can get him the ball like he did with Brandon Marshall last season. As a fifth wideout, Britt can only be viewed as a low-risk, high-reward pick.
Tight Ends ★★½☆☆
As soon as Vernon Davis went off the board, the Jammers had to go with Plan B, and that was his intended backup Jared Cook. He’s had the talent to be a great tight end, but he didn’t have the team. With Sam Bradford and the Rams, Cook may be able to use his speed (4.49) to reinstall the Greatest Show on Turf. With speed guys like Tavon Austin and Chris Givens, Bradford will have many speedy weapons roaming the field. If Cook falters, the Jammers will just go back to the double-point approach with Brandon Pettigrew.
Team Outlook
Better than three wins. Is it unbiased for me to write that? It has to be true. I hit some bad luck with matchups last year, giving up 1,626.5 points last year. The offense wasn’t among the best, but nevertheless, there were weeks where the point totals were enough to beat a majority of the JFL, just not the opponent at hand. I mean, 1,626.5 points. Graybill was next with 1,509. That’s an average of nine more points given up per week. Ouch.
So, in 2013, things have to be better. As long as the first two draft picks don’t miss a chunk of the season to injury — as both top picks did last year — the Jammers should battle the Slackers for the division title, and certainly be in the race for the wild card.
Jawz Attack
2012 Record, Finish: 6-7
Career Record : 14-25 (.359)
Playoff Record (Appearances): 0-0 (0)
Quarterbacks ★★★★½
There was a good part of me that thought about dropping Matthew Stafford to keep Alfred Morris so I could draft Russell Wilson, but I didn’t.
Then, I decided that even after keeping Matthew Stafford, I was going to draft Russell Wilson in the fourth round.
But the Attack swooped in at the right time and took him in the third round. If he didn’t, it may have been another year with Big Ben and Josh Freeman.
Freeman did eventually wind up back on the roster, but this year, he’s the definite backup.
Wilson will improve upon his 3,118 passing yards and 26 TDs (as well as his 489 rushing yards and four rushing TDs). I’m excited to see what he can do as an NFL fan, but now that he’s a division rival, it will be a little harder to watch.
Running Backs ★★★½☆
Jawz has a monopoly on Richardsons. Daryl and Trent both join the team, which already brought back Maurice Jones-Drew — who for 2013, I will now call Maurice Jones-Drew-Richardson.
No matter what you want to call Jones-Drew, Jawz's RB attack is already a much better group than last year's.
Trent Richardson surprised us all last year with his 267 carries for 950 yards and 11 scores after we thought he was an injury risk. He also was a receiving threat with 51 receptions for 367 yards and a TD. As a first-round pick, he locks up one of the starting positions for sure.
Daryl Richardson is an exciting pick and could steal the other starting slot if Jones-Drew-Richardson continues to falter. And if both succeed, well, then it’s trading time on Amity Island.
Wideouts ★★★½☆
Ah, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings and Antonio Brown. All members of the 2011 Super Bowl Champion Jammers.
It brings back memories to get these guys together.
Add in Dwayne Bowe and now there’s an interesting mix of high potential wideouts.
We all know what Fitzgerald can do with a quarterback, and presumably with Carson Palmer, he has that for the first time since Kurt Warner was in the desert.
Greg Jennings has left Green Bay, so there are some questions to whether or not Christian Ponder can find him like Aaron Rodgers could. That means, the other wideout slot will be either Brown or Bowe.
I like Brown to bounce back, as we saw him improve late last year when he was finally healthy. And Bowe could benefit from a winning coach like Andy Reid.
Because of the question marks, this crew gets 3½ but it easily can be five.
Tight Ends ★★½☆☆
Jermichael Finley wasn’t much of a threat last year, and neither was Coby Fleener. This may be the only trouble spot for the Jawz as he’ll just hope to skate by with some decent performances here or there.
Team Outlook
He may have garnered the fewest poll points of any team, but he certainly will not be the worst JFL team. The NFC West is hands down the most competitive, but the AFC East is a close second. Jawz will give both the Jammers and the Slackers something to think about.
No, no, no. It’s not because I’m in it.
It’s because the last two Super Bowl champions are in it.
The Sunday Slackers and the Jimmy Jammers have won the last two JFL titles, and they’ve been in a fierce battle for the division title for years.
Well, it was fierce in 2011. In 2012, it was a skirmish that lasted only two weeks. The Jammers went 3-10 and became a mocked man in the JFL.
Meanwhile, the Slackers continued to prosper and won his first Super Bowl.
Heading into 2013, what do we know about the Slackers?
For starters, when you look at his team page, you instantly see that he spent more time on his pre-draft spreadsheets than he did on his new team logo.
After an agonizing 70 seconds, the promising child produced this thing to the left.
It’s almost as annoying as the Jaguars’ new helmet.
If a Super Bowl title warrants a new logo, perhaps that kid will be revisited in the first grade, because the Slackers are favored to win the division again. A unanimous pick, earning nine first-place votes, the Slackers scored 27 points in the poll.
The Jammers were the unanimous second pick with 18 and the Jawz Attack were third with 9 points.
Now, we all saw the poll pan out this way last year, as the Attack stepped up and finished second anyway, so he will shrug off this lack of respect easily.
AFC East Preseason Poll
1. Sunday Slackers.............27 points (9 first-place votes)
2. Jimmy Jammers..............18 points
3. Jawz Attack.....................9 points
Sunday Slackers
2012 Record, Finish: 12-4 (AFC East Champion, AFC Champion, Super Bowl VII Champion)
Career Record : 35-34-1 (.507)
Playoff Record (Appearances): 3-2 (3)
Quarterbacks ★★★★★
So if anything happens to Brees, he has a viable backup in Big Ben. Brees threw for 5,177 yards and 43 touchdowns last year, despite having thrown 19 interceptions. He had 11 starts where he reached 28 or more fantasy points, which to me is the desired output from a QB. I’ve always drawn the line at around 26 to 28 points. If you can get that, you’ll be in line to win.
Brees averaged 31.7 a week, and that’s why the Slackers were racking up the wins. That should continue in 2013.
Running Backs ★★★★★
Here we go again, five more stars.
Ray Rice and C.J. Spiller are the best RB tandem in the JFL — on paper. The Slackers did pick up Bernard Pierce as a handcuff to Rice for a reason. He has to know that four straight years of 300-plus touches (rushing and receiving) is taking its toll on the halfback. I know he’s only 26, but we often see a decline after three to four years of heavy work.
I’m not saying it’s going to happen, and in fact, I’d go as far to say that it won’t, but it does have to be a thought that creeps into the Slackers’ mind.
But I guess that’s why he moved up to No. 1 overall to get C.J. Spiller. He’s everyone’s favorite for a huge breakout season. Spiller actually out-gained Rice last year, so in many ways, he could be considered the Slackers No. 1 back.
Needless to say, the Slackers will roll with two backs on a weekly basis. There will be no need to squeeze in a WR in that flex spot.
Oh, and Roy Helu says hello from the bench.
Wideouts ★★★★☆
Torrey Smith rejoins the Super Bowl champs for another season. I like him and he was a target for my team, but a target as my third wideout. He may not crack the starting lineup with Demaryius Thomas and Mike Williams also on the roster. Thomas, who ranked sixth among fantasy wideouts with 1,434 yards and 10 TDs, will certainly be the No. 1, although I expect his 141 targets from Peyton Manning to decrease significantly with the addition of Wes Welker. Welker is sure to get 80 to 100 targets, and that has to come out of someone’s payload.
Williams had an up and down year, but he should be worthy of a start on most weeks, unless the Slackers’ late picks of Emmanuel Sanders and Rueben Randle turn out to be this year’s A.J. Green discovery. … I have my doubts there.
Nevertheless, with the amount of points Rice and Spiller will rack up each week, there really is no need for his wideouts to go crazy. Low double-digits will do the trick. If they fall into the low single-digits, that’s where we’ll see the opportunity for teams to upset the Slackers.
Tight Ends ★★★★☆
Everyone goes after Jimmy Graham in the first round, meanwhile Jason Witten is available in the fourth round. With 110 receptions and 1,039 yards, he is an exceptional fantasy tight end to have. The only downside last year was his red zone production, which led to only three TDs. The Slackers will hope for at least eight to hold a nice advantage over most teams at the tight end position.
Team Outlook
I can downgrade the wideouts all I want. Nothing will change the fact that this is a great fantasy team out of the gates. It’s understandable why he’s the favorite to win the division for a third straight year, and if that happens, the Jammers dynasty will truly come to an end. And the Jawz will petition to move to the NFC North and form a lopsided conference.
Jimmy Jammers
2012 Record, Finish: 3-10
Career Record : 67-37 (.644)
Playoff Record (Appearances): 9-4 (6)
Quarterbacks ★★★★½
So the big question was why? What happened in 2012?
The simple answer was Calvin Johnson wasn’t open. Teams were able to triple team him — and he still beat that at times — because the Lions didn’t have any other threats. They had no running game. Their other wideouts had bricks for hands. I watched several Lions games and the amount of dropped passes were unbelievable. Stafford easily could have been right there with Brees flirting with the yardage record if it weren’t for these bonehead drops.
To help alleviate the pain on offense, the Lions brought in Reggie Bush, and in my mind, this was one of the best moves of the offseason. He will be able to do a couple things in this offense. First of all, he’ll be able to create a running game that wasn’t there, and secondly, in passing situations, he’ll have to draw the attention of the secondary. That means Calvin Johnson will not be covered by three guys, and if he is, Bush is open. Stafford should bolster his TDs back up into the high 30s and that will be a significant boost for the Jammers.
If that fails, there’s a wild card in Michael Vick. The new Chip Kelly offense could be explosive, and that’s why when Stafford is on the bye and the Eagles play the Raiders, the Jammers should be OK with Vick. Of course, that's if Vick is still healthy in Week 9.
Running Backs ★★★½☆
I kind of already gave you the inside scoop on Reggie Bush, so you can be guaranteed to see him in the flex position weekly. Joining him at RB will be David Wilson, who should be the main guy in New York. He’ll get the chance to carry the ball 250 to 280 times this year, and based on what he did on 71 carries last year, the Jammers should be in for a treat.
If not, it’s possible Mark Ingram gets the nod as he seems to be ready to carry a bigger load this season. He didn’t have a 100-yard game last season, but he did finally start to see double-digit touches late in the season. That led to four of his five TDs, and in those games, the Saints were 3-1. Maybe it’s time to run the ball a little more.
Yeah, I know. I only say that because I want Drew Brees to slow down.And lastly, Knile Davis is on the roster just in case Jamaal Charles disappears — injury, kidnapping, alien abduction, I don't care which. Although, the latter would be cool, even though I would critique the aliens on their No. 1 Overall Intergalactic Abduction Expansion Draft Pick. We all know that if an alien world wanted to start their own NFL franchise, they'd have to take Brandon Weeden first. Right, Toasters?
Wideouts ★★★★★
Five stars at wideout? Yes sir.
Am I biased? Yes sir.
Am I wrong? No sir.
Julio Jones and Dez Bryant are atop the wideout rankings after combining for 2,580 yards and 22 TDs in 2012. Jones was up and down with nine double-digit performances throughout the season, while Bryant took off in Week 10, scoring double-digits in seven straight games. He had 10 TD catches and took over the Cowboys offense.
Naturally, I believe both are in store for big seasons in 2013, and if they can duplicate their 2012 success, the Jammers will be in much better shape.
T.Y. Hilton also had a strong 2012 as a rookie with 861 yards and seven scores, and with a year’s worth of experience with rookie QB Andrew Luck, it’s possible the Colts have their new Manning-to-Harrison tandem in Luck and Hilton.
Alshon Jeffery, whose had a lot of targets during the preseason from Cutler, and Kenny Britt also join the Jammers in 2013. I believe Jeffrey is primed for a breakout if Cutler can get him the ball like he did with Brandon Marshall last season. As a fifth wideout, Britt can only be viewed as a low-risk, high-reward pick.
Tight Ends ★★½☆☆
As soon as Vernon Davis went off the board, the Jammers had to go with Plan B, and that was his intended backup Jared Cook. He’s had the talent to be a great tight end, but he didn’t have the team. With Sam Bradford and the Rams, Cook may be able to use his speed (4.49) to reinstall the Greatest Show on Turf. With speed guys like Tavon Austin and Chris Givens, Bradford will have many speedy weapons roaming the field. If Cook falters, the Jammers will just go back to the double-point approach with Brandon Pettigrew.
Team Outlook
Better than three wins. Is it unbiased for me to write that? It has to be true. I hit some bad luck with matchups last year, giving up 1,626.5 points last year. The offense wasn’t among the best, but nevertheless, there were weeks where the point totals were enough to beat a majority of the JFL, just not the opponent at hand. I mean, 1,626.5 points. Graybill was next with 1,509. That’s an average of nine more points given up per week. Ouch.
So, in 2013, things have to be better. As long as the first two draft picks don’t miss a chunk of the season to injury — as both top picks did last year — the Jammers should battle the Slackers for the division title, and certainly be in the race for the wild card.
Jawz Attack
2012 Record, Finish: 6-7
Career Record : 14-25 (.359)
Playoff Record (Appearances): 0-0 (0)
Quarterbacks ★★★★½
Then, I decided that even after keeping Matthew Stafford, I was going to draft Russell Wilson in the fourth round.
But the Attack swooped in at the right time and took him in the third round. If he didn’t, it may have been another year with Big Ben and Josh Freeman.
Freeman did eventually wind up back on the roster, but this year, he’s the definite backup.
Wilson will improve upon his 3,118 passing yards and 26 TDs (as well as his 489 rushing yards and four rushing TDs). I’m excited to see what he can do as an NFL fan, but now that he’s a division rival, it will be a little harder to watch.
Running Backs ★★★½☆
Jawz has a monopoly on Richardsons. Daryl and Trent both join the team, which already brought back Maurice Jones-Drew — who for 2013, I will now call Maurice Jones-Drew-Richardson.
No matter what you want to call Jones-Drew, Jawz's RB attack is already a much better group than last year's.
Trent Richardson surprised us all last year with his 267 carries for 950 yards and 11 scores after we thought he was an injury risk. He also was a receiving threat with 51 receptions for 367 yards and a TD. As a first-round pick, he locks up one of the starting positions for sure.
Daryl Richardson is an exciting pick and could steal the other starting slot if Jones-Drew-Richardson continues to falter. And if both succeed, well, then it’s trading time on Amity Island.
Wideouts ★★★½☆
Ah, Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings and Antonio Brown. All members of the 2011 Super Bowl Champion Jammers.
It brings back memories to get these guys together.
Add in Dwayne Bowe and now there’s an interesting mix of high potential wideouts.
We all know what Fitzgerald can do with a quarterback, and presumably with Carson Palmer, he has that for the first time since Kurt Warner was in the desert.
Greg Jennings has left Green Bay, so there are some questions to whether or not Christian Ponder can find him like Aaron Rodgers could. That means, the other wideout slot will be either Brown or Bowe.
I like Brown to bounce back, as we saw him improve late last year when he was finally healthy. And Bowe could benefit from a winning coach like Andy Reid.
Because of the question marks, this crew gets 3½ but it easily can be five.
Tight Ends ★★½☆☆
Jermichael Finley wasn’t much of a threat last year, and neither was Coby Fleener. This may be the only trouble spot for the Jawz as he’ll just hope to skate by with some decent performances here or there.
Team Outlook
He may have garnered the fewest poll points of any team, but he certainly will not be the worst JFL team. The NFC West is hands down the most competitive, but the AFC East is a close second. Jawz will give both the Jammers and the Slackers something to think about.
Comments