Last Place Wisdom: "Oh, you're thinking of the support group. I made that same mistake myself. They're called the Blue Man Group"

I wouldn’t blame John if he was looking for his own Blue Man Group to join right about now. To anyone who has been paying attention, it is clear just how badly John and Aaron want to get their first wins out of the way. While Aaron lost in somewhat heartbreaking fashion, John was kicked in the balls so hard that all of the sad Peanut’s music in the world couldn’t express how badly he has to be feeling after that loss.

I must admit, I had enjoyed seeing John struggle early on, but at this point, I just feel bad for him. I know how I would be reacting to seeing my beloved fantasy football team do so poorly, and it wouldn’t be good, so I’m impressed by how well John has been able to keep it together. I’ll let G.O.B and Buster say what we’re all thinking about John:

I can totally relate to John’s position, given my struggles the last 2 years. Looking at John’s team, I would have done the exact same thing as him for the first 5 rounds (Spiller, Richardson, Graham, White, Sproles). I wouldn’t have taken Luck so early, but the rest of his picks were ones I would’ve made myself. It doesn’t make it any easier knowing even if you make the “smart” choice, it still is no guarantee of success. I’m not sure what is going through John’s mind, whether he rides out his draft choices, attempts to make a big trade to fix his issues, or starts to look for valuable keepers for next year.

That was a disappointing loss for me to Andrew, although my team didn’t play well enough to win the game for me. I got to watch Chicago use my players to drive down the field in garbage time, only to go away from Marshall and Bennett when it came to the endzone. I got to watch Bowe and Hauschka score late points, and go into the late games knowing Andrew’s Denver receivers would end up killing me. I said this was a statement game, and it’s clear my team is not ready to be counted among the elites of the league.

Looking at my team after 4 games, what I’m missing is one other game changer. My QBs and WRs have been solid but average, Lynch has been a stud, and Bennett has given me consistent TE play, but no other position has stood out for me. I need Lacy, Wilson or MJD to step up and become the players I drafted them to be, Gronk to get healthy and give me a game changer at TE, or Marshall to get back into top 5 WR form rather than just top 12. One or 2 of these things happening will move me from middle of the pack to playoff contender in my mind.

Mr.Manager of the Week Award

It’s tough for me to pick a single move that stands out, so I’ll highlight 3. John had more faith and patience in Kenbrell Thompkins than I did, and his second great game in a row almost allowed John to pull this one out. He could be a valuable player going forward. Torrey Smith was due for a breakout, and Mike wisely started him over Reggie Wayne this week, which was risky considering Wayne was going up against Jacksonville.

I think perhaps the move of the week has to go to Curtis for picking up Charles Clay (who I mentioned previously on this blog), and his points were responsible for holding off a late charge by Drew Brees and being the difference between winning and losing.

Waiver Wire

Danny Woodhead and LeGarrette Blount had big games, outperforming the “starters” in both cases and could be solid depth options going forward. Rashad Jennings looks to be the starter after Darren McFadden was unsurprisingly injured.

There are a ton of capable wide receivers that could be picked up. Nate Washington has excited no one for years, but consistently gets points, while Alshon Jeffery, Robert Woods, Jerricho Cotchery, Marlon Brown and Jerome Simpson are all nice pickups as well.

Injuries

It was a fairly injury free week, where only the previously mentioned McFadden really hurts his team. Both Spiller and Jackson got banged up, which will just continue to frustrate John and myself, while my defense takes a hit considering Vince Wilfork is such a big part of what the Patriots do.

Random Thoughts

At the quarter point of the season, here are my thoughts on the league so far.

Shayne is in a class by himself at the top of the league, with the best QB, best RB, 3 good WR and a resurgent Antonio Gates. His one weakness is depth, which is probably the best weakness to have.

Andrew and Stan follow just behind Shayne. I’ve already spoken about my surprise regarding Stan’s team and the lack of depth I see. Andrew has done so well thanks to the best 1-2 RB combo in the league, solid receivers and my Pick of the Year so far in Jordan Cameron. His RB depth hasn’t been good, and Russell Wilson has disappointed at QB.

I don’t know quite what to make of all the 2-2 teams. We’ve been inconsistent, which shows in our record, and it’s tough to predict which team, if any, might go on a run and secure a playoff spot. The surprise in this group has to be Curtis, who sits at .500 despite scoring the lowest points in the league. He has to hope he can remain in contention while waiting for his guys to get healthy.

At the bottom we have Steve, John and Aaron. I’ve discussed John’s bad luck already, but he’s scored almost as many points as Dawson and allowed the most in the league by far. I don’t think any of these teams are out of it by any means, but they can probably only allow 1-2 more losses all regular season, since I’m predicting that teams will need to go 7-6 in order to have a shot at the playoffs.

Week 3 Preview

Sexy Sacks Men vs The War Boners – I might feel sorry for John, but I still want to beat him. I catch a break here, as John’s Colts go up against the only defense in the league you can really fear, the undefeated Seattle Seahawks. Chicago can play defense as well, which might hurt his New Orleans starters, although turnovers by Chicago could give New Orleans a good chance all game. I have some tough calls to make at RB, as Lacy is back, Wilson plays the Eagles, Jackson might get the majority of the carries if Spiller is hurt, and MJD has a decent matchup against the Rams.

NFL Owner vs BISP – Keeping it in the family, Mike has a chance at the upset thanks to Peterson and Garcon being on bye. Of course, as long as Peyton keeps putting up 50 points a game, Shayne will have an advantage over just about everyone.

Stupid Royal Baby vs Frank the Tank – 2 teams with new names, in what is projected to be a close one. I’m sure this will count for bragging rights around the office, although I think Andrew takes this one easily. Sorry Aaron.

NINERS vs What Are the Chances – Stan has to deal with his first piece of adversity, as he needs to find a replacement to Run DMC this week. Curtis has been dealing with injuries all season but has still found a way to pull out wins. Hopefully for him, Baltimore’s coaching staff realizes that they need to run the ball in order to be effective.

Sideliners vs oh that’s nasty – Steve will be scrambling, as he only has a single RB not on bye this week. Luckily for him, Dawson will also have a number of starters on bye. This one could be a low scoring game, as both owners scramble to fill a full roster of players. (I’m open to trade if either of you wish.)

On the next Last Place Widsom:

I recap Week 5, terrified of losing to John like I always do.

Andrew takes the opportunity to smack talk Aaron all week long.

Everyone without any Bronco’s on their team gets fed up with watching those who do.