The Sister Kissers generously donated dynasty TE1 Sam LaPorta to MMMP last offseason, and MMMP hasn’t squandered that gift by cluttering their tight end room with also-rans. The only quibble would be rostering the likes of Tyler Conklin, when LaPorta and athletic marvel Jelani Woods would probably be enough by themselves. MMMP’s wide receiver room got a major facelift during the draft with the selections of Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas, and Ladd McConkey at 1.05, 1.09, and 2.01 respectively. Those three will likely man the flex spots alongside starters DJ Moore and the troubled Rashee Rice. The likes of Troy Franklin, Michael Wilson, Rashod Bateman, and Darnell Mooney provide interesting if unreliable depth. MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 49 WR: B TE: A Much like several other teams in BTBLE, MMMP has a definitely weakness at RB2. Right now Zach Charbonnet is manning that spot. Charbs will be playing for a new coaching staff this year, one that has no loyalty to either him or the other incumbent running back, Kenneth Walker. If Carbonnet can impress and carve out a sizeable role it would go a long way to stabilizing that RB2 slot, especially if Rachaad White regresses from his monster 2023 numbers. X-FACTOR: ZACH CHARBONNET While a wise person once said “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me,” sometimes in the NFL it takes a while. Such could be the case for Rashod Bateman, who came into the NFL with a sterling analytical profile and has shown flashes, but has been derailed by injuries and sometimes erratic play. The Ravens left OBJ walk in free agency and didn’t bring in any significant competition, so their actions match their words as far as seeing a big role for Bateman in 2024. POTENTIAL BREAKOUT: RASHOD BATEMAN 2024 ROSTER VALUE
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 50 2023 DETAILED STATISTICS 2023 SCHEDULE & RESULTS WEEKLY POINTS SCORED ALL-PLAY RECORD VS.
TEAM HISTORY MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 51 HISTORY 2 REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 91-82 (.526) PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 10 ('12, '13, '14, '15, '16, '17, '18, '19, '20, '21, '22) PLAYOFF RECORD: 10-8 (.556) HIGHEST POINT TOTAL: 1,584.17 ('21) HIGHEST SCORE: 169.06 ('21) BIGGEST WIN: 94.11 ('21) LONGEST WIN STREAK: 12 ('21 - '22) 50 POINT WINS: 15 WEEKLY HIGH SCORES: 18 TRADES: 43 SCORING LEADERS SINCE 2019 QB RB RB WR WR TE FLEX FLEX FLEX JOE BURROW AUSTIN EKELER NICK CHUBB KEENAN ALLEN DJ MOORE SAM LAPORTA JOE MIXON RACHAAD WHITE LEONARD FOURNETTE 782.2 963.4 881.5 564.4 315.3 184.9 558.5 272.6 264.3 2023 WR DJ Moore 193.20 (13 games, 14.86 ppg) 2022 QB Joe Burrow 288.80 (13 games, 22.22 ppg) 2021 RB Austin Ekeler 246.50 (13 games, 18.96 ppg) 2020 QB Josh Allen 270.70 (11 games, 24.61 ppg) 2019 RB Austin Ekeler 200.30 (12 games, 16.69 ppg) REGULAR SEASON MVP PER SEASON SINCE 2019
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 52 2024 ROOKIE DRAFT RECAP AND GRADES MMMP is known for a steady, draft-based team building strategy. They came into the 2024 draft with seven picks, but made a rare trade up and ended up with a sixrookie haul. OVERALL GRADE It was yet another solid draft for MMMP, really hammering the WR position but still getting solid values. There’s not many quibbles with what transpired here. Grade: B+ 1.05 - ROME ODUNZE, WR, WASHINGTON With stacked QB and TE rooms, this pick was a no brainer. MMMP wasn’t done with the WR position, but Odunze kicked things off. He might start his NFL career a bit slow thank to a loaded depth chart in Chicago, but a being a WR drafted inside the top 10 and tied to the first overall pick is usually a good thing. Grade: A 2.01 - LADD MCCONKEY, WR, GEORGIA The aforementioned trade up was to secure Ladd McConkey, who put up some interesting per-route numbers at Georgia but never ran a ton of routes. He’ll get that chance as part of an absolutely barren Chargers depth chart. Grade: B+ 1.05 Pick Player Team Pos 2024 Rookie Draft Picks 1.09 Rome Odunze Brian Thomas CHI JAX WR3 WR5 2.01 Ladd McConkey LAC WR6 3.07 Troy Franklin DEN WR14 4.05 Spencer Rattler NO QB7 1.09 - BRIAN THOMAS, WR, LSU A few picks later MMMP snagged Brian Thomas. They surely would have loved to keep grabbing those Chiefs WRs, but Xavier Worthy went one pick earlier. Athletic specimen BTJ is a nice consolation. Grade: B 3.07 - TROY FRANKLIN, WR, OREGON Arguably the most shocking slide in the real life draft was that of Troy Franklin, who was often mocked in the first round but fell all the way to the fourth. Franklin had a similar slide in the BTBLE draft, going 3.07 to MMMP. There are concerns around Franklin’s profile to be sure, but it’s not like most of the WRs drafted before him were without flaws either. Reunited with his college QB in a Sean Payton offense in a wide open depth chart, it wouldn’t be shocking to view Franklin as the steal of the draft this time next year. Grade: B 4.05 - SPENCER RATTLER, QB, SOUTH CAROLINA After the big six QBs, there wasn’t another taken until Rattler in the fourth. MMMP doesn’t strictly need another QB but if Rattler can someday supplant crappy Derek Carr this would be a nice value. Grade: C 4.12 Dylan Laube LV RB16 DRAFT TRADES (1) As mentioned, MMMP made the one trade and it was a move up from 2.05 (Ricky Pearsall) to 2.01 (Ladd McConkey), with 3.09 being the cost. If McConkey was MMMP’s guy then sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, but other times it’s better to just draft WRs rather than pick them. Grade: C 4.12 - DYLAN LAUBE, RB, NEW HAMPSHIRE Mr. Irrelevant this year was Dylan Laube, a passcatching dynamo who could step into that role in the Raiders offense from Day One. Grade: B+
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 53 2024 SCHEDULE WEEK OPPONENT '23 H2H RECORD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 3-11 9-5 9-5 10-4 8-6 4-10 8-6 6-8 12-2 6-8 5-9 3-11 9-5 9-5 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE 107-89 (.546) SCHEDULE DIFFICULTY T-1ST
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MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 55
1.08 Pick 2.06 2.07 2.09 4.09 MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 56 Projected Starters Player '23 Finish Acquired QB RB RB WR WR TE Flex Flex Flex Jalen Hurts Saquon Barkley Kenneth Walker Davante Adams Nico Collins Brock Bowers Cooper Kupp Terry McLaurin Zay Flowers QB2 RB12 RB19 WR11 WR9 - WR41 WR28 WR30 Trade - '21 Trade - '19 Draft 1.11 - '22 Trade - '17 Trade - ‘23 Rookie 1.06 Draft 1.08 - '21 Waivers - '19 Draft 1.10 - ‘23 SUMMARY Hard Knox Life has been a strong team of late, appearing in two championships (winning one) and leading the league in scoring twice from 2019 to 2022. However cracks began to show in 2023 with aging stars Cooper Kupp, Saquon Barkley, and Davante Adams not producing quite like in years past. Despite that, a QB2 year from Jalen Hurts and a massive breakout from Nico Collins still got HKL to the playoffs, albeit as the 16-12 seventh seed where they were dispatched by second-seeded Run CMC. Heading into the offseason, plenty of questions loom for this storied franchise. QB: CJalen Hurts is a monster, of that there is no doubt. What is in doubt is who will be the QB2 for this team in 2024 and especially beyond now that Kenny Pickett is a backup (and a backup to Hurts no less, meaning even a QB injury won’t give HKL another starting QB). RB: BThe top three RBs here are pretty solid (Saquon Barkley, Kenneth Walker, and Aaron Jones), although Barkley and especially Jones are getting long in the tooth and no reinforcements were brought in via the draft. Jerick McKinnon’s run of fantasy playoff heroics did not extend into 2023 and while Justice Hill had his moments last year, he’s once again relegated to begging for scraps behind new starter Derrick Henry. Notable Bench Players QB Kenny Pickett QB31 Draft 11.11 - '22 Player '23 Finish Acquired WR Xavier Legette - Rookie 2.06 RB Aaron Jones RB37 Draft 5.03 - '18 WR Malachi Corley - Rookie 3.08 2023 FINISH: 16-12 (7TH) PF: 1,406.32 (7TH) PA: 1,521.14 (1ST) 2.09 TE Hunter Henry TE18 Draft 7.11 - ‘22
One of HKL’s bugaboos for years has been the tight end position, where they’ve often thrown Taysom Hill in there and hoped for his random 30+ explosions. All that should come to an end in 2024 with the selection of much- ballyhooed Brock Bowers at 1.06 as well as Erick All in the fourth. Bowers by himself renders guys like Cade Otton, Hunter Henry, and sadly team namesake Dawson Knox as afterthoughts. Those guys are probably too valuable to cut but not valuable enough to trade, a problem that might be solved by TEP. While HKL’s RB room didn’t get buttressed via the draft, the WR room did with the additions of Xavier Legette and Malachi Corley. Those two join last year’s breakout star Nico Collins, solid 2023 first rounder Zay Flowers, and veteran stalwarts Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, and Terry McLaurin to give HKL a solid if unspectacular receiving group. MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 57 WR: B+ TE: BXavier Legette is an enigma. Despite elite measurables, he barely did anything for four years in college (remember, most solid WR prospects play just three years). Then in his fifth year as a 23 year old, he exploded for 71/1,255/7 and earned himself first round draft capital. If he can continue his late college success in the NFL, he’ll really solidify HKL’s lineup. X-FACTOR: XAVIER LEGETTE One could argue Flowers already broke out as a rookie after putting up over 850 yards and 7 TDs, but with a year in the NFL under his belt and OBJ gone, the runway is clear for Flowers to ascend to the next tier of NFL wide receivers - an ascent he may have actually already begun, having scored 17+ fantasy points in four of his last five regular season games. POTENTIAL BREAKOUT: ZAY FLOWERS 2024 ROSTER VALUE
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 58 2023 DETAILED STATISTICS 2023 SCHEDULE & RESULTS WEEKLY POINTS SCORED ALL-PLAY RECORD VS.
TEAM HISTORY MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 59 STATS 2 REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 85-88 (.491) PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 8 ('12, '14, '16, '19, '20, '21, '22, ‘23) PLAYOFF RECORD: 10-6 (.625) HIGHEST POINT TOTAL: 1,652.66 ('19) HIGHEST SCORE: 160.47 ('19) BIGGEST WIN: 88.98 ('19) LONGEST WIN STREAK: 7 ('19) 50 POINT WINS: 8 WEEKLY HIGH SCORES: 15 TRADES: 26 SCORING LEADERS SINCE 2019 QB RB RB WR WR TE FLEX FLEX FLEX JALEN HURTS AARON JONES SAQUON BARKLEY DAVANTE ADAMS TERRY MCLAURIN AUSTIN HOOPER COOPER KUPP KENNETH WALKER MARK INGRAM 950.9 1003.8 671.6 1188.5 696.5 141.2 641.7 326.4 229.5 2023 QB Jalen Hurts 288.68 (13 games, 22.21 ppg) 2022 QB Jalen Hurts 327.88 (13 games, 25.22 ppg) 2021 WR Cooper Kupp 278.90 (13 games, 21.45 ppg) 2020 QB Aaron Rodgers 281.40 (12 games, 23.45 ppg) 2019 QB Aaron Rodgers 215.74 (11 games, 19.61 ppg REGULAR SEASON MVP PER SEASON SINCE 2019
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 60 2024 ROOKIE DRAFT RECAP AND GRADES Hard Knox Life came into the 2024 rookie draft with most of their own picks, only missing their own 3.06 and having 3.08 instead. They did not make any trades during the draft. OVERALL GRADE HKL’s draft obviously hinges on Brock Bowers. If he can develop into a Travis Kelce or Mark Andrews-level producer, that’s a massive advantage. Given Bowers’ pedigree, he was likely worth the pick. Grade: B+ 1.06 - BROCK BOWERS, TE, GEORGIA Even without TEP, if Bowers can live up to his “generational” hype better than Kyle Pitts did and become a difference maker at tight end, that’s definitely worth a mid first investment. Grade: A 2.06 - XAVIER LEGETTE, WR, SOUTH CAROLINA Despite his age and dubious production profile, Legette was clearly the last of a WR tier and a solid value at 2.06. Grade: B 3.08 - MALACHI CORLEY, WR, WESTERN KENTUCKY Much like Xavier Legette, Malachi Corley is a bit of a gadget guy, although he lacks Legette’s elite size-speed combo. He did get significant draft capital which can’t be ignored. Grade: B+ 1.06 Pick Player Team Pos 2024 Rookie Draft Picks 2.06 3.08 Brock Bowers Xavier Legette Malachi Corley LVR CAR NYJ TE1 WR10 WR15 4.06 Erick All CIN TE3 4.06 - ERICK ALL, TE, IOWA Erick All is recovering from an ACL tear so he likely won’t contribute right away, but Cincinatti has long lacked a receiving threat at tight end and All comes from Iowa, a college known for producing elite NFL tight ends. The only issue is HKL spent a premium pick earlier on a tight end. Grade: C-
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 61 2024 SCHEDULE WEEK OPPONENT '23 H2H RECORD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 5-9 6-8 12-2 4-10 8-6 9-5 9-5 10-4 8-6 4-10 3-11 5-9 6-8 12-2 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE 101-95 (.515) SCHEDULE DIFFICULTY T-5TH
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 62 We are craft beer drinkers and award-winning home brewers. We know you only get out of a beer what you put into it. That’s why we’re committed to using the best quality ingredients we can get our hands on and treating them with respect. Whether it’s malt and other grains, water, yeast or hops; we pay attention to every detail to ensure we’re producing a quality craft beer for you. We are craft beer drinkers and award-winning home brewers. We know you only get out of a beer what you put into it. That’s why we’re committed to using the best quality ingredients we can get our hands on and treating them with respect. Whether it’s malt and other grains, water, yeast or hops; we pay attention to every detail to ensure we’re producing a quality craft beer for you.
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 63 1.08 Pick 2.06 2.09 2.09 2.09 1 The Fantasy Football Team 2.17 3 Team Average 1 Votes 3 Sister Kissers 3.08 2 2 GREATEST HITS 3.00 3 4 Run CMC 4.08 2 5 Allen Carsons Project 4.25 1 6 Hard Knox Life 5.67 1 0 12 Votes 0 0 0 0 0 1 / 4 High/Low 1 / 6 1 / 7 1 / 8 1 / 7 1 / 11 Rank 1.08 2.06 2.07 2.09 2.09 2.09 7 Moore Mooney Moore Problems 7.58 0 8 Wagons 8.83 0 8 It’s Miller Time 8.83 0 10 Sad’s Lucky Buck 9.42 0 11 Sunday Funday 9.83 0 12 Sell Outs 10.25 0 1 3 3 0 3 2 4 / 12 8 / 12 4 / 12 4 / 10 8 / 12 6 / 12 All GMs were asked to rank the teams from 1st to 12th based on their roster strength. These are the results. RESULTS TAKEN ON 5/18/2023 5th 2023 t-1st 4th t-1st 8th 3rd 6th 7th 11th 9th 12th 10th
1.08 Pick 2.06 2.07 2.09 2.09 MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 64 Projected Starters Player '23 Finish Acquired QB RB RB WR WR TE Flex Flex Flex Dak Prescott Breece Hall Alvin Kamara Justin Jefferson Ja'Marr Chase Luke Musgrave Puka Nacua Drake London Curtis Samuel QB3 RB4 RB14 WR29 WR13 TE31 WR4 WR39 WR44 Trade - '23 Trade - '23 Trade - '24 Trade - '20 Draft 1.03 - '21 Trade - ‘23 Trade - '23 Trade - '24 Trade - '24 SUMMARY The 2023 season was another disappointment for the Sister Kissers. The team won 8 head to head games for the fourth straight year, and also lost in the playoffs in the first round for the fourth straight year (this time in embarrassing fashion, putting up the lowest score in franchise history in the first round, a pitiful 46.26). After leading the league in scoring in 2021 and finishing a middling 6th in 2022, they rebounded to finish 3rd in 2023 despite shedding some assets midseason when it looked like Run CMC and/or the HITS were unbeatable. They pivoted later by grabbing Dak Prescott and Javonte Williams for a run, only to see those two combine for less than 10 points in the first round of the playoffs. QB: A While their dynasty value according to sites such as KTC isn’t impressive, both Dak Prescott and Kyler Murray have proven to be elite fantasy scorers in the past and should admirably steward the Kissers into the Superflex era. Behind those two are real life third overall pick Drake Maye as well as several backups who don’t hold much value now but could as spot starters in 2025. RB: B Breece Hall is as good as they come, finishing as the RB4 last year coming off a torn ACL and stuck in a Zach Wilsonled disaster of an offense. Recent acquisition Alvin Kamara should do a lot to alleviate concerns about depth. Draft night acquisitions Chase Brown and Kimani Vidal are intriguing, as are pass catchers Jaleel McLaughlin and Blake Watson with checkdown king Bo Nix in town. Notable Bench Players QB Kyler Murray QB27 Trade - '23 Player '23 Finish Acquired RB Jaleel McLaughlin RB46 Trade - '23 RB Chase Brown RB63 Trade - '24 WR Demario Douglas WR68 Waivers - ‘23 WR Gabe Davis WR40 Trade - '23 2023 FINISH: 18-10 (4TH) PF: 1,587.28 (3RD) PA: 1,456.80 (3RD)
With Evan Engram shipped off for Alvin Kamara, Luke Musgrave is the Kissers’ sole tight end of of this writing. Musgrave is an intriguing young player but his injury last year opened the door for Tucker Kraft to steal some snaps. Jefferson, Chase, Nacua, and London form the best top four WRs in the league. Behind them are solid role players like Curtis Samuel, Gabe Davis, and Brandin Cooks, plus intriguing youngsters like Demario Douglas and Ja’Lynn Polk. Most would agree the Kissers sport the best WR room in the league. MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 65 WR: A+ TE: D The Kissers are another team with question marks behind their RB1. Alvin Kamara should stabilize the RB2 slot, but he is also a year older and could falter in 2024. Enter Chase Brown. Acquired on draft night, Brown could be a nice player in Cincy’s solid offense with a QB that loves a good checkdown. X-FACTOR: CHASE BROWN No surprise here. Much like Garrett Wilson, London has shown flashes of massive talent but has never been able to capitalize thanks to bad offenses helmed by bad QBs. Enter Zac Robinson and Kirk Cousins, who should unlock London’s monstrous potential. POTENTIAL BREAKOUT: DRAKE LONDON 2024 ROSTER VALUE
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 66 2023 DETAILED STATISTICS 2023 SCHEDULE & RESULTS WEEKLY POINTS SCORED ALL-PLAY RECORD VS.
TEAM HISTORY MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 67 STATS 2 REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 105-68 (.607) PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 9 ('12, '13, '14, '15, '18, '20, '21, '22, ‘23) PLAYOFF RECORD: 7-7 (.500) HIGHEST POINT TOTAL: 1,631.88 ('21) HIGHEST SCORE: 181.86 ('19) BIGGEST WIN: 103.99 ('19) LONGEST WIN STREAK: 13 ('12 - '13) 50 POINT WINS: 21 WEEKLY HIGH SCORES: 41 TRADES: 216 SCORING LEADERS SINCE 2019 QB RB RB WR WR TE FLEX FLEX FLEX KYLER MURRAY BREECE HALL RAHEEM MOSTERT JUSTIN JEFFERSON JA’MARR CHASE KYLE PITTS AJ BROWN DK METCALF MICHAEL THOMAS 358.1 196.8 177.8 818.6 629.2 181.9 383.4 271.7 201.8 2023 WR Ja’Marr Chase 193.82 (13 games, 14.91 ppg) 2022 WR Justin Jefferson 247.26 (13 games, 19.02 ppg) 2021 WR Justin Jefferson 219.70 (13 games, 16.90 ppg) 2020 QB Kyler Murray 158.48 (6 games, 26.41 ppg) 2019 WR Michael Thomas 124.30 (7 games, 17.76 ppg) REGULAR SEASON MVP PER SEASON SINCE 2019
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 68 As usual the Kissers were in the thick of the trading and every one of their picks involved a draft night trade. 2024 ROOKIE DRAFT RECAP AND GRADES OVERALL GRADE If not for another QB pick later in the draft, the Drake Maye pick would have been the best value in years. Regardless, it was a smash and the Vidal pick was solid as well. The trade up for Polk was a definite blemish though. Grade: BDRAFT TRADES (3) The first move the Kissers made was to trade down from 1.10 to 1.12, picking up Chase Brown in the process. Given how the board shook out, this was a slam dunk especially given the team need at RB. Grade: A+ For the second year in a row, the Kissers moved up to 2.12 by trading with IMT. Last year it was from 3.04 and it cost 4.02. This year it was from 3.03 and it also cost 4.02. Eerie. Funnily enough, the pick at 2.12 last year was Chase Brown, who rejoined the Kissers exactly one year later as per above. Grade: C A few picks later the Kissers made their last trade of the night, moving up from 3.04 to 3.02 to grab Kimani Vidal when it looked like an RB run was starting (which it was). The cost was a 2025 4th. Grade: B1.12 - DRAKE MAYE, QB, NORTH CAROLINA Things could not have worked out better for the Kissers. With Maye still on the board at 1.10 already as a massive value, they instead traded down to 1.12 and picked up a useful RB, only to have Maye fall to them at 1.12! Grade: A+ 2.12 - JA’LYNN POLK, WR, WASHINGTON The Kissers were at it again, trading up to 2.12. While on the clock they actually had some second thoughts and explored moving out of the pick (which was originally going to be Kimani Vidal), and ended up settling on Polk. Polk has some analytic flaws but got good draft capital and will get every chance to succeed with Drake Maye. Grade: C3.02 - KIMANI VIDAL, RB, TROY All’s well that ends well, as Vidal fell to 3.02 and the Kissers moved up to snag him. Vidal doesn’t have elite athleticism or production, but was very solid in both areas. He also hit the landing spot jackpot on a Chargers team with a run-first mentality and no entrenched starter ahead of him. Grade: A 1.12 Pick Player Team Pos 2024 Rookie Draft Picks 2.12 3.02 Drake Maye Ja’Lynn Polk Kimani Vidal NE NE LAC RB9 WR12 RB7
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 69 2024 SCHEDULE WEEK OPPONENT '23 H2H RECORD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 4-10 8-6 10-4 5-9 6-8 3-11 5-9 9-5 9-5 12-2 6-8 4-10 8-6 10-4 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE 99-97 (.505) SCHEDULE DIFFICULTY 7TH
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 70 2024 AGM RECAP 2/1/2024 2024 Changes: Roster Expansion: Increase bench spots by 1. Offseason Roster Expansion: Each offseason at the rookie draft, four bench spots will be added. These extra bench spots will be removed on Cutdown Day. Offseason Waivers: In the offseason, waivers will run every Monday and Thursday. The Monday run immediately after the rookie draft (which happens on a Friday) will be skipped. Fumble Scoring: Scoring for player fumbles will change from -1 for a fumble, -1 for a fumble lost to -2 for a fumble lost. Trade Deadline: The trade deadline will be removed.
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 71 WAIVER fr 5/ e 16/ n 202 z 4 y $121 | 4 Bids THEO JOHNSON $67 | 1 Bid JARED WILEY $51 | 3 Bids DILLON JOHNSON $101 | 1 Bid JACOB COWING $58 | 4 Bids CADE STOVER $50 | 1 Bid MARQUEZ VALDES-SCANTLING $87 | 3 Bids AINIAS SMITH $76 | 3 Bids BLAKE WATSON $20 | 2 Bids CORNELIUS JOHNSON $20 | 2 Bids JALEN COKER $16 | 1 Bid CODY SCHRADER $12 | 2 Bids JASE MCCLELLAN $3 | 2 Bids JAMARI THRASH $0 | 1 Bid TYROD TAYLOR
1.08 Pick 2.06 2.07 2.09 4.09 2.09 2.09 MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 72 Projected Starters Player '23 Finish Acquired QB RB RB WR WR TE Flex Flex Flex Brocky Purdy Raheem Mostert De’Von Achane Amon-Ra St. Brown Keenan Allen Jonnu Smith Tony Pollard DeAndre Hopkins Xavier Worthy QB6 RB3 RB24 WR3 WR8 TE17 RB15 WR22 - Waivers - ‘22 Trade - '23 Draft 1.05 - ‘23 Trade - '22 Trade - ‘23 Waivers - ‘23 Trade - '22 Trade - '22 Rookie 1.08 SUMMARY Stop me if you’ve heard this before: it was a charmed season for Sad’s Lucky Buck. After pulling out a 53.20-51.22 win and a 70.06-58.64 win in 2022, the Buck was at it again in 2023, notching a 98.50-97.92 win in Week 3 as well as finishing dead last in points against after finishing 11th in 2022. Thanks to Brock Purdy, Amon-Ra St. Brown, De’Von Achane and several other stars, the Buck did score the 6th most points to finish 19-9 and secure the third seed before bowing out in the first round to eventual runner up Allen Carsons Project. QB: C- “Big Cock” Brock Purdy established himself as an elite fantasy QB in 2023, finishing as the QB6 and lining himself up for a big raise. Behind him isn’t much. Matt Stafford was decent but seems set to retire any offseason now, and Gardner Minshew is a bridge QB that can’t be relied on. RB: A No team in BTBLE has even close to the insane RB depth that the Buck has built over the past few years. They’ve attacked the position in every way: draft (De’Von Achane at 1.05 in 2023, Blake Corum and Jaylen Wright in 2024), waivers (Jaylen Warren in 2021), and many trades (Tony Pollard, Raheem Mostert, Nick Chubb, Gus Edwards). The only thing lacking here is that one true superstar (assuming Chubb doesn’t ever come back 100%), although Achane could become that star if he can stay on the field. Notable Bench Players QB Matt Stafford QB15 Trade - '23 Player '23 Finish Acquired RB Gus Edwards RB21 Trade - '23 RB Jerome Ford RB17 Trade - ‘23 RB Nick Chubb RB87 Trade - ‘23 RB Jaylen Warren RB25 Waivers - '22 RB Blake Corum - Rookie 2.04 2023 FINISH: 19-9 (3RD) PF: 1,502.58 (6TH) PA: 1,318.38 (12TH)
With Darren Waller retiring, the only thing keeping this rating from a big fat F is the fact Ben Sinnott is getting some steam. Call it the Sam LaPorta effect, although Sinnott is not near the prospect LaPorta was. Assuming Sinnott is your average rookie tight end, Jonnu Smith will be the starter. Talk about a black hole in an otherwise very good starting lineup. Unlike at RB, the Buck does have that superstar at WR in Amon-Ra St. Brown. Joining him is first rounder Xavier Worthy, who brings some much-needed youth to this group. Keenan Allen and DeAndre Hopkins are legends, but definitely on the back nine of their careers despite strong 2023 seasons. You either retire a hero or play long enough to become Adam Thielen. MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 73 WR: B TE: D Lots of teams in BTBLE are looking for some surprise production from their RBs. There won’t be any concern there for the Buck. Instead, they need rookie Ben Sinnott to have a big year to really solidify their lineup and push them towards that championship. X-FACTOR: BEN SINNOTT Najee Harris is clearly the starter in Pittsburgh, and Najee Harris is also clearly the second- best RB in Pittsburgh. Whether noted fantasy football terrorist Arthur Smith, the new OC for the Steelers, chooses to unleash Jaylen Warren is anyone’s guess - but Warren clearly has the talent to smash. POTENTIAL BREAKOUT: JAYLEN WARREN 2024 ROSTER VALUE
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 74 2023 DETAILED STATISTICS 2023 SCHEDULE & RESULTS WEEKLY POINTS SCORED ALL-PLAY RECORD VS.
TEAM HISTORY MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 75 STATS 0 REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 90-83 (.520) PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 7 ('13, '17, '18, '19, '20, '22, ‘23) PLAYOFF RECORD: 6-7 (.462) HIGHEST POINT TOTAL: 1,502.58 ('23) HIGHEST SCORE: 150.38 ('20) BIGGEST WIN: 86.2 ('18) LONGEST WIN STREAK: 5 ('17) 50 POINT WINS: 11 WEEKLY HIGH SCORES: 10 TRADES: 88 SCORING LEADERS SINCE 2019 QB RB RB WR WR TE FLEX FLEX FLEX LAMAR JACKSON JOSH JACOBS TONY POLLARD AMON-RA ST. BROWN ADAM THIELEN ZACH ERTZ JAMES ROBINSON DEVIN SINGLETARY CHRISTIAN KIRK 418.5 384.7 349.7 467.4 250.9 221.7 338.8 233.4 227.3 2023 QB Brock Purdy 205.12 (10 games, 20.51 ppg) 2022 QB Kyler Murray 194.52 (11 games, 17.68 ppg) 2021 QB Lamar Jackson 140.64 (6 games, 23.44 ppg) 2020 RB James Robinson 200.80 (12 games, 16.73 ppg) 2019 QB Deshaun Watson 261.42 (12 games, 21.79 ppg) REGULAR SEASON MVP PER SEASON SINCE 2019
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 76 Once again, Sad’s Lucky Buck GM Sean wasn’t present at the draft and thus autodrafted based off his queue. Accordingly, the team made no trades. 2024 ROOKIE DRAFT RECAP AND GRADES OVERALL GRADE Yes this was another autodraft from a queue so it’s fair game to judge. It’s definitely easier to draft in person especially when you can trade, and it definitely feels like Sad’s Lucky Buck would have been better off trading down in many spots instead of sticking and picking. Grade: D 1.08 - XAVIER WORTHY, WR, TEXAS At 1.08 with Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy on the board, the pick was Xavier Worthy. The Buck’s WR room is talented but old, so Worthy makes sense even though the QB situation is very shaky for next season. Grade: C 2.04 - BLAKE CORUM, RB, MICHIGAN With their second pick, the Buck sniped the Project and grabbed the draft’s RB3. Corum was solid in college, although after his big knee injury he wasn’t as good. The thing is, RB is the last thing this team needs. Yes, draft for talent over need, but there were first round NFL wide receivers still on the board. To draft a handcuff here seems like a mistake. Grade: D 3.05 - BEN SINNOTT, TE, KANSAS STATE With their last pick of the draft, the Buck grabbed Ben Sinnott, their TE of the future and potentially the present. This was a solid pick. Grade: A2.08 - JAYLEN WRIGHT, RB, TENNESSEE Four picks later the Buck was at it again, passing on the likes of Michael Penix, Bo Nix, Ja’Lynn Polk, Roman Wilson, and Troy Franklin to grab yet another RB. Jaylen Wright joins Achane and Mostert in the Buck’s collection of Miami RBs. Grade: D 1.08 Pick Player Team Pos 2024 Rookie Draft Picks 2.04 2.08 3.05 Xavier Worthy Blake Corum Jaylen Wright Ben Sinnott KC LAR MIA WAS WR4 RB3 RB4 TE2
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 77 2024 SCHEDULE WEEK OPPONENT '23 H2H RECORD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 8-6 4-10 8-6 4-10 3-11 6-8 12-2 6-8 5-9 9-5 9-5 8-6 4-10 8-6 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE 94-102 (.480) SCHEDULE DIFFICULTY 9TH
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 78 BTBLE TRADE PIT 216 138 114 24 61 61 65 21 54 88 43 26
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 79 WEEKLY SCORING LEADERS 2023 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 122.96 172.00 173.52 136.38 140.82 136.14 143.96 163.48 124.82 161.32 136.08 157.46 132.38 131.36 RAHEEM MOSTERT: 41.7 KEENAN ALLEN: 35.46 JUSTIN JEFFERSON: 24.4
1.08 Pick 2.06 2.07 2.09 4.09 2.09 MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 80 Projected Starters Player '23 Finish Acquired QB RB RB WR WR TE Flex Flex Flex Jordan Love Christian McCaffrey James Cook Stefon Diggs Mike Evans TJ Hockenson Deebo Samuel Jordan Addison Tyler Lockett QB5 RB1 RB11 WR10 WR5 TE4 WR12 RB9 WR16 Trade - ‘23 Trade - '18 Draft 1.05 - '22 Trade - '18 Trade - '22 Draft 6.09 - '21 Trade - '23 Draft 1.06 - ‘23 Trade - ‘22 SUMMARY It was a ninth straight playoff season for Run CMC in 2023, and for the ninth straight time there was no championship glory to be had. Behind huge seasons from veterans Christian McCaffrey, Mike Evans, and Deebo Samuel, Run CMC went 22-6 and led the league in points for the second time in four seasons, setting the all-time points record in the process. After a big win in the first round, Run CMC lost to the eventual champions, another bitter end to another great regular season. QB: A Justin Herbert is a star but he struggled in 2023, no way around it. He now gets a run-first head coach and OC, as well as seeing Hall of Famer Keenan Allen (along with Mike Williams) replaced with a second round rookie. The other star QB for Run CMC is Jordan Love, who came over in a trade with Sunday Funday last year for an injured Kirk Cousins. Funday did secure the 1.01, but Love blossomed into a star for Run CMC. RB: C+ The legendary Christian McCaffrey survived trade rumors and is still at the helm, and James Cook broke out in 2023 under run-heavy OC Joe Brady. However the big all-in acquisition of Austin Ekeler backfired quite a bit and there’s not much else here. Notable Bench Players QB Justin Herbert QB17 Draft 7.07 - '21 Player '23 Finish Acquired WR Austin Ekeler RB28 Trade - '23 WR DJ Chark WR58 Draft 3.07 - ‘22 WR Mike Williams WR113 Trade - ‘22 TE David Njoku TE6 Trade - '22 2023 FINISH: 22-6 (2ND) PF: 1,770.02 (1ST) PA: 1,449.94 (4TH)
The only thing keeping this rating from A+ is Cameron Latu, who is simply superfluous on a roster with a bonafide star in TJ Hockenson, a late career breakout David Njoku, and an athletic freak in Noah Fant who hopes to follow in Njoku’s footsteps. Those three are plenty for an entire roster. With a WR room boasting of Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Tyler Lockett, Stefon Diggs, and Mike Williams, no team in the league has close to this level of veteran firepower. Hopefully they all continue to age gracefully, since only Jordan Addison is young (and good). Rondale Moore has thus far failed to capitalize on his prodigious athleticism, but maybe he can break out in Atlanta. MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 81 WR: B TE: A With very little draft picks and no major trades as of this writing, Run CMC is basically running it back for another year. One of the mainstays of their recent success has been Stefon Diggs, who flourished after his trade to Buffalo. But for two seasons in a row, Diggs has tailed off sharply at the end of the year, and now finds his antics have worn out his welcome in Buffalo. Yes, he was traded to another great spot in Houston, but that team already has two established young WRs. What role will Diggs play? How much does he have left in the tank? Run CMC has seemingly already had one aging star (Austin Ekeler) drop off the cliff - is Diggs next? Such is the struggle of a dynasty roster with aging superstars. X-FACTOR: STEFON DIGGS Jordan Addison was a definite possibility here, but he arguably broke out last year and it’s hard to see him improving his production with a QB downgrade and a hopefully healthier Justin Jefferson. Enter Noah Fant, who stayed in Seattle this offseason but now has a new coaching staff and watched the other two tight ends in the Seahawks’ frustrating three TE rotation depart. The runway is clear for Fant to finally capitalize on his superb athletic traits and give Run CMC a third elite tight end. POTENTIAL BREAKOUT: NOAH FANT 2024 ROSTER VALUE
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 82 2023 DETAILED STATISTICS 2023 SCHEDULE & RESULTS WEEKLY POINTS SCORED ALL-PLAY RECORD VS.
TEAM HISTORY MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 83 STATS 0 REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 100-73 (.578) PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 9 ('15, '16, '17, '18, '19, '20, '21, '22, ‘23) PLAYOFF RECORD: 7-9 (.438) HIGHEST POINT TOTAL: 1,770.02 ('23) HIGHEST SCORE: 185.14 ('20) BIGGEST WIN: 87.7 ('15) LONGEST WIN STREAK: 9 ('20) 50 POINT WINS: 23 WEEKLY HIGH SCORES: 18 TRADES: 54 SCORING LEADERS SINCE 2019 QB RB RB WR WR TE FLEX FLEX FLEX JUSTIN HERBERT CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY DALVIN COOK STEFON DIGGS ALLEN ROBINSON TJ HOCKENSON MIKE EVANS LEONARD FOURNETTE JARVIS LANDRY 812.2 1237.1 602.2 1084.8 485.3 595.3 351.0 348.3 224.5 2023 RB Christian McCaffrey 284.40 (13 games, 21.88 ppg) 2022 RB Christian McCaffrey 233.56 (13 games, 17.97 ppg) 2021 QB Justin Herbert 295.68 (13 games, 22.74 ppg) 2020 WR Adam Thielen 176.10 (11 games, 16.01 ppg) 2019 RB Christian McCaffrey 315.60 (12 games, 26.30 ppg) REGULAR SEASON MVP PER SEASON SINCE 2019
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 84 For the second draft in a row, Run CMC had little to do. In 2023 they at least traded back into the first, but were unable to pull the trigger on any trades this time around and made just the two fourth round picks. 2024 ROOKIE DRAFT RECAP AND GRADES OVERALL GRADE It’s tough to assign a grade to such a paltry addition of talent. There wasn’t much that could have been done differently with these picks. But what’s the fun in admitting that? Grade: C 4.01 - LUKE MCCAFFREY, WR, RICE Nepotism was the theme of this draft and it started with star Christian McCaffrey’s younger brother Luke. If Luke can be a fraction of the player his brother became at the NFL level this will be a smash, but unfortunately CMC went eighth overall in the real NFL draft while Luke went 100th. The RBs were pretty picked over at 4.01 but it still might have made sense to take a shot on one, although this team needs youth everywhere. Grade: B 4.08 - FRANK GORE JR, RB, SOUTHERN MISS Next up Run CMC did snag a RB, going with Frank Gore Jr. He is probably the RB3 in Buffalo at this point, so not a real path to production in the short term. Dylan Laube probably would have been a better pick here. Grade: C4.01 Pick Player Team Pos 2024 Rookie Draft Picks 4.08 Luke McCaffrey Frank Gore Jr WAS BUF WR18 RB15
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 85 2024 SCHEDULE WEEK OPPONENT '23 H2H RECORD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 9-5 3-11 4-10 12-2 6-8 5-9 6-8 8-6 4-10 8-6 10-4 9-5 3-11 4-10 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE 91-105 (.464) SCHEDULE DIFFICULTY T-10TH
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 86 GM Spotlight WITH THE FANTASY FOOTBALL TEAM GM JASON The Fantasy Football Team shockingly missed the playoffs in 2022 and started 2-10 in 2023 before hitting their stride and winning every game from that point on, including the championship. This offseason we were able to catch up with the Team’s GM Jason to gain some insight and reflection as we head into 2024 where he’ll look to become the second team to repeat. Q: Jason, first off, congratulations on your second championship and building a roster dynasty daydreams are made of. What's your overall feeling on your team for 2024? A: I'm glad I waited until after the draft to answer this as the draft went off the rails once 1.02 was up for trade. I still feel very good about 2024 as I have some star players with decent depth - just not as much now that I made the play for Caleb. I didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to get a top QB prospect in this draft, especially going into Superflex. Might be a bit risky as I try to repeat this year but long term I think it was the right move as QBs will become tough to get. I now have three starting QBs under 25 to build around so I feel pretty good about that. Q: The 2023 season started very rough for you. With the benefit of hindsight you know staying the course was the right choice, but just how close were you to blowing it all up when you were 2-10? A: I was getting close to blowing it up but wanted to wait another week or two as I felt I had a good team, it just wasn't coming together like it should. I believe it was the first COVID year where I had King Henry and Dalvin Cook and both the Titans and the Vikings were hit hard and my team was struggling as a result. I think I blew that one up a bit too early trading both Henry and Cook and had I waited I may have weathered the storm a bit better. Q: You really turned a corner a few years ago as far as trading. Once known as the guy who would think about deals but seldom pull the trigger, you're now one of the league's best and most prolific traders. What changed? A: Early on in BTBLE I was still learning the ropes of fantasy football. BTBLE was my first fantasy league and some early trades didn't go so well for me. Once I started feeling comfortable with the values of players and picks it made trading easier. The other main thing was when I decided to blow it up after going 2-11 a few years back I found it really enjoyable and fun rebuilding and trading. Fantasy football should be fun and even if I wasn't in the playoffs I was having fun making trades and trying to improve my team. Can't win them all but you can't make a shot if you don't try! Q: What's your biggest regret of 2023? Move you're most proud of? A: Honestly no big regrets but I do admit I will miss guys I traded away like Puka, Breece Hall and Mark Andrews. At the time I needed to fill some holes and get some depth to make a playoff run. For most proud, it’s close and I'm not sure I can pick one as it was really a two-parter. Going into Superflex I knew I needed to try to improve my QB room but also balance out winning. Adding Tua (then T-Law) was big for me for the long run. It cost me Puka but hopefully I have a long time QB starter now. The second part was moving Tua for T-Law but a key component of that trade was getting Mixon. I knew I needed another RB if I was going to go deep in the playoffs and Mixon paid off.
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 87 Q: In your opinion, who is the best trade partner in the league right now? What makes it so? A: This is tough as so many managers are willing to trade. I think that is what makes BTBLE the best league ever. If you really want to get a guy or move a guy you probably will have success. Obviously Evan and Lance are at the top and always willing to trade. But I think in 2023 I made deals with every manager except one (Paul) but we were in talks right at the deadline and we were close to getting a deal done. Overall I think the quality of offers sent in this league are solid. I play in other leagues and some of the offers are absolute trash. I think everyone who sends an offer tries to put something solid together not trying to lowball people or take advantage of them. This is truly a unique league that is fun to be in if you are an active trader. Q: Which team (other than yours) would you like to see succeed this year? A: I'd probably say Paul. He has solid QBs and has been amassing some young WRs but it hasn't all come together for him yet. He has a ton of picks in 2025 which should be another solid draft class so maybe it is still another year away but anything can happen Q: Other predictions on finishes this year? A: Tough to call as there are some solid teams right now and it comes down to who can stay healthy at the end of the year. It is so hard to win it once, let alone win it back to back years. It was truly amazing what Nick D did, winning it back to back. I predict this will be a very tight year where we could see 4-5 teams fighting for the last couple playoffs. My prediction is some big trading down the stretch with the playoff push and others trying to collect picks leading into our first Superflex season where QBs will be in demand. Q: Who is your favorite player in the NFL? Why? A: One of my favourite players is Waddle but that one is too easy since he plays for my favourite team - the Dolphins. So to change it up I will go with Gibbs. I'm excited to watch him play this year and see him take the next step to be a top RB in the league. He's fun to watch as he can do it all. One of my favorite RBs of all time is Barry Sanders (I have his rookie card) so cheering for another Detroit RB is pretty easy to do. Q: Who do you think is the breakout player on your roster this year? A: Same as above - Gibbs. He had some good games last year but I think he could take the next step and be a top 3 RB in the league. He can do it all, hit the home run big play and also catch passes out of the backfield. He had 72 targets last year and I think he can do even better in his second season as the game slows down for him. Really excited to watch him play this year. He is an allaround back with good vision, quickness, burst and tough to tackle in the open field. He could have a monster season this year. Q: When we're all dead and gone, what do you hope they say about you in the BTBLE history books? A: I don't really think about this much (long term) but my goal each year is to be very active and participate in league activities, trades etc. Obviously you want to win each year but trading can be just as fun and keep you motivated and active. Q: Outside of fantasy football, what are some of your favorite hobbies? What are you ideally doing on a Saturday in late July? A: Hanging out at the cabin, hopefully fishing. Nothing beats being at the lake in the summer, relaxing with a drink on the patio and firing up the smoker for some BBQ! Food and wine are a big part of my life and we are always cooking up a storm at home or at the lake. Q: If you could take back one move from your BTBLE career, what would it be? A: Two stand out right away: as mentioned above the year I traded away Cook and Henry I kind of wish I didn't and maybe I could have made a run. But that was the start of my rebuild (2-11) which eventually ended up with me in position to win in 2023. The other thing I mentioned above was I made some bad trades early on in my fantasy career. The one that still haunts me is I think my first BTBLE trade. I traded Andre Johnson to Brad. I got Hakeem Nicks who instantly flamed out once I got him and Johnson went on to have 1,500+ yards in back to back seasons. What a disaster that was. It made me a bit gun shy for a few years. Q: The league all gets kidnapped and forced into a Squid Games-type scenario. Give me your breakdown as to the league's social breakdown and how it would all end for everyone. A: Oh this would be something to watch! We have a lot of competitive people in the league and it would be a battle. I think it shows when we all get together for the draft and everyone is trying to make last minute deals and jockey for position to better their team. Guys leveraging players/picks against others trying to maximize their deals. I see it being very similar in a Squid Games-type scenario. It would be cut-throat I'm sure. I mentioned this at the draft but we had 34 picks that traded hands out of 48 which is huge. Everyone is trying to gain that advantage over the rest of the league and it is great. Q: Any last words for the rest of the league? A: 2024 is going to be a great year as I work towards a repeat! Also, "Let's make a deal!" And that concludes our interview with two-time champion Jason. Thanks to Jason for his time and we wish him the best of luck in 2024 as he looks to take our money again. - Evan S.
1.08 Pick 2.06 4.092.07 4.092.07 MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 88 Projected Starters Player '23 Finish Acquired QB RB RB WR WR TE Flex Flex Flex Patrick Mahomes D’Andre Swift Rhamondre Stevenson Tyreek Hill AJ Brown Travis Kelce DeVonta Smith DK Metcalf Tank Dell QB8 RB23 RB36 WR2 WR7 TE2 WR20 WR16 WR38 Trade - '21 Trade - '23 Trade - '21 Trade - '18 Trade - '22 Trade - '19 Draft 1.06 - '21 Trade - '22 Draft 3.11 - ‘23 SUMMARY The HITS had a great 2023 season, ripping off 11 straight head to head wins to start the season, scoring 100+ in every game but one (and 98.86 in that game). When the dust of regular season cleared, the HITS had twin 12-2 head to head and median records for a 24-4 finish and a first round bye. However, another championship was not meant to be. The HITS came up against Amari Cooper and the Allen Carsons Project in the second round, and 181.36 points from the Project later, the HITS were hitting the golf course. QB: B Anytime you have Patrick Mahomes, your QB room is good. However with Superflex on the horizon, the only other QB on the roster is Geno Smith who is a tenuous starter at best. RB: C+ Rhamondre Stevenson and D’Andre Swift are decent starters, but behind them are also-rans Zeke Elliott, Alexander Mattison, Kenny Gainwell, and the HITS’ lone 2024 draft pick Audric Estime. In years past the brilliance of Pat Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and AJ Brown has carried the HITS, but that’s a knife’s edge to balance on. At some point some RB firepower might be required. One saving grace might be Zack Moss, who has a chance to be the lead dog for the Bengals. Notable Bench Players RB Ezekiel Elliott RB32 Trade - '22 Player '23 Finish Acquired WR Courtland Sutton WR35 Trade - ‘23 RB Zack Moss RB29 Draft 14.09 - ‘22 QB Geno Smith QB18 Trade - '23 WR Jakobi Meyers WR24 Draft 3.11 - '22 2023 FINISH: 24-4 (1ST) PF: 1,675.38 (2ND) PA: 1,338.86 (9TH)
Travis Kelce wasn’t his dominant self in the 2023 regular season, finishing as just the TE2, but he showed in the playoffs that might have been more the Chiefs saving him than any slowing down. However with Kelce a year older it seems that may be the case again in 2024. Behind Kelce is Mike Gesicki, the athletic freak who’s shown flashes but never put it together. He’s now a Bengal, and maybe a new home will unlock him like it did for guys like Evan Engram. The HITS are the basically the only team in BTBLE that could make an argument they have a better WR room than the Sister Kissers. Tyreek Hill was magnificent yet again in 2023 and only a late injury kept him from being the runaway WR1 and likely eclipsing 2,000 yards. AJ Brown was a beast as well, DeVonta Smith and DK Metcalf were good as usual, Courtland Sutton and Jakobi Meyers were solid role players, and as if all that wasn’t enough, the HITS unearthed a rookie gem with 2023 3.11 Tank Dell. MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 89 WR: A+ TE: B+ At this point we can agree D’Andre Swift is what he is. Rhamondre Stevenson is another candidate here, but Zack Moss showed some explosiveness in 2023. If he can beat out Chase Brown for the majority of the work in Cincy, he could really stabilize the HITS’ RB room in case Swift or Stevenson (or both) falter. X-FACTOR: ZACK MOSS Zack Moss would be a good choice here as well, but we’ll go with Mike Gesicki. The Bengals have tried several options at tight end in the past few years but have never been able to find a difference maker. Maybe Gesicki can be that guy. He’s had his moments in both Miami and New England but has never been consistent. With Travis Kelce on yearly retirement watch, a breakout from Gesicki would be most welcome since the majority of the HITS’ 2025 draft capital will likely have to go towards shoring up QB and RB. POTENTIAL BREAKOUT: MIKE GESICKI 2024 ROSTER VALUE
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 90 2023 DETAILED STATISTICS 2023 SCHEDULE & RESULTS WEEKLY POINTS SCORED ALL-PLAY RECORD VS.
TEAM HISTORY MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 91 STATS 1 REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 106-67 (.613) PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 9 ('12, '13, '15, '16, '17, '18, '20, '21, '22, ‘23) PLAYOFF RECORD: 9-9 (.500) HIGHEST POINT TOTAL: 1,675.38 ('22) HIGHEST SCORE: 165.41 ('20) BIGGEST WIN: 94.6 ('21) LONGEST WIN STREAK: 8 ('16) 50 POINT WINS: 13 WEEKLY HIGH SCORES: 22 TRADES: 61 SCORING LEADERS SINCE 2019 QB RB RB WR WR TE FLEX FLEX FLEX PATRICK MAHOMES EZEKIEL ELLIOTT JONATHAN TAYLOR TYREEK HILL DEVONTA SMITH TRAVIS KELCE AJ BROWN RHAMONDRE STEVENSON DK METCALF 1005.6 675.3 537.0 1257.5 491.4 1040.1 481.3 328.3 318.3 2023 WR Tyreek Hill 274.20 (13 games, 21.09 ppg) 2022 QB Patrick Mahomes 316.40 (13 games, 24.34 ppg) 2021 RB Jonathan Taylor 288.40 (13 games, 22.18 ppg) 2020 WR Tyreek Hill 236.90 (12 games, 19.74 ppg) 2019 RB Ezekiel Elliott 194.10 (12 games, 16.18 ppg) REGULAR SEASON MVP PER SEASON SINCE 2019
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 92 2024 ROOKIE DRAFT RECAP AND GRADES Last year the HITS made just two picks. They came into this draft with two picks as well, but ended up trading their fourth for a 2025 fourth and thus walk away with just the one rookie. OVERALL GRADE There’s not much to say here. It was a solid effort given the options available. Grade: B 3.10 - AUDRIC ESTIME, RB, NOTRE DAME Estime was productive in college but did not test well (when he tested at all), raising some questions about his athleticism. To be fair his on-field GPS speeds were fine, and some draft analysts were confident Estime was one of the best backs in this class. Grade: B DRAFT TRADES (1) While on the clock at 4.10, the HITS moved the pick to the Team in exchange for Sunday Funday’s 2025 4th which will likely be earlier than 4.10. A solid move. Grade: B+ 3.10 Pick Player Team Pos 2024 Rookie Draft Picks Audric Estime DEN RB10
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 93 2024 SCHEDULE WEEK OPPONENT '23 H2H RECORD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 6-8 5-9 6-8 9-5 9-5 8-6 10-4 3-11 4-10 8-6 4-10 6-8 5-9 6-8 STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE 89-107 (.454) SCHEDULE DIFFICULTY 12TH
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 94 START END SEPT 20 SEPT 30 OCT 04 OCT 06 NOV 01
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 95
1.08 Pick 2.06 2.07 2.09 4.09 MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 96 Projected Starters Player '23 Finish Acquired QB RB RB WR WR TE Flex Flex Flex Josh Allen Kyren Williams Derrick Henry Amari Cooper Calvin Ridley Evan Engram Christian Kirk James Conner Josh Jacobs QB1 RB6 RB8 WR18 WR17 TE3 WR47 RB18 RB27 Trade - '21 Trade - '23 Trade - '22 Trade - '22 Trade - '23 Trade - '24 Trade - '22 Trade - '22 Trade - '21 SUMMARY After four straight non-playoff seasons from 2018 through 2021, it was a second straight strong year for the Project in 2023. This iteration of the squad set the franchise points record for second straight season, finishing 16-12 and capturing the sixth seed. In the playoffs, the Project upset #3 Sad’s Lucky Buck and then #1 GREATEST HITS, the latter by way of a franchise-record 181.36 points. Unfortunately in the title game, Alvin Kamara, Noah Brown, and Gerald Everett got injured and the Project fell short of capturing its first trophy. QB: A The Project proudly rosters Josh Allen, the QB1. Not only that, they have solid backups in Jared Goff and Baker Mayfield, who both got the bag this offseason, plus Bo Nix. A second elite starter would be the chef’s kiss here, but this is still a very nice QB room. RB: A The only rival to Sad’s Lucky Buck for RB strength and depth is the Project, although that takes a hit with the trade of Alvin Kamara. Still, their top four of Kyren Williams, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs, and James Conner can put up points in a hurry. Not only that, but they have speed demons Marshawn Lynch and Keaton Mitchell waiting in the wings. Notable Bench Players QB Jared Goff QB7 Trade - ‘24 Player '23 Finish Acquired WR Keon Coleman - Rookie 2.03 QB Baker Mayfield QB10 Waivers - ‘23 TE Dalton Schultz TE11 Trade - '22 2023 FINISH: 18-10 (6TH) PF: 1,523.90 (5TH) PA: 1,350.04 (10TH)
Prior to the Evan Engram trade these tight ends sucked, no way around it. Engram pushes Dalton Schultz to the TE2 role where he belongs. Backups Brevin Jordan and Brenton Strange are probably wasted roster spots. The Project have a decent WR room: Christian Kirk, Amari Cooper, Calvin Ridley, and rookie Keon Coleman. It’s not amazing but it’s not bad either. Ask the HITS, who were victimized by Cooper’s 46 points in the 2023 semifinals. One quibble here is the abundance of roster cloggers like Josh Reynolds, Demarcus Robinson, KJ Hamler, and Allan Lazard. MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 97 WR: C TE: C+ Coleman has already drawn rave reviews for his hilarious personality, but his on-field production is what matters. The Project has several WR2 types but is lacking that dominant WR1 to pair with their RB buzzsaw. If Coleman can be that guy, he could truly put this roster at a championship level. X-FACTOR: KEON COLEMAN It’s tough to pick a breakout on a team mostly full of established veterans. Let’s go with Keaton Mitchell, who was acquired for a 3rd from the Sister Kissers a few days before the rookie draft. Last year De’Von Achane averaged 7.7 ypc and everyone lost their minds. Mitchell averaged 8.43. Yes a late season ACL tear will likely slow him down, but if he can come back late in the year and contribute, he could pair with Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson to give the Ravens a truly frightening rushing attack. POTENTIAL BREAKOUT: KEATON MITCHELL 2024 ROSTER VALUE
MAY 2024 | ISSUE 02 98 2023 DETAILED STATISTICS 2023 SCHEDULE & RESULTS WEEKLY POINTS SCORED ALL-PLAY RECORD VS.