Post by Pittsburgh Steelers (Malachi) on Sept 5, 2020 23:44:35 GMT -5
Walter Payton Division Preview:
The first NFC division preview is here with the Walter Payton division. All 4 teams seem very diverse in the plan they took in building their teams, which makes this division one of my favorites to see how it will play out. Chicago loaded up on QBs and NE players, Sal did not draft 2 DL and is still chasing the 2nd one, Nick drafted very well established veterans, and Washington built his team from very young talent and the rookie draft. I think for this season Nick has the slight advantage but both Sal and Washington will be nipping at his heels if he does take the lead.
Chicago Bears (John):
John certainly has an affinity to the real life Patriots with how many he currently has rostered on his team, then he also has 4 QBs (1 starter) on his roster, so his roster is by far the craziest builds so far in my opinion. The 4 QBs on the roster are Baker Mayfield (who is in a prove it year for Cleveland), Justin Herbert (who will likely make it to the starting role for LAC), Taysom Hill (the swiss army knife of the NFL, who might? take over for Brees next year), and Jarrett Stidham (who looked set to be the NE starter until they signed Cam Newton). At RB it is a duo of Patriots in James White and Rex Burkhead, so he will live and die by what NE does at the position with Michel and Harris in that backfield as well. He is in a little better position at WR with Michael Thomas and Curtis Samuel leading the way, but with 2 more Pats that will have to fight for targets, FA Sanu, and rookie Coulter in a crowded WR room in HOU, John will have to hope Thomas and Samuel stay healthy. Jack Doyle is a solid TE option and with Rivers at QB should be a reliable TE all year, but with no back-up behind him, things could get dicey. The defense looks to be in a safer spot, starting at DL with Danielle Hunter, Chase Young, and Chase Winovich, that is a young talented trio. Young and Hunter will be top DL options in the NFL and Winovich will certainly be a solid rotation piece. With only 3 options at LB it does John well to have 2 solid scoring options of Cory Littleton and Nick Vigil, with Leonard Floyd being a useful third option. At DB there are 5 options for the season for Chicago, those being Kevin King, Kenny Vaccaro, Avonte Maddox, Bradley McDougald, and Malik Hooker, with those options losing Chung for the season due to an opt out will not impact the DB unit. The defense will likely be the better side of the ball for Chicago, but will it do enough to cover the holes for the team?
Predicted Division Finish: 4th
Green Bay Packers (Sal):
Like the real life Green Bay Packers, Sal looks to set the LHL Packers up to be a successful franchise, he ended up with 2 1sts in the vet draft and used that to build a very solid team and will likely be a contender in the NFC this season. For Sal, the QB spot will likely be the only question mark on offense as he has Derek Carr at the position. A RB unit led by Miles Sanders will definitely be a top one in the league, behind him is rookie Zach Moss who seems to be growing into more touches as camp wears on. Sal’s depth at the position will rely on if Freeman can find a new home, if AP signs with a team that he will get touches, and if Penny gets a solid workload when he returns. With a WR group that will vie for the top spot in the league, Sal has nothing to worry about there. The group is led by speedster Tyreek Hill, OBJ, and the reliable Marvin Jones. Equanimeous St. Brown and JJ Arcega Whiteside are the only 2 on a roster behind the top 3 with Hakeem Butler recently getting released by the Cardinals, but it is still a high end unit. With a top 5 TE in Zach Ertz, Sal has a high scoring option to put in the lineup basically every week, his backup being Sternberger could be an issue as Sternberger is not the starter in GB now. Sal does not have a full defense yet and it is because he has tried to sign a 2nd DL to pair with Clelin Ferrell, but every time he has tried someone has outbid him for the guy, so he is still searching for that 2nd DL. A high scoring LB duo of Zach Cunningham and Christian Kirksey will help make this defensive unit one of the better ones in the league, the depth isn’t as strong as some other teams, but Germaine Pratte and Avery Williamson will put up enough points to help, then youngsters Kamal Martin and Jahlani Tavai will likely just be players to wait for, for next season and beyond. Tracy Walker and Taylor Rapp at DB will be in contention for the best duo in the league as they are both very solid DBs. Jalen Thompson will be a good enough rotation player for the spot when needed. Depth and being able to find a 2nd DL will be the biggest questions for Sal this season and reasons to worry about this season.
Predicted Division Finish: 2nd
Minnesota Vikings (Nick):
Nick has built his team on a very veteran heavy basis, with only 7 of his guys 24 or younger. If I averaged teams ages out it might end up being the oldest team in the league, but in saying that it is still a very strong roster. Starting at QB, Nick chose to lead his LHL Vikings with the NFL Vikings QB Kirk Cousins. The 4 RBs are split evenly with 2 vets and 2 rookies, the 2 vets of Derrick Henry and Melvin Gordon gives the Vikings a powerful duo, then the rookies Joshua Kelley and Ke’Shawn Vaughn will have various roles for their teams this year, but should be very solid NFL backs in their careers. The WR room for Nick will rely heavily on what AJ Green does this year, if he is healthy they will be fine, if not they will struggle. Behind him, Allen Lazard and Russell Gage seem set to have nice roles in their offenses. Phillip Dorsett and Deonte Harris are question marks as to what they will give the team this season. When you can slot Gronk into your TE spot you should always be able to expect a few high scoring games from him, but will that still be the case on a new team after a year off? Jeremy Sprinkle as the only other option, Nick will have to hope Gronk is back to his old self. The Vikings have a very scary DL unit with Nick Bosa and Cameron Heyward leading the way, then Ifeadi Odenigbo and Kemoko Turay (when he comes off PUP) will be solid backups to use when needed. Having arguably the best LB in fantasy will help a team have a top defense and the Vikings have that in Darius Leonard. Now pair him with Demario Davis and depth of Foye Oluokun and Za’Darius Smith and you have a top of the league type of LB unit. Now that Logan Ryan has signed with the Giants, the DB unit is whole and is very strong. Ryan, the Bills duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, Eddie Jackson, and the rookie AJ Terrell are a powerful group of 5 at the DB spot and round out an impressive looking defense. The Vikings will be in a dog fight in the division with GB and WAS, but an overall balanced roster and possible top defense in the league will help Minnesota compete in the NFC as a whole.
Predicted Division Finish: 1st
Washington Redskins (John):
John took a very contrarian strategy to building his roster here in LHL. He did so by having 13 rookie picks which currently has his whole bench as rookies. I for one am very interested to see how this strategy plays out for him. His QB is not one of the rookies, but is a QB I personally like and that is Dwayne Haskins, I think he could be a top 15 QB this year. Things might be a little dicey early at the RB spot for John as he has Breida and Jonathan Taylor, both who might have to play themselves into bigger roles with their teams, Taylor sounds like he is the lead back, but is still a rookie so who knows right now. A lead trio of Kenny Golladay, Mike Williams, and Jamison Crowder gives John a solid WR unit, with Denzel Mims and Joe Reed waiting in the wings to potentially lead the group in the future. Darren Waller, Jared Cook, and Devin Asiasi makes for a strong TE unti, as John has 2 guys to use now while also having a TE that should grow into the league to pair with Waller in the future. This offense should be solid now and moving forward in the future. Javon Hargrave and Sheldon Richardson appear to be a useful duo at the DL spot for this season, then John has Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos waiting in the wings to take over the spot eventually. The LB group John has put together is a strong one, Lavonte David will be the leader there with Anthony Hitchens playing a role, then John has my top rated LB from this year's rookie draft in Patrick Queen and Zach Baun who should be solid in the Saints defense when he gets a starting spot there. John has 7 DBs on the roster, but with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix being a FA and Erik Harris being a backup in LV, he has 5 viable options currently. Those 5 being Joe Haden and Kevin Byard and rookies Xavier McKinney, CJ Henderson, and Jeff Gladney. Like the offense there are pieces to like this year and pieces to really like building for the future. As a whole this team looks set to fight for the division and a playoff spot in the NFC
Predicted Division Finish: 3rd
The next preview that will be up, probably tomorrow (Sunday) night is the Jerry Rice Division
The first NFC division preview is here with the Walter Payton division. All 4 teams seem very diverse in the plan they took in building their teams, which makes this division one of my favorites to see how it will play out. Chicago loaded up on QBs and NE players, Sal did not draft 2 DL and is still chasing the 2nd one, Nick drafted very well established veterans, and Washington built his team from very young talent and the rookie draft. I think for this season Nick has the slight advantage but both Sal and Washington will be nipping at his heels if he does take the lead.
Chicago Bears (John):
John certainly has an affinity to the real life Patriots with how many he currently has rostered on his team, then he also has 4 QBs (1 starter) on his roster, so his roster is by far the craziest builds so far in my opinion. The 4 QBs on the roster are Baker Mayfield (who is in a prove it year for Cleveland), Justin Herbert (who will likely make it to the starting role for LAC), Taysom Hill (the swiss army knife of the NFL, who might? take over for Brees next year), and Jarrett Stidham (who looked set to be the NE starter until they signed Cam Newton). At RB it is a duo of Patriots in James White and Rex Burkhead, so he will live and die by what NE does at the position with Michel and Harris in that backfield as well. He is in a little better position at WR with Michael Thomas and Curtis Samuel leading the way, but with 2 more Pats that will have to fight for targets, FA Sanu, and rookie Coulter in a crowded WR room in HOU, John will have to hope Thomas and Samuel stay healthy. Jack Doyle is a solid TE option and with Rivers at QB should be a reliable TE all year, but with no back-up behind him, things could get dicey. The defense looks to be in a safer spot, starting at DL with Danielle Hunter, Chase Young, and Chase Winovich, that is a young talented trio. Young and Hunter will be top DL options in the NFL and Winovich will certainly be a solid rotation piece. With only 3 options at LB it does John well to have 2 solid scoring options of Cory Littleton and Nick Vigil, with Leonard Floyd being a useful third option. At DB there are 5 options for the season for Chicago, those being Kevin King, Kenny Vaccaro, Avonte Maddox, Bradley McDougald, and Malik Hooker, with those options losing Chung for the season due to an opt out will not impact the DB unit. The defense will likely be the better side of the ball for Chicago, but will it do enough to cover the holes for the team?
Predicted Division Finish: 4th
Green Bay Packers (Sal):
Like the real life Green Bay Packers, Sal looks to set the LHL Packers up to be a successful franchise, he ended up with 2 1sts in the vet draft and used that to build a very solid team and will likely be a contender in the NFC this season. For Sal, the QB spot will likely be the only question mark on offense as he has Derek Carr at the position. A RB unit led by Miles Sanders will definitely be a top one in the league, behind him is rookie Zach Moss who seems to be growing into more touches as camp wears on. Sal’s depth at the position will rely on if Freeman can find a new home, if AP signs with a team that he will get touches, and if Penny gets a solid workload when he returns. With a WR group that will vie for the top spot in the league, Sal has nothing to worry about there. The group is led by speedster Tyreek Hill, OBJ, and the reliable Marvin Jones. Equanimeous St. Brown and JJ Arcega Whiteside are the only 2 on a roster behind the top 3 with Hakeem Butler recently getting released by the Cardinals, but it is still a high end unit. With a top 5 TE in Zach Ertz, Sal has a high scoring option to put in the lineup basically every week, his backup being Sternberger could be an issue as Sternberger is not the starter in GB now. Sal does not have a full defense yet and it is because he has tried to sign a 2nd DL to pair with Clelin Ferrell, but every time he has tried someone has outbid him for the guy, so he is still searching for that 2nd DL. A high scoring LB duo of Zach Cunningham and Christian Kirksey will help make this defensive unit one of the better ones in the league, the depth isn’t as strong as some other teams, but Germaine Pratte and Avery Williamson will put up enough points to help, then youngsters Kamal Martin and Jahlani Tavai will likely just be players to wait for, for next season and beyond. Tracy Walker and Taylor Rapp at DB will be in contention for the best duo in the league as they are both very solid DBs. Jalen Thompson will be a good enough rotation player for the spot when needed. Depth and being able to find a 2nd DL will be the biggest questions for Sal this season and reasons to worry about this season.
Predicted Division Finish: 2nd
Minnesota Vikings (Nick):
Nick has built his team on a very veteran heavy basis, with only 7 of his guys 24 or younger. If I averaged teams ages out it might end up being the oldest team in the league, but in saying that it is still a very strong roster. Starting at QB, Nick chose to lead his LHL Vikings with the NFL Vikings QB Kirk Cousins. The 4 RBs are split evenly with 2 vets and 2 rookies, the 2 vets of Derrick Henry and Melvin Gordon gives the Vikings a powerful duo, then the rookies Joshua Kelley and Ke’Shawn Vaughn will have various roles for their teams this year, but should be very solid NFL backs in their careers. The WR room for Nick will rely heavily on what AJ Green does this year, if he is healthy they will be fine, if not they will struggle. Behind him, Allen Lazard and Russell Gage seem set to have nice roles in their offenses. Phillip Dorsett and Deonte Harris are question marks as to what they will give the team this season. When you can slot Gronk into your TE spot you should always be able to expect a few high scoring games from him, but will that still be the case on a new team after a year off? Jeremy Sprinkle as the only other option, Nick will have to hope Gronk is back to his old self. The Vikings have a very scary DL unit with Nick Bosa and Cameron Heyward leading the way, then Ifeadi Odenigbo and Kemoko Turay (when he comes off PUP) will be solid backups to use when needed. Having arguably the best LB in fantasy will help a team have a top defense and the Vikings have that in Darius Leonard. Now pair him with Demario Davis and depth of Foye Oluokun and Za’Darius Smith and you have a top of the league type of LB unit. Now that Logan Ryan has signed with the Giants, the DB unit is whole and is very strong. Ryan, the Bills duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, Eddie Jackson, and the rookie AJ Terrell are a powerful group of 5 at the DB spot and round out an impressive looking defense. The Vikings will be in a dog fight in the division with GB and WAS, but an overall balanced roster and possible top defense in the league will help Minnesota compete in the NFC as a whole.
Predicted Division Finish: 1st
Washington Redskins (John):
John took a very contrarian strategy to building his roster here in LHL. He did so by having 13 rookie picks which currently has his whole bench as rookies. I for one am very interested to see how this strategy plays out for him. His QB is not one of the rookies, but is a QB I personally like and that is Dwayne Haskins, I think he could be a top 15 QB this year. Things might be a little dicey early at the RB spot for John as he has Breida and Jonathan Taylor, both who might have to play themselves into bigger roles with their teams, Taylor sounds like he is the lead back, but is still a rookie so who knows right now. A lead trio of Kenny Golladay, Mike Williams, and Jamison Crowder gives John a solid WR unit, with Denzel Mims and Joe Reed waiting in the wings to potentially lead the group in the future. Darren Waller, Jared Cook, and Devin Asiasi makes for a strong TE unti, as John has 2 guys to use now while also having a TE that should grow into the league to pair with Waller in the future. This offense should be solid now and moving forward in the future. Javon Hargrave and Sheldon Richardson appear to be a useful duo at the DL spot for this season, then John has Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos waiting in the wings to take over the spot eventually. The LB group John has put together is a strong one, Lavonte David will be the leader there with Anthony Hitchens playing a role, then John has my top rated LB from this year's rookie draft in Patrick Queen and Zach Baun who should be solid in the Saints defense when he gets a starting spot there. John has 7 DBs on the roster, but with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix being a FA and Erik Harris being a backup in LV, he has 5 viable options currently. Those 5 being Joe Haden and Kevin Byard and rookies Xavier McKinney, CJ Henderson, and Jeff Gladney. Like the offense there are pieces to like this year and pieces to really like building for the future. As a whole this team looks set to fight for the division and a playoff spot in the NFC
Predicted Division Finish: 3rd
The next preview that will be up, probably tomorrow (Sunday) night is the Jerry Rice Division
