[09.04.05]
Written by: President Puck

2005 Prez Picks

[09.05.05] -- The Most entertaining fantasy football league is back! Entering it's seventh season of high flying action, Puck's World Fantasy Football League is coming to you with an even sharper edge than before. Two new owners joined us this year and they are ready to make their mark on the league landscape. The Hellespont Trojans and Helena Hobbits were both brought over from PWFBL to up the ante in competition. The Cranville Wolverines, previously known as the Benton Harbor Hoodlems, will also start their tenure this year by a previous agreement with the league.

President Puck has the duty to sort out this mess before the season, so the great PWFFL fans out there have something to mull over before the start of the season. Since Timbuktu did not make the playoffs last year (Note: Last Year's Prez Picks), the prez will not retire and will show off his great schwam powers starting off with the defending Puck Bowl Champions.

Kalamazoo Vikings

The first and only back-to-back champion returns to try and grab their third straight Bribin Cup. The pieces are all their for a run with high powered depth sitting on the bench, ready to come in at a moment's notice. While the runningback core is starting to show their age, the Vikings still have enough left in the gas for another year or two before wholesale changes will be needed. The biggest shock to this team could very well affect moral, because for the first time a Green Bay Packer alum has been entered into the fold. This could very well bring down the whole organization, but the Prez will have to see it first before he adjusts his predictions.

QB: 2, WR: 3, RB: 1, Spec: 5, Overall: 1
Proj Record: 12-2 2nd

Rhode Island Ridicule

The Ridicule are coming off their second President's Cup in 2004 with an eye on recapturing the Bribin Cup. PWFFL MVP Peyton Manning returns to lead Rhode Island back to the top. All your favorite Ridicule are back to take the brunt of your jokes: Hiney Ward, "Mo Money" Owens, Tiki, and the Dominator Davis. A key injury or two could really put a damper on things in the littlest state, but the prez is banking on a relatively injury free season for this team. Every game is winnable and the Ridicule has a real shot at running the table for an undefeated season.

QB: 1, WR: 2, RB: 4, Spec: 3, Overall: 2
Proj Record: 13-1 1st

Detroit Drive

The Drive has always been a team that the Prez just can't get a good handle on. Detroit is always full of potential, but always finds a way to lose the game. There wasn't many big additions to the team during the offseason, unlike previous years. However, there were some major FA pickups during the season last year to really make the runningback core of McGahee, Lewis, and Jones one of the most formatable crew outside of Kalamazoo this year. Injuries are always a concern in Detroit, as they havn't been able to hire a proper trainer to keep QB Vick on the field. With a couple of the historically top teams in the league starting to struggle, this is the year that Detroit finally fulfills their promise of getting to the playoffs.

QB: 11, WR: 4, RB: 2, Spec: 6, Overall: 3
Proj Record: 10-4 3rd

Rocko Bengals

The Bengals were the most active team this offseason which both helped them and hurt them. Eli Manning was shipped out of town and in return they recieved the fourth pick in the draft which they used to select rookie RB Ronnie Brown. Even with Eli out of town, Rocko possesses one of the best quarterbacks in the game both with youth and experience. D. McNabb will lead the crew, but Carson Palmer will be pushing him for time this season. They have the best WR core to throw to with veterans Holt and Chad Johnson returning to the team, joined by newcomer Charles Rogers. The running game beyone Dillon and Brown is pretty shaky and in turn the Bengals will be on the outside looking in when playoff time comes around.

QB: 3, WR: 1, RB: 9, Spec: 4, Overall: 4
Proj Record: 7-7 6th

Cranville Wolverines

While the Prez didn't like their draft, especially when the picked up 2nd stringer Tatum Bell with their second pick, the Wolverines found themselves with a competative team overall that could be the next Rocko Bengals to overcome their runningback deficiencies and make the playoffs. If Bell takes over in Denver and becomes the next 1000 yard back, Cranville will be rolling. They will be doing most of their scoring from the air however. D. Jackson, Chambers, and Moulds round out the projected starting lineup with a combination of T. Green and/or Leftwich try to get the rock to them.

QB: 7, WR: 5, RB: 10, Spec: 2, Overall: 5
Proj Record: 7-7 7th

Wisconsin Wannabes

Do you wanna see a winner? So do those Wisconsonites. This could be the year that Wisconsin recovers from their rock bottom 2004. The Wisconsin running game is their bread and butter, but will run into problems during the bye weeks as most of their bench RBs are NFL backups to the starters on Wisconsin's team. Wisconsin dropped the ball as their most glaring weakness, WR, was not properly addressed in the draft. A. Brooks was brought in to compete w/ Harrington for the starting job. However, unless Toomer, Walker and D. Hall can step it up or a huge FA addition is added to the mix, Wisconsin will squeek into the playoffs only to get humiliated in the first round.

QB: 10, WR: 9, RB: 3, Spec: 10, Overall: 6
Proj Record: 9-5 4th

Helena Hobbits

The Hobbits' stature is translated into their patience. Helena's owner is known for having a quick hook, much like our very familiar W. Palm Beach owner. His team was built with a win now mindset and they could very well become the first expansion team to ever make the playoffs. Their runningback core will jump out of the gate with speed and power, but outside of Westbrook and Arrington they could very well slow down or disappear all together by season end. However, if the crew stays together and some key FA Wide Recievers are brought into the mix the 8-6 record will become a reality. However, this number could very well turn into a 4-10 if things go sour too soon.

QB: 5, WR: 10, RB: 5, Spec: 8, Overall: 7
Proj Record: 8-6 5th

Hellespont Trojans

While the Trojans are self proclaiming a guarenteed playoff berth, the Prez likes to look at things closer to reality. S. Jackson and Wayne lead this crew but the rest of them still have a lot to prove. The Trojans were defintally built for the long haul. Benson and Moats should turn into gems next year while the Cadillac could be leaving rubber out of the gates. This could very well be a 6-8 team if everything goes their way but the playoffs are still another year away for these powder blue warriors.

QB: 4, WR: 8, RB: 7, Spec: 7, Overall: 8
Proj Record: 4-10 9th

Seattle Slimy Slugs

The Slugs are starting to come to a crawl. Their glaring weakness since the franchise's begining has always been the quarterback. This year, they decided not to bring in any real competition for Carr, so everything is going to be put on his shoulders. The wide recievers were aging and the only stallwort left from the Slug's heydays is Marvin Harrison. The runningbacks outside of Tomlinson are injury prone and in the middle of position battles on their NFL teams. This is all shaping up to be the worst Slug season ever and a major rebuilding process will be coming shortly.

QB: 12, WR: 6, RB: 6, Spec: 11, Overall: 9
Proj Record: 4-10 10th

W. Palm Beach Chads

The waiver-wire king is back! This year he is going to find himself some stiff competition at the wire which could hamper his chances of improving his team. A lot of runningbacks were brought into the fold via the draft. The wide receivers are strong, but no studs are on the crew which will mean a lot of roster movements to take advantage of weekly matchups. Another mediocre 6-8 season is in store for the Chads.

QB: 8, WR: 7, RB: 8, Spec: 9, Overall: 10
Proj Record: 6-8 8th

Green Bay Slackers

The Slackers shocked the world last season with their amazing run to their first non-losing season. Its going to be tough to duplicate another amazing run with this crew that is aging. Green Bay is banking on a number of injuries with players such as Mike Williams and Ron Dayne rounding out their bench. Green Bay made some great trades to improve their team during the draft, sending Ferguson and Fisher to Rocko in order to pick up Williamson and Wiggins. A 3-11 season is very likely for this team, although a very familiar 4-10 wouldn't be out of the question.

QB: 6, WR: 12, RB: 11, Spec: 1, Overall: 11
Proj Record: 3-11 11th

Timbuktu Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are the one team that continues to defy logic. Always projected to be at the bottom of the league, these pirates always seem to make their way up to an even 7-7 record. However, being the odd year that it is, Timbuktu is due for another low win season and going the whole season without a win is a very strong possibility. Timbuktu needs to start bringin in some youth or this is going to be a common occurance from year to year.

QB: 9, WR: 11, RB: 12, Spec: 12, Overall: 12
Proj Record: 1-13 12th