[12
team league, 25 man rosters, 5 taxi spots, start 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE,
2Flex, 1DST, 1K]
It goes without saying you
want to build the best fantasy lineup possible, but sometimes all it
takes are a few hot players that can carry you through to a
championship. Tink is a new owner that inherited a team that won a
championship and rode a few hot starters as the last team in. Both
Tink and Centerfield are playoff caliber teams who those types of
players.
Tink inherited a team with
Alvin Kamara, Julio Jones, Brandin Cooks, Eric Ebron, Kyler Murray,
Kerryon Johnson, Sterling Shepard and still had the top pick in the
draft. She also moved Deshaun Watson for a haul and had an incredible
draft. Tink added rookies, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Justin Jefferson,
Jalen Reagor, Adam Trautman and Anthony McFarland. She also won the
bidding war for Hayden Hurst.
That’s an impressive team
with a bright future after a great draft and has the type of players
that can spark a run. She also has her first and three 2nd
round picks for 2021, so she is set to really reshape this team in
two drafts, especially if she can nail her picks like she did in her
first draft. The question is do you wait on those to 2021 picks to
make your push or trade some of your assets and go all in for 2020?
Tink is 3-2 and in a
playoff position and will likely hover there for the rest of the
season. Kamara, Julio and Murray could go off any week to pull off
even the most difficult upset, but her team has suffered some dings.
Jones has been hurt, CEH now has Le’Veon Bell in the backfield and
some of the other notable core pieces have been banged up or
inconsistent.
While the team is solid it
still falls in the second category of teams, a playoff team but not a
championship contender. The problem is with a lot of teams already
making the decision to sell and try and avoid the playoffs it could
be tough to get under the playoff threshold. If she was to sell Julio
is the obvious choice to bring back another big haul. He was on the
block early in the season but didn’t fetch the desired price.
Injuries seem to be catching up with Jones as he ages but I think
most would agree he’s not going to fall off a cliff is she hangs on
to him for another season.
I think Shepard will be a
solid piece when healthy, Cooks can be (and was good with the new
coach) but the questions about the lineup start to add up after you
get past the first few starters. Jefferson has broken out and Reagor
will be someone to watch after he gets healthy. Johnson was an early
pick but is behind AP (who Tink owns) and D’Andre Swift. CEH’s value
takes a hit in a committee. TE is a little rough as well with Ebron
not quite hitting the marks some thought he would and Hurst’s target
consistency being a bit concerning.
This is a team no one will
want to see in the playoffs, especially if everyone is healthy but
the best case would be to miss the playoffs in 2020 and try and load
up in 2021. If she can move Jones that ought to bring back another
huge haul, but you can trust him on the team for another season if
need be.
Centerfield is a team that
has some great pieces as well; Miles Sanders, Derrick Henry, Cooper
Kupp, Stefon Diggs and Austin Ekeler. Cam Akers and Tee Higgins were
added in the draft as well. Ekeler, and O.J. Howard, are hurt but
Ekeler will be back and there’s several pieces that can go off and
fuel a run above the team’s projections, but this team is not in the
tier of championship contenders.
QB is a bit of a rotating
start with Derek Carr, Nick Foles, Baker Mayfield, and Dwayne
Haskins, Carr has been solid and Mayfield seems to be coming in to
his own behind the Cleveland running game. Losing Howard hurt with
Kyle Rudolph and Dalton Schultz behind him. The QB position has solid
enough options to not really hold the team back but TE looks to be a
regular hole in the lineup each week.
What has really hurt this
team has been bad luck with draft picks. Howard, until this year,
Paris Campbell, Mecole Hardman and Dwayne Haskins all were good picks
at the time but haven’t delivered. With all of them being higher
picks it stresses the squad as you’re hoping for them to blossom in
to regular contributors.
Centerfield is 2-3 and more
on the playoff fringe than Tink with a little more uncertainty. There
are definitely players that could get hot and carry him, Diggs, Kupp,
Henry and Sanders, but the lineup is far from complete. Centerfield
also doesn’t really have any vets that are obvious trade candidates.
If DeSean Jackson can come back healthy and do something he could be
worth a minor pick but most of the starting pieces are still the
right age.
This team may not have to
put much effort in to avoiding the playoffs to get a higher pick, but
really needs to hope for some more luck in the draft. Again, it
hasn’t been bad picks, it’s just the picks not developing like you
expect when you pick them in the first and second rounds. Most of the
core is in place, it’ll just be about adding some more depth and
consistent play makers to push the lineup to the next level.