This beer brewing thing at the shop could actually catch on. So far we’ve brewed two beers, a London ESB and a chocolate stout, and both were incredible (if I must say so myself). The London ESB we finished off at our holiday party to rave reviews, but the chocolate stout we just opened a few days ago. Not many people attempt a chocolate stout on their second try but we had confidence we could pull it off. Plus we knew we’d drink it anyway even if it tasted like garbage. It’s really the perfect winter beer with a subtle finish of cocoa that helps to round off the smokey and more complex nose at the start.
The only problem I see right now is that we’re drinking our product faster than we’re brewing it.

1. Arian Foster- Foster played in only 13 games but still managed 12 TDs and 1,200/600 rushing and receiving yards. He’s the closest thing to a can’t miss that you can get in fantasy and deserves the #1 spot.

2. LeSean McCoy- McCoy surprised a lot of fantasy owners this year with his durability between the tackles and how he took on contact. He’s the ultimate dual threat and finished the season with 17 Tds. Sure the sub par play of Vick and Eagles QBs in general helped with McCoy’s rushing yards, but he’ll no doubt be the focal point of the offense in 2012 and will have another monster year.

3. Ray Rice- Many 2011 top 10 boards had Rice at this spot and he didn’t disappoint. Baltimore didn’t have a goal line back like in years past and Rice took full advantage. He’s also a huge threat out of the backfield. You can’t argue with 15 Tds and 1,300/700.

4. Drew Brees- It’s tough to pick a QB this high but Brees is fantasy gold. Just start each week with 300 passing yards and at least 2 tds and you have Drew Brees. Consistency along with off the chart numbers is why you take Brees this high and hope for a RB to fall to you in round 2. 5,400 yards and 46 Tds people!!

5. Aaron Rodgers- Just read comment above but plug in around 5,000 and 45 tds! Gold!

6. Calvin Johnson- I’ve never drafted a WR this high but then again I’ve never seen a fantasy WR quite like Calvin Johnson. I’d say Matthew Stafford has proven he likes to throw his way too in the redzone. Pick him and grab a running back coming back. You’re guaranteed 1,400 and 14 tds.

7. MJD- I hate drafting players from bad teams but MJD might be the exception. When you give a guy the ball 343 times you’re bound to get fantasy points. MJD’s lowest rushing output for the season was 63 yards on 18 carries against a tough Houston D. He led the league in rushing and let’s face it– what else does Jacksonville have?

8. Tom Brady-When you have no running game and the weapons of Tom Brady on offense, it equals mind boggling numbers. 5,200 and 39 TDs later and we all take Brady for granted. Just plug him in your line-up and now worry about your other positions.

9. DeMarco Murray- This is my wildcard pick. Sure Murray broke his ankle and he needs to get healthy. However, he did lead the league in rushing while he was the starter and he looked like top 5 material. Also, an ankle isn’t a full MCL and ACL tear (Adrian Peterson) so expecting Murray to come back fully healthy isn’t a big concern. The preseason will tell us if he’s ready to take on the load of a featured back, but his huge upside seems to be worth the risk.

10. Matt Forte- This is where it gets interesting. If Forte is still a Bear he should be top 10 material. The Bears relied heavily on Forte before he got hurt and giving him a huge payday will ensure he’ll be the workhorse going forward. I’d hate to be in this position come this fall, but the preseason will tell a lot about Forte’s 2012 fantasy stock.

Another NFL season has ended and once again my beloved Cleveland Browns are on the outside looking in at the playoffs. This offseason though the glass they’ll be looking through is smeared with question marks and big decisions. Going into the 2011 season everyone knew that the season hinged on the growth of quarterback Colt McCoy and if he could take the next step in his development as the leader of the team. After 13 games under center, McCoy was leveled by James Harrison and suffered what turned out to be a season ending concussion. His inability to come back for the final 3 games only raised more questions about his ability to play in the physical AFC North. Add the injuries to Peyton Hillis and arguably the worst receiving corp in the entire NFL and you get the most abysmal display of offense Browns fans have seen since their return to Cleveland in ’99.
So where do the Browns go from here? Many already are calling for the “McCoy experiment” to end and for the Browns to draft Baylor QB Robert Griffin III with the 4th pick in the draft. Others are hoping GM Tom Heckert signs Matt Flynn so that he’d be the signal caller going forward. Still others think McCoy wasn’t given enough weapons to fully see what he is capable of and should be given another year.
One thing is for certain though- the future of the Browns hinges on the next 3 months that lead up to the draft in April and what the Browns decide to do about the quarterback position.
A question the Browns haven’t been able to answer since Bernie Kosar last laced them up and played along the lakefront.

For the 3rd time in the 21 year history of my fantasy football league, I’ll be the proud recipient of our league’s trophy- “THE FEDELE”. Yes, my team,”The Roman Knows”, defied the odds and won the entire thing by beating last year’s champs, my buddies Bill and Dan. After losing my first round pick, Jamaal Charles, in the second game of the season and then Fred Jackson at about the midway point- I thought my year was over. However, Matthew Stafford, Wes Welker, Aaron Hernandez, Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Tolbert, Felix Jones, John Kasay and Dqwell Jackson carried me the rest of the way. Believe it or not no one has ever won my 14 team league 3 times and my friends back in Cleveland know that I’ll be bringing that up come next September.
One thing is certain- “THE FEDELE” will be flying back to Brooklyn with me after our draft.
(note to my wife: make room now because I plan on keeping him for awhile)