Year One

This was the first year for 12StepDrop. We have been humbled by the interest and response to the site and have big plans for next year. We are hoping to really push this site in new directions next year, but hope you stick around in the offseason too. We already are making plans to cover the NFL Draft and have a few new features that should be rolling out in the Spring!

Thanks to everyone who has stopped in and commented or tweeted and made this site so much fun to write for!

Results Are In

I played in three leagues this year. I am of the opinion that less is more and I think three might actually have been too much. I like to obsess over players and lineups. I like to feel like I might not make the playoffs. I like playing guys who feel the same way. But this year I found myself announcing my wins per week (”I went 3-0 this week”) instead of maybe feeling the triumph of breaking an early season losing streak (”Back to even at 4-4!”). Next year its going to be two. Here are the results:

12StepDropDotCom – 8 team keeper league, 10-4, 1st Place
Guido’s League – 10 team league, 7-7, 7th Place
Work League – 12 team league, 8-5, 4th Place

I feel a little bitter about not making the playoff’s in Guido’s league. As it sometimes happens, I had an awesome team that just could not seem to make it happen each week. At the end of the regular season I had the second highest point total, but also had the highest points-against total. Fantasy takes a lot of luck and this year the scheduling just didn’t go my way.

What I Have Learned

Two QBs Are Better Than One – In two leagues I modified my usual strategy of single stud QBs and chose two lesser ones in the draft. Given the talent and depth at QB I think I’m going to keep sticking with this strategy. I paired McNabb with Schaub because of Schaub’s injury potential and paired my 11th round Kurt Warner keeper pick with . Quarterbacks are also great trade bait to struggling teams.

Two Headed Defense – In Guido’s league Defenses are point scoring machines and the NYJ scored the 11th most points. If you knew they were going to do that they would be a first round pick, but who ever knows with Defenses. Pittsburgh went in the 4th round (embarassing to type here) but ended up the 15th ranked defense in the league. My picks of GB and the NYG worked out far better. You can’t ignore the scoring implications in this league, but you don’t have to give up a 4th and play the Defense lottery. Draft two top ten defenses after everyone is annoyed that 1-4 are taken.

First Round Picks Suck – My teams usually live or die because of my round 3-8 picks, not my first two. We obsess over those opening picks, because they are less likely to be busts, but that potential is still there. LT ended up being a decent pick first round pick (in a keeper league with lots of studs already kept), but my 3rd round Grant and 7th round Addai pick were much more shrude.

Trust Your Gut – Calvin Johnson is an unreal talent, but I always wondered how we all could draft a guy so high who plays for Detroit. I didn’t listen to my own advice and paid pretty heavily for very little output. Stick with your instincts and look for deals. Paying full price almost NEVER goes well in drafts. Which is why first round picks suck!

Did you guys learn anything this year? I hope so …

Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo’s offense could only muster three points on the road, so if you were relying on any Bills in your fantasy super bowl, chances are you finished second.

Matt Ryan had his best game since coming from his injury. He threw for 250 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Roddy White was on the receiving end of two of Ryan’s touchdown passes. White finished with 139 yards receiving.

Kansas City Chiefs at Cincinnati Bengals

Matt Cassell continued his putrid 2009 campaign with 180 yards, a touchdown and two picks.

Bengals owners were probably expecting more than what they got against the Chiefs’ defense. Chad Ochocinco and LaVernanues Coles each caught a touchdown. Cedric Benson showed up to the tune of 133 yards, but did not find the end zone.

Oakland Raiders at Cleveland Browns

Sebastian Janikowski accounted for all of Oakland’s scoring by kicking three field goals. His third was a sixty-one yarder at the end of the first half.

Jerome Harrison most likely got the start for some teams after last weeks lights our performance. Harrison did not disappoint. He scored a touchdown and totaled 148 yards on the ground.

Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers

The Hawks have officially bottomed out. They gave up forty-eight points to the Packers and only managed ten after the embarrassing lost to the Bucs last week. John Carlson caught a touchdown, but can’t erase his bust tag at this point.

Much to Aaron Rodgers’ owners dismay, the Packers scored five rushing touchdowns. Ryan Grant scored two touchdowns in the first half. Grant gave way to Brandon Jackson who added two on the ground in the third quarter and scored on Rodgers only touchdown pass.

Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins

The Texans jumped out to a twenty-seven point lead in the first half and didn’t score another point; however, they managed to hang on for their eighth win of the season. Matt Schaub threw for 286 yards and two scores with one interception. Andre Johnson and Arian Foster each caught a touchdown.

The Dolphins were playing catch up most of the game, so their rushing game did not produce much. Chad Henne threw for 322 yards, a score and an interception. Some guy named Lex Hilliard scored two touchdowns, most likely infuriating Ricky Williams owners.

Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots

The Jags laid an egg in Gillette Stadium and Maurice Jones-Drew paid the price as did his owners.

Tom Brady rewarded his owners with his second best game of the year on the biggest day of the fantasy calendar. Brady only threw for 267 yards, but his four touchdown passes more than made up for the lack of yards. Randy Moss didn’t have the yardage either, but his three touchdowns made up for that too.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints

Cadillac Williams helped lead the Bucs’ comeback on the strength of his 129 yards rushing, which included a twenty-three yard touchdown run.

Drew Brees put together a nice 2009 fantasy campaign, but his last several weeks have really disappointed. He only threw for one score and a measly 258 yards passing. Pierre Thomas and Robert Meachem each scored for the Saints.

Carolina Panthers at New York Giants

This game got out of hand so quickly, I don’t think the Giants knew what hit them. Jonathan Stewart rushed for 206 yards and one touchdown. Matt Moore threw for three touchdowns, including a twenty-seven yard strike to Steve Smith, who broke his arm on the play.

The Giants could not run the ball and once they got behind, the run was abandoned anyway. The other Steve Smith caught the Giants only touchdown.

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

Todd Heap had another random great game by catching two touchdowns. Ray Rice rushed for 141 yards, but he also lost a fumble.

Santonio Holmes led the Steelers receivers with eighty-six yards and a touchdown. Rashard Mendenhall also found the end zone, but only managed thirty-six yards rushing.

St. Louis Rams at Arizona Cardinals

Steven Jackson sat this one out, so the Rams’ ineptitude on offense was more likely than usual. As a matter of fact, the Rams appeared to have completely bagged this game as no-namers led the team on all offensive categories.

Kurt Warner threw for over 300 yards and two scores. Larry Fitzgerald caught a touchdown and Anquan Boldin had 116 yards receiving.

Detroit Lions at San Francisco 49ers

The Lions’ offense was terrible as usual, managing only six points. Maybe next year Matt Stafford and company will get their stuff together, but right now I wouldn’t touch any of them in next year’s draft until they can prove their worth and that includes Calvin Johnson.

Frank Gore led the Niners in rushing and receiving with 152 total yards and a touchdown. Vernon Davis has now become the Chris Carter of tight ends because all he does is catch touchdowns.

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts

The Jets were down at the half, but thanks to the Colts resting their stars in the second half, they came back and won. Thomas Jones ran for over 100 yards and a score. The Jets’ defense/special teams accounted for two touchdowns and multiple turnovers and sacks of Peyton’s sub, who’s name I will not mention here.

I can’t imagine handing another team a win when you could eliminate them from playoff contention, but that is exactly what Jim Caldwell did. At least fantasy owners were prepared for this possibility.

Denver Broncos at Philadelphia Eagles

Jabar Gaffney caught two touchdowns and Knowshon Moreno accounted for the other.

Donovan McNabb threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Brent Celek led the Eagles receivers with 121 yards and a touchdown.

Darrelle Revis, CB, NYJ- “New York Jets coach Rex Ryan is quickly developing a reputation for making big statements, some so large his 7-7 team has not come close to backing them. But no one blinks whenever Ryan promotes Darrelle Revis as “the best corner in the league.” (USAToday)

Brian Westbrook, RB, PHI- “Just in time for the playoffs, Brian Westbrook makes the Philadelphia Eagles even more dangerous. Westbrook was cleared to play after recovering from two concussions and is expected to return against the Denver Broncos at home Sunday. The former All-Pro running back has played in just six games this season.” (Yahoo)

Albert Haynesworth, DL, WAS, and Brandon Jacobs, RB, NYG- “Giants running back Brandon Jacobs was fined $7,500 and Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth $10,000 for their altercation in the fourth quarter of the Giants’ 45-12 win over Washington on Monday night.” (ESPN)

Darryl Tapp, DE, SEA- “Many things can happen at the bottom of a pile. A finger to an eye, a twisted arm, a sucker punch, the list goes on. But biting?”(ESPN)

Brett Favre, QB, MIN, and Brad Childress, Head Coach, MIN- “The tension between Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre and coach Brad Childress is the result of disagreement over how much influence each should expect to have in running the offense during games, according to multiple team sources.” (ESPN)

Anquan Boldin, WR, ARI, and Kurt Warner, QB, ARI- “It’s Christmas Eve, a time for family, gift-giving and the start of 24-hours of A Christmas Story. So I’m hoping I’m not playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge with this blog post. The official stat provider of the NFL has ruled that Kurt Warner’s touchdown “pass” to Anquan Boldin in last week’s game against the Lions wasn’t a pass at all. It was lateral and thus, a run.” (NFL)

Jim Caldwell, Head Coach, IND- “Anyone waiting for Colts coach Jim Caldwell to tip his hand about how much QB Peyton Manning and the other starters will play in Week 16, please don’t hold your breath. Caldwell, to no one’s surprise, isn’t saying.” (NFL)

Drew Stanton, QB, DET- “Lions coach Jim Schwartz announced Wednesday that Drew Stanton will make his first NFL career start this weekend against the 49ers, keeping veteran backup Daunte Culpepper on the bench.” (NFL)

John Carney, PK, NO- “Two days after waiving veteran kicker John Carney, the Saints have brought him back as a kicking consultant.” (Yahoo)

Michael Vick, QB, PHI- “Vick won the Ed Block Courage Award, voted on by his teammates on the Philadelphia Eagles. The once-disgraced star quarterback returned to the league after spending 18 months in a federal prison for his role in a dogfighting ring.” (Yahoo)

Mike Holmgren, PRES, CLE- “Serious. Credible. A leader. In Mike Holmgren, Cleveland Browns owner Randy Lerner hit the trifecta he desperately wanted.” (USAToday)

Andre Johnson, WR, HOU- “Perhaps one of the least talked about stars in the NFL is Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson. Throughout the years the Texans star has turned heads and opened eyes, but what many people have not realized is the accumulation of his numbers over the past seven seasons have added up and are about to be record setting.” (BleacherReport)

Brian Brohm, QB, BUF- “Every year, there are players that come out of nowhere to post stat lines that shake up the fantasy football community. Jerome Harrison did it last week for the Cleveland Browns. Could Brian Brohm be next?” (FFToolbox)

Jake Delhomme, QB, CAR- “The Carolina Panthers placed quarterback Jake Delhomme on injured reserve Thursday with a broken finger on his throwing hand, ending his worst season as a pro and raising questions about his future with the franchise.” (FOX)

Troy Polamalu, STY, PIT- “Steelers safety Troy Polamalu didn’t practice again Wednesday because of his injured left knee ligament and doesn’t expect to play Sunday against Baltimore. Polamalu is “encouraged” by an MRI test he had on Tuesday, but he doesn’t anticipate practicing this week.” (FOX)

This week is Championship Week for fantasy footballers everywhere. If you have made it this far you undoubtedly have a few studs on your team. However, if you are looking to win you’ll need more than a Drew Brees, Andre Johnson, or Adrian Peterson on your roster. In fact, if you are lucky enough to have the 49er defense on your roster they may win the championship for you.

If you just look at the traditional NFL ranking that statement would appear to be that of a madman (the NFL has the 49er defense ranked 19th in the league). However, when it comes to scoring fantasy points these guys are pretty darn good.

There 34 sacks are tied for 8th in the league (along with the Cowboys and Packers). With fifteen interceptions on the year they are tied for 12th in the league (with the Jets and Patriots). Only the Viking defense has more forced fumbles than them (49ers have 20), and the 12 they have recovered puts them in second (tied with 5 other teams). Along with the special teams units, the 49er defense has also given their offense a helping hand by putting four touchdowns on the board (1 blocked field goal return, 1 interception return, and 2 fumble returns).
As a body of work these guys are not bad at all and will look to be only better in the years to come, especially as their offense improves and allows their defense to rest a little more often. Yes, these guys had a number of weeks this season where they were an absolute fantasy dud, but just like any squad they had some others where they absolutely shined.
                                 Int      Fum      Sacks         TD
Week 3      @MIN       1          0             2             1
Week 4          STL      1          0             5             3
Week 10       CHI         5          0            0             0
Week 12        JAC       0          2            6             0
Week 13    @SEA       0          2            5              0
Week 14        ARI        2          7            4              0

As the season has gone on they have definitely gotten stronger; especially when they play at home. The talent on the squad is getting better each week, but they have shown already that they are quite capable of exposing and exploiting bad offensive teams (see week 4 against the Rams). During the fantasy championship week 16 they happen to be going up against the Detroit Lions (at home) who might be more interested in Tim Tebow or Mark Ingram than in actually winning.

If you have made it to your league’s championship game, congratulations. If your league will let you pick up the 49er defense; that is, if you want to win.

If you haven’t looked at their stats recently, you might be surprised to know that Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers have pretty similar overall numbers.

I might actually agree with someone who says that Rodgers will be the better fantasy QB next year and beyond.

Either way, you have to be happy if you’ve had either one of these guys on your team this season.

Here are their stats through 14 games…

Drew Brees

I doubt anyone really expected Brees to throw for 5,000 yards again this season, so I’m sure anyone who has him on their team is happy with his performance this year. For the most part, he’s dominated every defense he’s faced. He’s completed 70% of his passes this year, which is just insane.

Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers has also rushed for 293 yards this season, which I think gives him the edge over Brees for best overall QB right now. In only his second season as Green Bay’s starter, he’s become an elite quarterback in the league. He should be able to continue to have seasons like he’s had this year. It helps that he has some solid receivers to throw to.

Remaining Schedules
Brees: TB, @CAR
Rodgers: SEA, @ARI

Rodgers faces two of the worst pass defenses while Brees is going up against to of the better ones, but that doesn’t really matter too much when you’re talking about two of the best in the NFL.

Brees is the more accurate QB of the two, but no one can deny that Rodgers’ fantasy numbers are right there with Brees’ this season. They’re the top two QBs this year, and they’ll probably be the top two next year as well.

This is our version of the waiver wire. Here we will break down our weekly pickups by the size of the league because, well, it just doesn’t make sense otherwise. As with our Contentious Starts and Sits, please leave comments calling us out or adding to the waivers list. If your thoughts are solid we will stick your words right in the post…

Eight Teams

Jerome Harrison – CLE, RB – After rushing for 286 yards and 3 TDs against the Chiefs on Sunday, it’s pretty obvious why Harrison would be a nice pickup. The Raiders have a pretty terrible run defense, too, so he’s a must start this week.

Ten Teams

Jermichael Finley – GB, TE – Finley has been on a roll recently and should finish the season off strong. Over the last three weeks, he’s caught 22 passes for 233 yards and 3 TDs. If you don’t have one of the top tight ends, definitely get Finley if he’s still available.

Vince Young – TEN, QB – Young looked as good as he ever has on Sunday against the Dolphins. His numbers ended up being solid (236 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT), but what was most impressive was his accuracy. Tennessee faces San Diego and Seattle to finish the season, so Young should have two more good games.

Beanie Wells – ARI, RB – Wells has scored in two straight games now and he should finish strong. He might not get 20 carries, but he will get most of the red zone looks. The Cards face the Rams this week, so he’s a pretty good option.

John Carlson – SEA, TE – Carlson had his best game since Week 1 on Sunday as he caught seven passes for 86 yards and a TD. He should continue to be targeted both inside and outside red zone.

Twelve Teams

Maurice Morris – DET, RB – In his first game as the Lions’ #1 RB, Morris rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 5 passes for another 35 yards. He might not be the best option this week against the 49ers, but he’ll probably have a nice game against the Bears next week.

Matt Moore – CAR, QB – It seems like Moore is finally comfortable with running the Panthers offense. He passed for 299 yards and three touchdowns with no picks on Sunday against a pretty good Vikings D.

Devin Aromashodu – CHI, WR – It’s pretty obvious that Jay Cutler likes throwing the ball to Aromashodu. He’s targeted him 22 times over the last two games. If Devin Hester doesn’t play again this week, look for Aromashodu to have a good game. He’d probably be a better option next week against the Lions, though.

Houston Texans at St. Louis Rams

Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson proved their worth as fantasy stars. Schaub threw for 367 yards and a touchdown. Johnson caught nine passes for 196 of those yards.

Steven Jackson led the Rams in rushing and receiving and tallied 123 total yards.

Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions

Kurt Warner may not have put of the points his owners were hoping for this week, but he ended up turning in a decent performance. He threw for 233 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin each caught a touchdown. Beanie Wells had a nice game worth 110 yards rushing and a score.

Calvin Johnson continued his struggles and let his owners down with only three catches for thrity five yards. Maurice Morris rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown in what was most likely a wasted fantasy performance as no one in the universe started him.

New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills

Tom Brady did to owners what he did two years ago when he broke the passing touchdown record, he laid a total egg in the fantasy playoffs. He had an interception early on and didn’t surpass 100 yards until the second half. He did find Randy Moss for a touchdown.

Lee Evans scored the lone touchdown for the Bills. Otherwise, their offense stinks, but for some reason their defense always plays the Patriots tough. I wish I would have remembered that before I started Brady!

Miami Dolphins at Tennessee Titans

Chad Henne had a huge day passing with 349 yards and a touchdown, but he also had three interceptions. Ricky Williams rushed for eighty yards and a touchdown.

Vince Young seems to have figured out this whole NFL quarterback thing. He threw three touchdowns on 236 yards passing with one pick. Chris Johnson didn’t find the end zone and coughed up a rare fumble. He did have 159 total yards.

Atlanta Falcons at New York Jets

The coaches in this game cheered more for missed field goals than they did for touchdowns. Tony Gonzalez caught the Falcons touchdown.

The only Jets touchdown came when Braylon Edwards actually caught a wide open touchdown pass for sixty five yards.

Cleveland Browns at Kansas City Chiefs

This game featured a ton of scoring by people who most likely had zero fantasy impact. Case in point, Jerome Harrison rushed for 286 yards and three touchdowns, but there is no way he got started in a league with any less than twelve teams. Similarly, Joshua Cribbs had two kick off returns for touchdowns.

Matt Cassell had one of his best games of the year. He threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns. Jamaal Charles ran for 154 yards and a score.

Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos

The Raiders were led by Michael Bush’s 133 yards rushing including a twenty three yard scoring run.

The Broncos were led by Matt Prater’s four field goals, which is a good indication as to why they lost to the Raiders. Brandon Marshall caught a touchdown.

Cincinnati Bengals at San Diego Chargers

The Bengals played well with heavy hearts after the passing of Chris Henry earlier this week. Carson Palmer had his first game over 300 yards this season including two touchdown passes. One of which was caught by Chad Ochocinco. Ocho had seventy nine yards receiving and an inspired twenty six yard run.

Philip Rivers continued his hot streak passing for 308 yards and three touchdowns. Two of Rivers’ touchdown passes went to Vincent Jackson and the other went to Antonio Gates.

Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens

Maybe Jay Cutler isn’t as good as people thought he was because the Bears’ offense is as bad as its been in years, perhaps including the Sexy Rexy and Kyle Orton years. The only Chicago score came on an Earl Bennett punt return.

Joe Flacco broke out of a slump that has lasted much of the second half of the season. He threw four touchdown passes and no interceptions. Two of his touchdown passes went to his long lost tight end, Todd Heap.

San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles

The Niners’ offense struggled in Philly. Alex Smith returned as the ghost of Alex of Years’ Past with three interceptions and less than 200 yards passing. Frank Gore rushed for over 100 yards in the loss.

Donovan McNabb threw for over 300 yards, but only had one score and two interceptions. DeSean Jackson stood out again for the Eagles with 140 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers

Aaron Rodgers owners might be singing his name all the way to the fantasy super bowl. He accounted for four touchdowns, including 383 yards passing and twenty two yards rushing. Greg Jennings finally showed up for a score and 118 yards receiving.

Speaking of huge games, Ben Roethlisberger threw for 503 yards and three touchdowns. He found Michael Wallace for two of the three scores.

Tampa Bay at Seattle Seahawks

I’m not sure what to make of Josh Freeman. He is on a terrible team, but has showed flashes of fantasy brilliance. His numbers weren’t great, but two touchdowns and 205 yards is a far sight better than one Tom Terrific. Derrick Ward and Carnell Williams rushed for sixty seven and sixty six yards respectively and each caught a touchdown.

I’m not sure what to make of Matt Hasselbeck either. I drafted him as a back up this year and quickly dropped him and never saw him make an appearance on another team all year. He has been banged up, but when he has played he has been awful. He threw four interceptions against a bad Bucs defense.

A = Awful Announcing, B = B, and G = Guido