A 32 Team Rebuilding Project: The Beginning

In February, a fellow poster approached me on the DLF Forums, asking if I was interested in taking over an abandoned squad in a 32 team league. After a little coaxing, I agreed.

This league starts 1 QB, 2 RBs, 3 WRs, 1 TE, 1 RB/WR/TE, 1 K, 2 DEs, 1 DT, 3 LBs, 2 CBs, and 2 Ss.

Basic scoring rules are as follows (VERY important to note): 4 points per passing TD, 6 points per rushing/receiving TD, 1 point per reception, 1 point per 25 pass yards, 1 point per 10 rushing/receiving yards, 1 point per tackle/stuff, 5 points per forced fumble, 2 points per fumble recovery, 8 points per interception, 5 points per pass deflection, and 5 points per sack.This is what I’ve done to turn the “Houston Texans” into a potential contender.

The team I inherited, was (is?) a mess, finishing 20th overall the year before. Looking in the trade history before I took over, the previous owner traded away dynasty man crushes like Dez Bryant, Aaron Hernandez and Brian Cushing (the previous owner then jumped ship to another team). The roster is barren, and the team came with no high draft picks.

The roster looked like this:

Offensive Active	Defensive Active
Peyton Manning – QB	Dwight Freeney – DE
Donald Brown – RB	Karl Klug – DE/DT
Shane Vereen – RB	Amobi, Okoye – DT
Larry Fitzgerald – WR	Tamba Hali – LB
Mike Wallace – WR	Geno Hayes – LB
Plaxico Burress – WR	Leroy Hill – LB
Joel Dreessen – TE	Chris Houston – CB
Delanie Walker – RB/WR/TE	Kareem Jackson – CB
	Kendrick Lewis – S
	Bernard Pollard – S
Offensive Reserve	Defensive Reserve
Virgil Green – TE	Tyson Jackson – DE
Tyrod Taylor – QB	Antonio Smith – DE
Ryan Whalen – WR	Marvin Austin – DT
Donovan McNabb – QB	Trevor Laws – DT
	Marcus Benard – LB
	Keith Brooking – LB
	Scott Shanle – LB
	Javier Arenas – CB
	Troy Nolan – S
	Rahim Moore – S

Offense: The Good

Donald Brown seemingly put things to together last year, posting 645 rushing yards and five touchdowns, to go with 16 receptions for 86 yards and a +2.5 PFF rating. It’s beginning to look like Peyton Manning will be fantasy relevant again next year after signing a 5 year $90 million deal with the Denver Broncos. Larry Fitzgerald is a top ten fantasy wideout every year, and even though Mike Wallace faded down the stretch last year, he’s startable every week.

Offense: The Bad

It was hard for me to put Shane Vereen here, but New England often renders running backs fantasy irrelevant. Delanie Walker backs up Vernon Davis and I believe Joel Dreessen will be handling the run blocking in Denver. Plaxico Burress is still too old and too slow. Donovan McNabb is only rostered because quarterbacks are at a premium. The rest of the offensive backups are the deepest of deep stashes and most likely waiver wire fodder.

Defense: The Good

While the previous owner did a very good job handicapping the offense, he built a solid foundation to what can be a premier defense. In a league that rewards big plays, the pass rush combo of Karl Klug (DT) and Tamba Hali (LB) could form a solid duo that will last for years. Chris Houston’s points were skewed that last year because of a couple touchdowns, but even nickel corners can average 10ppg in this league (5pt pass deflections and 8pt interceptions), so he still has value if his shoulder doesn’t shatter. Kareem Jackson’s starting job was in jeopardy in 2011, but he will start next year opposite Jonathan Joseph. Bernard Pollard and Kendrick Lewis both averaged over 10ppg last year. Rahim Moore and Marvin Austin are two high upside guys. There’s a good mixture of veterans and young potential.

Defense: The Bad

Dwight Freeney produced 7ppg last year on the worst team in the NFL, but he’s on the wrong side of 30, and the potential change to 3-4 outside linebacker scares me. Geno Hayes and Leroy Hill are both unsigned and Hill has a penchant for rubbing the law the wrong way. Tyson Jackson and Antonio Smith are two 3-4 ends, a position which is not fantasy friendly. Amobi Okoye is a situational defensive tackle. Trevor Laws, Marcus Benard, Keith Brooking and Scott Shanle are all instant cuts.

Trades

The following are the trades I’ve made since February to begin rebuilding the team:

• 2013 4th for Joseph Morgan, WR NO

I’d delve deeper into this trade, but you can read the article that convinced me to move for Morgan here.

• Shane Vereen, RB NE for Earl Bennett, WR CHI

Even as a New England Patriots fan, I couldn’t stomach Vereen as being one of my only backs in 2012. Moving Vereen for Bennett, the favorite target of Cutler, felt like a good upgrade at the time.

• Joel Dreessen, TE HOU, 4.12 for 3.11, 3.30

I believe Dreessen won’t be fantasy relevant at all next year, or ever. While I also don’t care about draft picks, especially in later rounds, someone else in the league will be willing to trade me for them.

• 2.12, 3.11, and 5.12 for 2013 1st

An owner was looking to acquire more draft picks this year, so I sent him these 3 for a 1st rounder next year. The teams 1st this year was #9, and I expect it to be high next year as he plays in the toughest division.

• 2013 1st and Akeem Dent for Alterraun Verner and Mike Kafka

I seemingly struck gold with this trade. Mere hours after it was completed, it was announced that the Titans would be letting Cortland Finnegan go. The leagues scoring system heavily favors defensive backs, and CB1’s can bring in 15+ points per game. At the time of this trade, I was stockpiling QBs due to the uncertainty of Manning’s situation.

• Bernard Pollard, S BAL, two 2014 2nds, and a 2014 3rd for Mike Goodson, RB CAR, Curtis Brinkley, RB SDC, Bruce Carter, LB DAL, and a 2013 4th

Safeties are at a premium in this league, since we each start two and there’s only 64 starters in the NFL, so sending away Pollard was risky. In Goodson, you have a good running back who’s flashed ability, but is trapped behind the committee of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Brinkley might be backing up Ryan Mathews in San Diego this year with the departure of Mike Tolbert. Bruce Carter is the potential starter next time Sean Lee in Dallas’ 3-4 scheme, and I’m surprised the owner was even willing to part with him.

EDIT: This trade looks much better after Goodson was traded to the Oakland Raiders, where he will hopefully backup oft injured starter Darren McFadden.

• Karl Klug, DT TEN for William Moore, S ATL

I really hated to trade away Klug, who had seven sacks as a rookie, but defensive linemen do not score nearly as much as safeties. William Moore averaged 10.75ppg last year, good for 20th in the league. Klug averaged 5.38ppg, but that can increase if he can become an every down lineman. Only four defensive lineman averaged more points per game than Moore, so unless Klug channels his inner Jason Pierre-Paul or Calais Campbell, then this will go down as a victory for me.

• Mike Wallace, WR PIT and Donald Brown, RB IND for Vincent Jackson, WR TB and Rashard Mendenhall, RB PIT

This is one of two controversial trades I’ve made. Shipping Mike Wallace away will pair Jackson with Larry Fitzgerald, a fearsome almost-30 wide receiver tandem. I’m not happy that I moved away from a youngish wide receiver to the ultra-talented-but-extremely-inconsistent Vincent Jackson, but the drop from Jackson to Wallace is small enough that I could stomach it to make the massive leap from Donald Brown to Rashard Mendenhall.

EDIT: Following Chuck Pagano’s comments about using “a platoon” of Brown and Delone Carter, this trade got a little better.

• 3.30 for Sylvester Stevenson, LB PIT

Another trade inspired by some DLF writing, which you can find here. Sylvester Stevenson is a future starting linebacker in Pittsburgh. Giving up the 30th pick of the 3rd round for him was an easy decision.

• Larry Fitzgerald, WR ARZ and a 2013 4th for 1.09 and 1.14

Now this trade is the most controversial and I don’t expect it to be popular with many people at all. If I can get two elite players with this trade, I’ll be better off. Larry Fitzgerald averaged 16ppg, but guys like Tampa Bay Mike Williams averaged 10. If I can grab a combination of running back, wide receiver, tight end, or linebacker, my team will be upgraded. It also gives me 3 first round picks over the next 2 drafts, along with the chance for me to build depth.

Waiver Wire

The waiver wire in 32 team leagues is a barren, hopeless no man’s land. Despite that, I was able to find a few gems. Darryl Sharpton will be taking over DeMeco Ryans’ place as a n inside linebacker in Houston’s 3-4 scheme. Chad Spann is someone worth looking at since Mendenhall will likely start the year on the PUP. Since my tight end situation is an absolute disaster, it seemed prudent to take a flier on Hayden Smith, the rugby star signed by the New York Jets.

After all these trades and free agent pickups, my roster looks like this:

Offensive Active	Defensive Active
Peyton Manning – QB	Dwight Freeney – DE
Rashard Mendenhall – RB	Antonio Smith – DE
Mike Goodson – RB	Amobi Okoye – DT
Joseph Morgan – WR	Tamba Hali – LB
Vincent Jackson – WR	Bruce Carter – LB
Earl Bennett – WR	Leroy Hill – LB
Delanie Walker – TE	Kareem Jackson – CB
Plaxico Burress – R/WR/TE	Alterraun Verner – CB
	Kendrick Lewis – S
	William Moore – S
Offensive Reserve	Defensive Reserve
Mike Kafka – QB	Tyson Jackson – DE
Dan Orlovsky – QB	Antonio Smith – DE
Tyrod Taylor – QB	Marvin Austin – DT
Anthony Dixon – RB	Darryl Sharpton – LB
Curtis Brinkley – RB	Geno Hayes – LB
Chad Spann – RB	Sylvester Stevenson – LB
Domenik Hixon – WR	Javier Arenas – CB
Ryan Whalen – WR	Chris Houston – CB
Virgil Green – TE	Troy Nolan – S
Hayden Smith – TE	Rahim Moore – S

In two months, I’ve turned a roster that was barren into something that has potential to at least be better than 20th in the league. The upcoming rookie draft will provide a clearer picture of where my team will stand in the coming season, as there are still plenty of holes that need to be plugged. If I draft well enough, by 2014 I’ll have three studs on my team, and be contending for the playoffs.

I’d like to thank two sites specifically for giving me my love for dynasty football and never ending advice and tips: ProFootballFocus.com and DynastyLeagueFootball.com. I need to thank @JeffRatcliffe and @PFF_RossMiles for giving me a leg up on the IDP side of things, and @RoadWarrior98 for inspiring all of this.