INTRO

Football is back, and fantasy football drafts are in full swing as managers from all around the globe come together to do battle on the “fictional gridiron.” Charity fantasy football leagues are a great way to connect with other content creators and NFL fans while helping out a good cause. One of my favorite leagues is FF7s, which Iggy Gilbert (@IDP_Iggy) runs yearly. Iggy is the founder of FF7s, the co-founder of The Sports Affiliation, and an NBA betting expert for Fantasy Alarm. He leads multiple shows weekly, such as “What’s up Homeslice” and “The Thursday Checkdown.” Iggy is an outstanding fantasy football player who can predict both sides of the ball, specializing in IDP fantasy football. Still, his fantasy knowledge expands beyond the realm of IDP. Not only is Iggy a killer multi-sport betting/fantasy analyst and player, but the dude is one of the most friendly and down-to-earth humans I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, and I’m honored that I get to call him a friend.

FF7s is a charity fantasy football league where you draft players from both sides of the ball and a team of defense and kickers. This will be my third season in the event, and I have yet to make the playoffs. Each season, I seem to be placed in a tough division and or have a crazy amount of great drafters in my draft room, but that’s what comes with FF7s; it’s no walk in the park, but then again, I don’t feel that Iggy would want it that way. 

FF7s CAUSE 

FF7s raises awareness for the Kawasaki Kids Foundation, which supports research, awareness, and family assistance for Kawasaki Disease. Monthly donations of $26 or more include an exclusive windbreaker jacket. The foundation highlights the importance of early diagnosis to save lives and protect children’s hearts. You can visit their donation page for more information or to contribute.

What is Kawasaki’s Disease?

Kawasaki disease, which primarily affects young children, causes inflammation in the walls of small to medium-sized blood vessels, focusing on the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart. This often results in significant health concerns, as it can lead to serious heart complications if not addressed promptly. 

Known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, Kawasaki disease also causes swelling in the lymph nodes and mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, eyes, and throat, presenting symptoms like fever and rash. 

Early diagnosis is crucial, as it allows timely treatment to manage symptoms and prevent long-term heart damage.

FORMAT / ROSTER / AWARDS

In this conjoined fantasy football league, you draft offensive and defensive players, crushing the strategy to the maximum. You’ve got to draft and manage a squad that can light up the scoreboard and shut down opponents, making every matchup more intense. This setup challenges you to be on top of your game with every position, not just the usual stars. If you’re interested in seeing how the players fell on the draft board, here’s the link to the DRAFT.


Scoring Settings

The scoring in this league is exceptionally unique. You can lose points for missed field goals depending on the distance, lose points if your team’s defense has a horrible showing, and even punt and kick return yardage points for those who keep an eye on returners. These are just a few examples of how intricate the scoring settings are. It’s easy to see Iggy took his time and utilized his knowledge and experience when he put these scoring settings together.

Iggy loves his IDP and has a lot of respect for players on both sides of the football field. That respect shows up in his equality between offensive and defensive player scoring. The IDP matches up very well with the offensive players in this league, so you have to know both sides of the ball to be successful.

Players I Drafted

I started at 1.06 of sixteen drafters, and the draft order follows a snake format. Going into the draft, I wanted to get the most upside for each pick and also get a few premium players at the linebacker position in case most of the running backs were taken up fast.

Instead, I drafted CMC, took a pair of QB2s, and then faded RB for a few linebackers. I then took a few lottery ticket rookie picks towards the end of my draft and paired them with a sack-heavy defensive end who fell and a dual-eligible IDP player to give me some flexibility, such as a short bench and sixteen managers.

1.06 RB Christian McCaffrey – Superflex format or not, CMC will be a top running back and a top fantasy finisher in points for the 2024 season. The 49ers have one of the top offenses in the league. San Francisco’s offensive success relies on CMC’s usage, and he is effective in both the pass and run game. McCaffrey finished as the RB1 and #6 highest-scoring player in all of fantasy in 2023, and I expect him to “run it back” this year.

2.11 QB Deshawn Watson – With my first selection being a running back, I wanted to secure a quarterback who I felt would have an opportunity to be a consistent starter. Watson could be in a make-or-break season, as he has not been the same player he once was during his early days in Houston. Watson does have Amari Cooper and newly signed Jerry Judy as primary targets, and we may see Elijah Moore get involved as well. I was hoping for a stronger QB1, but with 16-team rosters, they all went fast, leaving me with fewer options. Watson is a quarterback with upside, but I view him more as a solid QB2 this season in Superflex formats.

3.06 QB Kirk Cousins – As quarterbacks might be far more scarce than they already are in round three come round four, I decided to double down at the quarterback position by drafting Kirko Chainz. Cousins is on a new team that drafted the newly signed quarterback as a long-term replacement but should be a solid QB2 this season. With Cousins, I expect around 30 touchdowns and a few turnovers.

4.11 LB Bobby Okereke – A solid linebacker for almost any IDP format, Okereke is a player who can bring down the ball carrier and is utilized in the pass rush. 

5.6 WR Devante Adams – If you wait on a wideout, Adams is a phenomenal player with whom to save face. He is a WR1 on his team and can go off any week and put up WR1 stats for your fantasy team. Last year, he was targeted 171 times for most of his career. Don’t let the Raiders questions at QB deter you from taking Adams, who is great for fantasy, regardless of who his quarterback is. 

6.11 LB Fred Warner—This is a bit of a homer pick for me, seeing as I am a huge 49ers fan. Warner is the leader of his defense, is utilized in pass-rush, and can put up double-digit tackle weeks.

7.6 WR George Pickens—I’m waiting on a wideout again here, but adding Pickens in the seventh is a solid WR2 addition. The Steelers do have questions at QB1, but Pickens is the WR1 in Pittsburgh. Last season, Pickens had 104 targets and only five touchdowns. I expect both his targets and touchdowns to increase this season. 

8.11 DL Trey Hendrickson – Hendrickson is the first EDGE rusher I selected for my roster. I usually don’t wait this long; however, things happen in these conjoined leagues that cause me to wait on positions I would normally frontload to my roster—in three of his last four seasons, he has finished with double-digit sacks (17.5 in 2023). The Bengals added a few safeties this off-season in free agency that should have opposing quarterbacks holding onto the ball longer than anticipated, meaning more opportunities for Hendrickson to wreak havoc.

9.6 RB Nick Chubb – Probably my biggest goof-up in the draft was waiting on running back and then choosing Nick Chubb as my RB2 in a league where you have to start two running backs every week. If I’m lucky, he starts the season on the sidelines and may make it on the field mid-season. Chubb would be an excellent RB1 when healthy, but unfortunately, that is not the case. At best, he’s a player who could help me at the end of the fantasy season or if I were to make the playoffs. Chubb is starting the year on the Physically Unable to Perform list, so I must watch the waivers and pray the fantasy gods bless me with a starting-caliber player.

10.11 WR Rome Oduzune—He may be the current fourth man in the Bears’ offense, but he has a solid bond with his fellow rookie quarterback, and hopefully, that translates into some spike weeks. 

11.6 K Jake Moody—Moody is my favorite team’s kicker and can boot the ball 60+ yards. Usually, I wouldn’t recommend taking a kicker until the end of drafts, but Jake Moody is one of my favorite players in the NFL. Fantasy should be fun; sometimes, you have to get your guy, so I decided to “Send It” when I saw Moody available on the 11th. In hindsight, I should have drafted another running back, but you draft and learn.

12.11 DB/LB Josh Metellus – This league has a short bench, so I wanted to take advantage of Metellus’ dual-eligibility status on Sleeper. Here, he is listed as both a linebacker and a defensive back. Flexibility is everything in this league.

13.6 LB Devin White – The LB1 in Philly has fallen so far in drafts since his drama with the Buccaneers last season. White is a great linebacker who can get points from tackles and sacks. The scenery may have changed for White, but I dont think his production will take a step back. I’m a big fan of White’s potential this season to finish as a top-20 linebacker in some FFIDP scoring systems.

14.11 WR Ricky Pearsall—Amidst all of the Brandon Aiyuk drama in San Francisco, I wanted to take a chance on the 49ers’ first-round draft selection, Ricky Pearsall. If Aiyuk is out, Pearsall would be the X receiver in an offense that gave four guys 100+ targets last season. 

15.6 LB Trenton Simpson—Another player filling in for a player who departed, Simpson is assumed to be taking over the LB2 role in Baltimore with Patrick Queen’s departure to Pittsburgh. Simpson could be utilized in the pass rush, and he has an excellent opportunity to have some spike weeks for fantasy.

16.11 DEF Chicago Bears – I usually wait on taking a defense until the final round of drafts, but I saw the Bears there after I started making some dart throws and figured, why not? T.J. Edwards and Montez Sweat headline this defense, and they 

17.6 WR Roman Wilson—The rookie out of Michigan should be the immediate WR2 in Pittsburgh, but I’m not sure he lights it up much with the current start of that offense. He’s a definite dart throw.

18.11 RB Dylan Laube – Another rookie dart throw; I don’t expect many opportunities, but if Zamir White goes down or fails to break, the Raiders may start to give Labue more snaps.

19.6 DL Quinnen Williams – Depth for my defensive line position. He is a great player and one of the best in true position leagues, but he may be the first player off of my roster if I need to make a waiver wire move. In any other league, you’d want to draft and hold onto a player like Williams, and he could be a nice guy to sit and forget at the defensive line, but I have Trey Hendrickson.

20.11 RB Bucky Irving – Another dart throw/handcuff running back in case something “goes South” in Tampa Bay.