Live Draft - change for 2015

My fellow coaches,

Due to popular demand we will be running a Live Draft this year.

Participation is NOT mandatory or even required, it is entirely optional. If you cannot join in at the prescribed time your team will be drafted by the AI according to the standard drafting rules. You can draft off the pre-set order or you can set your preferred draft order, same as usual.

Or, you are welcome to participate live. There are three parts: the Live Draft, the Draft App and the War Room.

Live Draft time:

The scheduled time is 12:30 PM on September 7.

Draft App:

Thirty minutes before the Draft begins the Live Draft app will become available online. Log into the Fantasy website or app on your pc/phone/tablet. The Live Draft app will set the Draft order and Schedule. Each Coach will have a certain amount of time to select a player in each round.

As the Draft is run online Coaches can participate from their location. Coaches will have between 60-90 seconds to make their player selection in each Round. Accordingly, you'll only need to check in every 10 minutes or so, whenever your turn comes up. If you miss a Round (or two) the AI will assign the next player in the draft order.

You are welcome and encouraged to participate in Mock Drafts beforehand. If you log in on either your device or pc you should find the Mock Draft section fairly easily. This is a good way of familiarising yourself with the UI, the players and the stats beforehand. Absolutely not necessary, but may make things run a bit smoother on the day.

War Room:

A gathering of hopeful, intrepid Coaches will meet in a War Room somewhere at 50 Lonsdale St over lunch. The plan is to Draft the first 5-6 rounds live, or as many as we can, and then either let the AI do the rest or continue to monitor the draft via the online tools. Obviously the first 2-4 rounds are the most interesting, and rounds 10+ the most boring (selecting Kickers?)

The exact location in 50L will be updated later.

Remember, the draft will start at 12:30 whether you are ready for it or not - best to be prepared.

More information to come through the week.

New season, new old-technology

Ok, I have finally entered the modern age, and so too has VP3. For all you FB fans out there, clicky-likey-and do your thing.

https://www.facebook.com/VP3NFLFantasyFootball

Zim’s motivational draft mix

From the desk of ZIM...

Greetings Earthikins,

It’s time for Zim’s yearly pep talk to the peeps giving you the low down on how to select your preferences for the draft.  You might be asking why I didn’t do this last year, or the year before that, or ever.  You might say that undermines my use of the word yearly and perhaps a word like 'inaugural' or 'only' would be more apt. Attention to detail like that is what will doom the most important part of your draft.  You might say, but Zim, you don’t know which players are any good.  You’d be right.  But I know, in my gut, who sucks and that is what matters.   I also know how to inspire that venom for you, and it is with that in mind, I’ve compiled Zim’s only inaugural yearly pep talk draft play list [cue electric guitars of a Mötley Crüe Dr Feelgood standard – oh yeah, I just went there].  Let's get our guts ready for the cut.

1. The first thing to keep in mind when you are making your draft preferences isn’t who to put on your ‘draft’ list, but it is who to put on your boycott list.  The list that says, there is no place for you on my team.  If you think I’m wrong, just reflect on last year while you cue up Machine Head – Aesthetics of Hate (link helpfully provides constructive lyrics - use as instructions).

2. Now, reflect on those awesome looking players that promised the world and delivered a piling heap of dung on your lap, week in week out.  Now, remember that moment when you benched their sorry ass and what did they do?  They scored like a million points.  Yeah that’s right – they outscored your team and everyone elses on their own, but only for that game.  This is what Zak was talking about in Rage Against the Machine’s – How I could just kill a man.  It wasn’t a commentary on institutional racism and abuse of power.  It was about a footballer not performing until he’s on your fantasy bench – this stuff is real. This behaviour explains that song (again link provides the lyrics - prove me wrong people).

3. Next, think of the team or players who should be sent to stinking LA so they shut the hell up about sucking so bad and wanting the world and a new stadium for sucking so bad.  For this, you’ll need the Axel Foley theme.  This is also the music you should have on when considering any player from Detroit.

4. You’ll have that player that didn’t perform well last year but is promising big this year.  I want you to grab your Trash CD (we obviously all have a copy); only Alice Cooper’s Why Trust You sums that cut player better.  If he tries to rile you, throw Poison’s Your Mama Don’t Dance* on and he’ll shut the hell up and go back to LA (recall point 3).  You might be wondering if putting two tracks in a single point is legal, I say to you, your daddy don't rock n' roll**. BAM!

5. Finally, you’ll have one player you just can’t get mad at.  You will have your song for him. 

6. In conclusion, stick to the above and you can reward yourself with Cinderella's Nobody's Fool.  

As for Jordy Nelson, only E Lucevan Le Stelle*** will suffice now [sniff] (song summary: the stars were shining... and now I die despairing)   We love you Jordy.  Get better soon.  And a call out to all those who have fallen - damn you ACLs.  DAMN YOU.

I AM ZIM

*Lyrics not required as you all know them.  Obviously.

**You really should have seen that coming.

***Your favourite operatic soloist will do fine.  Hint: they will never have, ever, been part of the above mentioned bands or anything even remotely similar.  They also will not be part of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

You know the season is getting closer when

Madden is finally released.

Raining and crappy weather be damned - I'm playing Madden tonight!

2015 VP3 Fantasy NFL Season - It begins

My fellow Head Coaches,

Welcome to the 2015 VP3 Fantasy NFL Season. 

Last year we watched as Breesus went on a looong winning streak and eventually won the Championship trophy for the second year in a row. But it was a hard fought victory, with strong competition coming from all sides. 

Breesus will begin the 2015 campaign looking for his hat-trick. Who can stop him?

Veteran Illuminators, Farnsworth's, Endlessnessism or the Doof's? Journeymen US Forces, Zim or Agent P? Or sophomore's BBs or Marcy?

2015 Timing:

The NFL season opener is 11 September, I plan to have the Draft take place on the 8th. This gives a couple of days to check teams, trade, etc.

2015 Head Coaches:

By default you have all been automatically re-entered into this years League. If you have decided not to play this year, now is the time: please remove your team asap. If you can't do so, please email me to let me know (dan.spillman@gmail.com) and I will take care of it.

It would be nice if you could drop me an email to confirm that you are playing, but I will assume you are.

2015 Team Names:

You are able to change your team names and images at any time. Feel free to do so.

2015 Draft:

The 2015 Draft will take place on 8 September. Just like in previous years it will be an Autopick draft, where the online server assigns players to teams. The Autopick will assign players based on NFL.com’s ranking, or you can change your preferred draft players. The Draft Order will also be managed by the Autopick system.

2015 Pre-draft rankings:

If you wish to set your own preferred draft order and over-ride NFL.com’s ranking system:

-Log in to fantasy

-Click on My Team

-Click on Pre-Draft Rankings

-Click on Edit Overall Pre-Rank

I will post more on this in a couple of days time.

I look forward to another season with you all!

-Dan

Head Coach, Doof’s Playinators

VP3 Blog: http://vp3nfl.blogspot.com.au/