Tuesday, October 30, 2018

2018 FDH Midseason NFL UQB Rankings


By Rick Morris


This is the updated midseason version of The FDH Lounge’s Ultimate Quantitative Baseline rankings for 2018.  It’s a mashup of the following rankings: our updated power rankings, a metric that is ½ of our power rankings and ½ strength of schedule, offensive yards, defensive yards, DVOA, offensive DVOA, defensive DVOA and special teams DVOA.  These rankings are counterintuitive in many ways in terms of a surface view, but they offer a comprehensive look at where every team is at midseason.
 
TOP TIER
1 LA Rams 43
SECOND TIER
2 Kansas City 68
3 Carolina 77
THIRD TIER
4T Chicago 89
4T Baltimore 89
6 New England 94
7T New Orleans 95
7T Seattle 95
9 Pittsburgh 97
10 Denver 103
11 Houston 106
12 LA Chargers 107
13 Jacksonville 109
14 Washington 114
FOURTH TIER
15 Minnesota 124
16 Green Bay 125
17 Dallas 137
18 Cincinnati 139
19T Philadelphia 143
19T Indianapoilis 143
21 Atlanta 145
FIFTH TIER
22T Miami 159
22T Buffalo 159
24 Tennessee 167
25 NY Jets 170
26 Detroit 174
27 NY Giants 177
28 Tampa Bay 184
29 Arizona 186
30 Oakland 192
31 Cleveland 195
32 San Francisco 198

FDH 2018 Week 9 NFL power rankings


By Rick Morris


NOTE: Rankings from start of season are in parentheses.


TOP TIER

1 LA Rams (2-1-1-1-1-1-1)

2 New Orleans (10-17-5-3-3-2-2)

3 New England (4-7-11-7-5-3-3)

4 Kansas City (5-3-2-2-2-4-4)

SECOND TIER

5 Carolina (8-11-4-4-4-9-7)

6 Pittsburgh (11-14-7-16-7-6-6)

7 Minnesota (1-2-6-8-6-5-5)

8 LA Chargers (14-13-14-14-11-8-8)

9 Philadelphia (3-4-3-5-8-7-9)

10 Chicago (18-18-19-12-12-12-13)

11 Houston (22-26-28-22-17-18-11)

12 Seattle (20-24-21-19-21-17-18)

13 Cincinnati (25-10-15-11-9-11-12)

14 Washington (21-23-20-20-26-21-15)

15 Baltimore (12-12-12-6-13-10-10)

16 Green Bay (6-5-8-9-14-14-14)

THIRD TIER

17 Atlanta (9-9-10-15-15-15-17)

18 Denver (16-15-18-18-18-20-20)

19 Jacksonville (7-6-13-10-10-13-16)

20 Indianapolis (27-21-22-23-24-27-24)

21 Miami (17-16-9-17-19-16-19)

22 Detroit (31-30-26-27-23-24-21)

23 Tennessee (23-22-17-13-16-19-22)

24 Dallas (26-25-25-25-28-22-23)

25 NY Jets (15-20-24-26-25-23-25)

26 Tampa Bay (13-8-16-21-22-26-26)

27 Cleveland (28-27-23-24-20-25-27)

FOURTH TIER

28 Buffalo (32-32-29-29-27-28-28)

29 Arizona (30-31-31-32-31-31-31)

30 San Francisco (19-19-30-31-32-29-29)

31 NY Giants (24-28-27-30-30-30-30)

32 Oakland (29-29-32-28-29-32-32)


BIGGEST RISERS: Seattle (6 spots), Indianapolis (4 spots), Chicago (3 spots)


BIGGEST FALLERS: Baltimore (5 spots), Jacksonville (3 spots)


RANKINGS BY DIVISION – 1 POINT PER RANKING SPOT FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TEAM


1 NFC South 50

2 NFC North 55

3 AFC North 61

4 AFC West 62

5 NFC West 72

6 AFC South 73

7 AFC East 77

8 NFC East 78


NFC 255
AFC 273

FDH Top 4 and Next 4 for College Football Playoff Week 10


By Rick Morris


NOTE: Rankings from start of season are in parentheses.


1 Alabama (1-1-1-1-1-1-1)

2 Clemson (4-3-3-7-5-4-3)

3 Notre Dame (OUT-7-7-6-3-2)

4 LSU (8-6-6-5-OUT-5-4)


5 Michigan (OUT-OUT-OUT-OUT-OUT-7-5)

6 Georgia (3-2-2-4-4-8-7)

7 Oklahoma (5-5-5-OUT-OUT-OUT-8)

8 UCF (OUT-OUT-OUT-OUT-OUT-OUT)

Sunday, October 28, 2018

Lounge on YouTube: 2018 Week 8 fantasy football preview


By Rick Morris


THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER previews Week 8 of the 2018 NFL season.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: 2018 NFL Week 8 preview


By Rick Morris                                          


FDH Lounge Mini-Episode #1056 previews Week 8 of the 2018 NFL season.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: 2018 World Series preview


By Rick Morris

FDH Lounge Mini-Episode #1055 previews the 2018 World Series with FDH Lounge Dignitaries Ken Detwiler and Steve Kallas.


       


       


       


       

Saturday, October 27, 2018

2018 FDH Week 9 college football predictions


By Rick Morris


NOTE: 3-7 last week, 28-32 overall this year


Wisconsin -3 ½ over Northwestern

Michigan State +1 over Purdue

Florida State +17 ½ over Clemson

Florida +6 ½ over Georgia

Penn State -5 ½ over Iowa

Missouri -7 ½ over Kentucky

Stanford -3 over Washington State

Texas A&M +1 over Mississippi State

Tennessee +8 ½ over South Carolina
Texas -3 over Oklahoma State

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

FDH 2018 Week 8 NFL power rankings


By Rick Morris


NOTE: Rankings from start of season are in parentheses.


TOP TIER

1 LA Rams (2-1-1-1-1-1)

2 New Orleans (10-17-5-3-3-2)

3 New England (4-7-11-7-5-3)

4 Kansas City (5-3-2-2-2-4)

SECOND TIER

5 Minnesota (1-2-6-8-6-5)

6 Pittsburgh (11-14-7-16-7-6)

7 Carolina (8-11-4-4-4-9)

8 LA Chargers (14-13-14-14-11-8)

9 Philadelphia (3-4-3-5-8-7)

10 Baltimore (12-12-12-6-13-10)

11 Houston (22-26-28-22-17-18)

12 Cincinnati (25-10-15-11-9-11)

13 Chicago (18-18-19-12-12-12)

THIRD TIER

14 Green Bay (6-5-8-9-14-14)

15 Washington (21-23-20-20-26-21)

16 Jacksonville (7-6-13-10-10-13)

17 Atlanta (9-9-10-15-15-15)

18 Seattle (20-24-21-19-21-17)

19 Miami (17-16-9-17-19-16)

20 Denver (16-15-18-18-18-20)

21 Detroit (31-30-26-27-23-24)

22 Tennessee (23-22-17-13-16-19)

23 Dallas (26-25-25-25-28-22)

24 Indianapolis (27-21-22-23-24-27)

25 NY Jets (15-20-24-26-25-23)

26 Tampa Bay (13-8-16-21-22-26)

27 Cleveland (28-27-23-24-20-25)

28 Buffalo (32-32-29-29-27-28)

FOURTH TIER

29 San Francisco (19-19-30-31-32-29)

30 NY Giants (24-28-27-30-30-30)

31 Arizona (30-31-31-32-31-31)

32 Oakland (29-29-32-28-29-32)


BIGGEST RISERS: Houston (7 spots), Washington (6 spots), Detroit and Indianapolis (3 spots)


BIGGEST FALLERS: Jacksonville, Miami and Tennessee (3 spots)


RANKINGS BY DIVISION – 1 POINT PER RANKING SPOT FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL TEAM


1 NFC South 52

2 NFC North 53

3 AFC North 55

4 AFC West 64

5 AFC South 73

6 AFC East 75

7 NFC East 77

8 NFC West 81


NFC 262

AFC 267

Sunday, October 21, 2018

Lounge on YouTube: 2018 Week 7 fantasy football preview


By Rick Morris


THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER previews Week 7 of the 2018 NFL season.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: 2018 NFL Week 7 preview


By Rick Morris                                          


FDH Lounge Mini-Episode #1053 previews Week 7 of the 2018 NFL season.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: Alex Cone and Gary Longsine tech roundtable


By Rick Morris

FDH Lounge Mini-Episode #1052 features a conversation with technology CEOs Alex Cone and Gary Longsine about the present state of their industry.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: Mini-Episode #1051 – Top guest clips #951-1050


By Rick Morris

Here is Mini-Episode #1051 of THE FDH LOUNGE, highlighting some of the top guest moments of the past 100 segments.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: Sean Oliver


By Rick Morris

FDH Lounge Mini-Episode #1050 features a conversation with author Sean Oliver of Kayfabe Commentaries about his new book FATHERS’ BLOOD.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: 2018 Week 6 fantasy football preview


By Rick Morris


THE FANTASYDRAFTHELP.COM INSIDER previews Week 6 of the 2018 NFL season.


       


       


       


       

Lounge on YouTube: 2018 NFL Week 6 preview


By Rick Morris                                          


FDH Lounge Mini-Episode #1048 previews Week 6 of the 2018 NFL season.


       


       


       


       

2018 World Series notes and oddities


By Rick Morris


NOTE: 6-4 record in the playoffs so far.




^ The only time that these franchises ever met in the World Series was in 1916,  when the Dodgers weren’t in LA and weren’t even called the Dodgers (Brooklyn Robins).  Call them what you want, the Dodgers are still looking for their first World Series win in a game against Boston.


^ These franchises have had many near-misses in terms of potential World Series matchups.  They’ve often been very good at the same point in history.  These are the times that they’ve come within one or two years of World Series appearances: 1946 (Red Sox) – 1947 (Dodgers), 1966 (Dodgers) – 1967 (Red Sox), 1974 (Dodgers) – 1975 (Red Sox), 1986 (Red Sox) – 1988 (Dodgers).  Additionally, the Dodgers won the NL pennant in 1978 while Boston lost the play-in game to the Yankees after collapsing down the stretch.  And in 1988 and exactly a quarter-century later in 2013, both teams were in the League Championship Series, but the first time the Dodgers won and the second time the Red Sox won.


^ These cities have seen more than a few near-misses in terms of Stanley Cup Finals collisions this decade.  The Kings made it to the Final in 2012 and 2014, while Boston sandwiched them in 2011 and 2013.


^ Obviously, the signature rivalry between these cities occurred on the hardwood, with the first Celtics-Lakers Finals clash actually coming in 1959, when the latter franchise was still based out of Minneapolis.  They lost those Finals and, after moving to LA, lost a whopping six times in the Finals against Boston in the 1960s and again in 1984 before breaking through with wins in 1985 and 1987.  The teams also split the 2008 and 2010 Finals.


^ 2004, the year that Boston infamously broke their World Series drought, looms large in this series as the respective managers, Alex Cora and Dave Roberts were playing for the teams that they are now managing against.  Memorably, Roberts had one of the biggest steals in Red Sox history in Game 4 of the ALCS.


^ One or more of the greatest players of this generation will win their first World Series here.  Clayton Kershaw is on his second try, as is Kenley Jansen.  Their teammate Manny Machado wasn’t here last year, so he’ll be trying to enter free agency on what would easily be his career highlight.  Chris Sale, David Price, Craig Kimbrel, Mookie Betts and JD Martinez are trying to break through for the BoSox.


^ In the Divisional Series era, the AL East is 2-1 against the NL West, winning 20 years ago with the Yankees over the Padres and in 2007 with these Red Sox over the Rockies.  The sole win for the NL West came with the Diamondbacks over the Yankees in 2001.