Fantasy Football: Cap Challenge

[mtaystl03]

I have been absent from here for a while now but I wanted to take on this endeavor to truly find out how much I know about fantasy football. I am in three leagues, two of which were auction, and the best part of the season is over, the drafts.

Now it is time to agonize over the stock market style fantasy league with 29 other people in my league, vying for a $200 league prize. Hell, who knows, maybe I do know quite a bit and possibly win the grand prize of $10,000!

The leauge is run at fanball.com and it is officially called "Superstar Cap Challenge" and I am looking forward to this style of league. There are so many ways to attack a salary cap team. This league costs $10 to enter and transactions cost the following:

1 = $3
6 = $10
13 = $20
27 = $40

The catch is that each week you can choose your "Superstar" player. If they reach the following performance plateau, you get double their points:

QB's: 300 passing yards and two (2) touchdowns (rushing, receiving or passing) or 200 passing yards & four (4) touchdowns (rushing, receiving or passing)
RB's: 100 rushing yards and one (1) touchdown (rushing or receiving, not passing)
WR's: 100 receiving yards and one (1) touchdown (rushing or receiving, not passing)
TE's: 50 receiving yards and one (1) touchdown (rushing or receiving, not passing)
K's: Twelve (12) points in the Superstar scoring system
Team D: Sixteen (16) points in the Superstar scoring system

The regular scoring system is as follows:
Rush: 10 points per TD; 1 point per 15 yards
Rec: 10 points per TD; 1 point per 10 yards
Passing: 5 points per TD pass; 1 point per 25 yards
Kicking: 1 point per Extra Point; 3 points per FG<40 yards; 4 points per FG 40-49 yards; 5 per FG 50+ yards
Defense: 3 points per sack, interception, fumble recovery; 10 points per TD; 2 points per safety

Join me as I build my original roster and compete for the prize. Feel free to drop in your comments about players or my decisions. Every week I will be making changes (or not?) to give me the best chance to win. I will most likely purchase 6 transactions for the $10 and see how many I need to use. I am looking to do plenty of research to develop a plan, ie: get guys that will have good matchups for a few weeks in a row and that good stuff.

I will call my guys the "Taylor-Mades"...

[mtaystl03]

I failed to mention the players needed and salary cap:
We need 12 players in the following positions:
2 QB
3 RB
3 WR
1 TE
2 K
1 DEF

The salary cap is $340, an average of right around $28 per player.

Time to pick the players. I have done a little research to find my original guys. I got the final defensive rankings from each team, both passing and rushing to get a better idea of who has good matchups. I am basing this on the first three weeks. I want to live and die with players for exended periods of time. That will cut down on the transactions and money I will have to spend. Also, if they have three solid games, I can sell them off for more when it is time to part with them.

Sometimes a player that has great matchups still won't justify a pick-up because he simply won't put up good fantasy numbers. I will need to use my best judgment on guys like this.

The first position I will fill is quarterback.
Needed: two

Looking at the matchups in weeks 1-3, Donovan McNabb is the clear-cut favorite. The first game is against Atlanta (ranked 22nd) who struggled last year against the pass. I expect the Falcons to improve a little in this but this is Monday Night, in primetime. He then takes on the 49ers (19) and then a shootout in week three will ensue when they take on Oakland (30) at home. The only game I am somewhat worried about from a fantasy standpoint is the Niner game, when they should be up big and might turn to the run more in that game. I can live with that because week three should provide big-time benefits.

Kerry Collins would always be a wise choice in this format. No matter who he plays, the Raiders should throw the ball all day long. The problem is, can I afford him a $32. He has some good matchups, highlighted by the Sunday Night game at home against Kansas City. That one should see some points scored!

Unfortunately, most of the signal callers that are worth a good amount of money are all facing somewhat tough opponents in the first few weeks.

I might look for some value in the 2nd QB spot due that.

Here is a look at the top 10 ranked schedule-wise for weeks 1-3 (salary):

1. Donovan McNabb ($42)
2. Ben Roethlisberger ($25)
3. Eli Manning ($20)
4. Trent Dilfer ($15)
5. Tom Brady ($29)
6. Jake Plummer ($25)
7. Byron Leftwich ($24)
8. Kerry Collins ($32)
9. Brian Griese ($22)
10. Drew Bledsoe ($17)

I am not to fond of Big Ben or Eli Manning, even though their matchups are positive. Trent Dilfer at $15 would really save some money but what kind of numbers will he put up? The Browns might not be able to run the ball very well early on without Lee Suggs (injured) and could find themselves behind in games against Cincy, GB and Indy.
Another cheap guy with good matchups and could be my 2nd QB is Dallas' Drew Bledsoe. He is only $17 and plays @ SD (31), WAS (7) and @ SF (19) right off the bat. Jake Plummer is at a good price of $25 and should put up good numbers against SD and KC in weeks 2 and 3, even though he has Miami in week one. It isn't that Miami is a great pass defense, it is just they are always down and teams never throw the ball. They also lost CB Patrick Surtain and S Sammy Knight to the Chiefs. Brady is just too expensive.

I have narrowed it down to five guys:

- Donovan McNabb, PHI, $42
- Trent Dilfer, CLE, $15
- Jake Plummer, DEN, $25
- Kerry Collins, OAK, $32
- Drew Bledsoe, DAL, $17

I consider McNabb a must-have in the first three weeks, with the matchups and him being a stud. Considering Peyton Manning costs $55, this is a steal and I hope to sell him for a good price.

My first official pick-up is: Donovan McNabb, QB, Philadelphia Eagles for $42

It only gets tougher from here. I have spent $42 and to stay on track salary-wise I should get somebody cheap. That seems the best idea especially since there are not eye-popping matchups. So, Dilfer or Bledsoe?

I think the Cowboys are going to run Julius Jones into the ground this year but when teams stack the box, I think Bledsoe will show his veteran status and be big time. Dilfer should have some good games but he lacks the weapons in the receiving game.

My second quarterback will be Drew Bledsoe, Dallas Cowboys for $17

-----TAYLOR-MADES------
QB: Donovan McNabb PHI $42
QB: Drew Bledsoe DAL $17
RB:
RB:
RB:
WR:
WR:
WR:
TE:
K:
K:
D:

Current Salary: $59
Remaining Funds: $281
Per Player: $28