2012 NFL Draft Guide

The 2012 NFL DRAFT GUIDE is here and better than ever!

I’m not going to weigh it down by adding all kinds of reports on team that you won’t read. I’m also not gonna rank players based on 19 different scoring systems. It’s time to get down and dirty folks.

So what does The Guide include and how to get you a copy of the PDF file?

* Players are ranked by position (based on PPR Scoring).
The top-40 quarterbacks and tight ends.
The top 90 running backs and wide receivers
The top-32 kickers and defenses.

I’ll also answer 10 Burning Questions for each position.

* All players also are accompanied by auction dollar values.

* In addition to the actual dollar amounts I’ve also written about how you should attack the draft and what strategies you should employ.

* I’ve also included articles describing my preferred scoring system and roster requirements.

* There is also a report on how to evaluate players. Why shouldn’t you take a quarterback with your first selection?

* You want to take a rookie this year? Make sure you give the Rookie Review a read – it might cause you some pause when it comes to drafting first year players.

* Which players over/under performed last season? I’ve got answers for all 32 teams.

Like I said, down and dirty to help get you into the full swing of fantasy football draft season.

So, how do you get it? Simple really.

The Guide costs $9.95. Come on, that’s about the same as sandwich and sods at Subway or a a three gallons of gas. It’s easily worth it to dominate the competition.

Simply click on the yellow DONATE Tab to the right of this article which will redirect you to the BaseballGuys’ PayPal page. Once there, simply submit a donation for $9.95 and I’ll be happy to email you directly the 45 page PDF file with all the above information in it.

One final note… care to try your football knowledge against The Oracle, Ray Flowers? Find out how you can do just that, while getting a chance to win $100,000 in the National Fantasy Football Championship. You will be able to take me on directly in the event. For details, click on the link.

Are you ready for some football !

Why No Top-300?

I’ve received multiple emails and tweets in the 24 hours since the 2012 BaseballGuys’ Fantasy Draft Guide was released. I have to say I’m humbled by the support from all of you, and thanks so much for the kind thoughts that have been shared (you can read some of the testimonials on the link to The Guide).

The one question that I’ve heard from more than one person is – why is there no top-300 like last year? Was I lazy? Did I forget to add it into the mix in some sort of clerical oversight? You know me better than that at this point don’t you? So what was the conscious decision that led to my omitting the overall list after I added it to The Draft Guide last year?

I never use a top-300 to put a team together on draft day. Never. I think it’s a terrible way to construct a squad. What generally happens is that people slavishly draft off the list. By that I mean, if player #132 is there you obviously draft him over player #148 because he’s listed so much earlier in the rankings, right? Never mind the fact that player #132 may not be a fit for your team as it’s currently constructed. The list dictates take the higher ranked player so people take the highest ranked player. People then wonder why their team finishes in last place in steals… it’s because they drafted their team based on a top-whatever list versus putting together a club that could compete in all categories. This situation is the key reason why I did not include a top-300 in my draft guide.

Would I draft Albert Pujols over Prince Fielder? Of course I would. Do I prefer Pujols over Robinson Cano? You can look at the $ figures in The Guide to get an idea of my thinking there as well (let’s say the answer is yes). It’s fairly easy to discern how to rank the top guys. The real problem though occurs when we start talking about those players that are listed outside the elite level performers. Here’s a concrete example.

Do you take the 8th best first baseman or the 4th best second basemen? Well, if seven of the top eight first baseman are off the board, and there are only eight truly strong options, you had better take guy #8 at first base before you look toward second base. However, what if the #8 first baseman is listed behind the #4 second baseman in the rankings? If you look at the top-whatever list you would end up taking the #4 second baseman who is ranked higher overall than the #8 first baseman. That makes sense right? Or does it? If you followed a top-whatever list you’d take the second baseman even though it would make more sense, because of how the draft was playing out, to take that last elite first baseman. Why? There will still be an elite second sacker the next time you pick because it’s pretty doubtful that five second baseman would be taken in the next round of picks. However, you can be fairly certain that the lone remaining first baseman will be taken in the next round of picks, so if you passed on him, he’d be gone by your next selection. If you followed at top-300 list, you’d make the wrong call and take the second sacker.

I’m sorry if you are disappointed in the lack of a top-300 in The Guide. It was an executive decision I made. I’d hope people would be more focused on the tiering of players – that’s more important than a top-whatever list (in my rankings players are placed in tiers, i.e. groups of players that should be viewed as roughly interchangeable in terms of the production that they will bring). If you focus on the tiering model, instead of an inert top-whatever list, you’re likely to end up with a better team to compete for your league championship.

By Ray Flowers

THE 2011-12 NHL FANTASY HOCKEY GUIDE

A year after the Bruins battled their way to the Stanley Cup despite a myriad of injuries, the NHL is about ready to begin yet another season. There are many questions to answer this season.

How real is the Stanley Cup hangover, and will it doom the Bruins?

Do the Sharks have enough talent to finally get over the hump? Heck, will they be able to hold off the ever improving Kings for the Pacific Division lead?

Have the Kings improved enough around Drew Doughty that he can now be considered the best fantasy defender in the game?

When will Sidney Crosby be healthy enough to return to action? Will he be able to play at his career levels when he does?

Can Alexander Ovechkin return to his goal scoring ways. For that matter, what about Ilya Kovalchuk, Nicklas Backstrom and Paul Stastny?

Does Martin Brodeur have one great season left in his bones?

Will Rick Nash and Jeff Carter become one of the most fearsome duo’s in the game?

I will not go into detail on any of these points, but you should be able to infer what I’m thinking based on looking at my positional rankings which follow.

(1) Players are only listed at one position.

(2) The rankings assume a rather traditional scoring system.

Offense: Goals, Assists, Plus/Minus, PIM, PPP, Shots on Goal
Goaltending: Wins, GAA, Save Percentage, Shutouts

With that, please enjoy my 2011-12 NHL-Guide-BBGuys.

By Ray Flowers

2011 NFL Draft Guide

The 2011 NFL DRAFT GUIDE is here.

I’m not going to weigh it down by adding all kinds of reports on team that you won’t read. I’m also not gonna rank players based on 19 different scoring systems. It’s time to get down and dirty folks.

So what does The Guide include and how to get you a copy?

* Players are ranked by position (based on PPR Scoring):

The top-30 quarterbacks and tight ends.

The top-100 running backs and wide receivers.

The top-32 kickers and defenses.

* All players also are accompanied by auction dollar values.

* The top-200 overall players are ranked.

* I’ve also included an article describing my preferred scoring system.

* There is also a quick report on how to evaluate players. Why shouldn’t you take a quarterback with your first selection?

* NOTE: The Guide is continually updated, so even though this post is old, the information in The Guide is up to the minute.

There it is. Like I said, down and dirty to help get you into the full swing of fantasy football draft season.

So, how do you get it? Simple really.

The Guide costs $3. Come on, that’s less than a sandwich at Subway or a gallon of gas. It’s worth it.

Simply click on the yellow DONATE Tab to the right of this article (it’s in the far right column) which will redirect you to the BaseballGuys‘ PayPal page. Once there, simply submit a donation for $3 and I’ll be happy to email you directly the eight page PDF file with all the above information in it.

Are you ready for some football !

By Ray Flowers

ROTW Rankings: Hitters

I get asked all the time, ‘hey Ray, can you rank these players for me the rest of the way.’ I diligently answer the queries, but with the question being asked so frequently it only made sense for me to come up with a list that I could refer people to. A few caveats before we get to the actual rankings.

(1) Players are only listed at one position so you only find Jose Bautista in the outfield and Jhonny Peralta at shortstop even though they qualify at multiple positions.

(2) I’ve sprinkled in a few rookies, guys like Brett Lawrie, Jesus Montero and Desmond Jennings, but with so much uncertainty surrounding young players and when/if they will be called up, most of the youngsters currently in the minors were left off the list.

(3) This is the most important point to make – these are Rest of the Way rankings. Jose Bautista might be the #1 fantasy performer right now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will be the best the ROTW. These lists are intended to give my thoughts on how players should be ranked from May 30th on, irrespective of the players production up to this point.

(4) The rankings are based on the standard of a 12 team mixed league using traditional 5×5 categories.

With that, here is the list. I’m sure you’ll all have a good time critiquing my thoughts, and I look forward to reading your replies in the COMMENTS section below.

ROTW-HITTERS-May30-2011-BBGuys

By Ray Flowers