AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: Magnum Sev.i

Magnum Sev.i owners Danny and Sevag

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.

3. Magnum Sev.i

History:

• Last team to Join AFFL 2010
• Made playoffs twice in five years (2nd and 3rd place finishes)
• 3 seasons with less than six wins.
• Life time record of around 50% (32-33)
• Historically in the playoff hunt until the last week of season
• Sneaky trader. Takes risks and they pay off.

Respecting the 'stache isn't given, it's earned. Magnum Sev.i earned the respect of the AFFL after they reached the finals in their inaugural year in the league, a feat that only four other teams could claim to have done.  After a down year in 2011, they returned to the post-season in 2012, losing in the semi-finals and finishing in third place, joining three other teams to have a finals appearance and at least a third place finish within three seasons: Bomba, Awesomeness, and Prime Time. That's pretty good company to be with. Sev.i's strong start has slowed down quite a bit of late, as the team has failed to make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The young franchise is still making a name for itself, and should they once again manage to finish in the top three or win-it-all in 2015, they will surely be considered to be one of the premier teams in the league.

The MSi brand is built around a conservative approach with timely risk. You won't find MSi selecting players that aren't proven or don't come close to a sure thing. When drafting, the team will often find players that have the biggest upside with low risk (Knowshon Moreno in the 13th anyone?) However, during the season, MSi waits until just the right moment to pull off a trade that will propel him into the postseason. In middle of the 2014 season, the team was struggling to stay relevant.  With a 3-4 record and in dire need of a victory to stay alive in the playoff race, MSi opted to trade their big ticket Calvin Johnson for Emmanuel Sanders despite heavy ridicule from other managers. The trade resulted in a win for MSi that week, and spurred a three game win streak, keeping MSi relevant until the end. It was a move that many managers wouldn't make because of the "name" status of a guy like Calvin Johnson, but MSi has shown he is all about production not personality.

The league considers MSi a formidable team with managers that know what they are doing, but it seems to be an all or nothing proposition with them. If history is our guide, the team will either finish in the top three or have a miserable season. There is no in-between. Having failed to make the playoffs the past two years, MSi is looking to stop the downward spiral and return to their winning ways in 2015. Four teams have gone three seasons or more without making the playoffs (Vosgee, HBK, Cobra, and Grabbers) and we're fairly certain that MSi doesn't want to be included in that group.

As the MSi book is being written, it remains to be seen which title will be headlining the 2015 chapter. Will it be the 'stache is back with a playoff comb or the stache' gets snipped for the third time in a row? With all due respect, we await the answer.

2015 Preview

Potential Keepers = Poor

• E. Sanders #27

Schedule = Difficult

• x2 = Grabbers and Prime Time

Draft

MSi doesn't have many options when it comes to keepers. Most all of their players would be overvalued if they were kept. Other AFFL teams will have the luxury of building from a solid core of keepers that have great value, but MSi will need to build their team from the ground up. Emmanuel Sanders provides moderate value in the third round, but nothing exceptional. Having the WR locked up in the third, MSi would still be expected to go WR or RB in the first round. The team could elect to draft Aaron Rodgers if they feel comfortable with Sanders as their top wide-out. Selecting third in the draft will also mean that they will get pick number fifteen, as snake drafting doesn't start until at the end of the second round. There will be plenty of great RB/WR combo's avail to the team as well as TE. Fortunately for MSi, they should have enough top talent avail to them at the start of the draft to offset not having many keepers. Of course, the latter rounds are where a teams money is made, and it will be crucial for their draft to be solid until the end to offset a lack of value at the top.

Schedule

MSi faces one of the more grueling division schedules of any team in the AFFL. Both Grabbers and Prime Time were playoff teams last season and enter the 2015 year with great keepers. MSi will need a strong draft in order to ensure that the team can compete against these two squads as both teams should be very formidable. Week 7 is the only week when byes will effect the Grabbers match-up, and MSi will be without Sanders that week while both keepers will be avail for Grabbers. Grabbers has the early advantage. Neither one of the match-ups against Prime Time will effect keepers for either team. We will know more about these rosters as it pertains to bye weeks, but it looks like wins will have to be earned for MSi in the four games he plays within the division this year.