Week 1 Notes

Ron Yeany

Game of the Week:

We’re off and running, as NFL Week 1 kicks off Sunday, September 1. Our first Game of the Week pits two of last season’s playoff teams, as the Pennsylvania Wildcats tackle the Big Carolina Bang. Both of these teams return a core of solid players, and both teams took some calculated gambles in the draft. It should be a high-scoring contest.
Miami vs. State College this weekend also offers an interesting matchup, as these two teams both look much more solid this year and both are hoping to make playoff runs.

Post-draft rankings

For Fantasy Football Flyer’s first post-draft exercise, and our premiere news item on the World Wide Web, we’ve painstakingly ranked this year’s teams and analysed each roster using Pro Football Weekly’s Fantasy Draft Board, posted on ESPNet on August 19, 1996. PFW ranked the top 25 quarterbacks, 25 tight ends and 25 placekickers, and ranked the top 50 running backs and 50 wide receivers.

FFF has taken these rankings and assigned the ranking to each Fantasy Football League player on the entire roster (drafted and protected players). If the team drafted or held any player that wasn’t ranked, they were given a point value of 26 (for QBs, TEs and Ks) or 51 (for RBs and WRs).

For instance, Emmitt Smith=1, Jerry Rice=1, Jeff George=4, Leroy Hoard=37, Kevin Mack=51).

Using this ranking system, a low number signifies the highest-ranked team, according to Pro Football Weekly. Here are the results:

Pennsylvania Wildcats – 311 points
New York Griffons – 341 points
Big Carolina Bang – 391 points (*366)
Pittsburgh Pachyderms – 391 points
State College Bandits – 395 points
Miami Muffdivers – 399 points
Los Angeles Riot! – 411 points (*386)
Mercer Mustangs – 414 points
Butler Blowfish – 418 points (*393)
Keystone Longfellows – 442 points
Dallas Armadillos – 445 points
Wisconsin Cheeseheads – 450 points
Richmond Rattlin’ Raptors – 461 points
Newport Beach Nightmare – 466 points (*441)

*Two things should be noted: Carolina, Los Angeles, Butler and Newport Beach are all carrying one more RB or WR than the rest of the clubs, so their rankings most likely fall somewhere in between the ranking they were given and their ranking minus 25 points (*in parentheses). Also, IR players were not counted toward the rankings.

Nick says…
1996 EARLY PREDICTIONS:

Division 3

  • PA – Solid all around and is a lock for another division championship.
  • PG- Definitely in the money for the first time and are expected to make a wildcard run. Any injuries will kill this team.
  • SC- Best draft. Will fight it out with PG for wildcard spot.
  • BR- Weak draft. Best 4th place team in league. Will miss $ for first time.

Division 1

  • NY- Don’t expect a 13-1 record, but should have enough to come out on top.
  • CL- As usual, well balanced and deep. Good draft.
  • MI- Improved substantially, but not enough to make a serious run.
  • NP- Solid for an expansion team.
  • RD- traded away today for a chance at tomorrow.

Division 2

  • WN- Continuing decline, However not much competition in this division.

(Places 2 through 4 are too close to call)

  • MR- Weak draft but expect George to carry the team.
  • LA- Don’t count them out.
  • DS- Continuing improvement, though at a snails pace.
  • KS- A good draft won’t help make up for a weak expansion draft.

Weakest Division is Division 2.
Strongest Division is Division 3.
Best drafts (taking into account placement)- SC, VC, MI and CL.

Playoff predictions:
Playoff teams: NY, PA, WN and wildcard is PG in tiebreaker over SC
Consolation teams: SC, CL, MI and 2nd place team from Div. 2. BR loses out on tiebreaker.

Welcome Back!

Aah, the familiar yellow background. The unique logo at the top screaming “Fantasy Football Flyer.” And if you get a portable computer and a phone jack in your bathroom, you can even read it on your throne. The FFF is back, and I hope, better than ever. I’ll try to capture the fun and games we did with the printed version that we were unable to do with an email newsletter. The only thing you’ll have to do is make the effort to visit this Web site.