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The Righteous Orators Legacy League - Season 7


Goldie

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The Righteous Orators Legacy League is preparing to play its seventh season as the top fantasy football league in CN history, and two days ago we held our annual draft. Each team kept seven players from the season before, and selected 23 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 seven of its players at the end of each season to carry over into the next season, with the stipulation that one must be a defensive player.

 

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

 

Alter Egos

Goldie (Brady's Lovechild) - VE

Gofastleft (dieinafireKroenke) - NSO

Jekalle (Rex's Lap Band) - The Bear Cavalry

Sarm (Evolution) - Umb

 

Haf's Flingers

DylanCarter (Washington Sentinels) - Umb

Sarkin (Cardiac Pack) - DT

Verlion (Lion's Clubhouse) - VE

Spartan1985 (Winston's Crab Shack) - Sparta

 

Heroes of Time

Mergerberger (Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls) - MI6

Magicninja (Elway's Horse Teeth) - GATO

Astriy (Carolina Bathroom Police) - Umb

Turetel (Fat and Broken Tony Romo) - FotW

 

Krack Heads

Niota (Geno's Boxing Gym) - Umb

Canik (IKYWMBH) - FotW

Sargun (Sander Jim's Clubhouse) - The Bear Cavalry

AlmightyHero (345 Park Ave) - Umb

 

 

Last season Sarkin came all the way from the 8th seed to knock off Goldie (grumble) in the championship game to win his first Schattenmann Cup.

 

Here are previous year's previews for posterity:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

 

Alter Egos

 

Goldie (Brady's Lovechild)

 

Key Players:

QB - Andrew Luck

RB - Le'Veon Bell

RB - Carlos Hyde

RB - Melvin Gordon

WR - Amari Cooper

WR - Golden Tate

WR - Jordan Matthews

TE - Rob Gronkowski

TE - Martellus Bennett

TE - Tyler Eifert

 

Injuries to Luck, Hyde, Bell, and Gordon last year nearly ended the season, but depth and key mid-season additions carried me to the finals, where the team ran out of gas after its huge semifinal win over DC. This year, the core returns intact, with several key additions. Matthews, Tate, and Eifert add top options to the lethal RB core. Unlike past seasons, there isn't a whole lot of betting on key rookies to blow up, and a lot more powerful offensive veterans that make this the best offense in TROLL on paper. That offense will have to carry a defense that is good, but not necessarily great. Here's hoping that is enough to lead me to my first title.

 

 

Sarm (Evolution)

 

Key Players:

QB - Drew Brees

RB - Jonathan Stewart

RB - Jeremy Langford

RB - Giovany Bernard

WR - A.J. Green

WR - T.Y. Hilton

WR - Jordy Nelson

WR - Devin Funchess

 

Sound first draft adds to a solid keeper core for Sarm's inaugural season. Brees is a points machine in this league, and if Funchess can take the next step forward, we may be looking at one of the best WR groups in the league. His RB position needs to stick together to push his season to where it needs to go, and the TE and defensive players need some in-season work, but this was a well set up team that was left for him, and the playoffs should be a possibility in year one.

 

 

Gofastleft (dieinafireKroenke)

 

Key Players:

QB - Marcus Mariota

RB - Lamar Miller

RB - DeMarco Murray

WR - Odell Beckham

WR - Allen Robinson

WR - Jeremy Maclin

WR - Michael Floyd

TE - Julius Thomas

 

GFL was the only team on autopick this weekend. Fortunately for him, he had a very solid core of keepers, with potential top performers at RB (Miller and Murray) and WR (ODB, Robinson) to build off of. The autopick focused on filling out the skill positions and hitting IDP's early, leaving GFL with a very complete team, if one that needs a little work in tightening up the defense. A repeat playoff performance is definitely the goal for GFL's team, and if Mariota truly takes the next step forward, this team could take the division in honor of the late, great St. Louis Rams football team.

 

 

Jekalle (Rex's Lap Band)

 

Key Players:

QB - Eli Manning

RB - Rashad Jennings

RB - Charles Sims

RB - Duke Johnson

WR - Michael Crabtree

WR - Chris Hogan

WR - Will Fuller

TE - Antonio Gates

TE - Jared Cook

 

Nothing controversial about Jekalle's team, it's a deep crew and there is some talent on the roster. Problem is, is that the offense isn't as deep and isn't as talented as the other three teams in the division. Manning should have a strong season with the weapons and scheme he has now, and there is definite upside with some of the younger WRs. But the RBs are in committees at best, and at worst are the wrong side of the platoon. It would be very difficult for Jekalle to make the playoffs in his second season in the league.

 

 

Haf's Flingers

 

DylanCarter (Washington Sentinels)

 

Key Players:

QB - Philip Rivers

RB - Latavius Murray

RB - Thomas Rawls

RB - Jeremy Hill

WR - Mike Evans

WR - Dez Bryant

TE - Travis Kelce

 

DC looks to follow up another great regular season with a more fulfilling playoff trip this time around. This team is constructed around its high-powered skill position players, with the hope that another star or some much needed depth comes from potential breakouts like Tajae Sharpe, Sammie Coates, and Tevin Coleman, to name a few. As usual, DC's IDP game is very strong, as the continuous stockpiling of mid-round picks alongside consistent keeper play is a recipe to always be able to rely on tons of points from his defense. This is another championship caliber offense from DC, and his road to another division title is very clear.

 

 

Sarkin (Cardiac Pack)

 

Key Players:

QB - Aaron Rodgers

RB - Eddie Lacy

WR - Julio Jones

WR - Demaryius Thomas

WR - Donte Moncrief

WR - Corey Coleman

TE - Greg Olsen

TE - Coby Fleener

 

Sarkin's championship defense may begin and end on the backs of his beloved Packers, Rodgers and Lacy. There is little in the cupboard at RB outside of Lacy other than some seriously injured backs and untested rookies. The WR's are among the league's best crew, and should present a very solid points floor that Sarkin can try to build from each week. The problem is, is that the rest of the division has gotten better, and DC's IDP's and RB's are just leagues ahead of him. If things break right and some good talent is found on the wire, this team could be right back where it was last year. Not the winning a championship part, but fighting for the 8th seed in the playoffs.

 

 

Verlion (Lion's Clubhouse)

 

Key Players:

QB - Kirk Cousins

RB - C.J. Anderson

RB - Adrian Peterson

RB - Arian Foster

WR - Desean Jackson

WR - Vincent Jackson

WR - Sterling Shepard

TE - Eric Ebron

 

Verlion has taken a step forward from narrowly missing the playoffs last year. Just how much of a step forward will be dictated by the health of his aging RBs and WRs. If Foster can take the reins in Miami and run with them (no pun intended), and the Jacksons light up their respective offenses, then this team will win more games than it loses. It will be interesting to see what Shepard does with his presumptive opportunity in a high-powered offense. But Peterson is a rock, and you know Denver will run the hell out of the ball, so points will come. There isn't a whole lot outside of the starters, but there might be enough firepower there to flip spots with Sarkin in the standings and make the playoffs.

 

 

Spartan1985 (Winston's Crab Shack)

 

Key Players:

QB - Derek Carr

RB - Doug Martin

RB - Chris Ivory

WR - Jarvis Landry

WR - Allen Hurns

WR - John Brown

TE - Austin Seferian-Jenkins

 

Team Florida (40% of the team is Bucs/Jags) looks a lot nicer than it did last year as well. This team could finish as high as 2nd in the division, but just as easily as low as 4th. Where it lands on that spectrum will come down to if the WR quartet of Landry, Hurns, Brown, and Kamar Aiken can build off of their breakouts from last year. If they do, this is a solid, up and coming WR core who can keep Spartan in the mix for many seasons to come. If any of them take a step back, this team is very exposed depth-wise.

 

 

Heroes of Time

 

Magicninja (Elway's Horse Teeth)

 

Key Players:

QB - Cam Newton

RB - Devonta Freeman

RB - LeSean McCoy

WR - Brandin Cooks

WR - Emmanuel Sanders

TE - Gary Barnridge

TE - Dwayne Allen

 

Last year I said that MN's "home run hitters are the key" and that "this might be the team to beat, if the RBs and WRs round into form." They were the key, and they did round into form, and MN ran away from a weaker division and took the #1 seed. The narrative could be exactly the same for this season, although MN will hope for a different end result, as when you live by the home run, you die by the home run, and he was upset in a big way in the first round of the playoffs last year. Repeat strong performances from McCoy, Newton, Cooks, Sanders, and especially Freeman will take MN's team as far as he can go, even as the division looks better than it did last year.

 

 

Astriy (Carolina Bathroom Police)

 

Key Players:

QB - Ben Roethlisberger

RB - Matt Jones

RB - Jamaal Charles

RB - Ameer Abdullah

WR - Randall Cobb

WR - Marvin Jones

WR - Markus Wheaton

WR - DeVante Parker

 

With young breakout candidates like Parker, Abdullah, and Jones combined with injury returners like Jimmy Graham, Cobb, and Charles, Astriy may prove me prescient when I said last year that this team was better built to win 2016 than it was 2015. It seems to be the norm to be unimpressed by the IDP core on this team, but I also know that he will find some replacements on the waiver wire and make the ends meet. If things break right, the division is in sight.

 

 

Mergerberger (Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls)

 

Key Players:

QB - Carson Palmer

RB - Matt Forte

RB - Christine Michael

WR - Antonio Brown

WR - Sammy Watkins

WR - Tyler Lockett

TE - Zach Ertz

 

Feast or famine team, with a very fun WR group that just needs a Lockett/Tyler Boyd breakout to be in top 3-4 consideration. IDP's look solid too, so there is a good points floor every week. Problem is that the floor, however high, isn't going to win weeks on its own, especially with huge question marks at RB with Forte, Michael, and Yeldon. Hopefully for Merger, one or more of them will establish themselves as the starter, but the problems might not end there. With a QB as injury-prone (and old) as Palmer, I'd like to see a higher floor/upside in a replacement than Sam Bradford. Nice looking team, should compete for a playoff spot, but I don't see a lot more than that this year.

 

 

Turetel (Fat and Broken Tony Romo)

 

Key Players:

QB - Andy Dalton

RB - Frank Gore

RB - Ezekiel Elliot

WR - Tavon Austin

WR - Travis Benjamin

WR - Terrance Williams

TE - Jordan Reed

 

Turetel is one of the new owners in TROLL this year, and he absolutely has his work cut out for him as this season is already looking pretty bleak before it starts. A WR core that is full of 2nd/3rd/4th/5th options does not provide a solid points floor from which to build on. Additionally, when Jordan Reed is far and away your 2nd best player you lose even more stability. Dalton is good enough to be a starter, and good enough to win games with, but there isn't much else to write home about. Thankfully for Turetel, the team he was left with was bad enough to secure the #1 overall pick, and in the history of the league there hasn't been a more highly valued prospect entering the draft, and Turetel can try to build for next year and beyond knowing that Elliot is going to be a serious building block. However, unless a lot of things go right for him, this team will probably be in the running for next year's #1 overall pick.

 

 

Krack Heads

 

Canik (IKYWMBH)

 

Key Players:

QB - Tom Brady

RB - Mark Ingram

RB - Spencer Ware

WR - Eric Decker

WR - Alshon Jeffery

WR - Kevin White

TE - Delanie Walker

TE - Zach Miller

 

I try to be unbiased in these rankings, and looking at Canik's roster you can see a lot to like. I just straight up don't like how this team is constructed. I love me some Brady, but you have to do better than Ryan Fitzpatrick as the four-week replacement, and try to address that before the 13th round, especially when Matt Ryan, Tannehill, Flacco, and Cutler are on the board. To build off of that, if you're going to have the top two WRs in Chicago (Jeffery and White), why would you pass on their QB? If you don't trust Cutler more than Fitzpatrick, then why would a team bank its whole offense on Cutler's ability to deliver the ball prodigiously? I haven't even gotten to the point where a 5th rounder and Emmanuel Sanders were traded for Forsett... who wasn't even kept (not to mention the additional 5th rounder that was wasted on Paul Perkins, who was cut right after). The sad thing is that even with all of those issues, and a neglected defense, this team could very well fight for a playoff spot and win the division, because Krack Heads is definitely in a down period. But Canik could have iced this division and set himself up for a title run, and it just didn't play out like that.

 

 

AlmightyHero (345 Park Ave)

 

Key Players:

QB - Russell Wilson

RB - LeGarrette Blount

RB - David Johnson

WR - Brandon Marshall

WR - Torrey Smith

WR - DeAndre Hopkins

WR - Phillip Dorsett

 

Hero fell off the face of the earth last season, and just when we had written him off coming in to the year, boom, here he comes ready to build his team back up. The young core of his team might be as strong as anyone's in the league, as few people can trot out the kind of QB/RB/WR combo that Hero can with Wilson, Johnson, and Hopkins. RB outside of Johnson is pretty thin, unless Blount really continues to lock down the Pats first and second down role. Dorsett and Agholor represent high-upside plays as they both seem in line to get plenty of targets in year two, and the defense does have a lot of talent. The team might not set the world on fire, but should be in the playoff and division mix.

 

 

Niota (Geno's Boxing Gym)

 

Key Players:

QB - Jameis Winston

RB - Todd Gurley

RB - Derrick Henry

WR - Julian Edelman

WR - Keenan Allen

WR - Kelvin Benjamin

WR - Stefon Diggs

 

Niota had one of those Murphy's Law seasons last year. Once Kelvin Benjamin got knocked out for the season, everything else that could go wrong started to go wrong, and he bottomed out in the standings. His reward was the ability to retool his roster with future seasons in mind, and he has rebuilt extremely fast, and looks to contend for the division crown this season, with a continued eye toward his next Schattenmann Cup team. If Henry overtakes DeMarco Murray, the best 1-2 young RB punch in the league could be on this team. The defense might be the real gem of this team, as studs like Luke Kuechly and Lavonte David anchor a very strong unit. The team isn't as deep as a contender should be, and TE is a huge question mark, but there is a playoff team on this roster for sure.

 

 

Sargun (Sander Jim's Clubhouse)

 

Key Players:

QB - Blake Bortles

RB - Ryan Mathews

RB - Blake Bortles

RB - Terrance West

WR - Larry Fitzgerald

WR - Doug Baldwin

WR - Josh Gordon

TE - Charles Clay

 

Sargun is the newest owner in the league, and he had a bit of a rocky start, "accidentally" drafting Willie Snead with the #2 overall pick. He made up for it a bit later on, and his defense is actually pretty solid for a new owner. The best way to describe his team is very deep on fringe 1st stringers and promising 2nd stringers, and that can be a good thing and a bad thing. The good would be if the roles of guys like Crowell, West, Kenny Stills, Snead, and Baldwin solidify and this team makes a surprise playoff push. The bad would be if injuries, age, or poor roles caught up with a few of them and this team loses not just this season, but on future keeper value. Josh Gordon is the wildcard, as if he returns to his form from a couple of years ago, he could reclaim his spot as a top five WR in the league.

 

 

 

As always, here are my Totally Out of Nowhere Predictions (TOONP) to either prove me as either clarivoyant or loony at the end of the season:

 

Alter Egos Division Champ: Despite serious challenges by Sarm and GFL, Goldie takes his 5th straight division crown on the backs of his studs.

Haf's Flingers Division Champ: DC rides his top defense and young stars to an easy division championship in a down year for Haf's Flingers.

Heroes of Time Division Champ: Despite Astriy and Merger stealing games and making it interesting, Magicninja holds them off with a week to spare.

Krack Heads Division Champ: In a race that isn't decided until their week 13 matchup, Hero barely edges out Niota, who has to settle for a wild card berth.

 

Schattenmann Cup Winner: Goldie calls it lucky number 7 and knocks off DC in the final.

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Well said across the board.  I had a mid-1st round pick and missed out on Elliot.  Such is life.  Despite the 'committee' running back approach, I'm hoping for a mid-season add, or injury will improve my chances.  Plus, one of my sleepers will hopefully hit!  Year 2... here we go!  Good luck to everyone!

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It's like I tell my guys every year -- okay, just this first year -- boys, go out there and bring home some high level picks. 

 

Hoping for a mildly more competitive lineup this year compared to the history lesson I saw when looking at last years games. Definitely a solid season or two or five away from being able to compete without injuries being the reason the team is competitive.  But the best part of all of it...is that football is back!

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Good write up Goldie, I knew three weeks before the draft that i wasn't going to be able to be there for the first time so I spent those three weeks ranking players so they would be picked in the order I wanted. What I forgot was to edit my rankings when Romo went down LOL.  Here is to a good season, for my serious challenge to be enough to knock you off the top spot in the division, and for Kroenke's plane to crash into Goodell's house. 

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