Don't you hate that? Here's some things I do.

After almost two decades of enjoying fantasy football I'm quite satisfied with most of the experiences I've had. But there are a few things that have driven me nuts over the years ... and still do. Whether it be live or online leagues, there's always that player, commissioner, or situation that will drive you up the wall....

1) Owners that give up. You see this all of the time on free online leagues, mainly because they're free. But when it happens in leagues for money or other various prizes, it's extremely frustrating. They stop bothering to check their lineups, often starting players who are injured or on a bye week. The REAL jerks can be even worse, starting whole lineups of useless players, or even TRADE their best players for next to nothing. It's extremely rare, but I've seen it happen. This can totally sabotage an entire league and ruin it for everyone.

2) Owners that don't respond to trade offers. This happens mainly in online leagues where the only means you have of communicating with the person is via email or message boards. I can absolutely understand someone getting an offer that totally turns them off, but at least have the courtesy to say "no thanks" or even "never going to happen", especially if you contacted that person FIRST. I won't name names or specify what league, but I recently was sent a message inquiring what I wanted for a player I had stated was on the block. I responded with an offer that I thought was reasonable and waited for several days for a response. When I didn't get one I tried a different offer, adding another player from my team to the deal. Again no response .. and I know the owner had to have seen the offer because the site keeps track of when owners log on. Extremely rude and irritating.

3) Owners that constantly argue rules and decisions. You know the guy. The one who thinks he/she can run the league better than the commissioner? The one who will try anything to get that extra point or two on their score? The one who is trying to make an unfair trade that is totally lopsided but says anything he can think of to justify it? Yeah, that guy. Seen a few of them over the years and they can be a real drag.

4) "Questionable" injury reports. A.K.A. the "gametime decision" Nothing like having a key player listed as questionable (50% chance of playing) and deciding NOT to take the chance of starting him ... only to find out too late he is playing .... and just scored a touchdown. Even with today's media resources and up to the minute information ... you never know when one of these GTDs will be just mere seconds before kickoff ... too late to switch him back into your lineup. I almost had it happen last year with Roddy White, but two minutes before kickoff I decided to chance it, even though at least two analysts on TV said he was most likely a scratch. I understand the need for coaches to keep little secrets like that until the last minutes to keep their opponents guessing ... but we fantasy owners could really use the heads up.

5) Commissioners that change the rules EVERY season. I was in a league for several years that actually had to have an annual Rule Change Meeting! Why? Because the owner(s) couldn't leave well enough alone. We had debates every year about things like amount of keepers, scoring system tweeks, whether tight ends should be mandatory, etc. The rules were NEVER the same from one season to the next. I say establish the rules and keep to them year after year unless absolutely necessary.

6) Uninformed owners who draft players that have retired. Haven't seen it personally in a long time, but I used to draft with a guy who would do this every year at least once per draft. It was funny, but who really wants to be the guy who tells this person.. "Ummm, Herschel Walker retired two years ago."

7) Smoking Marijuana at the draft. I used to be in a league a few years back where they did this. By the time it was over I thought I was in France. Several days later I was trying to figure out why I drafted Zeke Mowatt.... and I didn't take a single puff.

8) Bye Weeks Some people see them as adding to the strategy of fantasy football. I see them as a pain in the behind. Especially now that there are weeks where six teams are off. I'd much rather have the whole spectrum of players to start every week then to have to consider lineup changes or worry about drafting two kickers or defenses that are off the same week. But... it's not like the NFL is going to change it, so obviously I'll live with it.

9) Linebackers who catch TDs Being a Buckeye fan, I like Mike Vrabel ... but darn it Ben Watson should have caught those TDs!! That's six points he cost me!

10) People who have never played fantasy football that give advice. I recently had a Bengals fan at work tell me I should take Andre Smith if I get the chance. "He's going to be a huge factor in the running game." they told me. Thanks dude, I'll take that under consideration. Thank god he's still available on the waiver wire......

Alright, I've vented and feel much better. Guess I can skip that therapy session next week. On to other things....

Dynasty League Update:

Recently made a couple of trades in a attempt to get younger at key positions. I traded WR Steve Smith (Car) and CB Alphonso Smith (Den) for WR Eddie Royal (Den) and CB Aqib Talib (TB). I got two players who looked solid in their rookie seasons and gave up a rookie CB who may or may not get playing time and Smith, who might still be in his prime .... but plays for a team that emphasizes the running game and may only have a year or two left of high production. For a dynasty trade, I think it was pretty solid.

I also gave up a Pro Bowl running back in Ronnie Brown (Mia) for a rookie back in Donald Brown (Ind). In the short term, this is a bad trade ... but in the long term I may see huge dividends because it looks like Joseph Addai may be on his way out in Indianapolis.

I've earmarked several free agents for when the signing period starts in a couple of weeks to address the depth problems I have at various positions. There are still a few gems left out there and I hope to hit on a few.

That's all for now. As always, I appreciate input, either here or on Twitter. Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/vice2020

My First Dynasty League!

Well, for the first time in my seventeen years of playing fantasy football, I have finally joined a dynasty league. It's something I've wanted to do for awhile now, but hadn't had a chance to. I was asked to join the Total Dynasty League as a replacement owner just a couple of days ago and greedily accepted. Ironically enough, the team I took over was named the Oakland Raiders. (I'm keeping the name just so I can prove I'm better than Al Davis!!)

Immediately upon seeing my roster I realized a few things....

A) Joining a dynasty league AFTER they've had their rookie and free agent drafts really sucks. The former owner apparently felt that rookie DEFENSE was the way to go and took four(out of five total)of his rookies on the D side. LB Aaron Curry, DE Tyson Jackson, CB Alphonso Smith, and S William Moore. (He also grabbed RB Glen Coffee.)

B) I had no idea what I was doing! The rules of salary caps, contracts, and practice squads made my head spin. Thank god I was on vacation for the holiday or it would have taken days for me to wrap my mind around it. And the fact that this was a sixteen team league! Never have I played in a league with more than twelve.

C) I got a LOT of work to do to get this team looking good ... at least to ME. Not that the roster was that bad mind you ... just not a lot of players I personally was high on.

Here's the roster as it was (and still is actually) when I acquired the team:

Quarterbacks: Joe Flacco (Bal) and Jason Campbell (Was) Definitely not what I was hoping to see. Flacco might be a decent starter down the road if he ever gets some receivers to throw to, but right now he's a backup at best. Campbell is only the starter in Washington by default after the team failed to acquire Jay Cutler or Mark Sanchez. Unless I pull a trade off, I'll have to play this by ear as to which one I'll start.


Running Backs: LaDainian Tomlinson (SD), Ronnie Brown (Mia), and Glen Coffee (SF) This could certainly be worse. LT and Brown are decent starters. The fact that technically, I only have to start ONE RB (three flex positions help) makes up for the lack of depth at the position. Coffee should get enough playing time in SF to merit a start or two during the season.


Wide Receivers: Steve Smith (Car), DeSean Jackson (Phil), Lee Evans (Buff), and Justin Gage (Tenn) Not bad, but depth again is an issue. My initial thought is to trade Smith for some youth at the position. DeSean should be a solid keeper for me for years. Evans is in his prime and might have his best year this season with T.O. drawing the double coverage.


Tight Ends: Kellen Winslow (TB) and Donald Lee (GB). I'm not big on tight ends so was satisfied with these two. Winslow might have a decent season in Tampa if the QB situation is decided early. Lee will get a few scores here and there with Aaron Rodgers at the helm of the Packer offense.


Kickers: Mason Crosby (GB) Pleased to have a young kicker that should be solid and consistent to rely on for a few years. Signed him for four years.


Punters: I have never played in a league that had punters before. And as of this writing I don't have any on my roster. The former owner apparently was waiting until free agency signing to bother with them. Can't say I disagree.


Defensive Tackles: Shaun Rogers (Clev) and Sedrick Ellis (NO) Pleased with Ellis. He's young and looked good in his rookie season. I'll be holding on to him for awhile. Rogers is a decent starter this year. Another need for depth here.


Defensive Ends: Mario Williams (Hou), Dwight Freeney (Ind), and Tyson Jackson (KC) Can't complain with THAT! Two big time starters with a first round rookie behind them. Sweet!


Linebackers: Aaron Curry (Sea), Shawn Merriman (SD), Bradie James (Dal). Desperate need for depth here as three LBs is the minimum start and normally are the RBs of fantasy IDPs. I do like the three I have and if Curry lives up to the hype he might be on my team for his whole career.


Cornerbacks: Nnadami Asomugha (Oak),Leodis McKelvin (Buff), Alphonso Smith (Den) As a Raider fan I love having Asomugha, but he doesn't get a lot of fantasy points. (Still signed him to a long term contract though.) McKelvin is young and doubles as a kick returner so he's going to be very valuable. Need some serious depth here... again.


Safeties: Laron Landry (Wash), William Moore (Atl), and Gerald Sensabaugh (Dal) Landry is a solid enough starter but I need someone else. Hoping to trade for somebody.

By my reckoning if this team is going to contend, it's going to do so with defense. Unless I hit on some miracle free agents or make a few lucky trades, the offense is going to be average at best.

But I'm still excited about the possibilities of the future ... and that's one of the things that a dynasty league brings with it ... endless possibilities.

Thanks to @jmtorrey for hooking me up!

5 Guys I Won't Touch in 2009 Fantasy Football

Every year there a few guys that just scream "RED ALERT!" to me. Last year I had guys like WR Marvin Harrison (correct), RB Chris Johnson (wrong), WR Joey Galloway (right), and RB Brian Westbrook (wrong) pegged as players I would avoid. And while some might criticize me for being so negative and actually eliminating players before the draft, I find it interesting to see if I'm right or wrong when the season is over. Here's a few guys I could see either falling in production, or crapping out all together in 2009 ... so I probably won't draft them unless they fall way lower than their value.

- RB Clinton Portis (Was) Portis toughed it out through injuries last year to put up good numbers, but his history of bumps and bruises is starting to pile up. For the most part, he tends to carry the Redskin offense and with very few changes to personnel on that side of the ball he will again be counted on heavily which could easily lead to a very fatigued and very injured RB.

- WR Antonio Bryant (TB) The term "One Year Wonder" comes to mind whenever I see or hear his name. Yes, he had a huge season for the Buccaneers last year, but he was out to prove himself. This year, his ego will be recharged and he will be playing with a new QB (possibly a rookie) and working with a new coaching staff. Despite the fact he was franchised by the new regime in Tampa, I strongly believe he cannot repeat the numbers he had last season.

- QB Marc Bulger (STL) Inexperienced receivers, a young offensive line, and durability issues will be his undoing this year. With the departures of Torry Holt and Orlando Pace, Bulger is now the captain of a sinking passing game. It's unlikely he'll have any serious impact this year, so why even bother with him?

- WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (Oak) I'm still trying to swallow the fact the Raiders took him instead of Crabtree or Maclin without trying to trade down to get him. He's already gotten injured in OTAs and I have a feeling it won't get a lot better in his rookie year. I'll be shocked if he scores more than three TDs this year, if that.

- RB Jamal Lewis (Cle) Give him credit for toughing it out in Cleveland the last couple of years, but the writing is on the wall for the former 2000 yard rusher. He is still projected to be the Brown's starting RB, but on a team with a new staff, a new offense, and an unstable QB situation I don't like his prospects for 2009.