The Miller Fantasy Football League: 2015

Nothing silences the critics quite like a championship. Heading into the 2014 season The Real McCoy had a championship under their belt, but they still faced doubters following a dreadful 2013 season in which they missed the playoffs and scored the 2^nd fewest points in the league. What made managers question McCoy the most was a perceived lack of effort put forth by McCoy following a championship season in 2012. Most validating of this notion was the fact that McCoy made only 19 moves all season, which is low considering they made 37 the year before. Even though McCoy disagreed with such ideas, one thing they could not disagree with is that the criticism created a spark for their franchise. McCoy was determined to prove the doubters wrong and show that their championship in 2012 was not a fluke. Their determination was paid off in spades as they mounted one of the greatest seasons in fantasy football history. They broke the regular season record for wins with 12 and averaged 136 points per game, en route to winning their 2^nd championship in 3 years. Their great season was orchestrated by a great draft, featuring Andrew Luck, Matt Forte, Rob Gronkowski, and Randall Cobb. They acquired good players, in under the radar trades, like Kelvin Benjamin and Lamar Miller. They also picked up C.J. Anderson from free agency, which McCoy believes was the move that secured their championship. Simply put, McCoy hit on all the categories needed in order to win a ship. They drafted well, traded well, and hit free agency well. They also hit on the 4^th category of fantasy football, luck.

The old saying, you need luck to win a championship, has never been discredited, and last season did nothing to dispel it either. McCoy's historically easy schedule, stat correction victory, unbelievably healthy roster, and 117 point championship score all played a contributing role in their success. McCoy's luck didn't help them reach the playoffs, they were playoff bound from the start. The luck mostly helped them break the wins record and win the championship matchup. It was a team blessed with good fortune, but at the end of the day McCoy will only be remembered for their championship trophies and not how they got them. What should be known about McCoy is that they are a top team in the MFFL and they work extremely hard every week. McCoy has put themselves in the conversation for best overall manager in the league.

Tavon and Only’s history in the MFFL has not been a bright one. They have finished 9^th or 10^th in every MFFL season to date. They have averaged only 108 points per game during the 1^stthree years of the league. Last season started out well when Tavon had seemingly a tremendous draft, only to watch his team slowly deteriorate as the season progressed. Historically, Tavon has the 2^nd hardest SOS in the league, which hasn't done him any favors up to this point. If last season’s draft is any indication though, it is clear Tavon is improving as a team and manager. All it will take is for Tavon to have a strong start to a season and they will catch fire. Their work ethic and knowledge is unquestionable, all they need now is a winner to unleash the beast.

In 2013, Unstopa-Bo had the biggest win in their franchise’s history, they beat Perpetual Dynasty. After the victory, Unstopa-Bo began smack talking PD via text. The rest…as they say...is history. Unstopa-Bo did not win another game the rest of 2013, and since that day they have gone (3-19). Unstopa-Bo simply does not put in the time or the effort needed to be competing at the highest level of the most competitive league. This team has shown signs of pure dominance in the past, but they have never been able to hold it for an entire season. Time will tell if Unstopa-Bo has the chops to make it as a manager in the MFFL. Like many teams before them, winning cures all, and if Unstopa-Bo can put together a winner, not much else will matter.

In 2012 Whitner Wonderland finished dead last. Whitner’s lack of effort, as evidenced by a total of 6 moves in 2012, led managers to question Whitner’s place in the league. Some of that changed when Whitner reached the playoffs in 2013 while also capturing the West Division Crown. Still, Whitner had accomplished this through the completion of only 7 total moves in 2013. Entering 2014 Whitner still had much to prove. They seemed to step up to the plate as last season saw Whitner try a little harder, making 14 moves on the season, en route to their second straight playoff appearance. Whitner has proven that they can win games in this league, and although their style is somewhat controversial, they continue to perform week to week, year to year. Whitner will need to work that much harder entering 2015, as there is now a target on their back. Many West division foes are not happy with how Whitner has beaten the west division like a drum over the last two seasons, supporting a (12-4) divisional record.

It is hard to imagine El Pollo Loco without a playoff appearance, but thay have yet to reach that goal. By all accounts they have been one of the more consistent teams in the MFFL’s first three seasons. Loco is undefeated in weeks 15 and 16, since the league’s inception, by far the best playoff week’s record, unfortunately its only come in the consolation each time. Clearly the league’s most unlucky manager, although some would argue that claim belongs to PD, Loco has been dealing with misfortunes dating all the way back to week 1 of 2012, when an opposing team’s RB rushed for 32 yards on 15 carries. Unfortunately, that RB was also targeted 18 times in the passing game, leading to 13 catches and over 80 receiving yards! Loco lost that game by only two points (three guesses as to which team beat Loco that day). Ever since that moment Loco has been Mr. Unlucky as in each season there are clear instances of unfathomable misfortunes. Last season Loco got off to a terrible start, mostly because of Eddie Lacy, hindering their playoff hopes, but their team improved all year just as they have in the past. Loco has the chops to make it in this league, they continue to work hard and someday their efforts will be rewarded, someday soon perhaps.

How is it that a manager who has never had a losing season, while achieving the league’s 2^nd most total points in three years, missed the playoffs for two straight seasons? Imperium asked themselves that question many times during this offseason. Imperium’s squad last year was a team of streaks. They started the season (4-1) before losing five straight games. Their late season push, featuring three wins in four weeks, was not enough to secure a playoff spot. Since Imperium’s (7-0) start in 2012 they have gone (16-18-1), and while that is pretty good considering the nature of this league, Imperium knows they have to find a way to consistently win games in order to compete again at the highest level.

Last season saw some good and bad moves by Imperium; even some trades that could have vastly improved their roster if they had been accepted. The early season signing of ODB almost saved their 2014 season. If Imperium can get more luck, and better timing with league activities, then they are a shoe in for the playoffs year in and year out. Do not mistake anything that has happened in this league the first three years, Imperium is a great franchise, one move away every season from writing their name in the history books.

With each passing season the tide blows stranger. For a 3^rd consecutive season PD must look at himself in the mirror and contemplate how it could all go so wrong. The waves turned ill on PD for a third straight season, but last year felt different. PD in 2014 was perhaps most worthy of achieving greatness. It was unquestionably the most dominant team ever assembled. They finished the regular season scoring over 160 points in five out of six games, over 170 in four of six, and 2079 total points, a regular season league record. They broke the single game points record with an incredible 236 outburst. PD’s average margin of victory was 50 points! Think about that. On average, if each team started with 50 bonus points before their matchup with Perpetual Dynasty, PD still would have amassed 11 wins! Even if we take the averages out of the equation, PD beat their opponents by more than 50 points six times last season, while also beating a team by more than 100 points twice.

While contemplating these ridiculous statistics, also keep in mind that PD didn’t even achieve the #1 seed heading into the playoffs; an unlucky fate that would ultimately be to PD’s demise. For three straight seasons there has been a team entering the playoffs undoubtedly below the caliber of the other three teams: 2012 ShowMeYourTDs, 2013 Weeden and Weep, 2014 Whitner Wonderland.

All three of those teams failed to win a single playoff game. All three of those teams never faced PD in the first round. PD would have beat all of them had he played them in the first round of the playoffs. PD earned the right to play the worst seeded team in the playoffs for three straight seasons, and for three straight seasons PD has not played them. PD will look to continue what they have been doing for three straight seasons in 2015. They will not change anything about how they do business. Perhaps the league’s most unlucky manager, sorry Loco, will finally get luck on his side in 2015.

La Flama Blanca’s season in 2014 was truly special. It went unnoticed because of PD and McCoy’s great seasons, but Flama was the most consistently great team the league has ever seen. They scored 120 points in every single game, except for the championship. Just imagine planning for a season and telling yourself, “ya…my goal is to never score under 120 in any single week.” It is insane. La Flama has been in two straight championship games, and if it weren’t for some ridiculous circumstances they would have two straight championships. Peyton Manning threw 4 interceptions in the championship game leading to Flama's first under 120 point game. It was the first time Peyton had thrown that many ints since 2010. While some would argue Andrew Luck had an even worse game it’s all about precedent, and Andrew Luck has shown he has those types of game regularly, while Manning does not. This statistic is only a piece of the entire puzzle for La Flama in that championship game, but it alludes to a larger point, which is La Flama feels they deserved better. La Flama feels cheated out of a 2^ndstraight title and giving an elite manager an edge before the 2015 season is not good news for everyone else in the league. Look for La Flama to beast again this season.

The Advantageous Morgans are only one year removed from a championship appearance in 2013, but it feels like an eternity has passed. The Morgans could not capture the same magic last season as they had in 2013; their team just was not at that same level. Still, The Morgans again proved their worth in team development as they traded for guys like Mike Evans, Emmanuel Sanders, Rueben Randle, and Andre Ellington, all of which improved their roster. The Morgans have proven in the past that they bounce back extremely quickly, and they usually bounce back to a dominant form. Watch for the Morgans to not only win more games this season, but reach a level of play closer to the championship appearance in 2013. Its a wide known fact never to sleep on the Morgans.

In each of the last two seasons ShowMeyourTDs had gone on big winning streaks to close out the year. They push toward the playoffs with great momentum but it's always occurring after a dreadful start to the season, which has held them out of the playoffs two years running. Even with the league’s all time 2^nd easiest schedule TDs has lacked the ability to consistently win ball games. They have shown the ability to win when it counts though, and that is a trait very few manager possess. If TDs can get some early season wins, they may have a shot at getting back to the playoffs. Few teams can improve their roster as well as TDs. Watch out if they ever have a strong start to any season, they will become a bearer of fantasy pain.