The 2011 season is no different. Below you will find a list of players who are currently the most hated men in fantasy football.

I prepared a similar list in 2009, but many of those players have become largely irrelevant. Predictably their shitty play in the fantasy world correlated with their shitty play in real life and now most of them are out of football. Before I get to the current list, let’s recap where the players from my 2009 list stand now.

Larry Johnson-Signed by the Dolphins in the off-season. Cut by the Dolphins. Signed again by the Dolphins. Cut again by the Dolphins.

Brian Westbrook- Also tried out with Miami. Not currently on a roster.

Brett Favre-Retired…finally.

Lendale White-cut by the Broncos during training camp. Can likely be found at a local fast food joint.

Anyone on the Raiders- The Raiders are actually pretty good now and they have one of the best RBs in football on their team.

Lee Evans- We’ll get to him.

A lot has changed since then, so let’s get to the current list. Now that we are deep into the 2011 season, the fantasy busts have been clearly established. Let’s take a look at the new members of the Most Hated Men in Fantasy Football.

Peyton Hillis, RB- Cleveland Browns
Hillis has descended from one the most beloved fantasy players last year to one of the most hated in 2011. In 2010, he went from the waiver wire to the cover of Madden, carrying fantasy teams who had the foresight to pick him up a few weeks into the season.

Hillis was a beast, securing a starting role a couple weeks in, rushing 270 times for 1177 yards and 11 TDs. His hard-nosed running and his white skin made him popular across the country. Because of this, he was drafted in the second or third round in most leagues this season, despite warning signs that he wore down due the heavy workload the previous season. The beating he took in 2010 has caught up to him in 2011.

Hillis was a late scratch in week three because of strep throat, of all things, and he was injured early in a week six game. In the games he has actually played, he hasn’t done much.

What football player misses a game because of strep throat? I could see a baseball player pussying out for something like that, but a football player? If Tony Romo can play with broken ribs, then Hillis can certainly take a few NyQuils and play through a minor illness.

Mike Shanahan/ Bill Belichick
These two coaches certainly know a lot about football (they’ve won five Super Bowls between them) but when it comes to the world of fantasy football, these two names are cursed at as much as any player is. These guys have been fucking up fantasy rosters for ages and probably should have been on the original list as well.

The reason is the same for both coaches: They never stick with one running back. Trying to predict which back on their roster will have the best game is harder than trying to predict oil futures.

Let’s take a look at an example shall we? The list below shows the player on the New England Patriots who had the most yards in 2011 from Week 1-Week 8.

Week 1: Danny Woodhead (69 Yards)
Week 2: Benjarvus Green-Ellis (70 yards)
Week 3: Stevan Ridley (42 yards)
Week 4: Stevan Ridley (97 yards)
Week 5: Benjarvus Green-Ellis (136 Yards)
Week 6: Benjarvus Green-Ellis (58 yards)
Week 7: Bye
Week 8: Kevin Faulk (32 Yards)

Good luck trying to predict which Patriot running back to start each week. If you roll the dice with a Patriot back, eventually you will crap out. Hence what happened to LWB podcast contributor Deuce McGee when he faced me in the finals of my league championship in 2009. To make a long story short (because no one likes hearing stories about other people’s fantasy teams), he started Laurence Maroney in the finals. Maroney fumbled on his first carry and never came back in the game. I won the title by one point.

Shanahan, who has a history of shuffling running backs in and out from his days with the Broncos, has continued this trend with the Skins.

Things started off smoothly in 2011 as Tim Hightower established himself as a feature back in the first three weeks, having a solid game each time. But Shanahan returned to form in Week 4 when Hightower got banged up. Ryan Torain came up with a big game that day, rushing for 135 yards, immediately becoming the hottest waiver wire pick-up that week. Torain followed that up with 22 yards the following game and -5 yards the week after. Now Hightower is out for the year and Roy Helu and Tashard Choice are also in the mix. So there’s no telling what Shanahan will do with his backfield.

If you have a New England or Washington running back, I do not feel bad for you. It’s not like both these coaches just started doing this. You should have avoided these backs like the plague on draft day.

Ryan Grant- RB Green Bay Packers
You would think a guy who “starts” at running back for the most explosive offensive team in football would at least be a decent play most weeks. That’s not the case with Ryan Grant.

I can admit I’m one of the idiots who drafted him in the 5th round thinking he would be a steal, only to realize about an hour into the NFL season that this was a terrible pick. I realize he’s been splitting with carries with James Starks, but nevertheless, he’s on the Green Bay Packers…They score like 80 points a game! Certainly you can get me more than two fantasy points each week! FUCK YOU Ryan Grant!!  I drafted him in every league I’m in, so as you can see, I get a little worked up when I talk about him.

Lee Evans-WR-Baltimore Ravens
Evans, perhaps the most hated fantasy player of all time, still graces the list in 2011. The reasons have not changed. Here’s what I wrote two years ago…

“Every year, Yahoo! has him listed way too high in the rankings and the poor guy in your league who is on auto-draft wastes a sixth round pick on him. Lee Evans is notorious for getting shutout for weeks at a time, only to catch three touchdown passes on the week you benched him.”

True to form, the #2 receiver on the Ravens depth chart had zero catches in the week 1 opener. He had a relatively quiet week 2 and hasn’t played since because of injury, which is probably for the best because most people have probably dropped him by now. He hasn’t had that big game yet but I guarantee you it will happen once he returns. Do not be fooled! As soon as you pick him up and insert him into your starting lineup, he will put up a big fat zero.

Marshawn Lynch-RB-Seattle Seahawks
Marshawn Lynch has been a pretty awful running back the past few years but because of that one ridiculous run he had in the playoffs last year, Lynch was drafted way too high.

This season, Lynch has had one or two decent games mixed in with a bunch of stinkers. These two good games have kept him on fantasy rosters much longer than he should have been. The highlight of his miserable season came in week 7 when he was scratched just minutes before kickoff because of back tightness, giving fantasy owners zero points during a tough bye week, in which many people had no choice but to play him. In week 8, he somehow managed to score just 6.4 points (24 yards rushing and a fumble) despite having a touchdown in that game. It’s pretty hard to get that few points when you have a TD.

Touchdown Vultures
In fantasy football there is probably no one hated more than the Touchdown Vulture (except for maybe the last person on this list). The touchdown vulture is typically a big back that gets put in the game only in goal line situations, taking the touchdown away from the smaller, more elusive back who did all the work to get there.

Touchdown Vultures can frustrate both the owner of the other RB and the owner of the TD Vulture. The owner of the other RB…let’s call him Ryan Mathews…gets pissed because his player racks up the yardage, only to see Mike Tolbert plunge in from one yard out. (This exact scenario was recently played out in a hilarious episode of The League)

Owners of the TD Vulture…let’s say his name is Brandon Jacobs… don’t feel great either because if the TD Vulture doesn’t get in the end zone, he’s essentially useless.

Chris Johnson- RB Tennessee Titans
Perhaps no player in the history of fantasy football has been a bigger bust than Chris Johnson has been in 2011. The past few years, he has been a monster, breaking off big runs routinely, leading many fantasy owners to championships. But this year, Johnson, who was likely drafted in the top 5, has been absolutely abysmal.

Just like Hillis, Johnson has fallen out of favor fast. His performance is especially puzzling because he appears to be healthy.

Johnson would have been better off tearing his ACL in week 2, like first-rounder Jamaal Charles did. At least then you could drop him and move on. Johnson owners have been paralyzed by CJ2K. They can’t bench him because they fear the week he is benched will be the week he goes off for a big game. They can’t trade him because no one will give fair value for him. So he just stays in the starting lineup, killing your team worse than Adam Dunn did in fantasy baseball this season (ok, maybe it’s not that bad).

Who is the most hated man on your fantasy football team? Let your frustrations out in the comment section.  Leave a message for the player on your team you hate the most. 

Instead, I have a somewhat random collection of thoughts about the upcoming season and fantasy football in general.  They are a little all over the place but hopefully you’ll find this post both informative and entertaining. 

1. It must be challenging to run a fantasy football team in Hawaii, especially if the other teams in the league are from the mainland.   There’s a six-hour time difference from Hawaii to the East coast and a three-hour time difference from Hawaii to the West coast.  That means, that in order to properly set a starting lineup before a 1 p.m. East coast kickoff, a Hawaiian would have to wake up before 7 a.m. local time just to properly set his or her lineup!  This is a HUGE disadvantage.  Hawaiian football fans must get so frustrated with last minute scratches that cost them victories because they were sound asleep when the news broke.  This may be the only disadvantage to living in Hawaii.

2. NFL pregame shows are completely ridiculous.  I don’t know how anyone watches them.  No matter what network you tune in to, whether it’s CBS, FOX or ESPN, they are all pretty much the same.  It consists of 5 or 6 overpaid former athletes talking in clichés and yelling over each other for two hours.   Just tell me if all the guys on my fantasy team are starting.  That’s all I really want to know.

3. The best part about the Super Bowl for this blog is that I get a ton of Google hits when I post my annual Super Bowl drinking game.   Makes you wonder how many people actually care about the outcome and really just look forward to it as an excuse to get drunk.  Perhaps I’ll create drinking games for every major sporting event.

4. My fantasy breakout player for 2011 is Dez Bryant.  Bryant showed plenty of promise last year and with Tony Romo coming back from injury to throw him the football, I expect him to have a monster year.

5. My fantasy bust this year is Maurice Jones-Drew.  I’ve been a fan of MJD over the years and drafted him several times but I think his days as an elite fantasy running back are behind him.  In my observations over the years, runningbacks have about a 5 or 6-year window where they can be considered elite.  Jones-Drew is in his sixth year and coming off knee surgery.   I do think Jones-Drew will still be a serviceable tailback this season but I don’t think he’s worth the late first round or early second round price tag.

6. I was hoping that Sidney Rice would be a useful fantasy player once again this year being that he was going to get away from a terrible quarterback situation in Minnesota.  Unfortunately, he signed with Seattle and will be catching passes (or at least attempting to) from the same quarterback he had in Minnesota: Tarvaris Jackson.

7. My two favorite sports are baseball and football but I consider baseball to be my favorite.  I played baseball through college and watch it on a daily basis so I know a lot about the game.  Yet, for whatever reason, it’s a struggle to win a fantasy baseball league.  In my many years of playing, I have never won a money league.  I’ve won football several times during the same time period.  I think football is just much easier to predict on draft day and also a lot easier to manage during the season.  If you stick to a smart draft strategy and just pay attention on Sunday you should do fine.   Fantasy baseball is such a grind though.  To win a league in baseball you have to follow the game everyday and be very active on the waiver wire.   One of these days I’ll get over the hump.

8. Picking a good team name and logo is crucial when setting up your fantasy team.  This task should not be taken lightly.  Ideally the name should be sexually suggestive and somehow related to football.   My team name is and always has been the Panty Raiders.  It works because it’s suggestive and also has an NFL team name in it.  My logo is the infamous picture of Britney Spears’ exposed cooch as she steps out of a limo.  A friend of mine likes to stack his team with players with the last name Johnson so he can call his squad “Johnson in Your Face,” which is also a great choice.

I googled sexual fantasy football team names and found some others great ones.  Here are some of the best:

LOCKOUTwithmyCOCKOUT
Show me your TD’s
2 inches Flacco, Four Inches Huard
Ben There Raped That
Forsett Down Her Throat

Got any other good fantasy team names you want to share or have thoughts about other parts of the article?  Let me know in the comment section.

Sadly, throughout the years, there are few things that I anticipate more than my fantasy football draft.  Every year I prepare more for my draft than I probably did for my GMAT, SAT and every final I ever took in college.  I leave no stone unturned.  I read up on ESPN.com during my lunch break and comb through fantasy football magazines when I sit on the toilet.  My hard work has paid off as I have become the most decorated manager in my league, winning three times in seven years…and yes, my Mother is very proud.

Now today, I give you my keys to my success….

Consistency is Everything

When targeting players for my draft, I am always looking for consistent scorers.  There are some players out there who will put up huge numbers one week and then have one catch for three yards the following week (yes, I’m talking about you Santana Moss).  This can drive a fantasy owner mad.  Sure it’s nice when a guy puts up a huge week like that, but it really doesn’t matter if I win by 30 points or win by one point.  I’ll take a guy who puts up fewer points but is fairly consistent from week-to-week. 

Philip Rivers is one of my favorite fantasy players because he is basically a lock for 250+ yards passing and two TD’s every week.  I had him last year and I rode his arrogant ass to the title.  A quick look at his stats from 2009 will show that he threw for under 200 yards only once all season, had nine multiple touchdown games and never threw more than two picks in a single game.  He is the model of consistency.

How do you tell who will be the most consistent players?  The key is to look at the yardage totals and ignore the touchdowns.  Touchdowns are almost impossible to predict from year-to-year, so don’t even bother looking at that.  If a player constantly puts up good yardage numbers, don’t worry if his TD total was low the previous season.  If the player racks up enough yards, then he’ll likely get his share of scores. 

Don’t Stress About Taking a RB Early. It’s All About the WR’s

The old adage in fantasy football is to be sure to draft running backs early.  This has changed over the years due to the increase in the number of teams using runningbacks-by-committee.  I prefer to take WR’s early.  Now don’t get me wrong, if I draw an early pick I will gladly take my pick of Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew.  But after that, I’m probably looking for a receiver.   There are a number of reasons for this:

Reason #1 There’s Always a Guy Who Comes out of Nowhere to Have a Big Year

Every year there is a RB that no one had on their radar who has a ridiculous season.  Last year it was Ray Rice and Rashard Mendenall.  I managed to grab BOTH of those guys late and they carried my team to the promise land. The key to landing one of these breakout players is to draft LOTS of running backs.  I typically draft two established guys and then look for 2 or 3 “high upside” guys in hopes that at least one of them fulfills that potential.  If I can get one of these guys to pan out, I can use my early picks on an elite WR instead. 

Reason #2 Elite WR’s are at a Premium

There are very few elite WR’s out there.  In my opinion, there are only four elite receivers in 2010 (Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall).  There are eight other very good receivers that are just a notch below these four stud receivers, whom I’d be happy to have as well (Reggie Wayne, Calvin Johnson, Roddy White, Miles Austin, DeSean Jackson, Marques Colston, Greg Jennings, and Anquan Boldin). After that, there is a big drop off.  I typically like to have two of these guys on my squad and I’ll have to use early picks to make sure that happens.

Also, unlike the RB position, it’s rare to see a younger guy have a breakout season. Typically its takes three years before a wide receiver has his first big year. Because of this, it’s much harder to find that diamond-in-the-rough at the wide receiver position.  

When you consider that many leagues have three WR slots and sometimes four (if you have a flex position) to fill, it’s vital to get good WR’s. 

Don’t Draft Anyone on the Colts

Huh? Don’t draft anyone on the Colts? Are you kidding me? 

YES. I’m serious.  Sure, Peyton Manning is a machine and he turns guys like Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie into fantasy studs.  If you draft a bunch of players on the Colts, you’ll likely dominate the regular season.  You’ll sing Peyton’s praises every time you see his goofy face on a commercial, you’ll establish a man-crush for Dallas Clark and you’ll talk shit to all the other managers, while boasting in your glory. 

Then week 16 will come around, the Colts will have wrapped up a first-round bye for three weeks now, and all their starters will be resting up for the playoffs, and you’ll be stuck starting Jason Campbell in the championship game.  Good luck with that!

FLEXIBILITY, FLEXIBILITY, FLEXIBILITY!!

This is my most important rule in fantasy football. Match-ups are everything. The key to winning in fantasy football is to exploit weak match-ups and bench the guys going up against tough defenses.  You can give yourself the best match-ups each week by giving yourself a lot of options. 

With the exception of my likely fourth round pick of Philip Rivers, I will probably draft either a RB or WR in each of the first ten rounds.   By stocking up on WR’s and RB’s, I give myself the best chance to have favorable match-ups at the two most important positions from week-to-week.

Those are my keys to fantasy football greatness. Hopefully no one in my league reads this.

U.S. Medal Hopeful Lindsay Vonn

The Winter Olympics have finally arrived!  I’ve been waiting for this moment ever since the closing ceremonies of Torino back in 2006.  I just can’t contain my enthusiasm for such great events like ice dancing, cross-country skiing and curling!  Are you noting the sarcasm here?

Truthfully, the Winter Olympics suck.  Why should I care about some Swedish ski jumper or a German bobsledder? Other than watching figure skaters fall and cry off the ice, the Winter Olympics provide little entertainment value.    

However, this time around, I have found a way to make the Winter Olympics worth watching (and it doesn’t involve pictures of Lindsay Vonn in a bikini, although that helps).  I am going head-to-head with Kosmo from The Casual Observer in a battle of obscure sports prognostication. 

Each us of have created a Winter Olympics fantasy team.  Points will be awarded for each of our competitors that medal. In the end, one of us will be declared the king of knowing the most about boring sports that people only care about for two weeks, every four years. 

Here are the rules: We must pick 12 individual athletes or pairs and two teams (a team is defined as anything greater than a pair).  We can’t have more than two athletes from any discipline and no more than six athletes from a single continent. 

The scoring is as such:
Gold Medal : 10 points
Silver Medal: 5 points
Bronze Medal: 3 points

Here is Team Living with Balls:

The Winning Team

Here’s a little background on my team. For the team sports, I decided to go with Russia for Hockey and Canada for curling. I really don’t follow hockey but I know Alexander Ovechkin is a monster so I like Russia’s chances. As far as curling, I would be shocked if the curling crazy Canadians didn’t win gold on their home turf.

For the individual players, most of the people listed are expected to medal in their respective events. I chose Shani Davis because he is competing in five events and has a chance to medal in all of them. Shaun White is pretty much a lock to win in snowboarding, while Even Lyscek and Kim Yu-Na are expected to compete for the gold in figure skating. I took Armin Zoeggeler in the luge because, as a full-blooded Italian American, I needed to have someone from the motherland on my team.

Here is Team Casual Observer:

The Losing Team

We only picked a few of the same people, which will make things interesting. Be sure to check back next week for an update in the standings. For more background on the Casual Observer’s team check out his article here

Lester’s Legend’s says:
At one time or another, I bet everyone has wondered whether we should root for a fantasy player who is going up against our “real” NFL team.  I think it all boils down to a simple question:  does it feel better when my fantasy football team wins, or when my favorite NFL team wins?

This conundrum comes up on an almost weekly basis and its something many fantasy football fans wrestle with.  There is no better example of this dilemma for me than this Thursday night’s game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts.

As a New York Jets fan, I desperately need the Jaguars to lose.  The Jets and Jags are locked into a tie for the final wild card spot and the Jaguars hold the tiebreaker.  A win by the Jags could put a major dent in the Jets slim playoff hopes.

On the other hand, my fantasy team has reached the playoffs on the back of Jaguars star runningback, Maurice Jones-Drew. 

So I have quite a dilemma on my hands.  Do I root for MJD to have a huge game and carry me to the fantasy football championship game or do I hope he gets shut down and risk missing out on fantasy glory?

I thought long and hard about this and I have come to a decision…

I’m rooting for Jones-Drew to have a monster game.  If I win my fantasy league, I get a nice amount of cash.  If the Jets make the playoffs, they will lose in the first round and I won’t have a dime to show for it.  Also, even if the Jaguars win this week, the Jets will probably still fuck it up and miss the playoffs anyway. 

I wouldn’t normally root against my “real” team.  However, I think this situation warrants it.  What does everyone else think about this issue?  Fantasy team or NFL team? Talk about it in the comments. 

“The Great Debate” is a new series in which I discuss two opposing viewpoints on topics that men often debate.  Be on the lookout for more of these in the future.  

At LwB, we have compiled a list of the most hated men in fantasy football. These guys are perennial losers who will irritate owners on a yearly basis.

LARRY JOHNSON
Larry Johnson burst upon the scene during the 2005 season, scoring 20 TDs and rushing for 1,750 yards. Then in 2006 he carried the ball a remarkable 416 times for 1,789 yards and 17 scores. The year after, he was the consensus #1 pick in fantasy football drafts. He proceeded to screw over owners with the first pick by running for a measly 559 yards and three scores. 2008: another terrible year. In 2009, he has gained more attention for his twitter updates than his rushing abilities.

Despite three straight awful years, there is always some poor schmuck who takes a chance on him on draft day, only to bury him on the bench for the season. Every Larry Johnson owner cringes in fear when his starting RB has a bye and he is forced to start LJ as he rushes for 43 yards on 32 carries.

LEE EVANS
For years now Lee Evans has been the top WR on the Buffalo Bills depth chart and for years he has aggravated owners across the country. Every year, Yahoo! has him listed way too high in the rankings and the poor guy in your league who is on auto-draft wastes a sixth round pick on him. Lee Evans is notorious for getting shutout for weeks at a time, only to catch three touchdown passes on the week you benched him.

BRIAN WESTBROOK
You wouldn’t expect to see a consensus first round pick on this list but no one frustrates owners more than Mr. Westbrook. He is certainly one of the most talented backs in the league but the constant injuries can drive an owner NUTS. Every week he’s questionable or a game-time decision. At least three times a year, he will leave a game in the first quarter and not return. If you have Westbrook on your team, make sure you have access to a computer 15 minutes before kickoff every week because you never know if he will play.

BRETT FAVRE
Even before Brett Favre alienated his fans with his yearly retirement fiasco, he was already hated in the world of fantasy football. He’s had plenty of magical, gunslinger, “he’s just having fun out there” games, where he throws for 300 yards and 4 TDs. However, he’s had his fair share of games where he throws funballs all over the place, tosses 3-4 picks and scores negative points. As a fantasy owner, you just can’t trust Favre in a big game. He will screw you over sooner or later. Don’t let his fast start with the Vikings deceive you. He will likely put up a stinker in Week 15 when you need him most.

LENDALE WHITE
The fat, tequila-loving running back of the Tennessee Titans has the rare distinction of being hated by two sets of owners. Owners of Lendale White and Chris Johnson BOTH hate him.

Chris Johnson owners hate him because White vultures all of Johnson’s touchdowns. It’s infuriating to watch Johnson bust off a 50-yard run, get tackled at the one yard line, and then watch White rush three times in a row before finally getting in the end zone.

Owners of Lendale White hate him because he’s pretty much worthless if he doesn’t vulture a score. His stat line when he doesn’t get a TD is usually something like 2 carries for 3 yards.

BRAYLON EDWARDS
Edwards had a ridiculous season for the Browns in 2007, tallying 1289 yards and 16 TDs. The following season he was one of the first WR’s off the board and “rewarded” owners with just 873 yards, 3 TDs and a whole lot of drops. 2009 hasn’t been much better for him. A trade to the Jets has improved his stock slightly but he still hasn’t come close to matching that 2007 season.

ANYONE ON THE RAIDERS

Right before the draft this season, a friend of mine and I were talking fantasy football. He mentioned he was looking to get Darren McFadden. “I think he’s gonna be a steal this year,” my friend said. I warned him saying, “I don’t know if I really trust anyone on the Raiders.”

Sure enough I was right. McFadden, JaMarcus Russell, Randy Moss, Darius Heyward-Bey, Javon Walker, pretty much anyone who puts on Raiders uniform becomes a worthless fantasy commodity. NEVER DRAFT ANYONE ON THE RAIDERS!…At least not until Al Davis dies.

Who do you hate more than anyone? Be sure to tell us in the comment section.

The show is called The League and its premiers on FX on Thursday, October 29 at 10:30 pm. The League, according to FX’s website, is “set against the backdrop of a fantasy football… The League is about friendship, marriage, parenting, and growing up…or refusing to grow up.”

I can totally relate to this concept as a twenty-something fantasy football nut, who deals with the struggles of maintaining a dominant fantasy football team, while still working, writing a blog, and making time for family and friends.

Any big fantasy football player with a girlfriend or wife has had this happen to him at some point…

And I may try this next time I want to last longer….

Here are some other great clips

SCREW YOUR RIVAL OVER
Every league has one owner you can’t stand.  He’s the guy who has a sarcastic comment for every draft pick you make and talks trash about how much your team stinks on the message board.  He the guy who constantly makes bogus trade offers to you during the season.  If he’s in the race for the championship, screw him over by making a lopsided trade to the team he’s competing with.  Don’t make it too lopsided, other wise it might get vetoed.

Can’t pull of a trade? Stay active on the waiver wire and pick up hot free agents just to block his team from getting them.

Make Your Buddy an Offer he can't refuse

HEDGE YOUR BETS
Don’t have a rival owner?  Make your buddy an offer he can’t refuse.  Trade him one of your few good players for waiver wire trash and tell him you want 10% of the cash if he wins. There’s a better chance an unfair trade will go through because half of the owners have already given up on their teams.

BUILD FOR THE FUTURE
If you’re in a keeper league it’s time to trade away your star players at a faster rate than the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Take advantage of the guys at the top who are desperate to finish in the money.  Target an owner who needs saves and trade him a shitty closer for next year’s third round pick.

TRY OTHER FANTASY GAMES
MLB.com has a number of daily fantasy games that will keep you interested such as Beat the Streak and Survivor.  In beat the streak, you have to pick one player who you think will get a hit that day.  If he gets a hit your streak continues.  Be the first to get 57 games in a row and you win $1.5 million.  In Survivor you need to pick one team who you think will win on that day. If you reach 37 games in a row you win season tickets.  No matter how bad you screw up, you can always start fresh the next day.

SPEND EXTRA TIME PREPARING FOR YOUR FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT
You’re team is hopeless. Fuck it.  Stop paying attention to it and spend a little extra time preparing for your fantasy football draft. That way your football team won’t suffer the same fate.

How the heck am I the highest paid player in football??...Good question

 Quarterback

Eli Manning— New York Giants: Eli Manning has always been overrated. There are a number of reasons for this: His last name is Manning, he plays in New York, and he was the Super Bowl MVP in quite possibly the greatest game ever played.  However, when it comes to fantasy football his numbers just don’t match up.  The Giants love to run, and with Brandon Jacobs why wouldn’t you?  All these rushing attempts are going to take away scoring opportunities from Manning, especially near the goal line.  Manning only attempted more than 25 passes twice last season and threw for 300 + yards only once. Compare that to a guy like Kurt Warner who attempted 25 or more passes and threw for over 300 yards seven times each!  Now he’s without Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer, his two best receivers from a year ago.  Manning should be nothing more than bye week backup. 

Honorable Mention(s): Matt Cassel

Runningback

Brian Westbrook— Philadelphia Eagles: I had Westbrook on my squad last season and he frustrated me to no end. You might not be able to tell by looking at his numbers, since he finished as a top 10 fantasy running back last season.  However, Westbrook was an all or nothing guy. He had three or four monster games and a ton of games where he shat the bed.  A couple of those big games came when he was a game-time decision when many owners were probably forced to sit him.  In fact, he was pretty much a game-time decision the entire season.  DJ Gallo of ESPN fame said it best when he jokingly claimed that Westbrook had hyphenated his name to Brian Westbrook-Questionable because the word questionable was always attached to his name.  Westbrook will also turn 30 soon and that’s a bad number for runningbacks.

Honorobale Mention(s): LaDainian Tomlinson, Thomas Jones

Wide Receiver

Terrell Owens—Buffalo Bills: T.O. will go high because of his name—He currently has an average draft position of 31 in Yahoo! Fantasy Football Leagues—but he shouldn’t be. Owens is 35 years old now and he’ll be catching passes from Trent Edwards instead of Tony Romo.  If you can get him late then he’ll still be a good pick but he’s not worth a third or fourth round selection.

Honorable Mention(s): Eddie Royal

Tight End

Tony Gonzalez- Atlanta Falcons— I’m not saying Tony Gonzalez will have a bad year but I don’t think he warrants a fourth or fifth round pick, which is where he’s going on most draft boards.  Gonzalez had a monster year last year but he’s getting up there in age and is bound to break down sooner or later. In addition, there are a lot of unknowns that come with playing with a new team.  If he drops a couple rounds than go grab him, but don’t reach for him too soon. 

Honorable Mention (s): Kellen Winslow

Defense/ Special Teams: Baltimore Ravens: It’s hard to list the Ravens as a potential bust because they have carried a number of my fantasy squads in the past.  That being said, this is not the same Ravens team.   Bart Scott and Chris McAlister are gone and defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is now the head coach of the Jets.  However, they are being taken in the seventh round on average.  

Honorable Mention(s): Chicago

Got any others? Talk about it in the comments section.