WRBL Week 3 2015

The Wisconsin Rapids Bro League

Week 3

Our 2nd semi-official season of blaming Cole Walters for Jonathan Papelbon's existence

Current Standings
SVP Division
Thee Wisconsin Chowhounds (Father Aschebrook) 3-0 W3
Sneen Machine (Tyler Sneen) 2-1 W2
Nick's Mopey Team of Sadness (Nick Zurawski) 2-1 W1
Team Moon (Evan Moon) 1-2 L2
Team Aschebrook (Scott Aschebrook) 0-3 L3

Russillo Division
Team Swanson (Alec Swanson) 2-1 W2
Spider 2 Y Banana (Andy Todd) 2-1 W1
Team Silka (Alex Silka) 2-1 L1
Frick The Haters (Cole Walters) 1-2 L1
Team Tiffany (Josh Tiffany) 0-3 L3

Week Three Final Scores
ZURAWSKI  124  WALTERS  94
TODD  135  SILKA  82
ASCHEBROOK SR.  160  MOON  114
SWANSON  145  TIFFANY 104
SNEEN  111  ASCHEBROOK  104

Rob Carr/Getty Images
Hero of the Week: WR A.J. Green (Team Swanson)

Heroes of the Week: WR A.J. Green (Swanson), WR Steve Smith Sr. (Sneen), RB Devonta Freeman (Aschebrook Sr.)

Zeros of the Week: WR Roddy White (Silka), RB Chris Ivory (Walters), K Andrew Franks (Todd)

Matthew Emmons - USA TODAY Sports
Back-to-back Zero of the Week: WR Roddy White (Frick The Haters)

Upcoming Week 4 Match-ups & NFL Schedule (in CT)
Spider 2 Y Banana vs. Sneen Machine
Nick's Mopey Team of Sadness vs. Team Moon
Frick The Haters vs. Team Swanson
Team Aschebrook vs. Thee Wisconsin Chowhounds
Team Silka vs. Team Tiffany

BYE WEEK: Tennessee Titans & New England Patriots
Thursday Game: Baltimore @ Pittsburgh 7:25 PM
Sunday: Jets vs. Miami (@ LONDON) 8:30 AM
Jacksonville @ Indianapolis NOON
NY Giants @ Buffalo NOON
Carolina @ Tampa Bay NOON
Philadelphia @ Washington NOON
Oakland @ Chicago NOON
Houston @ Atlanta NOON
Kansas City @ Cincinnati NOON
Cleveland @ San Diego 3:05 PM
Green Bay @ San Francisco 3:25 PM
St. Louis @ Arizona 3:25 PM
Minnesota @ Denver 3:25 PM
Dallas @ New Orleans 7:30 PM
Monday: Detroit @ Seattle 7:25 PM

Bro...
For the first time in nearly a decade, it feels as though we have left an NFL weekend without the NFL being the top story in sports. It was a refreshing twist on an already twist-heavy season (BY GAWWD, THAT'S MICHAEL VICK'S MUSIC!) even though the most talked about story of the weekend was a fight between teammates (Bryce Harper and Jonathan Papelbon). I won't get into it too much. since this is still a football post after all, but I'd expect Papelbon to be on another team other than the Washington Nationals in 2016. 

Getty Images
The cover of the newest novel, 50 Shades of Bryce Harper.

I know I said I was done talking about it, but we're coming off of a surprisingly quiet football weekend and I don't think the nation has been as pumped for the baseball playoffs to start ASAP since the McGwire-Sosa years. It's really great to see perennial failures like the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates in real-life World Series contention and I would gladly keep my television tuned to playoff baseball over the dreadful mistake that is Thursday Night Football. 

About that football league... Aschebrook Senior (no relation to Steve Smith Senior) has built a team as strong as the New England Patriots as his team is scoring points like he wants revenge on all of us even though we've never played in a league with him (officially). What's his deal and why is his team so filled with rage? I don't know, but things could always turn sour (or super sweet for the 0-3 teams) like when New England was pronounced dead at this point last year. They only went on to win a Super Bowl. Team Tiffany has had DeSean Jackson in his lineup for three weeks despite a hamstring injury and despite everything I just said about the first three weeks not defining a season, Josh is in trouble of turning in a Bak-like season and I would be shocked to see him drop a 150-point game on anyone with his Broncos under-performing and Jackson still on the mend. All anybody needs is a few waiver moves to kick their seasons into gear or completely screw with their lineup after giving up on someone too soon. Fantasy Football is just as unpredictable as the real thing.

2015 Scoring Leaders
QB
Tom Brady 77 (TODD)
Aaron Rodgers 77 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Matt Ryan 55 (SWANSON)
Russell Wilson 51 (SILKA)
Peyton Manning 43 (TIFFANY)
Andrew Luck 41 (ZURAWSKI)
Carson Palmer 39 (ASCHEBROOK)
Drew Brees 28 (SNEEN)
Sam Bradford 27 (MOON)
Ben Roethlisberger 23 (WALTERS)
Ryan Tannehill 11 (ASCHEBROOK)
Tony Romo 6 (WALTERS)
Colin Kaepernick 4 (SNEEN)

RB
Jamaal Charles 68 (ASCHEBROOK)
Mark Ingram 51 (ZURAWSKI)
Adrian Peterson 50 (MOON)
Matt Forte 48 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Carlos Hyde 47 (TODD)
Danny Woodhead 44 (TIFFANY)
Devonta Freeman 42 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Latavius Murray 38 (MOON)
LeSean McCoy 33 (WALTERS)
DeAngelo Williams 30 (SILKA)
Chris Ivory 29 (WALTERS)
Marshawn Lynch 28 (SWANSON/ASCHEBROOK)
DeMarco Murray 27 (SNEEN)
Le'Veon Bell 26 (ZURAWSKI)
Justin Forsett 26 (SNEEN)
Lamar Miller 24 (SWANSON)
Jonathan Stewart 23 (TIFFANY)
Ameer Abdullah 20 (TODD)
Jeremy Hill 20 (MOON)
Eddie Lacy 17 (SILKA)
T.J. Yeldon 16 (SNEEN)
Doug Martin 13 (SWANSON)
C.J. Anderson 12 (TIFFANY)
Alfred Morris 12 (SILKA)
Tevin Coleman 9 (ZURAWSKI)
Melvin Gordon 7 (WALTERS)
Chris Johnson 7 (ASCHEBROOK)
David Johnson 6 (SILKA)
Darren Sproles 6 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Alfred Blue 5 (ZURAWSKI)
Frank Gore 5 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Bishop Sankey 4 (WALTERS)
Isaiah Crowell 3 (SILKA)
Darren McFadden 3 (ASCHEBROOK)
Matt Jones 1 (TODD)

WR
Julio Jones 101 (TODD)
Antonio Brown 85 (SNEEN)
Larry Fitzgerald 71 (SWANSON)
Keenan Allen 69 (TIFFANY)
Julian Edelman 69 (SILKA)
Randall Cobb 68 (TODD)
A.J. Green 68 (ASCHEBROOK/SWANSON)
DeAndre Hopkins 66 (ZURAWSKI)
Odell Beckham Jr. 56 (WALTERS)
Emmanuel Sanders 56 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Jarvis Landry 55 (ZURAWSKI)
Demaryius Thomas 54 (ASCHEBROOK/SWANSON)
Jordan Matthews 50 (SNEEN)
Steve Smith Sr. 46 (SNEEN)
Calvin Johnson 44 (SILKA)
Golden Tate 30 (ASCHEBROOK)
T.Y. Hilton 28 (WALTERS)
Malcom Floyd 23 (WALTERS)
Kendall Wright 23 (TODD)
Sammy Watkins 22 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Brandin Cooks 19 (TODD)
Mike Wallace 18 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Davante Adams 17 (MOON)
Mike Evans 17 (MOON)
Tyler Lockett 13 (SILKA)
Donte Moncrief 13 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Travis Benjamin 12 (ASCHEBROOK)
Pierre Garcon 11 (ZURAWSKI)
Andre Johnson 11 (ZURAWSKI)
Stevie Johnson 7 (ASCHEBROOK)
Brandon Coleman 6 (ASCHEBROOK)
Charles Johnson 4 (MOON)
Allen Robinson 3 (MOON)

TE
Rob Gronkowski 70 (ZURAWSKI)
Travis Kelce 53 (WALTERS)
Jason Witten 50 (TIFFANY)
Greg Olsen 48 (MOON)
Tyler Eifert 45 (SWANSON)
Jimmy Graham 40 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Martellus Bennett 29 (SNEEN)
Delanie Walker 26 (TODD)
Jordan Cameron 24 (SILKA)
Dwayne Allen 10 (ASCHEBROOK)
Jared Cook 9 (TODD)
Austin Seferian-Jenkins 4 (ASCHEBROOK)
Kyle Rudolph 3 (ASCHEBROOK)

K
Stephen Gostkowski 40 (ASCHEBROOK)
Steven Hauschka 34 (TIFFANY)
Mason Crosby 32 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Matt Bryant 31 (WALTERS)
Justin Tucker 30 (SNEEN)
Dan Bailey 21 (MOON)
Cody Parkey 16 (SILKA)
Andrew Franks 14 (TODD)
Matt Prater 8 (ZURAWSKI)
Brandon McManus 7 (SWANSON)
Adam Vinatieri -1 (SWANSON)

DF
Denver Broncos 55 (SILKA)
Seattle Seahawks 37 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
New York Jets 34 (MOON)
Carolina Panthers 30 (ZURAWSKI/SWANSON)
St. Louis Rams 28 (SNEEN)
Buffalo Bills 20 (WALTERS)
New England Patriots 20 (TIFFANY)
Houston Texans 12 (ASCHEBROOK)
Miami Dolphins 7 (TODD)
Arizona Cardinals 1 (SWANSON)
Baltimore Ravens -3 (SWANSON)
Cleveland Browns -3 (ZURAWSKI)

Hypothetical Standings (If the 5 highest scoring teams were winners each week)
Thee Wisconsin Chowhounds 3-0
Spider 2 Y Banana 3-0
Team Silka 2-1
Sneen Machine 2-1
Nick's Mopey Team of Sadness 2-1
Team Swanson 2-1
Team Moon 1-2
Team Aschebrook 0-3
Team Tiffany 0-3

WRBL Week 2 2015

The Wisconsin Rapids Bro League

Week 2

Our 2nd semi-official season of blaming Cole Walters for DraftKings.com sponsored by FanDuel.com

CORRECTION: Week 1's tie was broken by a stat correction on what turned out to be a fumble recovery by Antonio Cromartie of the Jets defense, thus resulting in a pity-win for Evan and a no-mercy-despite-your-underwhelming-counterpart loss for Scott.

Current Standings
Siskel Division
Thee Wisconsin Chowhounds (Father Aschebrook) 2-0 W2
Columbia Lions (Nick Zurawski) 1-1 L1
Sneen Machine (Tyler Sneen) 1-1 W1
Team Moon (Evan Moon) 1-1 L1
Team Aschebrook (Scott Aschebrook) 0-2 L2

Ebert Division
Team Silka (Alex Silka) 2-0 W2
Spider 2 Y Banana (Andy Todd) 1-1 L1
Frick The Haters (Cole Walters) 1-1 W1
Team Swanson (Alec Swanson) 1-1 W1
Team Tiffany (Josh Tiffany) 0-2 L2

Week Two Final Scores
SILKA  `142  ASCHEBROOK JR.  103
ASCHEBROOK SR.  114  ZURAWSKI  95
SWANSON  115  TODD  111
SNEEN  126  MOON  83
WALTERS  83  TIFFANY  78

Kamil Krzaczynski/USA TODAY Sports
Hero of the Week: WR Larry Fitzgerald (Team Swanson)

Heroes of the Week: WR Larry Fitzgerald (Swanson), WR Antonio Brown (Sneen), WR Julian Edelman (Silka)

Zeros of the Week: WR Roddy White (Silka), RB Jeremy Hill (Moon), WR Mike Evans (Moon)

AP Photo/Darron Cummings
Zero of the Week: RB Jeremy Hill (Team Moon)

Upcoming Week 3 Match-ups & NFL Schedule (in CT)

Spider 2 Y Banana vs. Team Silka

Frick The Haters vs. Columbia Lions

Sneen Machine vs. Team Aschebrook

Team Moon vs. Thee Wisconsin Chowhounds

Team Swanson vs. Team Tiffany

Thursday Game: Washington @ NY Giants 7:25 PM

Sunday: Atlanta @ Dallas NOON

New Orleans @ Carolina NOON

Philadelphia @ NY Jets NOON

Tampa Bay @ Houston NOON

San Diego @ Minnesota NOON

Pittsburgh @ St.Louis NOON

Jacksonville @ New England NOON

Cincinnati @ Baltimore NOON

Oakland @ Cleveland NOON

Indianapolis @ Tennessee NOON

San Francisco @ Arizona 3:05

Chicago @ Seattle 3:25

Buffalo @ Miami 3:25

Denver @ Detroit 7:30

Monday: Kansas City @ Green Bay 7:30

Bro...

It's a good thing that penalties do not count negatively towards fantasy, because there would be final scores featuring negative point totals for every match-up this year. Good lord, the amount of flags I've seen thrown on otherwise productive plays for fantasy has been ridiculous. Frank Gore lost four points to holding calls, DeMarco Murray lost a touchdown and the pace of the game has seemingly never been slower. I think the NFL introduced a bunch of rules at the last minute or placed emphasis on every minor call the referees typically ignored in the past. If this pace keeps up, the game will become un-watchable and I'll just take my surprise fantasy points while going out and -GASP- actually doing something with my Sundays. I think I just need to channel my frustrations through paper mache'.

Photo of Andy Todd in five years. It's going to be a rough five years.

This week's slate of games featured one of the worst games ever between Dallas and Philadelphia and along with it, a ton of concern for plenty of fantasy owners. Can DeMarco Murray maintain his 21 carry for 11 yard pace? Is Sam Bradford the worst Quarterback in the NFL? Who even is Ryan Mathews? If all of those panic-triggers weren't enough, Tony Romo broke his clavicle again and is out for at least 8 weeks. That leaves 1-1 Frick The Haters one QB thinner with Big 'Ole Ben Rottenburger as the every-week starter. Romo wasn't the only Quarterback who left Sunday's "action" on the injury report as Drew Brees did something to his clavicle and is now going to miss anywhere between zero and fourteen games. Too much gumbo has left Sneen and his Machine screaming "Shake it off!" as Sneen is probably not ready to trust Colin Kaepernick on a week-to-week basis. Oh, and Jay Cutler got hurt (sorry Alec, it's a good thing you cut him beforehand), Andrew Luck was terrible and that all happened while the Jaguars, Browns, Washington, Raiders and Buccaneers all won, effectively eliminating me from my eliminator pool. This week was a goddamn train-wreck. 

2015 Scoring Leaders
QB
Tom Brady 55 (TODD)
Aaron Rodgers 43 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Russell Wilson 36 (SILKA)
Matt Ryan 33 (SWANSON)
Drew Brees 28 (SNEEN)
Andrew Luck 25 (ZURAWSKI)
Peyton Manning 25 (TIFFANY)
Carson Palmer 21 (ASCHEBROOK)
Sam Bradford 19 (MOON)
Ben Roethlisberger 18 (WALTERS)
Ryan Tannehill 11 (ASCHEBROOK)
Tony Romo 6 (WALTERS)

RB
Matt Forte 41 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Carlos Hyde 40 (TODD)
Jamaal Charles 38 (ASCHEBROOK)
Danny Woodhead 37 (TIFFANY)
Mark Ingram 31 (ZURAWSKI)
DeAngelo Williams 30 (SILKA)
Chris Ivory 29 (WALTERS)
DeMarco Murray 27 (SNEEN)
Marshawn Lynch 26 (SWANSON/ASCHEBROOK)
Adrian Peterson 26 (MOON)
LeSean McCoy 24 (WALTERS)
Ameer Abdullah 20 (TODD)
Justin Forsett 20 (SNEEN)
Jeremy Hill 18 (MOON)
Jonathan Stewart 18 (TIFFANY)
Eddie Lacy 17 (SILKA)
Latavius Murray 17 (MOON)
Lamar Miller 16 (SWANSON)
Alfred Morris 12 (SILKA)
T.J. Yeldon 11 (SNEEN)
C.J. Anderson 10 (TIFFANY)
Tevin Coleman 9 (ZURAWSKI)
Doug Martin 9 (SWANSON)
Melvin Gordon 7 (WALTERS)
Chris Johnson 7 (ASCHEBROOK)
Darren Sproles 6 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Alfred Blue 5 (ZURAWSKI)
Frank Gore 5 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Bishop Sankey 4 (WALTERS)
Darren McFadden 3 (ASCHEBROOK)

WR
Antonio Brown 64 (SNEEN)
Julio Jones 61 (TODD)
Julian Edelman 53 (SILKA)
DeAndre Hopkins 42 (ZURAWSKI)
Emmanuel Sanders 42 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Jordan Matthews 40 (SNEEN)
Jarvis Landry 39 (ZURAWSKI)
Larry Fitzgerald 37 (SWANSON)
Odell Beckham Jr. 36 (WALTERS)
Randall Cobb 33 (TODD)
Keenan Allen 32 (TIFFANY)
Demaryius Thomas 32 (ASCHEBROOK/SWANSON)
Calvin Johnson 29 (SILKA) 
A.J. Green 24 (ASCHEBROOK/SWANSON)
Golden Tate 20 (ASCHEBROOK)
Brandin Cooks 19 (TODD)
Mike Wallace 18 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Sammy Watkins 18 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Davante Adams 17 (MOON)
T.Y. Hilton 15 (WALTERS)
Malcom Floyd 13 (WALTERS)
Tyler Lockett 13 (SILKA)
Alshon Jeffery 12 (SWANSON)
Andre Johnson 11 (ZURAWSKI)
Jeremy Maclin 10 (SWANSON)
Dez Bryant 9 (SWANSON)
Brandon Coleman 6 (ASCHEBROOK)
Charles Johnson 4 (MOON)
Allen Robinson 3 (MOON)
Steve Smith Sr. 3 (SNEEN)

TE
Rob Gronkowski 56 (ZURAWSKI)
Tyler Eifert 45 (SWANSON)
Jason Witten 38 (TIFFANY)
Travis Kelce 37 (WALTERS)
Martellus Bennett 24 (SNEEN)
Jordan Cameron 20 (SILKA)
Jimmy Graham 19 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Greg Olsen 15 (MOON)
Delanie Walker 13 (TODD)
Dwayne Allen 10 (ASCHEBROOK)
Jared Cook 9 (TODD)
Austin Seferian-Jenkins 4 (ASCHEBROOK)

K
Justin Tucker 25 (SNEEN)
Matt Bryant 24 (WALTERS)
Mason Crosby 23 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Stephen Gostkowski 23 (ASCHEBROOK)
Steven Hauschka 18 (TIFFANY)
Dan Bailey 17 (MOON)
Andrew Franks 14 (TODD)
Cody Parkey 10 (SILKA)
Matt Prater 8 (ZURAWSKI)
Adam Vinatieri -1 (SWANSON)

DF
Denver Broncos 38 (SILKA)
New York Jets 29 (MOON)
Carolina Panthers 26 (ZURAWSKI)
Seattle Seahawks 21 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
St. Louis Rams 16 (SNEEN)
Miami Dolphins 13 (TODD)
New England Patriots 13 (TIFFANY)
Houston Texans 7 (ASCHEBROOK)
Buffalo Bills 6 (WALTERS)
Arizona Cardinlas 1 (SWANSON)
Baltimore Ravens -3 (SWANSON)

Hypothetical Standings (If the 5 highest scoring teams were winners each week)
Spider 2 Y Banana 2-0
Thee Wisconsin Chowhounds 2-0
Team Silka 2-0
Sneen Machine 2-0
Columbia Lions 1-1
Team Swanson 1-1
Team Aschebrook 0-2
Team Tiffany 0-2
Team Moon 0-2

WRBL Week 1

The Wisconsin Rapids Bro League

(okay, the name could use some fine-tuning. WRFL (Wisconsin Rapids Fantasy League)? Bro League seems too generic to me. Maybe I'm overthinking this, but it's something to consider)

Week 1

Our 2nd semi-official season of blaming Cole Walters for all of life's hardships

Current Standings
Itchy Division
Columbia Lions (Nick Zurawski) 1-0 W1
Thee Wisconsin Chowhounds (Father Aschebrook) 1-0 W1
Team Moon (Evan Moon) 0-0-1 T1
Team Aschebrook (Scott Aschebrook) 0-0-1 T1
Sneen Machine (Tyler Sneen) 0-1 L2

Scratchy Division
Spider 2 Y Banana (Andy Todd) 1-0 W1
Team Silka (Alex Silka) 1-0 W1
Frick The Haters (Cole Walters) 0-1 L1
Team Tiffany (Josh Tiffany) 0-1 L1
Team Swanson (Alec Swanson) 0-1 L1

Week One Final Scores
TODD  166  WALTERS  136
ASCHEBROOK SR.  122  TIFFANY  113
ASCHEBROOK JR.  80  MOON  80
SILKA  116  SWANSON  102
ZURAWSKI  157  SNEEN  132

Jason Getz - USA TODAY
Hero of the Week: WR Julio Jones (Spider 2 Y Banana)

Heroes of the Week: WR Julio Jones (Todd), TE Rob Gronkowski (Zurawski) & WR DeAndre Hopkins (Zurawski)

Zeros of the Week: K Adam Vinatieri (Swanson), WR Sammy Watkins (Aschebrook Sr.), WR DeSean Jackson (Tiffany)

Brian Spurlock - USA TODAY
Zero of the Week: K Adam Vinatieri (Team Swanson)

Upcoming Week 2 Match-ups & NFL Schedule (in CT)
Team Swanson vs. Spider 2 Y Banana
Team Silka vs. Team Aschebrook 
Thee Wisconsin Chowhounds vs. Columbia Lions
Team Tiffany vs, Frick The Haters
Team Moon vs. Sneen Machine

Thursday Game: Denver @ Kansas City 7:25 PM
Sunday: Houston @ Carolina NOON
San Francisco @ Pittsburgh NOON
Tampa Bay @ New Orleans NOON
Detroit @ Minnesota NOON
Arizona @ Chicago NOON
New England @ Buffalo NOON
San Diego @ Cincinnati NOON
Tennessee @ Cleveland NOON
Atlanta @ NY Giants NOON
St. Louis @ Washington NOON
Miami @ Jacksonville 3:05
Baltimore @ Oakland 3:05
Dallas @ Philadelphia 3:25
Seattle @ Green Bay 7:25
Monday: NY Jets @ Indianapolis 7:25

I'm not sure what this is called yet (something witty)
It has been 268 days (as I am typing this) since Ryan Tannehill graduated into a Ryan Tannemountain and led owner Nick Zurawski's Go Columbia, Screw Cal team to a win over Sneen Machine. Many things have changed in those 268 days, including the reinstatement of perennial All-Pro Running Back Adrian Peterson, a whole bunch of pointless discussion on gas laws and quite possibly the largest incoming group of fantasy-relevant rookies since... well, last year. The biggest earth-shattering change of the off-season, despite all those topics, was the tumultuous loss of three perfectly fine fantasy team owners (and Bak) and the last-second rush to replace them. Thankfully through the connections of Bro League commissioner Nick Zurawski and assistant Scott Aschebrook, the league was resurrected and even improved a tad by bumping up the league size to ten. Joining the league this season are Josh Tiffany, Alec Swanson, Evan Moon, Cole Walters-Hitler IV, Alex Silka and Darrin Aschebrook (Aschebrook Sr., Father Aschebrook, etc.). It's going to get good.

NOW! This year's draft was a doozy as we were not even sure who would show up, be available or even slightly aware as to who all of the team owners might be (at least, I wasn't) and it wasn't until the very last minute that all ten team owners were huddled in front of a computer, set to make their picks. Why not have an actual gathering at Buffalo Wild Wings like last season? Cole Walters. I was not aware until what I had assumed was going to be the evening of the draft that the wings & picks would not happen and when I found out, I took off my Vincent Jackson jersey and joined a random ESPN league to feed my addiction to this fake sport of real players and sometimes cash. Despite all the chaos, the online draft was still alive in trash talk and general league discussions one would come to expect (trades, why Cole Walters is the worst, league trophy possibilities). 

Week one saw Andy Todd with an incredible comeback win over Cole thanks to two trade acquisitions the day before the season started (Julio Jones & Carlos Hyde), Rapmaster Nicky Z return to dominance as he scored the second-highest point total against Sneen and his Machine, a very solid showing from nearly everyone on Team Silka as Tyler Eifert was the only player to excel on Ron Swanson's lost nephew's team, Aschebrook Sr. winning thanks to an injury to Josh's receiver DeSean Jackson and of course, a tie. Wait... A tie in week one? Yes, a tie in week one between the two lowest scoring teams! That should almost be illegal, but after reviewing the rulebook, it isn't. The only match-up that made me scratch my head at the end of the weekend was Team Aschebrook and Team Moon both scoring eighty points thanks to a garbage-time catch from Viking (and Team Moon) WR Charles Johnson. Fantasy football is pretty bizarre sometimes. 

Trades made before Week 1: Scott traded RB Carlos Hyde & WR Demayius Thomas to Andy for RB Jamaal Charles & WR Golden Tate.

Scott traded RB Adrian Peterson, WR Brandon Marshall & TE Greg Olsen to Moon for RB Arian Foster, WR Julio Jones & TE Dwayne Allen

Scott traded WR Julio Jones to Andy for WR Demaryius Thomas

Trade made after Week 1: Scott traded WR's A.J. Green, Demaryius Thomas, Larry Fitzgerald & Terrance Williams to Alec for RB Marshawn Lynch & WR Dez Bryant (Alec simultaneously released WR Brian Quick and TE Julius Thomas)


Scoring Leaders
QB
Tom Brady 27 (TODD)
Aaron Rodgers 22 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Ben Roethlisberger 18 (WALTERS)
Andrew Luck 17 (ZURAWSKI)
Drew Brees 16 (SNEEN)
Matt Ryan 15 (SWANSON)
Russell Wilson 15 (SILKA)
Sam Bradford 13 (MOON)
Ryan Tannehill 11 (ASCHEBROOK)
Peyton Manning 5 (TIFFANY)

RB 
Carlos Hyde 31 (TODD)
Matt Forte 27 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Chris Ivory 22 (WALTERS)
Danny Woodhead 22 (TIFFANY)
Jamaal Charles 20 (ASCHEBROOK)
Ameer Abdullah 19 (TODD)
Mark Ingram 19 (ZURAWSKI)
Jeremy Hill 18 (MOON)
Eddie Lacy 17 (SILKA)
Marshawn Lynch 17 (SWANSON)
DeMarco Murray 17 (SNEEN)
Alfred Morris 12 (SILKA)
LeSean McCoy 11 (WALTERS)
Jonathan Stewart 11 (TIFFANY)
Justin Forsett 9 (SNEEN)
Lamar Miller 8 (SWANSON)
Adrian Peterson 8 (MOON)
C.J. Anderson 7 (TIFFANY)
Melvin Gordon 7 (WALTERS)
Alfred Blue 5 (ZURAWSKI)
Frank Gore 5 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Darren McFadden 3 (ASCHEBROOK)

WR
Julio Jones 35 (TODD)
DeAndre Hopkins 32 (ZURAWSKI)
Keenan Allen 31 (TIFFANY)
Antonio Brown 28 (SNEEN)
Julian Edelman 20 (SILKA)
Jarvis Landry 20 (ZURAWSKI)
Jordan Matthews 20 (SNEEN)
T.Y. Hilton 15 (WALTERS)
Randall Cobb 14 (TODD)
Emmanuel Sanders 14 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Tyler Lockett 13 (SILKA)
Demaryius Thomas 13 (ASCHEBROOK)
Alshon Jeffery 12 (SWANSON)
Mike Wallace 12 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
A.J. Green 11 (ASCHEBROOK)
Jeremy Maclin 10 (SWANSON)
Davante Adams 9 (MOON)
Odell Beckham Jr. 9 (WALTERS)
Dez Bryant 9 (SWANSON)
Brandin Cooks 8 (TODD)
Andre Johnson 6 (ZURAWSKI)
Golden Tate 6 (ASCHEBROOK)
Calvin Johnson 5 (SILKA)
Charles Johnson 4 (MOON)
Allen Robinson 3 (MOON)
Steve Smith Sr. 3 (SNEEN)

TE
Rob Gronkowski 32 (ZURAWSKI)
Tyler Eifert 31 (SWANSON)
Travis Kelce 28 (WALTERS)
Jason Witten 26 (TIFFANY)
Jimmy Graham 17 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Martellus Bennett 16 (SNEEN)
Delanie Walker 13 (TODD)
Jordan Cameron 11 (SILKA)
Dwayne Allen 10 (ASCHEBROOK)
Greg Olsen 2 (MOON)

K
Matt Bryant 17 (WALTERS)
Steven Hauschka 11 (TIFFANY)
Justin Tucker 10 (SNEEN)
Dan Bailey 9 (MOON)
Mason Crosby 7 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Andrew Franks 5 (TODD)
Cody Parkey 5 (SILKA)
Stephen Gostkowski 4 (ASCHEBROOK)
Matt Prater 4 (ZURAWSKI)
Adam Vinatieri -1 (SWANSON)

DF
Carolina Panthers 22 (ZURAWSKI)
Denver Broncos 18 (SILKA)
Seattle Seahawks 18 (ASCHEBROOK SR.)
Miami Dolphins 14 (TODD)
New York Jets 14 (MOON)
St. Louis Rams 13 (SNEEN)
Buffalo Bills 9 (WALTERS)
Houston Texans 2 (ASCHEBROOK)
Arizona Cardinals 1 (SWANSON)

2015 NFL Predictions (Super Bowl 50 and All!)

Another off-season and preseason have come and gone! Chip Kelly sent Eagles fans on a wild ride, J.J. Watt's celebrity rose and we all learned about gas laws. What does any of it mean? None of us know for sure yet, but it's time to make predictions at the risk of looking like a total moron. I won't get in-depth as I tried last season, but I'll make sure to give you team records and a super bowl winner by the end of it all.

Miami Dolphins (12-4, 1st in AFC East, Rd.1 Bye)

(Susan Stocker/Sun Sentinel)
Miami's defense is going to be the one defense that makes a huge leap in the NFL this season.

Off-season Additions: WR's Kenny Stills & Greg Jennings, TE Jordan Cameron, DT's Ndamukong Suh & C.J. Mosley, OLB Spencer Paysinger, CB's Brice McCain & Zack Bowman
Off-season Losses: RB's Knowshon Moreno & Daniel Thomas, DT Jared Odrick, G Darryn Colledge, C Samson Satele, TE Charles Clay, S Jimmy Wilson
Impact Rookies: WR DeVante Parker, G Jamil Douglas, CB Bobby McCain, RB Jay Ajayi
Strengths: Pass Rush, Receiving depth
Weaknesses: Linebackers, Special Teams

New England Patriots (12-4, 2nd in AFC East, #5 seed Wildcard)

Tom Brady is going to go off for one last MVP-caliber season this year.

Off-season Additions: DE Jabaal Sheard, CB Bradley Fletcher, TE Scott Chandler
Off-season Losses: RB's Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley & Jonas Gray, CB's Brandon Browner & Darrelle Revis, DT Vince Wilfork, OLB Akeem Ayers
Impact Rookies: DT Malcom Brown, S Jordan Richards, G Tre' Jackson, C Shaq Mason
Strengths: Tight End, Offensive Line, Un-suspended Tom Brady
Weaknesses: Defensive Backfield, Running Back depth (not that this will ever be a problem under Bill Belichick), Everybody wants them out of the league

New York Jets (7-9, 3rd in AFC East, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, RB's Stevan Ridley (currently on PUP list) & Zac Stacy, WR Brandon Marshall, G James Carpenter, DE Stephen Bowen, CB's Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie & Buster Skrine, Head Coach Todd Bowles 
Off-season Losses: QB Michael Vick, RB Chris Johnson, WR Percy Harvin, CB Kyle Wilson, S Dawan Landry
Impact Rookies: DE Leonard Williams, WR Devin Smith, OLB Lorenzo Mauldin, QB Bryce Petty
Strengths: Defensive Line, Offensive Line
Weaknesses: Quarterback, Tight End

Buffalo Bills (5-11, 4th in AFC East, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: Head Coach Rex Ryan, QB's Tyrod Taylor & Matt Cassel, RB LeSean McCoy, G Richie Incognito, FB Jerome Felton, WR Percy Harvin, TE Charles Clay, DE Alex Carrington
Off-season Losses: S Da'Norris Searcy, LB Kiko Alonso, TE's Scott Chandler & Lee Smith, RB C.J. Spiller, OT Erik Pears, LB Brandon Spikes
Impact Rookies: CB Ronald Darby, G John Miller, RB Karlos Williams
Strengths: Defense
Weaknesses: Quarterback, Offensive Tackles

Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5, 1st in AFC North, Rd.1 Bye)

(Justin K. Aller/Getty Images North America)
The defense might be awful, but it won't matter as long as Pittsburgh has these two and Roethlisberger on offense.

Off-season Additions: QB Michael Vick, RB DeAngelo Williams, CB Brandon Boykin, K Josh Scobee
Off-season Losses: CB Brice McCain, WR Lance Moore, DC Dick LeBeau, S Troy Polamalu, CB Ike Taylor, LB Jason Worilds, DE Brett Keisel, RB Josh Harris
Impact Rookies: LB Bud Dupree, WR's Sammie Coates & Tyler Murphy
Strengths: Offensive Weapons (Top-3 RB and WR in NFL)
Weaknesses: Defense, Center (Pouncey on IR/Designated to Return)

Baltimore Ravens (10-6, 2nd in AFC North, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: QB Matt Schaub, CB Kyle Arrington, S Kendrick Lewis
Off-season Losses: DT Haloti Ngata, WR's Torrey Smith & Jacoby Jones, QB Tyrod Taylor, LB Pernell McPhee, RB Bernard Pierce, TE Owen Daniels, C Gino Gradkowski, S's Darian Stewart & Jeromy Miles
Impact Rookies: WR Breshad Perriman, TE Maxx Williams, DT Carl Davis, LB Za'Darius Stewart, RB Javorius "Buck" Allen
Strengths: Offensive Line, Linebackers
Weaknesses: Receivers, Defensive Backfield

Cincinnati Bengals (9-7, 3rd in AFC North, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: DE Michael Johnson, LB A.J. Hawk
Off-season Losses: QB Jason Campbell, TE Jermaine Gresham, C Mike Pollak, DE Robert Geathers, CB Terence Newman, OT Marshall Newhouse
Impact Rookies: OT's Cedric Ogbuehi & Jake Fisher, TE Tyler Kroft, LB Paul Dawson, CB Josh Shaw, DT Marcus Hardison
Strengths: Running Back, Offensive Tackle depth, Defensive Line 
Weaknesses: Guards, Safety depth, Marvin Lewis's continued playoff failures

Cleveland Browns (1-15, 4th in AFC North, #1 pick in 2016)

USA TODAY Sports
The #FailForCardale train starts here.

Off-season Additions: QB Josh McCown, WR's Dwayne Bowe & Brian Hartline, CB Tramon Williams, DT Randy Starks, TE Rob Housler, P Andy Lee
Off-season Losses: QB Brian Hoyer, WR Miles Austin, TE Jordan Cameron, G Paul McQuistan, DT Ahtya Rubin, OLB Jabaal Sheard, CB Buster Skrine
Impact Rookies: DT Danny Shelton, OL Cameron Erving, LB Nate Orchard, RB Duke Johnson, DE Xavier Cooper, S Ibraheim Campbell, FB Malcolm Johnson
Strengths: Pass Rush, Offensive Line
Weaknesses: Quarterback, Receivers, Tight End, Too many potential busts still figuring things out (Manziel, Gilbert, Mingo)

Indianapolis Colts (9-7, 1st in AFC South, #4 seed)

Scott Kane - USA TODAY Sports
The addition of Andre Johnson (above), Phillip Dorsett and Frank Gore doesn't magically give Indy a run-defense.

Off-season Additions: RB Frank Gore, WR Andre Johnson, G Todd Herremans, LB's Trent Cole & Nate Irving, DE Kendall Langford, S Dwight Lowery
Off-season Losses: RB's Trent Richardson & Ahmad Bradshaw, WR's Reggie Wayne & Hakeem Nicks, DE's Ricky Jean-Francois, Cory Redding & Fili Moala, C A.Q. Shipley, S Sergio Brown, CB Josh Gordy
Impact Rookies: WR Phillip Dorsett, CB D'Joun Smith, DL Henry Anderson, S Clayton Geathers, DT David Parry, RB Josh Robinson
Strengths: Offense, Leadership
Weaknesses: Defense (minus Robert Mathis, D'Qwell Jackson and Vontae Davis who are all very good at what they do)

Jacksonville Jaguars (7-9, 2nd in AFC South, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: RB Bernard Pierce, KR/PR/WR Bryan Walters, TE Julius Thomas, OT Jeremy Parnell, C Stefen Wisniewski, DL Jared Odrick, LB Dan Skuta, CB Davon House, S Sergio Brown
Off-season Losses: RB's Jordan Todman & Storm Johnson, WR Cecil Shorts, C Jacques McClendon, DT Red Bryant, LB's Geno Hayes & J.T. Thomas, CB's Will Blackmon & Alan Ball, S Sherrod Martin
Impact Rookies: RB T.J. Yeldon, G A.J. Cann, S James Sample, WR Rashad Greene, DT Michael Bennett
Strengths: Potential, Tight Ends
Weaknesses: Defensive Backfield, Lost #3 overall pick (DE/OLB Dante Fowler Jr.) in first practice to Torn ACL.

Houston Texans (7-9, 3rd in AFC South, No Playoffs)

The team's only reason for not totally sucking will be the health of Jadeveon Clowney and J.J. Watt.

Off-season Additions: QB Brian Hoyer, RB Chris Polk, WR's Cecil Shorts & Nate Washington, DT Vince Wilfork, S Rahim Moore
Off-season Losses: QB's Case Keenum & Ryan Fitzpatrick, WR Andre Johnson, G Cody White, C Chris Myers, LB Brooks Reed, S's D.J. Swearinger & Danieal Manning
Impact Rookies: CB Kevin Johnson, LB Bernardrick McKinney, WR Jaelen Strong, DT Christian Covington
Strengths: Wide Receiver depth, Defensive Line, Linebackers
Weaknesses: Offensive Line depth, Quarterback, Safeties

Tennessee Titans (7-9, 4th in AFC South, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: RB Terrance West, WR Harry Douglas, TE Anthony Fasano, OT Byron Bell, LB's Brian Orakpo, David Bass & Steven Johnson, S Da'Norris Searcy
Off-season Losses: QB Jake Locker, WR Nate Washington, OT's Michael Roos & Michael Oher, CB Perrish Cox, RB Leon Washington, S's Bernard Pollard & George Wilson, LB Colin McCarthy
Impact Rookies: QB Marcus Mariota, WR Dorial Green-Beckham, OT Jeremiah Poutasi, DL Angelo Blackson, FB Jalston Fowler, RB David Cobb
Strengths: Tight Ends, Linebackers
Weaknesses: Inexperience, Too much turnover?, Running Back

Denver Broncos (10-6, 1st in AFC West, #3 seed)

(Justin Edmonds, Getty Images)
Gary Kubiak disappointed in Houston, but starts a new era in Denver once again.

Off-season Additions: HC Gary Kubiak & a brand-new coaching staff, TE's James Casey & Owen Daniels, OT Ryan Harris, G's Shelley Smith & Evan Mathis, DE's Antonio Smith & Vance Walker, S Darian Stewart
Off-season Losses: RB's Montee' Ball & Jeremy Stewart, K Connor Barth, CB Tony Carter, G Orlando Franklin, C Will Montgomery, LB's Nate Irving & Steven Johnson, TE's Julius Thomas & Jacob Tamme, DT's Mitch Unrein & Terrance Knighton, WR Wes Welker 
Impact Rookies: LB Shane Ray, OT Ty Sambrailo, OL Max Garcia
Strengths: Running Back, Passing Game
Weaknesses: Too much turnover for a playoff team, Defensive Line

Kansas City Chiefs (10-6, 2nd in AFC West, #6 seed Wildcard)

Mark J. Rebilas - USA TODAY Sports
The return of Eric Berry will be what re-solidifies Kansas City as a top ten defense.

Off-season Additions: G's Ben Grubbs & Paul Fanaika, WR Jeremy Maclin, S Tyvon Branch 
Off-season Losses: WR's Dwayne Bowe, Donnie Avery & A.J. Jenkins, TE Anthony Fasano, C Rodney Hudson, DL Vance Walker & Kevin Vickerson, G Mike McGlynn, LB Joe Mays, S Kurt Coleman, OT Ryan Harris, CB Chris Owens, RB Joe McKnight
Impact Rookies: CB's Marcus Peters & Steven Nelson, G Mitch Morse, WR Chris Conley, LB Ramik Wilson
Strengths: Linebackers, Running Backs, Guards
Weaknesses: Defensive Line, Receiving depth

San Diego Chargers (8-8, 3rd in AFC West, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: WR Stevie Johnson, OT Joseph Barksdale & Chris Hairston, G Orlando Franklin, DT Mitch Unrein, CB Patrick Robinson, S Jimmy Wilson
Off-season Losses: RB Ryan Mathews, WR Eddie Royal, G Chad Rinehart, C Nick Hardwick, LB's Andrew Gachkar, Dwight Freeney & Reggie Walker, S Marcus Gilchrist, CB Shareece Wright, C Doug Legursky
Impact Rookies: RB Melvin Gordon, LB Denzel Perryman, CB Craig Mager
Strengths: Safeties
Weaknesses: Center

Oakland Raiders (4-12, 4th in AFC West, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: C Rodney Hudson, LB's Curtis Lofton & Malcolm Smith, DT Dan Williams, RB Roy Helu Jr., WR Michael Crabtree, S Nate Allen, OL J'Marcus Webb, TE Lee Smith, HC Jack Del Rio
Off-season Losses: QB Matt Schaub, RB Darren McFadden, WR Denarius Moore, C Stefen Wisniewski, DE Lamarr Woodley, DT's Pat Sims & Antonio Smith, CB Chimdi Chekwa, S Tyvon Branch
Impact Rookies: WR Amari Cooper, DE Mario Edwards Jr., TE Clive Walford, LB Ben Heeney
Strengths: Defensive Line, Interior Offensive Line
Weaknesses: Running Back, Receiving Depth, Linebacker Depth

Philadelphia Eagles (12-4, 1st in NFC North, Rd.1 Bye)

Philadelphiaeagles.com
Kiko Alonso is back from an ACL tear and ready to lead his new team in tackles.

Off-season Additions: QB Sam Bradford, LB's Kiko Alonso & Brad Jones, RB's DeMarco Murray & Ryan Mathews, WR Miles Austin, DB's Byron Maxwell, E.J. Biggers & Walter Thurmond III 
Off-season Losses: QB's Nick Foles & Matt Barkley, RB's LeSean McCoy & Chris Polk, WR Jeremy Maclin, TE James Casey, G's Todd Herremans & Evan Mathis, DE/OLB Trent Cole, LB Casey Matthews, CB's Brandon Boykin, Bradley Fletcher & Cary Williams, S Nate Allen
Impact Rookies: WR Nelson Agholor, CB Eric Rowe, LB Jordan Hicks
Strengths: Linebackers, Running Back depth, Wide Receivers, Defensive Line
Weaknesses: Guards, Offensive Tackles, A ton of turnover

Dallas Cowboys (10-6, 2nd in NFC East, #5 seed Wildcard)

Matthew Emmons, USA TODAY Sports
No matter which Running Back steps up (if any), Dez Bryant will always be the focal point in Dallas's offense.

Off-season Additions: RB's Darren McFadden & Christine Michael, DE Greg Hardy, LB Andrew Gachkar, CB Corey White
Off-season Losses: RB DeMarco Murray, WR Dwayne Harris, OT Jeremy Parnell, DE's George Selvie & Anthony Spencer, DT Henry Melton, LB's Bruce Carter & Justin Durant, DB Sterling Moore
Impact Rookies: CB Byron Jones, DE Randy Gregory, OT Chaz Green, OL La'el Collins
Strengths: Offensive Line, Defensive Line depth
Weaknesses: Running Back, Receiving depth, Defensive Backfield

New York Giants (8-8, 3rd in NFC East, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: WR Dwayne Harris, OT Marshall Newhouse, LB's Jonathan Casillas, Jasper Brinkley & J.T. Thomas, DT's Louis Nix & Kenrick Ellis, DE George Selvie, S's Craig Dahl & Brandon Meriweather
Off-season Losses: WR Jerrel Jernigan, G Adam Snyder, DE Mathias Kiwanuka, RB Peyton Hillis, C J.D. Walton, DT Mike Patterson, OT James Brewer, S's Antrel Rolle, Quintin Demps & Stevie Brown, LB Spencer Paysinger, CB's Walter Thurmond III & Zack Bowman
Impact Rookies: OT Ereck Flowers, S Landon Collins, DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa
Strengths: Wide Receiver
Weaknesses: Offensive Line, Linebackers, Safeties

Washington (3-13, 4th in NFC East, #2 pick in 2016)
Off-season Additions: DT's Terrance Knighton & Stephen Paea, CB Chris Culliver, S Jeron Johnson
Off-season Losses: RB Roy Helu Jr., WR's Santana Moss & Leonard Hankerson, OT Tyler Polumbus, DE's Jarvis Jenkins & Stephen Bowen, DT Barry Cofield, LB Brian Orakpo, DB E.J. Biggers, S Brandon Meriweather
Impact Rookies: OT Brandon Scherff, LB Preston Smith, RB Matt Jones, WR Jamison Crowder, G Arie Kouandjio
Strengths: Wide Receiver depth
Weaknesses: Everything Else

Green Bay Packers (13-3, 1st in NFC North, Rd.1 Bye)

USA TODAY Sports
Will Green Bay be able to overcome the Jordy Nelson injury? Probably.

Off-season Additions: WR James Jones
Off-season Losses: QB Matt Flynn, WR Jarrett Boykin, LB's A.J. Hawk & Jamari Lattimore, CB's Tramon Williams, Davon House & Jarrett Bush
Impact Rookies: DB's Damarious Randall & Quinten Rollins, WR Ty Montgomery, LB Jake Ryan, CB LaDarius Gunter
Strengths: Depth at every position besides maybe the Guard position and Cornerback
Weaknesses: James Jones is not quite Jordy Nelson

Minnesota Vikings (8-8, 2nd in NFC North, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: QB Shaun Hill, WR Mike Wallace, CB Terence Newman 
Off-season Losses: QB's Matt Cassel & Christian Ponder, FB Jerome Felton, WR Greg Jennings, G's Charlie Johnson & Vladimir Ducasse, LB Jasper Brinkley
Impact Rookies: CB Trae Waynes, LB Eric Kendricks, DE Danielle Hunter, OT T.J. Clemmings
Strengths: Linebackers, Special Teams, Running Back
Weaknesses: Offensive Tackle

Detroit Lions (6-10, 3rd in NFC North, No Playoffs)

Joique Bell has finally won the starting job and will share carries with Ameer Abdullah.

Off-season Additions: DE Tyrunn Walker, CB Josh Wilson, WR Lance Moore, OL Manny Ramirez, DT Haloti Ngata, TE Tim Wright
Off-season Losses: DE George Johnson, DT's Nick Fairley & Ndamukong Suh, RB Reggie Bush, FB Jed Collins
Impact Rookies: G Laken Tomlinson, RB's Ameer Abdullah & Zach Zenner, DT Gabe Wright, FB Michael Burton
Strengths: Tight End depth, Defensive Line
Weaknesses: Consistency

Chicago Bears (5-11, 4th in NFC North, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: LB's Pernell McPhee & Sam Acho, S Antrel Rolle, WR Eddie Royal, OL Vladimir Ducasse, DE Jarvis Jenkins, CB's Tracy Porter & Alan Ball, C Will Montgomery, RB Jacquizz Rodgers, HC John Fox
Off-season Losses: WR's Brandon Marshall & Josh Morgan, LB's Lance Briggs, Darryl Sharpton & D.J. Williams, OL Eben Britton & Brian de la Puente, S's Chris Conte & Danny McCray, TE Dante Rosario, DT Stephen Paea, CB Charles Tillman, HC Marc Trestman
Impact Rookies: WR Kevin White (eventually), DT Eddie Goldman, C Hronnis Grasu, RB Jeremy Langford
Strengths: Outside Linebacker
Weaknesses: Defensive Backs, No depth anywhere besides Linebacker

Carolina Panthers (9-7, 1st in NFC South, #4 seed)

David T. Foster III - The Charlotte Observer
Carolina continues to sign past-their-prime defensive backs (like Charles Tillman) in hopes of shoring up a cap-friendly defense.

Off-season Additions: WR Ted Ginn Jr., CB Charles Tillman, S Kurt Coleman, OT Michael Oher, LB Jason Trusnik
Off-season Losses: OT's Byron Bell & Garry Williams, RB DeAngelo Williams, DE Greg Hardy, LB Chase Blackburn
Impact Rookies: LB Shaq Thompson, WR Devin Funchess, OT Daryl Williams, RB's Cameron Artis-Payne & Brandon Wegher
Strengths: Quarterback depth, Linebackers, Defensive Tackle depth
Weaknesses: Wide Receivers, Offensive Line, Defensive Backfield

New Orleans Saints (8-8, 2nd in NFC South, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: C Max Unger, LB Dannell Ellerbe, RB C.J. Spiller, DE Anthony Spencer, CB's Kyle Wilson & Brandon Browner
Off-season Losses: RB Pierre Thomas, WR's Robert Meachem & Kenny Stills, TE Jimmy Graham, G Ben Grubbs, C Jonathan Goodwin, DE Brandon Deaderick, DT Tyrunn Walker, LB Curtis Lofton, CB's Patrick Robinson & Corey White
Impact Rookies: OT Andrus Peat, LB's Stephone Anthony, Davis Tull & Hau'oli Kikaha, DT Tyeler Davison
Strengths: Running Back, Safety depth
Weaknesses: Receiving depth (although, I'm sure someone will break out with Drew Brees throwing to them)

Atlanta Falcons (7-9, 3rd in NFC South, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: WR Leonard Hankerson, TE Jacob Tamme, OT Tyler Polumbus, G's Mike Person & Chris Chester, FB Collin Mooney, DE's Adrian Clayborn & O'Brien Schofield, LB's Allen Bradford, Brooks Reed & Justin Durant, CB Phillip Adams, HC Dan Quinn
Off-season Losses: QB T.J. Yates, RB's Steven Jackson, Jacquizz Rodgers & Antone Smith, WR Harry Douglas, TE Bear Pascoe, OT Sam Baker, G's Justin Blalock & Harland Gunn, DL Corey Peters, DE Jonathan Massaquoi, LB's Sean Weatherspoon & Prince Shembo, CB's Robert McClain & Josh Wilson, S Dwight Lowery, HC Mike Smith
Impact Rookies: LB Vic Beasley, CB Jalen Collins, RB Tevin Coleman, WR Justin Hardy, DT Grady Jarrett
Strengths: Wide Receiver depth
Weaknesses: Defensive End, Pass Rush, Tight End, Safety depth

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-11, 4th in NFC South, No Playoffs)

Brace Hemmelgarn - USA TODAY Sports
Jameis Winston will need to get used to being in this position behind Tampa Bay's offensive line.

Off-season Additions: DT's Henry Melton & Tony McDaniel, LB's Bruce Carter & James-Michael Johnson, CB Tim Jennings, DB Sterling Moore, S's D.J. Swearinger & Chris Conte, OT Gosder Cherilus, DE George Johnson
Off-season Losses: DE's Michael Johnson, Adrian Clayborn, Da'Quan Bowers & Lawrence Sidbury, OT Anthony Collins, LB Mason Foster
Impact Rookies: QB Jameis Winston, OT Donovan Smith, G Ali Marpet, LB Kwon Alexander
Strengths: Potential, Cornerbacks
Weaknesses: Offensive Line, Running Back depth, Safety

Seattle Seahawks (10-6, 1st in NFC West, #3 seed)

The Seahawks try to make it back to their third consecutive Super Bowl potentially without S Kam Chancellor.

Off-season Additions: TE Jimmy Graham, DT Ahtya Rubin, CB Cary Williams, RB Fred Jackson
Off-season Losses: C Max Unger, TE Zach Miller, G James Carpenter, DE/OLB O'Brien Schofield, DT Kevin Williams, LB Malcolm Smith, CB Byron Maxwell, S Jeron Johnson
Impact Rookies: DE Frank Clark, WR Tyler Lockett, G Mark Glowinski, CB Tye Smith, RB Thomas Rawls
Strengths: Defensive Backfield, Defensive Line depth, Running Back
Weaknesses: Offensive Line, Linebacker depth

St. Louis Rams (9-7, 2nd in NFC West, #6 seed Wildcard)

Getty Images
I really don't trust either the Rams nor Nick Foles, yet they still sneak into the playoffs.

Off-season Additions: QB Nick Foles, LB Akeem Ayers, DT Nick Fairley, G Garrett Reynolds
Off-season Losses: QB's Shaun Hill, Austin Davis & Sam Bradford, RB Zac Stacy, OT's Jake Long, Mike Person & Joseph Barksdale, G Davin Joseph, DE Alex Carrington, DT Kendall Langford
Impact Rookies: RB Todd Gurley, OT's Rob Havenstein & Andrew Donnal, OL Jamon Brown, QB Sean Mannion, LB Bryce Hager
Strengths: Running Back (once they are all healthy), Defensive Line depth
Weaknesses: Quarterback, Wide Receiver

Arizona Cardinals (7-9, 3rd in NFC West, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: RB Chris Johnson, TE Jermaine Gresham, C A.Q. Shipley, G Mike Iupati, DE Cory Redding, DE/OLB Lamarr Woodley, DT Corey Peters, LB Sean Weatherspoon, QB Matt Barkley
Off-season Losses: QB Ryan Lindley, WR Ted Ginn Jr., TE Rob Housler, G Paul Fanaika, C Lyle Sendlein, DL Tommy Kelly & Darnell Dockett, DT Dan Williams, LB's Sam Acho, John Abraham, Marcus Benard & Larry Foote, CB Antonio Cromartie, S Chris Clemons
Impact Rookies: OT D.J. Humphries, DE Markus Golden, RB David Johnson, DT Rodney Gunter
Strengths: Guards, Safeties
Weaknesses: Cornerback depth

San Francisco 49ers (7-9, 4th in NFC West, No Playoffs)
Off-season Additions: HC Jim Tomsula, RB Reggie Bush, WR's Torrey Smith & Jerome Simpson, OL Erik Pears, CB Shareece Wright
Off-season Losses: HC Jim Harbaugh, RB Frank Gore, WR's Michael Crabtree, Brandon Lloyd, Kassim Osgood & Steve Johnson, OT's Anthony Davis & Jonathan Martin, G Mike Iupati, CB's Chris Culliver, Chris Cook & Perrish Cox, LB's Patrick Willis, Chris Borland & Dan Skuta, DE's Justin Smith, Aldon Smith & Ray McDonald, P Andy Lee, All hope
Impact Rookies: DL Arik Armstead, S Jaquiski Tartt, DE/OLB Eli Harold, TE Blake Bell, RB Mike Davis, P Bradley Pinion, WR DeAndrew White, RB Jarryd Hayne
Strengths: Safeties, Running Backs
Weaknesses: WAYYYYYY too much turnover, Defensive Line


MY OFFICIAL SUPER BOWL PREDICTION
Packers 38 - Patriots 20
Super Bowl picks are almost never exciting if you want to be at least close to 100% correct. Last year's New England v. San Francisco pick was close, but my "boldness" in picking San Francisco seriously backfired. Green Bay didn't do anything obviously amazing this off-season other than re-sign their most important players (Randall Cobb and Bryan Bulaga) and with one tragic preseason injury, they've basically replaced Jordy Nelson with James Jones (although Jones' role will be much smaller and Davante Adams is more likely to take the place of Nelson). New England lost a bunch of key help in their Super Bowl XLIX win, but I'm done doubting Bill Belichick or Tom Brady (especially pissed off Tom Brady). Even though I have picked Miami to win the division, I have the Dolphins losing in the AFC Championship game because I did not want to be THAT bold this year (clearly).

Super Bowl MVP: QB Aaron Rodgers 

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
In a year of Super Bowl re-matches, Green Bay re-defeats New England in a re-match of Super Bowl 31.

Best of luck this season to all of your teams! (especially the teams I picked to win often)