Lupo, depth decide fantasy league title
By: Bob Nuse
On the football field, Ryan Lupo was a difference maker for the West Windsor-Plainsboro High South football team this year.
On paper, Lupo was a difference maker for the Feil Cabinets in the first Princeton Packet Sports Pod Fantasy Football League.
Lupo’s 25 touchdown’s helped the Pirates to a 7-3 record his season. His 25 touchdowns also made him the high scorer in the first Packet Fantasy Football League, helping Justin Feil and his Feil Cabinets team to an easy league championship over the Good Nuse Bears and the Andy Cap All-Stars.
Lupo scored a league-high 276 fantasy points, helping the Cabinets to a team total of 833 points. Jake Uitti’s Andy Cap All-Stars finished second with 596 points, while the Good Nuse Bears were third with 552 points.
Points were awarded to selected players based on statistical performance this season. Quarterbacks were awarded points based on passing yards, touchdowns, interceptions and rushing yardage. Running backs were awarded points based on rushing yardage, touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards. Receivers also were awarded points based on receptions and yardage. Each team also had a kicker and a team defense.
Lupo’s 276 points easily outdistanced Princeton’s Alexz Henriques, who had the second highest total with 199 points. The top scorer of the Good Nuse Bears was Montgomery quarterback Kevin Watson, who finished with 195 points.
By position, the top scorers were Kevin Watson at quarterback, Lupo at running back, Steve Watson of Montgomery at receiver (103 points), Dan Jankoski of WW-P South as kicker (39 points) and the Hun defense (142 points).
There were, of course, players who passed through the draft and wound up having seasons that could have helped (especially the Bad Nuse Bears). The best of the non-drafted players was WW-P Northrunning back Darren Parrot, who finished with 176 points. Only three players picked in the league scored higher Lupo, Henriques and Kevin Watson. Montgomery tight end Chris Garcia was the top receiver not picked, earning 73 points, while Hun quarterback Shane Davis amassed 71 points.
The Feil Cabinets were by no means a one-man show. The Hun defense added 142 points. Stuart Adams, a teammate of Lupo’s at WW-P South, scored 136 points, while Princeton Day School quarterback Clint O’Brien added 135. Receivers Steve Watson (103), Quentin Plair of Hun (13) and kicker David Griffith (28 points) rounded out the scoring.
The Andy Cap All-Stars were led by Henriques and his 199 points, while running back Kenny Howard of Hun added 149 points. Receivers Tyler Moni of Princeton (88 points) and Andrew Ojeda of PDS (45 points) added to the scoring, while kicker Scott Demler had 31 points. The Montgomery defense scored 56 points, while quarterback Jon Mitko added 30 points.
The Good Nuse Bears were led by quarterback Kevin Watson with 195 points. Montgomery running back Will Treichler scored 93 points and PDS running back Mike Shimkin added 48 points. WW-P South receiver J.B. Fitzgerald scored 43 points and WW-P North’s Alex Ruggiero added 40. The WW-P South defense scored 94 points and Jankoski added 39 as the kicker.
Overall, the Feil Cabinets were just too deep to not win. They had five of the eight positions that scored totals of over 100 points in the league. So, while there were those who though Justin Feil had no clue on draft day, they were obviously proven incorrect.
Before the draft, the thinking was you needed to have two strong running backs to win. The Feil Cabinets proved that thinking correct as they had their running backs combine to score 412 points. But, the Andy Cap All-Stars had a pair of running backs who combined for 341 points, keeping them close. The Uitti team also nudged a little closer at receiver, where its duo outscored the Cabinet pair, 133-116. Uitti also held an edge at kicker, 31-28.
But the quarterback and defense positions proved to be the biggest difference, as Feil outscored Uitti, 277-84, to account for the final margin.
Overall, the league was started as a way to add some excitement to the pre-season. The interest seemed there to follow up again next year. In fact, colleagues from other area newspapers have expressed interest in becoming part of the league next year.
That’s a decision for later on.
For now, it’s back to the war room for two teams that finished well behind the Feil Cabinets, who dominated the first-ever Sports Pod Fantasy League.