Sorry but must have ignored all notifications about this thread.
I'm just hardly on the forum anymore or I actually read something here. I would be there again this year, I just have to read through everything you've already discussed.
I just have to make sure the draft time works for me because it looks like I'm the only EU player?
Awesome! Glad to have you back this year. I'll be even more glad when I take your money at the end of the season.
Please submit your votes for your preferred league settings, but keep in mind PPR is a no-go because the Commish gets 1.5 votes!
direwolf's reasons to hate on PPR:
It really is bad for the game of football. Back in the day you used to see really smart football, players who understood the game and did what was best for the team. PPR has made players prioritize their own stats over the performance of the team.
For example: Former 49er Tight End Brent Jones is often regarded as one of the smartest TEs to have ever played the game. There are plenty of good reason he was one of Steve Young's favorite targets. Despite his production it was not uncommon to see him intentionally drop at least one pass during a game. The intention was obvious, he would hold his hands out, palms facing forward to deflect the ball to the ground. Why would he do such a thing? Because an incomplete pass doesn't change the line of scrimmage, but a catch behind the line of scrimmage and an instant tackle does.
Imagine you're team is facing a third and 5, barley within field goal range, the quarterback takes the snap, notices the blitz, starts to scramble but is swarmed by defenders. He looks for an outlet, and lets it rip to the closest running back, who then catches it and immediately get tackled for a 7 yard loss. It could literally cost the team the game, but the RB got to pad his stats with another catch. The same RB that was tasked with picking up the blitz, but failed.
It's hard to believe that Fantasy stats have that much impact on the players and IRL football, but it they do. I see the scenario illustrated above unfold all the time, and I think to myself WTF! Did these guys just start playing football last week? Where's the intelligence, where's the team-first mentality, where's the smart football I used to watch as a kid? Ironically, you still see smart, heads-up play in college, and even in high school football games. So, what's different about professional football? Fantasy stats.
[/rant]