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.

AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: Prime Time

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.

11. Prime Time

History:

• 2014 runner-up
• One of four original founding managers.
• Made playoffs 6 of 9 seasons
• Has finished in the top 3 five times in 9 seasons.
• Has had a winning record in every season but two.
• Never had less than six wins
• Drafted two Qbs in the first three rounds twice. Backfired both times.

When you think of the AFFL and its teams, there are few that jump right out. Prime Time, a.k.a. the bully, is one of those few. He has been a presence in the league since its inception, and while many will say that Prime Time teams are over-hyped, he has the resume to back it up. Last years runner-up has finished in the top three in two-thirds of the seasons he's been in the league. If that's not impressive enough, Prime has had winning seasons every year except two, and has never finished with less than six wins. There isn't another team in the league that can claim that same feat. Consistently good, and always a threat for the post-season, Prime Time is, simply put, one of the elite franchises of the AFFL. 

If there is one word that would define a PT team  it's depth. PT drafting strategies aim to build depth at all positions, but give extra attention to the running back group. Frequent pick-ups and small moves that could pay bigger dividends later characterize the teams approach. However, the more peculiar part of the team is the aura that surrounds it. PT teams are like the creature in a horror movie that comes from the swamp that can't be stopped. The smorgasbord of players and mesh-mash of personnel always seem to perform when the team's back is up against the wall.  It doesn't matter how bad the team's drafts are initially, by mid-season, and despite a losing record, Prime will find a way to become relevant. Whether it be through a trade, a waiver pick-up, or having one of his many handcuff RB's get a starting gig, things seem to always work out.

There have been a few red styes in PT history. We wouldn't characterize PT as one of the best drafters in the league by any stretch of the imagination. He successfully lost the opportunity to be characterized as such after he drafted two top tier quarterbacks with his first three picks on two separate occasions thinking that he could trade one for a top tier WR or RB. With other managers knowing he was desperate to trade, the market value for those players plummeted and he was forced to almost give the players away for nothing, a decision that ended up costing him the playoffs during one season.

With the second highest winning percentage of active managers at 58%, and considering the previously mentioned top three finishes, PT should be considered a dynasty. However, despite the success and high level of consistency, PT has failed to reach AFFL Nirvana and solidify his name in the pantheon of other AFFL champions. While lady luck is on PT's side during the season, she doesn't want to stay for the final dance when it comes to the playoffs. Prime hopes to change that this year.

2015 Preview

Potential Keepers = Excellent

• Levon Bell Pick #26
• Brandon Cooks Pick #48

Schedule = Medium

• x2 = Jaj Cousteau and Magnum Sev.i

Draft

Drafting Levon Bell in the ninth round two years ago has paid off huge dividends for Prime. He now is able to keep the consensus overall #1 pick in most any fantasy draft at pick #26. Cooks is also great value at pick #48, about a full round after where he usually goes. With an RB/WR in place in the middle rounds, and still having a 1st and 2nd round pick, PT has the luxury of going building more depth at those positions if he cares, or going Aaron Rodgers at pick 11 if he's there. Should he opt to build his WR depth a player like Megatron or Aj Green (highest avail) he would then more than likely would add an RB in the second round to cover Bell's pending two game suspension. We are fairly certain that running backs will be the primary targets for PT during the middle rounds, something the team does nearly every draft. The intriguing question will be to see if teams that are drafting around him (cobra kai and Jaj) steal many of his mid round picks to do the same, as all three teams have similar keeper builds in RB/WR. As long as he doesn't take two quarterbacks with his first two picks, he should be primed to start the year strong. Not as strong as when Bell gets back on the field, but strong none-the-less.

Schedule

As it looks right now, Prime won't be affected by any of the bye weeks to the teams that he is forced to play twice. Jaj's team will have two very strong keepers on it in Antonio Brown and Charles, so it is highly likely that his team will be stronger than most. Magnum may have only one keeper in Emmanuel Sanders, so his squad is yet to be finalized. We can anticipate that since the team is drafting in the first six rounds, they will get enough play-makers to roster a competitive team. Looking at the rest of teams, PT will have Bell on bye week 11, while HBK will have both keepers available. That's a long way away, but something to note. We can safely say that as of now, the four games he plays against the teams he play twice in the tough Mazoon division won't pose too much of a problem for PT.

AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: Jaj Cousteau

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Jaj Cousteau manager Chris Sirounian

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.

12. Jaj Cousteau

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History:

• Current AFFL Champion
• Has made playoffs 4 of last 6 years
• Has only won seven or more games twice in a regular season
• Drafted Arian Foster 4 rounds early the year he broke out
• Traded for Antonio Brown in losing season for keeper purposes. Helped win title.
• Weekly waiver pick-up fiend

For the past several years, Jaj Cousteau has been the wild card in the AFFL Fantasy deck. When you think he will zig, he zags. When you think you've got him figured out, he changes. Cousteau is one of the rare fantasy managers that doesn't play by any given ranking system or rules. He marches by the beat of his own drum and isn't afraid to do what he feels is best.

However, the history of his managerial skills produce a mixed bag. He began his AFFL career making the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. He also became the fifth team to win an AFFL title last season, sneaking into the postseason as a sixth seed and running the table. Despite the few years of success, Cousteau has managed to only have a "winning season" (seven wins or more) in only two of his six years in the league. Two of his playoff births were garnished with six wins seasons, and one can argue that this was more a product of luck than of true strength of roster.

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But luck can't account for the skillful moves of manager Jaj when it comes to drafting and trading. It was his foresight (and perhaps being a Texan homer) that brought him to nab Arian Foster the year he broke out four rounds before anyone would consider taking him. It was also that same foresight that pushed Jaj to get Antonio Brown in a trade during the 2013 season to retain as a keeper in the third round, which eventually lead him to his AFFL title. Cousteau's best attributes are his in-season management, particularly his weekly roster moves. He has been known to make great pick-ups for his roster the week a player goes ballistic. (see Marvin Jones '13). It's this skill that has helped him turning disappointing seasons around and stay afloat through turbulent times.

His overall record to this point hovers just above 50% (40-38), but there is no doubt that that Cousteau has established himself as a yearly player in the merry-go-round that is the AFFL fantasy season.  With shrewd trading and drafting tactics, along with his "luck of the Jaj," Cousteau is a better than average bet to make some noise in any given season.

2015 Preview

Potential Keepers = Very good

• Jamaal Charles Pick #12
• Antonio Brown Pick #24

Schedule = Difficult

• x2 = Prime Time and Cobra

Draft

With two of the top keepers in the league at great value, Champ Cousteau already has a leg up on the rest of the league. He won't be drafting in the first two rounds should he keep Jamaal Charles and Antonio Brown as we think he should, but that won't matter; those two players have great value at those spots. Charles and Brown are both very likely to finish in the top five of their respected positions. Getting them for nearly 9 and 15 picks later than their ADP's respectively is amazing. The key for Jaj will be how he builds off these center pieces. He'll more than likely choose more depth at RB/WR in the 3rd round, but don't be surprised if he picks up a QB between rounds 4-6. If he can manage a few late round gems, and putting injury aside for a second, Cousteau should exit the draft with a fairly strong roster, and be an immediate threat to make a return trip to the playoffs.

Schedule

The Mazoon division was extremely tough last season, with four teams making it to the post-season and three of those teams finishing in the top three. While predicting strength of schedule is impossible before the draft, we can examine which team Cousteau will have to play twice, namely Prime Time and Cobra Kai. Ouch. The two teams that finished in second and third place respectively are going to be a tough out most weeks. Prime Time has a solid keeper in Le'von Bell, and Cobra is one year removed from winning the AFFL title. Neither team will be severely effected by bye weeks, meaning teams will clash at full strength barring injury. Both Prime and Cobra are highly skilled in setting line-ups and will surely give Jaj all he can handle. You can bet that wins will be difficult to come by for at least four games during the season.