2023 NCU Fantasy Football Season Preview: Duckies & Bunnies
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By: Matt Hurm
The Duckies and Bunnies are a proud division. Home of the 2022 League Champions All Mahomies and a noble tradition of good owners on a strong trajectory. And, of course…Troy.
But this year, there are three teams which should be considered strong contenders for the playoffs and Troy, is in fact, one of them. In fact, defying all rational thought and good sense, he is on top! But forget Amy McGowan’s Bears are your own peril. She drafted like a ninja with vengeance on her mind after a disappointing 2022 and looks like a real title contender. And the defending league champion Solberg has quite a strong foundation to build a team around. All these behemoths will take turns pounding Laces Out into a fine paste. Who will emerge this murder’s row of teams? Let’s find out.
Matt: Country Bear Jamboroo
Troy: Trojan Horses
Caleb: Trojan Horses
Jamaal: Trojan Horses
Last three division champs: All Mahomies (Nick, 2022), Country Bear Jamboroo (Amy, 2021), All Mahomies (Nick, 2020)
*Note: Teams will be listed in order of Preseason Rank, not necessarily the order in which the writer believes they will finish.
#1 Trojan Horses
Last season: (10-4) | 2023 Keepers - Josh Allen, Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Keenan Allen
Troy is a garbage person, but he has a pretty good fantasy football team this year. I was able to set aside my pure hatred of this franchise’s owner to rank him second in the league and the other writers thought highly enough of him to place him atop the mountain.
Why, you ask, besides our collective self-loathing and self-destructive hate cult? Travis Kelce, Josh Allen, and Tyreek Hill, me boy. Those three are enough to make Pope Francis feel a little randy. Troy paid a king’s ransom for Kelce and he had to have been as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs when his 33-year-old superstar TE came down with approximately the first injury of his career this preseason. Assuming Kelce survives, his pairing with Allen and Hill form the best foundation in our league. His fourth keeper is the turd in the sundae by the name of Keenan Allen.
To supplement his Big Three, Troy drafted a couple mediocre running backs who look likely to secure a high volume until their more-talented backfield mate takes their job. If David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert are getting 20 carries a game in Week 15, the plans in Chicago and Detroit have gone horribly awry. Nevertheless, in a league with 16 teams, everyone has holes and Troy’s team looks like a strong contender for the title.
#4 Country Bear Jamboroo
Last season: (8-6) | 2023 Keepers - Najee Harris, A.J. Brown, Tee Higgins, and Breece Hall
This is my pick for the division. Why, dear reader should you trust me over the other three sage writers of this preview? Don’t be fooled by the shiny things Troy’s roster has. Amy’s team is built for a title run. In a 16-team league, it is nearly impossible to get quality depth, but Amy has secured at least one good bench option at every key position.
Daniel Jones having a rough start to the season? Plug in Geno Smith. Najee Harris finally lose his job in Week 12? Kendre Miller should have a good volume at that point. Yes, she has some star power with A.J. Brown and Tee Higgins too, don’t get me wrong. And Breece Hall showed the football world that he can be an elite back before he was injured last year. His hurdle this year isn’t injuries (hopefully) but Dalvin Cook. Nevertheless, Amy has the depth to wait it out with him and play Hollywood Brown until Hall’s situation gains clarity. Amy has been coming for the title since she joined this league. She’s built her franchise the right way and this is the year she will put it together.
#6 All Mahomies
Last season: (11-3) | 2023 Keepers - Patrick Mahomes, Stefon Diggs, Calvin Ridley, and Travis Etienne
Defending a title is incredibly hard (unless you have Adrian Peterson). I think Solberg will relearn that lesson this year. He’s just about a playoff team this year, don’t get me wrong. But its not the greatest show on turf like last year. Davante Adams and Aaron Jones are wearing different uniforms this season. In their place are “Casino” Calvin Ridley and J.K. “Broken Bones” Dobbins. And Juwan Johnson is not likely to be on many fantasy playoff team rosters this season in most leagues. Not exactly the awe-inspiring bruisers of the past. But Nick always has some tricks up his sleeve. He has some quality depth in McKinnon and Spears and a couple lottery tickets in Chandler and Hyatt. He’s done more with less, but it will be harder with two juggernauts at the top of the standings.
#16 Laces Out
Last season: (5-9) | 2023 Keepers - James Cook, Cooper Kupp, Mike Williams, Cam Akers
In a division of Goliaths, Chris is NOT David. I have been looking at this roster for half an hour and I am still trying to figure who Chris is excited about. Mike Williams? Brandon Aiyuk? I guess Cooper Kupp, but his team situation is really ugly. The Rams sacrificed everything for their Super Bowl run a few years back and they are paying the price now. I actually think Cam Akers isn’t a terribly bet, as he looked great late last year, but he is an injury concern more than most. I just don’t see a scenario where this team goes .500 in this brutal division, much less make the playoffs. Chris needs to make some moves for some young up-and-coming stars he can build around. But with his hands-off approach to management, that doesn’t seem likely. It looks like another season as the Duckies and Bunnies Division whipping boy for Laces Out.
Tuesday: IALTO Division (written by Jamaal Gilbert)
Wednesday: Supershow Division (written by Caleb Bartholomew) Early Thursday: Gerbschmidt Division (written by Troy Balego) Late Tonight: Full Preseason Rankings
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