Five-Star Fantasy Season Recap

For the first time in thirteen years, I finally won my Fantasy Football league last season. With quarantine in full effect, at least in my house, I've gotten an itch for some football in recent weeks. I'm watching Last Chance U on Netflix, I'm playing through a season with the Browns on Madden Mobile, and I'm already making plans for this year's Fantasy season, whenever play actually starts. I'm in a league with a highly competitive group. Many are active on the waiver wire and the message boards all season long. Trash talk is a daily routine, as is the homework that goes into preparing for each week.

Clever team names sometimes rule the day. Last season, I went in as Five-Star Man - a nod to Dennis Reynolds on the irreverent hit comedy, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I had previously gone under the moniker Liam McPoyle, another Sunny character, but I knew I needed to change my mojo if I was ever going to win it all. Like many coaches at the college and professional level, I'm a pretty superstitious guy. Maybe it's the Irish in me. I didn't drive to South Carolina for our 2019-2020 draft, but drafting remotely actually made for a better experience on my end.

Round 2: Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

 Every year, we get to keep one player, as well as a rookie that we either drafted the previous season or picked up before the conclusion of the season. The year before, running back Alvin Kamara was my keeper, and I drafted Kerryon Johnson as a rookie. I also picked up Baker Mayfield before the end of the season, so I kept him for 2019-2020, trading Kerryon for the last pick of the second round - essentially giving me two second round picks. I had no round 1 pick, as I had traded it away the year before for AJ Green - who got hurt a game later. I had a feeling about Amari Cooper in the middle part of round 2, so I went with him here. It turned out to be a great choice, as he was one of the key players who pushed me toward my first championship. 

Round 2: Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers
Set with a studly running back (Kamara), a sophomore quarterback (Mayfield), and a marquee receiver (Cooper), I went running back again in my second second with Aaron Jones. He ended up having the best season of his career with the Packers. He had some forgettable games, some key fumbles, but usually played in the most number one role behind Aaron Rodgers. His 28-point effort in the Fantasy championship game gave me the title I was looking for. Never before had I used my gut in drafting as I did in 2019, and the strategy paid off. 

Round 3: Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
With a quarterback, two running backs, and a receiver, I went with another second pass-catcher, most specifically highly-ranked Tampa Bay WR2 Chris Godwin. He really came on toward the end of the previous season, and there was a lot of buzz about him coming into 2019. I took a chance here, and his big numbers throughout the year helped me win it all. He and Mike Evans traded off from week to week who would fill the WR1 role in Tampa, and more weeks than not, Jameis Winston looked Godwin's way first.

Round 4: Kenny Golladay, WR, Detroit Lions

I knew Cooper was a legit WR1, but didn't know for sure how Godwin's outlook would be, as he still was, on paper, a WR2. Knowing this, I went Kenny Golladay in round 4. He was the guy in Detroit, and he still had Matt Stafford throwing him the football every week. I didn't know much about Golladay going in, but I decided to take a chance. He ended up having his best year as a pro, and continued it after Stafford went down for the season. 

Round 5: Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
I really reached for Miles Sanders, but I knew that he was an exciting young rookie out of Penn State, and that Jordan Howard wouldn't pay the bills forever in Philadelphia. It was always sunny for the Five-Star Man when Sanders eventually took over backfield duties for the Eagles, proving that he was their back of the future, and that I had my rookie keeper for the 2020 season. Sanders had some big games down the stretch, which helped set up my title run. 

Round 6: Robby Anderson, WR, New York Jets

Round 7: Latavius Murray, RB, New Orleans Saints

Round 8: David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns

Round 9: Darrell Henderson Jr., RB, Los Angeles Rams

Round 10: Matt Breida, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Round 11: Anthony Miller, WR, Chicago Bears

Round 12: Mitchell Trubisky, QB, Chicago Bears

Round 13: Houston Texans, DEF

None of those guys in the later rounds made a difference in the end except for Matt Breida, and Latavius Murray, who stepped in for an injured Alvin Kamara toward the middle of season for two or three massive games. Going into Week 1, I saw that the Broncos were playing an Antonio Brown-less Raiders team, so I dropped Houston's defense to pick up Denver. That basically lost me the week, as the Raiders steamrolled the Broncos, who put up a wholly unimpressive 0 points. Going into Week 2, I picked up the Patriots Defense from the waiver wire, and I kept them all season long. They had a historic campaign on the defensive side of the ball, and were another major contributor to my championship. 

Toward the end of the season, I was rolling with Rams tight end Gerald Everett, who was putting up solid numbers every week. When he went down, I picked up his backup, Tyler Higbee, who ended up going off for me. I had never even heard of Higbee, but he proved he was the Rams tight end to own in the end. Higbee was a big part of my title run, and will definitely be on my radar for the 2020 season.

The biggest decision of my 2019-2020 season came in a trade. Toward the middle of the year, my buddy Tony was biting the dust and offered me running back Derrick Henry for my second-round pick in the 2020 draft. Agreeing to this was the best decision I could make. There was no one more responsible for my title than Henry. Before picking up Higbee, I also traded my fourth-round pick for Giants tight end Evan Engram, who went down for the season almost as fast as I'd traded for him. It didn't matter when Henry rolled into the Five-Star Man organization.

You don't have to have an incredible Fantasy Football season to win it all. My team went 7-6, but I still managed to push through to the end. Though I'll be without both my second-round pick and my fourth in the 2020 draft, I go in set at running back with keepers Derrick Henry and Miles Sanders. I'll definitely be looking for receivers and pass-catching tight ends early and often, and already have my eye one particular quarterback who's not exceptional, but puts up solid numbers every week.