AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: Vosgereechee Gyank

Vosgee owner Mardig

For the next twelve days, the AFFL will give you a break down of each manager and preview their 2015 Fantasy season. We will take a look at what the team has done up to this point, their current keeper situation, and take an early look at how the difficulty of their schedule. Teams will be previewed in reverse draft order, starting with 12 and ending at 1. You can further see more about each manager and team by clicking on the teams tab and visiting each team page.

5. Vosgereechee Gyank

History:

• Only one winning season in 8 years ('08)
• Three straight seasons with four wins ('12-14)
• Lowest lifetime record of current AFFL teams 40-64.(38%)
• Historically involved in controversial trades.
• Perhaps the best 2015 keeper in Cj Anderson (7th round)

We love the Gyank franchise. It is one of the more uniquely themed brands in the league. However there is just no beating around the bush, it hasn't been a successful brand up until this point. The Gyank has struggled to find winning seasons since joining the league in '07. After making the playoffs with an 8-5 record in '08, the team hasn't been back to the post-season since. What is more disconcerting is the fact that team Gyank hasn't had more than four wins in a season in the last three years. Yikes. Last season marked the first time the team had finished higher than ninth place in five years. With a lifetime record hovering in the high thirties, team two-fist needs to string some winning seasons together or the Gyank brand will be doomed to be the doormat of the league.

While Gyank hasn't effected the league much records wise, the team has been quite a powerful game changer in the trade department. For many years Vosgee was somehow in the center of controversial trades which resulted in an uproar from league managers. Whether it was Pierre Thomas for a waiver spot, or trading Ray Rice for a variety of uninspiring pieces, Vosgee has managed to make his mark on many seasons in a manner that we're sure he never intended. His history of trading could be scrutinized and picked apart, but there are many other managers who have made trades that were worse than his (see Prime Time: Brady for Darryl Richardson). Trading is never a certainty, and at least Gyank isn't afraid to do what he feels is best for his team. Eventually the deals he makes will begin to skew in his favor if they hadn't done so in the past. The law of averages says so.

Despite the lack of success in past seasons, there is much to be optimistic about in 2015. Gyank has never drafted poorly. There have been many years where he exited the draft with a roster that many thought was one of the best in the league (last season was an example). Be it bad luck, injuries, or poor line-up choices,  those rosters never materialized into winning seasons. What gives us hope for Gyank this year is the exceptional value in his keeper and draft position. CJ Anderson in the seventh round is a wonderful get for the "golden knuckles," and he gets the benefit of drafting in the top six and getting two picks in the top sixteen. This sets up very nicely for the teams chances of success. 

We're still waiting on Vosgee to break-out and climb the ladder to the top of the mazoon division, but his time is coming. He may need to change his approach and try something new this year, but eventually, we have faith that Gyank will make his presence known and be a player for the playoffs. Vosgee in da hooouuse? We sure hope so.

 

2015 Preview

Potential Keepers = Excellent

• Aaron Rodgers #5
• Frank Gore #17
• C.J. Anderson #80

Schedule = Fair

• x2 = Bomba and HBK

Draft

Cj Anderson is one of the best keepers in the AFFL. His seventh round value is exceptional. We know that Gyank will surely keep him. As for his other option, Gyank could keep Aaron Rodgers at pick five and start his draft off with two studs at their respective positions. While the typical drafting strategy usually calls on teams to not select QB's in the first round, with keepers eliminating many of the options in the top 25, it makes sense that quarterbacks inch closer to the top of the draft. Factor in that the AFFL is a six point TD league for QB's and Rodgers as a keeper isn't far fetched at all. Gyank could elect to keep Gore in the second round along with Anderson and draft Rodgers, giving him three pieces. Gore is typically going around that pick, so the value won't be there, but his upside as a Colts Rb still will be. Assuming that Anderson is the only keeper, we would expect Gyank to go either Rodgers in the first or an RB. Demarco or Forte will be available. A WR will be available as well, but Vosgee could get those at any point, including the second round. This is all theory. We don't know what Gyank will do. In either case, he's set up quite nicely.

Schedule

Vosgerechee will square off against Bomba and HBK twice during the season. We don't think that Gyank's squad will be poor, so these match-ups will be battles. Bomba is a lottery team for the first time in six years. We would expect his team to be a tad upset about this and provide much resistance to any opponent. Bye weeks won't be a factor in the match-ups between these two, so we'll call the Gyank vs Bomba battle a push. Games against HBK are the same, full roster of keepers available to both teams. We project HBK to be a strong squad as well. Looking at the week CJ Anderson is on bye, week 7, Jaj Cousteau will have both Brown and Charles active, giving Gyank a slight disadvantage to start. All-in-all, the schedule doesn't seem too daunting for Gyank pre-draft.