Week 8: When both your teams lose...

The double whammy. Every fantasy owner loathes it -- when your fantasy team loses on the same weekend as your favorite NFL team. This year, my favorite NFL team has gone south with a historically bad defense for the Saints under a new defensive coordinator. Luckily, my fantasy team is having success in a rare season for Dah Commish.

Serkus owner Stan Goff relays his plight in Week 8 as his beloved Cowboys fail to come up with a game-winning TD against the Giants:

"AHHHHHH. That TD reversal at the buzzer had me swearing at the TV and scaring my dog. Cowboys would have had a huge victory and a sweep over NYG, and Serkus Act also would have had a big win.

Instead, I suffer through two tough losses yesterday. 

 

Of course, each of the guys I was worried about injuries with I sit and they each score TDs (F. Jones and J. Graham). Oh well. I watched part of the game with DJ and he was like 'Man, Tynes might just be a a POW.'

 

I also changed my kicker at the last minute, based on all the scary weather reports...I had Matt Bryant written down (of course he has 3 FGs and 3 PATs) and I switched to Bailey due to storm concerns...oops. I was a very bad GM this week."

Week 7: Trudging along

From Serkus owner Stan Goff:

"Despite zeroes from Felix Jones and Dez Bryant, Serkus Act defeated Barrels 52-50.

I was led by Brees' 21 points and helped a ton by four field goals from the Cowboys' kicker.

Even so, the biggest key may have been Carson Palmer's 1-yard keeper after Oakland had a first and goal at the one and passed on giving the ball to the Barrels' Darren McFadden (who by the way was in the same college backfield as Felix Jones)."

 

 

Week 7: Winning with defense

Serkus owner Stan Goff commented to Dah Commish: "Congrats! I think it's been a while since you had the best record in all of Finks Land."

Dah Commish responds: "My Cleopatra team stinks. I've had to go Matt Simo free-agent ace to pick up RBs and WRs left and right. This is by far the most players I've ever used because my bids sucked. I got no RBs and WRs that I wanted. So far, I have carried 10 different RBs and seven different WRs on my roster. In actual matches, I have used seven different RBs in a lineup and five WRs.

How do I explain that my current fantasy success is due to my defense? My opponents are wilting when they play me. The most amount of points I have given up during my current five match win streak is 32. This can't possibly last."

Crossovers are coming

Just a reminder that the next three weeks, the midpoint of the season, is all crossovers between members of the Lambert Division vs. the Nitschkes. Weeks 7 and Week 9 are the extra weeks added in, meaning those are the only weeks where you will play an opposing team in the other division twice.

Not rolling out the Barrels

From Barrels owner Chris Traczek:

Has a team fallen as far, as fast, as the 2012 Creighton Barrels? After nearly setting a single-game scoring record with 81 points in Week 1, they have dropped four straight, two in lackluster fashion (18 and 24 points in Weeks 2 and 5) and two in tough-luck fashion (43 and 42 points in Weeks 3 and 4).

 

Prior to Week 5, ownership tried to send a message to the locker room by jettisoning its kicking staff (Cundiff and Barth for Zuerlein and Novak) and adding another maybe-I'll-catch-lightning-in-a-bottle RB (J. Stewart).

 

The problem has been inconsistency. Julio Jones was great in Weeks 1, 3 and (to a lesser extent) 5, but a ghost in Weeks 2 and 4. McFadden has been on a roller-coaster all season. Flacco was spectacular in September (when I admittedly stuck with Romo for too long), but then lays a goose egg in Week 5 when even an Andy Dalton-level performance would have gotten me a win. As a Vikings fan and proud owner of him, I am thrilled that Adrian Peterson appears to be fully recovered, but why were the Vikings handing the ball to Harvin on first-and-goal at the 4 on Sunday?

 

With all that said, I still like my team and think it's capable of a turnaround, but that must start immediately.

Regarding the so-called fantasy "experts," they are all stealing money, mainly because there is no accountability. For example, Rotoworld has Jones and AJ Green ranked as the Nos. 1 and 2 WRs for Week 5. When neither came close to approaching that level, were there any mea culpas? No, there was either excuse-making (the coaches didn't "target," this season's term do jour, them enough) or they just moved ahead to their (extremely flawed) analysis of Week 6.

 

Reminds me of that douche bag Jay Mariotti. For years he insisted that the White Sox would never win a World Series with Jerry Reinsdorf as their owner, but when the glorious fall of 2005 happened (has it been 7 years already?) did he admit he was wrong? No, he just wrote, "Come on, Sox fans, admit it, you thought the same thing, too." Like I said: "douche bag."

 

OK, enough of my ranting, good luck to everyone the rest of the way--and look out for the Barrels, they can't be nearly as bad as they've been so far (I hope and pray).

Week 5: Looking at the one-third poll

Bears coach Lovie Smith is famous for breaking down the NFL season schedule by quarters. I offer my Cleopatra team's analysis at the one-third poll of our 15-week Finks League regular season.

Cleopatra is 4-1 with smoke and mirrors heading into their biggest match of the season in Week 6 against the Eggers. Cleopatra ranks first in the league in defense (141 pts), always a dubious category in fantasy based on pure luck, and the team ranks sixth in offense (211).

In the preseason auction, I was outbid in both RBs and WRs for any of my major choices. My No. 1 QB was Brees NO and my No. 1 WR was A. Green CIN. Cleopatra lost its season opener, but then beat Serkus 49-23 in Week 2. With garbage at RB and WR, there was hope.

No other owner has made as many transactions. I have made a transaction every week thus far. I have another one brewing for Week 6. Unbelievably, I have carried nine different RBs on my roster and six WRs. Only one RB (D. Brown IND) remains from my Week 1 roster. My other RBs from Week 1 are a trivia question: Helu WAS, Redman PIT and Starks GB, who I believe has not played this season.

One of the challenges of running a fantasy team is gauging who to listen to for fantasy advice. I don't follow the NFL all that well to know what's happening out there. I need help. But anyone who calls himself an expert, is not an expert. Anyone can be an expert. All you need is a mouthpiece. The KFFL.com expert that had Starks listed in the middle of the pack among preseason RBs was wrong.

What is your experience with following fantasy web sites? Also, feel free to send in your own one-third season analysis as a blog comment or email finks1994@gmail.com.