My Super Bowl XLVI prediction is New England 38, Giants 34. I know it’s a lot of points, but I think both teams know they’ll have to put up a bunch to win this game. Plus, I just have a hard time going against Brady and Belichick.
We shall see,

Dave

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)

It’s been pretty crazy here at FantasyTrophies.com. It always is this time of year. I’ve definitely seen an increase in Mini trophy orders from last year and guys have told me more and more that their leagues have decided to play for a Mini trophy every year. I’m obviously thrilled to hear that and it’s exactly what I had in mind when I first introduced the Armchair Quarterback Mini and the Throwback Mini two years ago. Let’s face it, when the big guy moves on it’s nice to still have something that reminds you and your buddies of your total dominance.
Because of the Minis popularity though, I’ve had to make sure that the molds I have are of the best quality. For that reason I had my mold guy Terry create 2 new molds. One for the Throwback Mini and one for the Armchair Quarterback Mini. It’s a pretty involved process that I feel I should go into further in another blog post, but for now just be assured that the quality of both trophies are what you expect from FantasyTrophies.com.

Good luck if you’re still in the playoffs of your league.

Dave

I’m sorry to say but Tim Tebow will not appear on this list.

10. Wes Welker- This may not seem like much of a surprise until you realize Welker ended the season as the #1 overall WR in both PPR and standard scoring leagues after being drafted around the 4th or 5th round in most leagues. With 1339 yds and 9 tds, it’s scary to think what he could’ve put up if Brady didn’t develop his love affair with Rob Gronkowski.

9. Steve Smith- Washed up, over the hill, past his prime, has a rookie QB throwing to him…Smith only went on to post 1217 yards with 5 tds while finishing 7th overall for fantasy wide receivers. I’d call that a surprise.

8. Darren Sproles- Remember the guy in your league that drafted Mark Ingram in the 3rd round? How many times do you think he swore at his television watching Sproles continually take carries away from his guy inside the 20? Sproles turned into more than just a 3rd down back this year and ended as the 12th best fantasy RB. That would be ahead of Frank Gore and Steven Jackson….oh, and Mark Ingram.

7. DeMarco Murray- Arguably the bust out fantasy RB for this season, Murray came in for Felix Jones in the middle of the year and went on to average 17.28 fantasy points from weeks 7-12 and led the league in rushing during that stretch. Not bad for a guy that wasn’t even drafted in most leagues. It’s too bad an injury will keep him out of the fantasy playoffs.

6. Michael Vick- How many guys listened to “the experts” and took Vick in the top 3 only to see him crash and burn get hurt? Many will say this wasn’t a surprise to them, but the fact that Mark Sanchez and Ryan Fitzpatrick finished ahead of Vick in fantasy points is about as shocking as it gets.

5. Chris Johnson- The Vick equivalent at RB. When guys are benching their #1 pick for guys like Beanie Wells and Michael Bush you know they’re in for a long year. Remember, Johnson’s average draft position was 5th overall.

4. Jordy Nelson- This guy ended up as the 8th highest fantasy WR for the year after being drafted around the 12th round in most leagues. 957 receiving yards and 10 tds- That would be ahead of Greg Jennings by the way.

3. Victor Cruz- This was the pick-up player of the year. Undrafted in just about every league known to mankind, Cruz went on to post 1150 yards and 7 tds placing him as the 6th best overall WR. When you go undrafted and finish above Larry Fitzgerald, Greg Jennings, Hakeem Nicks and Vincent Jackson you are not only a surprise, but fantasy GOLD.

2. Rob Gronkowski- Considering he’s only gone on to set an all-time touchdown record for TEs with 15 (and counting) this year, I think it’s safe to say this guy was a bit of a surprise. Remember, Aaron Hernandez was Brady’s favorite target in the preseason and was drafted ahead of Gronkowski in most leagues. Surprise!

1. Cam Newton- Imagine if on draft day you would’ve said that Cam Newton would finish ahead of Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady in overall points and would be the #1 fantasy QB. Your friends would’ve had every right to drive you to the nearest AA meeting and set you on your path of promising never to touch alcohol ever again. Rookies are not supposed to lead the league in anything- especially if you play for the Carolina Panthers! Newton not only is the biggest surprise for 2011 but possibly for the last 10 years of fantasy football. Imagine the numbers this guy will put up if he gets a receiver opposite Steve Smith and has a few more years under his belt cape. Scary.