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  • The power of the all-position cheat sheet

    Matt 2:27 pm on 8/28/2010 | 7 Permalink Reply
    Tags: cheat sheets

    Most experienced fantasy football managers organize their cheat sheets like Brandon did here – separate rankings for each position. If you have a good understanding of the relative value of each position, it makes sense to keep things organized this way so you can quickly identify the best player at the position you’re hoping to fill in a given round.

    For newbies, however, a combined cheat sheet makes a lot more sense. A co-worker recently asked me for some advice before her first-ever fantasy draft, and I told her to keep it simple and just go by the CBS Top 200 Players list. I told her to simply cross off each player’s name when as they were called and take the highest-ranked player every round until the mid-way point, at which point she should start making sure she had enough players at each position. She promised to “stick the the sheet” as closely as possible.

    Here’s the squad she wound up with in her ten-team league with many experienced fantasy footballers (and a few other novices). I envy this team. Deeply.

    She had the first overall pick. The round each player was taken in is indicated in parentheses.

    QB

    Matt Schaub (4)
    Alex Smith (12)

    		 RB

    Chris Johnson (1)
    DeAngelo Williams (2)
    Cedric Benson (3)
    Cadillac Williams (5)
    WR

    Miles Austin (6)
    Steve Smith (7)
    Sidney Rice (8)*
    Donald Driver (9)

    		 TE

    Visanthe Shiancoe (10)
    Zach Miller (11)
    DEF

    Cowboys (13)
    Patriots (14)

    		 K

    Lawrence Tynes (15)

    * Draft was done before the extent of his health issues were known.

    Now obviously she’s got some concerns at WR with Rice’s situation, but aside from that – did she own this joint or what? I give her tons of credit for sticking to the sheet and drafting RB-RB-RB right off the bat, which was probably pretty nervewracking.

     

  • Free 2010 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet

    Brandon 10:11 am on 8/26/2010 | 20 Permalink Reply
    Tags: cheat sheets

    While searching for a free cheat sheet online to use as the basis for my own rankings, I realized that most websites don’t put them in a format that is great for using as a draft day list. So, while I was putting together a really quick cheat sheet for reference during my upcoming drafts, I wanted to share it with our readers to use at least as the basis for their own cheat sheets (it’s a Google Docs spreadsheet):

    FFGeekBlog.com’s 2010 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet

    Keep in mind that I threw this together in about half an hour and didn’t take painstaking effort to make sure all of the wide receivers in the 40-60 group (for example) are exactly in the order I’d draft them. Most of the players atop the lists are close to how I would pick them in a standard league though.

    If you see anything crazy on the lists that doesn’t make sense or have left out important players, please let me know so I can update it ASAP!

     

  • Brandon 11:20 pm on 8/18/2009 | 0 Permalink Reply
    Tags: , cheat sheets, ,

    It’s amazing what a few days of headline news can do to Michael Vick and Brett Favre’s spots on our quarterback cheat sheet! Both went from being afterthoughts to being very draft-able in a very short amount of time.

     

  • Brandon 10:54 am on 8/12/2009 | 0 Permalink Reply
    Tags: cheat sheets,

    Quarterback rankings are updated with a whole slew of new names, including some who are competing for starting jobs and a few rookies thrown in the mix.

     

  • Brandon 2:58 pm on 8/11/2009 | 0 Permalink Reply
    Tags: cheat sheets,

    Updated the running back cheat sheet now with more rookies and backups, so make sure to head over and take a look before your draft!

     

  • Brandon 12:09 pm on 8/10/2009 | 0 Permalink Reply
    Tags: cheat sheets,

    Wide receiver rankings have been updated and increased to 70 players. Make sure to check it out and see where some of the rookies (and others) show up!

     

  • Brandon 9:53 am on 8/07/2009 | 0 Permalink Reply
    Tags: cheat sheets

    After publishing the kicker rankings, the initial version of all of our cheat sheets are now available, so make sure to take a look. We’ll be updating them continuously until the beginning of the season, so keep checking back for updates and feel free to make comments when you agree or disagree!

     

  • Kicker rankings for 2009

    Brandon 9:43 am on 8/07/2009 | 1 Permalink Reply
    Tags: cheat sheets, , jason elam, , mason crosby, nate kaeding, , , rob bironas, robbie gould, ,

    Unless you feel you absolutely need a top ranked kicker, you should probably wait until one of the last couple rounds of your draft and take the best guy available. It’s usually easier to play the waiver wire from week-to-week to fill your kicker spot on your roster anyways, depending on the match-ups and weather report. Either way though, here’s the list. Make sure to check out our other cheat sheets here.

    1. Ryan Longwell, MIN – The Vikings will get into enemy territory a lot on the back of Adrian Peterson, but if Purple Jesus can’t punch it in, Longwell will be there to clean up the mess.
    2. David Akers, PHI
    3. Stephen Gostkowski, NE – He was the top kicker last year, but with Brady back, I envision more PAT’s and less FG’s.
    4. Jason Elam, ATL
    5. Nate Kaeding, SD
    6. Robbie Gould, CHI – Cutler should get them into field goal range more often than Orton did.
    7. Mason Crosby, GB
    8. Rob Bironas, TEN
    9. Nick Folk, DAL
    10. Rian Lindell, BUF – Hopefully the addition of T.O. will mean more trips into the red-zone and more opportunities for Lindell.

      11. (More …)
     

  • Team defense rankings for 2009

    Brandon 9:02 am on 8/06/2009 | 3 Permalink Reply
    Tags: bears, cheat sheets, , , jets, , , , titans,

    Here are the team defense rankings for 2009. There are three basic categories for defenses, 1) those that are worth drafting, 2) defenses that are good if you need/want two so you can switch from week to week, and 3) defensive units that are only useful for spot-starts here and there throughout the season. Please note that these rankings are based primarily on just the defense aspect of a team and not as much for special teams. If your league rewards you for kick returns, your rankings may differ slightly (here’s a list of the top kick returners in the league.)

    Draftable
  • 1. Pittsburgh Steelers – They were dominant last year and it appears they’ll be just as good this season.
  • 2. Minnesota Vikings – Solid defense that stops the run and will score some touchdowns off turnovers.
  • 3. New York Giants – Osi Umenyiora returning from injury should improve the pass rush even more, forcing turnovers.
  • 4. Baltimore Ravens – They lost their coordinator in the off-season, but they’re still loaded with big names such as Lewis, Suggs and Reed.
  • 5. New York Jets – They got coach Rex Ryan from Baltimore, along with Bart Scott, plus Lito Sheppard adds some veteran experience.
  • 6. Dallas Cowboys – They led the league in sacks last year and played much better towards the end. Let’s see if it continues into this season.
  • 7. Philadelphia Eagles
  • 8. Tennessee Titans – The Titans defense has been dominant in the past, but they’ve lost Albert Haynesworth to Washington and their coordinator to the Lions. They still have a lot to work with though.
  • 9. Chicago Bears – They’re not quite as dominant as they’ve been in the past, but they still force a lot of turnovers.
  • 10. New England Patriots – They go into the season looking very healthy at this point, while young players Jerod Mayo and Brandon Meriweather have another year of playing under their belt. The high-powered offense will force opposing teams to abandon the run early and should get a lot of turnovers.

    • (More …)
     

  • Tight end rankings for 2009

    Brandon 2:14 pm on 8/03/2009 | 4 Permalink Reply
    Tags: , cheat sheets, , , , , , , ,

    Here are my tight end rankings for this season. You can check out the other cheat sheets here.

    1. Jason Witten, DAL – With T.O. distractions out of the way, the Romo-to-Witten connection should be better than ever.
    2. Antonio Gates, SD – Looking for Gates to rebound from a season where he was hampered by injuries throughout and regain his spot near the top of this list.
    3. Tony Gonzalez, ATL – It’s hard to tell how Gonzo will do in Hot-lanta, but he gives Ryan a great new target and I can only see things going at least as well as they did in Kansas City for the veteran.
    4. Dallas Clark, IND – With Marvin Harrison leaving town, expect Peyton Manning to look Clark’s way a lot this season.
    5. Greg Olsen, CHI – Jay Cutler likes throwing to the tight end and he might have already found a new best friend in Olsen, especially given the weakness at the wide receiver position in Chicago.
    6. Chris Cooley, WAS – Hopefully they look to him in the end zone a bit more than they did last year when he only had ONE touchdown!
    7. Kellen Winslow, TB – He’s a “soldier” when he IS playing, but he’s got a new team with quarterback questions and there are always injury concerns. I’m optimistic though that the Bucs will make good use of him.
    8. Kevin Boss, NYG – With no Plaxico Burress in the picture, hopefully Eli can make better use out of Boss this year. He did have six touchdowns in only his second season, so that’s promising.
    9. Owen Daniels, HOU – Only two touchdowns last year, but racks up solid yardage.
    10. Zach Miller, OAK – Needs to become more of a red-zone factor.

      11. (More …)
     

  • Quarterback rankings for 2009

    Brandon 1:57 pm on 7/31/2009 | 14 Permalink Reply
    Tags: , cheat sheets, , , , , , , , , , ,

    Here are our quarterback rankings for this season. Don’t forget to check out the rest of our cheat sheets here.

    1. Tom Brady, NE – He looked great this past weekend and seems to have no lingering issues from the shoulder injury. Draft him with confidence and watch attempt to break the records again.
    2. Drew Brees, NO – Brees tops a lot of other site’s quarterback rankings, but maybe it’s a little Patriots-bias that puts him in the #2 spot on my list.
    3. Peyton Manning, IND – He’s still Peyton Manning and he’s still got Reggie Wayne (and others.)
    4. Philip Rivers, SD – Decent receivers, pass-catching tailbacks and Antonio Gates make for a lot of targets.
    5. Kurt Warner, ARI – As long as he remains healthy, he’s throwing to a pair of Pro-Bowlers (unless Anquan Boldin gets shipped out of town) and will continue to put up solid stats.
    6. Aaron Rodgers, GB – He’s got a great target to throw to in Greg Jennings.
    7. Donovan McNabb, PHI – Wide receivers still somewhat suspect, but McNabb will make the most with what he has.
    8. Matt Schaub, HOU – He gets the joy of throwing to Andre Johnson…one of the best receivers in the NFL.
    9. Tony Romo, DAL – DOWNGRADE! Roy Williams has been a disappointment so far and the rest of the receiving corps worries me.
    10. Matt Ryan, ATL – He’s primed for another solid year throwing to Roddy White and crew.
    11. Jay Cutler, CHI – His main target is a reformed kick returner, but I have enough faith in Cutler’s abilities to believe he can get it done with anyone running routes.

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  • Running back rankings for 2009

    Brandon 11:12 pm on 7/30/2009 | 20 Permalink Reply
    Tags: , , , cheat sheets, , , , , , , , ,

    Following my wide receiver rankings, here is the list for running backs. Keep in mind that this is primarily for non-PPR leagues, but I’ve mentioned in my comments the tailbacks that will be valued higher in leagues that award points for receptions.

    You can check out the rest of our positional cheat sheets here.

    1. Adrian Peterson, MIN – Unless you’re in a PPR league, A-Pete is top dog and Favre should distract defenses a bit and open more holes.
    2. Michael Turner, ATL – As with Peterson, he is spectacular as long as you’re not in a PPR league, and he’s only slightly less than spectacular then.
    3. DeAngelo Williams, CAR – Jonathan Stewart continues to show durability issues, meaning plenty of carries again this year for D-Williams!
    4. Matt Forte, CHI – I’m digging Forte this season with Cutler in town.
    5. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX – Finally mini-me becomes the feature back…I expect it to pay some dividends
    6. Steven Jackson, STL – UPGRADE! The Rams offense scares me…and S-Jax has trouble staying healthy. He is a beast though.
    7. LaDainian Tomlinson, SD – He didn’t go from the best in the league to Average Joe over night. Expect LT to surprise the quick-to-be-haters this year.
    8. Frank Gore, SF – Taking a leadership role on the team, hopefully it equates to some leader-like stats.
    9. Brian Westbrook, PHI – He’s never played a full 16 game season and there are already injury worries. He’s a monster when he plays (especially in PPR leagues), but he’ll be 30 in a few weeks and this could be the year he starts slowing down, LT-style.
    10. Ryan Grant, GB – UPGRADE! As long as he stays healthy, Grant should put up decent numbers.
    11. Brandon Jacobs, NYG – He’s a beast when not injured, just hope he can stay on his two feet the whole season.
    12. Chris Johnson, TEN – He hasn’t been impressing this preseason, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt at this point.

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  • Wide Receiver rankings for 2009

    Brandon 9:42 pm on 7/28/2009 | 16 Permalink Reply
    Tags: , , , cheat sheets, , , , , , , ,

    Here is our wide receiver cheat sheet for this season:

    1. Randy Moss, NE – With Brady back, expect mucho touchdowns again
    2. Andre Johnson, HOU – He’s a reception machine and racks up the yards as well.
    3. Larry Fitzgerald, ARI – The age of his quarterback scares me a bit, but Fitz is a monster and would probably produce even with Matt Leinart in the lineup
    4. Calvin Johnson, DET – The team HAS to do better this year and Megatron should see a boost in his stats
    5. Steve Smith, CAR – Injury scare seems to have passed.
    6. Reggie Wayne, IND – Should be one of the more consistent options on this list.
    7. Roddy White, ATL – He got his money over the weekend and immediately made an impact in the first preseason game. Any scare about White missing practices can be erased now.
    8. Greg Jennings, GB – He’ll be Rodgers top target all season long.
    9. Anquan Boldin, ARI – Saying all the right things and claims to be focused on helping the team win…not on getting more money.
    10. Terrell Owens, BUF – DOWNGRADE! As much as I think he would put up great numbers if healthy all year, I’m wondering if he’ll be able to stay on the field, as he’s already missing practices with a “bum toe.”
    11. Dwayne Bowe, KC – After being demoted to third string recently for attitude/weight issues, he had a huge preseason game and there’s no reason to move him down at this point.
    12. Marques Colston, NO – In this high-flying, pass-friendly offense, Colston should see the most passes.
    13. T.J. Houshmandzadeh, SEA – UPGRADE! Braylon Edwards and Brandon Marshall just keep making the guys right below them on the list look a whole lot more appealing!
    14. Chad Ochocinco, CIN – UPGRADE! He’s healthy this year and Housh is gone. I’m optimistic he can make the best out of the situation. Apparently he can even kick extra points!
    15. Wes Welker, NE – Last time Brady was at QB, Welker was a Pro Bowler with eight TD’s and almost 1,200 yards.

      16. (More …)
     

  • How I build my cheat sheets

    Matt 7:00 pm on 8/24/2008 | 10 Permalink Reply
    Tags: cheat sheets, excel

    For most fantasy football players, a cheat sheet isn’t something you build, it’s something you find in a fantasy football magazine or on the Web somewhere and bring with you to the draft. While this approach certainly saves a lot of time, it puts you at a serious disadvantage to anyone in your league who took the time to put together their own sheets. A custom-built cheat sheet can take into account the specific rules of your league, such as QB touchdown scoring (4 points each or 6?) and whether your league awards a point for each reception (in which case you’d increase the value of the WR position and target running backs who catch the ball often). Most importantly, as you put your sheet together, you’ll be constantly learning about the players you’re ranking, and you’ll show up on draft day with a true understanding of the decisions you’re making. Really, how much satisfaction do you get at the end of a draft when you look at your team and realize that every player you own is there because someone else told you to pick them?

    This is the process I use for building my cheat sheets. It doesn’t have to take an extraordinary amount of time – you can really invest as little or as much energy as you want into it. This is simply a framework to help you get started; where you go with it from here is up to you. (More …)

     

  • 2008 Running Back Power Rankings

    Brandon 10:24 pm on 6/23/2008 | 15 Permalink Reply
    Tags: , cheat sheets, , , , , , westbrook

    Power rankings for other positions

    We all know the big question this season is LT or A-Pete, but while constructing this list I realized that after the top 5, the question is “Who the heck do I take?!” How can you justify taking someone like Frank Gore over Tom Brady or Randy Moss? Without falling back on the old “RB first” argument, you’re going to struggle to argue that Gore will have more of an impact on your fantasy team than either of those two. Same goes for Larry Johnson, who last preseason was a top three running back, but is now the Albert Pujols of the draft (i.e. someone you’re so scared to draft because of injury worries, but who could be a monster if he plays to his potential). While this list won’t answer all your questions, hopefully it at least gives you some direction when it comes to deciding what running back to draft!

    (More …)

     

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