With just a little over 2 weeks until the Inaugural Draft, the stories going into THE JACKMAN’s league are many. These stories lead to many questions. Nine of the ten members of the league gathered in July to determine draft order and vote on various rules for the constitution. Even at that time, each coach seemed to be entering into the league with a different past and a different method of victory.
Four of these coaches are fresh to the league and little is known about their previous fantasy records. Jon C (@jonathan) is the freshest of all the coaches as this will be his first year ever in fantasy football. His strategy is unknown, but his eagerness to defeat his peers and his knowledge of numbers and statistics may prove useful for his fantasy career.
Paul M (@PaulDawg) may have found some success in previous leagues, but this is a whole new role for him. He will be one of at least two coaches drafting from remote locations and he will set his lineups from across the world. How will this affect the camaraderie with the other coaches? Will Paul feel involved and dedicated? Or will distance prevail as a seemingly vacant hole appears for the team that is due to draft first in August?
Chasen R (@chasenrogers) is the oldest member of the league and has started his time with a kind of “nice guy” approach. He seems to be making friendly easy, but is he really just lulling the other coaches into a false sense of security? He is also one of four dedicated 49ers fans. How will his love of his team affect the league, his decisions, and his relationship with the other Niners fans?
Andrew M (not yet on here like a bum) is the dark-horse of the league. At this point in the season, he is the only person not on the website AND not officially checked in on ESPN. It’s a fresh year for Andrew; reverse culture shock could take effect. Also grad school could be a big indicator of his season. He’s played the quiet card, and as such has left a great mystery around his draft strategy. If he keeps pace, he will go with the usually undesirable “autodraft” strategy. Maybe it’s to his advantage. With all that life is throwing at Andrew now, one must wonder how badly he really wants THE JACKMAN. But it could all be a clever ploy…
Also in grad school Alex J (@Alex) will be the farthest coach away at draft time and the second farthest during the regular season. How will the time needed for his schooling play into his team? Will the successful strategy of relying on two nfl teams (the Lions & Patriots last year) be a part of his strategy this year?
Garrett H (@gbhart) has a lot to prove from last year. A team befallen with injuries to Aaron Rodgers, and a poor show from Ray Rice amongst others lead to a poor record. But this is a fresh year and many lessons were learned. Garrett shows a typically docile, kind demeanor, but the zeal for victory should be great in him after last year. Look to see how potential injuries play into how Garrett chooses his team on draft day.
On the other end Ian A (@ianamunrud) has a lot to prove due to success last year. Ian dominated his league with the two-headed monster of Peyton Manning and Jamaal Charles. Will Ian find another MVP in his draft choices? Eyes will be on Ian to see if his success can carry over to the new dynasty format. His weekly games should garner a lot of attention.
Andrew V (also not on the site. boooo) is coming off a commissioner year. Last year he was in control with more free time. This year, jobs take up his hours and he is a mere participant. We’ll have to see how that affects his investment. Andrew was also the funniest and lively individual in last year’s league. Look for his columns, trash talks, and clever one-liners to be seen on “quote of the week” very often. Also look for him to try and host everyone at Buffalo Wild Wings. That’ll be a good day.
Mike S (@mikeastock) finds himself as the commissioner this year. Expect many opinions, suggestions, frustrations, and if he is lucky, praises to be sent his way. Mike not only has a team to coach and maintain, but also a website and a league. He has taken on a big undertaking and his story will continue to develop through draft night over the course of the year. Will Mike find success in this role both amongst his peers and on the scoreboard? Also, WILL MIKE DRAFT MATT PRATER? It’s a story that all are anxious to see. His love for the kicker is well known. How far into the draft is Mike willing to go to get a kicker? Or how far up is someone else willing to go to take that from him? Only time will tell.
Ian C (@IanC) needs to stop posting and texting people. He needs to stop thinking about fantasy football. He’ll probably over-analyze everything and miss out of victory despite thinking he has the best team ever. And he will. The biggest question is, will he be single forever? If so, is that advantage in fantasy football enough for him to be ok with that? Will he be willing to trade an RB2 for a date with someone’s cute coworker/sister/cousin/acquaintance?
These questions only have one answer:
TIME WILL TELL.