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The Righteous Orators Legacy League - Season 5


Goldie

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The Righteous Orators Legacy League turns five years old this season, and as a result we held our yearly draft last night. Each team kept six players from the season before, and selected 24 new players for their teams.

As before, the league is constructed as follows:
-Sixteen teams, in four divisions.
-QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, RB/WR/TE, RB/WR/TE, RB/WR/TE, K on offense.
-DB, DB, DB, DL, DL, DL, LB, LB, LB, DB/DL/LB, DB/DL/LB on defense.
-Seven bench spots to make a total of thirty players on each roster, plus four inactive injured players if necessary, so 480-544 players in the league total.
-Each team can keep up to six of its players at the end of the season to carry over into next season.

These are the four divisions, and the four teams in each division:

Alter Egos
Goldie (Brady's Lovechild) - VE
Daikos (Pugh Pugh Platter) - Umb
Emperor Brutus (Communist Rangers) - TOP
Gofastleft (Fisher's Stache) - NSO

Haf's Flingers
DylanCarter (Washington Sentinels) - Umb
Sarkin (Cardiac Pack) - AB
Janax (Jehovas Walrus) - R.I.P.
Bob (Hangin' With Riley Cooper) - DT

Heroes of Time
Magicninja (Von Miller's Bong) - GATO
Astriy (LACES OUT, DAN!!!!!) - Umb
Hornguard (Restricted Free Agents) - VE
Montypython (Heil Manziel) - Umb

Krack Heads
Niota (Yo Soy Fiesta) - Umb
Canik (Beer For Friends) - FEAR
Shadow (Hell Will Freeze) - VE
Feanor (Catch-A-RIIIIIIDE!) - TOP


Last season saw DylanCarter steamroll through the league on the way to a 12-1 record, defeating Daikos for the Schattenmann Cup.

[url=http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/118333-the-righteous-orators-legacy-league-season-4]Season 4 Preview 9/3/13[/url]
[url=http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/112917-the-righteous-orators-legacy-league-season-3]Season 3 Preview 8/29/12[/url]
[url=http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/104859-the-righteous-orators-legacy-league-season-2]Season 2 Preview 8/31/11[/url]
[url=http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/91532-introduction-to-the-righteous-orators-legacy-league]Season 1 Preview 8/31/10[/url]

Here is a breakdown of each team, and my opinion of each of their strengths, weaknesses, and chances.





[b]Goldie (Brady's Lovechild)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Andrew Luck
RB - LeSean McCoy
RB - Le'Veon Bell
RB - Carlos Hyde
WR - Josh Gordon
WR - Julian Edelman
TE - Rob Gronkowski

Last season marked my second straight Alter Egos division championship, but I'll have my work cut out for me to make it three in a row. A huge trade for McCoy in midseason last year left me with depleted draft choices this year. On top of that, I traded the eventual #1 overall pick for Gronk the week before he got hurt. With a strong keeper base, but not much for picks to supplement it, I turned to the future, dealing for Josh Gordon in the hopes of a 2015 return and picking up Hyde and my whole skill position bench is just a lot of rookies with potential, trying to see if I can grow some future keepers that will help me reload, along with a returning Gordon (if he loses the year) for a run next season. My defense is weaker than I'd like it to be, but I was prioritizing finding future keeper-worthy players, not necessarily gaining the edge this season. Getting Hyde in the middle of the second round could be the steal of the draft.


[b]Daikos (Pugh Pugh Platter)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Robert Griffin III
RB - Ryan Mathews
RB - Zac Stacy
RB - C.J. Spiller
RB - Shonn Greene
RB - Lance Dunbar
WR - Larry Fitzgerald

Daikos made the playoffs as a 6 seed last year, and the proceeded to knock off MN and Niota on the way to a respectable championship game loss to DC. He looks to build off of that with a stellar RB core, with 5 guys who will see a lot of carries in the fold. His WR core isn't deep, but it has some sneaky-good talent in Kenny Stills and he got great value where he picked Andrew Hawkins. A solid D leaves this team poised to content, but a lot rides on the shoulders of RG3. If he puts up numbers like his rookie season, Daikos could find himself back in the title game. If he doesn't, and he has to turn to Dalton, the inconsistency could knock his seeding down and make it harder to make his move. All of his RBs are injury risks, but all can straight out play, and with just a little luck there, this can be his division to lose.


[b]Emperor Brutus (Communist Rangers)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Philip Rivers
RB - Steven Jackson
RB - Joique Bell
RB - Rashad Jennings
WR - Anquan Boldin
WR - Wes Welker

Behold, the perils of autodrafting. EB missed the draft, which normally isn't necessarily crippling (some teams made out like bandits autopicking). No, what hurt him was that apparently he had pre-rankings saved from last season, meaning he was drafting a lot of guys who were hyped up before last year, and we all know how that can end up. Lots of suspended players, like Justin Blackmon and Dwayne Bowe, lots of hurt players like Sean Lee and Kiko Alonso. And a player who is retired from football in David Wilson. All tragically drafted. All is not lost though, and while a playoff spot would be a stretch, he will win games because he does have a decent core of skill players, regardless of how old some may be, and he might be able to replace his all-injury defense with solid contributors. But it'll be tough.


[b]Gofastleft (Fisher's Stache)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Jay Cutler
RB - DeMarco Murray
RB - Lamar Miller
WR - Terrance Williams
WR - Jeremy Maclin
WR - Golden Tate
TE - Zach Ertz

After a rough three year stretch which saw GFL win only 14 games total, he looks to be primed to potentially make the playoffs again. He has some interesting upside plays, in Tate in the Detroit offense, Maclin's return from injury into Chip's offense, and RBs like Khiry Robinson and Jacquizz Rodgers who could sneak into starting roles at some point this season. On the flip side, he has high risk plays like Murray and Miller who could just as easily lose their jobs or get hurt. Its the D that I think will be the steady force keeping this team competitive during the famine weeks for his skill guys. Some serious players there in T.J. Ward, Derrick Johnson, Laurinaitis, Mayo, Briggs, and a potentially scary-good DL.


[b]DylanCarter (Washington Sentinels)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Tom Brady
RB - Giovani Bernard
WR - Calvin Johnson
WR - Dez Bryant
WR - Eric Decker
WR - Mike Wallace

Last season, DC ran through the league like a butter knife on the backs of his vaunted RB crew, as Jamaal Charles and Matt Forte both had career years, Gio provided some rookie mojo, and C.J. Spiller produced solid numbers. All but Gio are gone now, and not really replaced, as DC looks to shift strategies to building a stunning WR core, led by Megatron, Dez, Wallace, and tantalizing rookie Mike Evans. The one true constant for this team is the defense, which DC used his plethora of mid to high picks to make sure his record-breaking defense of last season has a great shot at an encore performance. I don't think he will be as unbeatable as he was last season, but I do think he has as good a shot as any team to be in the championship game again. And if he doesn't make it this year, maybe the 4 first rounders he has next year (including EB's!) will help him go 2 out of 3.


[b]Sarkin (Cardiac Pack)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Colin Kaepernick
RB - Eddie Lacy
WR - Vincent Jackson
WR - Michael Floyd
WR - Julio Jones
TE - Vernon Davis
TE - Jordan Reed
TE - Dennis Pitta

Sarkin took over this team last year and made a great showing, learning the nuances of the league and putting together a solid team that went 9-4 before getting thrashed in the first round. Lacy is a stud, and a truly great use of the first overall pick he had last season, by virtue of the team he took over for having the worst record in the league, making his turnaround all the more impressive. He will have his work cut out for him this season trying to repeat that, as his division is more balanced, and his non-conference schedule could be a meat-grinder, a far cry from last season, when his team had far and away the easiest schedule in the league. He is banking on his high risk/high reward TEs like Pitta and Reed to supplement Davis and form the best such core in the league, and his LB core probably has that honor already, but he is hurting at the RB and WR positions, and might have trouble unless he addresses that.


[b]Janax (Jehovas Walrus)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Nick Foles
RB - Adrian Peterson
RB - Arian Foster
RB - Toby Gerhart
WR - DeSean Jackson
WR - Riley Cooper
WR - Roddy White

Janax again is looking to make some noise based on his ability to find skill players who may not have starting roles now, but who can grow into them. To supplement the core he has had since day one of this league in Foster and AP, he has Gerhart, last year's AP handcuff that turns into this years Jax starter. Will the same be said next (or even this) season about Robert Turbin for the Seahawks, or Jonathan Grimes for the Texans? Not a lot of youth in his receiver core, but a lot of steady talent, and I think Cooper was a fantastic first round pick to pair up with Jackson and White, who both should produce where they're expected to. The D is a big concern though, as it wasn't addressed until late and has a lot of unproven commodities looking to make big splashes. If it pans out, this is a playoff team, if not, Janax could be on the outside looking in in the difficult Haf's Flingers division.


[b]Bob (Hangin' With Riley Cooper)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Aaron Rodgers
RB - Andre Ellington
RB - Stevan Ridley
RB - DeAngelo Williams
RB - Darren McFadden
RB - Bernard Pierce
WR - Victor Cruz
WR - Michael Crabtree

Bob took over this team last week from Rondo, and didn't have a chance to make a mark on it through trades. Unlike Sarkin's situation last year, he took a bad team that didn't have its own first round pick, so he missed on some of the top rookies that could have helped longer term, but still had 2 late first rounders, so the team has talent. It starts with Rodgers, and there's no reason to believe he won't continue to pace the league in QB points, which come in bunches for him. Ellington and Pierce could break out in increased roles, and Williams and McFadden when healthy, and Ridley when holding on to the fucking ball, are all solid RBs that give Bob a good core. WR beyond Cruz and Crabtree is a work in progress, but he has a solid D, led by J.J. Watt and the criminally underrated (for fantasy purposes) Karlos Dansby. Like Janax, he is in a murderous division, but he will get wins, and can beat good teams on the right weeks.


[b]Magicninja (Von Miller's Bong)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Matt Stafford
RB - Fred Jackson
RB - Trent Richardson
RB - Reggie Bush
RB - Ben Tate
WR - Keenan Allen
WR - Brandin Cooks

MN had a great regular season derailed by Daikos in the first round last year. How he does this season will be almost entirely on the stable of RB's he kept from last year or traded for before the draft. All of them have great potential to help lead this team to the playoffs, but all have question marks. Health and age for Jackson, splitting time for Reggie, adapting to a starting role for Tate, and battling with mediocrity for T-Rich. But he has a potential superduperstar in Keenan Allen, and the defense is very sound and should keep him in a lot of games that one or more of his RBs doesn't show up for. Fleener is intriguing, and if he takes a leap forward, could provide serious rewards.


[b]Astriy (LACES OUT, DAN!!!!!)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Cam Newton
RB - Alfred Morris
RB - Doug Martin
RB - Ray Rice
WR - Randall Cobb
WR - Reggie Wayne
TE - Julius Thomas

After a super-fun draft experience last night, when Fleaflicker kept dropping his keepers the moment we entered the draft room, and draft windows lagging out for everyone, Astriy still has a pretty sound team of skill players. A trade of Josh Gordon and picks for Doug Martin looks to have been the right move for a win-now team, in light of Gordon's suspension being upheld, and Morris and Martin make up a serious 1-2 punch, with Rice looming to come back with a bang after his suspension ends (insert joke about Ray Rice's suspension for savagely beating a woman being 1/26th as long as Josh Gordon's for inhaling second hand smoke). Newton is a question mark, and an expensive one that cost him DEZ BRYANT, but if he can keep form, this should be a very good team. Jordan Matthews could be the most productive rookie of this class if a couple of things break right for him.


[b]Hornguard (Restricted Free Agents)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Ben Roethlisberger
RB - Jamaal Charles
RB - Frank Gore
RB - Darren Sproles
RB - Shane Vereen
RB - Jonathan Stewart
WR - Alshon Jeffery

No matter how hard he tried to blow it up, Hornguard returns a team that is stacked at the skill positions. Charles, Gore, Sproles, Vereen, Stewart. All will have serious roles in their offenses, all will have weeks where they score 20+ points, and in the case of Charles, several of them. Jeffery might be the top WR in the game this season, and Amendola and Colston should provide steady returns. The D is feast or famine, with some great players like Chandler Jones and Earl Thomas sprinkled in with guys that are past their primes or hurt (like NaVorro Bowman). But this could be a strong team, and it wouldn't shock me to see a playoff appearance here.


[b]Montypython (Heil Manziel)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Matt Ryan
RB - Matt Forte
RB - Knowshon Moreno
RB - Chris Ivory
WR - Demaryius Thomas
WR - Antonio Brown
WR - Cordarrelle Patterson
WR - Sammy Watkins

Monty might have done more to improve himself in the draft than anyone, filling in the holes with just the right pieces, and potentially having a division winner after finishing fourth out of four last year in the Heroes of Time. Just returning Thomas, Brown, and Patterson gives him a frighteningly good WR core. But with the 3rd pick in the draft, he added Sammy Watkins, and Cecil Shorts should be the top dog on a Jacksonville team that finally doesn't have Gabbert throwing ducks all over the field. One of the top lineups of WRs in the league, and definitely the leader in WR potential. RB has question marks after Forte, and if he gets hurt he might be in trouble, but I look for Matt Ryan to have a big bounce-back year, and Tim Wright getting traded to the Pats could be big for this team.


[b]Niota (Yo Soy Fiesta)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Tony Romo
RB - Marshawn Lynch
WR - A.J. Green
WR - Andre Johnson
WR - Kelvin Benjamin
TE - Jimmy Graham

Tons of star power, but little depth for Niota's perennial contender. Beyond Lynch, there is nothing close to a sure thing as a RB, and not really much for sure-fire potential as well, unless Ridley gets cut, giving White an opportunity. Green should light it up again, and I expect Andre to do well also. I love the Kelvin Benjamin pick, even at #1 overall, because no one else combines the talent and opportunity he will get in this rookie class, making him the most obvious choice to be a sure-fire star as a first year player. But this team has all sorts of question marks, from Romo, to the RB/WR depth, to the D, that it will not be easy for Niota to win his third consecutive division championship.


[b]Canik (Beer For Friends)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Peyton Manning
RB - Chris Johnson
RB - Maurice Jones-Drew
RB - Pierre Thomas
WR - Kendall Wright
WR - Emmanuel Sanders
TE - Greg Olsen

Seems like a team that would have been better 3 years ago than it is now, but most of his guys, even the older ones, are in great situations. Manning is Manning of course, and while it would be difficult to impossible to repeat last year's performance, he should still light up the scoreboard and give Canik a buffer of 30 points to start each week. I like the changes of scenery for both CJ2K and MJD, and I think Thomas is very underrated for how consistently he puts up points, and can only wish someday he'll get more of a featured role before his relevancy wanes. Receivers are very light on this team, with question marks for all but Wright and Sanders, and even though they could be poised for huge years, they aren't sure things. A weak defense could hold this team back, but there are some very intriguing RB rookies on this roster, like Andre Williams, Tre Mason, and Dri Archer, that could be good trade fodder or breakouts.


[b]Shadow (Hell Will Freeze)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Drew Brees
RB - Montee Ball
RB - Bishop Sankey
WR - Jordy Nelson
WR - T.Y. Hilton
WR - Percy Harvin
WR - Markus Wheaton
TE - Kyle Rudolph

And behold the glory of autopicking. Sankey criminally slipped to the 6th pick, where Shadow's computer was waiting for him. Benny Cunningham and LeGarrette Blount should both have key roles in their offenses, and Wheaton should get an opportunity to get a lot of the old Emmanuel Sanders looks in Pittsburgh. Brees is another constant, like Manning, to get top flight points each week for Shadow's team, and Rudolph could break out huge in Norval's offense. The defense is unspectacular, but should be solid, and with a little bit of management, this team could swipe the division in a down year.


[b]Feanor (Catch-A-RIIIIIIDE!)[/b]

Key Players
QB - Russell Wilson
WR - Brandon Marshall
WR - Pierre Garcon
WR - Torrey Smith
WR - DeAndre Hopkins
TE - Jordan Cameron
TE - Jason Witten

Not a lot for Feanor to look forward to except for another trying year. Wilson is a very good QB, but isn't going to provide much more than an average fantasy performance each week. The RB cupboard is bare, made up of handcuffs like Knile Davis, Ronnie Hillman, Bilal Powell, Chris Polk, and Denard Robinson. The WRs are strong, led by Marshall, Garcon, Torrey, and Hopkins, and I think Hoyer will lean on Cameron a lot so he is a great TE play, but this team will lose a lot this season without any strong RB play. The sad part about that is that for some reason Feanor gave away his first rounder next season, as well as the top pick in the third round this year (and a future 6th) for Garcon, who is a good talent but an unnecessary addition for a team without much ability to win now. Garcon will need to carry this team to make up for the loss of Reuben Randle (who DC picked with the 33rd pick this year, from Feanor) and a probable top 3 overall pick next year.




And finally, the moment you've all been waiting for, my Totally Out of Nowhere Predictions (TOONP):

Alter Egos Division Champ: In a close three-way race, Daikos edges Goldie and GoFastLeft.
Haf's Flingers Division Champ: DylanCarter absolutely runs away with it.
Heroes of Time Division Champ: In a division loaded with talent, Monty has the least question marks.
Krack Heads Division Champ: In a down year for Niota, Canik takes the crown.

Schattenmann Cup Winner: Monty's team peaks late and breaks through DylanCarter's defense in the upset.

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[i]That Brutus team though[/i]

 

Generally good write-up. lol at me lacking at the WR position. I agree that my RB's beyond Lacy suck, but Julio Jones, Vincent Jackson and Michael Floyd makes for a great starting trio. I'd say that only Dylan and monty have a clear edge on me in terms of WR starters, with Niota and Feanor being comparable. My depth there isn't amazing, but it's decent, and it's also why I have three starting TEs.

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That Brutus team though

 

Generally good write-up. lol at me lacking at the WR position. I agree that my RB's beyond Lacy suck, but Julio Jones, Vincent Jackson and Michael Floyd makes for a great starting trio. I'd say that only Dylan and monty have a clear edge on me in terms of WR starters, with Niota and Feanor being comparable. My depth there isn't amazing, but it's decent, and it's also why I have three starting TEs.

I didn't say you were lacking, I said hurting. Your top WR has plates in his foot and depth is a big deal in the league.

Edited by Goldie
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