Billy Bean Runs a Fantasy Football Team

Unbiased...Unconventional...Winning

It is that time of year.  No more moch drafts.  No more cheat sheet analysis on your smart phone while you are supposed to be being a "productive" employee at your business.  No more debates in the lunch room as to whether or not going RB RB is a must this year or you can wait and get a guy like Le'veon Bell as a RB2 later on.  No more shaking your head in disbelief that guys like Matthew Berry make a good living off of our NFL Larping and is often offering up only mediocre fantasy advice. It is put up or shut up and let the drafts begin.  We all want to put together the right type of talent that is going to win us our leagues. Whether it is for a trophy with a Nerf Football duck taped to it or for a $500 pay out, let us give you some basic strategy this year for your fantasy football draft.

1.  Don't, don't, don't overreach.  There is a large psychological factor that plays into fantasy football drafts and some guys will get drafted early because of their name, recent performance, or team, when in reality you could get the same type of player for a later round pick.  Find value and see where the draft is falling.  Sure this may be a generic overarching philosophy but it is one that is easy forget in the heat of the moment.  Check the emotions at the door and if you pass on a hometown guy do not fret because it's not personal, just business.

 (Calvin Johnson, man among boys? Yes.  Best WR of our generation? Yes.  Worth taking in the top 5?  Probably not)

2.  Past Injuries or "coming off of down years" are overrated.  Don't overlook a guy just because he is "injury prone" or coming off of a "down year" or there is no exciting "buzz" about them this year.  Injuries can happen to an NFL player at any given time and if for some reason a DeMarco Murray falls to an absurdly 6th round, you best be jumping on him like (insert generic jumping metaphor reference).  Look at what players do when they ARE on the field and use that as a factor to help place value.  A lot of teams make a lot of off season moves to help those guys coming off of down years as well (Chris Johnson).

 (CJ 1.2k from last year has a much improved Off Line this year and his ADP is mid round 2 with top 10 potential)

 3.  Wait on QBs if you want.  If you don't want Drew or A-Rod and Tom or Cam go higher then you would like, then wait for round 7 for a QB and gobble up every WR and RB you can.  Whether they are solid 2's and 3's, other peoples handcuffs or even potential sleepers that have an outside shot as breakouts.  In round 7 you could potentially get a Matthew Stafford, Tony Romo, Russel Wilson or Andy Dalton.

 (preseason is not reality, but it does suggest some that the last half of last year could be the norm for the former Rutgers star)

4.  Points Win Games.  Just like Billy Bean with scoring runs being all that matters, scoring fantasy points is all that matters.  You want guys that are going to be sure things for points.  If that is WR then you want targets, targets, targets and if it is a running back you want touches touches touches. For QB's you want a guy who is more likely to throw or scramble from the 4 or 5 yd line then he is to hand it off.  See how the room is drafting and don't let biases creep in! I guarantee you other teams will avoid guys because they are letting their own biases take over and Darren McFadden is sitting there in round 6 or 7 with top 10 upside potential.  Did I want to take Cam Newton in a recent draft? Absolutely not.  I could just imagine seeing that dumb superman touchdown celebration in my nightmares as I am left out of the playoffs this year.  Nonetheless, when he falls to mid-round 4 and I have two RB studs and a WR stud, I took him.   Value, Value, Value.

 (Elite NFL QB? No.  700+ Rush Yds and 6-ish TDs? Probably.)

5.  Get talented starters first. Last but certainly not least, we all want to find that break out fantasy stud this year.  Please however secure all of your starting positions with elite or close to elite talent (except Def. and K) before you go filling up your bench with back-ups.  Don't be gobbling up RB's or QB's for your bench when your first 5 picks were 3 RB's, a QB and a WR.  Make sure you have a solid starting line-up before you go on the hunt for a lottery ticket.

What to take from the Bengals Fake Game #1

Depth, Depth and... some more Depth!

Done are the days where Bengals fans would have to worry about Andy Dalton going down and The Mighty (Awful) Bruce Gradkowski would step in as Quarterback. We do not about you all, but we for certain were always worried whenever Dalton took a hard hit or an awkward fall because we knew that Bruce would come trotting out to the field. His play at Quarterback just did not fit what the Bengals were looking for and the team finally realized that after too many years of him as backup. Looking into this year and after Thursday night, we got to see a glimpse of just what we have to look forward to if Dalton does have to miss a few minutes or games. Taking over in the second quarter Josh Johnson received a great amount of playing time, over two quarters of the game. We have been hearing good things about him during training camp and finally we were able to see it in a game, all be it a fake game, but nonetheless he showed us that we have a solid backup which is huge in the NFL. Whether it was his 64 yards rushing on 4 attempts or his 9 of 16 passing with 100 yards and 1 TD, he did a great job at controlling the tempo, adjusting at the line and not turning the ball over on stupid mistakes. We aren't saying that he is starter material or that we have completely ignored his below par first few years in the NFL (5 TD 10 INT), but needless to say if Dalton goes down against the Browns again we probably won't have to rely on a backyard football play for us to come away with the win!

The Orange and Black even displayed an admirable performance from a 3rd string Quarterback has a pretty decent amount of starting NFL experience and has showed flashes of talent from time to time. Us Bengal fans might remember him as the guy that almost came back and beat us in the fourth quarter last year while they were trailing us by a little over 2 touchdowns. Enter John Skelton, the starting QB for the Cardinals last year was signed by the Bengals in the offseason and is currently listed as our 3rd string QB. Although his playtime came in the 4th quarter where we decided to run the ball 20 times, Skelton managed to find Sanzenbacher on a seam down the middle with a perfectly thrown ball. Depth at QB is huge in the NFL and something the Bengals have lacked for awhile until now and that has to make Bengal nation felling pretty good.

Go Bucks!

Some of you have heard of him and some you maybe have not. It's okay because after Thursday night every Bengal fan has been introduced to the speedy Dane Sanzenbacher. Drafted by the Bears out of The Ohio State University, Dane struggled to find the field for the Bears and they ended up letting him go come seasons end last year. Hey, fine by us! Although it was only one game, Dane has been impressing coaches all training camp Special Team-wise and Offensively. Shortly after his 71 yard punt return where we saw his quickness and agility, Sanzenbacher followed if up with a perfectly run seam right down the middle and a quick 10 yard jolt into the endzone for the second time Thursday night against the Falcons. With Baby Hawk out for what looks to be awhile, look for Dane to maybe work his way into the starting slot and become a great option for Andy Dalton this year.

Defense Wins Championships

The Bengals Defense was nothing short of perfect Thursday night against the Falcons. It looks as if teams are certainly going to struggle with running the ball on us this year. Our D-Line is stacked to say the least.  Geno, Dunlap, Johnson, Gilberry, Geathers, athletic freak Margus Hunt, second year player Devon Still and let us not forget Bengal leader Domata Peko! That is a frightening front line to look at if you are the opposing team. Then comes the new look Linebacking core which played with some attitude Thursday. Adding James Harrison looks like it is going to be a great signing for the Bengals, the leadership and experience he will be able to teach to LBs like Vontaze Burfict and Rey Maualuga can only help them.  Will he still have to adapt to more pass coverage responsibilities? Yes.  Is he still a man among boys at times on field?  Absolutely. Speaking of Rey did any one else notice him actually cover Chase Coffman on the out route on 3 and 9 and actually look decent in pass coverage? Where was that last year against the Texans? Oh well, you cant live in the past and if Rey keeps up with the decent pass coverage and the growth of Vontaze and the Veteran James Harrison, how can anyone run on that front 7?

Who else was excited to see Kirkpatrick make it on the field? We were for sure and we definitely saw what kind of speed and man coverage Dre has which made him 1st round material in the draft. If he can stay healthy and line up with Veterans like Leon Hall, Terrance Newman and Adam Jones, wow we are looking at a secondary that has the quickness, has the ball hawks and has the perfect blend of coverage for the NFL. Finally there was the Safties fighting for the second starting job opposite Reggie Nelson who once again looked amazing. Splitting time were Taylor Mays, Shawn Williams and George Illoka. None really outperformed head and shoulders above the others but Taylor Mays and George Illoka showed some great run D at the line of scrimmage. Shawn Williams looked great in pass coverage and we saw some weakness in the run D, but this should be an interesting battle all preseason and we cant wait to see who steps up and takes the spot! 

Bengals Vs. Falcons: Fake Game #1

Fake Game #1 is hear at last!  Sure season ticket holders had to pay full price for them, sure you may find yourself flipping the channel to a rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond by the start of the 2nd quarter, but the preseason is a very important time for many players and coaches.  As the Bengals are already heading down to the ATL for a couple of practices at the Falcons facilities, we figured we would take a look at what to watch for this Thursday night.

Offensive Line: The Bengals O-Line has become just about as solid as it's counterpart on the other side of the trenches.  With Andrew Whitworth not making the trip to Atlanta as he is still rehabing from his offseason knee surgery, how well will Anthony Collins do against the Falcons 1's in protecting the Red Rifle's blindside?  Will Kyle Cook allow pressure up the middle?  Will Trevor Robinson gain an edge in the battle for center?  Will Andre Smith show improved pass protection?  Sure some of these guys may only be in a quarter, but one quarter in the NFL can leave tape on a guy to cause worry for both fans and coaches alike.

Running Back:   Though Jay Gruden will probably keep Fake Game #1 pretty vanilla from an Offensive standpoint, but does Gio line up in multiple positions?  Does he pick up blitzes?  Does he gain an edge on the Firm in the battle for touches?  Does Rex Burkhead or Boom Herron have a spot in the Jungle this year?  Does Orson Charles clearly take over the FB role as 2012 feel-good-story Chris Pressley stays in Cincy on the PUP?

Wide Receivers:  A.J. Green will also be staying in Cincy as he is nursing his knee in prepartion for games that count.  Look to see how Mohammed Sanu, Ryan Whalen, Sanzenbacher, Brandon Tate and rookie Cobi Hamilton (who has been impressing in camp) do against a solid Falcon Secondary.  Is Mohammed looking like the clear #2?  Timing issues with Dalton?  Wrong routes ran?  Hot reads?  Blocking? Typically the 1's will stay in longer on defense for Atlanta and many of these guys will be playing deep into the 2nd half. 

Linebacker:  Does Rey Maualuga still show signs of struggling in pass coverage and shedding blocks?  Does Tony Gonzalez make him look silly as Owen Daniels did in the playoffs 2 years in a row? Do Vincet Rey and Emmanuel Lemur shine and show signs that they should be on the field more (and less of Rey)?

Secondary: Dre Kirpatrick is anxious to show all and Who Dey Nation that he is not a bust.  He will get an early opportunity with going up against one of the NFL's most dangerous offenses (though Dre is currently listed as 3rd string, really Marvin?).  Look to see how Brandon Ghee and Ontario McCalebb perform once they get their chances as they are primed to offer extra help to this group of veterans led by Leon Hall (top 10 corner in the league), Terrance Newman and Adam Jones.   There is also a battle for Reggie Nelsons sidekick at safety.  George Iloka is leading the way but only slightly as rookie Shawn Williams is looking to show why he needs to start year 1.

Defensive Line:  Clearly the largest strength for the Bengals, but it is in a fake game like this that we can see how up and comers such as Devon Still and Margus Hunt play.  2nd year man Devon Still will look to make the most of his reps so he can see some rotation into this stout D-Line.  Sure Margus could probably wrestle a bear in the middle of a blizzard but can he take a step forward from being a project to being a difference maker?

QB:  Even though we will only see Andy Dalton for a brief time in Atlanta, we can look to see how his timing is with his receivers,  getting in and out of the huddle, how he handles pressure in the pocket and maybe we will get to see some of his decision making skills as well (and if we are lucky he will air out a couple).  Look to see who takes over as the clear back-up as well as this battle is ongoing between Josh Johnson and John Skelton.