GobbleDog

Ah crap. I want my Pickens prop back.

Oof. Week 1 injuries stink. Condolences to Love owners.

I picked Barkley as "Bust of the Year" ... doesn't look good. I'll admit he looked spry. But moreso the Eagles o-line that everyone was touting lived up to the hype. Barkley was untouched on a few big runs up the middle. Packers defense looked rather sorry - secondary got beat by everyone including Barkley, and couldn't stop the run. Might be a long year for Cheeseheads. On the flip side, might mean more shoot-outs for Love.

Official plays... Iowa moneyline -135 Ohio +2 vs South Alabama ... wrong team favored Washington St -1 vs Texas Tech ... Tech's D is wrecked Miss St +5.5 vs Arizona St ... big step up for Arizona St - too many pts MICH Colston Loveland Over 3.5 rec SYR Trebor Pena Over 3.5 rec OKL Deion Burks Over 4.5 rec ............................... 5 - 2 Iowa stung losing on final play.

Obviously not Kelce. The better question is Andrews for Likely ?

College guru I watch (Thor Nystrom) likes Iowa -1 over Iowa St. At least it was -1, couple days ago when he posted. Can't remember all the reasoning, but at the end he said the icing on the cake was two key defensive players for Iowa St were out. Sounded good, so I bet on it. What the hell do I know about Iowa or Iowa St?

Just like last year, Colorado had a ridiculous amount of player turnover. Makes it tough to build chemistry. I don't think much of Nebraska in general (doubt they ever relive their 90's glory days) as recruiting is a problem there. But I lean the home team -6.5 led by second year Matt Rhule who's been quite successful at his previous college stints. They stomped UTEP (yeah, they stink), but Colorado barely survived against North Dak St (an FCS school).

Most everyone of fantasy note did ok. Only disappointments were Kelce and Andrews. A little concern with Kelce... he did slump the second half last year - from Wk 8 forward never broke 100 yds and just 1 Td, but woke up for the playoffs with 3 Tds. He certainly wasn't the focal point of that offense last night, as he has been in years past. Still, probably some monster games coming. Huge concern with Andrews. Some speculated Likely might eventually take over as the lead Te, but not this soon. Ravens probably drafted him as insurance against Andrews getting injured again. But jeesh... 12 targets to 2 targets.?. That doesn't seem like just an anomoly. More like the Ravens were thoroughly impressed with Likely in camp and wanted to immediately insert him into the game plan - heavily. We'll see if that continues, but if I owned Andrews, I'd be worried especially given the fantasy draft capital invested.

That one threw me too. David Johnson seems right, but I can't for the life of me remember which team he played for.

It used to be "Snookslayer", but I lost my password. If I knew I'd be here this long, I would've looked for that password a little harder instead of just thinking up my dog's name.

Might as well keep the trend going. Rankings per FantasyPros ppr: 1) Sam LaPorta played 17 games with 120 tar - 86 rec, 869 yds, and 10 Tds, finishing 1st (weeks 1-17). The former 2nd rounder out of Iowa had the greatest rookie Te season of all-time. The Lions threw 606 times with St. Brown and LaPorta accounting for a whopping 47% of those targets. Nothing much changed in Detroit and considering how efficient the offense was they'll almost certainly stick to the same game plan. LaPorta may have a slight softmore slump given how incredible he was, but overall the healthy 23 yo might be a slightly safer pick than Kelce. 2) Travis Kelce played 15 games with 121 tar - 93 rec, 984 yds, and 5 Tds, finishing 2nd. Was 1st in '22 and 2nd in '21. The Td dip was unusual with the prior three years of 12, 9 and 11 Tds. Sign of things to come or anomaly? Kelce turns 35 soon but has been one of the most durable Te's during his 10-year career. KC did sign Wr Brown and drafted Wr Worthy with a 1st rounder, so it's unknown if they effect Kelce's target share, but a dramatic scheme shift seems unlikely. If it ain't broke... 3) Trey McBride played 17 games with 106 tar - 81 rec, 825 yds, and 3 Tds, finishing 8th. Was 42nd in '22 even though he only missed 1 game... just lacked rec and Tds. Clearly the lofty ranking is based on the theory that a healthy Kyler Murray improves the stats, which makes sense - based on the 8 games they played together last year, McBride's stats over 17 games projected to 112 rec, 1,143 yds and 4.3 Tds - impressive. However, it should be noted the offense had lots of injuries and McBride definitely benefited. Wr Brown is gone, replaced by 1st rounder Wr Harrison who's supposedly NFL-ready immediately and the Cards drafted Rb Benson with a 3rd rounder, so who knows how the offense is going to look. The Cards aren't projected to be very good, so maybe playing catch-up helps the passing game, but could hurt overall scoring. ...................................................................................... 4) Mark Andrews played 10 games with 61 tar - 45 rec, 544 yds, and 6 Tds, finishing 11th. Was 3rd in '22 and 1st in '21. During week 11 tore ankle ligament (grd 3) and broke fibula; Returned in late January playoffs getting 2 tar - 2 rec, 15 yds, and 0 Tds. Stats for 17 games projected to 77 rec, 925 yds and 10.2 Tds - a top 3 finish. Turns 29 in September and was fairly durable during his 6-year career until last season. Was Lamar Jackson's top target the past three years, until the injury led to rookie Flowers finishing with 108 targets. The Ravens signed Rb Henry and are expected to remain one of the more run-heavy teams. Didn't learn much from the one playoff game, so it's unclear if the injury has lingering effects or if he'll continue dominating target share now that Flowers has blossomed. punz 5) Dalton Kincaid played 16 games with 91 tar - 73 rec, 673 yds, and 2 Tds, finishing 12th. The former 1st round pick had a solid rookie season and likely overtook Dawson Knox as the lead Te. Knox was very productive in '21 (71 rec, 9 Tds) with the stats falling some in '22, and his least production in '23 - though missed 4 games. Bills lost Wr's Diggs - Davis, but signed Wr Samuel and drafted Wr Coleman 2nd rd. The ranking obviously assumes Kincaid will get many of those vacated targets and improves in year two. But there's a chance Knox isn't totally out of the picture yet. There's also Allen rushing so many Tds which can hurt both Rb and Te production as they typically score around the goal line. Qbs with high rushing Tds in recent years haven't typically had Te's scoring very often - Eagles Te's is a great example, Bills Te's last year, Bears Justin Fields in '22, I could go on, etc. Knox's 9 Tds in '21 is a bit of an anomaly. Ya might think Andrews bucks the trend, but statistically Jackson hasn't rushed for many Tds in recent years. On the flip side look at Kelce and LaPorta's Td stats with Qbs that almost never rush for Tds. Food for thought. 6) Evan Engram played 17 games with 143 tar - 114 rec, 963 yds, and 4 Tds, finishing 4th. Was 5th in '22, after spending four seasons floundering with the Giants. Engram's 143 targets ranked #1 among Te's (by wide margin) and 12th in the entire league. Incredible volume, but lacked Tds similar to '22 with 98 targets, but only 4 Tds. Engram had an average distance of target (adot) of just 5.0 yds, explaining his inefficient 8.4 yd/rec last year which was 2nd lowest among all Te's with 30+ receptions. Jags lost Calvin Ridley and signed Wr Gabe Davis, along with spending a 1st rounder on Wr Brian Thomas Jr. which could create target competition. Engram turns 30 soon and it's hard to imagine still improving at this point. Overall seems like a somewhat safe pick as Lawrence uses him as a safety blanket and should feed enough volume to keep him top 10 relevant. Just not sure about the upside as Engram doesn't seem to be overly-talented and isn't on a very high-scoring team which can vault him into the top 5 (short of insane volume like last year). Also worry coaches might start scheming differently considering the inefficient stats, and mediocre success all that volume amounted to in recent years. ............................................................................................. 7) Kyle Pitts played 17 games with 90 tar - 53 rec, 667 yds, and 1 Td, finishing 14th. Was 31st in '22 (missed games), and 5th in '21 (rookie season). Falcons lost Te Smith (70 tar last year) and Qb Ridder, but signed Kurt Cousins (made Hockensen great). Most importantly, coach Arthur Smith and his run heavy / pass-hating schemes are gone, along with the former o-coordinator. After burning drafters for years, Pitts is now in the best situation he's ever had with a proven Qb, less Te competition, and pass-friendly offense. Everything points to a huge uptick. but Pitts has disappointed so often nothing would shock. I'm inclined to blame the previous situation and hope Pitts still has the elite talent that made him the highest drafted Te in NFL history. 8)) George Kittle played 16 games with 90 tar - 65 rec, 1,020 yds, and 6 Tds, finishing 5th. Was 4th in '22, and 3rd in '21. Been very consistent in recent years and Shanahan has a penchant for spreading the ball to his four best targets nearly evenly - McCaff (83 tar), Deebo (89 tar), and Aiyuk (105 tar), fairly similar to '22 stats. Everyone worried Purdy's magical ride might fall off a cliff, but that hasn't panned out. Not much changed in San Fran, the only real concern is Kittle will soon be 31, but he's only missed a handful of games in recent years. Stats - remember Engram's ridiculous low yd/rec... Kittle had the highest of any Te with 15+ rec at 15.7; 4th highest yac per rec at 7.4; Finished #2 in ADOT. Certainly doesn't seem to be slowing down. 9) David Njoku played 16 games with 123 tar - 81 rec, 882 yds, and 6 Tds, finishing 6th. Was 15th in '22 (missed games), and 22nd in '21. Njoku is coming off a career year, but there's a big problem here. Njoku got the vast majority of those stats with Joe Flacco at Qb (ya know, they guy who didn't have a job until the Colts signed him as backup last week). The six games Deshaun Watson was qb, Njoku averaged just 4.2 rec, 38 yds, and 0.2 Tds per game. Watson was equally bad in '21 and it's becoming apparent the man is mentally broke. Anyone drafting Njoku is either hoping for a miraculous Watson turnaround, or the Browns outright bench the highest paid player in the NFL. Neither seem very likely. And it's not like Njoku is an amazing young talent... he's about to turn 28 and has had a fairly forgettable career. .............................................................................................. 10) Jake Ferguson played 17 games with 102 tar - 71 rec, 761 yds, and 5 Tds, finishing 9th. Was 46th in '22 (barely involved as rookie). The former 4th rd pick out of Big Wisky was solid last season and finished 2nd in targets far behind CeeDee, but surprisingly 21 targets more than #2 Wr Cooks. It wasn't like there were lots of Wr/Te injuries with no choice but to target to Ferguson - they were all healthy. He obviously earned the roll and the Cowboys were happy to keep him heavily involved. Cowboys lost Pollard (67 tar), but signed Zeke which seems like a wash. Not much else changed in Dallas with the same coach and o-coordinator. Seems like he should safely get another top 10 finish with potential for much higher as Te's often dramatically improve in their 3rd year and the Tds might inch up a bit as well.

Maye is supposedly a great Qb according to scouts which is why he was 3rd overall. But there's scuttle he might not take the field this year. Or at least not til mid- to late-season. Patriots might not want to mentally-wreck him on a train-wrecked team.

That's an option - hold Jeudy. Pray for a miracle monster game - trade immediately to the first sucker who bites.

Dang... I even drafted Ali last night with the last pick in a guillotine league. Oh well. You could always wait out the 4 games.?. Ok let's see... Braelon Allen (didn't do much research on him this year)... Jets 4th rd pick out of Big Wisky. Just don't see how amounts to anything until a Hall injury who's only 23 and didn't miss a game last year. Seems like a long-shot. What about Jaleel McLaughlin (fat chance he's still available) - pass catching back for Denver. I'd look though. Dylan Laube, back-up in Vegas who's supposedly an amazing pass-catcher. If they over-work Z. White (which they will) and he gets hurt, Laube takes over in a great situation with a coach who works his Rb to death. Audric Estime, Denver's rookie who some think is gonna steal Javonte Williams job this year. Tank Bigsby ... back-up in Jax who was highly touted out of college (I drafted him last year hoping he'd overtake Etienne)... didn't happen, but supposedly gets more involved this year and he's the go-to back up in case of injury. Jordan Mason ... McCaff's backup. Lord knows he's old and overworked. Tyrone Tracy ... Giant's backup and he's a rookie. I'm running low on ideas.... i guess last but not least Justice Hill. But he's never amounted to much, so even if ya hit the injury lotto, not sure it pays off.

I will not let Satan tempt me again, like last year with Mr. reliable Chubb in rd 2. Must stay strong! Got my position last night... Lucky No. 6. Been mock drafting all day and night. Feeling good about: Jefferson, Olave, Collins .... Jefferson is obvious. Settled on Olave after much soul searching over Adams and London. Collins being there varies - sometimes it's Adams, London, or last but not least Metcalf. Happy with any. Shotgun next three rounds Rb, Rb, Rb... guys like Walker (I pray), Stevenson, Z. White, Najee, B. Robinson, etc. Kick the Te and Qb cans down the road to rounds 7 and 9. What are my fellow Zero Rb strategists thinking?

I honestly don't know, but hope so. Dortch is 5'7" (my 14 yo daughter is taller than that) and was undrafted out of Wake Forest. Entering his 4th year, so draft status doesn't mean much at this point, but ... I tend to think a 3rd rd pick out of Stanford who's the size of a full grown man has a bit more talent.

My 14th rd pick... Michael Wilson - probably the 3rd banana in ARI targets. Hyped talent out of college, and apparently Cards believed taking him with a 3rd last year. We'll see if he takes a step forward in second year as Cards #2 wideout. Only 20% rostered.

Anyone else actually go zero Rbs? Post them teams! With my 6th overall pick: 1, 2, 3: Jefferson, Olave, Collins ... just as mock drafts indicated. 4, 5, 6: Stevenson, Jones, Z. White ... really wanted Walker, but that's ok. 3 starters, I'm good. Later Ferguson, and Tua ... league scoring favors big passing over running Qbs, so thrilled with Tua. Ya can't spell C-H-A-M-P-I-O-N-S-H-I-P without "balls"

I thought he looked good at Auburn. And of course won a bunch of games in Oregon. Turns out scouts hate him.... "all dump-offs and rarely gets past first read." What do I know.

I'm betting on Vikings. People will be eating some crow for all the Sam Darnold bashing that's been going on before the season is over. Either that, or I'll help myself to some.

That would certainly be the fairest thing to do. But that probably eats too much precious tv revenue.

Wow, I didn't even know that til now. That is strange. I wonder what the logic is.?.

I'd look elsewhere as well. As I said before the draft, even if Zeke went undrafted, I still wouldn't pick him up. Just can't imagine a time I'd ever want to start him and pray to the good Lord he actually scores. Because when he doesn't.... what's he give ya? 3 rec and 40 total yds? Rather have Lotto tickets.

And a nice Lotto ticket in McLaughlin to boot. I also have Spears, so I'd love to rave about how smart we are. I can't. That pick left a bad taste. Wanted Moss, Singletary or Mostert. Oh well.... maybe he'll surprise.

1) Johnson ... I wouldn't even call him fringe. Could finish top 25ish. 2) Hopkins ... not a ton expectation in that offense with Ridley, but Hopkins was actually decent last year with 75 rec and 7 Tds. 3) Reed ... Love spreads it so damn thin. Still Reed might be the most talented among their receivers. 4) Mooney ... just don't know what to expect from that offense. But Mooney is probably low on the target pecking order. 5) Jeudy ... I believe Denver sent him to Cleveland just to wither away and die. 4th option with Watson throwing the ball. Could be a long year.