AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: Atomic Bomba

Atomic Bomba manager Raffi

For the next twelve days, the AFFL will give you a break down of each manager and preview their 2015 Fantasy season. We will take a look at what the team has done up to this point, their current keeper situation, and take an early look at how the difficulty of their schedule. Teams will be previewed in reverse draft order, starting with 12 and ending at 1. You can further see more about each manager and team by clicking on the teams tab and visiting each team page.

6. Atomic Bomba

History:

• One of the original founding teams
• 4 AFFL titles ('06, '08, '10 '11)
• Finished top 2 in the league 6 of 9 seasons
• Highest AFFL lifetime win percentage 65-39 (62%), 12-3 (80%) playoffs
• 2 seasons with only five wins
• five different seasons with nine wins or more

If team Hartan was the placebo, then the Atomic Bomba is the ideal. The team that nobody likes to talk about is has had the most success out of any other in the league. Along with Awesomeness, Bomba is the only team to win multiple titles and hoist a back-to-back trophy ('10,'11). The Dynasty essentially began in 2008, when the Bomba won the title or finished second in five of six straight seasons ('08-'13). That sort of dominance hasn't been replicated and perhaps won't be for a long time. Bomba gives the rest of the league something to gun for, and gun for the Atomic one they have.  Much of the league's animosity is directed at the franchise in hopes of taking Bomba off the throne. Despite the animosity, the team has put together a lifetime record of 65-39, winning 62% of his games and amassing an 80% playoff win percentage. Quite impressive.

But success hasn't come without failure. There are some blemishes on Bomba's record. He has two seasons where he has had a record of five and eight, meaning that when the team is bad, it's bad. While he has been solid in the trade department over the years for the most part, he has made moves that cost him the playoffs in those lack-luster seasons. Last year, Bomba traded Emmanuel Sanders for rehabbing Calvin Johnson just before Sanders was set to play in a Thursday night game. Bomba was forced to watch as Sanders went bananas in the match-up, scoring four TDs and winning the fantasy match-up for Sev.i. It would end up costing the Bomba a chance at a playoff birth, something that he regrets to this day. And after bidding a heavy amount of FAAB for a Raider wide receiver in week 9 last season, its safe to say he's still figuring this new free agent system out.

Where the Bomba has made his bread and butter is the draft. Not afraid to take risks and draft in a manner others wouldn't, the dynasty of the Bomba is founded on the principle of "explosive players." The team has regularly found late round gems that have propelled the team to the top in many seasons (Ap rookie year, Deangelo, Hillis, Gordon). The team's draft strategies could include all possibilities, from drafting three WR's in the first three rounds ('09) or taking all the falcons offensive players in rounds one through  three ('12).

The Bomba failed to meet expectations last season for the first time in five years. Will he be held out of the playoffs for the first time in consecutive years? Odds are against it. History tells us that no matter what happens, you must always beware the Bomba.

 

2015 Preview

Potential Keepers = Good

• Carlos Hyde #31
• Joseph Randle #79

Schedule = Fair

• x2 = Vosgee and Hartan

Draft

Should Joseph Randle keep the reigns on the starting job in Dallas, he will most certainly be a member of the Atomic Bomba at a seventh round value. Hyde is a question mark, as his keeper spot doesn't really offer much value and perhaps could be had later in the round. It will be interesting to see what Bomba decides to do. Assuming he keeps both RBs, we'd expect the team to go WR in the first round. However, there could be a solid WR option at his second pick and the team could elect to draft RB/QB in the first, and pick up a top tier WR in the second. It will depend on how comfortable the team feels with Hyde and Randle or just Randle as the starting RBs. Having the sixth pick in the order will give Bomba the ability to control what happens in the draft. His choices in the middle round will effect what happens on both edges of the snake style selection process.

Schedule

The team will face Vosgee and Hartan twice during the season. Vosgee is a lottery team like Bomba, but has a very solid keeper. Hartan has one as well. Many would think that the Gyank could be a push-over given his history, but don't be so sure. With a solid keeper and early picks in the first two rounds, chances are his team will be strong. Furthermore, he'll face Bomba weeks one and thirteen, meaning both teams will be at full strength (granted Vosgee has a 1-9 record lifetime versus Bomba, but that's neither here nor there). Hartan has ODBJ as a keeper, but will face Bomba on a week when he is on bye. This will put his team at a slight disadvantage. Bomba could have an edge here. Looking at the weeks that SF and Dallas are off, weeks ten and six respectively, Bomba will face Hangin' who would presumably be without Mike Evans, and Jaj, who will be at full strength. Early on, it looks like the bye weeks help Bomba on two occasions.

AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: Hartan

Hartan owner Harout and Vartan

For the next twelve days, the AFFL will give you a break down of each manager and preview their 2015 Fantasy season. We will take a look at what the team has done up to this point, their current keeper situation, and take an early look at how the difficulty of their schedule. Teams will be previewed in reverse draft order, starting with 12 and ending at 1. You can further see more about each manager and team by clicking on the teams tab and visiting each team page.

7. Hartan

History:

• 2007 AFFL Champion (10 team)
• 4 straight playoff appearances. Inc. 3 straight semi-final games '11-'13
• Third highest AFFL lifetime win percentage 58-46 (55%)
• 3 straight years without a winning record '08-'10
• Draft strategy is very solid, with value based drafting
• One of the best keepers in '15, Odell Beckham Jr round 8.

Every science test must have a placebo. A constant. Something to act as a baseline for which all things can be measured. In the AFFL, with teams that can go from conservative to wild, Hartan is team consistent. They are the AFFL's placebo. Their history is full of 8th place finishes and consistent playoff production. Four straight seasons making the post-season with three fourth place finishes is evidence of this. Sprinkle in three straight seasons before that where the team finished in 8th place every year, and you have predictability with consistency. AFFL's Ph 7.4? I give you, team Hartan.

While many teams may opt to reach for rookies or high risk players, Hartan's teams typically center around low risk moves. Theirs is a conservative approach centered around proven production, veterans with a track record. That doesn't mean that they don't take risks, but will often mitigate their risk with strength at the position they are taking a gamble on. Their draft strategy has been successful in recent years, as they have reached the playoffs the last four seasons, finishing in fourth place three of those years.

Hartan has fairly solid in-season management, with solid pick-ups that help maintain depth. When it comes to trading, they are always active, but at times have miscalculated their own teams needs. In 2013, Hartan was struggling at the QB position as Matt Ryan was failing to live up to expectations. In need of help at the position, they traded Jamaal Charles for Drew Brees. While the players were comparable in value, they were not when it comes to their value in respect to their position. Losing a top Rb wasn't worth the QB help, as other Qb's could have been had for cheaper. Granted, the team did make the semi's but eventually lost to the team they traded with.

What is often not mentioned is that Hartan is an AFFL champion, winning the league crown during the 2007 season. However, that was in a 10 team format, and team two-face hasn't been back to the finals since. We may have to ask whether or not Hartan will ever return to the finals. Are they just a team that will always be good and not great? Having two managers can at times be more of a burden than a benefit. When two cooks are in the kitchen there is a greater chance that the stew can be ruined. It's fair to wonder if there have been times when the team would have gone all the way but didn't because of a decision compromised due to Hartan not seeing eye-to-eye.

With their level of consistency and proven track record, it's safe to put Hartan in the top four of AFFL teams, and one could argue that they could be higher. With a solid keeper in Odell Beckham Jr. for the 2015 season, team two-face is set-up nicely to have a successful run at their first twelve team title. That is if they can make sure to get out of their own way.

2015 Preview

Potential Keepers = Excellent

• LeSean McCoy #7
• Odell Beckham Jr #91

Schedule = Fair

• x2 = Hangin' and Bangin' and Bomba

Draft

LeSean Mccoy and Odell Bekcham Jr are the two most likely keepers for Hartan. While it is conceivable that McCoy could be released back into the draft pool, Odell Beckham will certainly be kept. With great value out of ODBJ as an eighth round keeper, Hartan can go any which way he wants in the early rounds. Typically, they have held off on QB in the early rounds and will more than likely take the best RB/WR avail with their 2nd round pick. You can almost rest assured that they will do the same in the fourth round. With pick seven Hartan will be able to choose twice before the person behind him, Grabbers, picks at all. This is a nice advantage to have. We don't think that Hartan can do much of anything wrong in the draft given their position, but it will be interesting to see if they remain conservative in their player approach or take more risk being that they are already a leg up with ODBJ.

Schedule

Hartan gets two match-ups against two teams that may have better-than-you-thought chances of doing things in 2015. Hangin' has two very good keepers along with two picks in the top sixteen. Bomba is the most successful franchise in the AFFL and has earned the right to be labeled a threat in any season. Both these teams will be formidable, which makes the four games that Hartan has to face between these two a mixed-bag. Looking at the bye weeks, Hangin's match-ups don't fall on any bye weeks, so they'll be at full strength. Bomba gets a week five and eleven tilt versus Hartan. While week five won't effect either teams keepers, week eleven is the week OBDJ is on bye. Hartan will lose a keeper for that week. The team will also lose McCoy week 8 where Hartan plays Vosgee. Vosgee will have all keepers available.

AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: Grabbers

Grabbers Owner Sassoon

For the next twelve days, the AFFL will give you a break down of each manager and preview their 2015 Fantasy season. We will take a look at what the team has done up to this point, their current keeper situation, and take an early look at how the difficulty of their schedule. Teams will be previewed in reverse draft order, starting with 12 and ending at 1. You can further see more about each manager and team by clicking on the teams tab and visiting each team page.

8. Grabbers United

History:

• 2012 AFFL Runner-up
• 2 playoff appearances last three years
• Second lowest lifetime win percentage 40-51 (43%)
• 4 losing seasons of less than six wins. One with only two wins
• Improved drafting has lead to recent success
• Two solid keepers in Luck and Gronk sets up 2015 well

Forgive the pun, but when you've hit bottom, there is no where to go but up. Grabbers United is a team that began its AFFL career with a tight grip on finishing in close to last place. Out of the first four seasons in the league, Grabbers would only claim a winning season once, and failed to make the playoffs in any of those years. It took some time for team United to figure out how to build a winning roster, and those tough years would soon provide the soil for which Grabbers would blossom out of.

In 2012, Grabbers got a taste of the AFFL sweet life, as they managed to squeak into the playoffs for the first time and ride the momentum all the way to the title game. While they didn't win-it-all, a successful season was much needed to bolster the teams confidence and redo his lowly image.

The success of the 2012 season would come back again last year, when the franchise found its way back into the playoffs thanks to the arm of Andrew Luck. With risky draft moves and free agent pick-ups, Grabbers didn't just have luck on his side, he managed his team exceptionally well. It was a welcomed site to others in the league who had written Grabbers off as a "weak" franchise.

Grabbers strength lies in his "ignorance is bliss" strategy of drafting. It can be argued that too much information about anything is not good. Grabbers isn't the most knowledgeable teams in the AFFL when it comes to  the draft, but that sometimes works in his favor. While everyone else is going by what experts predict, Grabbers isn't afraid to trust his gut on guys. Take for example last season. Without an RB in the first four rounds, many around the AFFL thought that Grabbers would fall apart. Taking Luck in the fourth gave Grabbers no shot at any worthy RBs. Add to that the fact that he drafted Mark Ingram, an Rb that was thought of as a bust and doesn't catch passes, and team United was building their team that was "anti-expert." Staying true to his risk averse ways, he then went out and spent half his FAAB budget on Justin Forsett early in the season when he hadn't proved much. Again he was mocked for going against the "experts." In the end, Grabbers had the last laugh, as he formed a strong team and managed his way from a lottery team to a playoff team. He deserves all the credit for his managerial skills. It was well done.

Looking forward into 2015, Grabbers has the chance to have a great season. The team will need to build on their success and make the playoffs for consecutive years before it can truly be considered a player in the league. However, things are definitely looking up for team United and a few more winning seasons will force everyone to forget where Grabbers started: at the bottom.

2015 Preview

Potential Keepers = Very Good

• Rob Gronkowski #8
• Dez Bryant #8
• Andrew Luck #20

Schedule = Good

• x2 = Magnum Sev.i and Awesomeness

Draft

Grabbers enters the draft with solid keeper options. It doesn't get much better than getting to keep the #1 QB last year at the 20th pick, so expect Luck to be kept. As for the first round pick, Grabbers has two ways he can go. If he opts to keep Dez because he is weary of keeping a TE that early, he would set himself up with a top 3 WR at pick 8. Not bad. If he elects to keep Gronk, he'll begin the draft with two players at the top of their respected positions. It's a win-win. We would think that Gronk would be the keeper of choice in the first round, then the be best avail RB/WR in round three. Grabbers could have the most difficult task of any manager, as they will be without a pick until after twenty-five selections have gone by.  He may not have the crazy value other teams have, but he has great players. Definitely something to build on.

Schedule

The two division opponents that Grabbers will play twice, Magnum and Awesomeness, aren't two of the strongest teams in the league, but they will provide a challenge. Awesomeness gets to keep AP and has Hopkins in the 5th round, a solid value. Magnum is a bit weaker with only Sanders as a 3rd round keeper. Looking at bye weeks, Grabbers will square off against Awesomeness during week 8, a week where neither team is effected. Magnum will come in week seven, and will be without Emmanual Sanders, giving Grabbers a leg-up in that game. Looking at when Grabbers is effected by byes, week 4 and week 10, neither of the teams they play those weeks (Vosgee and Hartan respectively) will be hurt with keepers sitting out. Those may be tough match-ups for Grabbers to win, depending on how he drafts.

AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: HBK Shant Michaels

HBK owner Shant Apelian

For the next twelve days, the AFFL will give you a break down of each manager and preview their 2015 Fantasy season. We will take a look at what the team has done up to this point, their current keeper situation, and take an early look at how the difficulty of their schedule. Teams will be previewed in reverse draft order, starting with 12 and ending at 1. You can further see more about each manager and team by clicking on the teams tab and visiting each team page.

9. HBK Shant Michaels

History:

• One of the leagues founding members
• 2006 Champion with Bomba
• 4th place finish 3x
• Failed to make playoffs '09-'12
• 6 of 9 seasons finished with six wins or less.
• Isn't afraid to draft Rookies.
• Solid Keepers over the past two seasons.

When we ask the question, who is the league's "flashiest" manager, there is only one answer: HBK. Since '08 HBK has had a flair for the dramatic and a brand that is all about respecting the styles of his idol, Shawn Michaels. In true HBK fashion, Michaels' teams have been about players who have flash, and that "sex appeal." It's this kind of approach that has left HBK without much sustained success over the past years. Since venturing on his own in the '07 season, team "sexy boy" has only had three winning seasons, winning only four games in two seasons, and failing to win six games in two-thirds of the time. That's not good. Because of this, It's easy to forget that manager Shant was a co-champion in with Bomba in '06. The good news is that despite failing to make the playoffs in four years straight, HBK has seen the post-season in the last two, reaching the semi-finals in 2013. This is something to build on.

HBK teams are a blend of a conservative and radical approach. Seemingly stubborn to move on many trades early in the season, the team often becomes a player in the trade market late. With the flair for the dramatic, HBK has been known to make his presence known during draft day, and typically takes risks on players others wouldn't, namely rookies. Eddie Lacy was one such risk that has turned into a two year keeper, as was Alshon Jeffery.  Despite the drafting abilities, the team is fairly strong in-season, and will make roster moves that help sustain a competitive edge. What has been lacking in HBK's department is foresight. Often times, when faced with tough decisions or risky choices, the team is afraid of making the wrong move, and so makes no move at all. A perfect example of this was his decision to stay with Stafford in the 2013 semi-finals despite reports of a snow game. Conversely, Bomba benched Kurt Warner in 2008 for Shaun Hill when the weather in New England called for snow. The decision won Bomba the title. Not benching Stafford cost HBK a chance at a title.

Expect things to get better for team sexy boy. He hasn't peeked as a franchise yet, and needs to continue making the playoffs to help the league forget the dark years of playoff-less football. If he can manage to make the right choices and take enough risk, his entire brand will benefit from it.

2015 Preview

Potential Keepers = Good

• Eddie Lacy #9
• Alshon Jeffery #28

Schedule = Good

• x2 = Vosgee Gyank and BDiddy

Draft

Eddie Lacy and Alshon Jeffery are almost locks to be kept by HBK when the draft roles around. Both players are elite and offer good enough value for where they are being kept. Selecting at the ninth spot will mean that HBK is going to be the first pick of the back third of the draft, where Cobra, Prime and Jaj await. Watching them battle for picks will be very interesting. With HBK's history of poaching rookies, we would expect that a few of those players won't make the latter half of the draft more times than not. With an RB and WR locked up in rounds one and three respectively, HBK has the option of going with any position in round two. Typically, based on his history, an RB would be where the Michaels will lean, and Gordon, Gurly, Spiller or Morris could be had. If he elects to go WR, Kelvin Benjamin or Andre Johnson. We don't anticipate a quarterback to go early to HBK, but you never know.

Schedule

Based on last years finishes, HBK gets to play Vosgee and BDiddy twice. Both teams were lottery teams, and while don't expect them to both be horrible, based on last years records, this is an advantage for HBK. Neither of the match-ups with the teams will benefit HBK, as they mostly occur outside the bye weeks. Week 10 is when Vosgee comes to town, but all keepers will be active. Unfortunately, HBK didn't luck out with the keepers' bye weeks, as both the Bears and Packers are on bye the same week, week 7. That week, Bomba, the team HBK plays will be at an advantage. Otherwise, the four games against the two division opponents in the Dolma division should be winnable depending on how well HBK drafts.

AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: Cobra Kai

Cobra Kai owner Sayyad

For the next twelve days, the AFFL will give you a break down of each manager and preview their 2015 Fantasy season. We will take a look at what the team has done up to this point, their current keeper situation, and take an early look at how the difficulty of their schedule. Teams will be previewed in reverse draft order, starting with 12 and ending at 1. You can further see more about each manager and team by clicking on the teams tab and visiting each team page.

10. Cobra Kai

History:

• 2013 AFFL Champion
• 2014 3rd place finish
• Has made playoffs 4 of 8 years
• Has won 9 games during regular season only once.
• Has routinely had great quality keepers over past two years.
• Analytics used to determine best draft strategy
• Shrewd trade dealer. Once had five separate multi-player trades in two day span

Cobra Kai has become a viable force in the AFFL rather quickly, coming out of nowhere to win the league title in 2013 and becoming the first non-Lalazarian team to do so since Hartan did it in 2007.  Prior to the 2013 season, Cobra had gone three season without making the playoffs, and had only one victory in the post-season in the years between '07-'09. His history isn't one that showcases much dominance over a long period of time  (54-51 lifetime record; 51% winning percentage; 5-4 playoffs). In fact, he has won at least nine games during the regular season only once, while all other AFFL Champs and Prime Time have done it multiple times: Bomba (5), Prime (3), Hartan (2), Awesome (2), Jaj (2). Critics may add all this up and say his AFFL title was merely a flash in the pan. Then again, Kai could just now be finding himself. Since the AFFL turned into a keeper league, Cobra has relied heavily on analytics to guide his team to the top, and its worked. He is often times one of the most tuned in managers in the league, and crunches the numbers as well as or better than anyone else. Entering the 2015 season, Kai has plenty of keeper of options and is viewed as one of the teams that shouldn't be taken lightly on anyone's schedule.

Cobra makes his money during the season, primarily with his in-season management. While he hasn't drafted terribly in years past by any means, his in-season roster moves and trades are what have typically defined the Cobra brand. Weekly starting line-ups hardly have big points wasted on the bench. Kai works the phones like nobodies business, frequently exploring trades to make his teams better every week. He's one of the shrewdest traders in the business, frequently exploring multi-team and multi-player deals. It was this kind of work that resulted in his championship in 2013. You can rest assured that as the trade deadline approaches, Cobra will use whatever leverage he has to improve his roster for one final playoff push.

With a title under his belt, and a third place finish last year, Cobra can further solidify his place at the head table with another strong finish in 2015. He has established himself as one of the top teams in the league, and if he can continue to show sustained success, he will quickly move into the realm of elite.

2015 Preview

Potential Keepers = Good

• Jordy Nelson Pick #22
• Lamar Miller Pick #52
• Jordan Matthews #71

Schedule = Medium

• x2 = Jaj Cousteau and Awesomeness

Draft

Jordy Nelson should be one of the keepers Cobra hangs onto prior to the draft, and we anticipate he will do just that. Pick number twenty-two is good value for one of the top WRs in the game. Depending on Kai's draft strategy, he could elect to keep either Lamar Miller or Jordan Matthews. Lamar Miller could be had in the fourth round, so it's possible that Kai will keep Matthews and draft Miller to retain both. The interesting part of the draft will be watching The last four teams, HBK, Cobra, Prime, Jaj battle it out for picks. All four have similar situations, with one RB and one WR as a keeper. Cobra may elect to do what everyone else isn't doing in the back four and that might not be a bad idea. At pick #10, we'd expect Cobra to select any position, including quarterback. A Rodgers to Jordy combo would be very tempting. If he chooses to go with a WR, Megatron should be there for the team to select.

Schedule

Bye weeks are crucial to any team, and by the looks of things. Cobra will face both Jaj and Awesomeness with all keepers available. Cousteau's team could be very strong with Brown and Charles, and despite the poor showing the last few years, Awesomeness has AP and Hopkins as keepers. Both teams won't be push-overs come the regular season. Looking at Cobra's keeper's byes, he will face Sev.i week five without Lamar Miller, Hartan week 7 without Jordy Nelson, and Bomba week 8 without Jordan Matthews. All those teams will have keepers intact, so Kai will be at a slight disadvantage in those games as it sits now. Of course, this is an extremely early look and more will be known after the draft. As it stands now, Cobra looks to have a fairly mixed bag when it comes to ease of schedule.