PAFFL.com

LFP goes on a trade binge...

The Los Frijoles Pintos completed two other deals this afternoon.

Reggie Bush for Jonathan Stewart...

BINGO, which is fast becoming the new Team Kitty, dealt their #2 overall rookie pick to Los Frijoles Pintos today in a relatively big deal. 

Weighed down by cash?

ESPN's new editor in chief, Rick Reilly, wrote a funny piece this morning on how athlete's have wasted fortunes by spending lavishly on crap.  I love the pieces on Scottie Pippen (wasting money on Jets) or Jack Clark buying cars.  It's a slow time in the NFL so we've got to find news somewhere :)

Top Available Talent for '08 PAFFL Auction

Team Kitty also compiled the top available talent, both unrestricted & restricted, for the upcoming 2008 PAFFL auction.  This is only the top 40 guys by position (top 35 for QB's) who are available and reasonably can be expected to be starters this year. 

Projected Topper/Holdover Selections for '08

Thanks to our dedicated Team Kitty, he has compiled his projected topper / holdover selections for 2008.  This is the first year the right is limited to non-playoff teams, providing more certainty around the selections. 

NFL.com Fantasy Player Rankings

In keeping with linking to other free player rankings, below are links to the NFL.com player rankings which are also published in print form.

Steve Smith for Randy Moss

The Fightin' Irie continue their torrid pace of reshaping their squad with another deal this morning with the unusually quiet but picking up steam Team Kitty.  But the highlight of the day was a one for one deal between the Naughty Thoughts & South Whore Jibbers. 

Ben Roethlisberger for Laurence Maroney & Tarvaris Jackson...

The Fightin' Irie and IMT have completed a relatively big deal involved multiple rookie picks, toppers, cap space and All-Pro Ben Roethlisberger. 

Braylon Edwards, Willie Parker, Donovan McNabb in a blockbuster...

The first blockbuster deal of 2008 was consummated between BINGO (formerly Blak Jesus) and the Beavercats. 

Brodie Croyle for cap relief

The Los Frijoles Pintos consummate their second trade in a week, this time with the usually active but quiet in '08 Team Kitty. 

Stuff White People Like

A colleague at work passed this along today, I think you'll all enjoy the site as well - its called Stuff White People Like.  I particularly enjoy #11 Asian Girls (white men) or #88 Having Gay Friends (white women). 

What Fantasy Leagues can learn from NFL Rule Changes

The Wall Street Journal published an article today titled, "What Fantasy Leaguers can Learn from the NFL Draft Rule Changes".  They list out five points to take away from them shortening the time between rounds, from adding new elements to the draft and the game itself.  The core point though was that as successful as the NFL is, they're not afraid to continue to improve. The PAFFL and every fantasy league for that matter should take that advice seriously. 

2008 PAFFL Rookie Pick Projections (1st Draft)

       

The 2008 NFL draft brought fantasy football a plethora of fresh talent. Five first round selections at RB, two QB’s and plenty of solid 2nd & 3rd rounders as well.  The one troubling development though is the two-back system becoming pervasive in the the copycat NFL. Possibly not a single RB selected this year will be a true featured back (sans McFadden & Stewart)  McFadden is a likely #2 fantasy back, no team will select a player that high with that type of talent w/o a plan to feature him, and maybe Jonathan Stewart in Carolina where HC John Fox likes a bruising back to wear down defenses.  But the next eight backs off the board (Felix Jones, Rashard Mendenhall, Chris Johnson, Matt Forte, Ray Rice, Kevin Jones, Jamaal Charles & Steve Slaton) will be in share situations at best.  In fact the only one in that group with an opportunity to start is Matt Forte in Chicago where all he needs to do is beat out bonafide bust Cedric Benson.

RB Share Situations - New Blood from the 2008 NFL Draft

The NFL draft always brings some surprises but one guarantee you can always count on is new blood, an infusion of 250+ players who are young, healthy and hungry to make it in the NFL.  In a professional sport that carries a career expectancy of approximately 3.2 years for a drafted player, many joke that NFL stands for 'Not For Long'.  For fantasy leaguers, particularly dynasty league participants (where you keep players for longer than a single year), the NFL draft represents new blood, players who shift current player's values and new opportunities for fantasy success.  One trend that people will start talking about a lot more, and expect to see this all over the 2008 fantasy football guides that get published in June, is the NFL shift to Two Back systems where one running back maybe gets a majority of the carries between the 20's and then another one comes in for the goal line work, short yardage or third down opportunities.  The NY Giants won the super bowl with this strategy, and New England has employed it during their reign the past eight years to great success. So while having competent backups has always been the goal, the NFL is moving towards a trend of literally have two guys who could be considered the starter.  For fantasy this means fewer true 'featured backs' and more ambiguity as to who is the 'right' guy to start week to week.

Brett Favre selected for '08 Madden Cover

EA has selected recently retired QB Brett Favre to be the Madden 2008 cover boy. This is a huge relief to fantasy leagues and NFL fans alike as there has been an eerie coincidence of player's appearing on the cover and having injury plagued and/or un-productive seasons.

Don't underestimate the Madden curse, which has befallen nearly every NFL player who appeared on the cover sans one or two. Last year Vince Young wasn't mature or ready for the primetime and the Madden cover sank him. But its not just Young, you can look at the long list and its been an anomaly when a player lived up to expectations the season they appeared as the cover boy.

Blow Jobs are like Flowers for Men

I came across this today, its one of many funny eCards being produced by someecards, a former Onion writer.  Here is a link to the most popular renditions.

Stanford wins in dramatic fashion; Pac-10 salvages tourney

That was a dramatic way for the Pac-10, particularly UCLA and Stanford to save its 2008 season. The conference headed into the tourney with one of its best regular season's in recent memory and six teams (for the 2nd season in a row) but was on the brink of seeing only one or maybe two teams advance to the round of 16, after three of its six got drubbed in round one.

Super Bowl Party Photos..

We had a good group of folks at this year's Super Bowl party.  Not only was it a classic Super Bowl, it was a crowded Super Bowl party. 

NFL Free Agency Kicks Off in a Frenzy...

This past Friday the NFL's annual free agency period kicked off with a flurry of activity.  However it wasn't until today that the first big fantasy changing signing occurred with the Atlanta Falcons signing former Chargers RB Michael Turner to a 6 year, $34.5 million contract with reportedly $15 million in guaranteed money. 

Yes We Can Obama

I know the PAFFL is apolitical as this is supposed to be a diversion from real life not a substitute for or a place we should be bringing those concerns about life into.  But I thought this video by Will.i.am was appropriate for this group. 

New PAFFL Owner?

For the first time in eight years the PAFFL has a franchise opening.  It's incredible to think we've had the same group for the past eight years, its easily the longest single stretch without a change in owners, division or conference alignments.  This year is as good as any to make changes, I guess.

Rex Grossman & Ocho Cinco for Larry Fitzgerald?

The first trade of the 2008 PAFFL season was consummated earlier this year between two of the league's most active traders, Team Kitty and the PA Short Bus. 

Team Kitty acquired QB's Rex Grossman ($55, 2009) & Kyle Orton ($11, 2007) and the rights to WR Chad Johnson ($55, 2007) from the Short Bus for WR Larry Fitzgerald ($53, 2009)

Biggest Super Bowl Upset Ever?

Forty eight hours later, I'm still in a state of disbelief over the 42nd Super Bowl.  The New York Giants were the better team and deserved to win but the Patriots had been up until February 3rd, arguably the greatest NFL team of all-time.  That's hard for me to write as a die-hard San Francisco 49'ers fan who could make an argument that the '84, '89 and '94 squads have to be in consideration but no team had ripped apart their NFL schedule as convincingly as the Patriots did this season. 

Stanford Men's Hoops making a statement!

Now that we're effectively in the off-season (ok the Super Bowl is tomorrow but come on, what do we really have to look forward to - the Combine?) its time to speculate about the second half of hoops season.  There has been some interesting news on the Golden State Warriors front with the signing of F/C Chris Webber.  But the real story, the one that's kind of been developing w/o much fanfare, is the return of the Stanford Basketball team to the top 10. 

Junior RB's make '08 NFL Draft a Fantasy Dream

The college football senior class was unusually thin at the key fantasy football skill positions of running back and wide receiver.  There were several quality senior QB prospects, specifically Boston College's Matt Ryan, Louisville's Brian Brohm and Kentucky's Andre Woodson but there wasn't a guaranteed second round grade on any back and no first round grade on a wide receiver.  However all that changed with the flood of Juniors who declared for the NFL draft, headlined by the likely top 5 selection, Arkansas's Darren McFadden. 

2008 PAFFL Conference Re-alignment

Following this past year's auction, the league agreed that if following the 2007 season, if any single division had a 10% variance (in total points scored) than the next closest and/or 15% from the best or worst, then the league would be realigned by seeding each team based on total points scored. 

Well I ran the numbers this evening and it's conclusive.  The PA South division is 11% worse (15,055 total points) than the 3rd best division, PA Eastern division (16,905 total points), and has a 16%+ variance from the best division, the PA Western division (18,084 total points).  Which means we will realign for 2008. 

PAFFL Winter Meetings Review

Big thanks to those folks who made the effort to join the winter meetings (Ron Jeremy, Los Frijoles Pintos, PA Firefighters, Jack Trippers, Fightin' Irie, the Isotopes & Beavercats).  Since we didn't have at least eight owners present, all we could do was build some consensus (or not) around issues and then we had the playoff fantasy draft. 

PAFFL Winter Meetings - January 2, 2008

This year's PAFFL winter meetings are next Wednesday, January 2nd at 6:30 PM.  The meetings will be held at my house with a conference call in number for those who want to join remotely.  The Fiesta Bowl will be played that night so we'll also be able to scout the West Virginia & Oklahoma squads for the next Adrian Peterson.  I will serve up some appetizers and pick up some beers for folks who make it in person.  We also have the Dutch Goose a few blocks away which we can hit up for some pitchers after the meetings.

PA Firefighters - 2007 Jankster Cup Champions

Congratulations to the PA Firefighters for successfully defending their PAFFL title in winning a back to back effort in '07.  This year's Jankster Cup featured the upstart Pomona Stoned Hens and the PA Firefighters.

Final 2007 PAFFL Rosters

Next week is the last one to correct any potential errors on your roster.  So please take a minute to download the file and check them.  Also don't waste any remaining cap room, use it to settle those worthless contracts.

Download paffl_contracts_12202007.xls

Peyton Manning: The fantasy beauty of his presence

It occurred to me this morning that QB Peyton Manning has been a special fantasy player the the last half decade. In the PAFFL alone, he has been in the Jankster Cup game (our equivalent of the Super Bowl), for 5 consecutive years.  During that period he only has won one (with an opportunity to win a second this year) but he's been the dominant force on his respective squad every year during this period.

2007 Jankster Cup Matchup: Pomona Stoned Hens vs. PA Firefighters

Congratulations to the 2007 NFC & AFC champions, the PA Firefighters & Pomona Stoned Hens who face off in this year's title game this weekend.

Jankster Cup Matchup & 3rd Round of Rookie Tourney

Below are the results for the 2nd round of the playoffs and rookie tourney matchups; and the matchups for the 3rd round and Jankster Cup.  The first eight rookie pick selection spots have been finalized, the next eight will be finalized this weekend.

Congratulations to the 2007 NFC & AFC respectively champions, the PA Firefighters & Pomona Stoned Hens who face off in this year's title game this weekend.

At least Brian Westbrook is a team player...

Can you believe that shit?  The Philadephia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys today but the play that will be remembered for years was the last one that mattered.  On 2nd down from the Dallas 25 with 2+ minutes to go, the Eagles RB Brian Westbrook took a right sweep, made a move on a safety and was on his way to the end zone on a twenty five yard run...until he decided to drop down at the one inch line.  With no timeouts left, the Eagles could let the clock roll down to the two minute warning then kneel down four consecutive plays. 

QB Gods?

I came across this slightly funny joke between Tony Romo, Peyton Manning & Tom Brady.

Blak Jesus Resignation

Blak Jesus, the 2000 Jankster Cup Champion, has announced their resignation or retirement from the PAFFL.  We've had owners drop off in the past, dozens to be exact, but this is the most recent and so it feels the worst.  The last competitive owner we lost was the Tha Shiznit in the late 90's after one bad year and a scandalous burrito for a player trade. 

Playoffs & Rookie Tourney 2nd Round

This is the 2nd round of the playoffs and rookie tourney matchups.  The 1st round saw some pretty good matchups, and the playoffs team in particular were in elite form with six of the eight teams exceeding 80 points and all eight scoring 70+.  It was a good week, this one will determine the finalists (or Jankster Cup participants), the top 8 rookie pick order and the initial round of the playoff rookie selection order. 

EA Sports PR Message: Madden will someday spawn an NFL GM or Coach

I was reading last month's edition of ESPN The Magazine, and came across an interview with the head of Electronic Arts Madden sports programming.  I can't recall his name but the gist of his message was simple, Madden has become the most well known sports video game and they hope it will someday educate a future NFL GM or coach.  Which got me thinking, what a great, inspirational message to appeal to the heart of consumers.  Sports fan who enjoy video games have fallen for Madden years ago but this is much bigger, its insinuating that the best of the best in Madden could someday be an actual professional.  It's a subtle but very smart part of their public relations message - I wonder how intentional it was or whether it was just something this executive said. 

Playoffs & Rookie Tourney Matchups for 2007

It's finally here, after a relatively quiet thirteen game regular season, fireworks erupted this week over what I'll call 'lineup gate'.  The gist of it is we've been making obvious substitutions (injured players or bye week replacements for teams that aren't paying attention or aren't motivated to put their best lineup together) for more than a dozen years but this was the first time an owner complained, starting a seemingly endless round of emails & PAFFL.com blog posts.  So without further ado here is the 2007 Playoff & Rookie Tournament Matchups. 

Who should the Giants pick up?

I've the got the San Francisco Giants off-season game plan.  I know I don't know shit about this but I think about it all the time.  I think keep Lowry, Cain & Lincecum, especially the last two.  And focus their attention on signing at least two of the following three guys for reasonable salaries. 

A Resolution

Thanks to a very generous offer from Ron Jeremy Fanclub, and agreement from everybody effected we have a resolution to the fiasco of this week.  That said, and I want to stress this, we still need to come to a conclusion and agreement on how to handle this going forward (more on that below). 

Is there an NFL conspiracy for the Patriots?

Following Monday Night's game between the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots, there are allegations about a possible NFL conspiracy to aid the Pats in their quest for an undefeated season.  While many of the allegations are coming off as sour grapes from disgruntled and frustrated Ravens defensive players, its an interesting topic. 

Firkin Alerted the League to Lineup Issue

I wanted to post Firkin Crawlers posting just after gametime on Sunday (after I had already made the switch but it wasn't clear yet on the live scoring since it requires a page refresh to see lineup substitutions) since it will be lost from PAFFL message board shortly (the primary reason why PAFFL.com is good for reference).

Ideas to improve the subjectivity of lineup decisions

Given the amount of emotional stress the Naughty Thoughts lineup change has caused, I would like us to figure out a solution that reduces the ambiguity of this situation in the future and helps pave a path to a more consistent and universally accepted rule.  I agree that the way we've done this in the past has been subjective and not as consistent as it should be.  I propose the following change that I believe will eliminate (or at least significantly reduce) this scenario in the future.

Naughty Thoughts Lineup Question

Ok before people get too excited and emotional I want to set the record straight.  We, the PAFFL, have made lineup changes when there were obvious ones to be made and the owner has been delinquent, throughout this season and in every year of the past decade+. The PAFFL is and always has been about fun competition, to ensure that its as fair as it possibly its critical all of us are committed to winning each & every week.  When there is an obvious lineup issue (such as leaving a kicker on bye week in over one on the bench, or a starting QB is out due to injury and their backup is on that same team's bench), we have & do make changes. 

Hot Warriors!

Are you guys watching the Warriors?  I don't want to jinx them but they're on fire, beating good teams by double digits and winning on the road.  Last night's