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The Righteous Orators Legacy League - Season 6


Goldie

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The Righteous Orators Legacy League is preparing to play its sixth season as the top fantasy football league in CN, and as a result we held our yearly draft yesterday. 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. Starting in season 7, teams will also keep one IDP player every season.
 
These are the four divisions, and the four teams in each division:
 
Alter Egos
Goldie (Brady's Lovechild) - VE
Gofastleft (Fisher's Stache) - NSO
Jekalle (Rex's Lap Band) - NATO
Redarmy (Flying Dutchmen) - SRA
 
Haf's Flingers
DylanCarter (Washington Sentinels) - Umb
Sarkin (Cardiac Pack) - AB
Verlion (Lion's Clubhouse) - VE
Spartan1985 (Winston's Crab Shack) - VE
 
Heroes of Time
Mergerberger (The Wild Thornberries) - MI6
Magicninja (Elway's Horse Teeth) - GATO
Astriy (Adrian's Switch Hitters) - Umb
Hornguard (Restricted Free Agents) - VE
 
Krack Heads
Niota (Yo Soy Fiesta) - Umb
Canik (Abdullah Akbar!) - FEAR
Scipio (Easy Breesy) - MI6
AlmightyHero (JPP's Fireworks Emporium) - Umb
 
 
Last season Niota became our first two-time champion, defeating the defending champion, DylanCarter, in the title game for his second Schattenmann Cup.
 
[url=http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?/topic/123810-the-righteous-orators-legacy-league-season-5]Season 5 Preview 8/27/14[/url]
[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's key players (generally top 100-120 guys), and my opinion of each of their strengths, weaknesses, and chances.
 
 
 
Goldie (Brady's Lovechild)
 
Key Players
QB - Andrew Luck
RB - Le'Veon Bell
RB - Carlos Hyde
RB - Melvin Gordon
WR - Amari Cooper
WR - Martavis Bryant
WR - Cody Latimer
WR - Nelson Agholor
TE - Rob Gronkowski
 
A third straight Alter Egos division championship, and a second straight semifinals defeat, leaves the team wanting more. Sporting top keepers at QB (Luck), RB (Bell), and TE (Gronk), but with question marks at WR, I went all in to get to the top of the draft this year and address that, with the hope of getting over the hump. With 4 picks in the top 24 of the draft, including #1 and #3, I drafted hopefully foundational players like Cooper and Gordon, and supplemented Cooper and my WR core of Martavis and John Brown with guys like Kenny Stills, Cody Latimer, and Nelson Agholor. Lot of WR2 talent and potential, with hopefully one or two (or three?) breaking into the upper tier. With the rest of my draft picks, I was able to put together a solid IDP crew, although there are question marks with the LB depth that may need to be addressed. A fourth straight division title would only be considered a success if its accompanied by a trip to the finals.
 
 
Gofastleft (Fisher's Stache)
 
Key Players
RB - DeMarco Murray
RB - Lamar Miller
RB - Tevin Coleman
WR - Odell Beckham
WR - Jeremy Maclin
WR - Golden Tate
WR - Allen Robinson
 
GFL made a major leap forward last season, challenging for the division crown but falling short, but ultimately getting the best of the division champ in the third place game. Breakout stars like OBJ and a monster season from Murray paved the way. The RB's and WR's are very good, and among the deepest in the league with some home run potential if guys like Miller and Coleman pay off, but questions abound with Jay Cutler as the QB with his depleted and/or injured WR's. If Chicago's offense doesn't round into form, is a rookie QB like Mariota going to be able to do what is needed to get this team over Brady's Lovechild in the division? The playoffs should be a lock, but to do damage he will need a lot to break right, like it did last season.
 
 
Jekalle (Rex's Lap Band)
 
Key Players
QB - Eli Manning
RB - Joique Bell
RB - Rashad Jennings
RB - LeGarrette Blount
RB - Charles Sims
RB - Duke Johnson
 
Jekalle is one of several new owners in TROLL this year, and he took over a team that was bady mismanaged. EB autopicked a team based off of his 2013 pre-draft rankings, leaving him with very little in contemporary value. Jekalle made the right move in taking some home run swings on some RB's who could really pay off, but beyond that there is a lot of marginal talent and that doesn't bode well for his chances in 2015 with teams like Goldie's and GFL's dueling for the division title. He is counting too much on guys like Dwayne Bowe and Michael Crabtree to rewind the clock, or for guys like Eric Ebron, Charles Sims, or Duke Johnson to use injuries to other guys or new opportunities to take a huge leap forward. He will definitely improve on last year's record, but the playoffs will be a difficult task unless a lot goes right for him, and having Sims, Johnson, or Bell take their jobs and run with them will set him up nicely for 2016.
 
 
Redarmy (Flying Dutchmen)
 
Key Players
QB - Ryan Tannehill
RB - Chris Johnson
RB - Ryan Mathews
RB - Isaiah Crowell
WR - Larry Fitzgerald
 
Redarmy took over Daikos' team, which was the worst in TROLL last year, with a totally barren slate of keepers. Moves were made to improve his stock, but this is a team that is just looking to improve and to get set up well for 2016, when he will have 2 first round picks and the hopeful return of Josh Gordon from suspension. Tannehill is a high risk/high reward QB pick, and he could definitely become a solid rock for Redarmy to build on. But the aging WR core of Steve Smith and Larry Fitzgerald will have diminishing value moving forward. The strength of this team is in its IDP players, with Justin Houston, Chandler Jones, and Harrison Smith definitely carrying strong value for 2016 when IDP players take a new keeper slot.
 
 
DylanCarter (Washington Sentinels)
 
Key Players
RB - Jeremy Hill
RB - Latavius Murray
RB - T.J. Yeldon
WR - Dez Bryant
WR - Mike Evans
WR - Calvin Johnson
TE - Travis Kelce
 
DC again finds himself around the top of the league, and there is a clear path to competiting for a second championship in three years. His WR's are world class, although surprisingly the depth of previous years is absent past his top 3 and relics like Anquan Boldin. Hill could very well be the top back in fantasy this year, and Murray, if he stays healthy, should combine with him and the rookie out of Jacksonville (Yeldon) to take his team into the future and give him a savage skill position punch. DC's IDP's are classically his strength, and his cache of midround picks allowed him to stockpile top LB's such as Ogletree, Mosley, Poz, and Stephone Anthony. QB, however, is a major question mark. Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater lead one to the classic saying, if you have 2 QBs, you don't have any. Who knows which will have the better week in a given week, and if he will be the one playing, as both have the potential for some bad weeks. Short of that, though, DC looks to be fielding the top starting 22 in the league.
 
 
Sarkin (Cardiac Pack)
 
Key Players
QB - Aaron Rodgers
RB - Eddie Lacy
WR - Julio Jones
WR - Vincent Jackson
WR - Charles Johnson
WR - Dante Moncrief
TE - Greg Olsen
 
Sarkin remade his team in Ted Thompson's image this offseason, trading for Aaron Rodgers to complement Eddie Lacy, his handcuff James Starks, and a Jordy-less flyer in picking up Ty Montgomery. Julio Jones is a monster, and Charles Johnson, Moncrief, and VJax could easily be the top options in good-to-great offenses. The only thing separating Sarkin from DC in this division is the IDP's, and Sarkin's just don't compare. But this team will make the playoffs, and has the firepower to make some noise once there.
 
 
Verlion (Lion's Clubhouse)
 
Key Players
RB - Adrian Peterson
RB - Danny Woodhead
RB - C.J. Anderson
RB - Andre Williams
RB - Darren McFadden
RB - Arian Foster
WR - DeSean Jackson
WR - Roddy White
TE - Martellus Bennett
 
Verlion is another new team owner, and he inherited a team with top keepers on it, with Anderson, Foster (when he returns), and AP headlining a serious RB core that has a lot of high-upside players that could yield a fourth keeper-worthy back from it. The receivers would have been great 4 years ago, but White has injury concerns, Marques Colston has roster spot concerns, and Jackson has everyone hating him concerns. But his mid to late round autopicking took good care of his IDP's for him, and he will be able to compete for a playoff spot in year one with some good moves during the year.
 
 
Spartan1985 (Winston's Crab Shack)
 
Key Players
RB - Chris Ivory
RB - Andre Ellington
RB - David Cobb
WR - Jordan Matthews
WR - Michael Floyd
WR - Jarvis Landry
WR - Eric Decker
DL - J.J. Watt
 
Spartan, like Redarmy, took over a barren team. He aggressively set about making it his own, and there are the makings of a threat to DC down the road for division dominance here. For the first time ever, a DL will be listed as a key fantasy player, because J.J. Watt might be the only TE to have DL eligibility with how he's used on that team, and is just otherworldly. I'd guess that two of Ivory, Cobb, or Ellington will have keeper-worthy seasons, and Landry could be a top 10 WR by the end of the season. All of the pieces aren't there yet, but there has been enough done that, as we move into IDP keepers going forward with the best one locked in to this team, 2016 could be a big year for Spartan.
 
 
Mergerberger (The Wild Thornberries)
 
Key Players
QB - Matt Ryan
RB - Matt Forte
RB - C.J. Spiller
WR - Antonio Brown
WR - Demayrius Thomas
WR - Sammy Watkins
 
Unlike many other new owners, Merger was able to take over a team that was well set up from the previous owner. Monty didn't have time to keep with the team, and he left a full cupboard of stud young WR's and a top RB in Forte, as well as one of the rarities in the game these days, a reliable QB in Matt Ryan. In a very even division, its guys like Antonio Brown that can separate you, and while I don't think he is a championship contender with the state of his IDP's, he has the base to contend for the playoffs for years to come.
 
 
Magicninja (Elway's Horse Teeth)
 
Key Players
QB - Matt Stafford
RB - Justin Forsett
RB - LeSean McCoy
RB - Jonas Gray
RB - Devonta Freeman
RB - Montee Ball
WR - Keenan Allen
WR - Brandin Cooks
TE - Julius Thomas
 
Magicninja's home run hitters are the key to his upcoming season. McCoy has a job as a workhorse, and Forsett has his job until he decides to be Justin Forsett again, but the rest are pure speculation, and that's how you get a leg up in a viciously competitive division. Neither Jonas Gray, Devonta Freeman, or Montee Ball start the season with an actual job, but they each start in some form of a committee and if just one emerges as the clear cut starter, due to performance or injury issues with others, then the sky is the limit for the points these guys can put up for MN. Brandin Cooks will get a heavy workload in NO, and Keenan Allen will look to bounce back from his dismal 2014. And if his hand heals, Julius Thomas could be the crutch Jacksonville needs for its offense to take the next step, and combined with above average IDP's, this might be the team to beat, if the RBs and WRs round into form.
 
 
Astriy (Adrian's Switch Hitters)
 
Key Players
QB - Ben Roethlisberger
RB - Jamaal Charles
RB - Alfred Morris
WR - Randall Cobb
WR - Alshon Jeffery
TE - Jimmy Graham
 
This is the real boom or bust team in this division. After a disappointing 6-7 finish last year (albeit with a playoff berth), Astriy's team is set up with some of the best keepers in TROLL, but major lottery tickets surrounding them. Cobb and Jeffery are the man in each of their passing offenses, now they just need to stay healthy. Similarly for Jamaal Charles, if he's healthy, Astriy is almost assured a playoff spot. If he isn't, he's going to wish he had Knile Davis, or really any depth behind Morris. The WR's are where his team can get exciting, with rookies in good situations like Jaelen Strong in Houston, Tyler Lockett in Seattle, and DeVante Parker in Miami all with the talent to be the best receivers on their team, if they get the chance to establish themselves in that role. This might be a team best set up to compete in 2016 than it is now, but if Astriy can flip some talent into IDP's, the rookies break out, and people stay healthy, he could compete for the championship. If a couple of those thinggs don't happen, he might well miss the playoffs.
 
 
Hornguard (Restricted Free Agents)
 
Key Players
QB - Tony Romo
RB - Marshawn Lynch
RB - Doug Martin
RB - Frank Gore
RB - Shane Vereen
RB - Alfred Blue
WR - Davante Adams
WR - Victor Cruz
TE - Jason Witten
 
Hornguard autopicked himself to a pretty decent skill position starting lineup. Alfred Blue fails the eye test, but in this league, opportunity is sometimes enough, and he has the opportunity to take the Houston job and run with it. Adams could be in play for a huge role with Rodgers chucking him the ball, similarly to how guys like Nelson and Cobb got opportunities before him from guys leaving or getting hurt. The IDP's arent great, but with Gore and Lynch potentially in their last years of keeper-league relevance, this team is in full win-now mode, and has the firepower to take the division.
 
 
Niota (Yo Soy Fiesta)
 
Key Players
QB - Cam Newton
RB - Joseph Randle
RB - Tre Mason
RB - Todd Gurley
WR - Julian Edelman
WR - Andre Johnson
WR - Kelvin Benjamin
 
Niota starts his championship defense in a hole, with last year's #1 overall pick, Benjamin, out for the season, leaving him down a keeper. He thought he had nabbed his replacement when he traded up to the #2 overall pick to get Amari Cooper, but I sniffed it out and jumped him to #1 overall. He was left with a great consolation prize in Todd Gurley, and made the unsexy, but smart pick to handcuff them together in drafting Tre Mason 4 picks after grabbing Gurley. One way or another, barring a catastrophe (or Benny Cunningham), the St. Louis running attack is his, and it is a very productive one, with superduperstar upside with Gurley. Niota chose to focus on lottery picks at the skill positions, and locking down IDP's, getting top guys like Lavonte David and DeAndre Levy to complement his keeper, Luke Kuechly. Brandon Coleman looks to have the fast track to a productive job, but guys like Randle, Corey Brown, and Ladarius Green need to show us a lot more than they have before in their expanded jobs for Niota to be able to repeat.
 
 
Canik (Abdullah Akbar)
 
Key Players
QB - Peyton Manning
QB - Tom Brady
RB - Mark Ingram
RB - Giovany Bernard
RB - Ameer Abdullah
WR - Emmanuel Sanders
WR - Mike Wallace
 
Canik made the classic mistake of trading for a 2nd QB shortly before the draft, and as a result, he had to keep two older QB's, with limited dynasty value, instead of a young RB/WR, and that could cost him the shot to overtake Niota this year. His RBs are all guys who could have big years, but who also could simply not have jobs by midseason, with both Jackson, Abdullah, and Gio on the wrong side of committees, although Abdullah looks like the real deal. Devin Funchess is a great pickup, especially when it comes at the expense of one of Niota's best players, and at the very least, Canik can trade a QB for improvements elsewhere, although he probably won't get the value of the keeper spot he used in return. Still, this is a playoff team if a little breaks right for him.
 
 
AlmightyHero (JPP's Fireworks Emporium)
 
Key Players
QB - Russell Wilson
RB - David Johnson
WR - Torrey Smith
WR - Brandon Marshall
WR - DeAndre Hopkins
TE - Jordan Cameron
 
The lack of a draft pick this season in the first round really hurt Hero's chances to turn his team around this season, as Pierre Garcon has drifted into fantasy irrelevance, but Ameer Abdullah or T.J. Yeldon, guys available where Hero would have picked had he not flipped the pick (and others) for him, would have been high value/high upside players to have moving forward. His RB's are a mess, and outside of Hopkins, there isn't any youth there either. This will be a tough season for Hero, and it might be time to start building with 2016 and beyond in mind.
 
 
Scipio (Easy Breesy)
 
Key Players
QB - Drew Brees
RB - Jonathan Stewart
RB - Bishop Sankey
WR - T.Y. Hilton
WR - A.J. Green
WR - Jordy Nelson
TE - Coby Fleener
 
Scipio thought he was building the best WR core in TROLL when he traded the #2 overall for A.J. Green (and other keeper players), but sadly Jordy went down and took that idea with him. Sankey and Stewart, if they can prove they can hold onto their jobs (and stay healthy) could have strong years, and Brees is always a lock to put up good numbers. An unsexy but effective IDP core could help him rise to the middle of the pack, but he is a move or two away from playoff contention, but that's a big step up from where the team was before he took over. When Nelson gets back, this will be a strong team for 2016, and should make noise then.
 
 
 
 
 
By popular demand, here are my Totally Out of Nowhere Predictions (TOONP):
 
Alter Egos Division Champ: GoFastLeft makes a good run at it, but Goldie locks up his 4th consecutive division title before they play their Week 13 season finale.
Haf's Flingers Division Champ: DylanCarter again is too much for the rest of the division and takes the crown for the third year in a row.
Heroes of Time Division Champ: Hornguard's RB's drive him to the division title, even though he finishes with the same record as Mergerberger and only a game or two ahead of Astriy and Magicninja.
Krack Heads Division Champ: Canik takes advantage of Niota's flaws and knocks the champ out of the top spot in the division.
 
Schattenmann Cup Winner: DylanCarter breaks Goldie's heart again in the final, and makes it two wins in three years. 
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Canik made the classic mistake of trading for a 2nd QB shortly before the draft, and as a result, he had to keep two older QB's, with limited dynasty value, instead of a young RB/WR, and that could cost him the shot to overtake Niota this year. His RBs are all guys who could have big years, but who also could simply not have jobs by midseason, with both Jackson, Abdullah, and Gio on the wrong side of committees, although Abdullah looks like the real deal. Devin Funchess is a great pickup, especially when it comes at the expense of one of Niota's best players, and at the very least, Canik can trade a QB for improvements elsewhere, although he probably won't get the value of the keeper spot he used in return. Still, this is a playoff team if a little breaks right for him.


Not using Brady as a QB, he's my punter and ball inflation manager. :D

Also I got Kevin White, just want to add that. Also Fred Jackson and Manning are immortal, stop doubting them you heathen. My team is ready to explode! Abudullah Akbar!!!
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Bah, figures. -_-

If he wasn't released though, he was capable of another decent year. Probably.

O well, I have plenty of  people to replace him. He was very inessential to my team, surprised Goldie even mentioned him.

Edited by Big Ego
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Spartan1985 (Winston's Crab Shack)
 
Key Players
RB - Chris Ivory
RB - Andre Ellington
RB - David Cobb
WR - Jordan Matthews
WR - Michael Floyd
WR - Jarvis Landry
WR - Eric Decker
DL - J.J. Watt
 
Spartan, like Redarmy, took over a barren team. He aggressively set about making it his own, and there are the makings of a threat to DC down the road for division dominance here. For the first time ever, a DL will be listed as a key fantasy player, because J.J. Watt might be the only TE to have DL eligibility with how he's used on that team, and is just otherworldly. I'd guess that two of Ivory, Cobb, or Ellington will have keeper-worthy seasons, and Landry could be a top 10 WR by the end of the season. All of the pieces aren't there yet, but there has been enough done that, as we move into IDP keepers going forward with the best one locked in to this team, 2016 could be a big year for Spartan.

 

That's right, it's all about building for a future run. I'm coming for you next year (or the year after that) DC.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

With Lynch hurt in Seattle, the Fred Jackson pick looks better than it did when people were talking about it here.

 

Bah, figures. -_-

If he wasn't released though, he was capable of another decent year. Probably.

O well, I have plenty of  people to replace him. He was very inessential to my team, surprised Goldie even mentioned him.

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With Lynch hurt in Seattle, the Fred Jackson pick looks better than it did when people were talking about it here.

 

Too bad Lynch's injury isn't more serious, but I do still have Fred Jackson, and will be tempted to start him this week.

I am 2-1 currently, leading my division with wins over division rivals Niota & Hero in the past two weeks. Largely thanks to Tom Brady & Travis Benjamin <3

 

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