NFFC Profile - Brian Owens
Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:47 am
With one week to go before the NFFC Primetime playoffs begin, Brian Owens is on the verge of history. No team in the event has ever made it through an entire regular season unscathed.
But with one week to go before the heated chase for the $100,000 grand prize begins, Owens could make an everlasting mark on this event.
At 12-0, Owens is in first place in his Las Vegas Primetime league. By virtue of a standout Week 12 which saw his team put up more than 180 points he’s also put himself in an even more prominent position.
First place in the Primetime’s overall standings.
With only four weeks left in the Primetime season, the $100,000 grand prize has become more than just a wished for goal. It has become a reality.
“My team has been very consistent and has had the depth to survive the bye weeks,” Owens said. “The (Tom) Brady to (Wes) Welker combination has carried my team and helped me score over 175 points six times this season.”
Brady and Welker have been fantasy studs but they haven’t been the only players driving Owens’ team to greatness so far. LeSean McCoy was the top-ranked player on Owens’ draft board and he was able to land the Philadelphia stud running back with the fourth overall pick in his draft. Those three players have combined to form the heart of his team with some others providing surprising production as well.
“Fred Jackson, Jordy Nelson and Michael Bush have all been difference makers in me being undefeated to this point,” Owens said. “I got significant value based on where these players were drafted and I wasn’t expecting that.”
Making shrewd draft decisions has been just one part of Owens’ winning formula, however. He’s also done well working the Waiver Wire.
“The key free agent on my team has been David Akers,” he said. “I can’t tell you how clutch he has been so far. My theory on kickers has changed because of him.”
The combination of a strong draft and proactive Waiver Wire additions has been vital for Owens because his Primetime league isn’t filled with pushovers by any stretch. Among his league mates are 2008 Classic champion Tom Yates and Chad Schroeder, the defending Primetime champ.
“When you have Chad Schroeder and Nelson Sousa sharing a team and drafting next to you, I don’t believe it gets any tougher than that,” said the 34-year-old Owens, who is in his second season with the NFFC. “Include Tom Yates, Mark Pumphrey, Steven Rucki and Neil Bogatz and you have a magazine draft special. Even the guys I didn’t mention are great fantasy players as I have played against some of them in other leagues.”
To stay unbeaten and, most importantly, be in a position to win the $100,000 at seasons’ end, Owens knows his work has only just begun.
“Losing Fred Jackson (for the season) may be hard to overcome,” he said. “I anticipate I will lose Michael Bush in a couple of weeks (when Darren McFadden returns) and when that happens I will need Beanie Wells and Lance Moore to step up. My wild card is Kendall Hunter if (Frank) Gore begins to rest.”
But with one week to go before the heated chase for the $100,000 grand prize begins, Owens could make an everlasting mark on this event.
At 12-0, Owens is in first place in his Las Vegas Primetime league. By virtue of a standout Week 12 which saw his team put up more than 180 points he’s also put himself in an even more prominent position.
First place in the Primetime’s overall standings.
With only four weeks left in the Primetime season, the $100,000 grand prize has become more than just a wished for goal. It has become a reality.
“My team has been very consistent and has had the depth to survive the bye weeks,” Owens said. “The (Tom) Brady to (Wes) Welker combination has carried my team and helped me score over 175 points six times this season.”
Brady and Welker have been fantasy studs but they haven’t been the only players driving Owens’ team to greatness so far. LeSean McCoy was the top-ranked player on Owens’ draft board and he was able to land the Philadelphia stud running back with the fourth overall pick in his draft. Those three players have combined to form the heart of his team with some others providing surprising production as well.
“Fred Jackson, Jordy Nelson and Michael Bush have all been difference makers in me being undefeated to this point,” Owens said. “I got significant value based on where these players were drafted and I wasn’t expecting that.”
Making shrewd draft decisions has been just one part of Owens’ winning formula, however. He’s also done well working the Waiver Wire.
“The key free agent on my team has been David Akers,” he said. “I can’t tell you how clutch he has been so far. My theory on kickers has changed because of him.”
The combination of a strong draft and proactive Waiver Wire additions has been vital for Owens because his Primetime league isn’t filled with pushovers by any stretch. Among his league mates are 2008 Classic champion Tom Yates and Chad Schroeder, the defending Primetime champ.
“When you have Chad Schroeder and Nelson Sousa sharing a team and drafting next to you, I don’t believe it gets any tougher than that,” said the 34-year-old Owens, who is in his second season with the NFFC. “Include Tom Yates, Mark Pumphrey, Steven Rucki and Neil Bogatz and you have a magazine draft special. Even the guys I didn’t mention are great fantasy players as I have played against some of them in other leagues.”
To stay unbeaten and, most importantly, be in a position to win the $100,000 at seasons’ end, Owens knows his work has only just begun.
“Losing Fred Jackson (for the season) may be hard to overcome,” he said. “I anticipate I will lose Michael Bush in a couple of weeks (when Darren McFadden returns) and when that happens I will need Beanie Wells and Lance Moore to step up. My wild card is Kendall Hunter if (Frank) Gore begins to rest.”
