Bomba back as Commish as Prime Time Ousted; Text reveals Bomba went Cherry Picking

After a tense trade exchange with team Hartan, Commissioner Lalazarian left the AFFL and his job as commissioner and handed over the reigns to Ara.

Today, he took those reigns back.

The Commissioners office released the following statement:

“After taking the last four weeks off, Commissioner Lalazarian has retaken the role of acting commissioner and striped Ara of any and all powers, effective immediately. We do not wish for Ara to strip or strip anything else of his governing body. We thank him for the admirable job he did during the four week period and look forward to his future involvement in the AFFL.”

Initial reports indicated that the stepping down of Commissioner Lalazarian was permanent, but this is obviously not the case.

However reports have surfaced of a text exchange between Ara and the Commissioner’s office indicating that the entire Prime Time era was a set-up from the beginning.

In the text obtained by the courier, a text sent to Prime Time on Friday Nov 8 at 7:58 am read “Drama in the affl… play along.. I’m gonna act like Im done.” This was after a missed call was found on Prime Times phone from the Commissioner on Thursday the day before. Was this all a set-up? Subsequent texts go on to instruct Ara on what to post in the chat, as the Commish had left it days earlier. It seemed like Ara was just a puppet Commish all along, and a large puppet at that.

During his absence, the Commish has been said to have taken a trip to a beach island and rejuvenated while partaking in a seasonal cherry picking festival.. He has since returned to the AFFL mainlands and plans to finish the season. Could he still step down the following year? Those close to him say that its a real possibility.

”The AFFL just experienced what running a league is like with no Commish communicating who is in charge, kind of like what the US has gone through over the last 5 months, “ said an anonymous AFFL team manager whose name rhymes with saucemness. “I think we need a Lala in there.”

With the playoffs now one week away, the question as to the future of the AFFL will have to wait until the next off season, when we will surely have more drama unfold. Stay tuned.

Chased Away: Hartan Enraged over Last second Bomba trade; HBK last season? New Commish Ara vows to Make The AFFL Great Again

Chase reacting to Hartan having issue with the trade to Bomba

Chasing Pain

The Affl has had its share of crap trades, but according to league trolls Hartan, none are worse than the one that happened this past week.

At just before 3 minutes to go before the Thursday night game, Bomba and HBK executed a trade that sent Ja’maar Chase and Mark Andrews to Team Bomba in exchange for Brian Thomas Jr and Trey Mcbride. Both Thomas and Mcbride have low price values which was enticing for HBK’s future being that he is already well behind the playoff hunt.

While it seemed that the trade had fair compensation, Hartan immediately soiled their shorts and began to plaster the AFFL chat directed at the Commish for a questionable move. They sited that there was no due process to the trade and that he was the only one who had the ability to pull off a last second trade and process it as quick as he did. Hartan further tried to sprinkle salt on the shit sandwich they were were forced to eat as they watched Chase erupt for 55 fantasy points against them, by claiming that Brian Thomas and Mcbride do not have much keeper value and the trade was lopsided.

“I would give my right testicle to be able to pull off that kind of lopsided trade,” said Vartan as he reached down to make sure he indeed had his there. “Bomba just used his powers to collude with HBK and destroy the integrity of the league to get a win. It’s obvious.”

While Vartan continued to piss into the air and tell everyone it was raining, Harout initially had no problem with the trade, leaving a huge question as if Vartan’s qualms were indeed honest or just a show.

“We have evidence that Sunday mornings no trades have been executed for the reason of due process, and same should be applied here.”

Vartan indeed is correct that in 2020, the Commissioner did indeed put a Saturday night deadline on trades to not have to deal with the am fiasco. However, upon research in the leagues trade history, many trades have been made after the Saturday midnight deadline, leaving into question what is the official stance of the leagues trade protocol.

”2020 was a Covid year, and with the chaos of the virus, that definitely factored in,” said Frank Samian from his bungalow in Newport Beach. “The league could have handled it better.”

Despite the Sunday debate, this trade occurred on Thursday, and being that it is a short week, it would be in the leagues best interest not to put such a deadline on Wednesday evening.

In the aftermath, Hartan has claimed that the entire exchange with Bomba was a troll and they never intended to seriously challenge the trade.

“We provided a screenshot showing that we were egging on the Bomba the entire time to liven up the league,” said Harout. “The last thing we want is Ara to be Commish.”

The courier has seen the screenshot between Hartan managers that proclaim it to be a ruse. The screenshot was shown to Bomba as evidence, but he wasn’t having it.

“That message was sent at :6:10pm, nearly an hour after the trade,” said Bomba through a zoom conference call. “ The trolling began immediately at game-time. Unless you expect me to believe that Hartan is so in-tune with each other that when one of them feels an itch the other will scratch his own ass, I can’t buy what they’re selling.”

The AFFL is now left fractured, as teams are wondering what is going on. Jaj Cousteau has particularly had a hard time dealing with it.

“I’ve been trying to Jaj, but it hasn’t been the same. Its like when you find out your usual go to hot chic pic is trans, it kinda takes the joy out of it.”

No Jaj, No Bomba, and potentially no HBK?

HBK’s Last Season?

While Hartan has laid issue with the Bomba over the trade, lost in the argument is word that it may have been the last chord plucked in HBK’s sweet chin music.

People close to HBK have reported that he is apparently done with the AFFL, sighting the lack of enthusiasm in the league and consistent bashing of all things HBK.

“He’s already told the league to find him a replacement,” said one league source who wished to remain anonymous. “And he’s not joking.”

HBK has been one of the founding fathers of the AFFL, one of the four teams that started the league. Early in his fantasy career he teamed up with Bomba to form a lethal tag team duo. The two won a title and were destined for great things.

However, HBK wanted to taste success for himself, to prove to the AFFL world that he can win a title under his own name. Growing out his hair for months, changing his entire wardrobe to tight fitting leather pants and cool vests, the HBK image was born.

Over the next 15 seasons, HBK would drop hammers on AFFL opponents, drafting future breakouts at will. He was known as the rookie whisper, as he would build teams around the youth movement.

It lead to two finals appearances, along with multiple playoff showings. That may all be in the past as of today, as HBK may have hung them up for good.

Make the AFFL Great Again: Prime Time version

Since the trade, acting commissioner Bomba has stepped down, claiming that he has had enough of the complaining and doesn’t find the league fun anymore.

”Effective immediately, I will be stepping down from acting Commissioner and putting Prime Time owner Ara as acting commissioner. He will be in charge of all league matters.”

For years, Prime Time has been a thorn on the Commish’s side, going so far as to vote him out of office at multiple league meetings. He know has been given the chance to implement his policies his way. Early returns have not been favorable.

“As your new Commish, I will eradicate all co-managed teams, and immediately suspend Hartan from speaking in the chat.”

Ara has also claimed that he will be putting forth a new hat that will make the AFFL great again. The hat will be mandatory for all managers to wear and heavy fines could come if they refuse to do so.

The new rhetoric is nothing knew from Prime Time, who plans to govern with an Iron fist wrapped in a metal glove. Many managers have reached out to Bomba to beg for his return, but Bomba has been steadfast in his decision.

”It was crazy,” said Grabbers, “B and I pulled off a trade and needed it processed Saturday night so it gets in before the Munich game Sunday at 630 and Bomba told me to message Ara since he is the Commish. I have 3 kids, I don’t have time to message Ara. I begged him to please process it, but i had to wait for Ara. I’ve never seen anything like this. Does Ara even know what process means?”

BDizzle offered an even darker picture.

“If Ara is commissioner, you can kiss the AFFL’s nuts goodbye. He’ll castrate the league bro. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. He once tried to trade me a back up running back for my top WR. I auto reset my phone thinking maybe it was a virus bro. This isn’t good.”

How long will Ara remain Commissioner? That is up in the air. One thing is certain however, the league is in chaos. One trade has broken the league into pieces and it will now be the work of managers within the league to meld them all again.

Ara was unavailable for comment as he is currently on vacation in the Sequoias.

Can the AFFL be saved? We will see…

After Acquring Patrick Mahomes from BDiddy, Cobra trading history called into question. Collusion?

Will Cobra get canceled?

In a culture of digging up people’s pasts, it looks like the AFFL has finally gone woke and has pointed the woke cannon at Cobra Kai after a blockbuster trade that netted him the best Fantasy QB in the league from team BDiddy, who happens to be managed by Cobra’s brother Baret.

HBK sounded off on the AFFL Whatsapp board, splattering the chat with GIF’s galore, voicing his disdain for the yearly Cobra and Diddy trade.

“Wouldn’t be an AFFL season if we didn’t get the yearly Cobra-Diddy player swap,” said a snarky HBK. “Glad that’s out of the way.”

What followed was a waterfall of comments from the traders defending their cozy trading history.

Co-Manager of BDiddy, Mike, who is been surprisingly active this season despite his claim that he will be retiring at seasons end, rushed to the side of his Armenian-Sev themed co-managed team, like a hyestanci wife who just saw another woman scold her child. Amot!

“How many trades have you declined from Cobra?” Mike snapped back at HBK, insinuating that Cobra’s methods are universal and it just so happens that they are the beneficiaries of a numbers game.

But is he correct? Is Cobra merely spraying the field and just hoping someone bites? Is it coincidence that over the past 10 years, BDiddy and Cobra have made a trade in every season but two?

Below is a chart that has every BDiddy and Cobra trade since 2011.

Over the past 10 season, Cobra and Diddy have traded 10 times, during every season except for two. In one season they traded twice. Comparing the total trades to all the trades made by Cobra during that span gets us closer to answering the question as to whether there is some shenanigans going on between the two teams.

Here is a comparison between BDiddy and all other teams that Cobra has traded with during that time.

The 10 trades made with BDiddy over the last 10 seasons exceed all other teams by an average margin of 6.3. Magnum Sev.i and Hartan are the only two teams that are better than half the number of trades made during that time at 6 and 5 respectively. All other teams have traded with Cobra 4 or less times. Looking at the chart above, there is clear evidence that the majority of the trades that are being made by Cobra are with one team over the entire league.

What happens when we compare the number of trades teams have made with Cobra to their total number of trades overall? Doing this may allow us to examine if the BDiddy phenomena appears with other teams. It stands to reason that if a teams total of trades during this time is relatively high, perhaps the percentage of trades with Cobra really won’t matter. Has BDiddy been trading with a lot of other teams in order to negate the above findings? Lets take a look

Below is a chart of the number of trades made with Cobra compared with all other teams since 2011

Here are the percentages of total trades teams made with Cobra during that span

Looking at the above graphs we can see that 76% of all trades made by BDiddy were with Cobra. You might as well say that Cobra is Diddy’s personal street supplier. Hartan and Shabam have also traded more than 60% of the time with Cobra. No other team crosses the 50% threshold, while Jaj does come close.

What is interesting to note is that Bomba has traded 19 teams over the past 10 years and not once has he managed to trade with Cobra. Is he being unfairly singled out?

So what can we conclude? Is there a tad bit of favoritism going on between BDiddy and Cobra? Perhaps so. Is it intentional? That will be left for the Whatsapp chatroom to discuss.

What is clear is that Cobra has made a lot of trades over the past 10 years with an overwhelming majority going to BDiddy during that time. He has manged to also be the primary trader with a few other teams, such as Hartan and Shabam as well. Regardless, nobody has benefited more from trading with Cobra than BDiddy, even though it has yet to garnish the team a title.

Should the AFFL go full woke and put in some “equity” trading clauses to even outcomes in the trading market? America has been keen on mandates lately so perhaps a mandate on Chakarian’s to trade with Lalazarian’s at least once per season would be fitting.

Then again, Cobra may already be putting a trade package together for Awesomeness as we speak. Bomba out again!

Awesomeness Wins 3rd AFFL Title in 2020

Awesomeness completes a great season by knocking off HBK Shant Micheals in the 2020 AFFL finals and claims his 3rd AFFL title. Only two other teams have won 3 or more titles, Hartan and Bomba. It has been a magical ride for Awesomeness who recovered from losing Dak Prescott to cruise to a 10-3 record and the #1 overall seed. He has a 3-1 record in 4 finals appearances. With a few good keepers in Swift and Gibson, he’ll be the odds on favorite to repeat as champion in 2021.

HBK Shant Michaels missed an opportunity to claim his first AFFL title, but shouldn’t hang his head. He entered the season with no keepers and managed his way through the waiver wire to an 8-5 record and 4th place finish. It was a job well done.

Grabbers finished as the 3rd place victor, knocking off Vosgee gyank by a hefty 50 point margin. Look for Grabbers to come back strong in 2021 with Sanders as his top keeper.

AFFL FInal Four Preview - HBK/Vosgee Championship Rematch Headlines Games

Four teams are left in the AFFL. This weekend will see two old-time champions square off against two new comers looking for their first title. These have arguably been the four best teams in the AFFL this season, so it is nice to see we get a match-up of such powerhouses. Without further ado, let’s get into the breakdowns of these games along with a little history lesson of each match-up.

Awesomeness (1st seed; 10- 3) vs Grabbers (4 seed; 8-5):

Line: Awesomeness -12.45 o/u 234.23

2020 head-to-head: Awesomeness 97.14 - Grabbers 75.80

Lifetime head-to-head: Awesomeness 6 wins - Grabbers 10 wins

Playoffs head-to-head: Awesomeness 0 wins - Grabbers 2 wins

Last playoff meeting - Awesomeness 129.66 - Grabbers 160.50

The History of Awesomeness

After blazing on the scene in 2008 with a finals appearance, Awesomeness continued his path of destruction by making three consecutive finals, and becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles in the AFFL. That was a long time ago. Since the 2010 AFFL title, Awesomeness has been virtually non-existent, making a brief appearance in the top 3 twice (2015,2017) but finishing in 9th place or worse in 5 seasons. Ouch.

This year has marked a return to glory for the franchise, as Awesomeness has managed to claim the top seed in the league. With a mix of talented old faces and new ones, the team has overcome the loss of Dak Prescott and played his cards perfectly at the QB position. The roster has been hit by the injury bug of late, so it will be interesting to see if Awesomeness can manage to overcome adversity one last time.

Looking to set the record for biggest gap between championships, Awesomeness is the favorite to win it all.

The History of Grabbers

What began as a kernel of fantasy ignorance has blossomed into a flower of fantasy wisdom. The early years of the Grabbers franchise was more about duduz pinching and being the vor of the AFFL than championships. Finishing no better than 7th the first four seasons in the league, Grabbers broke through in 2012 with his first finals appearance. Since that time, he has managed a second finals appearance (2015) and made the playoffs 5 of the last 8 seasons. Not too shabby.

This season has been a tale of ups and downs. Grabbers benefited from a controversial auction call with Kamara, and began the season as the team to beat. With Sanders and Jacobs as his keepers, the team began the season on a tear, winning the first five games with ease. However. the tide turned week 6, when weaker WR production along with injuries to RBs caused the team to falter. Going only 3-5 to finish the season, Grabbers limped into the postseason. Many had their doubts that Grabbers would be able to win, but he did, knocking off a feisty Hartan team in the first round.

Now Grabbers enters the semi-final as the underdog, looking to make the finals for a 3rd time and claim his first AFFL title.

Match-up Breakdown

Quarterbacks: Carr vs Rodgers

Carr has a chance at massive points in a shoot-out with Herbert Thrusday night, but don’t think it will out do Rodgers:

Advantage: Grabbers

Wide Receivers: Tyreek & Evans vs Juju & Cooper

Tyreek is as explosive as it gets, despite a tough match-up vs NO. Evans isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire, but the match-up is at least right vs Atl. Juju is hardly getting used, except in the red-zone, while Cooper is gonna have to deal with Dalton’s throws and a tough SF defense.

Advantage: Awesomeness

Running backs: Robinson & Swift vs Kamara & Jacobs

This one is intriguing. Robinson has been as solid as they come, putting up an average of 10+ a week, while Swift has been dealing with coming back from an injury. Is this when he gets his full workload back? Kamara is always going to be solid, though Taysom under center has really killed his receiving stats. Jacobs is game script dependent. If they get down, he will be on the sideline watching.

Advantage: None

Tight End: Waller vs Tonyan

Name value goes to Waller, who has been a top 2 tight end all season, but Tonyan has held his own. What is interesting is that both teams are stacking their QB with their TE. Which one comes out on top?

Advantage: Awesomeness

Flex: DJ Moore vs Miles Sanders

Dj Moore may avoid the tough corner match-up with Alexander of GB this weekend. If he does, he should have his usual 70 yards and a score. Sanders had a big week last week which was mostly done off one long TD run. It counts, but you have to wonder if teams may stack the box against Hurts and limit Sanders. However, he should still get into the endzone this week.

Advantage: Grabbers

Special Teams: Bass & Baltimore vs Sanders & Tennessee

Both kickers have been reliable all year. One has had the more consistent double digit production. Sanders should edge Bass here. Defensively, Baltimore vs Jax is a great match-up, but Tennessee gets to feast on a back-up Qb in Det. Regardless, Bal is the better defense.

Advantage: Awesomeness

Prediction

Grabbers has made it to the Semi’s with a team that looks great on paper. With advantages at the QB position and the Flex, he has a chance to put this game out of reach should they both go off. However, that won’t happen. Awesomeness will manage to get more juice out of his RBs than expected and the Carr/Waller stack will give him the edge that leads to victory come Sunday.

Awesomeness 145.25 to Grabbers 128.12

Vosgereechee Gyank (2nd seed; 9-4) vs HBK Shant Michaels (3rd seed; 9-4)

Line: Vosgereechee Gyank -0.72 o/u 213.30

2020 head-to-head: Vosgereechee Gyank 100.70 - HBK 94.70

Lifetime head-to-head: Vosgereechee Gyank 10 wins - HBK 7 wins

Playoffs head-to-head: Vosgereechee Gyank 2 wins - HBK 1 wins

Last playoff meeting - Vosgereechee Gyank 139.96 - HBK 71.56

The History of Vosgereechee Gyank

The Gyank story is one of redemption, where the little guy gets a chance to dish back against the big boys. Having finished in last or second to last place in 5 of his first 6 years in the league, Gyank was looking for something to build off. His fortunes finally turned with a historic run to the AFFL championship game in 2016 in what has gone down as one of the most epic finals in AFFL history. By the grace of the fantasy gods, and the efficient Dallas offense keeping Dan Bailey to six extra points on MNF, Gyank claimed his first and only AFFL title by a mere .72 points. Finishing in second was… HBK. Since that day, every HBK match-up has been circled on the calendar. This year, HBK once again stands in the way of Vosgee and another title. The drama couldn’t be higher.

During the 2020 season, Gyank has ridden the back of Derrick Henry, who has been the best RB in fantasy football. Overcoming the loss of Kittle has been tough, and a lack of a true RB2 has been tougher, still Gyank has managed. He started the season red hot, winning 5 of the first 6 weeks. He finished the season with a 4-3 record, but even in defeat managed some solid outings.

Looking to become one of only four other teams to win multiple titles.

The History of HBK Shant Michaels

The story of the “sexy boy” begins as a co-manager with Bomba, winning a title in ‘06 under the Bomba name. Since that time, HBK has branched off, hoping to win his first title under his own moniker. He has come oh so close. His first five season in the AFFL as the fantasy wrestler were mixed, with a few 4th place finishes combined with some 10th and 11th place seasons. Despite making the playoffs in 4 of 8 seasons, HBK couldn’t get past the semi-finals. After finishing 4th again in 2014, his big break came in 2016, where he squared off against Vosgee in his first finals appearance. Needing only a few fgs from Dan Bailey on MNF for his first AFFL title, HBK was dealt a gut wrenching finals loss, losing to Gyank by .72. He hasn’t made it back since.

The 2020 season however isn’t about HBK and Gyank, it is about HBK and Cobra, the team he managed to beat in the quarterfinals. Outbidding Cobra at every turn at the draft, HBK managed to bolster a roster that had the early look of a champion. Winning his first three games in a row and scoring 130+ showed the league that he was indeed a team to beat. However, the lack of a true RB reared its ugly head, and the squad fell apart, losing 3 of the next four games. Many said this was a typical HBK season, and he would soon fall apart. However, this wasn’t the old HBK, and Shant managed to win 5 of his last 6 to close the season in impressive fashion

Now he’s looking to win his first title and erase the curse of Bomba, the curse of Gyank and everything else for good.

Match-up Breakdown

Quarterbacks: Wilson vs Hill

Taysom hill has been putting up a solid 25 points weekly, and this week looks to be much the same in what could be a higher than usual scoring game vs KC. Meanwhile, Russell Wilson has looked fairly average against tough defenses, and Washington qualifies as one of those. Still, he has the higher ceiling.

Advantage: Vosgereechee Gyank

Wide Receivers: Adams & Thomas vs Ridley & Metcalf

Four stud WRs going at it. Awesome. Each team has the QB for one of the other teams Wrs (Wilson Metcalf, Hill Thomas). While Thomas is a great receiver, he is banged up and going to watch Hill run more than he passes. Meanwhile, Metcalf will at least eat a TD from Wilson. On the flip side, Adams is just too strong a WR to count out. Ridley will hold his own.

Advantage: HBK Shant Micheals

Running backs: Henry & Mckissic vs J. Taylor & Akers

Interesting battle here. Henry against a horrible LIons defense is a lock for 30. The question then becomes, what is Mickissic worth? 10? Can Taylor and Akers get to 40 combined? Absolutely. Will they is the question. That depends on if McVay plans to play possum with his RBs like he always does or lean on Akers. Nevertheless, the match-up with the Jets isn’t great for RBs. Can’t count on him for more than 12 points.

Advantage: Vosgereechee Gyank

Tight End: Goedart vs Fant

The ‘X’ factor here is Kittle. We’ll assume Kittle is out this week. Goedart is a solid play, but has been losing snaps to Ertz since his return. Meanwhile, Fant is going to be a focal point on offense against a Buffalo defense that gives up the 6th most points to TEs.

Advantage: HBK Shant Michaels

Flex: Aiyuk vs Hilton

It’s almost like they are the same player on another team. Both have great match-ups.Both have suspect QBs. One of them is going to score more points than the other. Just don’t know which one.

Advantage: None

Special Teams: Butker & Seattle Def vs ??? & Colts Def

Butker is one of the most solid kickers in the game, and Seattle will get to pounce on a Was team that could be without Alex Smith. The Colts will be solid vs Hou, but who will HBK play at kicker. Dan Bailey?

Advantage: Vosgereechee Gyank

Prediction

This is a strange year, with everything turned upside down. Consider the last time Vosgee won the title, Donald Trump was elected President. This year however, he lost the election, and as Trump goes, so too goes Vosgee. Somehow, someway, we have to just let nature take its course. Last year, Shabam exorcise their demons. This year, HBK gets to exorcise his.

Vosgereechee Gyank 121.14 to HBK Shant Michaels 124.23

BombaCast: Cobra Kai votes & pays tribute to Awesomeness

Bombacast: Time to change the Defense/ST point system.

Bomba breaks down the AFFL Draft survey, previews the second one, and proposes a new way to score defenses

2020 AFFL Keepers Breakdown Zoomcast Extraveganza with Cobra Kai

Shabam Shadiq Complete Historic Season with first AFFL Championship. Become 7th Franchise to win title

After the greatest run by an AFFL fantasy football team ever, Shabam Shadiq owners Dre and Avo defeated Prime time in the AFFL finals and became the 2019 AFFL Champions. It is their first ever AFFL title, and perhaps the start of something bigger.

The infamous franchise of Shadiq has managed to brand and rebrand itself many times. From the early years of Click Clack, to Reverse the Curse, Lucky Charms and Donkey Punchers, the franchise attempted to distance itself from its win-less history. For the past 13 seasons, Shabam had an 0-9 record in the playoffs and had never won a playoff game. The “bad luck” began in the 2009 season, when they missed a first round bye due to division record tie-breaking rules, and subsequently lost in the first round. They would go on to lose in the first round of the playoffs for the next 9 seasons.

“It was as frustrating,” said Avo Tuna. “We were like an impotent man at an orgy, we just couldn’t get up for the big games.”

But that all changed this season, when Avo Tuna worked the draft to perfection. Already armed with Nick Chubb and Juju Smith-Schuster as keepers, Tuna and Dre nabbed Lamar Jackson, Christian McCaffery, and Amari Cooper, along with Cooper Kupp and Devonte Freeman. The result: an all-time best record of 12-1, a historic league high in total points for a season at 1846.70 , as well the longest winning streak (12) for a team in league history.

“Winning the league is great, but its even sweeter when you do it against Darth Vadar, aka PrimeTime,” said Dre, while smoking on a Shabam stogie. “Payback is a bitch.”

Prime Time managed to be the only team to defeat Shabam in the regular season, ruining their perfect season. For Ara, reaching the finals has been achieved before, but he now becomes the team that just can’t win the big game.

“What do you want me to do?” said Ara in response, “ I tried to play a good game but he had players I didn’t have and thats why he won.”

Translation: Shabam was better.

The scary part is that Shabam may not be done. Lamar Jackson will be kept, with perhaps Chubb, rendering a strong core of players to build off in 2020.

It is hard to imagine that the team that hadn’t won a first round playoff game in 10 years, and still hasn’t technically, could be the AFFL’s next dynasty .

We don’t think they’ll need to rebrand this year, but I wouldn’t rule that out either.

Enjoy the smack that Shabam brought to Ara below. Congrats the ‘Diq!

2019 AFFL Draft Recap & Grades: Money to Burn. Bidding wars take the Prices of top Talent Sky High. Is this Finally the year of the Diq'?

Welcome to 2019. After a night of drinking, talking smack, and fighting off mosquitos, the AFFL is set to begin the new season. The ceremonial draft began with the passing of famed AFFL trophy, that has been added upon by each winning manager. Hartan is the current champ, and was gracious enough to host the draft at the House of Hartan in Burbank. Once pleasantries were exchanged, and few hugs given, it was business as usual with a cast of characters honing in on their favorite pics.

Last place finisher Magnum Sev.i was indeed the highlight of the draft, showing up in his retro Tom Selleck get-up. With baseball cap in tow, Sev.i donned the ceremonial “ass place” toilet cover over on his head and set the draft into motion. Absent once again this year was the Shabam to Avo’s Shadiq Andre Tutunjian, who was at his daughter’s school orientation. As families are growing in the league managers must stay focused and find ways to out maneuver their significant other. Whether this means sneaking out, getting someone to cover “husband duties” or flat-out lying, it is a choice that every manager must make for themselves.

After baby karma took over the league in the early 2010’s, it has seen a resurgence in recent years, with teams trying to have kids just for the sake of AFFL luck. This year alone, there are multiple managers expecting to become fathers again, and some for the first time. Will this become a bigger distraction and separate the have’s from the have not’s? We shall see.

In any case, the addition of keepers in the AFFL has left many teams with ideal situations: two great players and lots of money to burn. This year alone 6 teams came into the draft with two keepers of high quality and low cost. These teams were Prime Time, Cobra Kai, Shabam Shadiq, Vosgee, Bomba & Jaj Cousteau. Another two BDiddy, and Hartan had at least one top tier player with another solid piece. Awesomeness began with 2 studs, but paid a hefty price. HBK was the lone manager who had one keeper, although that keeper was at a solid value. Grabbers and Sev.i rounded out the teams with keepers with good players at good prices but in a ballpark of their own.

What this meant was that there was going to be a feeding frenzy on players at the top of the board and a lot of value to be found elsewhere. That is exactly what happened, with teams adding to their already stacked core to create “super cores” of players from top tiers. A few managers opted to zig where others zagged and play the middle game, trying to accumulate more depth and talent rather than wow players. The results speak for themselves and here we will break down the teams and give them a grade.

About grades…

The breakdown of a roster isn’t so much about the players chosen. We can argue about who likes who more. One team may believe in a players bounce back year. Another may not. While we can argue over the price of a player, the more important part of the equation is how well did the team do in overall construction. Are there holes that need to be addressed or did they draft with those holes in mind? This will be the main focus of the grades. So when reading below, don’t get caught up in who got the shiny Lamborghini that will make everyone jealous, ask if they have enough Toyota Camrys to handle the daily commute to work.

Let’s get to it

Teams are listed in Alpha Order

Atomic Bomba

Keepers: Alvin Kamara $16, Travis Kelce $26

Best Picks: Antonio Brown $42, Allen Robinson $9

Worst Picks: Jameis Winston $2, Golden Tate $5

The Bomba came into the draft with two players in the top 15, with one in the top 4 in Kamara. With one of the stronger cores to begin with, he could have gone all in on a top Rb or WR and then sat back and cherry picked his needs. Many probably felt that he should have. However, the squad was built around finding the best prices for top players. The key here would be to make sure to insulate the risk. Taking Antonio and Gordon is fine, but then mixing them with risky players elsewhere is going to leave the team very vulnerable. The construction addresses the Antonio saga well, with enough steady and upside WRs to mitigate an Antonio meltdown. The problem is the RB slot. Taking Gordon and making him an RB2 puts the team in hole. Ideally, the plan was to make Gordon an RB3, but that didn’t happen. Relying on Justice hill or Royce Freeman to be that guy at RB2 is dicey at best, for now. Ultimately, the team needed a solid Rb2, like a Montgomery, to make this situation work. If it gets it, or if Gordon is signed or traded, remains to be seen. For now, this grade has to reflect accordingly.

Grade: C

Why: Can’t have Gordon and not build depth at RB. Mistake.

Awesomeness

Keepers: Devonte Adams $42, Tyreek Hill $37

Best picks: Sequan Barkley $76, Jamison Crowder $3

Worst Picks: 3 QBs, Old Tight ends

Starting off with two top 8 Wrs is golden for Awesomeness. The right play for this team would have been to add heavy to the RB slots and go deep as possible. While he started off with Sequan for $76, a solid piece, the rest of the draft was spent getting players that were of no use to the overall construction of the team. No need for three Qbs when you have Rodgers. Those are precious roster spots. Where are the RB2s? Instead of the gluttony at quarterback and two old Tight ends, Awesomeness would have been better served investing in some mid-tier Rbs. Someone like Tevin Coleman, Royce, Lindsay, anyone. While the core of three studs and a top Qb is very good, the rest is very poor, and leaves Awesomeness heavily exposed when coming into the bye weeks. Things can work out, but he’s gonna need to manage this thing through.

Grade: C-

Why: Not enough depth at RB on paper. Little upside on the roster. Malcom Brown and Guise. That is about it.

BDiddy

Keepers: Stefon Diggs $34, Austin Ekeler $6

Best picks: David Johnson $58, Calvin Ridley $16

Worst Picks: Ty Hilton $25

BDiddy came into the draft with perhaps the most telegraphed move of all the managers. They were in the best position to take Gordon and assume the least amount of risk since they had Ekeler. They could have also had the luxury of overspending on him and still coming out ahead. They did neither. While you can’t fault them for not wanting to take the risk, not getting the depth at RB to offset the chance of a Gordon return wasn’t a smart move. Without solid pieces behind Ekeler, the RB2 slot is looking volatile. The TY Hilton money would have done wonders getting a solid RB2. Woods is a fine WR2. Hilton was risky. It perhaps mirrors the situation that Bomba had, except the lack of RB2 isn’t somewhat alleviated with a top tier TE. Ultimately this team is going to survive based on how long Gordon is out. They may hit gold if Gordon is traded. Even then, Ekeler is still in a time share. Hopefully something can emerge from the stashes on the bench.

Grade: D+

Why: Lack of top tier talent elsewhere can’t offset the ton of downside that is the RB slot.

Cobra kai

Keepers: James Conner $9, Chris Carson $17

Best Picks: Chris Godwin $24, Mike Williams $28

Worst Picks: Latavius Murray $8, Mattison $7

The Cobra came into the draft with the second best keeper value on the board in Conner. With money to burn, he could have opted to just bombard the top tier guys, getting two top 8 Wrs or RBs. Instead, he opted a more disciplined approach, which was to get a lot of mid-tier players with upside. Whether or not you buy the hype on the players, the roster is constructed with depth and upside. There isn’t really much to fault in the thinking. Keenan Allen was probably the one pick that was unnecessary, since Mike Williams was going to be a later target. Spending $56 on both those guys could have gotten a stud in place, which would have been preferred. The bench has a lot of handcuffs, and upside players. The Cobra is relying on many breakouts on his roster, and this could all come true. Would have been nice to just get one big name on board with all the money he had to burn. Perhaps Godwin can be that guy. We shall see.

Grade: A-

Why: Solid depth at all positions. Lack of star power could be the only problem and having to choose which guy to play each week.

Grabbers United

Keepers: Christian Kirk $6, James White $13

Best picks: Damien Williams $40, Miles Sanders $20

Worst Picks: Kareem Hunt $13, Cj Anderson $7

The team at the biggest disadvantage coming into the draft was team GU. The two keepers aren’t of top tier talent. This made getting someone in the top of the RB and WR food chain a must. Grabbers opted instead to double down on his Mahomes love. This is well and good, but spending $28 on him instead of a WR or RB is really tough to swallow considering the other players on the roster. Damien Williams was the RB that offers the top tier value that Grabbers was looking for, and he did a great job getting him at a good price. Jacobs is the other gamble, and both should be okay at the RB position. The problem is the WR core. Galloday is nice, but not exactly WR1 worthy yet. Maybe he will be. There was no reason to spend up on Kareem hunt or CJ anderson . Not when your WRs are Galloday and Dede Westbrook. This may all work out, but on paper it is tough to see where Grabbers has an advantage on a weekly basis besides the QB spot. And even that can be a question mark to week-to-week. The waiver wire will be calling soon.

Grade: C

Why: WR Depth Lacking. No top tier talent to offset.

Hartan

Keepers: Adam Theilen $22, Marlon Mack $12

Best picks: Zeke $69, Odell $55

Worst Picks: DK Metcalf

The reigning champs came into the auction in the middle of the pack when it came to keepers. Opting not to keep Ertz may have surprised some, but Theilen and Mack were the right call for the price. They opted to go hard at Zeke and also Odell, giving the squad a strong 4. However, that didn’t come without a cost. Spending on Zeke meant getting Pollard, and they did, which was a smart move. That left them scrounging for WRs and RBs to fill out their roster. Being heavily invested in the Browns may backfire in epic proportions, or may be what sends Hartan to their second straight final. That said, the roster is formed on the four pieces mentioned with a lot of questionable players behind them. Not a lot of depth and the lack of a true Rb3 is going to be a severe drain on this team.

Grade: B-

Why: Lack of RB depth. Uninspiring Bench.

HBK Shant Michaels

Keepers: Kerryon Johnson $18

Best picks: Dalvin Cook $63, Dj Moore $19

Worst Picks: Justin Jackson $9

HBK was the lone manager with only 1 keeper. Going into the draft, he was perhaps the one team that we knew would go after a top tier WR or RB and go all in. He did. Dalvin is a great piece, although he didn’t get him for the value he wanted. The squad has a good starting due at RB, and Tevin Coleman should be a nice RB3. Justin Jackson was not necessary. The problem with the squad is going to be at the WR position. Relying on mid-tier guys like Edelman and Dj Moore HBK is hoping for booms elsewhere. Edelman should be a strong play, albeit a bit of a capped ceiling and Moncrief can be a great Wr3. The depth isn’t as rounded out as it should be. All-in-all, the roster has Dalvin and Kerryon to carry it, with a lot of middle level guys around it. The question will be whether or not those middle level guys are enough to put HBK over the top on a weekly basis. We shall find out.

Grade: B-

Why: Only star value is Dalvin. Going to have to rely on Middle tier guys

Jaj Cousteau

Keepers: Mike Evans $35, Evan Engram $10

Best picks: David Montgomery $22, Tyler Lockett $17

Worst Picks: None

The Jaj Cousteau came into the draft with a top 12 WR and top 5 TE. The value for both wasn’t huge, but he did have some money to burn. He opted to invest in guys with potential rather than proven pieces. Levon Bell and Montgomery are a solid duo, but both come with risk. Bell hasn’t played in a year, and is on a bad team. Montgomery is a rookie. Adding Ty Montgomery, Tarik Cohen, Lindsay gives the Jaj enough depth to deal with with downside. At WR, Locket is volatile, but Evans should be solid enough to carry the two on off weeks. Will Fuller is also a nice stack with Watson and gives Cousteau a lot of upside potential, especially with Lamar Millers injury. Duke Johnson as well. Really can’t find a hole on this roster. Its nicely built with a lot of guys who can really pop. Nice Jaj…err.. hand job..um.. job.

Grade: A-

Why: Well rounded with guys to cover any potential holes. Hinges on Bell, but if not, Lindsay is a sold RB2.

Magnum Sev.i

Keepers: Matt Breida $9, Mark Ingram $17

Best picks: Joe Mixon $37, Fournette $49

Worst Picks: Sammy Watkins

The Sev,.i had a sneaky draft. He first opted to keep Breida, which many people would question. However, now looking at it, Breida looks like a solid RB2/3. He then traded Ingram for Aj Green after drafting Boyd. Now, I don’t know about being all invested in the Bengals, but hey, they will be throwing a ton. Might as well get Andy Dalton while you’re at it. The roster is solid at the RB spots, with Fournette and Mixon to care the load, but lacks a lot at the WR position. When AJ returns, that should help, but when that is, who knows. Until then, a core of Boyd, Marvin Jones, and Josh Gordon will have to be enough. That may be enough, especially with guys like Sanders on the bench to provide an additional boost. Cook could be a serviceable TE as well. Nice job handcuffing Fournette as well. The good news for Sev.i is that they could have really messed their team up, but did a nice job of adding pieces to the roster to make them well rounded. Whether that means more wins, we shall see.

Grade: B

Why. Solid pieces and balance. No wow factor, but enough depth to deal with some downside.

Prime Time

Keepers: Aaron Jones $10, Brandin Cooks $16

Best picks: Deandre Hopkins $64, Zach Ertz $28

Worst Picks: Gus Edwards, Jordan Howard

Prime Time went to the market and got his guys. Gurley and Hopkins came at a hefty price, but both are top talent. When a team goes that hard at top guys and has the money to do it, you would like to see them also invest in handcuffs. Prime missed on Gurley’s handcuff, and that could be something that bites him in the ass. While the core is very solid, a lot of teams have great RBs and at least one stud WR. Where Prime did his damage was getting Ertz. He now has the ability to match-up with a lot of teams at multiple positions. He can offset the downside of players due to this. His extra cash was well spent, and what you think of Gurley doesn’t matter, he put his money where his mouth was. The problem may be in the dpeth or lack their of. There are a bunch of uninspiring options to back these guys up. While some may pan out, it remains to be seen if they will. Perhaps Corey Davis can finally break out, but that’s been the story for years. Handcuffing Aaron jones was wise, but we’d love to have that happen to Gurley too. Only reason Prime doesn’t get an A.

Grade: B+

Why: Need to handcuff Gurley. Too much risk not to.

Shabam Shadiq

Keepers: Nick Chubb $8, Juju Smith-Schuster $34

Best picks: CMC $66, Cooper Kupp $18

Worst Picks: None

Honestly, Dre should never show-up to another draft. Whatever they got going on the phone is working. Coming into the draft, Shabam had two top 8 pieces to start their team. They could have blown the lead, but instead, only built a really strong team. They have exceptional depth at the RB position with Cmac, Chubb and Freeman. Amari is a solid WR2, with the only risk being that the foot does cause problems. They then addressed that with the drafting of Kupp and Samuel. The only hole in the roster is at the TE position and perhaps the QB spot. But even there, Lamar Jackson has upside. You can’t be strong everywhere, and if you are going to be weak somewhere, might as well be the TE position. There really isn’t much fault to find on the thinking of assembling the roster. They answered the question marks and got good value to boot. Now, is this the year they finally break through?

Grade: A+

Why: Depth. Star talent. Addressed weakness and potential downside.

Vosgereechee Gyank

Keepers: Derrick Henry $18, George Kittle $7

Best picks: Julio Jones $66, Mike Thomas $65

Worst Picks: Larry Fitzgerald, Jamaal Williams

Vosgee was another team that came in with a nice starting two and lots of money to burn. With Henry and Kittle solidifying the RB1 and TE spots, Vosgee did what he had to do, go for studs at the WR spots. Rather than opting to find middle guys, he went for the prime cut. Can’t fault him for that. He had the cash to do it. The core of Julio, Thomas, Henry and Kittle is very formidable, but the key to the draft is not just those guys, its the guys around them. Here, Vosgee fell apart. Lamar Miller was to be that guy, but he is injured. Outside of Miller, there isn’t another RB on the roster worthy of playing as an RB2. This hole is massive and really is going to cause Vosgee problems. Unless Peyton Barber is that guy, which even if he is, there is just too much uncertainty there to rely on. Wisely, Vosgee did handcuff Henry with lewis, so he is secure at RB1. The roster is very top heavy, and while that is all good, the lack of pop from RB2 and TE , as well as a very thin bench of upside is going to perhaps cause the Vosgee weekly fits.

Grade: B-

Why: RB2 is a problem. No real big upside on the bench.

AFFL Auction Draft Recap and Grades: Hartan, Prime Time, Jaj make a case with strong draft. HBK grades out as most epic host.

In a warehouse in Santa Fe springs, at Apelinc headquarters, the AFFL gathered for a four hour marathon of bidding wars. The 2018 AFFL auction draft featured plenty of overbidding, underbidding and even some managers so locked in, they didn't know they were bidding and started to raise themselves. While we can argue about which teams ended up "winners and losers," there was no doubt that everyone agreed the biggest winner of the night was HBK Shant Michaels and his epic hosting job. Fully catered with carne asada and shrimp tacos, civiche as well a host of drinks from whiskey to the horchata barrel, this draft pulled out all the stops. It will be difficult for any hosting job to match these heights, and good luck to those who try. Much thanks from the AFFL to the Apelian family for their hospitality and generosity.

Now let's get to the recap...

Pre-draft Excitement

The draft began with the ceremonial passing of the trophy from last years champion, Vosgee Gyank, to the current champion, the Atomic Bomba. As tradition dictates the winner needs to add a touch of his team to the trophy to represent his title. Vosgee added his iconic "golden knuckles of gyank" along with a goldchain with his face. The bomba? Well, let just say that his teams logo fit perfectly in a certain area.

Following the trophy pass, the AFFL reveled a new trophy: the Ass place award, which is to be worn by the team that finished last the year before. That team would begin the draft by nominating the first player and wearing the trophy around his head for the duration of the pick. Vosgee Gyank happened to be the team that this begins with, as he finished in "ass place." The trophy is a beautifully designed toilet seat, complete with personal decal and message that celebrated just how bad the team was: "Your team took a vosgee in 2017." For 2018, the term Vosgee will be a euphemism for going to the bathroom.

The league also approved a retroactive fine for all co-managers which would be a dollar fee for each co-manager that has been in the league. This proposed and pushed for by Ara, with all his weight. He may finally get what he wants.

Draft Highlights.

There were many great moments in the AFFL draft, from Vosgee bidding against Awesomeness for Fitzgerald and Jaj bidding against himself. But aside from the fluff on the outside, the highlights we want to talk about are some of the great deals that were made. Here are some of the great wins for All teams involved in the draft.

QB Best Buys

With Aaron Rodgers having been bought for $20 early, the quarterback mark was set. A few teams managed to get squeezed out of some of the bargains with purchases of Brady and Watson at $12 and $16 respectively, but there were many deals to be found later for those who were patient. While QB was cheap, we'd have to say that getting top starters at basement level prices renders teams winners. The best deals at QB have to go to the following buys.

Carson Wentz ($1) - Prime Time

Kirk Cousins ($3) - Atomic Bomba

Russell Wilson ($10) - Magnum Sev.i

You could throw in guys like Brees and Cam for the $6-7 range buys, however, those players were typically going at those prices. Wentz and Cousins were ranked in the 6-8 range by most ranks and went for considerably cheaper than guys ranked below them like Andrew Luck, Jimmy Garrapolo, and Phillip Rivers. Honorable mention would go to Russell Wilson. $10 for the 2nd ranked QB on the board in most experts minds is really good.

RB Best Buys

The running back department got inflated quickly, with the over abundance of top tier guys that were available to be picked up. Bidding got out of hand with Gurley and DJ as both sold for $84, more than 40% of an owners budget. That is really pricey. The Beverly Hills bidding on the top RBs rendered some big time values at the middle and lower tiers of the draft. Many managers who waited on RB and were disciplined with their money were rewarded with great value later on. Here are your best RB buys: (Excluding keepers)

Sequan Barkley ($59) - Hartan

Derrick Henry ($13) - Jaj Cousteau

Mark Ingram ($10) - Atomic Bomba

Alex Collins ($18) - Cobra Kai

Barkley looks like a steal at $60 due to the inflated prices with the top four. He is the consensus 5th ranked Rb and has every bit the shot to finish in the top tier at seasons end. Henry and Collins are ranked in the fourth group of RBs, with the likes of Drake, Royce Freeman, Lamar Miller and others. Considering that Collins leads that group and went for less than the three mentioned below him, we'd say that's a good buy. Likewise, Henry went for nearly $10 cheaper than those three and has every bit the upside. Ingram also finds himself at the end of the same tier. While he is a must-handcuff for Kamara, he is at worst a solid RB2 in stand alone value. For $10 he's worth the price.

WR Best Buys

While the RB market was out of sorts, the Wide Receiver market stayed relatively tame. Managers were keenly aware of the depth at WR and waited out much of the position early one. As a whole, there were many more values to be found in the later rounds as it pertained to the WRs. RB rookies were heavily bid on, while the WRs flew a little under the radar. Aside from the heavy bidding on Keenan Allen, we don't believe that there were too many "overbids" on Wrs. Antonio Brown went for $72 and set the market, which was $12 cheaper than the RB market. Brown has every bit as much upside to finish as the #1 overall non-Qb player. That is a pretty good value. Interestingly enough, most the bids were accurate as it pertains to the players pre-draft ranking.

Jordy Nelson ($3) - HBK Shant Michaels

Pierre Garcon ($3) - Awesomeness

Randell Cobb ($8) - Awesomeness

Mike Evans ($30) - Jaj Cousteau

While it was difficult to find true best buys in the WR department, these ones jumped out. Jordy Nelson is just one year removed from a double digit touchdown season and now gets a QB upgrade from last year. It may be he has something left, and if so, HBK may have found a WR2 at a bottom bargain price. Awesomeness snagged two players  that could become weekly WR2s as well for dirt cheap. Cobb will no doubt get more the share of targets with Jordy gone, and Jimmy G is a huge upgrade from CJ Beathard. Mike Evans is on the list due to his ranking and relative price to the players around him. Consistently ranked in the top 10, Evans went for the cheapest of the group. While his upside is limited by QB play, if Winston can turn it around, his numbers may vault him in the top 7 by years end.

Tight End Best Buys

The Tight end department is ruled at the top by Gronk and Kelce, and then there is a huge middle earth of players from 4-10. The position had a market cap of $28, per Gronk's purchase, but there were many bargains found late at the position. It became criminal how cheap the position was being bid at. It seemed with the focus on TE sleepers, many of the higher ranked players were simply overlooked and undersold.

Travis Kelce ($19) - Magnum Sev.i

Evan Engram ($5)  - Jaj Cousteau

JImmy Graham ($4) - Awesomeness

Kyle Rudolph ($2) - Atomic Bomba

Getting the second best TE (and some experts overall #1 TE) for $9 less than Gronk is a very good buy. Kelce will out produce many WR's purchased at the same price. Engram and Rudolph are typically ranked 5-8 on lists, and in the 3rd tier at the position. They both went for significantly less than players in the same tier. Engram was a breakout star and has every bit the upside to finish in the top 5. His $5 was less than Delanie Walker ($8), Greg Olsen ($14), whom are both in the same tier. He also went cheaper than Burton ($8), David Njoku ($6), and Jack Doyle ($6) all players who are ranked well below him. The same is true of Rudolph, whose $2 purchase doesn't fit with where he is ranked and current QB situation.  Graham gets Aaron Rodgers and is another player in the same tier that went cheaper than Engram, Burton, Doyle, and Njoku. Oy vey!

Now that we have gathered up some of the Draft's best buys, lets delve into the specific teams and which teams begin the season with a leg-up on the competition, and which may have their work cut-out for them. While looking at the teams rosters, we looked at how many players does the team have that could boom at any given week? A boom player would be one that could render 30+ points on any given week. This gave us an idea into the upside of the squad. That was just one factor used to give out grades, along with quality of players at positions, depth, and overall construction of the team. So here are the teams grades. (in Alpha Order)

Atomic Bomba

Best buys: Keepers Kamara and Cook. Rudolph. Agholor. Ingram. Hyde. Breida.

Questionable buys: Two TE's, Sanders, Minny stack could bite the team.

The Bomba entered the Draft with the two best keeper values in the league. He could have screwed up the team had he sat back too long and not use that money saved from Kamara toward a top tier guy. While it seemed that the entire league was trying to squeeze him out of getting any top five players, the Bomba managed to nab Julio for $69 and save himself. Baldwin has WR1 upside and gets more targets with Graham and Richardson gone. Thats a great pair. Looking at the depth, Hyde could be a steal for $10 should he hold the job for the entire year. Agholor came on late last season and may get a boost in targets if Alshon is on the Pup. The team is solid at TE with Rudolph and Burton, and has some upside with Breida should MckInnon go down. The one area that may be a concern is Cousins and stacking all the Minnesota players. The O-line is a bit banged up and that could lead to problems with Cousins. All-in-all we'd b hard pressed to find any manager who could look at the squad and objectively say the team isn't one of the five best in the league on paper.

Grade A

Chances of making playoffs with great/good management - 90%

Awesomeness

Best Buys: Keepers Dion Lewis and Jamaal Williams, Garcon, Cobb, Antonio Brown

Questionable buys: Dez Bryant, Jordan Reed with no Vernon., RB core is thin as a wafer

Awesomeness entered the draft with two adequate RB3s on the roster in Jamaal Williams and Dion Lewis. Despite the RB3 designation, the team didn't bother to address the RB situation with any top back. Rather, the collection of Burkhead and Crowell will have to be enough to patch up the RB hole. Maybe Corey Clement can come around and snatch a big share of the work. As it looks now, Awesomeness will need to hope for injuries to players in front of his RBs or snag starters as they become available in FA. On the flipside, the team managed to assemble perhaps the strongest WR core in the league. Brown, Adams, and Fitz are a strong trio, and getting Garcon for dirt cheap may be a boon. We scratch our head at Dez for $3 since he hasn't signed, but who knows. At the end of the day, this is a tale of two position groups that seemingly average each other out to render the final grade. WR's - A, RB's- D

Grade: B-

Chances of making the playoffs with great/good management - 70%

BDiddy

Best Buys: Keepers Melvin Gordon and Sefon Diggs, Aj Green, Stafford

Questionable buys: TE core is a pure gamble, RB depth non-existent except for Ronald Jones

BDiddy typically goes high risk/high reward with the formulation of his line-up and this team is no different. Having two top tier players to start the draft, BDiddy went full bore at the WR position to gather a very strong WR trio of Diggs, Green, and Hill. Impressive indeed. The starting five of Gordon, Miller, Green, Hill and Diggs could perhaps be the strongest in the league. Nicely done indeed. You gotta love Stafford and Luck for a combined $8 as well. They should be okay at the QB position. We don't understand the over abundance of WRs on the roster however. With only Ronald Jones as running back depth, this squad is going to have to rely on Miller and Gordon to stay healthy for a long time. Yes the handcuff is there, but matching-up with other teams will be a disaster should they sit out. We also question the TE choices. There may have to be an upgrade at the TE spot in order for the team to really comfortable. However, we can't hate the starters, so we err on the side of positive regression for the team this season.

Grade: B+ (no Rb depth)

Chances of making the playoffs with great/good management - 80%

Cobra Kai

Best Buys: Corey Davis, Alex Collins, DJ Moore, James Conner

Questionable buys: Aaron Rodgers, Jack Doyle,

The Cobra entered the draft with two keepers that were weekly flex plays. It was obvious that the team wasn't going to rely on those two RBs to carry the core, and so Cobra went out and bought David Johnson for a whopping $84. After spending the farm on DJ, the was bound to be constructed with middle tier players, as there was little financial room to maneuver the rest of the draft due to budget constraints. Goodwin and Davis are both great finds and make for great WR2/3s with upside. The question will be weather they will be able to materialize to those expectations. Alex Collins may have saved the RB2 situation, and given the Cobra some breathing room. It was a central buy for the team. While Rodgers at $20 was a good price for a player who could and should finish in the top 4 at the position, we wonder what would have happened if Cobra elected to wait at QB and use the savings to buy one more stud. The team overpaid for Doyle, but that may have been a product of excess money at the end of the auction. Moore is a nice upside player, and Cobra did manage to get good value for some potential keepers. But the question remains, what happens this year, especially at the WR position?

Grade: C

Chances of making the playoffs with great/good management - 65%

Grabbers United

Best Buys: Golden Tate, Delanie Walker, Josh Gordon, James White, John Brown

Questionable Buys: Demeriyus Thomas, Little depth at RB

$80 for a player who hasn't reported to camp yet is very ballsy. But then again, this is Bell, arguably the strongest RB in the league. You have to pay to play, and we like the aggressiveness. Delanie Walker was a potential keeper for the team at $14, and the team wisely dropped him into the pool and drafted him for half the price. Wise move. James White is a great upside pick late in the draft that could pay off big dividends. Tate is a nice player at well at a great price. He has ever bit the upside of other players in the tier he's in, and was cheaper than players ranked below him. Gordon is the obvious X-factor. He could be a steal for $14, or be a complete waste of a roster spot. This remains to be seen. The Rb core is solid with Drake and Bell, however, we just don't see the depth behind the team as anything exciting. White, Grant, and Montgomery aren't exciting and if the team was going to build up a squad with little Rb depth, we woulda hoped for more pop at the WR position. This team looks a bit of a mish mash of ideas, and nothing clearly set forth as a vision. Will Marriota finally take the leap? Will Gordon return to form? Will any of those bench Rbs materialize? Lots of question marks with answers coming soon.

Grade: D+

Chances of making the playoffs with great/good management - 45%

Hartan

Best Buys: Barkley, Theilen, Hopkins, Brady

Questionable buys: Ertz keeper, Jeffery, Rb2 invisibility, two Houston WRs?

Hartan was without the Har part of the team, but managed to pull off a pretty solid draft. Barkley was bid on before the top 4 players, and in so doing, was bought for $60. That was a steal for where he was ranked and given his top 5 potential. Hopkins was also a great buy and gives the Hartan a strong WR duo with Theilen and Nuke. The team didn't plan to buy Brady, but getting him for $12 isn't all bad. The rest of the line-up is filled with guys that aren't too inspiring. Riddick has upside some weeks and is a nice player, and Barber could be a weekly flex option. The team would've looked so much nicer with Mckinnon instead of Ertz, but that is all in the past. Playing both Houston WRs will be very interesting. This team could be in boom or bust mode with every Watson pass. One word of caution, should Barkley go down with injury, and he's already hurt, this team would instantly crumble. And we know how much luck Hartan has had with New York Giants players. We also question Alshon Jeffery for 11. He is a potential pup candidate and is very touchdown dependent. Perhaps that value could've been put toward an Rb?

Grade: B+

Chances of making the playoffs with great/good management - 85%

HBK Shant Michaels

Best Buys: Mixon, Mike Thomas, Jordy Nelson, Gio Bernard, Mike Williams, Kenny Stills

Questionable buys: David Njoku, Fournette, WR2 uncertainty

It is difficult to grade HBK after the team did an epic job hosting the event. But lets put the tacos and ceviche bias aside and focus on the team. The team came in with a leg-up having Mike Thomas for a great value. HBK may have waited too long at RB and was forced to overpay for Fournette as he was the last RB available. This no doubt effected the teams construction. If he woulda been bought at market value, say $50, the team woulda perhaps had a shot at a much more solid WR2 situation. Trusting Edelman and Jordy to fill that hole, or Stills and Miller may lead to a bit of inconsistency at the position. That said, we like the value of Jordy, who has the potential of producing at a high level with Carr. We get the love for Njoku, but paying up for him with no other TE on the roster is risky. As is the spending for the rookie Rbs who are in very cloudy situations. Gio helps feel more comfortable at the RB2 position. As things stand, the team is a collection of solid players, with uncertain performance values. Will Jordy be Jordy? Will Edelman return to form? Will the rookie Rbs break-out? Will Jimmy G perform at a top level? Much remains to be seen. This team may not be known for a few weeks.

Grade C:

Chances of making the playoffs with great/good management - 50%

Jaj Cousteau

Best Buys: Derrick Henry, Hogan, Mike Evans, Cooper, Engram

Questionable buys: All Cowboys receivers. Ben Watson

Interestingly enough, this Jaj Cousteau team looks very different from years past. Before, Jaj would bid on players that were over valued and overpay for them. This year, Jaj went for it all and came out on top. Zeke is a great piece to build around, and the team has a solid RB core with Henry at RB2 who could be a steal at $13. The Wrs aren't shabby either, with Evans, Hogan and Cooper, all names who can produce at high levels. Hill as a 3rd Rb is really a stretch, and with no true Rb3 on the roster, this team is going to have to find someone to help during bye weeks. Why do you need Ben Watson? Engram was a steal at $5. Is Ben watson just an insult? Was he drafted because of his political views. There is also nice upside with Martavius Bryant, though playing two Raiders at once is a dance with death. Solid D. Solid QB. Did Jaj really put together a championship contender? Its tough to find fault with anything the team did.

Grade: A

Chances of making playoffs with great/good management - 90%

Magnum Sev.i

Best Buys: Russell Wilson, Kelce, Ty Hilton, McKinnon, OBJ, Royce Freeman

Questionable buys: Lack of depth players, or upside on the bench.

Magnum paid up for OBJ, banking on a big comeback year. The only other big purchases on the roster were Ty Hilton and McKinnon. The three of those players should be enough to make the team a threat weekly. The sev.i did a nice job of nabbing Freeman for relatively cheap, as he was the only other rookie besides barkley that has a clear path to becoming a starter. Lynch looked rejuvenated in he preseason and could be a solid RB2. However, the team will mostly hinge on TY. If Luck is back, Ty and OBJ will be carrying the team. If not, this roster has bust potential. We also love Wilson for 10 bucks. That's dirt cheap for a player that is regarded as the 2nd best Qb in Fantasy. Kelce is also a great buy at 19 bux. He has Gronk potential at a tier 2 price. We don't understand what is going on on the bench. We suspect that Sev.i may be dropping many of those players after the week kicks off. However, the team has  plenty of fire power and upside. It also has the most injury prone starting line-up in the league.

Grade: B+

Chances of making the playoffs with great/good management - 80%

Prime Time

Best Buys: Keepers Hunt and Howard, Aaron Jones, Brandin Cooks, Terek Cohen

Questionable buys: McCoy for $26

Prime Time came into this draft with two solid keepers. The team did a decent job of maximizing value on those players. While paying $49 for keenan Allen was a bit high, but getting him to man the WR core was a must. He was the last one left. McCoy is a very big question mark. He is on a bad team and has tons of miles on him. Furthermore, do you really wanna play two Buffalo Bills in your line-up? Benjamin is very risky. Brandin Cooks should be a solid WR3, fortunately Crabtree will provide weekly help at WR2. That said, The team is loaded from top to bottom, with the exception of the TE position. We can't give Ara the straight A for buying cook for $5. That's $5 too high for him. The team is very strong, and has a ton of RB depth with Cohen and Michel. If Foreman comes back to health, this team could be the team to beat.

Grade: A-

Chances of making the playoffs with great/good management - 90%

Shabam Shadiq

Best Buys: Kupp, Gronk, Juju Smith Schuster, Tevin Coleman

Questionable buys: McCaffrey, Weak RB core as a unit

The team as constructed is clearly a bit of a mess. It's difficult to make out where the team is truly dominate. Spending up for Mccaffrey really put the squad behind the eight ball as it pertains to buying power. Gronk is a steal at $28, as most woulda paid up to $35 for him. That said, A WR core of Landry, Kupp, Jones and Juju isn't really gonna pop the top off. With serious problems at the RB2 spot and Rb depth, we don't think the WR core has enough upside to really mitigate the disadvantage presented at the RB position. Gronk will provide some of that, but then again, he hasn't played a full season in a while. A back-up TE may have been a wise investment. The bench has a few upside players in Chubb and Taylor, but this roster is going to have to grow into the year. It may be a few weeks before we really find out if this thing is going to happen for Shabam.  If those Rbs manage to win starting jobs, this team should be okay to compete. If not, it may be a long season.

Grade: C-

Chances of making the playoffs with great/good management - 50%

Vosgereechee Gyank

Best Buys: Freeman, Crowder, Matt Ryan

Questionable buys: WR core is very thin. RBs are both in time shares.

The Vosgee is just one season removed from winning it all, but from the looks of things, we don't know if he'll get back there this season. The Rb core of Gurley, Freeman, and Ajayi on paper looks very strong, however, looking deeper, it is very volitile. Gurley may regress in his numbers, but is still worthy of the price. Freeman however is in a time share, and has been banged-up during the offseason. His body may be breaking down. Ajayi could also be restricted with addition of sproles in the line-up and Clement. Those three will still be fairly solid, but a WR core of Anderson, Woods, Crowder is the weakest in the league. It will be very difficult for the Gyank to match firepower with that trio. Olsen is a top TE yes, but there are many teams that have the same sort of make-up with stronger WR cores. The bench has some nice upside and the Gyank may be able to flip some of that stash for value as the season goes on. He'll need to find a WR or two. If not, it could be the end of the Gyank before things even started.

Grade: D

Chances of making playoffs with great/good management - 40%

AFFL Auction Draft Preview: Tend to the Tendencies

Its the best time of year once again. The time of year where everyone gathers around a table and bids fake money to buy real players to form their fake football team and win a real trophy. Ah the joy of late August is upon us, and with it comes the usual strategies of the 12 angry men who have occupied the chairs for the past 12 years. Each one has their own system that has been honed to perfection or imperfection for some, and will look to execute that strategy once again on Saturday Aug 18th at this years AFFL draft. While the draft is completely unpredictable and a beast onto its own, there are many themes that run very common in the way a manager has drafted in years past. Knowing a manager's tendencies can help you maneuver through the fray and target specific players at specific times. If you don't know the players in the league and how they draft, then you are going into the Auction half-blind and hoping that someone doesn't poke your eye out.

Managers can be categorized in a variety of ways, but we're gonna focus on grouping them into four categories: Wait on QB, Heavy RB, Mid-Tier Mediocrity, Safe Spaces vs Risk/Reward. These tendencies are often the focal point of most managers strategies and can be a clue as to formulating just what the essence of their draft strategy is. And often times, one leads to the adoption of the other.

With that being said, lets group some of the managers into these categories and play this thing out.

WAIT ON QB GROUP

Atomic Bomba, Cobra Kai, HBK Shant Michaels, Shabam Shadiq

It's no secret that waiting on QB is a long used strategy in fantasy, and has grown in popularity as the league has become saturated with great quarterback play. With more high quality throwers in the backfield, many fantasy teams have elected to pass on the position until the mid to later rounds. When we say that managers "wait on QB" that typically mean they won't look to draft their starting QB until after they have loaded up at the other positions. This typically is around Round 7-10 or later. In an Auction, this would equate to $1-$4 for QB. When doing so, these managers would often elect to draft two quarterbacks in these rounds and play match-ups through the season.

Since 2011, every team has fallen into these categories at least once, but only four teams have done it three or more times: Atomic Bomba, Cobra Kai, HBK Shant Michaels, Shabam Shadiq.  Bomba has elected to wait on QB the most, with Cobra and Shabam a close second. Come Saturday, we can almost assure that one of these teams will be targeting their starting QB late in the draft, or opting to play match-ups all season long. While the strategy is popular, it isn't without its pitfalls. Managers who choose unwisely will be forced with weekly headaches and loss that could have been mitigated with a "set-it and forget-it" QB. None-the-less our money is on these teams holding out for their signal caller until the price becomes too good to do so.

HEAVY RB

Prime Time, Atomic Bomba, Awesomeness, Vosgee Gyank

Over the course of 7 years, almost all teams have drafted either 5-6 Rbs on a team at some point or another. This typically is the norm. However, four teams have managed to skew their draft rosters in favor of the RB by drafting 7 or more RBs. Prime Time leads the field, having done this at least three times in the last seven drafts. Bomba, Awesomeness, and Vosgee have each had one season where they managed the feat. What should be gained from this is insight into to the decision making of where these managers like to make their 50/50 decisions. We may be able to conclude that when it comes down to deciding between a WR/2nd TE or RB, Prime Time will more often than not lean RB. This information can be used during the draft when looking at the teams remaining picks. If the team has drafted WRs and QBs early on, there is a good chance that they are waiting on a run of RBs to come. 

One caveat should be noted, keepers have could change the trajectory of these decisions slightly. Prime Time enters into the draft with two possible keepers at RB. Most would think that he would focus his energy on Wide Reciever, being that he is set at RB. While this may be a valid point, we can't rule out the prior draft tendency to "load-up on a position." Can Prime Time avoid over drafting running backs? We shall find out.

MID-TIER MEDIOCRITY

Jaj Cousteau, Grabbers United, Awesomeness, HBK Shant Michaels, BDiddy, Magnum Sev.i, Vosgee Gyank

Every year, managers focus on guys in the middle rounds that would outplay their draft position. These are the position receivers, the guys who won't wow you with big booms, but are the steady Eddie's of the fantasy world. More often than not, these players need to be owned for depth and plug-in plays during bye weeks in order to keep your team afloat. THey are also the group of guys that has a bunch of players that nobody wants. Mid-Tier players are like the spice of your roster: Sprinkle in few, and things keep cooking. Have too many, and you'll ruin the soup. These are the guys that can keep your floor high, but also lower your ceiling. Without properly diversifying your portfolio, you can end up with a roster full of mediocre players.

For this group, we only analyzed the last two drafts and considered the previous five. Over the last two seasons, there were six teams whose drafts fell apart due to too many mid-tier players. For example, In 2017, HBK Shant Michaels drafted a WR core of Michael Crabtree, Devonte Parker, Chris Hogan, Tyrell Williams, Eric Decker, and Zay Jones to complement Michael Thomas. Yikes. Those are pretty much all the same person at their best, and this lack of upside WRs was evident in the team putting up less than 90 points 9 times in 2017. Granted, David Johnson's injury was a big blow, however, a more diversified WR core could have helped.

The same could be said for Jaj Cousteau. Last season, Jaj took Brandin Cooks as his top WR, but then managed to complement him with Marvin Jones, Jameson Crowder and a dream. This may have been fine if the team didn't lean on an RB trio of Ameer abdullah, Theo Riddick, and Billal Powell. They are pretty much the RB versions of the WRs that he drafted.

Whether the managers above can break the mold and diversify their portfolio enough remains to be seen, but one thing is clear, getting stuck with a bunch of mid-tier mediocrity isn't going to help win any titles.

SAFE SPACES vs RISK REWARD

BDiddy, Shabam Shadiq, Hartan, Awesomeness, Jaj Cousteau

Every team has a limit as to just how crazy they will get when they draft players. Many managers jump on the latest hype bandwagon and draft the player that everyone is talking up. Likewise, other managers hardly ever venture from the tried and true.

This category focuses on the managers whom struggle the most from breaking from either drafting to safe, or drafting too risky. How can we tell? We looked at the past four drafts and analyzed the picks made and resulting busts or lack their of. We also considered injury to players drafted. For the most part, these four managers often times ventured into the great wide open with either a team that was too prone to injury/busts, or one that was consistently capped with little upside.

BDiddy perhaps exemplifies this category with the drafting of Amari Cooper and Terrell Pryor. For the past few seasons, Diddy has managed to draft a few big busts and players succumbing to injury. By no means does mean that their teams were bad. Case and point, the team finished 3rd overall despite losing Keenan Allen. But it does showcase the core essence of the BDiddy franchise, one that buys the hype on players. Furthermore, they seem to have a knack of throwing injury history to the wind, ala Jordan Reed. Of all the teams in the AFFL, they battle between a safe space player and risk/reward player the most, and often times lose out on the battle.

Hartan is another team that swings from one extreme to another. They use to be one of the most conservative teams in the AFFL, however the Auction may have brought out their aggressive side. Opting for a boom-or-bust strategy, Hartan blew their money on two key players last season ODBJ ($66) and Mike Evans ($68). With all that investment they got back an bust in Evans, and a shortened season in ODBJ. With too much risk invested last season, could Hartan pull back to the other extreme this season?

If we were to take away something from this group, it is that they may be the ones that are likely to go over-the-top on a player they really like, or not consider injury history as much when drafting a player. We'd expect a manager from this group to be one of the ones that lead the charge in a "boom or bust" sort of way.

The OC compromise: Santa fe springs and Apelinc. Win 2018 Draft Hosting Bid

After weeks of submissions, Santa Fe springs has emerged as the location for the 2018 Affl draft which will be held on Saturday August 18th at Apelinc head quarters. The winning bid was submitted by apel inc owner Shant Apelian and was laced with incentives, including carne asada taco service as well as preferrential seating and bottle service for the current champ the Atomic Bomba. 

Per Affl rules, the bomba was given the option of choosing this years venue. He whittled the list down to four possible cities: pasadena, glendale, tustin, and the eventual winner santa fe springs. The bomba struggled with his choice as there was clamoring  from Prima Time owner Ara to have the draft in Orange County. Bomba owner Raffi said he wanted to find a venue that would be agreeable to all teams, but just couldnt bring himself to agreeing to terms with the lone manager who openly campaigns for the removal of the commissioner. 

"I knew that orange county probably wont host the draft for a long time since the draft is selected by the Affl champion and, well, you can put two-and- two together, but I just couldnt go all in, " said Raffi during his 2 hr conference call with reporters. "Santa fe springs was a perfect compromise. It was offered by an oc manager. It its a great location. Plus, Hbk really did a nice job on adding some perks to the experience."

The Apelinc venue will mark the first time the draft has been held in a warehouse. The draft will take place around one of the long conference tables at the headquarters, and will have premier carne asada taco service for he teams. The Current affl champion will also get preferred parking and seating, along with to table service for all food and beverages. Rumors have swirled that hbk may incorporate female dancers and a dj at the draft,  but those rumors have not been confirmed. 

2017 AFFL Champion: The Atomic Bomba

After an intense season of smack talk and close calls among it's 12 team participants, the AFFL crowned its 2017 champion on Monday afternoon. The Atomic Bomba held off a fierce Cobra Kai by a final score of 105.70 to 93.26 to achieve the illustrious crown. It becomes the teams 4th title, the most of any franchise in the league.

"We feel blessed to have achieved AFFL nirvana, and hold of a great team in Cobra Kai," manager Raffi Lalazarian said as he was doused in champagne. "There was a lot of hard work put in over the year, and it's great to reap those rewards."

The Bomba managed his team well, gambling on zeke and hitting a homerun with draft picks Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. In a league where it's survival of the luckiest, the team managed to survive 5 monday night miracles,  4 of which had the team down going into Monday night with long odds of victory. 

Cobra Kai did a great job managing his team to a 2nd place finish. The team squeaked into the playoffs and managed to survive the first round with a last second comeback to win by just a few points. He then managed to take down team Awesomeness who many thought was this years best team. Ultimately, taking down two lalazarian's in one year seemed to be a little too much. 

Awesomeness rounds off the top 3 with a 3rd place victory over Prime Time. The team that many thought would finish in 1st, finishes in 3rd, and suffered late because of the injury to Antonio Brown. Them are the breaks as they say.

In honor of the champion, the ceremonial Slide show lives below. Enjoy.

Commissioner Back! Lalazarian accepts Lifetime Barhantes pass and Zankou Thursdays to Return as Commissioner of AFFL. Frank Samian pays Co-manager $1 Fee to save Teams from 'Wrath of Ara.'

Reports said that Commissioner Lalazarian partied with AP during his week off.

After a 1.5 week hiatus, Commissioner Lalazarian accepted an extension to his contract to return as AFFL Commissioner for the next 5 years. Details of the extension emerged late Tuesday evening with reports that Lalazarian will indeed get a lifetime Barahantes pass and free Zankou on Thursdays. He will also get a prive Uber driver named Vazmig to take him to all AFFL functions. Funds for the perks will be taken out of the AFFL budget.

The move comes on the heels on yet another another controversial ploy of power by acting commissioner Ara Malikian. Malikian locked all teams from any league activity until a $1 tax for each co-manager was paid. In response to the bullying, co-managers reacted by threatening to egg Ara's house as they 'know where he lives.'  The back-and-forth went on all afternoon, until Frank Samian, head of AFFL Operations decided to put an end to the bickering.

"I don't give a shit about $4," said Samian as he cleaned up the back of his '96 newly restored Peugeot . "I'd give him double that if he'd just shut-up for a minute."

Friends close to Samian believe that the acting Commissioner had out stayed his welcome when he began throwing his weight around, forgive the pun. Those close to Samian claim the $4 fee was a way of taking power back into the league office. Malikian seemed to be enjoying his time at the top too much. Ironically, the $4 was $1 short, as Samian did not know that Tiggy is part of a tri-manager team with BDiddy. As a result, BDiddy is still locked from activities until somebody pays a buck for Tiggy. Baret and Mike are said to still be debating about paying the fee.

Still, Malikian did not run the league into the ground and did fairly well dealing with issues as they cropped up. He did manage to get Awesomeness back into the whats app chatroom after a 6 year hiatus, something Commissioner Lalazarian was unable to do. Could he serve as Commissioenr in the future? Early in the season that would be unthinkable, but now, anything is possible.

Update - AFFL Commish Extension: Lalazarian asking for Lifetime Barahantes Pass, free Zankou on Thursday; Awesomeness Comments on Whatsapp for 1st time in 6 years.

After nearly a week of Commissioner Ara at the head of the AFFL, the league is by some miracle still intact. After fining co-managers, locking out the league from making any moves, and threatening the expulsion of Vosgee Gyank owner Mardig should he finish last, Malikian broke ground on Thursday by negotiating the successful return of Awesomeness to the AFFL Whatsapp chat room.

Awesomeness owner David broke his 6 year silence with a comedic text message to the league  "Am I in the right place?" He went on  to give support for Ara as co-commissioner moving forward, though no formal vote or processing is expected. He also asked if anyone was interested in Fournette, not knowing that the trade deadline ended a week ago.

"That's what I do, I make deals," a proud Malikian said during a break from his thursday swim session. " These are the kinds of things that happen when you put me in charge. Things happen."

However, the temporary commissioner status of Ara has prompted the league to discuss the return of Lalazarian. Early Thursday morning had reports the Commissioner was in good spirits and closely monitoring the activities of the AFFL. Managers from the league had already contacted him about a return, but he refused to go so far as to give a definite date, stating only that "the time will be right when the time is right." 

Lalazarian did release a list of requests that he wishes the league to fulfill during any talks of an extension. Key requests include a "lifetime pass to all Barahentes' in Glendale," and free Zankou on Thursdays. The list also includes private use of an Uber driver to and from league events, as well as $50 yearly fee.  Owners have been said to be mulling the list.  Early reports say that the demands would be met, and Lalazarian will be back in charge of the AFFL by the playoffs. We'll keep you posted.

AFFL in Chaos: Commissioner Ara Locks Out Entire League. Charges Co-Managers $1 tax. Mardig on his way out??

Ara Tannen? Welcome to the new AFFL

In back-to-the-future 2, Marty McFly went into the future to Hill Valley, where to his surprise his whole community was being run down by gambling tycoon Biff Tanner. The dark cloud of Tannen created a society full of sex, drugs, gambling and decadence. We're not quite to the year of 2020, but the set of events may be in place in the AFFL.

In less than a week, New acting Commissioner Ara has managed to infuriate managers, put the league on lock-down, and threaten to kick out members who have been in the league for over 10 years. Looks like the future is now, and it's very dark.

On Tuesday afternoon, Commish Prime Time locked all teams from picking up players or performing any actions due to a "lack of respect" that one team showed to another. Kim Jung- Ara went on to establish clear rules for co-managers stating that there would be a $1 tax on "all co-manager teams and failure to pay the fine will result in league exemption." The "Dollars for Dumb-asses" program as Ara is calling it will help fund needy families who are living on government handouts around southern California. The league has not responded well to the new policies.

HBK manager lashed out to the policies stating that he needs to pick someone to "help him lose more respectably this week to Bomba." He went a step further to file a formal petition to play under protest should the lock-out continue.

"I don't give a rats ass who he thinks he is, he's not my commissioner," Said a heated HBK outside of his team's headquarters late Tuesday afternoon. "I'll start my own league, the WWAFFL, with only wrestling names baby."

The threats against Commissioner Ara came from all sides, including Dre and Avo, owners of Shabam Shadiq, who said they refuse to listen to anything that Ara says. They added he can kiss their Diq. No response was issued from the Commissioner office.

Vosgeee out the House?? Last place could mean just that in the new Ara era.

It is clear that the league's managers are having a gag reflex at the thought of having to swallow Ara as the acting commissioner, and the result is a mess everywhere. It's fair to wonder if the charade has gone on too long and that Lalazarian should return to take control. There have been no reports of that happening any time soon, and the league has had no communication with Lalazarian to this point.

One manager that hopes that Lalazarian returns is Vosgereechee Gyank owner Mardig, who now finds himself in the precarious position of perhaps becoming the first team to be kicked out of the league because of a last place finish. When word reached Mardig that this could happen he released the following statement: "Ara, Kakus Ger."

Will Ara kick Mardig out? How long will he tolerate the co-manager teams? Does he even sleep anymore or does he just think about ways of killing managers all night? It's a crazy time in the AFFL and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel.

In short, the league's feelings are captured in Biff Tannen's infamous quote:

Hey Ara, "why don't you make like a tree and get outta here."

Ara-FFL? Prime Time Owner New Acting Commissioner. Lala Goes MIA after Accusations of Unethical Behavior

The AFFL Trade deadline is on Friday, and it looks like the League may have swapped something else besides players.

In a shocking twist, long-time commissioner Lalazarian has gone MIA after accusations by league managers of unethical behaviors. In his absence, Frank Samian, head of AFFL operations has sworn in Prime Time league owner Ara Malikian to take over all league activities and decision making.

11.08.17... when the AFFL changed forever

"Well if I weren't a blind son-of-bitch, we don't know where the commish went," said a disgruntled and worn down Samian outside AFFL HQ early Thursday morning. "With the deadline approaching, we needed someone to approve trades, can't just have a fart in the wind sitting in the head chair. Ara was the logical choice."

During a conversation with league managers Sayyad and Harout over a possible changing of the trade deadline date, the Commissioner shot down any notion that the possibility of a trade would even be up for a vote. To this, manager of Cobra Kai went over the Commissioner's head and decided to conduct a vote anyway, prompting the commissioner to lash out in anger and ultimately leave the league entirely.

A video published early Thursday morning was released that showed the Commissioner in some sort of Vietnamese prison or Burmese half-way house giving his endorsement to Prime Time as the new acting commissioner. In the video, the Commissioner warns the league that they got what they had hoped for, and things would be very different now.

As for Prime Time, this is a sort of coup-de-gratis for him. He has long dreamed of taking over the AFFL and now has the chance to unleash his power on the rest of the 12 managers. We can only imagine what is to come. With Malikian no manager is safe, or should I say, no co-manager is safe.  This saga isn't over. Stay tuned.

AFFL Exclusive: Sabatoge. Betrayal. Corruption. Uncovering the Darkside Of Co-Managers

9am Sunday Morning. The sounds of birds chirping give call to another Fantasy game day. Inside the Shabam HQ, Dre rises, splashes some water on his face, pours his morning coffee, and checks the inactives. His phone has 12 missed calls and 14 text messages from co-manager Avo. He brushes it aside for the time being and goes on with his routine.

Click. TV. The morning talking heads give their advice on who to start in this weeks line-up. Dre calmly places his laptop on his boxer briefs, pops the top, and gets to work. Sunday, the Fantasy Gods don't rest.

9:15am Sunday morning. Avo has 4 computer screens open, each with a different fantasy pundit giving their advice. The question in his mind, "Start Landry or Cooper Kupp?" 20 different post-it notes, each with different statistical facts to the question at hand, are pasted around the house,  revealing the trail that Avo has woven over the past 45 minutes. Avo grabs his phone. Still no response from Dre. Typical, he thinks. Dre is probably still asleep.

9:27 am Sunday Morning. Dre gets a text. Cooper Kupp or Landry Mayret Koonem wake-up?!! Dre doesn't appreciate the Armenian greeting. He puts down the coffee, and replies, "Landry" He adjusts his glasses and continues his morning twitter stroll.

9:28 am Sunday Morning. Avo's phone dies. He's been on it since 7:30, watching Australian rules football. He plugs it in to charge. Still unsure of who to start, Avo ventures to the computer for more research.

9:45am Sunday Morning. Dre takes a magazine and goes into the "office." He won't be out until at least 9:50.

9:51 am. Sunday Morning. Avo panics. He knows Kupp is just a rookie, but he has a feeling. A feeling that only the Black Eyed Peas and few others have ever known about. Avo decides that Dre is holding him back. He takes matters into his own hands.

10:01 am. Sunday Morning. Rosters are locked. Dre meets his wife for breakfast, and they enjoy some Eggs and toast. He does not know about the switch.

10:10 am. Sunday Morning. Dre picks up his phone to see that Kupp is in the starting roster. He texts Avo. "Why did you switch Landry?" Avo replies, "I had a feeling."

9:30 pm Sunday Evening. Dre and Avo lose by 5 points. Kupp scores 5.2. Landry 13.20. They would've won.

The world of co-managing is ruthless. Relying on two brains to make one decision, when one of those brains are seemingly "unlucky" can be ruthless. While many believe the world of the co-manager is one with "more input" leading to better decisions, it is often times one that is marred with backstabbing and sabatoge. Did Avo take offense to Dre ignoring his texts? Was this a deliberate attack to establish power? It very well could have been.

Co-managers from different teams usually never walk behind each other. A rare photo.

Psychologist Dr. Varmik Tsutseesik (prounounced Tsuh-tsee-tseek) finds that when making decisions on who to start, "the interpersonal relationship comes to play and can often times be manifested in subconscious acts of aggression against the other in the form of purposeful neglect."

There have been a few obvious signs of sabotage in the AFFL, most recently during week 2 of this season, when BDiddy managers inexplicably started Eli manning over Matthew Stafford. The move was justified by BDiddy manager Baret by saying they felt Manning would have "a 6 touchdown game similar to one he had years ago." However, the AFFL courier has uncovered that that quote was told to Baret by Tiggy, and was part of a 2 hour conversation where the 3rd leg of the trans-manager team convinced Baret and Mikey that Eli was going to "blow-up." Was this a way of Tiggy getting back at the other two managers for his small cut of the BDiddy franchise? Dr. Varmik thinkso.

"You could not tell me that Eli over Stafford was done with good intentions," he said. "That's a losing move, and the fact that Tiggy sold it just underlines the animosity he must feel by being almost let go for a $50 co-manager fee."

While Sabotage seems to be the theme of the above examples, there have been other incidents of Betrayl, namely in the Hartan camp.

A co-managers mind is always plotting.. but for what??

In 2010, Vartan called Harout about a trade proposed to them by Dre and Avo week 3: Jason Witten for Marques Colston. Vartan wanted to ship Witten since he was a cowboys player. Harout did not want Colston and put his foot down that Witten was worth the hold. Vartan went ahead and pulled the deal despite Harout's wishes.

Fast forward to week 11 of that same season. With the trade deadline approaching, and still upset about the state of the team since the Witten trade, Harout secretly works a backdoor deal with Cobra kai, sending Jamaal Charles and the despised Marques Colston for Drew Brees and Pierre Thomas. Vartan finds out about the trade a day later in an AFFL news break without Harout mentioning a word. When he finally asked Harout what happened? Harout just responded "Witten."

Many will say that this is all hearsay, that there is really no proof of infighting between managers. Experts would like to think that, but could anyone honestly look at the Magnum Sev.i draft results and not think they weren't trying take one another down during the live auction draft?  $39 for Ty Hilton with Luck hurt? An Rb and WR tandem from the Colts and Broncos?  I mean WTF?

Magnum Sev.i bid against themselves for Ty for $39. And Luck was injured.

They say two wrongs don't make a right. This couldn't me more true in the case of co-managing. A vehement opponent of co-managers, Ara Malikian, recently turned the AFFL world upside down when he announced that he would have a co-manager for this season. His co-manager turned out to be his little baby girl Datev, who was introduced to the league in an adorable video talking smack to the league. Now with the official title of co-manager, could she be the next person to sabatoge team Prime Time? If Ara leaves his laptop open, would she dare crawl across the keyboard, give the mouse pad a few taps, and hope that she accidentally proposes a trade to Vosgee: Kareem Hunt for Jeremy Maclin. Would Vosgee even accept?

The world of co-managers is a dark one, filled with emotional riffs, grudges and payback when things aren't going right. Is it surprising that all the co-managing teams currently have losing records and are placed 7-10? No. What is surprising that nobody that is a bi-manager has ended up in the hospital. yet. For the sake of the AFFL insurance policy, we hope it stays that way.