2014 Season - Pre Season Guide

We are less than three weeks from the 2014 BUMS NFL Fantasy Draft which will take place at BUMS Headquarters from 5pm on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon August 25th. It will be followed by some fine football fayre catered by Cheryl. Everyone is back for another season and I hope as many of you as possible can make the draft in person. If not we will have the usual alternative ways of selecting your players. Attached is the player price spreadsheet including all the players 2013 scores & how much a Franchise player will cost you if he is cut by his current owner. Remember if you cut your franchise player you’ll have to pay him his signed salary for the rest of the season/two seasons. Mark is paying former Atlanta receiver Roddy White $2m this year and so has an $8m budget to spend on his eight players. He gets a supplemental draft pick at the end of round 5. Big names who are available include Quarterbacks Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Stafford, Running Back LeSean McCoy & Receivers Victor Cruz, Eric Decker, Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski, Stevie Johnson and Jordy Nelson as they have all ended their 2 year Franchise designation and become free agents. They are released onto the open market together with 34 rookies - see the rookie report attached. The player pool is based on the depth charts listed by Ourlads.com yesterday. I delayed distribution by a day as league leading wideout Josh Gordon had the appeal over his suspension time yesterday but a ruling on how much of the season he will miss has now been delayed for up to a week. He remains a Browns starter for now. So get planning and let me know how you are drafting:- live at HQ, by email in advance, by phone live or by internet live, courtesy of Aaron (BUMS Junior Vice President – Assistant Head of Technology). Draft Order and Franchise Players We pick in reverse points order from last years final tables so David S has the first pick in the draft and Marcus the final choice. The full draft order, budgets available & franchise players are also attached. As mentioned Mark will pick at the end of the 5th round as he cut his 2013-14 Franchise man. In his annual re-naming, David S changes the Aotearoa Maori Bros to the Karori Visitors in honour of Cheryl & Chief’s stay with him in Wellington in April. Trading DaysYou will have the usual two opportunities to make changes. Trading Day 1 will be at HQ from 3pm on Sunday 5th October before week 5’s games and Trading Day 2 will be on Sunday 9th November before week 10. Hope you can make it to BUMS HQ for each of these days to trade and watch the Sunday games that follow. Please put these in your diaries now. Season Kick-Off Game The first game of the season (Packers @ Seahawks) is on Thursday September 4th. Sky should show the game live in the early hours of Friday and we’ll get together later that evening to watch it. Venue to be confirmed. Don’t forget to let me know how you intend to draft. Meantime have a good time deciding your strategy and see you on August 25th. Enjoy your planning and let me know how you intend to select your winners, in person, email, phone or live online.