Submitted for your derision: Fantasy ranks for NFL playoff leagues

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

Perhaps the dumbest thing a fantasy manager can possibly do is publish player ranks on a mainstream sports site on the morning of a draft. Definitely not recommended. Poor strategy, requiring a special combination of stupidity and hubris. Far from ideal.

Nonetheless, I'm doing it today. My first fantasy playoff draft is coming up in just a few short hours, and I'm publishing ranks in advance. (Again: Unwise). Obviously I'd prefer to post this thing much later in the afternoon, after the draft, but my schedule is pretty jammed. I've blocked off eight-and-a-half hours to watch the Big Ten get mauled across five bowl games. The conference requires my full attention. So let's just rank the NFL playoff field right

Submitted for your derision: Fantasy ranks for 2013 playoff leagues

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

Perhaps the dumbest thing a fantasy manager can possibly do is publish up-to-date player ranks on a mainstream sports site on the morning of a draft. Not recommended. This requires a special combination of stupidity and hubris. Far from ideal.

Nonetheless, today you're getting my NFL playoff ranks just a few hours before my first postseason draft of 2013. I'd prefer to publish this thing much later in the afternoon, post-draft, but unfortunately my schedule is pretty jammed. I've blocked off most of the day to watch the Big Ten get mauled for eight-and-a-half hours, across five games. So let's just rank the field right now.

But first, a few details about league settings...

My upcoming draft is a

Stealing Points, Week 16: Remember the Pack, forget the Titans

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

If you're still reading our 2012 fantasy football content, good for you. This means you're still playing games of consequence this season, and that's a good thing. (Or it means we're locked into some co-dependent relationship that's oddly functional. Okay, we can live with that, too.)

You want to fight for every last point in any fantasy game, and it's common for some sharp fantasy owners to play the one-week rental game with respect to defenses and kickers. These two positions always have good options floating around the waiver wire, in part because their week-to-week value is largely matchup-dependent. With that in mind, here is my 1.0 version of rankings at the rental spots in Week 16.

Disagree with what's here?

Breakfast Table: Funk 49

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

For the last decade or so, Michael Salfino and Scott Pianowski have been putting together an email exchange centered around (but not limited to) the NFL. You might enjoy listening to them haggle. You might prefer a swift kick into the stomach. The Table isn't for everyone; we hope some of you enjoy it.

From: Michael Salfino
Date: Wed, Nov 28, 2012 at 1:13 PM
Subject: Week 13 Breakfast
To: scott pianowski

The fantasy football seasons are mostly coming to an end. But the NFL season is really just beginning.

It's very odd to have a conference favorite like San Francisco being so unsettled at quarterback. How do you think Jim Harbaugh has handled this? Maybe you

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: PK - Week 10 (with video)

Source: KFFL.com NFL

Adam Vinatieri's accuracy has been suspect of late, but he is getting more than enough looks to overcome it.

Shuffle Up and Redraft: Starting over with 220 picks

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

In the world of spies, they mock what they don't understand. In the world of fantasy, we want to understand, so we mock.

Truth be told, this 220-pick exercise wasn't really a mock — it's a real thing. I assembled 10 of my flatliner roto friends (industry and non-industry folks included) and we're all standing behind our teams. While we won't do any maintenance to the rosters we drafted Tuesday night, we are keeping score and we are playing for a financial stake. If you can't go full out, why go at all?

We'll use best-ball scoring to determine the winners; everyone will have their best theoretical score assigned to them after each go-round. It's a total-points grab, there are no head-to-head games. We're using the

Colts | Adam Vinatieri continues to be clutch

Source: Footballguys.com

Indianapolis Colts PK Adam Vinatieri nailed a 53-yard game-winning field goal in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings with eight seconds remaining in regulation. The 53-yarder was the longest of his 24 career game-winning FGs.

2012 NFL Week 1 Fantasy Projections: Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady Top List

Source: Bleacher Report NFL

Using the WhatIfSports.com NFL simulation engine, the individual fantasy players and defensive teams are ranked based entirely on projected fantasy points using the FOXSports.com Fantasy Football default scoring where:

QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs: TDs are 6 points.

QBs: 25 passing yards is 1 point.

QBs: Interceptions are -2 points.

RBs: 10 rushing yards is 1 point.

QBs, RBs, WRs and TEs: Fumbles lost are -2 points.

WRs, TE and RBs: 10 yards

Peyton Manning - Vinatieri says Peyton Manning throwing well

Source: The Huddle

Indianapolis Colts PK Adam Vinatieri was among the teammates who got a look at QB Peyton Manning (neck) when he returned to throwing a football following his third neck procedure in the last two years. Vinatieri said Manning is not far off from his usual form. 'I haven't watched him the last few weeks, but I did see him at the end of the season,' Vinatieri said. 'He was developing nicely. Was he quite all the way back yet? No, probably not. Not to his standards. But he definitely is not that far off.'
Huddle Up: There's been more Peyton Manning news than Giants/Patriots news this week. Vegas has a prop bet on how many times Peyton will be shown on TV during the Super Bowl at O/U 3.5.

Colts | Adam Vinatieri says Peyton Manning throwing well

Source: Footballguys.com

Indianapolis Colts PK Adam Vinatieri was among the teammates who got a look at QB Peyton Manning (neck) when he returned to throwing a football following his third neck procedure in the last two years. Vinatieri said Manning is not far off from his usual form. 'I haven't watched him the last few weeks, but I did see him at the end of the season,' Vinatieri said. 'He was developing nicely. Was he quite all the way back yet? No, probably not. Not to his standards. But he definitely is not that far off.'

Week 14 Consensus Start/Sit

Source: Fantasy Football Librarian

Welcome to Week 14 consensus start/sit list. I've gone through all of this week's start/sit links that I've posted from the industry's top experts and tallied up the players with the most start/sit votes. They're listed below in no particular order.

Good luck in the playoffs!

QB
Start: Carson Palmer, Rex Grossman
Sit: Andy Dalton, Matt Ryan

RB
Start: Michael Turner, Marshawn Lynch, Ryan Mathews, Reggie Bush, Shonn Greene, C.J. Spiller, Roy Helu
Sit: Cedric Benson, Brandon Jacobs, Beanie Wells, Peyton Hillis

WR
Start: Percy Harvin, Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Santana Moss
Sit: Santonio Holmes, Pierre Garcon, Dwayne Bowe

Consensus picks for Week 13

Source: Fantasy Football Librarian

Welcome to your weekly installment of the consensus start/sit players for Week 13. As usual I went through this week's expert links and tallied up the players with the most start/sit votes. Those players are listed below in no particular order. Extra good luck this week to those on the playoffs bubble!

QB
Start: Tim Tebow, Eli Manning, Matt Moore
Sit: Ben Roethlisberger, Mark Sanchez, Joe Flacco, Carson Palmer

RB
Start: BenJarvus Green-Ellis, LeGarrette Blount, Chris Johnson, DeAngelo Williams
Sit: Steven Jackson, Peyton Hillis

WR
Start: Victor Cruz, Mike Williams, Antonio Brown, Reggie Wayne, Eric Decker
Sit: Anquan Boldin, Santana Moss, Torrey Smith, Santonio

Week 10 consensus start/sit list

Source: Fantasy Football Librarian

Welcome to the Week 10 consensus start/sit list. For those new to this feature, I've gone through this week's start/sit links posted here on FFLibrarian and tallied up the players with the most start or sit votes. You'll find them listed below in no particular order. Good luck!

QB
Start: Christian Ponder, Tim Tebow, Mark Sanchez, Matt Cassel, Matt Ryan
Sit: Josh Freeman, Jay Cutler, Andy Dalton

RB
Start: Ben Tate, Chris Johnson, DeMarco Murray, Willis McGahee, Reggie Bush
Sit: LeGarrette Blount, Ahmad Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs, Cedric Benson, Marshawn Lynch

WR
Start: Laurent Robinson, Julio Jones, Santonio Holmes
Sit: Larry Fitzgerald, Nate Washington, Brandon Lloyd,

Shuffle Up and Run: Shady McCoy grabs the yellow jersey

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

We're in an even-numbered week, so today we wash the running backs. What you'll find below is how I'd attack a fresh draft, rankings from today-forward (the defenses and the kickers tag along; next week we'll go back to the passing game). These are not weekly ranks, they're rest-of-season ranks. Assume a standard scoring format (non-PPR), ignore Week 17 from the conversation, and away we go.

I don't want to turn this week's Shuffle into a never-ending filibuster on the Top 6 running backs. I don't see the utility to that, for one thing, and I also know that fantasy owners tend to be very protective about their best players. You could take the Top 6 names out of a hat in any order and it would make

Shuffle Up and Run: Shady McCoy grabs the yellow jersey

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

We're in an even-numbered week, so today we wash the running backs. What you'll find below is how I'd attack a fresh draft, rankings from today-forward (the defenses and the kickers tag along; next week we'll go back to the passing game). These are not weekly ranks, they're rest-of-season ranks. Assume a standard scoring format (non-PPR), ignore Week 17 from the conversation, and away we go.

I don't want to turn this week's Shuffle into a never-ending filibuster on the Top 6 running backs. I don't see the utility to that, for one thing, and I also know that fantasy owners tend to be very protective about their best players. You could take the Top 6 names out of a hat in any order and it would make

Week 8 consensus start/sit

Source: Fantasy Football Librarian

Well I'm on the road from Knoxville to Atlana and while our son is napping and my husband is chauffeuring, I thought I'd crank out this week's consensus start/sit list. Gotta love smart phones! So here's the consensus list for Week 8 - remember this is based on a tally of players that got the most start/sit votes from all the links I put up this week. As always, good luck!

QB
Start: Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Eli Manning
Sit: Tim Tebow, Kevin Kolb, Matt Cassel, Alex Smith

RB
Start: DeMarco Murray, Darren Sproles, Chris Johnson, Pierre Thomas, Ryan Torain
Sit: Maurice Morris, Peyton Hillis, Montario Hardesty, DeAngelo Williams

WR
Start: Anquan Boldin, Antonio Brown,

Shuffle Up and Run: Chris Johnson’s Treehouse of Horror

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

When you're a fantasy scribe by trade, you essentially rank things for a living. Today we meet up with running backs, kickers and defenses.

The listings below are rest-of-season ranks, how I'd attack a fresh draft tonight. It's an even-numbered week, which means we hit the backfield and the two fringe positions. The passing postions (QB, WR, TE) will return to the floor next week. Assume a standard scoring format (no PPR kickback, no return yards).

What's already happened on the field matters as an audition, but this is not intended to be a list of scoring leaders. What we're focused on is value from this point forward. Your intelligent and respectful disagreement is always welcome, but for

Shuffle Up and Run: Chris Johnson’s Treehouse of Horror

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

When you're a fantasy scribe by trade, you essentially rank things for a living. Today we meet up with running backs, kickers and defenses.

The listings below are rest-of-season ranks, how I'd attack a fresh draft tonight. It's an even-numbered week, which means we hit the backfield and the two fringe positions. The passing postions (QB, WR, TE) will return to the floor next week. Assume a standard scoring format (no PPR kickback, no return yards).

What's already happened on the field matters as an audition, but this is not intended to be a list of scoring leaders. What we're focused on is value from this point forward. Your intelligent and respectful disagreement is always welcome, but for

Shuffle Up and Run: Chris Johnson’s Treehouse of Horror

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

When you're a fantasy scribe by trade, you essentially rank things for a living. Today we meet up with running backs, kickers and defenses.

The listings below are rest-of-season ranks, how I'd attack a fresh draft tonight. It's an even-numbered week, which means we hit the backfield and the two fringe positions. The passing postions (QB, WR, TE) will return to the floor next week.

What's already happened on the field matters as an audition, but this is not intended to be a list of scoring leaders. What we're focused on is value from this point forward. Your intelligent and respectful disagreement is always welcome, but for the love of all that is holy, support your position. Give us

Shuffle Up and Run: Chris Johnson’s Treehouse of Horror

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

When you're a fantasy scribe by trade, you essentially rank things for a living. Today we meet up with running backs, kickers and defenses.

The listings below are rest-of-season ranks, how I'd attack a fresh draft tonight. It's an even-numbered week, which means we hit the backfield and the two fringe positions. The passing postions (QB, WR, TE) will return to the floor next week.

What's already happened on the field matters as an audition, but this is not intended to be a list of scoring leaders. What we're focused on is value from this point forward. Your intelligent and respectful disagreement is always welcome, but for the love of all that is holy, support your position. Give us

Week 6 consensus start/sit list

Source: Fantasy Football Librarian

Greetings and welcome to the consensus start/sit list for Week 6. As a reminder, I go through all of the start/sit links that I posted throughout the week and I tally up the players with the most start/sit votes. The players are listed in no particular order below.

QB
Start: Eli Manning, Tony Romo
Sit: Alex Smith, Rex Grossman, Matt Schaub

RB
Start: Ryan Torain, James Starks, Cedric Benson, Ahmad Bradshaw, Earnest Graham (note the experts are fairly split on Graham though - he had several sit votes)
Sit: DeAngelo Williams, Jahvid Best, BenJarvus Green-Ellis

WR
Start: A.J. Green, Dez Bryant, Victor Cruz
Sit: Brandon Marshall, Reggie Wayne, Santana Moss

TE

Shuffle Up and Run: Partnering with the Law Firm

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

Sticking with the new rules of Shuffle Up 2011, we'll tackle the running backs today, along with the kickers and defenses. Next week (and all odd-numbered weeks), we'll do the passing positions (QBs, WRs, TEs). Maybe in Week 17 we'll do the offensive and defensive coordinators (I've already got Juan Castillo slotted at the bottom).

The lists below are how I'd attack a fresh draft if I had one tonight. What's happened to this point is merely an audition; if you want the list of top-scoring players through five weeks, go somewhere else. Use this post for trades, pickups, to scout and gage your team, fresh drafting purposes, that's up to you. Your respectful disagreement is always welcome, but back it up with a

Shuffle Up and Deal: Matthew Stafford makes the leap

Source: Roto Arcade by Scott Pianowski

In my most optimistic and idealistic mind, I look forward to this weekly exercise as a sharing of ideas, a way for us to connect on the NFL and try to figure things out, kindly, respectfully.

It's a nice idea, anyway. I'm going to cling to it for the next five minutes or so, until I hit "send" on this piece and release it to the world. I know what's coming. I've got a flak jacket here if I need it.

Ranking pieces invariably are going to get someone's dander up, because it's only human nature for us to get protective of the players we own and like. When someone questions our guy, we don't stand for it. Well, some of you won't. I know how it goes.

Below are my ranks for the rest of the year, how I'd

Sunday Scene, Week 2: Jamaal Charles injured as losses continue for KC

Source: Roto Arcade by Andy Behrens

You can stare at that game script all you like, Todd Haley, but you won't find an answer to your team's current predicament. The Chiefs, it appears, are toast. And they should probably fire whichever trainer is in charge of anterior cruciate ligaments, because that guy is terrible at his job.

In each of their last three games, exhibition contests included, the Chiefs have lost an essential player to a season-ending left ACL tear. Tony Moeaki went down in the preseason finale, then it was Eric Berry in Week 1, and — if the

Week 1 consensus start/sit

Source: Fantasy Football Librarian

Happy weekend and welcome to the first consensus start/sit list of the 2011 season. For those who are new to the blog this season, this consensus start/sit is not my own list on who to start or sit, but instead is a tally from all these great links you've read throughout the week. I go through each of these start/sit sites and record which players got the most votes as a start or sit. It's basically a consensus from the experts on which players you should start or sit, outside of the obvious studs and duds. It goes without saying I'm sure, but as always take into account your own team makeup and scoring system when making these decisions.

Without further ado, your Week 1 consensus start/sit players listed in no