Four days ago, the Dog League held it's annual draft, and now today, as commissioner of the league, I'm here to recap it for you. In 2021, there will be two new expansion teams joining our original quartet (Ridiculous Rascals, Tug of War, Leaping Girl, and Tailwaggerz) and the 2018 expansion teams (Rare Woofs and Bark Force) in the form of the Growlers and the Canine Comets. Today, we'll take a look at how all 8 teams drafted, what moves they've made thus far, and I'll also be recapping some changes to the Dog League playoff format and scoring rules. Let's get to it.
(Reminder: the Dog League is a custom fantasy football league run on NFL.com)
Changes for 2021
This year, the playoffs have expanded from four teams to six, and if I understand how it's meant to work, it means that seeds 1&2 and 7&8 will not play in Week 15. Seed 3 will play Seed 6, while 4 plays 5, and the winners of those two games move on to face Seeds 1&2, while the losers go against 7&8, eventually ending in Week 17, which will host a Championship Game, Third Place Game, Fifth Place Game, and Seventh Place Game. This format may be a little convoluted, but I think it works out to a fair system that should give every decent team a chance at a title, though the road to winning one will be difficult if you aren't a top two team, as you're forced to win three consecutive games.
There are a couple new alterations to the scoring settings, and we'll start first with 40-49 yard field goals now worth an extra point over the 3 that a kicker would normally receive. This should help kickers score a little bit better this year, and allows for more reward for a longer kick. On defense, I have elected to give a defense 5 additional points if they can hold an offense under 200 yards. Previously, it was 5 for keeping them under 300, but now the unit gets a bonus if they do even better. Holding an offense to under 200 yard doesn't happen frequently in today's NFL, but if a defense can do it for a Dog League team in a close game, it could be a difference maker.
Team Previews
Speaking of which, let's get to those teams and the rosters they drafted, some of which have already seen some changes. We'll start with Canine Comets, who had the last picks of the first round, and work our way up the draft order from there.
Canine Comets
The Comets have gambled hard on the Kansas City Chiefs, picking Patrick Mahomes, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and Travis Kelce. Their first round pick was Nick Chubb, and the other three starters are Chris Godwin, DK Metcalf, and Diontae Johnson. On the bench are Ryan Tannehill, Chris Carson, Kenyan Drake, Darnell Mooney, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Rob Gronkowksi, with Younghoe Koo at kicker and the Bills selected as their defense. Tannehill was not a drafted player on this team, added post-draft in the place of Zach Moss. It's a capable enough roster, albeit one that could struggle if the Chiefs fail to live up to their normal lofty offensive standards.
Growlers
Last year's top scorer, Josh Allen, can be found on the Growlers, and could be carrying a large load at quarterback with the team having selected Deshaun Watson, currently mired in dozens of sexual abuse allegations, as the backup. The Growlers brought in both the current and former teammates of Julio Jones in A.J. Brown and Calvin Ridley, while they used their first round pick on Austin Ekeler, and paired him up with rookie Travis Etienne. Irv Smith and Allen Robinson are currently holding down the other two starting spots, while David Johnson, rookie Javonte Williams, Brandon Aiyuk, Robby Anderson, and Kenny Golladay fill out the bench. The kicker is Rodrigo Blankenship and the defense is the Saints. This team is full of potential, but the starting lineup is largely unproven, and the bench could use some upgrading, so who knows where the Growlers might end up come the end of the year.
Ridiculous Rascals
Rascal went much safer picking one spot ahead ahead of the Growlers, selecting a reliable, veteran lineup. His top pick was his youngest starter, running back Jonathan Taylor, and paired him up with Joe Mixon and Mike Davis. Russell Wilson is the starting quarterback, Tyreek Hill and Robert Woods are the receivers, and Darren Waller starts at tight end. Baker Mayfield, Chase Edmonds, Kareem Hunt, rookie Ja'Marr Chase, Brandin Cooks, and Robert Tonyan fill out the bench, while Justin Tucker and the Rams defense are his other two starters. Mayfield was not drafted by Rascal, he was added off the waiver wire this morning in exchange for rookie Trey Sermon. This is a solid team, with few weak spots and plenty of depth, but there may not be a ton of upside, as most of these guys feel like they've already hit their respective peak.
Tug of War
The 2016 and 2017 Dog League Champions took a lot of gambles with their roster, taking Saquon Barkley with the fifth overall pick and Michael Thomas in the fourth round, both of whom are coming off injury-riddled 2020 campaigns. They added Aaron Jones and Miles Sanders, another guy who dealt with injuries last year, to what could the most stacked backfield in the league. George Kittle, another 2020 victim, Amari Cooper, and old reliable, Tom Brady, were taken to be the other three starters. Brady's backup is the face of the Jaguars, rookie Trevor Lawrence, who is joined on the bench by another rookie, Michael Carter of the Jets, in addition to James Conner and Odell Beckham, two more guys that have struggled staying healthy, and two second-year receivers, Chase Claypool and Tee Higgins. The kicker is Tyler Bass, and the defense is Washington. Obviously, health is the main concern here for Tug of War, but if they can get everyone on the field, this could be the team that finally gets them back to the top of the league.
Leaping Girl
Emma has placed her eggs in the basket of the dynamic duo, with two sets of teammates that occupy starting spots in her lineup. The headline pair is Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins, who are joined by D'Andre Swift and T.J. Hockenson of the Lions, currently the only two Detroit players in the Dog League. Her first round pick was Alvin Kamara, and she's paired him up with the most frustrating player on her team last year, Ezekiel Elliott. The final starter is Leaping Girl veteran Mike Evans, and the bench is filled about by three second-year players, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Dillon, and Michael Pittman, two players recovering from various injury woes, Raheem Mostert and Courtland Sutton, and the final man on the bench is Josh Jacobs. Ryan Succop starts at kicker, while her standout defense from last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers, return. If the two duos work out, and Kamara can remain dominant without Drew Brees throwing to him, Leaping Girl has the starpower to be a serious threat.
Bark Force
There may not be a trio of fantasy players scarier than the three that headline Bark Force's roster, Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Davante Adams. Obviously, Adams may be held back by the ongoing controversy surrounding his quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, whom Bark Force almost drafted to backup Lamar. The rest of Bark Force's starters are younger players with high ceilings, as Cam Akers, CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Goedert, and J.K. Dobbins all have the potential to be breakout stars this year. The bench looks strong, consisting of Myles Gaskin, Tony Pollard, James Robinson, Will Fuller, and rookie DeVonta Smith, in addition to Rodgers, and the kicker/defense combo of Daniel Carlson and the Ravens could be great. Bark Force has been left in the dust by the other team that entered the league with them, Rare Woofs, but if the roster becomes anything close to how dominant it looks on paper, this team could finally put the league on notice.
Tailwaggerz
Two rookies will play a critical role for Tailwaggerz this year, as they used high picks to select running back Najee Harris and tight end Kyle Pitts, in the hopes that the likely large amount of playing time they will see right away results in massive fantasy success. Dalvin Cook leads the team after being selected second overall, and he's joined by Keenan Allen, the recovering Dak Prescott, and two Washington standouts, Terry McLaurin and Antonio Gibson, in the starting lineup. Tailwaggerz sports the most tenured bench in the league, consisting of Matthew Stafford, Melvin Gordon, D.J. Chark, Cooper Kupp, Adam Thielen, and Jonnu Smith. At kicker is Greg Zuerlein, and at defense are the Colts, who had a magnificent 2020 as a unit. Those two rookies will likely be the story of this year, as will the health of Prescott.
Rare Woofs
Our defending champions the last two years running go for a three-peat in 2021, and have a built a roster that looks capable of doing it. Rare Woofs had the first pick by virtue of being champions, and used it on Christian McCaffrey, adding on a trio of fantastic receivers in Stefon Diggs, Justin Jefferson, and Julio Jones. David Montgomery joins McCaffrey in the backfield, Mark Andrews will look to hold down the starting tight end spot, and two second-year quarterbacks will battle it out for the starting job, with Justin Herbert currently starting over Joe Burrow. Leonard Fournette, Tyler Lockett, D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel, and Noah Fant comprise a very deep bench, and Rare Woofs have gambled on the Miami Dolphins to hold their other two starting jobs, nabbing their kicker, Jason Sanders, and their defense. With a roster like this, and the reputation they've built, Rare Woofs are the undisputed favorite heading into this season.
- Henry
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