NLL Insider

Jim Mora would be proud…OK, maybe not.

Already into Week 8 of NLL Fantasy, it’s time to start thinking about how the role of the actual playoffs will begin to impact your roster of reverie.

Initially, in my first column, I took a little bit of heat from some Wingzone bloggers for recommending that fantasy participants draft primarily based on which teams they thought would do well.

Sure, I won’t contest that there are your occasional Dan Dawson (Portland) or Mat Giles (Chicago) out there, but on the whole, your leading scorers (i.e. top fantasy point-getters) are players on teams that will make the playoffs (see: Buffalo’s John Tavares, Athan Iannucci of Philadelphia, etc.).

This means that if you’re in position to make the playoffs in your league – the top two teams from each conference and the next two best records as wild cards – it’s time to really focus on getting guys that are playoff-bound.

Unlike the NFL, teams that are a lock for the postseason don’t usually rest their top guys because the difference in record from top to bottom in each conference tends to be only a game or two. So everyone is still gritting it out in attempts to seal up home field throughout.

So, in a nutshell, it’s time to start making trades for guys that will join the NLL’s second season, and pick-up those free agents that have a chance at holding the cup. I know that several readers remain skeptical, but when was the last time you heard of a team with no postseason aspirations going on a serious run to end the season? It’s pretty rare, as in, it almost never happens in the NLL.

The Insiders League:

The story in our league is the continued dominance of Paul Tutka. Aside from a two-point loss to Jiloty’s wee-men in Week 4, Tuts is undefeated and by far the lead horse in this race.

But don’t sleep on Ted Jenner and the ‘fro just yet. After dropping his first two decisions, he’s won three of his last four and taken over the second spot in the East.

As for me – because isn’t that really all matters anyway? – after losing three in a row dating back to Week 4 against Jenner himself, the revenge tour got off to a good start with a solid 16-9 victory over Lauren Ward. Ahh, vindication…how sweet it is.

After Week 7, here’s how they stand:

Eastern Division:

The Van Buren Boys (Paul Tutka) (6-1)
bob mcmahons afro (Ted Jenner) (4-3)
Waterloo Wannabees (Chris Hall) (4-3)
Steal Your Faceoff (Bob Chavez) (4-3)

Western Division:

Gary Colemans (John Jiloty) (4-3)
Albuquerque Isotopes (Me) (3-4)
The Check Republic (Lauren Ward) (3-4)
Who owns the Chiefs? (Brian Shanahan) (0-7)

Studs:

Gavin Prout (COL): (3, 6) vs. CGY
Prout’s season started off a little slow, but was there ever any real question that he would pull it together and get it done for his team? No. He now holds the No. 7 overall spot for scorers in the league with (13, 41), which is good for second in assists to only Tavares’ 42.

Jeff Zywicki (SJS): (4, 2) 9 LB vs. PHI
Does this guy’s motor ever stop running? He’s like the Tyler Hansbrough of the NLL. (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself – it’s Tourney Time!) But seriously, you know what you’re going to get out of this guy every game – tons of stats, even in a loss.

Athan Iannucci (PHI): (4, 2) 13 LB vs. SJS
This guy is literally averaging nearly 5 goals per game, and so far, that’s something you can set your watch to. At this pace and with 8 games remaining, he should have no problem upending Gary Gait’s record of 61 goals in a season set in 2003. His current pace would give him 78!. Unreal.

Honorable Mention:

Jordan Hall (NYT): (3, 2) vs. TOR
Craig Point (MIN): (4, 2) vs. CHI
Josh Sanderson (TOR): (3, 3) 8 LB vs. NYT
Jake Bergey (PHI): (2, 3) 14 LB vs. SJS
Matt Vinc (NYT): 51 SV, 10 GA vs. TOR

Duds:

Keith Cromwell (MIN): (0, 1) vs. CHI
Judging by his age and current stats, this may be a flame that has finally burned out. The move by Minnesota to get the aging vet was questionable to begin with, and his numbers don’t look like they’re going to get any better. He may even be worth a drop from your squad if you have a better option available through free agency.

Brian Langtry (COL): (0, 3) vs. CGY
“The Black Hole of Lacrosse” as he is sometimes called behind closed doors because the ball tends to die in his stick, wielded his ugly head yet again. No doubt, he is an amazing player, a great team guy, and a phenomenal talent, but the former Rookie of the Year has been feast or famine all season, which is what you usually get from him anyway. I’d actually say that his career has been marked by being consistently inconsistent. Keep him on your roster, especially as Colorado makes their run at the top spot in the West, but start him with serious caution.

UPDATE: Brian Langtry went on to net 9 goals and 4 assists versus Portland in the 15-16 loss on 3/20, thus putting an end to any questioning of his fantasy worth. Langtry, a periodic columnist on this very site, must have seen my column, and wanted to shut my big yapper. So, as his primary motivator, in a way, I’m kind of responsible for this career game…yeah, that’s it.

Start ‘Em:

Mike Hominuck (EDM): (3, 1) 9 LB, OT GWG vs. ROC
Fresh off his trade from Minnesota, Hominuck turned in arguably his best performance of the season. The Rush fans and coaching staff have to be thrilled with that. Consistency has been his issue this year, and we’ll just have to see how that plays out. But this is at least a good sign to start things off in his new home.

Ryan Boyle (NYT): (4, 2) vs. TOR
On a team that includes Casey Powell, Pat Maddalena and several other top players, Boyle tends to get lost on the roster occasionally. The Princeton-product had his best effort statistically of the season in the game against the Rock, and helped lead his team to back to .500. Bottom line, Boyle is always a good start.

Jonas Derks (CHI): (2, 3) vs. MIN
Finally, some palpable production from this guy! Everyone had serious hopes for him, and while he’s shown up in a game or two, this was his best performance so far, despite the loss to the Swarm. From here on out, I see him as a pretty solid start the rest of the way, although Chicago’s offense has been, well, let’s say it nicely – absent, for most of the season. If you need a fill-in guy, he’s a great option, and probably still available in many free agent pools.

Sit ‘Em:

(T) John Orsen (NYT): (2, 2) 13 LB vs. TOR
Orsen had a breakout game against the Rock, but don’t bet on that happening again. Even after being named Transition Player of the Week, I strongly suggest not even thinking about it. His stats to this point have been almost exclusively 0’s, and I don’t really see that changing on a consistent basis.

Cam Sedgwick (SJS): (0, 3) vs. PHI
Sedgwick is definitely a great player, but not one that necessarily translates to fantasy all that well. In that strong San Jose offense, he functions as an assist machine, which, because of the way fantasy scores helpers, doesn’t end up being all that beneficial. By all means, keep him on your roster, but (5, 25) through 9 games won’t win you too many fantasy weeks.

Reader E-mails:

John Vick asks:
I’m top in my fantasy league, but this week I’m playing who I consider to be the next best and I really want to win this one. I have four of my runners set, but I was just wondering who you would play as your last runner?

Mike Accursi @ Toronto
Mike Accursi vs San Jose
Scott Ranger @ San Jose
Jamie Rooney @ New York
Jamie Rooney @ Rochester
Jeff Shattler @ San Jose
Jamie Shewchuk @ Portland
Kaleb Toth @ San Jose
Roger Vyse vs Toronto

Well, you have to start Accursi because he’s a bread-and-butter kind of player, even if he has had a down season. I like him in the game against Toronto because San Jose has Cosmo in net. Next, I like Shewchuk versus a very weak Portland defense. He’s generally good for at least 2 or 3 points a game and should not disappoint this week. You gotta’ go with Ranger because of the numbers he’s put up this season, and then either Calgary teammate Shattler or Toth because those are your best players. Plus I’m a firm believer in Dance with who brung ya’. I probably go with Toth in this particular instance because of his level of consistency. Finally, I’d throw a bit of a wild card in there, just to spice things up. I think Vyse could be a great start here if you want to play it safe, but I go with Rooney versus … Rochester – that’s right. Normally, I’d go against a porous Titans D, but they are significantly improved, not to mention that the game between the Wings and Knighthawks is going to be an all out war with Philly wanting to send a message. Plus I like the Wings in the game.

Thanks for your question, and good luck!

Closing Notes:

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