2014 Season
A Year in Review
Peyton Manning and The Nuts take the crown
Coach Peter Mactavish took on all comers this season, and had what it took to prevail. The Nuts finished off 2014 with a 143.96 to 117.26 victory over The Scullys, giving them a 13 - 3 final record. The Nuts' good standing can be attributed, in part, to their running backs, who ranked 4th in the league.
When it came to running backs however, nobody had a better group than Rosies Riders, who got 40.82 points per game out of the position. Meanwhile, Coaches Carey and Carey Belyea could only dream about good running back play this year, as Team 12's running backs were the worst in the league, coming up with only 16.66 points per game. Doug Martin shares a big part of the blame for that lackluster group's performance, averaging 7.3 points in his five starts for Team 12 this year.
Turning our attention to the draft, it's clear that Coach Luc Richard hit it out of the park with their first three picks. They picked up Aaron Rodgers, Marshawn Lynch, and Rob Gronkowski, who put up better production than any other team's top picks (+217.3 Points vs. Position Average). Coach Kevin Currier was the mirror image of Coach Richard. Their first three picks were Cam Newton, Eddie Lacy, and Toby Gerhart. Ouch.
Lights Out! could sure use the first pick in next year's draft, as they wound up at 3 - 12, good for the worst record in the league. They were let down by Knile Davis, Markus Wheaton, and Bishop Sankey, who collectively finished 97.1 points below their positional averages while in the starting lineup.
All in all, there were injuries, surprise standouts and smart waiver moves that certainly made for an exciting race to the finish. And while The Nuts may be holding on tightly to their title as Ares Fantasy Football League champion until next year, Fantasy Football doesn't have to be over just yet! Playoff Challenge offers one more chance for everyone to compete for a victory (and a cash prize) this postseason!
It Couldn't Be Worse
Key Stat: Average Team Points per Game (reg. season): 111.2 Lights Out! Points (reg. season): 99.7
There's always next year for Coach Mike Newman. Lights Out! wound up tied with Team 12 for last place with a record of 3 - 12. The unimpressive finish was partially due to Lights Out!'s 10th ranked wide receivers.
Enjoy the Show
Key Stat: Getting to watch Odell Beckham
Turn Down for Watt might not have had the most enjoyable season in the standings, but at least they got to watch Odell Beckham. Beckham had a fantastic season numbers-wise for a rookie wide receiver, but of course his season will forever be definied by "the catch". Highlights like that helped him put up a total of 226.3 points.
Knowing the Role
Key Stat: Average Quarterback Points Per Game: 25.1 Andrew Luck Points Per Game Started: 30.5
Duke Fukem leaned on Andrew Luck all year, as he was the league's best quarterback, scoring 459 points. Luck's best game came in week 13, when he put up 46.5 points in leading Duke Fukem to victory over Rosies Riders. In part because of his efforts, Duke Fukem wrapped up the regular season tied for having the 2nd best record at 9 - 4.
Rod Marinelli Award
Key Stat: Average Coach's Points: -1.2 Coach Dan Leslie's Points: -53.8
Coach Leslie has plenty of decisions to regret after their lineup choices left them as the worst gameday coach in the league. They sure distributed those lost points well however, as they never cost their team a game with their decisions. Kardiac Kids 2010 Champ wound up tied for 7th place during the regular season with a 5 - 8 record.
Second Fiddle
Key Stat: The Scullys: 117.26 The Nuts: 143.96
The Scullys came so close and yet were so far, winding up in second place. Their season closed with the sour note of a playoff loss to The Nuts, but overall they did well enough to end up with an 11 - 5 record. The Scullys' good standing can be attributed, in part, to their running backs, who ranked 3rd in the league.
Nobody Does It Better
Key Stat: The Nuts: 143.96 The Scullys: 117.26
'There can be only one.' This season, that was The Nuts. They finished off 2014 with a 143.96 to 117.26 victory over The Scullys, giving them a 13 - 3 final record. Antonio Gates contributed 24.7 points in the big win.
Falling Down
Key Stat: Points Per Game Weeks 1 - 7: 107.4 Points Per Game Weeks 8 - 15: 85.2
Back in week seven, Team 12 were in contention to win the title, tied for 4th place. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as they fell all the way to 11th place to finish the season with a record of 3 - 10. They were let down by Eric Decker, Russell Wilson, and Vincent Jackson, who collectively finished 94 points below their positional averages while in the starting lineup.
Easy Pickings
Key Stat: Average Points Scored per Game: 111.2 Meat Toques Opponents per Game: 100.6
All year long, opponents kindly rolled out the red carpet for Coach Mike Kindellan and Meat Toques. They had 100.6 points per game scored against them during the regular season, which was fewer than any other team. The easy schedule takes a bit of the shine off Meat Toques' 9 - 5 record.
You've Got a 'Tell'
Key Stat: Record When Justin Tucker Overperforms: 4 - 1 Record When Justin Tucker Underperforms: 2 - 6
There was no better indicator of Woodstock Marauders' fortunes this year than the performance of Justin Tucker. Woodstock Marauders looked unstoppable when Tucker topped his projections, and hopeless when he didn't. Coach Jason Windsor could have used a lot more good efforts from Tucker, as they closed the season at 7 - 7.
Stacked
Key Stat: Average RB Points/Week: 28.1 Rosies Riders RB Points/Week: 40.8
Rosies Riders got big efforts from their running backs, who put up a best-in-the-league 40.82 points per game. DeMarco Murray was the key member of that stalwart corps, scoring 303 points for Rosies Riders this season. Rosies Riders ran their way to a 9 - 4 regular season record.
Got Our Number
Key Stat: Full tilt full time: 132.8 points The Nuts: 253.5 points
Full tilt full time didn't have a great year, and part of that can be blamed on The Nuts. Full tilt full time faced The Nuts two times, and The Nuts ended up winning both games. The cumulative margin of defeat, at 120.8 points, represents the largest spread between any two teams this year.
Ares Championship
| Place | Team |
|---|---|
 |
The Nuts |
 |
The Scullys |
 |
Rosies Riders |
League Records
| Record | Team | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Most Points Scored, Season | The Scullys | 1781.0 |
| Least Points Scored, Season | Team 12 | 1262.3 |
| Most Points Allowed, Season | Lights Out! | 1581.4 |
| Least Points Allowed, Season | Meat Toques | 1308.2 |
| Highest Average Game Score, Season | The Scullys | 137.00 |
| Lowest Average Game Score, Season | Team 12 | 97.10 |
| Most Points Scored, Game | The Scullys | 181.3500 |
| Least Points Scored, Game | Full tilt full time | 45.5000 |
| Most Points Allowed, Game | THE WHIPPER | 181.3500 |
| Least Points Allowed, Game | The Nuts | 45.5000 |
| Highest Winning Percentage, Season | The Nuts | 0.769 |
| Lowest Winning Percentage, Season | Lights Out! | 0.154 |
| Most Wins, Season | The Nuts | 10 |
| Least Wins, Season | Lights Out! | 2 |
| Best Margin of Victory, Game | The Scullys | 98.31 |
| Worst Margin of Defeat, Game | Kardiac Kids 2010 Champ | -98.31 |
| Best Average Point Differential, Season | The Scullys | 27.09 |
| Worst Average Point Differential, Season | Lights Out! | -22.14 |
| Longest Winning Streak, Season | The Nuts | 9 |
| Longest Losing Streak, Season | Team 12 | 8 |
| Best Power Ranking, Season | The Nuts | 34 |
| Worst Power Ranking, Season | Team 12 | 4.5 |
| Most High Week Scores, Season | The Scullys | 5 |
Final Standings
East Division
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Wks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Nuts | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0.769 | 1653.3 | 1322.2 | 3 |
| The Scullys | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0.692 | 1781.0 | 1428.8 | 5 |
| Woodstock Marauders | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0.538 | 1383.8 | 1413.9 | 1 |
| THE WHIPPER | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0.385 | 1412.2 | 1512.1 | 1 |
| Full tilt full time | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0.385 | 1313.4 | 1454.1 | 0 |
| Team 12 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0.231 | 1262.3 | 1454.1 | 0 |
West Division
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | Wks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosies Riders | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0.692 | 1548.8 | 1415.1 | 1 |
| Duke Fukem | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0.692 | 1484.4 | 1468.3 | 1 |
| Meat Toques | 9 | 4 | 0 | 0.692 | 1433.3 | 1308.2 | 0 |
| Pigskin Wizards | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0.385 | 1396.1 | 1427.0 | 0 |
| Kardiac Kids 2010 Champ | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0.385 | 1375.9 | 1552.9 | 1 |
| Lights Out! | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0.154 | 1293.6 | 1581.4 | 0 |
Playoff Bracket
