Adrian’s franchise enters 2016 in a complete tailspin. Of the 132 teams in the 14 year history of this league, his 2015 effort stands alone as the worst by any measure. On the whole, he missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year and sixth of the last seven, both records. He did well to revamp his keeper options but they are still average (by pre-season rank), and he comes into Sunday with a below-average draft board. 2016 looks like another uphill battle for the once great franchise.
Alex saw his streak of three consecutive playoff appearances snapped last season but orchestrated possibly the finest tank job we’ve seen. He enters 2016 with the strongest draft board, the third best core keepers, and a top prospect last pick flex. He’s the odds on favorite to win the regular season and could challenge Ben’s 144-win record set in 2005 - Alex’s only championship season. This season, it’s finals or bust.
Ben missed the playoffs in 2016 for the first time in six seasons, falling one season shy of tying the record shared by Kurt and TJ. His commanding lead in career victories was cut down significantly and now leads TJ by 7 wins for most all time. He returns this season with average projected keepers but a draft board second to only Alex thanks to his activity on the trade block last season. He has to like his chances entering the DD’s 15th year.
Colin had a solid 2015 season, capturing his first #1 seed since 2004. Unfortunately for Colin, the similarities stopped there. He lost both of his matches en route to a fourth place finish and continues to search for championship #2. The playoff appearance was his fifth straight and seventh in the last eight seasons, both impressive marks. And judging by the peripherals he’s pointed towards another playoff run. He enters 2016 with the strongest Core Keepers and a potential star as a flex (Schwarber, last pick). He somehow also bolstered his draft board, posting the third highest average draft pick. Colin has the pieces in place to challenge for a bye in 2016.
James stormed back at the end of last season but it was too little too late. He ended up missing the playoffs despite posting a .500 record, the fifth-best record for a non-playoff team in league history. James’s first eight seasons yielded five playoff births, a 9-3 post-season record, and two championships; his last five seasons, just two playoff births and a 1-3 post-season record. He enters 2016 with the worst ranked Core Keepers and a below average draft board, but he has the most attractive flex (Carlos Correa) and the best possible price (last pick). James projects to be in the 5-6-7-8 clusterfuck for the playoff push.
Jarrett used 2014’s momentum to catapult him to a 2015 title, the first in franchise history. Since week 9, 2014 - a 36 week stretch - Jarrett has a .618 winning percentage. That would stand as the third best winning percentage ever, and he’s done it for nearly two full seasons. Jarrett was the only team not to make a trade so his draft board is perfectly average. His keepers, on the other hand, are anything but. Kershaw and Goldschmidt headline the league’s second best set of Core Keepers, and some guy named Jose Fernandez as his flex which pushes his average keeper rank to #1. The new bully on the block is the only person to earn byes in back to back seasons and shoots for his third straight in 2016.
Kurt returned to the playoffs last year after a one year absence and made serious noise, making it all the way to the finals. He enters 2016 with a strong set of Core Keepers and a solid flex option.
His draft board is on the weaker side, but so was Jarrett’s last season and we all saw how that turned out. The only franchise to never tank, Kurt will very likely be in the mix in 2016.
Richie made it to the playoffs in back to back years for the first time since 03-04, but lost on a tiebreaker in the first round. His keepers are slightly below average and he is dead last with a #174 average draft pick (which is actually better than the #181 average draft pick he had last year). All in all, Richie will need good health and bit of luck to make franchise history with his third consecutive playoff appearance.
TJ returned to the post-season in 2015 after snapping a seven-season streak and came away with third place. His 119 wins was tied for his third best regular season record ever and he now stands just 7 wins behind Ben for most wins in DD history. Entering with average keepers but the second worst draft board, TJ will need to draft well to field a playoff-worthy team in 2016.
Tim set the record for most wins by an expansion manager in their first year, and became just the second expansion manager to lead a team to the playoffs in his first year at the helm. But the kid gloves come off this time around. With below average keepers and a slightly above average draft board (and no bonus first round picks “just because”), Tim needs to take all he’s learned in his rookie season to avoid a sophomore slump. He’ll need a strong showing on draft day.
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