Exit Interviews: Consolation Teams
What went right and wrong for our Chumpion Bracket teams
Reminder: Roster cuts due by January 27th, midnight. You’re cutting down to 18 total (no IR).
10. Marlo (ULA Peacocks)
Preseason Power Ranking: 13th
Mid Season Power Ranking: 10th
Final Position Ranks
QB: 4th
RB: 13th
WR: 7th
TE: 9th
What Went Right
Andrew Luck made a long awaited return to the field and didn’t disappoint with a QB 4 season. His presence helped TY Hilton (WR 13) return as a top fantasy WR, especially after the Colts bye week when he averaged 17.5 points per game during that span. Julio Jones (WR 3) was the beast that he always is. And lastly, OJ Howard showed why Marlo selected him 6th overall in the 2017 D|L draft, as he ranks TE 5 when sorting by average points scored this season.
What Went Wrong
Unfortunately Howard got injured in Week 11 just as Marlo had a three week winning streak going, and that hurt Marlo down the stretch in the playoff race and in the Consolation Bracket. At RB, the Guice injury was a huge blow for a team that ultimately finished 13th in scoring at that position. And while Derrick Henry had a ridiculous surge in the last four weeks to propel him to RB 14, overall his season was a disappointment for Marlo who really needed him to be a trustworthy starter in the wake of losing Guice.
The Path Ahead
RB production is essentially what held the ULA Peacocks back this season, so the health and production of Guice and Henry next season will be key for Marlo. If they can give him even league average scoring production, Luck, Julio, Hilton, and Howard should be able to handle the rest to get Marlo into the playoffs. What Marlo does with the 1.05 will be interesting. Taking a RB there would be good insurance for Guice and Henry but in a draft class supposedly stacked at WR, Marlo might decide to start thinking about life after Julio and Hilton, who will both be 30 next season.
9. Josh (Daddy Fat Sack)
Preseason Power Ranking: 4th
Mid Season Power Ranking: 8th
Final Position Ranks
QB: 11th
RB: 5th
WR: 5th
TE: 10th
What Went Right
Josh’s bad luck season was well discussed but he was able to salvage it at the end with a Chumpion win and 1st Round Pick Prize. Alvin Kamara followed up his rookie year with another dominant season, finishing as RB 4. On the other end of the age spectrum, Adrian Peterson (RB 17) turned back the clock with over 1000 yards for the first time since 2015. At WR, Davante Adams continues to stake his place among the fantasy elite with a career high WR 4 finish. And after two years of worrying about life after Brady, Josh has himself a pair of young QB’s in Trubisky and Mayfield to guide him into the future.
What Went Wrong
As we know, Josh spent much of the season near the top of the league in total points scored yet near the bottom of the standings. Ronald Jones absolutely busted as a rookie, finishing with 44 yards on 23 attempts along with battling a hamstring injury. Josh’s 2nd Round Pick, Mike Gesicki, wasn’t much better even it’s unfair to expect big things from a rookie TE. Josh has a lot riding on him at a position he finished 10th in scoring — Jimmy Graham (TE 13) isn’t getting any younger and Tyler Eifert is practically guaranteed to get hurt every year.
The Path Ahead
Considering Josh finished 4th in scoring and has two 1st Round Picks coming up, he’s in a great position heading into 2019. Don’t just pencil him into the Championship though. Relying on another ageless season from Peterson is risky, and Kamara and Adams can’t keep doing all of the heavy lifting for Josh’s roster. Hitting on his 2019 picks will be key, especially if RoJo and Gesicki don’t step up in their sophomore years.
8. Joe (Hey Darnold!)
Preseason Power Ranking: 9th
Mid Season Power Ranking: 9th
Final Position Ranks
QB: 8th
RB: 8th
WR: 11th
TE: 6th
What Went Right
Joe’s season went pretty much as expected. Brees (QB 9), David Johnson (RB 9), and Keenan Allen (WR 11) did their thing and kept Joe competitive throughout the season. Austin Hooper quietly had a TE 6 season, although I should mention there’s a huge drop from TE 5 (Jared Cook, 165.6 points) to Hooper (118.0). Joe’s other young TE Njoku also took a nice step forward, finishing as TE 11 but not far behind in points with 109.5. Last but not least, Nick Chubb (RB 16) was the real story for Joe this season, as he averaged 16.62 points after the Carlos Hyde trade, which would’ve ranked RB 6 if he were to do that for an entire season.
What Went Wrong
Joe’s big three were good…but they needed to be top 5 at their positions like they’ve been in previous seasons for Joe to really make noise this year. Ranked 11th, WR scoring was the biggest limiting factor for Joe (especially after Chubb was able to fill Joe’s RB2 spot). Corey Davis had moments in his second season and finished as WR 26, but he didn’t quite make the leap that the hype train was rolling out preseason. Similarly, Curtis Samuel and Tre’Quan Smith are intriguing prospects and had some nice games, but overall they weren’t reliable in Joe’s third WR slot.
The Path Ahead
I said in Joe’s preseason preview that 2019 would more likely be the year it comes together for his roster, provided Chubb, Njoku, and Davis had promising rookie/sophomore seasons, and that seems to be going according to plan. He’s still in need of additional depth/talent at both the RB and WR positions, so he’ll likely go with a BPA strategy with Pick 1.07.
7. Anton (Purple People Eaters)
Preseason Power Ranking: 6th
Mid Season Power Ranking: 7th
Final Position Ranks
QB: 13th
RB: 14th
WR: 1st
TE: 1st
What Went Right
Anton’s strategy has generally been to build through the pass-catching positions and from that standpoint, 2018 was a huge success. Mike Evans (WR 6) had the bounce-back season that Anton expected, Stefon Diggs (WR 14) continued his ascent, and sophomores Golladay (WR 18) and Godwin (WR 23) filled out the ranks to give Anton four top-25 fantasy receivers on the season. Add Travis Kelce into the mix, and Anton was the top scorer in the league at both WR and TE.
What Went Wrong
Unfortunately devaluing other positions finally caught up to Anton and dragged him down out of the playoffs, thanks to a 13th and 14th ranked season at QB and RB. Stafford (QB 18) had his worst statistical year since his rookie season and whether injuries were to blame or not, Mariota clearly didn’t make the jump many expected under Matt LaFleur. In Anton’s defense, he did place an emphasis on acquiring RB talent in the 2018 draft, taking two RBs with a couple of 1st Round Picks, but Royce Freeman got outplayed by Philip Lindsay all year and Kerryon Johnson’s promising season was cut short by injury.
The Path Ahead
With Kerryon and McKinnon returning from injury, there’s hope for Anton’s RB situation heading into 2019 but he’ll still need to be proactive to make sure he doesn’t repeat as last at the position. QB is far more murky with Stafford likely to be dragged down as long as Matt Patricia is coaching in Detroit and Mariota…who the hell knows. Anton has 2.10 in the 2nd Round and that should be around the sweet spot for a rookie signal-caller in a reportedly weak QB draft class, but that’s highly unlikely to solve Anton’s QB position immediately in 2019.
