Indy Erik is one of the quieter owners in IFL. He’s just started to dip his wick in the world of IDP Contract leagues. He had a solid Year 1, and looks to build on that headed into the 2017 IFL Season. Let’s see what he’s done.
Coach: Ron Rivera 6 PPG
Erik picked up Prendo’s droppings, and will roll with Ron Rivera in 2017. He had a dismal 2016, but we should see some improvement as firepower was added to the offense, and Kuechly is back to anchor the D.
QB: Ben Roethlisberger 27 PPG
Erik kicked out Kirk Cousins to make room for….Rapelisberger? I don’t like this move one little bit. Ben is older than dirt, and is banged up before the season even begins. He’s been hurt a lot the last few years, and if he does Indy has to turn to Ty(demi)God Taylor. Not an exciting prospect, and another QB in for a down year. Still, if Ben can hold himself together, and the Pitt offense keeps on rolling, I’ll allow Erik a pass here. Even if this is a shit storm brewing.
RB/WR/TE: Melvin Gordon 30 PPG, Mike Evans 23 PPG, Golden Tate 17 PPG, Fat Rob Kelley 17 PPG, Dwayne Allen 10 PPG (6th men: Tylenol and Motrin)
Melvin Gordon – We would all love to have Melvin on the team. There are more mouths to feed in SD, but none so big as Melvin. He proved himself last year; and if he hadn’t missed the last 3 weeks of the season he would have been best fantasy assets in the game. At only $11million, Gordon is a great option for years to come. Nice.
Mike Evans – Wow, what an awesome #2! Mike will win Erik some weeks. He finally has a supporting cast to draw coverage, and there is ZERO chance Jameis won’t look his way often, including in the red zone. He will BEAST this year, and is a candidate for WR1. Erik has Evans and Gordon locked up for the next 4 years.
Golden Tate is in line for a fantastic season. He was already a solid steady producer (after a tough start) and now he should be able to play a lot of snaps from the slot. That’s where he can eat in a PPR. I see him getting at least 2 ppg more than last year. He could really boom some weeks, and give Erik an impressive combination with his two studs.
Fat Rob Kelley is the #1 in Washington. There’s a whole lot of unknown right now with that offense, but Rob should continue to throw up points, and throw down Pork Rinds. There’s argument to be made that he will improve in his second season, and Perine has looked unstable, and is thus not a threat at this point.
Dwayne Allen could be huge….If Gronk gets hurt again. But you can’t count on that. If Gronk stays healthy; this offense is incredible. They just got Dorsett, they already had Cooks, they throw to their RB….how can they feed Allen with all that mixed in? There will be some nice 5-80-1 games for Allen. But they will be spattered amongst some 1-4-0 games. Yikes. And it just gets worse from here.
The offense has a solid top 4. I expect bigger and better from his main level starters; but then it just falls to pieces. Dwayne Allen might be his only option to start at the 5 spot. Erik does have Robby Anderson, Dorsett and Eric Decker. But none of them will help him to start the year. Goodwin, Sanu? These aren’t answers, they’re prayers. Erik needs to hit the trade market NOW and try to build some talent around his big hitters. The good news is; this offense is better than last year, and Erik won some big games last year. His meat is there; he just needs some potatoes.
PK: Chandler Catanzaro 9 PPG – Dude average 6 PPG in a down year last year. Erik is paying him $1.3 Million. Dude, stop it.
PN: Brad Wing 11 PPG – Solid Punter. Solid Contract. Better.
DT: DeForrest Buckner 18 PPG
How fuckin good is this kid? Buckner blew it up last year, and actually might improve this year. There’s a SMALL chance the 49ers offense got better with Shanny, and that means more opps for Buckie. NICE. SO NICE.
DE: Joey Bosa 19 PPG, Sheldon Richardson DT? 11 PPG
Another Monster for Erik. Bosa is young, and setting the IDP world on fire. He could end up the #1 DE this year, with a strong staple to support him on the Chargers front line. This is the 3rd player on Erik’s team (not counting Brad Wing) who could be the #1 at their position. That is enviable; and it’s the reason you need to be worried about Indy. I’m talking to you Jason!
Sheldon, well we just don’t know what’s going to happen to him with this trade to Seattle. It makes a LOT more sense for him to line up at DT; and keep the outside open for Frank Clark and Bennett. No matter what; they made the trade to get him snaps. If he starts at DE then that’s great. If he moves to DT then Erik is in a real bind. He has only 3 DE rostered, and it is NOT an easy position to trade for. He’s going to have to make a tough decision to bolster his Ends, or it could be his undoing.
LB: Navarro Bowman 23 PPG, Vic Beasley 15 PPG, Chandler Jones 13 PPG, Jadeveon Clowney 13 PPG
This is not a strong point for Erik. I mean, it will be some weeks IF Bowman stays healthy. Other weeks Erik is going to have a LB core that scores him 35 points combined. That simply won’t do. It could be OK if Mason Foster doesn’t regress (he will) and Justin Durant starts at MLB (he won’t). I would be very nervous if I were Erik, and I might want to smoke a bowl; and start sending some trade offers.
CB: Dominique RC 12 PPG, Kareem Jackson 11 PPG
Hey, I like these guys. But I wouldn’t invite them over to my house to FMF, and I wouldn’t be paying them this much money. Way too much invested in CB; and you’re spending it on the wrong guys. Indy Erik, you need to do some deep thinking on what type of CB you want to roster. Here’s a hint; it’s not Richard Sherman or Revis from 2012.
S: Cyprien 15 PPG, Patrick Chung 13 PPG
Cyp is in line for regression. It might not happen, but it probably will. It’s just not the same team (and system) that has made him a stud over the years. He will still be a viable starter, but he isn’t a guy that you can sit back and rest your laurels on. He might be great trade bait…wink wink
I’ve been down on Chung this offseason, as I thought he would be replaced. He hasn’t been, and now with Cyrus Jones injured there are signs pointing to him being a possible PR for NE. That should keep him in line as a viable starter. Personally, I don’t like to Roster Patriots, but Chung is one of the few that you can count on for consistent production. I think Erik is counting on Tartt to step in and start for SF, giving him a solid backup. There’s reason to be concerned that it won’t happen this year (ever?). Even with Ward hurt, Tartt is splitting reps in the preseason. Not good. Erik, more work to do bruh.
Off: Indianapolis Colts 10 PPG (Only Offense on Roster, why?!)
Total PPG: 320
2016 PPG: 297
Prediction: 10-6 2nd in Division and a WC Birth. IF ALL GOES RIGHT. If not you’ll be 4-12 and eating dog shit on the side of the road with Hell Raven.
I think Erik has done some things right this offseason. Adding Evans was BIG, and gives his offense serious credibility. There’s some real scares on the team though. Boom or Bust is the name of his game. If all goes well, Indy could be in the Playoffs with a solid chance to make a push. But if things start to fall apart…it’s going to get ugly very very fast.
