#11 Carolina Lions

While it's surprising to see a team coming off back to back finals appearances ranked this low, once you look at the roster most of the shock goes away. The Lions may only have a few pieces on their team that have real solid value (Stacy/DJax) and not much going on in the way of future picks (no pick above a 3rd rounder until 2016), but I've seen Luke get it done with less. It's nearly becoming a league tradition for the Lions to be ranked towards the bottom in the offseason only to rise one spot away from the very top of the league. The question now becomes can they put together a similar shocking season in 2014 or has their break the bank win-now approach finally caught up to them leaving them destined for a rough year and eventual rebuilding process?






2014 Projected Starting Line Up *() = 2014 season age

QB Tony Romo (34) - For better or worse Tony Romo is the Carolina Lions, his up and down nature suits the team like no other quarterback could. Capable of putting up 40 one week and 8 the next Romo is still firmly a low end QB1 and a solid starter for the Lions. With the weapons surrounding Romo he should still have 2-3 more years of low QB1-High QB2 production leaving the Lions looking more or less okay at the QB spot for a little bit longer.

HB1: Zac Stacy (23) - Stacy isn't going to set the world on fire but he is a feature back in a league where they are currently few and far between making him a fine back end HB1 option. Add to his resume that he is really young and the Rams seem committed to him and Luke should have a fine HB1 or excellent HB2 (if he acquires a top flight runner) for the next 3-6 years.

HB2: Joique Bell (28) - A great starting option when Bush is out, but with Bush healthy he is the lesser part of a RBBC and a mere flex option at best in good match ups. The Lions have been rumored to possibly be using the same RBBC approach that Lombardi installed with the Saints and splitting carries between Bush/Joique and even LeShoure seems likely which hurts the value of the whole backfield. Add in the fact Bell is already 28 and the Lions should definitely keep their eyes out for new HB talent.

FLEX: HB Stevan Ridley (25) - Talent alone Ridley could be a very nice HB2 in the Pats' system, but with Belicheck not believing in him and Blount looking like he may come back, it's impossible to rely on Ridley in your starting line up like the Lions may have to do. As long as Ridley is stuck on the Pats in Belichecks runningback shuffle he will be up and down (mostly down) and hard to trust even as a flex play unless given majority of 1st and 2nd down carries again.

WR1: Desean Jackson (27) - Following the same structure as the majority of the Lions' team, DJax is also a very boom or bust type of player, but in Chip Kelly's offense you could do worse for a WR1, although it would be a heck of a lot nicer to only rely on him as your boom or bust WR2. If/when the Lions decide to rebuild DJax may be the guy I try to cash in and get some picks/youth for, because although 27 isn't that old for a receiver, when it comes to a player who solely relies on his speed like DJax if he loses a step or two he will plummet from a borderline WR1 to a WR3 over night. While he should still have 2-3 more years it may not be a bad idea to look to sell if/when the Lions start the rebuild process.

WR2: Terrance Williams (24) - Terrance has some potential for sure, but he is still very raw and let's make no mistake this man's ceiling is only that of a mid WR2. Not a bad dynasty player to have as he could very well become Miles Austin lite in the next year or two, I just don't think I'd want him penciled in as a starter for 2014.

TE1: Jared Cook Jr. (27) - Measurables are off the charts, I myself went out of my way multiple times to attempt to acquire Cook prior to last season and even made a trade for him towards the end of 2013. This man has top 3 tight end upside, but I'd say at this point there is about a 1% chance he ever gets to that point, but you could do worse in your starting line up especially with a healthy Bradford. It's hard to find a high scoring TE, Cook is fine for the time being, as the Lions need to worry about a lot of other things before worrying about their freak underachieving TE.

BENCH

HB Rashad Jennings, WR Jerrel Jernigan, HB Donald Brown, WR Kenbrell Thompkins, WR Golden Tate, WR Denarius Moore

This bench doesn't have much to look at, but if Jennings and D.Brown end up back in starting jobs they should be okay starters if Luke is looking to make another run or he should be able to flip them for a pick or two maybe depending on situation. Golden Tate could be decent on a more pass happy team, Jernigan has a real shot at being a nice WR3 if Nicks is gone. There's not a ton of hope anywhere else, and I would consider cutting ties with players like Roethlisberger and Eli who don't offer much if any upside and only mid QB2 stats when pushed into play.

Draft Picks

2014: 3.35 - Let's be honest holding the next to last pick in the entire draft probably isn't going to add anything of note to the Lions.

2015: 3rd (DK), 3rd (SM), 3rd (Gio) - Again (3) 3rd round draft choices are most likely not adding a real fantasy option for the Lions.

2014 Evaluation

It's going to be tough. The only thing in Luke's favor is that he could potentially be deep at running back if Ridley gets the starting job and Rashad/D.Brown do as well, which sometimes being deep at the HB position can go a long way into a successful season. Also with draft pick prices skyrocketing with the draft fast approaching it is a terrible time to think about going full rebuild as he most likely wouldn't get good value for players like Rashad, D.Brown, or even his main pieces like DJax or Stacy. So staying the course and looking for lightning to strike a 3rd time may be the Lions best bet. Realistically though it would be downright shocking to see the Lions have a 3rd straight winning season in 2014, but if you go through the blog's archives you'll see similar things written about them before. I wouldn't put it past coach/gm Zente to find a way to bring this team that everyone doubts to a 3rd consecutive title game...I just think there's a lot better chance of them being a toilet bowl team this year.

Future

Right now things don't look great, as the only player that really seems a lock to be a solid future player currently on the Lions roster is Stacy and they are stuck behind the 8 ball when it comes to draft picks for the next two years. However as bleak as the future may look right now dynasty is funny sometimes as things can be turned around pretty quickly all it takes are winning a trade or two, finding the next big thing on waivers, or finding that 3rd round rookie that makes it big. Luke is a great GM as evidenced by his 2012 and 2013 championship appearances and while he had to give up a lot of future assets to make that happen I think he'd tell you that a 50/50 shot at the title was well worth the cost. A rebuild may be on the horizon or it may not be Luke continues to shock the Ultimate Dynasty world and whatever path he chooses I wouldn't expect him to be down for long.

#12 Purists

Coming into 2013 the Purists looked like a team ready to compete for a title...well that didn't go so well. After a 6-8 season and second consecutive year missing the postseason Ant has in a lot of ways pulled the plug and begun the rebuilding process. While 2014 has them looking like a strong bet to finish in the bottom three, they have the young pieces and the picks to potentially build something great.





2014 PROJECTED STARTING LINE UP *() = 2014 season age

QB Cam Newton (25) - While his passing is still far from elite, the way the Panthers use him at the goal line has him as a sneaky top 5 dynasty QB. Give him a couple of weapons this year and have the Panthers open up their passing game a bit and Newton could be a fantasy force. Still super young Ant is set at this position for 7-10 years minimum.

HB1: Doug Martin (25) - The muscle hamster had a disastrous 2014 season due to ineffectiveness and injury. The loss of Schiano isn't great as few commit to the run as much as him, but while Martin may never touch his rookie stats as long as he's given feature back duties he's capable of being a top 10 back or right around it for 3-4 more seasons. Bottom line as long as Martin can get somewhere close to his 2013 form Ant has a solid even if unspectacular HB1.

HB2: Lamar Miller (23) - Lamar, Lamar, Lamar. There's no denying the kid has shown flashes but there are still many who believe he runs too soft and add to that the Dolphins' coaching staff not believing in him at all and we've got a classic case of a "what might have been". There have been rumors of the Dolphins drafting a tailback or even signing Blount no matter what happens it seems as if Miller blew his chance and now has a long way to go to be anything more than a high end HB3 or low end HB2 for the foreseeable future.

FLEX: David Wilson (23) - Wow if Lamar Miller was disappointing, then David Wilson was down right soul crushing. This kid has ELITE speed and I thought the Purists or at the time Bi Polar Bears had a STUD but that obviously didn't happen. Coughlin, lack of vision, fumbleitis, no trust from the organization, and now a potential career threatening spinal stenosis diagnosis, Wilson is now a whole lot closer to being out of the league than he is to being a HB1. With that being said the best thing Ant can do now is just hold this guy cause the talent is there...I think.

WR1: Aaron Dobson (23) - Dobson has loads of talent and in year 2 with Brady I could see him being a solid and serviceable WR2 in 2014 with potential to be better in future years. However having a guy that could be a serviceable WR2 if all goes well as your WR1 is a recipe for a bottom three finish.

WR2: Kendall Wright (24) - Doesn't have a lot of upside in my opinion but he's not a bad player. I'd hate to have him as my WR2 for 2014 but I think after the draft he won't be so no big deal. Wright just seems like a chain mover to me and a guy whose upside is maybe 1,000 yards and 5-7 TD's, there's nothing wrong with that and I could definitely be wrong.

TE: Julius Thomas (26) - As long as Manning stays around Thomas is a top 5-7 tight end and every week starter without question. Best case scenario Decker leaves and the Broncos aren't able to adequately replace him resulting in more targets for Orange Julius.

BENCH

HB Danny Woodhead, WR Robert Woods, WR Brian Hartline, WR Kenny Stills, HB Benny Cunningham, WR Cecil Shorts, TE Kyle Rudolph, WR Santonio Holmes, HB Marcel Reece

Not too many people that jump out as future studs, there are some okay role players and I think Woods and Stills could become WR3-low 2's and help out a bit. Cunningham is one Stacy injury away from being a solid HB2. Rudolph has a shot to burst on to the scene with Norv Turner calling the shots. Woodhead and Shorts should be on the chopping block at the first chance to get something good back.

DRAFT PICKS

2014: 1.04, 1.05, 1.06, 2.19 - In a draft rich with wide receiver talent Ant should be able to fix his weakest position in a big way with talents like Evans, Benjamin, Lee most likely still available in that 4-6 range.

2015: 1st (Tots), 2nd (BSL), 3rd, 3rd(BSL) -  While it would be nice if Ant had his own pick, on the bright side at least he has some 2015 picks to look forward to or make some moves with. It's too early to tell what the 2015 draft will yield in the potential back half of it with the Tots pick, but it should be a nice draft where Ant will be able to pick up another piece in his turn around effort or use the pick to better the Purists.

2014 EVALUATION

If Wilson and Miller are just a year late and Ant can find some production out of the receiver position it's not crazy to think he could have a shot, but barring an unreal turn around from those two or some big time moves Ant on paper is all but a lock to finish in the bottom three, but as owners Dylan Gibson and Luke Zente have shown that's not a guarantee he'll finish there.

FUTURE

The future looks bright for the Purists, Newton, Martin, Dobson, JT, (3) 1sts that's a lot to build around and could have them looking like a contender as early as 2015 and at least by 2016. While anytime you're listed as a bottom team sucks, sometimes you have to take a step back to take a giant leap forward. The league is about winning championships not finishing in 7th place and Ant has started on a rebuilding process he believes will eventually get him to the top of the Ultimate Dynasty mountain.