Hear ye, hear ye. What follows is the definitive forecast of the 42nd glorious

season of the Tim Thies Memorial Fantasy Football League… Probably

The crystal ball is cloudier than usual this year, or maybe all the teams look alike. Well, not alike, so much as equal.

As Kyle already mentioned, some teams are particularly strong at some positions, but they are also weak at other positions.

It seems to this prognosticator that everyone should feel pretty good about their team…until the games start.

I'll start with the Blue Division as that one will be the powerhouse division. The defending division champion Knights

basically started over and through unquestioned skill drafted a team that will contend again this year. Their best moves were

made in the middle of the draft, getting Rice in the 5th and Corum in the 7th, while keeping Odunze in the 6th. Jacobs was a

gamble, but Lloyd makes it a small one. The Mints are certainly solid at running back, and Watson is a good value in the

5th round. Dallas' DS will contribute as well. All in all a team that no one will want to face in the playoffs. Fiction had a

different kind of draft this year. It's almost like someone else entirely was drafting that team. Jackson and Taylor are a

potent 1 - 2 punch, and they have several mid to late round picks that will contribute to wins. The Steelkings took the opposite

approach from the Knights, keeping half their roster and getting the presumptive player of the year with the 1st pick. That

didn't leave much work to do the rest of the draft, so they got some rest while we sweated through our selections. The starting

lineup of Lawrence, Gibbs, Brown, Pickens, Nabers, and Pittsburgh is pretty intimidating.

The White Division will be the most evenly contested. All 4 teams have a pair of Aces, with 4 above average to good

players in support. The division lead will be up for grabs every week. Morbus will be lead by McCaffrey, who stays fairly

healthy, and Higgins. Maye, Achane, and Johnston will live up to their draft selections. The Prosecutors will rely on their

keepers, Williams and JSN, which is a pretty good place to start. The Band will go as far as Allen takes them, so the

title is within reach. The receivers will chip in to give them a chance every week. The Coyotes snagged the top defense in

the NFL, and they will lead in the FFL as well. Cook will have another good season, so the receivers will be the deciding

factor in the Coyotes success.

The Red division, will surprise this season with NWO leading for most of the season. Their receiving corps is unmatched

in the league, and Stafford was a definite value in the 5th. The Pack will contend with Hurts to Nakua being one of the top

connections. Now if they can get some help from the RBs… The Vikaneers have another dynamic duo in Walker and

Jefferson. Contributions from Smith and the QB of the week will keep things interesting for them. The Grid Rats, naturally,

are looking very good until the games start. You would think that Henry, Javonte, Bowers, and Seattle's DS would dominate.

This year they will. Enough said. Sure, you think this guy doesn't know what's going to happen any more than some random

clown off the street, but maybe, just maybe, he does. ;-)

It's honest to goodness prediction time. After minutes and minutes of careful thought and unparallelled analysis, here are

the outcomes.

The Steelkings manage to hold off the Knights and Mints to regain the Blue Division crown. They lose out on tiebreakers

to the Grid Rats, take the 2 seed, and enjoy the bye that goes with it. The Grid Rats nab the 1 seed for the first time in

a decade. Over in the White Division, the Band secures the 3 seed over the Coyotes on head to head results. The Mints,

Prosecutors, and New Order are the 4, 5, and 6 seeds, respectively.

In the toilet bowl bracket, the Coyotes get the consolation of a bye and the 7 seed. The Knights get the final free pass

with the 8th seed. The best of the rest is Fiction, with the Pack, Morbus, and Vikaneers following behind.

Wild card weekend arrives with Fiction facing the Vikaneers and the Pack vs Morbus. A Jackson to Pittman TD gives

Fiction the early lead, but Caleb Williams to Harrison and a Henderson 2-yard plunge provide the winning margin for the

Vikaneers. Higgins and Achane combine for 18 points to lead the Dead Heads over the Pack. The dogs were lead by Hurts

to Nacua as usual, but it's not enough. On the championship side, the Colts provide the fuel for the Order vs Band fire. Their

DS offsets Warren's contribution and it's left to Allen to provide the difference. The Band plays on. Meanwhile, the Mints and

Prosecutors battle to a 23-23 tie. Godwin's TD bests London's nil, moving the Prosecutors through.

The divisional round features the Methodist Hospital bowl with the Coyotes and the Vikaneers. Bet you don't miss that, do

you guys. The Vikes used their luck up last week, and the Coyotes get enough from Daniels to Waddle to advance. Almost

simultaneously, the Knights and Morbus are locked up in an epic battle to see who will get to 20 first. Ultimately, it's the

Morbutii that get a late TD from Colby flippin' Parkinson to seal the deal. The Steelkings came out of the foundry to face the

music in round 2. Gibbs and Brown were their usual selves, but got little help from the rest. The Band got points from each of

Tuten, Egbuka, McBride, and Harvey to lead the way. The Band plays on. The Grid Rats took on their nemeses, the

Prosecutors, on the other side of the bracket. Off to a good start behind their running attack and the Seattles, the Rats had

hope, but the DA delivered the closing argument behind Purdy to Smith-Njigba and Montgomery TDs, and moved on.

Week 17, when thoughts turn to who is resting and whether tis nobler to make yet another last minute roster move. The

Coyotes took on Morbus to decide who got the first draft choice. Dart to Metcalf and the usual Cooking, let the loners prevail

over the efforts of Allgeier, Mason, and Parkinson, oh my! Finally, the only result that you really cared about, but had to read

all the way through all that other prattle to find, Fantasy Bowl XLII. Featuring KC and the boys against the darn near 3 time

defending champion Prosecutors, this had all the earmarks of an epic battle. In the first half, they traded rushing TDs from

Williams and Harvey. In the 3rd quarter, they each got a TD from a WR(TE). In the last 4:38 of the game, the lead changed

hands twice, and…

the Band, with Keenan Allen and Mendoza still on the roster for next year, got that Love-ing feeling from Jeremiyah that

sealed their 3rd title. Congratulations to the Band. The music was enchanting. Wonder what they will do for an encore…?