Volume II: Chapter 2

Volume II: Chapter 2: The Beginning of the End.

“All good things must come to an end.”- Chaucer

Our tradition must come to an end. We have endured corruption in our league, hate from outsiders, and articles from The Daily Pillage. We have overcome physical and mental harm from each other, and we have come out stronger.

Our tradition began in ninth grade when we watched the Rat Miiikers (the Class of 2014’s fantasy football league) takedown twenty drumsticks and sing Pirates of the Caribbean songs before passing out at 3 a.m.. We have continued the tradition by sleeping over in the same thick basement the night before the first Sunday of NFL football.

This Sunday marks the last Sunday we will ever convene together for a sleepover the night before NFL football begins. While tears are probable, hostility is unacceptable. It will only be the boys this weekend… so don’t worry Daily Pillage, we will broadcast our party via our personal Snapchats and not let you in.

Love/Hate List

Steven Marinkovich

Love: Coby Fleener – Drew Brees loves his tight ends and he finally has another good one in Coby Fleener. After a few stagnant years in Indianapolis, Fleener is about to bust out and show the league why he was a high draft pick and an All-American in college. The Raiders have a good pass rush, but containing Fleener will be tough and he could put up 15+ points this week.

Hate:  Jordan Reed – In this all tight end special, Jordan Reed has come into the season outrageously overrated. All the ranking slaves saw how high that Jordan Reed was ranked and way over drafted him. He is a below average athlete who has just gotten lost in all of the hype. With a very below average quarterback throwing the ball his way don’t expect anything more than a 5.

Ben Cleasby

Love: Lamar Miller – Lamar Mar and Lamar is headed into a glorious matchup against the very disgusting defense of the Chicago Bears. Last year, Mr. Miller finished as a top ten running back for the Miami Dolphins and didn’t even receive a sufficient workload. Now playing for Houston’s high power offense, look for Lamar Miller to carry your team to the Hills of Babylon where you can bask in glory and fame.  

Hate: T.Y. Hilton – This man is not going to receive the majority of receptions; it’s that simple. The once beloved T.Y. is no longer Andrew Luck’s favorite weapon and there’s a new man to take his place: Donte Moncrief. With the top corners covering and the safeties shading toward T.Y., Moncrief is going to explode as the new number one wide receiver in Indianapolis, leaving Hilton to rest in peace. #RIPT.Y.

Ethan Stern

Love: Tyrod Taylor – Payback is a powerful weapon in the NFL and with week one being the week to get yourself on the radar look for this shifty QB to get noticed against his former team, the Baltimore Ravens. Look for an angry Taylor to utilize his pure athleticism and expose the weary Baltimore defense. Tyrod would have been the fifth best fantasy QB if it weren’t for his injury last year. A healthy Taylor could just be the antidote for all the teams with a wingy QB1 situation.

Hate: Ezekiel Elliott – I want to believe the hype for this young man but I just can’t. The Fantasy Gods keep channeling my inner thoughts and telling me that this hype beast is nothing but a TRAP. He has been spoon fed credibility in the league that is just flat out undeserving and he’s straight up unproven. This is not to say that young Zeke Elliott can’t prove himself to me, but until he does I have no faith in him. With a saucy backup like Alfred Morris, if I were Ezekiel I would not get too comfortable.

Peter Snodgrass

Love: DeMarco Murray – Call it a deep sleeper or whatever you care for, but Murray is on the rise. After posting solid preseason numbers, Murray will most likely see the majority of the carries as Derrick Henry gets adjusted to the league. Also, the Titans will rely more on quarterback Marcus Mariota, as he begins his second year in the league, giving Murray more options out of the backfield.

Hate: Mark Ingram – He plays the Raiders. End of story… RAAIIIIIIIDDDEEERRRRRSSSSS.

Jamie Cullen

Love: Kansas City Chiefs Running Backs – Jamaal Charles is questionable for the season opener, but whoever starts for the Chiefs will have success. The Chiefs always go hard in the run game and playing a very weak San Diego run defense means they should have success this opening week..

Hate: CJ Anderson – Opening up the NFL season on the first game of the year this Thursday is great, but CJ Anderson is gonna struggle. Facing a strong Panthers defense hungry for payback after the Super Bowl loss, Anderson is unlikely to have much running room all night. Without a competent quarterback under center, the Broncos passing game isn’t much of a threat. The Panthers will be able to stack the box with defenders to stop the run and of course, CJ will suffer.

Dillon Scheel

Love: Ryan Mathews – He was the hidden gem of the Eagles’ offense last year. Although he was in the shadows behind the hype of Demarco Murray all year, Mathews was way more productive with his touches, managing 5.1 YPC and 6 touchdowns. Give him a full workload and a fully healthy Mathews could bust out against a poor Cleveland defensive front.

Hate: Demaryius Thomas – We saw what happened last year when Thomas was stripped of his top quarterback; his production dropped significantly the second half of the season. The Broncos situation this year is even more chaotic. They just designated Trevor Siemian as their starter only a few days ago, who has no first team experience in action. To make matters worse, Thomas is facing a tough Panthers Defense where he was only able to manage one grab for eight yards on in Super Bowl 50.

Deep Sleeper of the Week

Ryan Mathews – We may have dove much deeper than this before, but virtually nobody is talking about Ryan Mathews. Previously mentioned by Dillon, we just want to nail in the fact that Mathews is big time. A starter in Philly with a rookie quarterback, Mathews will have a big workload and his previous work shows that he will be massively successful this week and for the rest of the year.

Bold Prediction of the Week – Arian Foster to get injured

Boys, it’s Arian Foster. It’s going to happen; we all know it.

This Week’s Matchups

Ben Cleasby V. Steven Marinkovich

Dillon Scheel V. Peter Snodgrass

Eric Maser V. Jamie Cullen

Ethan Stern V. Jordan Schilling

Tweet the gurus any questions you have about your team @VikingFantasyFB