Draft Recap and Week 1
Howdy. Welcome to Hoff's Hot Takes. August is over, and September is alive, so let us be thankful for this football season. Today we have a draft recap, an interview with Micah, some Kerry Wood talk and much much more. Before we get started we have a shoutout to Nick Rill for hosting the draft. Beef was great, and the company was awesome. Place looks great. Also, another warm welcome back to Peter. Hope the kids are doing better Beej, golf wasn't that fun, don't worry.... Ready or not, the football season is upon us. Thank you for everyone who attended the draft - I hope we all remember the Up, On Deck, In the Hole, In the Double Hole, in the Cave.
Picks of the draft : Keenan Allen (Joe) , Dionte Johnson (Nick. PICK OF THE DRAFT). Rashad Batemon (Tid). Drake London (Kyle). Dallas Goedert (Kyle)
Rookie Report: This is the first season since we have implemented the rookie rule where nobody took a rookie in the first round! Breeeeeeece Hall was the first rookie taken. The running back was picked with the first pick of the third round. Bryan Robinson Jr just shot up the draft board this late fall, and George pulled the trigger on him in the 4th. It really was borderline manslaughter for him to last that long. Damian Pierce for the Texans was one of the next picks in the 4th. We then skip all the way down to the 6th for James Cook. The 7th had a run of rookie receivers in Drake London, Treylon Burks, and Chris Olave. We had multiple later round rookie go, but the ones I liked were Garret Wilson for Beej, and Jameson Williams in the 11th for Joe. I could see him being kept next year by Mr. Gaza.
2023 Draft Preview - Joe seems to be the leader in the clubhouse here for best draft board of 2023. He already has two 1sts, 2nds, and 3rds. If he sells he will have a huge war chest, and if he uses those picks he still should have a few extra picks to use for next year. Nick has an extra pick up there, and Beej has an extra 4 and 5 to throw around to move up the board next year. JB has an extra 2 and 3 next year. On the flip side, Jordan is already out a 3,4,5 and George is out his 1,2,3,6, and 7th round picks.. The Texas RB Bijan Robinson apparently is a stud, so I will assume he will be the number 1 pick next season, and there are going to be a handful of WR again that should be interesting... Notre Dame TE Michael Meyer is coming out and could be a guy to take a la Pitts, but he also could be like a Kyle Rudolph, either way the echoes shall be stirred, they may be winless echoes, however consider them stirred....Players coming back into the draft pool next year: AJ Brown, Hollywood Brown, Darren Waller, Mark Andrews, Deebo Samuel, and Terry McLauren. This should make WR even more deep, and make TE a little easier to navigate as well, given that everyone stays up to snuff here... James Conner and Ceedee Lamb would cost third round picks next season, so they could be considered a "probably" to hop back in the pool as well. To be honest, this should be the biggest season since we started doing this where quality guys go back into the draft pool.
Interview with Micah - Micah is coming off a week 1 win, so I figured this would be a good week to interview my good pal Micah. Come learn about playing catch, some ball caps, and much more...
Question 1 : You get to play catch with three dudes - You get to pick from one fun/cool ball player, a HOF quality player, and just a cool dude. Who do you pick?
Answer 1 : Kevin Costner. He knows ball, and he can throw. I bet the convo would get flowing after a few tosses. I would choose John Smoltz. Good sense of humor and charisma, and could probably give me some pointers on developing my splitter. Then I would choose my dad. Logged a million hours of catch with him, and he can still handle a 70 MPH heater at almost 70 years old.
Question 2 : If I were to offer you three ball caps, which non Chicago teams would you pick?
Answer 2: A's, Brewers, and Giants. (See Below)
Question 3: Where do you think the United States ranks in terms of life expectancy?
Answer 3: I am going to guess 7, my lucky number. I bet we are not as high as we assume. (40th is the correct answer here, people)
Question 4 : Give me a hall of good for the following positions - Pitcher, Infield, Running back, and QB.
Answer 4: Kerry Wood, Edgar Renteria, Ron Dayne, Dante Culpepper
Question 5: Say your job outlawed writing in black or blue pen. What color would you pick up writing your work stuff with?
Answer 5: Red. JB once asked if I prefer to write in red because "everything I write down is incorrect"
Kerry Wood Talk - Now is the section of the Takes that is dedicated to Kerry Wood. Wood came in to the league hot in 1998. He went 13-6 with a 3.20 ERA, lead the league in K/9, and won Rookie of the Year. He hit the mark for most strikeouts in a game as well that season. From 1998 - 2004, Kerry averaged 13 wins with a 3.60 ERA all while averaging about 3 K's per BB. He then pivoted to becoming a closer in the later half of the 2000's decade averaging 25 saves in 08,09, and 10. Wood finished his career with 85 wins and 65 saves. According to baseball reference, only 15 people in baseball history have 100 wins and 100 saves. If you lower those to Wood's totals of 85 and 65, that list expands to 40. So one can say that Kerry Wood is one of baseball's all time pitchers who spent time doing both.
Week 1 Recap - ***Nolan and JB met up for a great week one contest. JB squeaks by Nolan 130-126. JB had Mahomes and Diggs go over thirty, and he gets the well earned W. This will be a first round playoff matchup between the 3 and 6 seeds, you watch. Both of these guys put up huge points totals, and got a points point even though Pitts, Theilen, D/ST, and kicker only combined for 10 points for JB, and Nolan only got a combined 12 from Kamara, Dawson Knox, and his D/ST. Good signs for both teams in a weird way.... *** Tidwell and Nick had a bit of a one sided matchup where Tidwell pulls out the big W. Steve had four guys score over 20 points in his lineup, and ended up putting up close to 150 while getting a 0 in his starting lineup! If Barkley and CEH are good this team will challenge for a bye. Nick had his running backs go off and combine for 45 points, but he got a 0 from his TE, and had Dak Prescott brake his thumb. Dak will now be out for the next two months or so. Anybody have a good QB to trade Nick? Hey Beej - Trade him Murray and get something and get a new keeper....*** Mike and Kyle had themselves a game this week, boy did they! Mike rode the Chubby Hunts to a solid victory over Kyle. Chubb and Hunt combined for about 40 points at the RB position, and Lamar Jackson and Davante Adams did the rest as he opened up a big ol can of whoop ass on Kyle. GIVE ME A HELL YAH! Kyle had Stafford and Derrick Henry combine for 15 points this week. When reached for comment, Kyle said that it was quote "not ideal" end quote. Watch out for Mike. If he get a few more wins to open the season, he will have D Hopkins back in week 6, and JK Dobbins back to tote the rock. He could roll out Lamar, Hunt, Chubb, Dobbins, Adams, Hopkins, and TJ Hock. Hard out... ***Jordan and Peter had a game this week, and it was not very close at all. Montgomery got sidelined as Herbert scored the TD late, and there are real questions about how good he can be. Schultz did well. If Jordan keeps losing look for Jalen Hurts to get a big return. On the other end, Peter just walks back in to the league and announces his presence with Authority. If I were to make an analogy, Peter was Robert "The Lizard King" California, and Jordan was Andy Bernard. Peter got a DOMINANT D Swift game, and also he got 32 points from his kicker and D/ST. Watch out for Michael Pittman. He will be a top 10 guy this season. Bet it. Bet it right now. You wont do it. You wont....***Beej and Micah had a game. It was not very good. I am sorry Micah, It is late here at the Hot Takes Household, but just know that you have some high praise coming up later. Your WR will always rotate between each other with huge games. Elite, and Beej, I would say that you have nowhere to go but up with Akers but he could fumble and end up with -2 so nevermind.... *** Joe and George had a game which was your standard game between two solid gentlemen, and two solid competitors. At the end of the day, like two alpha male bulls in the wild, only one prevailed. That one is Joe. Joe. You are Neo. You are the One. Take this honor, and run with it. Run to a playoff win...
KING OF THE HILL - Reminders : We will be giving a payout for the winner of King of the Hill this season. As a refresher, the person who scores the lowest amount of points in the week will be eliminated from competition. Whoever is left standing at the end of the season will take home the money. This week we eliminate Bar Fight Beej. Beej scored 66 points this week. Please give a round of applause to Beej for a hard fought effort to win king of the Hill! I believe this is worth $75 - please consult JB for official details. Terms and Conditions apply.
Eliminated from King of the Hill :
Week 1) BJ (66.02)Still Alive - Jordan, Nick, Joe, Nolan, JB, George, Tidwell, Kyle, Peter, Mike, Micah
Random Stats From Week 1 - Joe Burrow had 5 turnovers yesterday. He entered halftime with NEGATIVE PIE points (-3.14)... Justin Jefferson had the best single half of football fantasy points wise since the year 2018. Jefferson has the most fantasy points dating back to week 10 of last season...Saquon Barkley had his fourth best fantasy point total of his career in week one.... Aaron Rodgers' worst two games for fantasy points are last year's week one, and this year's week one... Pat Mahomes now has 18 TD and 0 INT in week 1 in his career... Kelce joins Tony Gonzalez and Gronk with thirty 100 yard games as a TE. He needs 4 more this season to set the record and have the most 100 yard games as a TE....Stafford ties Drew Brees for quickest guy to get to 50,000 passing yards.... In 1999, the Broncos played the Jaguars and there were 8 fumbles - all 8 were recovered by the offensive team. That is a .39% of happening, but it has to be way less than that. Ya know, like numbers are one thing, but actual odds are another.
Team Outlooks for the 2022 Season - With the draft WAY behind us, and one week in the book, it is time to look at each teams prospects for the 2022 season and beyond.
JB - Michael Thomas is the make or break player for JB. If he is old school Michael Thomas like week 1, JB is in the playoffs easy. and may win... Mahomes I believe will be the number one QB. I think the Chiefs will win the Super Bowl. According to JB, Kyle Pitts will be just like Delanie Walker, so that's good. In all seriousness, JB has winning the league ceiling, and at worst he will finish 7th. He has an extra 2nd and 3rd, and an extra 1,2,6 in 2024, so if he sells he will really be stacked and we will be stuck in a cycle of JB dominance. Everybody let JB use those picks. DO NOT TRADE WITH JB.
George - Trey Lance. That is all... Chase and his running backs will keep him in a ton of games but who knows if that will lead to wins. It did not in week 1. Lazard needs to come back and be hella consistent brochacho. He is lacking in picks for next year so look for a text looking to trade 2024 picks. Mike Williams needs to be 2021 Mike Williams and not 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022 Mike Williams.
BJ - Possible candidate for the worst record when the season comes to a close, but should be in games a ton. Frisky. I am assigning the Frisky label to Beej. BJ should use this season to evaluate his keepers to see if they are worth keeping around for the following years. Kyler, and Devonta Smith are 5th and 6ths respectively, and Akers had 0.0 points in the Rams first game. I like how he took Garrett Wilson, Christian Kirk, and Treylon Burks for a 9th, 8th and 7th, so he could get some new blood on his team with those three cheaper WR. Trading his other guys this season will set him up for next year to be a top 3 team. Do it Beej... Do it. There is a world where you can enter the next draft with 1,2,3,3,4,4,5,5. Trade that extra 3 and 4 and a 2024 pick for a 2 and have 1,2,2,3,4,5,5. Do it. Then take all those picks and get RBs and a QB. Do it.
Nick - Dak being out after week one is not ideal. In some ways, this season is one that will precipitate long term changes for Rilli Thing. Zeke and DK could be past their prime as far as usefulness to Rilli Thing. Johnathon Taylor is legit, so long term Nick is cool, but this is gonna be a big time season for you. Do not mess it up. Try to score more than 80 points in a game from now on. Nick has an extra third next year, so maybe he leans into that?
Tidwell - I believe Tidwell will at some point this season be the hottest team in the league, and with three points out the gate, it may happen now. Barkley and CEH need to keep it up, but I believe in them both as of now. Kupp is consistent and AMAZING. Burrow will be as well. Cooks, Bateman, and Mooney are solid to keep you in the 3-4-5 range, but you could package two of them and a pick for somebody really good. I think you are in a good spot, Venn.
Micah - I think if Micah can pull off a good two for one trade, or throw a pick out there for a guy, he would vault into title mode. I like his team a ton though. Josh Allen may just be good for 30 every week, so that helps. The more I look at it, the more I think his team will have to grow into itself. It is deep, not top heavy. Jerry Jeudy was fast as hell on that TD...He has four guys I wouldn't mind starting at WR and RB, Josh Allen, Darren Waller, and a good kicker. Playoffs. Yoffs. Yoff 'em. Yoff 'em hard. Final 4 'em hard.
Jordan - Jordan looks to be in the same spot as he was last year - low ceiling and high floor. Should finish somewhere between 4th and 8th. Should be a make or break year for David Montgomery. Conner is the man though - Kingsbury is top 3 in running back touches inside the 5 yard line. Herbert took the TD away from him Sunday. He is a 16th though, so he should stick around for a few more years. Waddle looks safe. Dameon Pierce, Skyy Moore, and Chris Olave should all be keepable or tradable (maybe not Pierce as he is a rookie 4th forever). Expect him to just stick around this middle ground for all season, like he is 0-1 now, but he will be 2-2, and then 4-4, etc...
Mike - Mikey is looking to make the playoffs this season, started 1-0, and he may just do it. He has made the playoffs once since 2014, and that is looking to change. The Browns running game is amazing, and he has the guys around him to succeed. He needs to hold on until D Hopkins gets back. I think he should also pull the trigger on trading Renfrow/Mattison/Robinson and picks for a stud WR. #Worth Lamar and the running just give him a floor that can win a ton of weeks. Also has an extra 6th next year so that is a chip there.
Kyle - With Kyle 0 -1 to start the season. What does this mean? I assume Derrick Henry is untouchable, so what does this leave us with? It leaves us with Terry McClaurin, who is unkeepable after this season, and Deebo Samuel, who will be a 2nd round pick to keep next year. Does Kyle trade these guys to bolster his draft next year. He has all of his picks, and could really load up if he keeps losing. He took Breece Hall in the 3rd as well, so that is steep. JB is the only guy who has kept a guy in the 3rd or 2nd round who he took rookie style. He also has Drake London in the chamber in the 7th, and he looked good. Expect Kyle to keep London, Henry, and The Legend Hassan Haskins, but probably Dallas Goedert in the 13th... Or you could pull the move of the catcher from Major League and WIN THE WHOLE FUCKIN THING.
Peter - After you beat me in week one, I almost started a rumor that you were a man who wears a glove to baseball games in case a ball comes your way. Almost... Anyways, Swift is a top 7 guy moving forward in terms of Dynasty Value ( For our league, I'd go Jefferson, Chase, Taylor, Chubb, Mahomes, Harris, Swift in no order), and Pittman is going to be a top 10 guy this year; Schedule Peter into the playoffs. He has all picks next year too. Other fun facts about Peter -> He likes working out with kettle bells, and he is an oil man.
Nolan - In my opinion, Justin Jefferson is the best player in the league. Nolan has him forever for really cheap. Kinda sucks for everyone else. Bummer he ran into JB week one, but he will get a points point to get him something here. Think if he gets a TE he is runaway favorite, but for now, consider him favorite for this year. Just gonna be tough to get one - if Nick or Jordan is bad maybe it is Schultz or Kittle? Also - watch out for Jahan Datson to be kept next year and for Nolan to trade Herbert for a haul to get some ammo to continue to stay competitive. Remember : Nolan has the second most wins in PHB history.
Joe - If I were to be honest, I think Joe has the best mix of trying to win this year while also being set up next year to also win. (shouts to JB for coming in second here - although if it were to be for the next three seasons, JB would be #1). Lamb looks to be in trouble here with Dak going down, but the good news is Travis looks good to be playing with Lawerence for the next bunch of years, and is cheap. *BOLD PREDICTION ALERT* AJ Brown finishes as a top 3 WR this season. Joe will be a top 4 seed I believe. Love Jameson Williams as a long term guy. If Joe uses one of these big boy picks he has next year on a running back for this season, I would consider putting him in the number two spot to win the title - for now give me Nolan.
PLAYER HATERS BALL RANKINGS - Tidwell, Peter, JB, Joe, Micah, Berrones
HOFF'S HOT TAKES POWER RANKINGS - Nolan, Micah, Joe, Peter, Tidwell, Mike