I know Warren moved to NJ for a reason, to steal my draft list!  He drafted immediately before me and 4 of his first 5 picks were stolen directly from my draft queue (if Josh could pull my draft queue activity, he could confirm this).  I don't often point fingers but I can certainly recognize the criminal element when I see it.

I'm struggling a bit to get going this year.  Not sure if it's COVID or the fact that I'm following hockey in August but it doesn't feel like football season and I haven't been on top of things like I usually am.  Anyway, the posting is shorter than normal this year.

2019 Season Recap

2019 seemed like an odd year to me.  Clearly Byron dominated, and deserves all the credit in the world for doing so, but a few things that normally occur didn't happen.  They are;

1. The top scoring team was not in the playoffs (not that my team would have made any noise but c'mon!)
2. Richard's team was the worst scoring team in the league but still made the playoffs.
3. Mike's team wasn't at or over .500, as has been the case since 2006 (as I note here yearly, the streak finally ended).
4. Warren wasn't as annoying a usual.  I assume this is because he's adjusting well to life in NJ and being an a-hole amongst the locals, like we all do.

Team-by-Team Review and Predictions

Not too bad on the predictions from last year.  A couple were wild misses (Crusaders, TMC, and BB) but the rest were pretty good.

I decided to dump this info into a little chart as well.  Numbers hurt my head but graphs are pretty!

On to the fun stuff...

Amish Electricians

2019 Predicted Finish: 7-7
2019 Actual Finish: 7-7
2019 Results: Afer the disaster that was 2018 for Josh, he had nowhere to go but up.  In this case that got him back to .500 but not enough to get further.  He was weighed down by the albatross that was Le'Veon Bell all-season and was really unable to get anything going.

Best Pick: Raheem Mostert
Worst Pick: None, I couldn't find major fault with any of them.
Draft Grade: B+
2020 Predicted Finish: 8-6

Summary:  Josh's best move (by far) came via his pre-draft trade to acquire Lamar Jackson from Byron.  Giving up 2 first round picks is a majorly hefty price to pay but it could pay off (and I for one am very surprised Byron would make sure a trade within his own division).  Jackson alone will elevate his team and put him in contention for the playoffs but I still think he's lacking some pieces to make the complete move to the next level.  With Jackson at QB, he'll be in the mix each week but it goes downhill from there.  At RB, he's going with the shotgun approach by loading up guys who "could" make the leap, but certainly no guarantees.  Mostert is probably is best bet but there will be timeshare concerns with all his RBs and it could make the weekly decisions tough.  At WR, Davante Adams is still top notch (when healthy) but he'll need more from Ridley or Golden Tate and his TEs may or may not pan out.  On Defense, he's pretty strong overall with one of the better DL tandems and solid LBs and DBs.  If Josh can get actually get some decent RB play from some of these guys, he has the potential to push Byron for the division.

Norsemen

2019 Predicted Finish: 9-5
2019 Actual Finish: 10-4
2019 Results:  Byron continued as he left off in 2018 by rolling through the year with relatively few hiccups (aside from a pitiful loss to the STA in the final week of the regular season).  He blasted through the playoffs, going over 100 points in both games, and easily secured his WMFFL-record sixth title.

Best Pick: Fred Warner
Worst Pick: Phillip Lindsay
Draft Grade: C
2020 Predicted Finish: 8-6

Summary: Byron usually does well in his drafts but I think he reached on a few this year and his trade of Lamar Jackson to Josh may prove to be his undoing.  At QB, he has Mahomes, who should continue to put up crazy numbers as usual.  At RB, the same is true for McCaffrey and Kamara but he has zero depth behind them so he had better hope and pray that this trio stays healthy.  He needs someone to emerge as a true #1 WR and hedged his bet by drafting 2 WRs in the first round (Woods would easily fit that role, should his TD numbers improve).  Either way, he has a good crop overall but none are outstanding and weekly dependability may be an issue.  At TE, he's locked in with Mark Andrews but lacks depth.  On D, he's DL are just ok but could be strong if Bosa establishes consistency.  His LBs are very strong, with Warner and Cunningham, but his DBs are lacking.  If his core players stay healthy then Byron will be back in the title mix but one injury could derail his year.  Overall, it will be interesting to see him and Josh battle it out for their division title this year.

Richard's Lionhearts

2019 Predicted Finish: 6-8
2019 Actual Finish: 8-6
2019 Results: Richard has managed to turn that garbage team around and has been at or over .500 for two seasons now.  He eked out a 6 pt win over me early on (which ended up deciding the playoffs), beat the STA by 2 pts, and TMC by 8, so the summary here is that his shit team was lucky throughout the season and robbed me (and my actually GOOD team) of a playoff shot (clearly I am not bitter though).  

Best Pick: Joe Schobert
Worst Pick: Dawson Knox
Draft Grade: C-
2020 Predicted Finish: 6-8

Summary: If Richard could re-wind the clock by 4 years, his team would beast, unfortunately we all have to live in 2020 so he's stuck with what he has.  He reached on a bunch of his draft picks and many of these guys are question marks.  At QB, he has 2019-failure Baker Mayfield, with no depth here, and at RB he's got a solid option in Joe Mixon but David Johnson was a shell of his former self last year and it's anyone's guess how James White will be with a new QB.  At WR, DJ Moore should be his top option but TY Hilton and OBJ are massive question marks for the year, due to health and questionable QB play.  His best player is Travis Kelce at TE and he alone will win him a couple games this year.  on D, his DL is lacking but his LBs and DBs are strong.  His D and Kelce will score him some points but Richard needs a major bounce-back year in CLE to contend this year.

Sean Taylor's Ashes

2019 Predicted Finish: 4-10
2019 Actual Finish: 5-9
2019 Results:  Don did a little better than I thought last year, but not much.  He was 4-4 after week eight but tanked from there and went 1-5 to close the season. 

Best Pick: Adam Thielen
Worst Pick: Rashaad Penny
Draft Grade: D
2020 Predicted Finish: 4-10

Summary: There were more than a few picks I didn't like that Don made but it wasn't as bad as previous years.  In the end, he'll hope for another strong (and healthy) year out of Brees and he'll hope that the timeshare situations don't weight down his RBs too much, although that may be a tall order as Chubb, Ingram, Michel, and Penny are all in tough situations and split time with strong players.  At WR, Julio Jones will continue to be his team anchor and if Thielen can return to form, this will be a tough pairing.  At TE, Kittle leads the pack and should have a great year.  On D, his DL is pretty poor, his LBs are lacking (aside from TJ Watt), and if DBs are ok at best.   I think 5-9 will be a stretch for Don this year as he continues to try and find his footing in the league.

Crusaders

2019 Predicted Finish: 7-7
2019 Actual Finish: 10-4
2019 Results: Hall was 4-3 by the midpoint and it looked like it would be a mediocre year, at best, for the Crusaders but they rallied late and only lost 1 game (to the strong TR) the rest of the way, then got blown out by Byron in the playoffs.

Best Pick: San Francisco 49ers OL
Worst Pick: Tevin Coleman
Draft Grade: B-
2020 Predicted Finish: 8-6 (I really struggle predicting Hall's record each year and this year will probably be no different)

Summary: Hall did ok in his draft overall but I thought he reached for a few picks too soon.  He'll field strong QBs in Russel Wilson and Roethlisberger (if he can stay healthy) and at RB with Dalvin Cook and Austin Ekeler, although his beach is very questionable.   At WR, Kenny Golladay is a top choice but he'll need continued good play from DeVante Parker or a resurgence from AJ Green.  Darren Waller is a fine choice for TE, provided he can keep his catch numbers up.  On D, he's got at least a top player at each position and capable backups.  In all, Hall has a good team and it will put him in a 2-way fight with Warren for the top spot in his lousy division, yet again.

Fighting Squirrels

2019 Predicted Finish: 5-9
2019 Actual Finish: 5-9
2019 Results: Brian had nowhere to go but up after 2018 and he did improve, slightly.  It was a brutal start to the year for Brian and he was only 2-7 going into week 10.  He went 3-2 to end the year and one of those losses was by 1 point to the 10-win Crusaders.

Best Pick: Clyde Edwards-Helaire
Worst Pick: Antonio Gibson
Draft Grade: C+
2020 Predicted Finish: 6-8

Summary: Brian had an ok draft and it's possible he makes some noise if the stars align, but it will take plenty of luck.  At QB, Prescott and Rodgers could be a formidable pair and he is well covered if one of them gets injured.  At RB, CEH and Aaron Jones will lead the way but depth is a major concern with rookie backup Antonio Gibson and timeshare Jordan Howard.  At WR, he's pretty strong with Tyreek Hill and whomever emerges from the Kupp/Allen/Jones trio.  At TE, he's got a fine option in Jared Cook.  On D, he's got fine options at DL but at LB he has one questionable starter and two rookies.  He'll need a major step up in performance from Rashaan Evans and one of the rookies will have to breakout, big time.  He's strong at DB and this will probably be the bright spot of his defense.

Gallic Warriors

2019 Predicted Finish: 7-7
2019 Actual Finish: 6-8
2019 Results: Chris had two shutout victories in weeks 7 and 8 but those was about the highlight of his season.  He struggled with consistency and finished below .500 for the second year in a row.

Best Pick: D'Andre Swift
Worst Pick: Austin Hooper
Draft Grade: C+
2020 Predicted Finish: 7-7

Summary: I liked some of Chris' draft this year but I think he went off the rails in the later rounds.  He'll end up fielding Brady or Jimmy G at QB, and hoping beyond hope that Brady can keep it going in TB.  At RB, Drake should be good but he'll need Melvin Gordon to ramp it up in Denver and D'Andre Swift to take over the lead role in Detroit.  At WR, Mike Evans will be strong but DeSean Jackson is usually hit-or-miss and CeeDee Lamb will probably need a little ramp-up time.  At TE, Hooper could be fine in Cleveland but that have alot of mouths to feed, so who knows.  Aside from him, he's got ancient Greg Olsen and ever-mediocre Kyle Rudolph.  On D, Joey Bosa leads the way but the other options are just ok.  At LB, he has probably the best pairings in the league with Cory Littleton and Chandler Jones and he's got one strong DB in Vonn Bell.  Chris has a good D but his offense is still missing a couple key centerpieces to drive him to the next level.

Trump Molests Collies

2019 Predicted Finish: 10-4
2019 Actual Finish: 7-7
2019 Results: I picked Warren to go 10-4 last year and by mid-season he was 5-2, and on his way to hitting this mark.  Unfortunately he went 2-5 the rest of the way and just managed to hit .500.

Best Pick: Allen Robinson
Worst Pick: Will Dissly
Draft Grade: B+
2020 Predicted Finish: 9-5

Summary: I liked Warrens draft picks because they were mine!  He's set at QB with Deshaun Watson but he's got questions at the second RB slot behind Saquon Barkley, with Todd Gurley on a new team and backup Ke'Shawn Vaughn.  He should be set at WR with Chris Godwin and Allen Robinson, along with Tyler Boyd and DK Metcalf behind them.  He's got questions at TE but, overall, his offense is strong.  His defense is where he could falter.  His DL has a top option in scumbag Myles Garrett but the rest are just ok.  At LB, Blake Martinez is a standout and Eric Kendricks is ok but not exciting.  At DB, Jessie Bates and Jabrill Peppers are both good overall.  Like the Josh/Byron battle, this division is all about the battle between Warren and Hall and it's tough to pick a winner between the two.

British Bulldogs

2019 Predicted Finish: 5-9
2019 Actual Finish: 2-12
2019 Results: Horrifying.  The season started well for Adam, with a strong win against Josh, but that was where the good times ended.  He went 1-12 the rest of the way and totally collapsed.  

Best Pick: Sterling Shepard
Worst Pick: Brandin Cooks
Draft Grade: B
2020 Predicted Finish: 5-9

Summary: Adam did much better in his second draft but I still think he reached for some of these picks.  He'll end up with unproven Kyler Murray, who he needs to take the next step, and Cam Newton who is surrounded by question marks this year.  At RB, it's ugly and his season depends on the Steelers and James Conner being able to bounce back.  At WR, Hopkins is a superstar and if he can get one of the other WRs to emerge, he'll be set.  Tyler Higbee leads his TE pair and he should do fine here.  On D, he's got a couple decent options with Dante Fowler, Harrison Smith, and Taylor Rapp but not much outside of them.  He'll need some of these guys to step up and JJ Watt to stay healthy and productive to keep his team in the mix.

MeggaMen

2019 Predicted Finish: 9-5
2019 Actual Finish: 8-6
2019 Results: It was a struggle to keep my team in it last year and I lost way too many games that I shouldn't have, including a 6 pt loss to Richard's Lionhearts, an 8 point loss to TR, and a loss to the awful STA (who played the role of spoiler well last year).  In the end, it wasn't enough to have the most points if it doesn't translate into a title.

Best Pick: Patrick Queen
Worst Pick: Le'Veon Bell
Draft Grade: C+
2020 Predicted Finish: 9-5

Summary: This is probably the worst draft grade I've ever given myself but I'm pretty disappointed with some of my picks.  Like I said before, Warren robbed me a number of times early on and that, coupled with my draft position, left me in a spot where I couldn't get many of the guys I wanted.  In the end, I'll field Stafford at QB, which should be fine if he stays healthy, and Daniel Jones behind him.  At RB, things are strong with Derrick Henry and Miles Sanders but depth is non-existent with the very questionable Le'Veon Bell.  At WR, Michael Thomas will keep me in the mix every week but behind him, I'll need DJ Chark, Fuller, or Crowder to step up this year.  At TE, Zach Ertz was my first round pick (probably a reach) but ideally he'll have a strong year again.  On D, I have top players in every position but they'll have to stay healthy and I'll need some young guys to step up.  It starts with Danielle Hunter at the DL, all-world LB Darius Leonard, and Jamal Adams at DB.  Behind them though I have young players, rookies, and a top guy who's already injured (Derwin James).  I think I'll have to fight for every point again this year but, in the end, with all the rookies on the TR, there is a good chance I'll make it this year.

Sacks on the Beach

2019 Predicted Finish: 6-8
2019 Actual Finish: 5-9
2019 Results: Mike took a step backward last year, due to injuries and the loss of his rock, Antonio Brown, which he never really recovered from.  He got good play early on from Marlon Mack, and was 3-2 by week 5, but only won 2 games the rest of the way and went 0-4 to close the year.

Best Pick: Hayden Hurst
Worst Pick: Leonard Fournette (already waived)
Draft Grade: C+
2020 Predicted Finish: 6-8

Summary: I think Mike did ok in his draft but took a major hit when Fournette (his first round pick) was dropped by the Jags.  Maybe he'll land in a good spot but who knows at this point (and I don't think he was a good first round pick anyway).  At QB, Wentz will be good if he stays healthy and he has a good RB in Josh Jacobs, but the rest are in timeshares or are questionable.  At WR, things look better with Amari Cooper and AJ Brown but he needs one of his young guys or backups to take the leap.  He's got strong TEs and one of them could emerge this year.  On D, his DLs are just ok, his LBs could be great, and his DBs are severely lacking.  Overall, I think it will take Mike another year to rebuild.

Testudos Revenge

2019 Predicted Finish: 9-5
2019 Actual Finish: 11-3
2019 Results: It wasn't looking good for Derek at week 5, when he was 3-2, but he won out from there to close the year at 11-3.  This included some strong wins over the Crusaders, MeggaMen, and the Richard's Lionhearts.  He rolled over the same Lionheart's in the playoffs before getting easily dispatched