The League Suite K: Fantasy Football 2015-16

The League: Suite K

Five years ago, I had the very good fortune to move into a Suite with seven of my best friends (see above).  I have written a little bit about the guys of Suite K, but that doesn't begin to express how grateful I am to have such a great group of friends!  One thing that brought us close back in the day was our affinity for sports, especially when it came to Fantasy Football.  Prior to our move in day we figured out that it made sense to all pitch in to buy a tv (see above) for our common room, then at the end of the year whoever won the league would have the privilege of taking it home.  For a group of college kids participating in our first competitive Fantasy league, we were pretty well organized (big credit to Josh, our commish).  Since that first season, our friendships have obviously continued, and our league is still as competitve as ever (four different winners in four seasons).  After leaving college, we have made sure to be in the same place for draft day.  The past two years we have rented places near golf courses and made a weekend out of it.  It is a real testament to our friendship that we can all meet up and still enjoy ourselves like no time has gone by.  Now I'll get to it, the 2015 Suite K Fantasy Preview.

History:
2011: 1st: The Champions (Kyle), 2nd: Gridiron Brothel (Ebb), 3rd: Washington Sentinels (Josh)
2012: 1st: Standish Mustangs (Kevin), 2nd: Washington Sentinels (Josh), 3rd: Foster the People (Ben)
2013: 1st: Defying Logic (Nick), 2nd: Julio's Foot (Noah), 3rd: Charles in Charge (Ben)
2014: 1st: Taco CHAMP (Taco/Rob), 2nd: Gridiron Brothel (Ebb), 3rd: Washington Sentinels (Josh)
Team Composition: 
QB, RB, RB, WR, WR, WR, TE, W/R/T, K, DEF + 6 Bench

Ben:
Roster:
QB: Tony Romo
RB: Joseph Randle
RB: Tre Mason
WR: Antonio Brown
WR: Dez Bryant
WR: Julian Edelman
TE: Zach Ertz
W/R/T: Brandin Cooks
DEF: New York Jets
K: Cody Parkey
Bench: Todd Gurley, Duke Johnson Jr., Le'veon Bell, Victor Cruz, Phillip Rivers, John Brown

My Take: His top two wide receivers could potentially be the top Wide Receivers in the League this year, which is scary.  Ben has historically put together really solid teams using strong a strong core of running backs (his philosophy has obviously changed a little bit).  Once Bell comes back from his suspension, I expect him to be as explosive and dangerous as he was last year.  Brandin Cooks looked like a world beater in his small sample size last year and preseason this year.  Ben clearly took some chances on high upside running backs, but if they pan out, this team will be hard to beat! 

Zay's Hot Take: "I don't know... It's okay... there are a lot of Cowboys on it."

Ebb:
Roster:
QB: Ben Roethlisberger
RB: Jamaal Charles
RB: Jeremy Hill
WR: Desean Jackson
WR: AJ Green
WR: Andre Johnson
TE: Rob Gronkowski
W/R/T: Andre Ellington
DEF: Philadelphia
K: Matt Prater
Bench: Brandon Lafell, Michael Floyd, Roddy White, Ryan Matthews, Charles Simms, Dwayne Allen

My take:  Ebb will clearly get a lot of points between his running backs this year, Charles and Hill should have huge years, just like they have in the past few years.  Gronk is head and shoulders better than every other TE if he can stay healthy which is a huge advantage.  If I had this roster, I would definitely be a little worried about my WRs and bench depth.  AJ Green is sneaky good every year (especially since its a contract year).  The other two starters have huge upside, but had sub-standard years last year.  It will be interesting to see if the talent shines through with this lineup.

Zay's Hot Take: "Their pretty good... If Roddy White and Ryan Matthews have good years he could make it pretty far............ and if Ben Roethlisberger doesn't *poop* the bed"

Josh: 
Roster:
QB: Eli Manning
RB: Marshawn Lynch
RB: Mark Ingram
WR: Calvin Johnson
WR: Alshon Jeffery
WR: TY Hilton
TE: Owen Daniels
W/R/T: Justin Forsett
DEF: Carolina
K: Mason Crosby
Bench: Matt Stafford, Golden Tate, Gio Bernard, Mike Wallace, Alfred Blue, Devonta Freeman

My take: Josh is Mr. Consistency in this league.  He is perennially in the playoffs and this year's roster composition looks solid yet again.  There is a good balance of talent between positions with players who could have huge years.  If Calvin and Alshon are healthy this year, Josh's team will definitely be a contender.  I have historically stayed away from Lynch year-to-year, but every year he comes back and Beast Modes his fantasy teams into contention.  Golden Tate is a must own for Calvin owners (especially if he gets hurt).  I would be a little worried about running back depth on the bench, but the starters are strong.

Zay's Hot Take: "Dannggg... he's got his wideouts on lock, and Marshawn... this looks like a team that going to be carried by their wideouts"

Kevin
Roster:
QB: Drew Brees
RB: CJ Anderson
RB: Joique Bell
WR: Emanuel Sanders
WR: DeAndre Hopkins
WR: Torrey Smith
TE: Jason Witten
W/R/T: Jarvis Landry
DEF: Buffalo
K: Adam Vinatieri
Bench: Eric Decker, Arian Foster, CJ Spiller, Antonio Gates, LeGarrette Blount, Cam Newton

My Take: On draft day, Kevin was without a doubt in the worst shape of all of us this year.  With that said, I think he had one of his better drafts this year.  It seems he was determined to have a bench of players that were unavailable week one, but clearly a lot of upside on the bench.  I think that Hopkins is going to have a monster year this year, being the only viable receiving option on the Texans.  I will be curious to see how the Broncos perform this year (it's hard not to wonder about Peyton's health after the second half of last season).  I would be worried about Jason Witten and Antonio Gates this year, as they are getting older and could be overtaken by younger TE's this year.

Zay's Hot Take: "They look okay... I don't know about having Torrey Smith in, he hasn't been very good in the last couple of years... It'll help if Arian Foster comes back though."

Kyle
Roster:
QB: Andrew Luck
RB: DeMarco Murray
RB: Alfred Morris
WR: Amari Cooper
WR: Steve Smith Sr.
WR: Keenan Allen
TE: Greg Olsen
W/R/T: Latavius Murray
DEF: Seattle
K: Dan Bailey
Bench: Jordy Nelson, Frank Gore, Chris Ivory, Vincent Jackson, Tom Brady, Reggie Wayne

My Take: Kyle took a huge hit with the Jordy Nelson ACL injury.  His team is still in pretty good shape, led by very strong running backs.  I think Amari Cooper will be the best rookie receiver in the league this year, which could be massive.  I would be worried about receiever depth, especially if Allen is a dud like he was last year, but the running back depth could lead to some beneficial trades. I am interested to see how Steve Smith will step up in his self-proclaimed final season.


Zay's Hot Take: "He's got good QB's, he could use that as leverage.  Hopefully Amari Cooper has a big year, because the rest of his wide receivers are not the best in the game... He has a lineup of aging wide receivers."

Nick
Roster:
QB: Aaron Rodgers
RB: Matt Forte
RB: Tevin Coleman
WR: Demaryius Thomas
WR: Sammy Watkins
WR: Larry Fitzgerald
TE: Travis Kelce
W/R/T: Melvin Gordon
DEF: Green Bay
K: Stephen "Beaver" Gostkowski
Bench: Ameer Abdullah, Kenny Stills, Darren McFadden, Matt Ryan, Anquan Boldin, Dion Lewis

My Take:  Any fantasy team with Aaron Rodgers can bank on a few games that he'll put the team on his back.  I think that Nick took a lot of chances that could pan out and be great or be not so great.  He lost Kelvin Benjamin to an ACL tear at the beginning of the season which was a really big his to his wide receievers.  If his rookie running backs thrive in starting roles, Nick will be competitive.  If not, he'll probably have to be a savvy waiver wire artist.

Zay's Hot Take: "Pretty balanced team, if Aaron Rodgers can make his receivers play for him.  He should be...... okay"

Noah
Roster:
QB: Russell Wilson
RB: Lamar Miller
RB: Jonathan Stewart
WR: Mike Evans
WR: Jeremy Maclin
WR: Julio Jones
TE: Jimmy Graham
W/R/T: Jordan Matthews
DEF: Houston
K: Steven Hauschka
Bench: Rashad Jennings, Martavis Bryant, Davante Adams, Eddie Royal, Carlos Hyde, Allen Robinson

My Take: To be honest, I was not too happy with my roster on draft day.  After further examination, I have talked myself into this lineup.  I think I have a strong group of receivers with plenty of depth at that position.  I am a little worried about my running backs, who could be good (but also could be terrible).  I am hopeful that Graham will stay healthy and give me a competitive advantage over my opponents at that position!

Zay's Hot Take: "You have a good receiving corps... and with Lamar Miller's carry... rate up this season, it should be a strong showing."

Taco 
Roster:
QB: Peyton Manning
RB: Adrian Peterson
RB: Eddie Lacy
WR: Nelson Agholor
WR: Randall Cobb
WR: Odell Beckham Jr.
TE: Martellus Bennett
W/R/T: LeSean McCoy
DEF: Arizona
K: Justin Tucker
Bench: Stevie Johnson, TJ Yeldon, Pierre Garcon, Isaiah Crowell,  Brandon Marshall, Doug Martin

My take:  There's only so much you can say about this roster.  It should be illegal to have a roster this good!  Top to bottom (minus TE) it is so good.  He could potentially have the top 2 fantasy RB's and WR's in the same season.  He absolutely has the best chance to be the first one to repeat as champ of the League Suite K. (Thank goodness I only play him once this season)

Zay's Hot Take: "This team is nasty... WHAT!?.... I'd say this is the best looking team in the league... on paper."

Here's to a great Fantasy Season!

Until next time!!