Death Valley FFL

So Money will have soon be joined in the record books as one of the few teams to win multiple championships since this year`s game pit two previous winners against each other.

JDB and Cadre are two of the most storied programs in the league as both usually make the playoffs. However, it`s been a while since either have hoisted the trophy. In fact, you have to go all the way back to the `98 season for the Cadre and `01 for JDB.

This game should be a classic as both have solid running games. The difference may be in the receiving game with the edge going to JDB.

The Trout Bowl will pit the Feasors against the Reals. Both teams will have to settle for a shot at third place as their chances at multiple championships were dashed in the semifinals.

The Goo Bowl will match last year`s Champ against this year`s pre-season favorite.

Good luck gents.

Playoff Pairings
#1 JDB vs. #3 Cadre

Consolation Bracket
#1 Maligned vs. #4 Specks

League High Scorer
Pornstars ($24.75)

League MVP
Tom Brady (Stepchildren- $24.75)

Good luck to all!
commish

commish

Preseason Favorites

1. Specks- Get my nod for pre-season favorite. Unquestionably the best WR corps in the league and �oh, by the way, LJ is not so bad himself. If MoJo continues his tear from last year, I don�t see many teams hanging with this one. As with most teams�the RBs aren�t very deep on the bench, but the team could go four-wide if pressed. If the team hits on all cylinders, this team could be as good as 1999 So Money (12-2) and 2005 Cadre (12-1).

2. JDB- This one is a head-scratcher. I�ve checked my figures twice and I can�t deny the numbers. Hard to believe, but this team grades out as the 5th best overall. A lot of it has to do with uber back S-Jax and the potential of Adrian Peterson, but the team will be relying on some unprovens like WRs Berrian and Curtis and an improved Big Ben. Time will tell, but the team history indicates a return to the playoffs.

3. Pornstars- This is the team that I thought would have graded out #2 in the division and does seem more balanced, but there is absolutely no depth on the roster. If the team can avoid the injury bug and Romo and Barber take on bigger roles, this team could supplant JDB for a playoff spot.

4. CrazyHorse- Another team that looks good on paper, but grades out less than advertised. Maroney, Benson, and Brees should be solid, but questions regarding Holt�s health and an uninspiring supporting cast keeps this team down the list. The team has a little RB depth and could make a good trade to improve.

5. Barons- The team got the best available player in the draft by selecting Gore, but couldn�t get that all important second RB. Jones has potential, but is currently in a job share. Colston and Smith provide a nice WR tandem, but it may not be enough going against the likes of S-Jax, LJ and Rudi.

6. Soldiers- I like the potential of this team with Rivers, Henry, and a resurgent Edge, but the WRs definitely hurt this team. Like Crazy Horse, this team has a little RB depth and could make a trade to solidify the WR corps. If Henry can stay healthy and post typical Denver RB stats, this team could surprise. Adding a WR and this team will surprise.

7. Wild Child- The Child is anointed �the people�s choice� on the website poll, but I can�t vouch for that. There�s an awful lot of youth that�s to be counted on and that is not usually a recipe for success. In fact, the team drafted three rookies. Calvin Johnson could prove the exception to the rule, but will be battling for balls with another receiver that�s pretty good in Roy Williams. Lynch moves into the role vacated by McGahee, so my guess is that only one of these guys will be productive.

So who deserves that bye in the East?

1. Maligned � While the team suffered with a mediocre draft, LT makes up for any deficiencies�he�s that good. He won�t reach last year�s gaudy stats but it should be good enough to clinch the division. Palmer at QB should win a few games but Tatum Bell will need to perform in some functional role as the team is pretty ho-hum at WR.

2. Cadre � The team looks to bounce back from missing the playoffs for only the second time in league history. To do so, long-time stalwart Shaun Alexander will have to return to his previous form. He could get some much needed support from Joe Addai. This team is loaded with potential and could easily dethrone Maligned, but is almost as likely to finish in the middle of the pack.

3. Crowdogs- The Dogs ended up with a solid if not spectacular draft. Led by Peyton Manning, this team is very deep but a bit predictable. Well, all except Randy Moss. But if Moss and Cadillac return to glory and Thomas Jones acclimates to NY, this team will easily make the playoffs and challenge for the crown.

4. Tortfeasors- The Feasors continue to be competitive year-end and year-out and this one should be no exception. However, Brian Westbrook seems to be the only sure thing. Vince Young has looked great and Owens will be Owens, but the team will need to get some production from Ronnie Brown and Darrell Jackson as the bench is very thin. Will likely make the playoffs, but fret with the bubble.

5. Stepchildren- The Children finally avoided injury last year and made it to the playoffs. I think they�ll avoid the bug again, but may not return to the post-season. The team is deep at WR so look to see them run some 4 WR sets as rookie RB Brandon Jackson adjusts to the pros. If Jackson proves himself, I could see this team improving two or even three spots.

6. Reals- The team will be relying on Reggie and McNabb to carry this team, and they have the potential to do it. However, it�s more likely that they�ll merely be great instead of all world and the supporting cast won�t be able to shoulder the load. Stallworth will be fighting for a slice of NE balls, while Jordan will likely struggle in Oaktown.

7. So Money- Is it me or does this team seem ancient? Fred Taylor, Harrison, Portis, Farve? Huge fantasy names without question, but we�ll need to see a revival from Portis and Taylor for this team to be competitive. Some sneaky WRs on the roster but I think the team reached for Jackson, causing a gap at RB. But, if the team can stay with the pack until Rhodes arrives, they may have a shot.

Death Valley Fantasy Football League Rule Book

I. Franchise Information

A. Buying a franchise: Any interested coach/owner is awarded a �franchise� upon payment of an entry fee of $25.00. The maximum number of franchises will not exceed sixteen. Renewing franchise owners are given first consideration when awarding a franchise provided that the deadline is met.

B. Deadline for purchasing/renewing a franchise, and declaring franchise players: One week prior to the start of the draft. Payments must be made on or before this date unless other arrangements are made. Franchise players will be declared at this time, but teams have the option to change players if an injury occurs before the draft.

C. New franchises: In the case of the league losing a past member, those players retained on the former member�s roster will be placed on the new owner�s franchise roster and the new owner will be able to choose which players to keep for the following year. In the case of multiple member losses, the designation of the franchises given will be on a first come, first serve basis.

D. Naming of teams: All owners will submit a team name. Changing of team names is allowed, but the owner will submit the changed logo and color scheme.

II. League Structure

A. The league will be comprised of two conferences: Eastern and Western conferences. The conferences are further separated into four divisions of four teams each if there are 16 teams. The Eastern conference will house the Purple and Gold divisions while the Western conference will house the Black and Blue divisions. Any new franchise will be placed into the division where the vacancy occurred.

III. League Draft

A. Draft Day: The draft will occur at a site and time to be determined by majority of league members.

B. Draft Structure and Order: 10 rounds. The draft order will be determined by the previous year�s results. The consolation bracket teams will makeup the top eight picks with the consolation winner getting the 8th pick regardless of record. The remaining consolation teams will be determined first by record and then by points for, with the worst record getting the 1st pick. Picks nine through 16 will be organized using the previous year�s playoff teams with the League champ getting the 16th pick, the runner-up getting the 15th, third place team 14th pick, fourth place 13th pick. The rest of the teams will be broken down just like the consolation teams with record and points for as reference. The remaining 9 rounds will be inverted and reverted using the serpentine method. Every four rounds, the order will flip so that the draft will be a bit more even.

C. Time Limits: A generous time limit of two minutes per pick is given. If the time limit has been exceeded, the next team in line will then be able to pick. Following that pick, the team skipped will be able to pick. To avoid being skipped, PLEASE BE PREPARED!

D. Eligible Draft Players: Each franchise will draft scoring players: i.e. quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers (including tight ends), kickers, and team defense/special teams. Note that quarterbacks and kickers are not team designations. They are individual positions. When drafting a QB or PK, you will not get their backups.

E. Franchise Players: Rounds three through five will be considered the franchise player rounds. Players drafted in these rounds will be considered franchise players and thus eligible to be kept on the franchise�s roster the following year. There can be a maximum of two designated franchise players on a roster, unless a player qualifies for the special rookie rules (see section I). Once there are two designated franchise players on a roster, the owner must decide whether to keep some or all of the franchise players or replace some or all with the newly drafted 3rd through 5th round picks.

F. While a team may keep up to 2 players, there will be a time restriction placed on them. Teams will have 6 years of total time to keep players. This may be designated anyway the team wants. Ex: if you keep only one player, he can be on your roster for six years. If you are keeping two...you can keep them both for 3 years. These are only some of the possible combinations. As long as you don`t exceed the 6 years, anything is possible.

G. Injured reserve. Up to two players may be placed on injured reserve if they are out for any extended period of time and the team will not be penalized any roster space. If a keeper player gets hurt AND plays in 6 games or less, the team will be able to place the player on IR and avoid losing eligibility years. However, the player will still count towards the 2 player cap.

H. If a team is only able to keep one player because of time limits or chooses to keep only one player, that team will be awarded ONE compensatory keeper pick at the end of the draft. If there is more than one team in this situation, we will use the draft order.

I. There are some special rules regarding rookies:
1) Rookie QB`s, WR`s, TE`s:
Teams that draft a rookie WR or TE in rounds 3-5 will not count the player`s first year as part of the time or keeper limit for the following season. In other words, the player will only count 1 year towards the cap at the end of year 2 and the team will not count the player for limit purposes during the first kept year. This hopefully will make up for the longer learning curve that these players suffer against their RB brethren.

2) Rookie QB`s will get an additional year of time that does not count against the 6 year time limit and will not count against the keeper limit of two players for the first two kept years. In other words, if a rookie QB is selected in rounds 3-5...the team who makes the pick can essentially keep three (or more) players until the QB enters his fourth season in the league. Once the QB enters his fourth year, the team must count the player when considering keepers and only be able to keep two players (unless another rookie QB is drafted).

IV. Legal Formations, Scoring, Line-ups:

A. Legal Formations: Two formations are allowed to be run.

1) Standard: Includes 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WR�s (including TE�s), 1 PK, and 1 Team Defense/ST.
2) West Coast: Includes 1 QB, 1 RB, 4 WR�s (including TE�s), 1 PK, and 1 Team Defense/ST.

B. Scoring (See scoring page)

1) Scoring.
After all point totals have been recorded. The team with the highest point total will be awarded a victory and the losing team will record a loss. Official scoring stats will be via the official NFL website. Scoring disputes must be brought to attention by the Thursday following the week�s games.

2) Tiebreakers.
If a tie occurs, then total yardage of starters will be used to declare the winner. If there is still a tie, and the game is during the regular season, then it will be declared a tie. If the tie occurs during the playoffs and total starter yardage does not settle the tie, then total starter touchdowns will be used. If this doesn�t break the tie, then total team yardage, followed by total team touchdowns, highest scoring starting player, the longest touchdown by a starter, highest scoring non-starter, longest touchdown by a non-starter and then finally, the higher seeded team.

3) Submitting line-ups.
Owners will simply e-mail or phone the commissioner with team name and starters. This must be done before kickoff of a started player�s game. It should be noted that some games will be played on Thursdays and Saturdays.

V. Schedules.

A. Regular Season. The league will play a thirteen game regular season.If there are 14 teams, then each team plays the others once.

In a 16 team league, each of the four teams within a division plays the other three twice for a total of six games. Each team also plays each team in the intra-conference division. Each team will also play three other teams from the opposing conference to round out the schedule. The teams played will be determined by the previous year�s standings. In other words, the 1st place division teams will play the rival conferences two 1st place teams and one 2nd place team. The 2nd place teams will play the two rival conference 2nd place teams and one 1st place team and so on down the line.

B. Playoffs: The seedings are set up as such:
1. Best win-loss record.
2. Division win-loss records (intra-division tiebreakers only)
3. Most points scored during the regular season.
4. Head-to-head competition
5. Head-to-head points
6. Most points allowed.
7. Coin flip. (If there is still a tie) In the case of multiple teams, whoever has the odd coin will win.

The top six teams advance to the playoffs while the bottom eight move to the consolation bracket in a 14 team league. The division winners will have byes and the remaining four teams will play in the first round. Winners will move on to play the division champs.

In the case of 16 teams, eight teams will make the playoffs. The four division winners are given home field advantage and are seeded as 1 through 4 based on the formula above. The wild card teams are set up as 5 through 8. The consolation bracket is set up the same for the bottom eight teams. As mentioned, the top-four seeds in each bracket receive home field advantage in the first round. This is important because the home team will be given 2 additional points at the end of the game. After the completion of the first playoff round, the teams will be re-seeded just like the NFL. For the remainder of the playoff rounds, the highest seeds remaining get the home field advantage. In the Death Valley Bowl (championship game), Trout Bowl (third place game), and the Goo Bowl (consolation finals), there will be no home field advantage.

VI. Trading and Pick-ups.

A. Trades prior to draft. Only draft picks in the first five rounds are eligible to be traded prior to the draft. Any trade is conceivable, but to determine a fair trade the picks are assigned points based on draft order times the five rounds. Therefore the first pick has a designation of 80 points and the last pick of the fifth round has a designation of 1 point. In order to have a trade approved, the traders must get these numbers relatively close for a subjective review by the commissioners.

B. Trades after draft. Any trade is conceivable but must meet the approval of the commissioners. Approval usually relies on the subjective analysis of point differential between the players, injury status, and general fairness of the trade. Please use the trade analysis link to get a good guideline, as the commissioners will use this as well. Understand that it no longer becomes fun for the rest of the league when trades become unfair.

C. Trade Costs. All trades, pre or post draft, cost $1.00 per player.

D. Trade deadline. The end of the ninth week (Thursday) at midnight.

E. Rosters and Pickups. Rosters cannot exceed 15 players (not including players on IR). Pickups will be allowed starting immediately after the draft and will continue until the kickoff of the first NFL game during our first round playoff games (usually week 14). Free pick-ups will run from the Monday after the draft until the start of each team`s season on a first come, first serve basis. After the opening kickoff of a free agent`s team, pick-ups will no longer be free. If an owner wants to pick up a free agent, he must bid money (in $.50 increments) to acquire him. The bid may be placed no sooner than Monday at 10:00 am, but no later than Thursday, 7:00 pm. A team may only make one WINNING bid per week. In the event a team wins multiple bids, that team will be given a choice as to which player to pickup. In the event of a tie bid, the team who bid first will get the player. Please try to bid the MAXIMUM amount that you are willing to spend on a player. The owner will only be charged pickup fees in the bid amount if he successfully obtains the player. Please note that you are bidding actual money! The fee for the pick-up will be the actual amount of the winning bid. The only bid that will be publicized (between east and west commishes, not to the league) will be that of the commissioners. Once a commissioner has bid on a player, the other commish will not be able to bid on that player. If a commissioner is outbid, he can not bid on the player again. All other bids will remain sealed until a winner has been determined. Losing bids will not be notified. After the bidding deadline, all players not selected can be picked-up at a cost of $.50 per player and can be done so until kick-off of the first game that week.

VII. Arbitration. In the event of a dispute, the commissioners will do their best to rectify the situation. If the commishes can not agree, then the league will vote. Majority will rule. If there is no majority, then the initial ruling before the dispute will stand.

VIII. Awards and National Rankings.
The Death Valley Fantasy Football league now competes on two levels: league and national. Please visit the National Fantasy Football Computer Rankings (NFFCR) and learn more! As for our local awards:

Death Valley Championship $200.00
Runner-up $ 50.00
Trout Bowl Winner $ 30.00
Goo Bowl Winner Free Entry Next Year
League MVP and Scoring Champ Split Trade and Pick-up money
Division Winners (2x$10.00) $ 20.00

Total Payout $325.00

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!

Source: Goodell watching Favre situation (AP)
Hester skips Bears camp in holdout (AP)
Saints give WR Colston 3-year extension (AP)
Army orders Lions pick Campbell to duty (AP)
Broncos WR Rod Smith about to retire? (AP)
Rams DE Wroten suspended for season (AP)
Chargers release WR Eric Parker (AP)

Death Valley FFL
Red with 0%				0 pts So Money

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