One new owner this year but at least we don't have any ridiculous new rules (as a side note, I like the new owner's team name, I'm considering changing mine to the United Irishmen).  For the first time, Warren (being the league champ) can rename Brian's team to whatever he likes.  Here are a few suggestions to get him started:

• The Failing Squirrels
• Brian's Fisting Squirrels
• The Merry Microphallus Men
• Warren's Ballwashers
• The Gilded Dandies

With that awful "game planning" rule gone, it was back to business in 2018.  After making the toilet bowl with a 7-7 record (yes, 2017 was a mess all-around), TMC went 10-0 to start 2018 and looked like they were on-track to set some win records, but Warren flopped from there and backed into the playoffs by losing his last 4.  None of that matters though since he won the championship anyway, his fourth.  This ties him with Josh for the second most championships by a single owner (behind the 5 achieved by Byron and me).

I didn't have time this year for more extensive numbers fun.  I'll hopefully go back to the longer version next year but life events and the late draft date have put me up against a short timeline.  

I noticed a trend when viewing the past records for a few teams so I was curious about the win percentage differential between the first and second halves of a season.  The thought there being that teams with a better win % in the first half draft well and teams with better win % in the second half are managed better (e.g. the owners are better at adjusting throughout the year, picking up/waivers, trading, etc).

The results below are from either the last 10 years (for long-term owners) or since the owner took control of the team, so some are only a couple of years worth of results.  

Team	1st Half Win %
Crusaders	0.623
Testudos Revenge	0.619
MeggaMen	0.614
Sacks on the Beach	0.551
Gallic Warriors	0.514
Amish Electricians	0.507
Norsemen	0.478
Trump Molests Collies	0.464
Fighting Squirrels	0.429
Richard's Lionhearts	0.385
Sean Taylor's Ashes	0.333
British Bulldogs	NA

Team	2nd Half  Win %
MeggaMen	0.667
Sacks on the Beach	0.638
Norsemen	0.614
Crusaders	0.594
Trump Molests Collies	0.582
Amish Electricians	0.565
Testudos Revenge	0.500
Fighting Squirrels	0.486
Richard's Lionhearts	0.357
Gallic Warriors	0.328
Sean Taylor's Ashes	0.308
British Bulldogs	NA

Interesting to note that most of the consistent playoff teams are stronger in the 2nd half.  Probably speaks more to the value of working the waiver wire throughout the season, as opposed to sitting no draft picks.  I would also assume that some of the team owners quit doing much when they're in full tank mode late in the season.

My 2017 per-team win/loss predictions were close to 70% correct but I totally flamed out on last year's predictions.  I did get one divison winner and the wild card right, but over the regular season my results were as follows;

Nailed It	1 Team
Missed by 1 game	4 teams
Missed by 2 games	2 teams
Missed by 3 or more	5 teams

I mainly lost it in the Burgundy division, results there were WAY off from what I thought they would be.  Anyway, on to the fun!

2018 Predicted Finish: 7-7

2018 Actual Finish: 3-11 (man Josh's team stank last year!)

2018 Results: I thought Josh had a good team last year but boy was I wrong!  The year-long holdout of Le'Veon Bell was not something anyone could predict and it really hurt him in the long run.  Add to that that the Burgundy division ended up being WAY more competitive than I thought.  He started the year by going 0-5 and never really recovered.  His 3 wins all came from beating sub-.500 teams.

Best Pick: Lavonte David

Worst Pick: Dallas Goedert

Best Value Pick: Dante Pettis

Strongest position: QB

Draft Grade: C+

2019 Predicted Finish: 7-7

Summary:  Again, I didn't like Josh's draft but he'll probably do ok in his mediocre (but improved) division.  Nothing against Mayfield but taking any QB at #1 is overreach in my opinion, and almost half of the first round was spent on QBs this year.  Let's also not forget that the last time Josh picked first he took Toby Gerhart back in 2014, which may go down as the worst first pick since Albert Connell way back in 2000.  AT QB, Cousins is a solid backup and may even outperform Mayfield this year.  At RB, Josh will be in good shape, provided Bell can return to form and Devonta Freeman can perform and stay healthy but, behind them, he has a committee member and a backup, in Howard and Penny respectively.  His #1 WR slot is set with Davante Adams but he has to hope that one of Tyler Lockett, Dante Pettis, Calvin Ridley, or Mike Williams is able to take the next step and put up good numbers.  At TE he's got a backup so he'll struggle to put up points at that position.  On defense, he's got all-world DL Aaron Donald, strong LBs in Lavonte David and Myles Jack, and strong overall DBs as well.  Defense will not be his primary issue this year but he'll struggle with the competition in a revived Burgundy division

2018 Predicted Finish: 8-6

2018 Actual Finish: 11-3

2018 Results:  It was a bit of a slow roll for Byron last year, he started out the season going 2-3 over his first five but he found his footing after that in a big way and didn't lose another regular season game, before falling the Warren in the finals.  It was a bounce-back year for one of the WMFFL's all-time great franchises and his first season with a plus .500 record since 2013.

Best Pick: Derrius Guice

Worst Pick: Jarvis Landry

Best Value Pick: Sterling Shepard

Strongest position: RB

Draft Grade: B+

2019 Predicted Finish: 9-5

Summary: Byron is a clever drafter (even I poo-poo'd his pick of Mahomes in round 2 last year) and he did well again this season.  The only knock I can give is that he drafted 2 LAR WRs (Cooks and Kupp) in the first two rounds, but with the amount of offense on that team, this could work out.  At QB, he'll lead off with the monster numbers that Mahomes generates and he'll again be the key to his success this year.  At RB, he sports one of the best tandems in the league in Kamara and McCaffrey and he could have decent depth there if Guice and Damien Williams pan out.  At WR, he has good, but not great, options in the LAR pair, Landry, Watkins, and Shepherd (who could be one of the steals of the draft).  TE is locked down with Hunter Henry and his special teams are on good shape.  On defense, he'll need a pair of aging veterans in JJ Watt and Kuechly to hold up.  His backup options at all 3 D positions are just mediocre.

2018 Predicted Finish: 3-11

2018 Actual Finish: 7-7

2018 Results: Richard exceeded expectations in a major way last year, by taking a 3-10-1 team and turning them into a contender.  He was up-and-down all year and had a chance to make the playoffs late in the year, but dropped his last two games to wrap at 7-7.

Best Pick: John Johnson

Worst Pick: Prince Amukamara

Best Value Pick: James White

Strongest position: TE

Draft Grade: C

2019 Predicted Finish: 6-8

Summary: I have not been a big fan of Richard's past drafts and, while he did better this year, it didn't blow me away.  Taking Brady in the first round might work out, and he's traditionally been a safe pick, so I can't criticize that one too much but, with Lamar Jackson backing him up, he'd better hope he stays upright.  At RB, he's in better shape with Mixon and Kerryon Johnson and James White is a fine PPR backup.  At WR, he'd better hope that AJ Green can resume his form from years ago because, without him, he may struggle to put up points.  DJ Moore could produce good numbers but #2 WRs abound from there, including Will Fuller, Marvin Jones, and Robert Woods.  At TE, Travis Kelce carried his team last year and should continue to do the heavy lifting again and, if he goes down, so goes his season.  On defense, aside from John Johnson he has a few solid players but no real stand out stars.  I think Richard's RBs and TE will continue to carry the load and the addition of Brady will help, but I don't think it's enough to put him over the top in this division.

2018 Predicted Finish: 6-8

2018 Actual Finish: 7-6-1 (I finally came close)

2018 Results:  After a historically bad season, Don redeemed himself by turning a turd of a team into a plus .500 group that was in contention but stumbled late in the year, only winning two of his final 6 games.

Best Pick: Drew Brees (I guess)

Worst Pick: All the rest

Best Value Pick: None

Strongest position: WR

Draft Grade: F-

2019 Predicted Finish: 4-10

Summary: For all the good things Don did to help turn around this team, his draft this year didn't help and I struggle to find much good here.  He started by taking an aging Brees very high in the first round, followed by a way overvalued DeSean Jackson in round 2 and Kenny Stills in round 3, who has since switched teams and is buried in the depth chart in Houston.  Amazingly, it got worse from there with ancient Adrian Peterson, perennial trade-bait Randall Cobb, and sinking Derek Carr.  He'll end up fielding a great QB on a running team in Brees, a good RB tandem in Chris Carson and Nick Chubb, and by far his best player at WR with Julio Jones (who alone will win him some games).  This WR depth is beyond pitiful, with no starting caliber WR behind him.  AT TE, he's got George Kittle who will also provide him with a chunk of points this year.  With no clear studs or overall quality talent, his D is a shit-show and will vie for the title of worst in the league this year.

2018 Predicted Finish: 10-4

2018 Actual Finish: 5-9 (blew this prediction big time)

2018 Results: Man, I really thought Hall's team would be able to make some noise last year but they were clearly one of the biggest disappointments of the season.  He wasn't able to string along any sort of consistency, was battered by injuries, and a regression from Aaron Rodgers and the lousy GB offense.  Usually when I evaluate a team with multiple players that are supposedly on the cusp of a breakout year, I assume one of them will get it going but Hall hit the jackpot of inadequacy.  Trey Burton, Dalvin Cook, Fournette, Golden Tate, the list goes of players that "should have" been good last year goes on.

Best Pick: Duke Johnson

Worst Pick: Alshon Jeffery

Best Value Pick: Courtland Sutton

Strongest position: QB

Draft Grade: C

2019 Predicted Finish: 7-7

Summary: I usually like Hall's drafts but wasn't a big fan this year.  I thought he could have done better on some of the bench picks, than Trubisky and Reshad Jones but they make work if they can play to form.  He'll end up fielding one of the best QBs in the league in Rodgers, two potentially strong RBs in Cook and Fournette, but WR will be a tough spot for him.  He hedged his bets by drafting 5 WRs to go along with the strong Kenny Golladay, so one of these guys should contribute enough.  At TE, OJ Howard and Burton are both fine options.  On defense, he has ok DL pair, a strong LB in Bobby Wagner, and could have a strong DB if Reshad Jones can hold up for another year.  Maybe this was just one of those things where he had bad luck and I was off by a year, so he could surprise if some of these players finally emerge and can hold up.  In reality, I should probably give him a higher predicted record for this year, but I think I'm gun shy from last year's disaster.

2018 Predicted Finish: 6-8

2018 Actual Finish: 3-11 (they reached new levels of suckiness)

2018 Results: This was a full-on dumpster fire of a year for Brian.  His team was 1-6 by midseason and only scrapped out two wins the rest of the way, before losing the Toilet Bowl to Josh's similarly crappy team.

Best Pick: Keenan Allen

Worst Pick: Greg Zuerlein (for the THIRD year, why pick a kicker when you protected one?  This is starting to become Brian's MO)

Best Value Pick: Bradley McDougald

Strongest position: DB

Draft Grade: B-

2019 Predicted Finish: 5-9

Summary: For the third year in a row, I need to state the Brian always drafts ok but he can't seem to get a next-level player on his roster.  Maybe he doesn't draft enough rookies or pickup young players throughout the season, but the same problem from the last 3 years still applies, with some exceptions.  He'll roll out either Cam Newton or Dak Prescott at QB, which might work if Newton can stay healthy for 5 mins.  At RB he is severely lacking in key talent and he took a major blow when Lamar Miller was lost for the year (although he wasn't exactly lighting up the stat sheet in the past).  He'll end up fielding Aaron Jones and one of either timeshare man Kenyan Drake, backup Latavius Murray, or timeshare rookie Miles Sanders (by far the most intriguing of the bunch).  At WR, Allen is the second key player, along with Tyreek Hill and, if Indy can have some semblance of a passing game, TY Hilton could prove to be the final piece.  He's solid at TE with David Njoku and Cook as well.  On D, Brian should be solid all-around with Demarcus Lawrence, a pair of potentially great young LBs in Kirksey and Roquan Smith, and finally one of the strongest set of DBs in Keanu Neal, Bradley McDougald, and Jordan Poyer.

2018 Predicted Finish: 5-9

2018 Actual Finish: 5-8-1 (finally, a spot on prediction!)

2018 Results: Chris always has a strong showing early in the year, only to fade down the stretch.  Last year was no exception, he was 3-2 by week 5 only to go on a 6 game losing streak.

Best Pick: Cory Littleton

Worst Pick: Lamar Miller (IR anyone?)

Best Value Pick: Demaryius Thomas

Strongest position: WR or LB

Draft Grade: C

2018 Predicted Finish: 7-7

Summary: Just an ok draft from Chris this year, a few picks were reaches but he did make some nice selections.  At QB, he drafted Matt Ryan then again drafted another QB in round 3 (Rivers), so he's well covered at the position.  At RB, he has a bunch of timeshare players in Tarik Cohen, Tevin Coleman, and Phillip Lindsay to go along with a guy on IR (Miller) and one who's suspended (Kareem Hunt).  At WR, Adam Thielen has the #1 slot locked down, with Edelman and a potential contributor in a reinvigorated Demaryius Thomas.  At TE, Ebron may not see a year like he did last year without Luck and Rudolph (Mr Consistently Mediocre) backs him up.  On defense, he has some strength in the DL, with Joey Bosa and some in his DBs, but the real standouts are at LB.  He'll feature strong starters in Khalil Mack and Cory Littleton,  with Ogletree and Demario Davis behind them.  He won't be last in D points but he won't be first either.

2018 Predicted Finish: 8-6

2018 Actual Finish: 10-4

2018 Results: Warren went 5-1 to close out 2017 and picked up right where he left off in 2018, by going 10-0 to start the season.  He somehow then proceeded to drop 4 straight and back into the playoffs.  It was all moot come playoff time though as he rolled through the playoffs and secured his fourth title, and a record seventh for the franchise.

Best Pick: Carli Lloyd (how could it not be?)

Worst Pick: N'Keal Harry (already on IR)

Best Value Pick: Shawn Williams

Strongest position: RB

Draft Grade: B

2019 Predicted Finish: 10-4

Summary: I predicted Warren would make some noise last year and did he ever!  He'll do well again this year and handily win his lousy division, but the title will not come as easily as previous years.  He decided to go all-in with a youth injection this year, by drafting a grand total of 9 rookies!  That has to be some kind of record.  He'll field one of the best QBs in Deshaun Watson, easily the best RB pair in Saquon Barkley and Todd Gurley, and a fine receiver win Mike Evans (this is where things start to go off the rails).  Behind Evens, he has another TB receiver in Chris Godwin and it's all rookies after tha