Fantasy Football time is upon us. I drafted two teams this weekend. This is the analysis of the first team I drafted, the Trash Pandas, in the Thunderdome Fantasy Football League.

This is my third season competing in Thunderdome and I’ve had mixed results the previous two years. In my inaugural campaign, I made the playoffs and had one of the stronger teams in the league. Unfortunately, there was a division rival I just couldn’t beat, going 0-3 against them, including a second round loss in the playoffs. I finished 5th for the season.

Last season, the wheels came off pretty early. Injuries mounted and I suffered through a six game losing streak en route to finishing 14th on the season.

This league presents different challenges and requires different strategy than any other leagues I’ve competed in. Most of the challenges stem from the size of the league and the scoring system, I’ll detail those shortly.

Another unique challenge arises from the fact that there are three other Chicago Bears fans in this league, besides me. I’ve never faced that problem before, I’m usually the only Bears fan in a league. Now I know how fans of the Eagles & Steelers feel. To get Bears players I want, I have to be willing to overdraft. To balance that with a desire to win, I have to weigh the actual cost of the overdraft.

I feel like I’ve managed it pretty well, thus far.

Now a bit about Thunderdome Fantasy Football:

16 team league.

18 man roster consisting of no more than 2 QBs, 4 RBs, 4 WRs, 2 TEs, 2 Kickers, 2 Team Defenses & 2 LBs.

Lineups consist of 1 QB, 2 RBs, 2 WRs, 1 TE, 1 Kicker, 1 Team Defense, 1 LB & a Flex which can be a RB, WR or TE.

Scoring by ESPN Fantasy Sports.

Single keeper league. Keeper does NOT count as a draft pick UNLESS being kept two years in a row, then it costs your first round pick.

Ladder draft, meaning the team drafting first in the first round picks last in the second round, while the team picking second in the first picks first in the second and the team picking third in the first picks second in the second and first in the third then last in the fourth round.

As I stated earlier, the size of this league and our rosters presents a unique challenge. The draft is SUPER important because the pickings on the waiver are very slim.

Do the math, there will be 32 QBs rostered, that’s basically every starting QB in the NFL. There will also be 32 team defenses, 32 kickers, 32 tight ends & 32 linebackers rostered.

For QBs, Team Defense and kickers, we’re basically stuck with who we drafted for the entire season, there may be a little wiggle room, but not much.

For TEs and LBs, there are waiver possibilities, but the pickings are slim.

There will be 64 RBs & 64 WRs rostered. For RBs this means the only options on the waiver wire are guys that may only get 5 touches a game, if you’re lucky. WR is deeper and you may be able to find some meaningful contributors on waivers.

The ladder style draft also adds a challenge. For most of the draft each team has 16 spots between their picks, except when it’s your turn to fall down the ladder. In my case, that happened in the fourth round.

I picked third in the first round, second in the second, first in the third and then 16th in the fourth. That’s 31 spots between picks. I had to think long and hard with my third round pick. Was there any player that I really wanted that might not be the highest ranked on my board, but there was no way he’d make it back to me?

Anyway, on with the draft, first the players that were protected and unavailable to be drafted:

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons

Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders

De’Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins

Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions

Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Now, here’s how my draft went:

My Keeper– Marvin Harrison Jr, WR, Arizona Cardinals

My team was bad last year and Jahmyr Gibbs was the only player I really wanted to keep, but he was my keeper for last year and losing my first round pick is a tough pill to swallow. Luckily, because I was so bad, I had the third pick and I thought it was a reasonable gamble that Gibbs, or someone comparable, would be available at three, so I decided to take another chance on Harrison Jr’s upside.

Round 1– Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

My strategy worked perfectly. I wanted Gibbs back, I even had him ranked higher than Bijan Robinson who went with the first pick. I think Gibbs is going to have a monster season (check out my NFL Predictions for how big). When Ja’Marr Chase went second, I was ecstatic.

Round 2– Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

This was a pivot for me. The elite receivers were gone and I didn’t think any of the running backs were worth this pick. I don’t like going quarterback this early, even though not doing so cost me any shot at Caleb Williams.

In my opinion, Bowers was easily the best player on the board, so I eagerly started the tight end run.

Round 3– TreVeyon Henderson, RB, New England Patriots

Henderson was one of my targets coming in. I love drafting rookie running backs with major upside. I had Henderson behind only Ashton Jeanty in this rookie class, fantasy wise.

There were no receivers I deemed worthy of this pick and I knew I couldn’t wait until my next pick to land Henderson.

Round 4– Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears

It was my turn to fall down the ladder. There were 31 players selected since my last pick. The way the board was falling, I was pretty sure this pick was going to be a receiver.

I considered Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith & Jameson Williams here, but passed on Waddle because I don’t trust Tua to stay healthy. I think Odunze has the potential to put up at least similar numbers to Smith. This was a bit of a homer pick, which is why Williams was never really an option.

Round 5– Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Travis Hunter almost made it back to me, but alas, he went two picks before me. Addison will serve a three game suspension to start the season, but he should give me three receivers with tremendous upside.

Round 6– Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

It was time to land my quarterback or else I’d be stuck with Tua again, or worse. I learned my lesson last year. Herbert isn’t the elite fantasy quarterback he was his first couple years, but he’s a solid starter that should allow me to roll the dice on a possible breakthrough guy later on.

Round 7– Philadelphia Eagles Defense

This was a last second pivot on my part because Najee Harris got sniped the pick before me. I abandoned the idea of getting my third running back and became the second team to draft a defense.

The fantasy “experts” will say I reached by making Philly the second team defense off the board, but I’m a big believer in this Eagles squad.

Round 8– Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns

I needed a third running back to cover the bye weeks of Gibbs & Henderson. My first choice has the same bye week as Gibbs, so I went with Ford.

Ford will be Cleveland’s lead back, for at least a few weeks and while he may lose some goal line touches, he does offer some receiving production and big play ability.

Round 9– Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

With my running back bye weeks covered, I went back to the guy I wanted in the previous round. I actually had Tuten rated higher than the other Jacksonville backs, Travis Etienne & Tank Bigsby.

Round 10– Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons

My plan was to take Xavier Legette here and then Bryce Young in the next round, but that was blown up when Young got picked earlier in this round.

I went back to an old friend in Mooney and turned my attention to Michael Penix Jr.

Round 11– Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Curses! Foiled again. Penix Jr didn’t make it back to me. I had to get a quarterback here, or I’d be left with a terrible choice between Sam Darnold or Joe Flacco (because there is no way in hell I’m drafting Aaron Rodgers, Daniel Jones sucks & Russell Wilson is blacklisted.)

In hindsight, this pick worked out well for me. Lawrence has tremendous potential in this offense & he could supplant Herbert as my number one by season’s end.

Round 12– Ernest Jones IV, LB, Seattle Seahawks

I have my roster spots filled at quarterback, running back & wide receiver at this point. With Bowers at tight end, a backup isn’t a priority (and they were pretty picked over at this point).

My aversion to kickers made me go LB here. I just looked at ESPN’s linebacker rankings and took the top one still available.

Round 13– Cairo Santos, K, Chicago Bears

Okay, screw it, let’s get a kicker. Might as well make it a homer pick. Bear Down!

Round 14– Arizona Cardinals Defense

In a league where I can stream defenses, I’d never roster a second, but in this league I need to. Arizona has the best matchup, of the available defenses, the week Philly is on bye, so I went with them.

Round 15– Daniel Carlson, K, Las Vegas Raiders

Again, in a smaller league, I’d never roster a second kicker, but it’s a must here. Carlson was the highest ranked one left on ESPN’s board.

Round 16– Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Carolina Panthers

I was actually targeting Elijah Arroyo here, until I realized Seattle & Vegas have the same bye week. Sanders showed flashes last year and I only need him for one week.

ANALYSIS

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the team I ended up with. I got sniped a few times on players I was targeting, but I was able to pivot and find decent alternatives. The pivot I made at backup quarterback, I think, could end up paying huge dividends.

Trash Pandas Roster

Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert, Chargers *

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars

Running Backs

Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions *

TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots *

Jerome Ford, Browns

Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars

Wide Receivers

Marvin Harrison Jr, Cardinals *

Rome Odunze, Bears *

Jordan Addison, Vikings

Darnell Mooney, Falcons

Tight Ends

Brock Bowers, Raiders *

Ja’Tavion Sanders, Panthers

Kickers

Cairo Santos, Bears *

Daniel Carlson, Raiders

Team Defense

Philadelphia Eagles *

Arizona Cardinals

Linebacker

Ernest Jones IV, Seahawks *

*Starter

My flex position will be rather fluid early on, though I expect Addison to fill that role once his suspension is over.

I think wide receiver is my strongest position group. There is no elite talent there, though Harrison Jr does have the potential. All four are solid fantasy football contributors. Barring injuries, I can see all four remaining on my roster the whole season.

My running backs have potential, but on paper, it is a weak and unproven group. Gibbs is elite, though, and I certainly believe Henderson can get there. Tuten is an upside gamble and possibly one of the first players I look to replace.

My starting tight end, Bowers, is also elite, which is why I won’t pay much attention to his back up or the waiver wire unless someone bursts onto the scene.

I am quite pleased with the quarterbacks I ended up with. Herbert is solid and I’ll have no issue starting him every week, but the upside of Lawrence is tantalizing. If Liam Coen can do for him what he did for Baker Mayfield, the sky is the limit for my team.

I don’t strategize in regard to kickers, but in this league I might have to start doing so. Scoring for kickers is heavily skewed towards long fields goals. A kicker getting a couple 50+ yarders in a game could win the week for you. I didn’t take that into account, really.

I didn’t really have a plan to take a team defense when I did, the board just kind of presented itself that way. No fantasy football cheat sheet had the Eagles as the second defense, but I really like them and went with my gut.

The keys to my season with this team are:

• Marvin Harrison Jr needs to approach the elite level of wide receivers & Rome Odunze needs to become that high end #2 type receiver.
• TreVeyon Henderson needs to become breakout running back I believe he can be as quickly as possible.
• If Liam Coen can unlock Trevor Lawrence the way he did Mayfield, I really think this could potentially be a championship squad.

AFC EAST

1. Buffalo Bills (12-5)- The Bills still rule the division, and as long as Josh Allen is healthy, nobody will challenge them.
2. New York Jets (8-9)- I’m a Justin Fields believer and I think Aaron Glenn will help the Jets make strides, but the AFC is just too stacked for them to make a breakthrough.
3. New England Patriots (6-11)- The Patriots will be better, and Mike Vrabel will make them competitive, but the talent deficit is just too great.
4. Miami Dolphins (5-12)- I hate to predict injuries, but Tua Tagovailoa just can’t stay healthy and the Dolphins will implode without him.

AFC NORTH

1. Baltimore Ravens (13-4)- The Ravens are the most loaded team in the AFC & Lamar Jackson is a perennial MVP candidate.
2. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)- If they can avoid the slow starts they’ve had the past couple years, Joe Burrow should lead the Bengals back into contention, but the defense (or lack thereof) will keep them from the peak.
3. Cleveland Browns (7-10)- The Browns are the opposite of Cincy, they have a playoff caliber defense, but how much can a Joe Flacco led offense produce.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-12)– The streak of winning seasons comes to a crashing halt. Aaron Rodgers is a first ballot Hall of Famer, but he’s been washed for a couple years. Will this catastrophe cost Mike Tomlin his job?

AFC SOUTH

1. Houston Texans (10-7)- CJ Stroud should rebound from uneven sophomore campaign, enough for the Texans to carry the weakest division.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-9)- Will Trevor Lawrence finally reach his full potential? If he does, the Jaguars could dominate this division.
3. Indianapolis Colts (5-12)- The Colts will realize quickly that Daniel Jones is not the answer at quarterback.
4. Tennessee Titans (4-13)- If Cam Ward can prove worthy of the number one pick, the Titans could surge out of the division basement.

AFC WEST

1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-6)- This division still belongs to Patrick Mahomes & the Chiefs until someone takes it from them.
2. Denver Broncos (10-7)- Bo Nix & the Broncos could give KC their first serious challenge for division supremacy in years.
3. Los Angeles Chargers (9-8)- Justin Herbert & Jim Harbaugh will keep the Chargers in contention until the very end.
4. Las Vegas Raiders (7-10)- The Raiders will be better under Pete Carroll, but it won’t be enough to get them out of the basement in a tough division.

AFC PLAYOFFS

#2 Buffalo over #7 Chargers

Allen & the Bills are just too much for LA.

#3 Kansas City over #6 Broncos

Mahomes isn’t going out in the first round against upstart Denver.

#5 Cincinnati over #4 Texans

The Bengals offense will overwhelm Houston.

#3 Kansas City over #2 Bills

Buffalo still can’t beat the Chiefs when it matters.

#1 Baltimore over #5 Bengals

Cincy’s lack of defense will be their Achilles heel against the Ravens.

#1 Baltimore over #3 Chiefs

The Ravens are the team to finally dethrone KC.

NFC EAST

1. Philadelphia Eagles (13-4)- The defending champs are still the most complete team in the NFL, in my opinion.
2. Washington Commanders (10-7)- Washington went all in behind Jayden Daniels, but they’re no closer to Philly.
3. New York Giants (7-10)- The Giants have a ferocious defense, but the Jaxson Dart era won’t start soon enough to save them this season.
4. Dallas Cowboys (5-12)- I just feel an implosion coming in Dallas this year.

NFC NORTH

1. Green Bay Packers (11-6)- I’m not convinced that Jordan Love is an elite QB, but the Pack has enough talent to win this division.
2. Detroit Lions (10-7)- Detroit will have an uneven season after losing both their coordinators.
3. Chicago Bears (9-8)- There will be hiccups in Ben Johnson’s first season at the helm, but the improvement in Chicago will be evident.
4. Minnesota Vikings (8-9)- JJ McCarthy being essentially a rookie will relegate the Vikings to the basement in the toughest division in football.

NFC SOUTH

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)- This is the Bucs division until someone takes it from them.
2. Carolina Panthers (8-9)- Bryce Young continues to ascend but the Panthers fall short of the playoffs.
3. Atlanta Falcons (7-10)- The Falcons are perennially one of the most underachieving teams in the NFL.
4. New Orleans Saints (3-14)- The number one pick in the 2026 draft will belong to New Orleans. Arch Manning, anyone?

NFC WEST

1. Los Angeles Rams (11-6)- As long as Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, the Rams are legit contenders.
2. Arizona Cardinals (8-9)- The Cards will show flashes, but I don’t trust Kyler Murray enough to put them in the playoffs.
3. Seattle Seahawks (7-10)- I think Sam Darnold comes back down to earth and takes the Seahawks with him.
4. San Francisco 49ers (6-11)- The Niners lost too many key pieces for Brock Purdy to carry them into contention.

NFC PLAYOFFS

#7 Chicago over #2 Packers

Start building the statues of Caleb Williams & Ben Johnson after they oust their bitter rivals.

#3 Los Angeles over #6 Commanders

The Rams end Washington’s Super Bowl dreams.

#5 Detroit over #4 Buccaneers

The Lions will start cooking at the right time of the season.

#5 Detroit over #3 Rams

The Lions oust LA & their old friend, Matthew Stafford.

#1 Philadelphia over #7 Bears

The Birds steamroll Chicago, who is still giddy over their victory in Lambeau the week before.

#1 Philadelphia over #5 Lions

As I said earlier, Philly is the most complete team in the NFL.

SUPER BOWL PREDICTION

Philadelphia Eagles over Baltimore Ravens

On paper, this could be one of the best Super Bowl matchups ever.

Some Awards Predictions

MVP- Lamar Jackson, Baltimore

Some might argue that he should be going for a three peat here.

Offensive Player of the Year- Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit

He won’t put up Saquon Barkley numbers, but I think Gibbs will lead the league in total yards.

Defensive Player of the Year- Jalen Carter, Philadelphia

This is the year I think Carter becomes the second coming of Aaron Donald.

Offensive Rookie of the Year- Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas

The Raiders will lean on Jeanty and it will pay off.

Defensive Rookie of the Year- Abdul Carter, NY Giants

Carter will become another Penn State alum wreaking havoc in NFC East backfields.

Protector of the Year- Pennei Sewell, Detroit

I feel like this first time award will go to a tackle and I’m picking Sewell.

Comeback Player of the Year- Isaiah Pacheco, Kansas City

Tough award to pick, because what actually constitutes a comeback?

Coach of the Year- Ben Johnson, Chicago

Getting the Bears to the playoffs should be enough to get Johnson this award.