First Posted: 9/2/2014

This past weekend there were probably more sales of Fantasy Football magazines than any other. Franchise holders were seeking those statistics, tips and “key information” necessary to choose their Fantasy teams.

In Plymouth, my homeland, Harry “The Hawk” Yurch chaired the meeting of his league and it went smooth. Except for a few questionable moves, like taking kicker Matt Prater, who is suspended and won’t be back until Week #6, things went smoothly.

Quarterbacks dominate this league, as Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers were taken in the top four picks. Somehow, Shady McCoy got picked third.

But everybody is even right now. This week the NFL season kicks off and the Fantasy points start adding up. Instead of hearing conversations like, Hey, that was interference,” you will hear questions like, “How long was that run?” “His foot was in bounds, that’s a score,” and “Why aren’t they giving the ball more to Ray Rice?”

Oh yeah, Rice is suspended. Forgot that.

In Kingston, the Neighborhood Franchise Football League held its 32nd annual draft. It’s a KISS league — Keep It Simple Stupid. You get 6 points for a touchdown scored by your players, 3 points by a TD thrown, and 3 points for a field goal, regardless of distance, and 1 point for a kicked extra point and 2 points for a 2-point conversion thrown, run in or received.

This league meets in a garage and today’s high tech was used. We had one franchise holder selecting via Face Time, another texting and another picking via cell phone calls.

Each year, the highest scorers are quarterbacks and kickers, yet they are seldom chosen in early rounds. Except by the most astute franchise holders.

I’m a member of this league and I am best noted for selecting Chuck Muncie as a replacement player on a Thursday night, only to find out he retired on Friday.

Each league has classic moments like that. We want to hear about your leagues. Email me at: boboyle@civitasmedia.com with any news or newsy/funny comments about your league.

Who’s hot? Who’s not?

Well, just about everybody right now. But watch for good years from non-marquee names. Cowboy Tony Romo will do better than most think, as will the Steelers’ Big Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Ryan in Atlanta. The Falcons will have a big comeback year, so be glad if you have Julio Jones, Roddy White and Steven Jackson on your Fantasy Team.

Your team will suffer if you have anybody from the Giants, Bills, Raiders or Browns. But the Jets may surprise you. Chris Johnson and Eric Decker may inject some excitement and points into that offense.

And be glad you stayed away from Johnny “Bench” Manziel. He’s marginal at best and probably won’t play much. But take a flyer on QB Blake Bortles — he will soon be starting for the Jaguars.

And check out those rookies. Some will out-perform the veterans and you better be positioned to snatch them up early in the season.

Points and yardage all turn on, yes, defense. If your QBS, RBs, WRs, TEs and Ks play on teams with great defenses, then that means they will be on the field more, scoring more, running more, passing more, kicking it through the narrower uprights more. Makes sense, right? Think outside the statistics box.

And please don’t listen to those talking, make that mumbling, rambling, screaming, so-called experts on TV and radio. If you follow them at all, you will see that they are rarely correct about anything at all. Those Sunday morning shows are more about theater than substance, offering very little in the way of actual information that you as a Fantasy Football franchise holder can use.

Good luck to all and let’s hear your tales of woe or good fortune.