Keeper Analysis - Glitterfist Lasersnakes

Hands down, the best logo in the CKL.

Peyton Manning, QB, Denver Broncos
Fred Jackson, RB, Buffalo Bills
Darren Sproles, RB, New Orleans Saints
Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Season 10 of the CKL marked its second expansion, this time moving from 12 to 14 teams.  The Glitterfist Lasersnakes was one of those teams, and Patrick's inaugural season finished with mixed results.  A (somewhat) surprising 5-4 start filled Patrick with visions of the playoffs, but a 1-3 finish down the stretch spoiled that potential party.  Still, there's a lot to be said for finishing at 6-7 in the regular season when he started with zero keepers.  Kudos to you Patrick.  

So what does 2012 have in store?  A lot of promise and a lot of questions. 

Peyton Manning will no longer be running the ship in the dome in Indy, as he signed a new deal with the Broncos this offseason to play in the mile-high city.  There is a lot of buzz about Manning returning to his old form, and the weapons in Denver are present to make that happen.  Peyton may be able to enjoy the best running game he's had since the early days of Edgerrin James, and the WR duo of Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker offer a lot of upside.  But we should not forget that Manning is coming back from a serious injury that cost him the entire 2011 season.  Many of us in the league were surprised to see Paul dump Manning after the injury news hit, and were even more surprised to see Patrick throw out a $46 claim in FAAB to lock him down.  It was pretty clear from that point that Patrick meant to keep Manning coming into this year, and I'm sure the news from training camp makes him excited to own the QB that was once the #1 QB in fantasy.  While I don't expect a full return to form in his first season in Denver, 4000 yards seems a lock, along with 28-33 TDs.  That'll do nicely.

Fred Jackson was also hurt in 2011, but not before starting the season as the #1 RB in all of fantasy.  A broken leg in his 10th game derailed what was set to be his best season as a pro by far, and likely a top-5 finish among RBs.  Thankfully for Patrick, Jackson is healthy now and ready to get back to being the workhorse for the Bills.  Or is he?  C.J. Spiller played great football in Jackson's absence last year, and I have to think (as do many "experts") that this is destined to be, at best, a platoon with Fred being the lead back.  That really makes Jackson a high end #2 RB.  If Spiller gets hurt though, there's room for a lot more.  Both RBs are going to get a lot of touches in the Buffalo offense, so there isn't too much concern, but I'm sure Patrick would prefer to have a clear-cut #1 RB to lead the way.

Instead, the Lasersnakes go into 2012 with two #2-type RBs, as Darren Sproles falls squarely into that category in a non-PPR league (PPR is stupid - just sayin').  Last year was a magical year for Sproles and the Saints, but is there any reason to think it will be any better?  I pretty firmly believe that 2011 was Darren's ceiling.  He's not going to get the ball near the goal line much, if at all.  And you just can't count on a high number of long touchdown runs or receptions, no matter how lightning-quick you are.  I worry that his diminutive stature is going to catch up with him one of these days and put him on the IR for an extended period.  I hope for Patrick's sake that's not the case, but expecting another top-10 finish among RBs is likely foolish. 

I don't have too much to say about Andy Dalton, other than he's a solid, if unspectacular backup fantasy QB.  In a 14-team league, he would absolutely be drafted, but probably somewhere in the 10th round or so.  Since Patrick gets to keep him for the price of a 14th rounder, there's definitely value here.  But if Peytong Manning gets hurt, I'm not sure if Patrick is going to want to count on the second-year QB to start every week. 

Sum it all up, and I'd say that the Glittery Snakes have a decent chance of making a playoff run.  With an exceptional draft and some good luck when it comes to avoiding the injury bug, maybe a deep run could be in store.  A WR at pick #3 seems as certain as any pick in the draft.  The real intrigue will start in the second round, where Patrick will have 2 of the 6 picks at the turn into round three.  Does he go with a second WR and a TE to fill out his offensive starting roster?  The smart money is on that, but I'm sure Patrick has a few tricks up his sleeve.  And honestly, after just one year, few of us have a great read on him going into the draft.  That's probably a very good thing for Patrick.