Showing posts with label 2019 NFL Season. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2019 NFL Season. Show all posts

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The Informer's 2019 NFL Picks: Week 4

 

 Q: Nice call on the 1st half under in primetime last night Informer. And by nice call I obviously mean total sh**. Seriously, you follow up a 7-9 Week 3 with an under bet that was damn near covered by both teams individually? Is it hard to suck that bad at life? Or do you come by it naturally? Honestly, I would call you trash, but that would be an insult to trash. Why don't you do the world a favor and delete your blog already?

Well, I sure am glad I decided to start this week's article with some emails from the made up readers. That looks like it was a real smart decision. On the bright side, at least I was not called fat or ugly this time.

Q: One more thing Informer, you are an ugly overweight wilderbeast. 

I walked right into that one. But for real, are there any actual sports or gambling questions?

Q: I got one Informer: What is the one thing you hate the most about the 2019 NFL Season?

The thing I hate the most about the 2019 NFL Season -- other than Andrew Luck retiring -- is the new pass interference challenge rule. The thing is an absolute disaster. The refs apparently have been told to not change the call on the field unless one of three things happens 1) Vegas needs the team who would benefit from the challenge to win/cover. 2) A murder, rape or shooting takes place. 3) The refs missed an egregious pass inference call (whatever the f*** that means)?

Just look at what happened on Thursday night. The refs had three chances to change obvious pass inference missed calls and each time they totally ignored the video evidence and stuck with the non-call on the field.

So my question becomes: Why the hell do we even have the new rule if they are not going to use it to get the call right?

And don't give me this "it has to be egregious" (seriously I don't even think that is a real word) crap. If there is an obvious pass interference -- like the Eagles defensive player grabbing, hitting, punching, impeding, holding, inappropriately touching and obviously interfering with the receiver -- then use the technology to make the right call.

I guess my point is this: If they are not going to change these calls when its obvious, then why even use the technology? Just go back to the old way and we can all live with the bad call on the field. At least that would be better than getting boned over by the call a second time when the refs see the video evidence and still refuse to admit they f***ed up.

Q: Okay Informer, what is the one thing you love the most?

I will give you two: Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. They are awesome and my favorite thing about every NFL football Sunday.

Q: Is Felix Hernandez a Hall of Famer?

Ummm . . .Wrong blog dude (my answer is no though).

Q: Who are your Top 5 MVP candidates through three weeks?
  1. Patrick Mahomes - No one has been better then Patrick Mahomes through three weeks. 
  2. Tom Brady - No one not named Patrick Mahomes has been better than Tom Brady through three weeks.
  3. Lamar Jackson - Losing a shoot-out against Patrick Mahomes doesn't drop Lamar out of my Top 5 MPV rankings. But I am watching to see how he responds in Week 4 against the Browns. 
  4. Dalvin Cook - Cook is on pace for 2,400 total yards from scrimage on a team that is going to be fighting for a playoff spot. Sounds like an MVP candidate to me. 
  5. Aaron Rodgers - If Aaron Rodgers is going to lead the Packers to the NFC North Championship (which I am predicting) he is going to be in the MVP conversation.
Q: How can you call yourself an expert at making NFL picks when you are getting smoked by a nine year old? You are a fraud Informer. You somehow tricked people into thinking you knew something when the reality is anyone can do what you do. Even a kid.

Have you ever heard of Bobby Fisher? Or Adam Banks? Or MacCaulley Culkin? Or Young Sheldon?

Those "kids" as you call them happened to be prodigies. You know what a prodigy is? Its a person who is a genius even though the outside world would call them a "kid".

Well guess what, I am starting to think "Young AC" is a prodigy when it comes to making NFL picks.

So yea, I take absolute no shame in getting beat by a genius. Furthermore, if being a fraud means I am going to keep my six games above .500 record (27-21 ATS) throughout the season -- along with my "winning 80% of the time" first half under in Primetime bets -- then please sign me up as the biggest fraud on the internet. 

Because if being that fraud means winning, I am happy to keep up the act.

And on that note, here are The Informer's Week 4 NFL Picks.

As always please remember that these picks are only to be used for shady illegal bets made with guys named "Slim", "Suds", "Big Tuna", "Jim" or anything that rhymes with the words "Slick Willy", "Big Wussy" or "Small Rick".

Philadelphia Eagles @ Green Bay Packers (-4)

The Informer's proof of Thursday Night Football Pick:



Pick: Eagles (+4)

Carolina Panthers @ Houston Texans (-5)

Is a guy named Kyle really going to win back to back NFL road games? Just seems far-fetched to me.

Pick: Texans (-5)

Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens (-7)

I have zero scientific logic, theories on the flat Earth, or gambling statistics to back up my pick; but I am grabbing the points and betting the Browns. 

Pick: Browns (+7)

Washington Redskins @ New York Giants (-3)

When two crappy teams are playing against each other the rules clearly state one must always take the points. Even if that means betting the Redskins on the road.

Pick: Washington (+3)

San Diego Chargers @ Miami Dolphins (+15.5)

Normally, since I took the Chargers in my winners suicide poll, I would bet the Dolphins as a just in case hedge bet. But I am not going to do that today and here is why: The Miami clogged toilets suck donkey rectum and I refuse to put money on them.

How’s that for scientific gambling data.

Pick: Chargers (-15.5)

Oakland Raiders @ Indianapolis Colts (-7)

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again with the same results. Yet here I am, totally not insane, once again betting the Oakland Raiders as a heavy road underdog.

In the words of the great Roy Munson: "Who you calling a psycho?"

Pick: Raiders (+7)

Kansas City Chiefs @ Detroit Lions (+7)

For fun here is one of the DraftKings lineups The Informer set up for today:

QB: Mahomes
RB: McCoy
RB: Williams (the non injured one)
WR: Sammy Watkins
WR: D. Robinson (from Chiefs)
WR: Mecole Hardman
TE: Travis Kelce
Flex: D. Freeman (Falcons)
D: Chiefs

I guess what I’m trying to say is I think the Chiefs are about to have a huge day.

Pick: Chiefs (-7)

New England Patriots @ Buffalo Bills (-7)

The Buffalo Bills are 3-0 when I use their section of the blog to hand out the Blimpie Best meme of the week. So for the sake of trying to help the Billsmafia out here is the Blimpies Best meme of the Week: 



Picks: Pats (-7)

Tennessee Titans @ Atlanta Falcons (-3.5)

Here are 10 random stats that I found interesting heading into the Week 4 season.
  1. The New England Patriots defense is on pace to only give up 90.6 points this season.
  2. The NFL record is currently held by the Chicago Bears who in 1985 gave up 198 total points.
  3. Tom Brady needs 414 yards to pass Drew Brees for third place all time.
  4. Tom Brady's career high for passing yards in the city of Buffalo is 466.
  5. Larry Fitzgerald needs five receptions to pass Tony Gonzalez for second place all time.
  6. Julio Jones needs four more yards to reach 11,000 career receiving yards.
  7. If Jones surpasses the mark today, he will have accomplished the feat in just nine season and 114 career games.
  8. For comparison sake: It took Jerry Rice nine seasons and 133 games to surpass 11k.
  9. Speaking of milestones and records -- AC the Gambling Kid Prodigy -- is currently 35-12-1 with his straight up NFL picks and 29-19 against the spread. 
  10. To put that in perspective: According to NFL picks watch dot com his 29-19 record ATS is the third best of any expert on the internet. 
As for this game, The Informer is completely stealing AC's pick and laying the points #As the old saying goes: "If you can't beat the prodigy, use his picks to make yourself look better and make money".

Pick: LKLOTW Falcons (-3.5)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ Los Angeles Rams (-10.5)

Sticking with "AC the Prodigy" here are his Week 4 picks. If you would like to get his reasoning behind the picks please click this link and go watch his YouTube video. I am not lying when I say the kid has massive talent.

AC against the Spread: Packers (-4) Falcons (-3.5), Giants (-3), Chargers (-15.5), Raiders (+7), Texans (-5), Chiefs (-7), Pats (-7), Rams (-10.5), Hawks (-5.5), Bears (PK), Jags (+2.5), Cowboys (-2.5) & Steelers (-3)

AC straight up to win: Packers, Giants, Chargers, Raiders, Texans, Chiefs, Ravens, Pats, Rams, Hawks, Bears, Jags, Boys & Steelers

Pick: Tampa (+10.5)

Seattle HGHAWKS @ Arizona Cardinals (+5.5)
Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears (PK)

Two road teams that the majority of the public betting money is backing.

What could go wrong?

Pick: Vikings (PK) HGHawks (-5.5)

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Denver Donkeys (-2.5)

10 random Gardner Milksteak facts:
  1. When "The Milksteak" gives you the finger, he is telling you how many seconds you have before he throws a touchdown pass.
  2. Gardner Milksteak can pick oranges from an apple tree and make the best lemonade you have ever tasted.
  3. There is no play clock in games involving Gardner, because "The Milksteak" decides what time it is.
  4. Gardner Milksteaks real name is Gardner Minshew.
  5. Gardner Milksteak tells Simon what to do.
  6. Gardner Milksteak refers to himself in the fourth person.
  7. Every time Gardner Milksteak throws an interception a Unicorn is born. It's just to bad that the Milksteak never throws interceptions.
  8. Gardner Milksteak can throw a football right between a cyclops eye.
  9. Gardner Milksteak can cut a butter knife with a football.
  10. And finally, Gardner Milksteak eats pieces of Denver Donkey's for breakfast. 
Pick: Jags (+2.5)

Dallas Cowboys @ New Orleans Saints (+2.5)

The Saints backup quarterback tricks were fun for a week, but I don't think they can do it two weeks in a row.

Pick: Cowboys (-2.5)

Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers (-3)

Nope. Not doing it. Next.

“Informer you can’t do the next gimmick, this is the Monday night football game.”

Wait, again? Are you serious? What did ESPN do to make the NFL so mad at them?

Yikes. 

Well, I am obviously not going to waste any time talking about the Steelers or the Bengals, so how about I just remind everyone that the 1st half under is 21.5 and wrap this blog up.

Is that a good plan?

Awesome.

Pick: Steelers (-3)

That’s it for Week 4. Good luck to everyone reading. I truly hope your Sunday is filled with Natty Light, winning parlays and enough back door covers to build your own Blimpies sub shop.

See y’all next week.

Informer out.

THE INFORMER'S 2019 NFL PICKS RECORD

 Overall: 27-21

 Last Week: 7-9

 LKLOTW: 2-1

 Overall Winning Weeks ATS : 2-1


(The Informer after the blog straight up to win picks: Packers, Falcons, Chargers, Colts, Chiefs, Ravens, Pats, Rams, Hawks, Vikings, Donkeys, Boys, Steelers)
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Sunday, August 25, 2019

The Informer's 2019 NFL Fantasy Football Preview: Part 4



One of the main questions I get asked by people seeking fantasy football advice is: Who should I pick with the “insert pick” in my draft?

Needless to say; there are a ton of different variables that go into answering this question, so giving a specific "take this guy here" is pretty difficult (for example let’s say the guy hates the Cowboys and refuses to draft Zeke, that changes how I would answer if the guy had a Top 4 pick).

But, just because it is difficult, doesn't mean there is not an answer. That is why today, in my quest to answer the "who should I draft here" question, I have put all of the 2019 NFL fantasy football players I love into different "Tier Groups" for each round of a standard fantasy football snake draft. 

This way -- when the inevitable happens -- and the guy who you were going to pick at 47 gets snaked, instead of frantically searching through player rankings while the clock ticks down, you will be able to refer back to the tier groupings and find a suitable 47th pick replacement.

At least that is the plan for this blog. We will see how it turns out. 

Anyways, now that we are all on the same "tier" page, here is part four of The Informer’s 2019 Fantasy Football Preview.

Picks 1-5: Saquon Barkley, Run CMC, Zeke Elliot, Alvin Kamara and David Johnson

In any and all 2019 fantasy football drafts these are the only five guys I am drafting if I have a Top 5 pick. And I will be drafting them in this exact order. 

(Informer note — I am obviously drafting under the impression that Zeke Elliot will not be holding out any games this season. I get that his situation could make him a non draftable player for some, but I am going to continue thinking positive thoughts and assume he will be back soon.)

Picks 6-10: LeVeon Bell, DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Tyreke Hill, Michael Thomas, Nick Chubb

On Yahoo, Tyreke Hill is usually going in the late second or early third round. So some will say he does not belong in The Informer's Top 10. To those people I would say you are morons. Tyreke Hill will finish as a Top 5 WR this season and thus he totally needs to be considered at the end of the first round, and at the very least the beginning of round two (Hill is going Top 15 on ESPN so at least they agree with The Informer).

As for the other guys; I don’t think you can go wrong picking any of them in the six to 10 range. So whomever you prefer, or whoever falls to you, snatch them up.

Picks 11-20: Tyreke Hill (seriously draft him), DeVante Adams, Odell Beckham, Travis Kelce, JuJu Smith Schuster, Mike Evans, Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook, James Conner, Todd Gurley

Todd Gurley scares me the most out of this group, but if I have the last pick in the second round and he is the only one of these 20 players left I’m gonna take him. Besides, pairing Gurley and Saquon (assuming you take Saquon 1st like I do)  in a fantasy backfield is not the worst thing to ever happen.

The rest of this tier is pretty much the same as my back half of round one tier. Namely, they are all studs so it doesn’t matter who you take or where. Just don’t do something dumb and reach for Patrick Mahomes in Round 2 and you should be fine.

21-30: Leonard Fournette, Zack Ertz, George Kittle, Antonio Brown, Amari Cooper, Josh Jacobs, Patrick Mahomes, DeVante Freeman, Damian Williams, Derrick Henry

This goes without saying, but if any of the Top 20 guys falls into the 21-30 range you should be taking them as fast as you can. Also, once you get to the third round, I no longer have a problem drafting Mahomes. So if you are targeting the “rocket armed man” pick 21 is the earliest I would think to draft him in standard leagues. 

31-40: Melvin Gordon, Julian Edelman, Keenan Allen, Adam Thailand, Kerryon Johnson, TY Hilton, Brandon Cooks, Stefon Diggs, DeShaun Watson, Marlon Mack, Robert Woods

I will not be drafting Melvin Gordon to any of my teams going forward. I have too many bad “post traumatic LeVeon Bell flashbacks” to entertain the idea of adding Gordon this year. But if you are wanting to take a chance, the 31-40 range is when it would be acceptable to go fishing. Me personally -- if no one from the other tiers fall -- I am looking at “Kerryon my wayward Johnson”, “Mr. 1k” Brandon Cooks or Tom Brady’s best friend in this range.

41-50: David Montgomery (Bears rookie RB), Aaron Jones, Mark Ingram, Cooper Kupp, AJ Green, Sony Michel, Mike Williams, Chris Carson, Aaron Rodgers and Phillip Linsey

I really like this group and will be hoping at lest one of these guys drops to the 51-60 range so I can get two guys from this tier. In a perfect world I would love to get Michel or David Montgomery here, then turn around and get AJ Green (should be back by Week 4 at the latest) with my next pick.

51-60: Chris Goodwin, Damian Williams, Evan Ingram, Alshon Jeffery, Kenny Golloday, OJ Howard, Baker Mayfield, Matt Ryan, Tyler Lockett, James White or Jarvis Landry.

Again I am assuming someone from the tier above will drop, but if not a person can't go wrong with Chris Goodwin (rising fast and probably needs to be moved up a tier), James White, Jarvis Landry or Baker's Mayfield. 

61-70: Miles Sanders, Jared Cook, Hunter Henry, DJ Moore, Calvin Ridley, Darrius Guice, Tyler Boyd, Sammy Watkins, Tarik Cohen, Austin Ekler

What starting position do you still need to fill? Figure that out and then draft the best player (or guy you love the most at that position) with this pick. Or draft Darrius Guice because I think he is going to be awesome.

71-80: Russell Wilson,  Kyler Murray Cam Newton, Tevin Coleman, Robby Anderson, The Joker, Josh Gordon, Larry Fitzgerald, Will Fuller, Dede Westbrook, Courtland Sutton, Duke Johnson, Christian Kirk

 Honestly, if you are not taking a QB here, or "The Joker", you should be taking the highest ranked player available. This is not the time to start jumping down your draft board to grab sleepers, or reach for a lesser tight end to fill need. Now is the time to build strength. So, when the other people in your league make the mistake of reaching, you stick to the basics and I promise your team will be better for it. 

81-90: Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Carson Wentz, Vance McDonald (TE), Marvin Jones, Dak, Big Ben, Jared Goff, Rashaad Penny, Curtis Samuel, James Washington, Darwin Thompson, Mecole Hardman. 

 Same as above. Keep taking best player available, or fill out your QB spot if you have been waiting. 

91-Til the end

At this point in the draft it is time to start taking fliers on rookies, or your favorite sleepers  (Darwin Thompson, Mecole Hardman are mine), or anyone from the above 90 players that have slipped in the draft. 

With that said, since we are here to put players into tiers, I went ahead and tiered by position my favorite late rounds picks. 

 QB: Phillip Rivers, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, James Winston, Sam Darnold.

RB: Darwin Thompson, Jaylen Samuels, Dion Lewis, Tony Pollard, Alexander Mattison, Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Darrell Henderson, Malcom Brown, Justin Jackson, Devin Singletary Kareem Hunt, Neyheim Hines and Adrian Peterson.

WR: Michael Gallup, N’Keal Harry, Mohmmad Sanu, Albert Wilson, Cole Beasley, Paris Campbell, Jalen Hurd, Preston Williams, Jakobi Myers, Rashard Higgins, Deebo Samuel.

TE: Austin Hooper, Greg Olson, Kyle Rudolph, Jim Graham, Jack Doyle, TJ Hockenson, Noah Fant, Dallas Goedert, Chris Herndon (Herndon is a Top 5-8 TE from last year who is a great draft and stash until he returns from suspension in Week 5).

And with that, we are done with Part 4. In case you missed them, here is Part 1, Part Deux and Part 3. Hopefully everyone reading will be able to use these blogs to win tons of fantasy football glory (and more importantly money) this season.

 Good luck with all your drafts. I hope you win. 

Now if you will excuse me, The Informer has three drafts and 12 cans of Natty Light that need attending to. 
(The Informer after the blog note -- Before we go I just wanted to say it really sucks that we are no longer going to get to watch Andrew Luck play football. He has been one of my favorite players over the last seven years and I am going to miss the heck out of watching him play. So thank you Andrew for all the great memories. It was a pleasure watching you play football. Also, for those wondering, here is my full on Twitter meltdown upon hearing the news. I thought I handled myself pretty well considering the circumstances)















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Friday, July 19, 2019

The Informer's 2019 NFL Fantasy Football Preview: Part III



Hello all and welcome back to The Informer’s 2019 NFL Fantasy Football Preview. If you missed either of the previous two articles you can click here or here to catch up. 

For those new to the blog let me explain real quick what is going on. My name is The Informer and I am on a quest to help everyone reading this blog draft the perfect fantasy football team for the 2019 NFL Season. Now in order to accomplish this goal, I have decided to draft 50 teams before the season starts and then write a recap about each draft/team. Then hopefully, once it is all said and done, I will have provided the most in depth and accurate fantasy football preview series in the history of the Flat Earth. 

Of course, in order for this to be the most accurate and in depth preview series ever, I will only be blogging about teams I drafted in "real money" leagues. These previews will not be "mock draft blogs" where I talk about "fake drafts" I did with people who refuse to draft Tyreke Hill (the biggest 2019 fantasy lottery ticket alive) because of their moral high horse. No, these previews will be about real drafts, with real people, real stakes and 100% real results.

Anyways, now that we are all on the same page about how real this blog is, how about we break down what took place when The Informer entered into a Yahoo $10 dollar, 10 team, 1/2 point per reception, standard roster size (QB, RB, RB, RB, WR, TE, Flex, D, K, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN) Snake Draft with $90 dollar payouts for 1st place and $10 payouts for second?

(The Informer one final note before we start - For the sake of this blog I will be using "R1.P5" (Round 1 Pick 5) to explain what round and pick I am talking about. So for example when my second round pick comes up my header will show R2.P15 then the players name. This will help you the reader understand that I am talking about the 2nd round and the 15th overall pick.) 

The Informer Team #8:

R1.P5: DeAndre Hopkins WR Texans

In my mind I had four choices to choose from with this pick: Hopkins, David Johnson, Melvin Gordon or LeVeon Bell. I decided to go with Hopkins for four reasons:
  1. I don’t like the “hold out” talk around Gordon. So he is a stay away until further notice.
  2. I had yet to draft Hopkins in any leagues I had done so far this year. So I was excited to draft him here once I knew I wasn’t getting Saquon, CMC, Zeke or Kamara.
  3. Likewise, but also the exact opposite, I have already drafted David Johnson onto five of my eight teams. So in the name of doing something different, I was not going to take him in this draft unless something weird happened and he fell to the middle second round (he did not fall, he was drafted 7th overall).
  4. And finally, I am not drafting LeVeon Ball in any drafts until I actually see him step on the football field and look like LeVeon Bell again. 
R2.P16: Antonio Brown WR Raiders

The Yahoo fantasy football rankings said I should have drafted Travis Kelce, Mike Evans, Joe Mixon, James Conner or Dalvin Cook in this spot. I choose to ignore the Yahoo rankings because I think the ugly Brown-Steelers divorce has people forgetting the fact that Brown has six straight seasons with over 100 receptions and at least 1284 yards. Not to mention he has caught double digit touchdowns in five of the last six seasons. 

With that said, if you are scared of Brown, then I would have no problem with Evans or Kelce with this pick (I think it is too soon for Mixon, Conner or Cook). They are two proven guys -- who like Brown -- are the safest bets to return high end 2nd round value.

R3.P25: Patrick Mahomes QB Chiefs
I am not going to lie; I really wanted to make sure I have at least one team with Patrick Mahomes on it. So he was drafted here. But make no mistake about it, drafting Mahomes this early in a standard 10 team draft is something most fantasy experts would call a stupid move. 

(Other people I could have drafted: Fournette, Mack, AJ Green, Derrick Henry.)

R4.P36: Julian Edelman WR Pats

The most notable guys I passed on to pick up Tom Brady’s favorite target were: Stefon "Can You Diggs It", Kerryon "My Wayward" Johnson, and "Double J" Josh Jacobs.

My thought process on this pick was pretty simple: I would rather have Tom Brady’s favorite target than Matthew Stanford’s or Kirk Cousins'. And I’m not drafting Johnson (coming off injury) or Jacobs (rookie with the 36th pick is risky) this early in any draft until I actually see them play real football with pads on.

R5.P45: Sonny Michel RB Pats
R6.P56: Mark Ingram RB Ravens

I needed running backs and I needed them fast. So I scooped up Michel & Ingram who were the two best options left at this point.

(Other guys I could have drafted: Darius Guice, Tarik Cohen or Tyreke Hill)

R7.P65 Baker Mayfield QB Browns

In hindsight, if I could do it over again, I would have grabbed Lamar Miller here. Don’t get me wrong I love Baker, but as you can see my team is currently in desperate need of more running backs.

R8.P76: Eric Ebron TE Colts

If everyone is going to keep letting me draft Andrew Luck’s tight end this late in every draft I do; then I am going to keeping drafting Andrew Luck’s tight end this late in every draft I do. 

R9.P85: Russell Wilson QB HGHawks

At this point I drafted the best name on the board with the hope that down the line he will become trade bait for a team in desperate need of a QB. 

R10.P96: Courtland Sutton WR Donkeys

I really like Sutton this season. I also really hope my dumb ass drafts another running back sometime soon.

R11.P105: Jaylen Sammuels RB Steelers
R12: P116: Ito Smith RB Falcons
R13.P125: Dion Lewis RB Titans
R15: Devin Singletary RB Bills

Other than the Ravens defense in the 14th round, my last four picks were finally used on running backs. Now I am not going to say that waiting this late to get RB depth was a great strategy (it wasn't); but I will say Samuels, Smith and Lewis are all backups who have had fantasy success with the teams they are currently on. And Singeltary is a nice little rookie lottery ticket who can be easily cut if he doesn’t win me the jackpot.

Final Overall Thoughts: 

If I am handing out a grade for this team I would say it was “not The Informer's best effort”. I mean, I am never going to be mad about getting the reigning NFL MVP, but I can't help but wonder what my roster would have looked liked with Fournette or Mack instead of Mahomes (maybe I draft T. Hill instead of Sonny or Ingram if that was the case). 

Then again, as I said above, the entire point of these drafts/blogs is for the “practice makes perfect” experience that will hopefully lead to all of us gaining the knowledge needed in order to draft the perfect fantasy football team when the time comes. 

So while today wasn’t my best effort, I can guarantee the mistakes made will make me -- and all seven of you who clicked on the link -- better when the next draft starts. 

#TheQuestForPerfectionContinues.
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Sunday, June 30, 2019

The Informer's 2019 NFL Fantasy Football Preview: The Mailbag



Q: Hey Informer when is your next fantasy football article coming out?

How about right now? Maybe we could do a fantasy football mailbag? Does that sound fun?

Q: A mailbag huh? So I guess what you are saying is that after writing your first article of the year (FYI - month seven of 2019 is about to start) you already got burned out and must now resort back to gimmick articles to create content?

Ummmm . . . Yes. That is exactly what I am saying.

Q: Well at least you are man enough to admit that you are a bum a** loser. But okay, if a mailbag is what you want to do --then lets do it. First of all it is June 30th and I think the seven people reading this article want to know: How many fantasy football teams have you drafted so far this year? 

I have done four total drafts. I did a $10 auction draft, a $30 auction draft and two $20 snake drafts.

Q: Why do you always point out how much money you spend on each draft? Can't you just say you have done four drafts and leave it at that? 

My reasoning for saying how much each draft costs is very simple: I want anyone reading this to know that every draft I write about is a paid competitive league. 

This is good information because it shows that everything I am going to write about for the next two months are from drafts with real people, real stakes and real results. These are not mock drafts with "bots" or "people practicing and then leaving after a stupid mistake" in them.

So no, I can't just say I have done four drafts and leave it at that, because that would not provided enough context for what I am trying to do with these previews.

Q: A simple I am a blowhard would have been enough, but I guess your long winded asinine theory on fantasy football previews will suffice. Anyways, which means no one is reading this article "anyways" but I am going to keep asking questions just for fun: Who is your favorite sleeper so far? 

Since it is only June I honestly have no idea who is going to be a good sleeper; so I am not going to be able to answer your question. What I can do though is hand out a few big time names that I have noticed have great value in these early drafts.

For Snake Drafts:
  • Antonio Brown
  • T.Y. Hilton
  • Leonard Fournette
  • A.J. Green
  • Marlon Mack

For Auction Drafts:
  • David Johnson is going $10-15 cheaper than the other Top 5 running backs.
  • Mike Evans, Antonio Brown and AJ Green are three great values at WR. 
  • Nick Chubb, Marlon Mack and Sonny Michel. 

Q: Since you brought up auction drafts: What are The Informer's thoughts on spending all your money on a Saquon Barkley-Ezekiel Elliot super tandem? 

Instead of giving you my thoughts up front, how about we look at an example of what a person's team might look like if they decided to go the "Super-Duo" route in a standard 10-12 team auction draft?

QB: Big Ben $2
RB: Barkley $70
RB: Zeke $68
WR: Sterling Shepard $10
WR: Mike Evans $34
TE: David Njoku $3
Flex: Marquise Goodwin $5
K: $1
D: $1
Bn: Josh “The Cannon” Allen $1
Bn: Cortland Sutton $1
Bn: LeSean McCoy $1
Bn: Golden Tate $1
Bn: Larry Fitzgerald $1
Bn: Adrian Peterson $1

I guess what I am trying to say by showing this example of a really stacked team using the "Super Duo" strategy is "yes I think spending big money on the Top 2 players (or two of the Top 10 players) is always a great strategy to use in all standard 10-12 team leagues."

Q: Informer why do you keep saying the word standard? It’s really annoying.

I do sincerely apologize. I have been told by many people (mostly my wife) that being annoying is one of my finer qualities. As for the reason I keep saying standard? That is because I want to make it very clear that certain strategies are only good if you are in a standard league. 

What is a standard league some may ask?

It is a 10 or 12 team league where each team starts a QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, TE, Flex, D and kicker each week. 

These "standard leagues" are what the vast majority of fantasy football players play. 

Q: So what is a non standard league?

A league where you have more starters than normal, or you have defensive players on your roster, or there are 14-16 teams in the league, or leagues with a super flex (means a person can start 2 QBs).

Basically anything where rules or roster size have been changed would count as a non-standard league. 

For all those “custom” leagues my advice is to always find out your rules before the draft and then make a draft strategy based on the rules. Trust me on this; if you go into those "custom" league drafts with the same plan as a standard you will walk out with an incomplete team.

Q: Informer I got the #1 pick in my draft (10-team snake draft with super flex). Obviously I’m taking Saquon first, but who should I pick with the #20 & #21 picks? Do I go quarterback that early since it is a Super Flex? 

Once again this question is a matter of what your preference for players is. But I would say unless Mahomes is still there at the turn (pick #20-21) you should wait on QB (or if you really love Andrew Luck or Rodgers take them cause they won't be there at pick 40 in a Super Flex league).

With that said; I actually just did a 10-team snake draft league where we start a Super Flex, so how about we look at what the person with the #1 pick in that draft did with his first eight picks (I did not have #1 pick):

1: Barkley
20: Travis Kelce
21: Mike Evans
40: Damian Williams
41: Matt Ryan
60: Chris Goodwin
61: Cooper Cupp
80: Chris Carson
81: Josh Allen

I am not going to lie to anyone reading this article. I absolutely despise what this person did with his Saquon Barkley gift. Maybe it is because I am not very high on Cupp, Carson or Goodwin; but I think he could have done a hell of a lot better. 

Speaking of a hell of a lot better: Here is what I would have done if I was picking #1 in this draft.

1: Saquon Barkley
20: Dalvin Cook
21: Antonio Brown or Evans either works
40: Marlon Mack
41: DeVontae Freeman
60: Evan Ingram
61: Jarvis Landry
80: Kirk Cousins
81: Jimmy Garoppollo

Now that is what a Saquon Barkley Super Flex team should look like. 

Q: Who is one guy you will not have on any teams this year?

The fact that I am trying to draft 50 teams this season means at some point I am going to end up with every player at least once. That’s just basic math. But I will say the thought of spending $30-40 on Patrick Mahomes (who I love with all my heart) in any standard auction draft is not something I am going to do.

In other words; the only way Mahomes ends up on my team this year will be if I take him in a snake draft, or if I’m in some weird auction where you start two or three QBs thus making him worthy of the money.

Q: So you are saying you will not draft Mahomes this year unless you do draft him? That’s some next level expert fantasy football advice right there. No wonder they call you The Informer. Ps your fantasy football advice sucks and so do your Twitter polls.

Do we really need to bring my Twitter polls into this? I mean I get that my fantasy football advice isn't for everyone, but what the heck did my Twitter polls ever do to you? 

Q: Informer even you know your Twitter polls are the most annoying thing on the internet. So don't try to make it sound like they are innocent in all of your nonsense. But you are right, let's stick to fantasy football for today. What are your thoughts LeVeon Bell?

First off my Twitter polls are awesome and you know it. Secondly off, I will not have Bell on any of my auction teams because I am not willing to spend 50-60 dollars on him (he was over $55 in both my drafts so far). Now, depending on the placement of a snake draft, I would start looking at bell in the 7-12 range but nothing higher.

My Top 7 in order of any and all snake drafts:

1: Saquon
2: Zeke
3: Run CMC
4: Kamara
5: Johnson
6: Hopkins/Julio
7: Bell or Gordon

Q: I stand by what I said Informer. Your Twitter polls suck. And so does this blog. You should think about deleting your account. I promise the world would be a better place if you did. Now, before you go making the world a better place, since at least one person on the internet did get to the end of this "non informative" blog post: Can you give us at least one piece of fantasy football advice that will be worth remembering for the upcoming season? 

You want some good advice? How about this: Tyreke Hill is being drafted very low in both auction and snake draft formats because people still do not know what is going to happen with him after the NFL finishes their investigation into his off the field issues.

Why am I telling you this? 

Because word leaked earlier this week that any Hill suspension would be four games at the most; which now makes Tyreke Hill an absolute steal if you can get him in fifth round (or lower) or for less than $30 in an auction draft. 

And on that note, it is time for The Informer to go find another team to draft. 

#TheQuestFor50Continues

#Happy4thOfJuly
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