Fantasia de Futbol 2021

9/10

Subject: Happy Week 1 Weekend!!!

We're finally here and I can't wait to get this first fantasy week in the books! I have been so thirsty for good football that I watched every snap of Thursday's opener and it was time well spent.

The Bucs front 7 made Zeke and that Oline look mediocre. The Bucs mediocre backfield made Dak look like a savant. That being said, the Bucs pulled it out in a last minute drive from Tommy B. I don't want to crown the 'Boys to be king in the NFC East but that was a strong outing against last year's champs.

Fantasy thoughts about the game:
-Bucs have so many weapons, who knows who will catch the TDs?!?!
-I wish there were fantasy points doled out for critical blocks. Zeke had several on big plays to give back time. Stonewalled linebackers and stopped them in their tracks!
-Speaking of clutch, Michael Gallup only scored 7.6 fantasy points but made a hell of an impact. Two toe-touch catches to convert first downs. I will investigate awarding situational conversions for next year.
-Bucs returner Mickens (don't know first name) is a threat! Marcus Christopher playing the Bucs D/ST will pay off!

Fantasy League stories for this week:
-Brother against brother as Lui and JPer square off to kick the season off. Dak gave Lui a big early lead but will that be enough agains JP's stacked roster?
-Will anyone beat Chloe this year? Seriously, how did we allow her to draft Kittle & Gronk? Amari Cooper nearly put up 40 and ageless Tom gave her over 30. She is a top contender early on.

Finally, this is the last time that all of us are undefeated. I'm looking forward to a fun season and I intend to send updates like this out when I feel like it.

Some business, I am missing buy ins from a few of you. Shoot me a text so we can work it out.

Happy Friday Peeps!

9/16

Subject: Week 1 in the books

Week 1 is done and what a week it was!

Myself and my Packers got humbled in week 1. Hopefully we can learn from the experience.

Congratulations are in order for week 1's top scorer & dad of the year: Chip Law with over 158! He was followed closely by Invitational veteran JP with nearly 150.

Lui put up great numbers on his brother that would have been enough to beat most of the teams in the league not enough to edge out JPer. Chloe riding a similar train in week one as she faced off against the league's top scorer and came up short.

It's too early to panic but boy have I been scouring the waiver wire these past few days.

Week 2 is gearing up to be a good one as half of us search for our first win.
-Newcomer Chris Palmer is looking to build on his success (beating me week 1) and is starting Taylor Heinicke at QB against a very strong Chloetonian menace!
-Fantasia de Futbol veteran Kelsey 'Chelsea' Sampson looks to unseat Jper this week as well. Someone will be walking away from this matchup 2-0 and this league's toughest division.

Stayed tuned!

9/22

Subject: Fantasia Futbol Check In

Losing the first two games out the gate is never a good feeling; however, it is a familiar one for many three grizzled veterans of this league: Myself, Lui & Marcus are still winless. Luckily, we are also in the same division!

Speaking of divisions, the Weast boasts the league's three undefeated teams through two weeks, while the East contains the three winless teams! What are the odds?

A few bits of good news around the league:
-Our only international participant got their first win by a substantial margin! Congrats the the Overweighters!
-Huge numbers were posted by the Mixon Administration as well as Alden 'Tupy Toppler' Tupy with scores of over 150; however, Papa Law takes the scoring crown again with a massive showing of 176 with help from Lamar Jackson & Co.

Looking ahead to Week 3
-The scoring projections are showing some close calls this week. I'll be curious to see if Lui can knotch his first win to get his season back on track.
-Can our undefeated trio keep it rolling this week facing some tough matchups?
-How many losses do I have to get before making a blockbuster trade?!

Good luck peeps!

Your Commissioner

9/28

Subject: Drutonia... Drutonia... Hazah!

What a week of football!

Drutonia notching their first win! Two of the three unbeaten teams finally went down for the count! And the Packers won in spectacular fashion!

The top two scorers in the league this week were previously winless! Congrats to Big Lui & Marcus for putting up huge numbers to get back into contention! The last Godoy brother, JP stands tall as the last of the unbeaten. Can he hold on to the crown another week against the Overweighters? Their game is projected to be decided by less than a point!

The East division is as close as I have ever seen a six team division in all my time as Commish. Alden stands on top with a 2-1 record and the remaining 5 of us are nipping at his heels with a win a piece. Things are nearly as tight in the Weast as our very own Mizzurah 'Ejote' Bubba looks to right the ship against the now Christian Mccaffrey-less Colorado Law.

A lot to watch for this upcoming week and I can't wait!

Shout out to Justin Tucker for hitting the now NFL record 66 yard field goal for the win Sunday. That was a hell of a thing to watch as the ball sailed through the air as time expired. Nine times out of ten when you hear the ball hit the goal post it bounces back into the field for no good. That magical ball hit the crossbar just right and majestically went right down the middle.

In the words of Aaron Rodgers, 'How can you not be romantic about football, man?'

10/5

Subject: Down Goes Frazier!!

'Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.'

I should have known that changing my team name to the Drutonian Winners would spell defeat into my stars, but here we are.

Another wild week in fantasyland leaves me bewildered as we approach the quarter mark of the season.

Biggest news this week:
-Down Goes Frazier!!! The last undefeated team in the league took their first L this week as the Overweighters travel all the way to the U.S. from Guatemala to deliver that righteous blow! Can the Palm Compton Penguins bounce back after facing this kind of adversity?! When reached out for comment, JP's publicist stated, "Probably."
-In their defeat of the Penguins, the Overweighters registered the highest score of the season with whopping 177.7! This came the same week that the Overweighters dropped a Mr. Aaron Rodgers. Is the GM a mad scientist or just an angry researcher? Time will tell.
-Newcomer Chris Palmer overcame league veteran Kelsey Sampson this week by pulling out the win by literally 1 point. Another reminder that those score projections are just that.

Checking the Playoff temperature
-The East is still the battle of Least unfortunately. Aldon, Big Lui, Chris Palmer & Marcus Godoy hold a four-way tie for 1st place. Chloe and I are only one win back but it feels awfully cold in the one-win section of this league.
-The Weast is only getting spicier as former underdog Marcus 'Ejote' Christopher shows that betting on Patrick Mahomes and company is always a safe bet. The division is up for grabs as everyone has at least two wins and no one is safe. As the season progresses, the leader of this division will likely be the favorite to win it all!

Looking ahead
-A few big matchups upcoming this week!
--A battle of the bigs as The Mixon Administration & the Penguins duke it out this week. Someone will come away with their 4th win of the season!
--Can the Overweighters overcome the Christian McCaffreyless Colorado Law?
--Will Dru trade for a decent running back?!?!?!

Stay tuned!

10/12

Subject: Big Wheel Route Keeps On Turning

Great weekend for watching some foosball! Due to excellent timing, I was able to watch a lot more football than usual so this update run a little long.

Austin Ekeler, underrated scat back for the Chargers, said after a three touchdown Sunday when recalling advice from an old coach, 'You can smell the cologne, but don't taste it.'

A few notable performances
-Not a fan of Antonio Brown off the field but to do what he's doing at 33 years old is astounding. 33 is basically 50 in receiver age. I've watched a lot of great receivers fall off a cliff after aging past 32. When he turned on the jets after catching a short pass from Brady on Sunday he blew past several defenders 10 years his junior. He is obviously in a very advantageous situation in Tampa but it was cool to see he still has the juice.
-This will never reflect in fantasy football, but leadership was on display this weekend. Mercedes Lewis has been in the league since 2006. An old man by league standards but he caught a screen from Aaron on Sunday and could have skated out of bounds for a 1st down. Instead, he bowled over a few gentlemen on the way to a 20 yard gain. I don't want to come off as an old man on his porch screaming about how the game 'used to be played' but it was good to see that kind of fight. By all accounts, he is not an outspoken guy but that kind of play has generate a spark in the huddle. To do so at 37 is down right incredible.

Big scorers this week
-Chloe made the best of losing two iconic tight ends and still posted a score of over 158, just behind this weeks leading scorer, the often-mentioned Overweighters. To be clear, she did this without starting a TE!!

League Latest
-JP won a low scoring contest against the Mixon Administration to quietly take control of the West division at 4-1. It's a long season but a hell of a start for the Penguins.
-Meanwhile, in the East, we are still locked in a nearly 5-way tie. Alden and Mr. Palmer lead at 3-2 while the rest of us nip at their heels from 2-3.

Week 6 coming in hot
-If Drutonia can pull of a semi-miracle and topple Tupy, we can get back into contention! Too bad my qb's are both on a bye...
-The 3-2 Overweighters face the 3-2 Cooler in what looks to be week 6's highest scoring contest.

Sometimes fantasy is about rolling with the punches. Injuries are abound but who will overcome?!
Stay Tuned

Your Commissioner

10/19

Subject: One third through the season

Another beautiful Tuesday morning after quite a weekend of foosball!

I have a few thoughts about actual football but I think I will cover the league first.

-Too Close to Call
Never in my many years of fantasy has a league been this close through six weeks. The East is currently in the throws of a FIVE-WAY TIE... We are clawing our way out of mediocrity together. The odds of this happening are redonkulous! Chloe is on the outside looking in but she is only one game back. The East is still completely up for grabs!
-Best of the West
Meanwhile, the Best of the West are still battling it out. JP's Penguins were finally unseated by our league's native Guatemalan, The Overweighters! Whoever wins the West will likely be the favorite to win it all!
-Literally won by a hair
Impressive win of the week goes to Big Lui and the Moo Moo Smashers! After taking a beating from your very own Andrew's and Dru's last week, Lui had a tough matchup against league veteran Kelsey. Lui ended the week as top scorer in the league (153.2) and edged out Kelsey by 0.6!!! This is the closest margin of victory I can remember.

Real life time
-F*ck da Bears
As a lifelong Packers fan, there is almost nothing better than beating Chicago in Chi-town. Did I think it was a bit over the line when Aaron yelled into the Chicago crowd, 'I still own you!'? Maybe. But that seems like an appropriate way to greet a crowd after walking in a TD and looking up to see double birds being shot at you from all directions.
-King Henry
If I were to build the perfect running back from scratch, I would probably make Derrick Henry. Humble attitude. Lets his play do the talking. Always credits his Oline. 6'3 and nearly 250 but can run over 21 mph! The man is a freight train and his cargo is pain! He runs with violence! I am blown away each time a corner or safety tries to make a tackle with him one on one. There are many things I would rather do than take a full speed stiff arm from Derrick Henry. I would draw the line at wearing a Bear's jersey though. He has made every Titan's game a must-see for me. I highly recommend watching him the next chance you get. He routinely turns no gains into 4 yarders. He also routinely turns grown men into wood chippings after he runs them over.
-Big Play Jones
I was casually watching the Patriots/Cowboys game while cleaning the house Sunday. I looked up just in time to see the most exciting four minutes of football that day. 4th quarter and trailing the significantly more talents 'boys, rookie Pats qb Mac Jones tosses a short pass over the middle that bounced off his receiver and landed in the hands of his ex-bama teammate Trevon Diggs. He took the pick all the way to the endzone. This would have completely deflated most rookies, but to Jones's credit, he came out on the next possession and hit his receiver for an 75 yard TD. Kendrick Bourne hit Diggs with a double move and was long gone. The 'boys would go on to win in OT but I can't help but admire the poise of Mac Jones. He may have the tools to be great one day. Sidenote: it pains me to say, the Cowboys look legit right now.

Advice: if your team is flailing and you don't feel like staying the course, I recommend the Trade Assistant in the ESPN app. You can select what positions you are interested in trading for and it will populate a couple trades to consider.

Some big matchups this week that should shake up the league. Time to separate the wheat from the chaff!

Your Commissioner

Last week’s Headlines

Chip loses by less than a point to catapult Alden into 1st place in the East. Another game that came down to one player on Monday night doing just enough to win.

I always feel bad for that one player every week that had enough points to beat everyone in the league… except the opponent they played against. Chloe took the L last week against Clinton’s now King Henry-less squad and put up enough points to trounce every other team.

After winning four of his first 5 games, JP’s squad is on a bit of a cold streak. Can he pull it together in time for the playoffs? He has absconded to Europe to take stock in his fantasy team.

Andrew & Dru’s are struggling to climb out of mediocrity with a 4-4 record. Hoping to build on their success next week against the down but not out Mizzurah Bubba.

Big matchups this week

Alden and Mr. Palmer face off this week to determine who will take the lead in the division.

Battle of the Betrothed as a vicious Chloe faces off against her husband Marcus! There is more on the line in this contest than meets the eye. Will Marcus throw the game to avoid a vengeful Chloe or risk the W?!

Big Lui faces the Mixon administration this week with both teams coming in all even at 4-4. Both teams need a win bad and word is that Clinton is looking to make a big trade for an RB to replace Derrick Henry.

The Overweighters are looking to build on their League Leading 6-2 record against Kelsey this week. This one is projected to come down to the wire but these projects are about as useful to us as a picture of water is useful to a man in the desert… Not very.

1/4/22

This is it! It has all lead to this!

I never would have guessed that two of the league's newcomers would break through to the championship!

Sadly for Kelsey and Alden, this past weekend was the end of the road. Luckily, you will have plenty of company with the rest of us.

Congratulations to Mr. Palmer & The Guate Overweighters for making it (almost) all the way!

Let's break down what happened last week.

Overweighters v. Get Swifty

Just like there is no defense for the perfect pass, there is no defense against the perfect fantasy line up and The Overweighters were damn near perfect.

Ja'Marr Chase went off for the most points by a WR this year with 55!

Jonathan Taylor did Jonathan Taylor things for 22.

And Waiver Warrior Hunter Renfrow helped secure the dub with over 20.

Davante and Elijah Mitchell gave Kelsey everything they had, just wasn't enough for a shot at the title.

Jack Burrton v. The Time

This was a special matchup as Alden recruited Mr. Palmer to the league. Looking back, I'm not sure he would so again after Palmer's Peeps brought the pain this week.

Although Alden came in with a slightly stronger record, the gods of fantasy smiled on Burrton as Rashad Penny recorded a career game with 37.5! Chicago's D trampled the Giants to put up 22 and Kamara did his thing for 22. Great flex play to pick Penny. This all made up for the embarrassing loss of Antonio Brown.

Alden looked to his stars and they met his hopeful gaze with a shrug. Zeke and Chubb couldn't get anything going. Justin Jefferson did the best he could catching passes from Mr. Mannion. In the end, they just couldn't find the juice.

Championship Breakdown

The Overweighters host Jack Burrton in Guatemala City, Guatemala to crown the league's best!

Let's be honest, the Overweighters are here for a reason, they are stacked!

Stafford has indeed found new life in LA. Jonathan Talor is having an MVP season. (He is my pick for MVP of the NFL) Ekeler produces every week catching passes out of the backfield. Chase has all but secured Rookie of the Year honors. This is one of the strongest overall Fantasy squads I have seen in recent years. The projections say The Overweighters will win again, as they did in week 6 against the same team. But projections are not points!

Chris will need the best from his squad this week. Many of his player's teams are fighting for a playoff spot so they should produce. Will it be enough? Can Wentz rise to the occasion this week and throw all over the Jags? With Rashad Penny being motivated by A.P. in Seattle push him to another career game? Will Cole Beasley get the Rona before kickoff?!?! For Mr. Palmer's sake, let's hope not.

Will David beat Goliath?!?! We'll find out this weekend!

Just like the great Muhammed Ali said, "Impossible is nothing."

What to look forward to next week:

Crowning the league champion.

Suggestions for changes next year.

Giving out the rest of season awards.

Round 1 draft recap to try and learn something.

Good luck to both contenders!

Your Commish

The clock did not strike midnight on this Cinderella story as Negro Valenzuela as he did what he had been doing all year: winning.

In the immortal words of Herm Edwards: 'They are who we thought they were.'

Congratulations are in order for our champion Negro Valenzuela and The Overweighters!

I reached out to our first year phenom for comment. Some interesting tid bits from our conversation follow.

This is his first year ever playing fantasy football! As all the best champions are, he was humble in his hour of glory. He eschewed that his greatest virtue this year was luck. This league has converted him to a full time NFL fan and I was very excited to hear that. He noted that his detachment from being a fan of any one player let him see the numbers objectively. He didn't have the history of what a player used to be weighing him down. It turns out, he was playing chess while the rest of us played checkers.

I like to try and learn something from the winning team and a few factoids stand out to me about Valenzuela's squad.

-Our champion had nearly 180 more total points throughout the year than the next closest team.

-The Overweighters only made 19 in season moves compared to others in the top contention made over double that.

-His starting squad featured FIVE players that scored in the top 5 of their position groups. That's over half the roster producing at an extremely high rate.

-Regarding his starters, about half of which were drafted, the others were free agency pickups. A few picked up after someone else dropped them.

I do want to acknowledge Chris Palmer as well for putting up a valiant effort it his first appearance our league. Hopefully it won't be his last. As this year's runner up, he will keep his buy in.

Some years I will do a recap of my own draft picks to try and see what went wrong, what I can do differently next year. This year, I want to recap just the first round and share some 'insights' with you all.

#1: Christian McCaffrey- I have always been of the mindset that the first pick in the draft is a trap. There is a right answer and Chip selected him. Every website, every 'expert' agreed that McCaffrey is the top choice. Even if the Panthers flail, CMC will get at least 10 catches a game and will be the focus of the offense. Unfortunately, CMC was injured for over half the season, all but sinking dad's chances for the post season.

#2: Dalvin Cook- A player with a whole lot of upside in a similar situation to McCaffrey. Catches alot of passes out of the backfield and is arguably the most talented player on the Vikings roster. Averaged almost 20 points this year. Great pick by Jper. Sidenote: On draft day, JP was traveling and made this pick at a rest stop along I-95. That's called commitment folks.

#3: Alvin Kamara- Beginning to see a pattern here. In a PPR league, pass catching backs should be the first to go, and they were. Kamara had an incredible year despite fighting injuries mid season as well as having 4 different qbs over the course of the season.

#4: Derrick Henry- You all know my love affair for Derrick Henry knows no limits. He finished 19th in RB scoring on the year despite missing over half the season! That's ridiculous. He's ridiculous. I hope and pray he gets a full year under his belt next year. I equally hope that I draft him next year.

#5: Ezekiel Elliot- The Dallas Destroyer is always a safe pick. Even with the resurgence of Tony Pollard as RB2 in Dallas, Zeke got his. Consistent scoring throughout the year and finished 5th in scoring for RBs while dealing with some nagging injury business.

#6: Myles Gaskin- Marcus's love for the Dolphins transcends any moneyball that can be played. I made a similar pick with my own first rounder. Gaskin underperformed his first few years in the league but was primed for a break out season. He lead the Dolphins backfield this year and put up over 20 fantasy points five times.

#7: Tom Brady- The first non RB pick was not wasted. Chloe reached out and snagged her fantasy husband early. She would not be disappointed as the ageless wonder put up 43 touchdowns! He has only done better than that one season and that was back in '07 with Randy Moss lined up outside. Averaged 27 fantasy points a week and will be an anchor for any squad for years to come. He's the best to ever do it. Both on the gridiron and the fantasy field.

#8: Aaron Jones- Fresh off a new contract and on the best team in football. What could go wrong? Not much but my pick ended up being a bit of a miss. Jones was productive but was hampered slightly by injury and the smash to Aaron's dash: AJ Dillon. The quadfather ate up some of Aaron's fantasy production. I try not to think about all the players I left on the board here. Jonathan Taylor would be picked 5 picks later. Ekeler 6 picks later. Najee Harris, Joe Mixon, Cooper Kupp... I will try to learn from the Overweighters and not pick with my heart next year!

#9: Travis Kelce- One of the league's most consistent playmakers. He put up 263 fantasy points, beaten only by Mark Andrews. This was a genius pick because the TE production was incredibly top heavy this year. Behind Andrews & Kelce was newcomer Dalton Schultz at 208. Smart money betting on a big name in an underperforming position group this year. It's no wonder Kelsey finished 3rd this year overall.

#10: Tyreek Hill- Marcus Christopher's proximity to the Chiefs likely played a part in this pick. Hill is probably the fastest player in football and is paired with the strongest arm in the game. First receiver off the board was no surprise to me. He didn't disappoint, even with the Chiefs slumped mid season. Ended up scoring 6th in the league for WRs.

#11: Saquon Barkley- I loved this pick by Lui when it was made. Saquon has so many obvious skills and is, by far, the most talented guy in his zip code. I hate to see the Giants grinding him down year after year as he tries to drag the team into relevance. He went down from injury for a month and that hampered his fantasy production. Pair that with being the only legitimate weapon on his offense for defenses to key on and he had a tough year. I hope, for his sake, he can get out of New York with some miles left on him.

#12: Jonathan Taylor- The strongest pick of the first round came, unsurprising from the league's champion. Funnily enough, it was also the final pick of the round. I'm not sure what kind of Mayan Clairvoyance Negro deployed here but it was perfect. The strongest performer on most fantasy teams come from RBs and Taylor was the best this year. Averaged nearly 26 points a game and led all RBs in scoring. Played every game in an MVP manner. Would he have been the best if King Henry had not went down? Who knows but it doesn't matter. Taylor buoyed an already strong roster to win it all.

What a year! I had a lot of fun this year and thank you all so much for your active participation. I have never been great at collecting League dues and there are still a few stragglers who have not coughed up their $20. Next year, you will not be able to enter the draft without having done so. If you have not paid and wish to do so, Cashapp me at $diligentdru or Venmo me at @Dru-Law. If you are not able to pay or do not feel comfortable using the above avenues, reach out to me privately.

I will be taking the off season to ponder on a few format changes. I like having the fantasy playoffs during the last week of the regular season. I may change up some of our scoring mechanics. I will fight off my obsession with having a two-qb active roster. If you have any suggestions, feel free to reach out to me at my email: diligentdru@aol.com.

Your commissioner signing off,

See you next year!