Thursday, September 26, 2013

3FL Notes: S13: Week 4 Preview

After three weeks we still have three undefeated and three winless teams. We're guaranteed to reduce both of those numbers by at least one this week.

Remember that the byes are starting. Who can you afford to keep on your active roster?



Week 3 Recap

Top Scoring 3FL Team: Lightning - 105 points

Player MVPs:
Drew Brees (QB/NO) - 29 points
Cam Newton (QB/Car) - 28 points
Chicago Bears Defense - 25 points

Note: The Stiletto Stompers scored just 14 points in week 3, making the list of the lowest weekly team scores of all time.



Predictions Tally

The Comm-nosticator: 11/18 - 61.11%
League Voting: 8/18 - 44.44%
Yahoo! Projections: 10/18 - 55.56%

I know the Thursday deadline every week is silly, but go vote!



Week 4 Information
Thursday Night: San Francisco 49ers @ St. Louis Rams
Sunday Night: New England Patriots @ Atlanta Falcons
Monday Night: Miami Dolphins @ New Orleans Saints
Bye Week: Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers



And now the Comm-nosticator’s predictions for week 4:

Misfits, Inc. (-1/2) vs. Renegades
3-0 vs. 0-3. Easy choice, right? Not so fast. It should be a great matchup, with Thursday and Sunday night weighing heavily on the outcome. It has a better chance than you think of turning zeros to ones than threes to fours in their team records.

Dumbbums (-1/2) vs. The Comfy Chair
What happened to the 'Bums after breaking the weekly team record in week 1? After scoring our lowest team total in week 2 and being on the wrong side of the Toyota Biggest Blowout last week, they get lucky this week with the Chair's Aaron Rodgers on a bye.

Lightning (-1/2) vs. Stiletto Stompers
Last week the Bolts led the league with 105 points, while the Stompers scored an unfortunate record 14 points. But we get to hit the reset button every week and start from zero again. The Lightning's bench being completely unavailable might spark Coach Bev's team back on track.

Predacons (-1/2) vs. Spiked Vipers
In our battle of unbeatens, someone has to take their first loss of the season after this one is over. It should be a good early matchup to watch, with a majority of the players going in the Sunday @ 1pm games. Edge to the Preds since SpiVi has Cam Newton on a bye.

Marauders (-1/2) vs. Yuengling Brewers
Alfred Morris has averaged -1 point per week over our first three weeks of the season. Coach Hoss might be better off not filling a RB spot at all. That should change this week, as long as he replaces his bye week Defense. Right? And the Brewers sub out their bye week TE?

And the game of the week...

The HAW (-1/2) vs. Baltimorons
Is the Kaepernick era over in HAWville? After scoring a total of -2 points in the past two weeks it might be an option on the table. I think Colin and the 49ers rebound tonight and start this long Thursday to Monday matchup off right for Coach HAW. And there is a bonus - one of these winless teams is assured its first victory!

Good luck this week.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

3FL Notes: S13: Week 3 Preview

After our record breaking first week of the season, last week was a little less exciting. Half of the league did score at least 70 points, though. Get ready for the last of our first set of intra-divisional games and the final full-roster games before the bye weeks start!



Week 2 Recap

Top Scoring 3FL Team: Spiked Vipers - 90 points

Player MVPs:
Aaron Rodgers (QB/GB) - 33 points
Michael Vick (QB/Phi) - 27 points
Marshawn Lynch (RB/Sea) - 23 points



Predictions Tally

The Comm-nosticator: 6/12 - 50%
League Voting: 3/12 - 25%
Yahoo! Projections: 7/12 - 58.33%

Go vote!



Week 3 Information

Thursday Night: Kansas City Chiefs @ Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday Night: Chicago Bears @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Monday Night: Oakland Raiders @ Denver Broncos
Bye Week: None until week 4



And now the Comm-nosticator’s predictions for week 3:

THE Haw (-1/2) vs. Predacons
The Haw, like the Steelers, are winless after our first two weeks. It doesn't help when your QB scores negative points. That trend changes after this game, because the Preds can't play the lowest scoring team in the league every week.

Yuengling Brewers (-1/2) vs. Stiletto Stompers
Can Trent Richardson pick up the Colts offense quick enough to score any points this week? LeSean McCoy gets it started for Coach Brew on Thursday night but the Stompers counter with Denver's
Defense on MNF. It will be a close one.

Lightning (-1/2) vs. Dumbbums
Which 'Bums will show up? In week 1 they scored the most points in the history of the 3FL. Then in week 2 they scored the lowest point total in the entire league. The matchups don't favor the Bolts, but having Eric Decker on MNF might just be enough to hold on to a win.

The Comfy Chair (-1/2) vs. Baltimorons
Can I hold out judgement on this one until after Larry Fitzgerald's status for the game is announced? His availability could make or break this matchup. But so could the Bears Defense against the Steelers on Sunday night, unfortunately.

Misfits, Inc. (-1/2) vs. Marauders
The battle of the M logos should be an even matchup. Vick and the Eagles against their former coach on Thursday night? That will be fun to watch. So will seeing if Coach Hoss can even up the North Division records.

And the game of the week...

Spiked Vipers (-1/2) vs. Renegades
The Vipers have looked solid so far this season, and that should continue. The Renegades bad luck seems to have carried over from last year. How long will it last? They need a win here, as 0-3 will make it very difficult to qualify for the playoffs. This will be a close one all the way through MNF.

Good luck this week.

Thursday, September 12, 2013

3FL Notes: S13: Week 2 Preview

What a way to start the season! Peyton Manning opened things up with a record breaking performance in the first game of the year, and by the end of the week we had broken two more records. What happens next?



Week 1 Recap

Top Scoring 3FL Team: Dumbbums - 124 points (new 3FL record)

Player MVPs:
Peyton Manning (QB/Den) - 51 points (new 3FL record)
Colin Kaepernick (QB/SF) - 27 points
Victor Cruz (WR/NYG) - 23 points

The 3FL also scored 889 total points in week 1, breaking the record for league points in a week.



Predictions Tally

The Comm-nosticator: 4/6 - 66.67%
League Voting: 2/6 - 33.33%
Yahoo! Projections: 4/6 - 66.67%

Go vote!



Week 2 Information

Thursday Night: New York Jets @ New England Patriots
Sunday Night: San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
Monday Night: Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals
Bye Week: None until week 4



And now the Comm-nosticator’s predictions for week 2:

Lightning (-1/2) vs Misfits, Inc.
Our top ranked team in the draft needed some help to eek out a victory last week. Meanwhile, FitzCorp was busy putting up the second highest point total in the league. The difference will be the Bengals D against the Steelers on MNF. Who are you rooting for, Coach ThadTotti?

Dumbbums (-1) vs. Predacons
The 'Bums had a decent week to start the season. They won't break any other records this week, but they're still poised to score a bunch of points. The Preds on the other hand were pretty average. Expect the Steelers D to give Coach Coaldog the win, if things aren't already decided before MNF.

Stiletto Stompers (-1/2) vs. The Comfy Chair
Take your pick here. If both of these managers start the right personnel this one could go either way. It will probably come down to Frank Gore's performance on Sunday night, but it's going to be close. You'll have to stay up the whole time.

THE Haw (-1/2) vs. Marauders
After last week's loss, Yahoo's season projection for the Marauders has been lowered from 2-11 to 1-11-1. What? I guarantee they will win more than one game this year. Not this week, however. But sometime.

Spiked Vipers (-1) vs. Baltimorons
The 'Morons scored the lowest total in the league last week - they totaled only 5 points more than Peyton Manning himself. They probably won't get a reprieve from 12th place when they face Cam Newton and the Vipers.

And the game of the week...

Yuengling Brewers (-1/2) vs. Renegades
If you look at these teams on paper, you have to be surprised that neither earned a win in week 1. One of them will get one here but it won't be easy. It's going to be a close one and it will all be finished before the work week starts.

Good luck this week.

Thursday, September 05, 2013

3FL Notes: S13: Week 1 Preview

Can the Lightning defend the trophy? Will half of the league keep the gold helmets with the black star? Can anyone read any of the text on the newly designed website? Season 13 will be lucky for someone, but only the 3FL season will have these answers...

It all starts tonight!
Remember to have your starting lineups set 5 minutes before the games begin this week. Any players in the Ravens vs. Broncos game will be locked in whichever lineup position you have them at 8:25pm EDT tonight.

Coach Thadtotti once again crafted our customized schedule. This year divisional games will be played in weeks 1-3 and 11-13 and week 11 will be our rivalry week. Thanks, SpreadsheetGeek.

Voting is up and running for the season. Make sure you vote on all the 3FL games before the beginning of tonight's NFL game and Yahoo! will keep track for us this year. And all managers can vote individually.

Here we go!



Week 1 Information

Thursday Night: Baltimore Ravens @ Denver Broncos
Sunday Night: New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
Monday Night Early: Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins
Monday Night Late: Houston Texans @ San Diego Chargers
Bye Week: None until week 4



And now the Comm-nosticator’s predictions for week 1:
The first week is always the toughest to predict, but here goes...

Lightning (-1/2) vs. Marauders
The Bolts get to begin their title defense with a top ranked draft. It's almost not fair. But the Marauders will have something to say about week one with a comeback ready to start in prime time.

Dumbbums (-1/2) vs. THE Haw
This one should be a good matchup between our elder statesmen. We should know much more about the direction of the game tonight, when the 'Bums have nearly half of their lineup playing on the NFL's opening night.

Renegades (-1/2) vs. Stiletto Stompers
It's a rivalry matchup preview here in our first week of the season. The twins should end up in a tie (in a perfect world), but it's more likely that neither coach will stay awake for the deciding game on Sunday night.

Predacons (-1/2) vs. Baltimorons
Both of these teams already have some decisions to make about starting players. It will come down to who leaves points on the bench and if the Preds can make a comeback with three players in prime time.

Yuengling Brewers (-1/2) vs. Misfits, Inc.
There is already a QB controversy at the corporate office. That's going to be a recurring theme this year. Meanwhile, the Brew Crew is going to start the players chosen earliest by Yahoo!, but that strategy has a decent track record.

And the game of the week...

Spiked Vipers (-1/2) vs. The Comfy Chair
This one may be too close to call. The winner gets a jump start in the South Division, but the loser still has either Aaron Rodgers or Cam Newton at the helm. That's not too shabby.

Good luck in Week 1 and for the rest of Season 13!

Sunday, September 01, 2013

3FL Notes: 2013 Draft Analysis

All but one of our teams was represented during the online draft on Thursday night. Here is an analysis of the results (in draft order):

1. Misfits, Inc.: The corporation obviously took Adrian Peterson with the first pick. They also welcomed back an Eagles' QB for the first time in a few years. They seem to be a little weak at TE and K, but who cares about those positions? Grade: B (Yahoo! Grade: B)

2. The Comfy Chair: Surprising no one who has ever done a live draft in the 3FL, Coach Skrabby chose Aaron Rodgers with the second pick. He was strong in the middle of the draft but ended up with some guys who are hurt. Grade: B- (Yahoo! Grade: B)

3. Renegades: Internet problems didn't allow the new parents to get on until after the first few rounds were over, but they still managed to draft a quality team. They'd better hope for good health this year, though. Depth is not abundant. Grade: B+ (Yahoo! Grade: B)

4. Dumbbums: Coach Coaldog learned a lesson from last year's delegation of power during the draft. This time he wrote out some specific instructions and things turned out significantly better than they did in 2012. Grade: B (Yahoo! Grade: B)

5. Stiletto Stompers: The Stompers chose a good team with a lot of upside. The backfield looks strong but there seem to be a lot of New York Giants hanging around. We'll see if that is a good thing. Grade: B (Yahoo! Grade: B)

6. Spiked Vipers: Staying with his long standing 3FL tradition, SpiVi selected the first Defense in the draft (in the sixth round). For some reason that always seems to work out for them, though. And the rest of the team looks pretty strong. Grade: B+ (Yahoo! Grade: B)

7. THE Haw: Balanced is probably the best word to describe THE 2013 Haw. The talent is spread across the team, and they have at least one of the best at every position. Kaepernick's performance may be the key. Grade: B+ (Yahoo! Grade: B)

8. Baltimorons: Ray Rice is a Baltimoron? Perfect. The Pats offense and Gronkowski's injury will tell the story for the first half of the 'Moron's season. Grade: B- (Yahoo! Grade: C)

9. Marauders: Coach Hoss' team is projected to win only two games this year according to Yahoo's draft day predictions. There is no way that's right. I see a pretty solid squad and they even have some decent backups. Grade: B (Yahoo! Grade: C)

10. Lightning: Those spreadsheets culminated in the Bolts winning the "Best Draft" award according to Toyota. And all this while gazing at the championship trophy across the room. Heck, just the Brees to Graham hookup might win a few games by itself. Grade: A- (Yahoo! Grade: A)

11. Yuengling Brewers: Not sure why we all think we can do better than the AutoDraft feature. This is a couple of years in a row that the Brew Crew got some extra sleep and woke up with a great team. Thanks, Yahoo! Grade: A (Yahoo! Grade: A)

12. Predacons: With the last pick in this year's draft, the Preds did an admirable job of reacting to the picks in front of them. Of course, their backup RB broke his leg in a preseason game during the draft. Let's hope that wasn't an omen for the season. Grade: B (Yahoo! Grade: C)

The Comm-nosticator makes his first predictions soon. Stay tuned.