AFFL Team Pre-Draft Preview '15: BDiddy

BDiddy Baret (middle), Mikey (left), Tiggy (right)

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

1. BDiddy

History:

• Two 3rd place finishes ('09, '10)
• Made playoffs in four of seven seasons
• Has never won more than eight games in a season (twice)
• Ten wins in last two seasons combined.
• 44-48 lifetime record (48%). 4-4 playoff record (71%)

Since joining the league in 2008, the team named after the famous rap artist Sean Combs, PDiddy, has managed to put together a resume with mixed results, but has been a steady presence in the league none-the-less. After finishing with a lowly 4-9 record during the '08 season, Diddy managed to make the playoffs for the next four seasons straight, collecting two third place finishes in the process. In doing so, the quickly established themselves as a yearly contender. However, with the high comes the low, and Diddy has failed to make the playoffs the last two years, amassing five wins in each season. Even in the years that the team made the playoffs and finished at the top of the group, they only had eight wins and never more. This points to the idea that Diddy hasn't exactly dominated the league. If they want to be considered elite, a nine win season would do wonders.

Some may say that the drop-off from the playoffs is a result of "too many cooks in the kitchen. BDiddy is the only AFFL franchise run by three managers and they get a lot of heck for it. Since adding a third manager to the franchise, Diddy has failed to finish higher than third place. Is Tiggly Wiggly the reason for the lack of success of the team? It would be far fetched to blame the struggles on one manager. Diddy has a unique way of running things and the division of labor falls on all three managers equally.

Where "Buff Daddy" makes his mark is in-season management. The team does a great job of picking up players and making winning moves. If drafting is an art form, than Diddy is Picasso. They have a variety of strategies or "plans" mapped out prior to the draft each season, and quickly shift strategies as players fly off the board. It's fun to watch and highly entertaining.

The team is also very strong in the trade department. Rarely do you see a Diddy trade go sour on them. A great example of this is last season where Diddy capitalized on the uncertainty of the Ray Rice appeal to trade to fleece Cobra Kai of Zach Ertz and Alfred Morris. It was a brilliant move, as Ray Rice didn't play all year and Josh Gordon was a non-factor. In 2013, they pulled the same kind of trade with Prime Time, nabbing Tom Brady for Darryl Richardson who got benched shortly after trading him. It's safe to say that BDiddy wins when it comes to the trade market.

It seemed like every year BDiddy was on the brink of breaking through and winning the AFFL title only to fall short. Recently the team hasn't tasted success like in years past. 2015 could be a chance for the BDaddy to move into the top half of the league in regards to successful franchises. An AFFL title would legitimize the three manager structure, the years of great trading, and all else the team has going for it. A breakout season is always just around the corner. 

2015 Preview

Potential Keepers = Poor

• None

Schedule = Medium

• x2 = HBK and Hangin'

Draft

Diddy is the only team that doesn't have any great keeper options. This is why jumping the odds and selecting first in the draft was so crucial for them. In so doing, they will have a choice of Lynch or Dez Bryant at the first overall pick. Subsequently, they will then choose thirteenth, or first in the second round, and have top tier RB or WR talent still available. There is also a good chance that Aaron Rodgers will be available at that spot should the team wish to nab the #2 ranked QB. It would be wise for Diddy to load up on a top tier RB in his early picks, as the one area that has plagued him the past two years was the RB department. Lynch would be a fine grab, as would Demarco Murray. Forte is there too. Expect the team to load up on enough talent to feature a balanced roster and be competitive out the gate. This is something that couldn't be said of the team in the past two years. It very well could be said now.

Schedule

Without any keepers, there is no way of knowing how Diddy's core roster will be built, making the assessing of a schedule difficult. Playing HBK and Hangin' twice is a mixed bag, as one team is a playoff team, and the other a lottery team. However, HBK has two keepers in the high rounds (1-3) while Hangin' selects in the top four and has keepers in rounds (4 & 5). Both teams will have a strong core to start, but Hangin' will have two high picks to add to their keepers, potentially making them quite formidable. As for bye weeks, both match-ups versus HBK will be on non-bye weeks, so both rosters will be at full strength. Week eight will be the only week that the Hangin' battle will take place during bye weeks, but their roster will not be affected. All their keepers will be active. Division games are crucial and a strong draft for Diddy will be needed if they hope to have a shot at the postseason. These four games could be tough.