League News Archives: Winter 2013 to Spring 2015

UFFL News and Notes: April Edition

Article Posted Friday, Apr. 3, 2015 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern; Updated Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern

With the NFL draft just around the corner and most fantasy baseball drafts now in the rearview mirror, it's only natural to begin looking forward to fantasy football drafting season.

The 2015 Ultimate Fantasy Football League live draft is expected to take place Tuesday, Aug. 25, at 9 p.m. Eastern on the Fleaflicker website, although it could be moved back because the NFL regular season will not get underway until Thursday, Sept. 10. There is no scheduled release date for the annual owners' questionnaire at this time and aside from a few minor cosmetic adjustments to the Fleaflicker website, there are no changes to announce.

UFFL News Ticker: Congrats to bbashers owner Calvin Brown for winning the Fantasy Basketball Challenge on Fleaflicker. He defeated Pulverizers owner Jared Byrd (who ended up winning the Fantasy Hockey Challenge title) in the championship round ... The FBC will be renewed for the 2015-16 season Wednesday, July 22, while the FHC will be renewed Friday, July 17. Draft dates for both leagues have not yet been determined.red Byrd (who ended up winning the Fantasy Hockey Challenge title) in the championship round ... The FBC will be renewed for the 2015-16 season Wednesday, July 22, while the FHC will be renewed Friday, July 17. Draft dates for both leagues have not yet been determined.

WINTER 2014

UFFL News and Notes: February Edition

Article Posted Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern

According to Fleaflicker site administrators, Tuesday, Feb. 10 is the date when all Fleaflicker fantasy football leagues can be reactivated for the 2015 season. Of course, it goes without saying that the Ultimate Fantasy Football League will return for a fourteenth campaign. As of right now, no major changes are expected to be rolled out, but there are apparently several new features that are under consideration.

In fact, aside from the automatic generation of the 2015 regular-season schedule, as well as the commissioner having the power to set a draft date for the upcoming season, the site will basically look the same as it does now.

UFFL News Ticker: Congrats to Deltaman owner Craig Hoffman for winning the UFFL Pickem Challenge on Yahoo! Sports, with a record of 174-93 and a total of 1,513 confidence points. It marks the third time since 2007 that he has finished first in this contest ... Congratulations are also in order for N2deep owner George Thomas for winning the UFFL Postseason Challenge on NFL.com, with a total of 581 fantasy points accumulated over the course of the four-week competition ... The annual owners' questionnaire will not be distributed until late spring or early summer ... The Fantasy Baseball Challenge league on Fleaflicker, which features a number of UFFL owners, is still looking for new owners for possible expansion teams or as replacements for abandoned teams. E-mail commissioner Jared Byrd if you are not currently in the league but wish to compete.

Northern Division wins 2014 UFFL Pro Bowl

Article Posted Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern

Powered by 226 passing yards from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, 100 rushing yards from teammate Eddie Lacy and 185 receiving yards from New York Giants rookie Odell Beckham, the Northern Division edged out the Southern Division in the 2014 UFFL Pro Bowl, 156.49 to 126.32. Head Coach (Andrew SoThe Catch) evened his career Pro Bowl record at 1-1 as the North won for only the second time in the seven-year history of the event.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (7 receptions, 128 receiving yards and two combined touchdowns) led all players with 29.26 fantasy points but it wasn't enough to overcome the Northerners, who jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Tony DelSignore (Renegade) coached the South but some of his lineup choices were second-guessed by Morristown Maulers head coach Dallas Honeycutt, who won UFFL Bowl XIII the week before yet saw two of his key players riding the pine for this matchup.

"Wow, Jamaal Charles makes it and not Demarco Murray?," Honeycutt said before the game got underway. "Also, Russell Wilson over Andrew Luck. Rosters are fraught with controversy." Both Murray and Luck appeared on the Pro Bowl ballot that both coaches selected players from but were not picked.

Inside the game: Murray ended up outscoring Charles in Week 17 (20.05 fantasy points to 9.80) and Luck outscored Wilson as well (18.90 to 9.26), but it still would not have been enough to give the South the win. However, if DelSignore had started Murray, Luck and the Kansas City defense (instead of Charles, Wilson and the Houston defense), he would have won - assuming that the North had not changed their lineup ... The Northern Division bench outscored the Southern Division bench, 130.79 to 112.73 ... The Southern Division is 5-0 in the Pro Bowl when Calvin Brown is the head coach but 0-2 when he is not.

UFFL Pro Bowl entering its seventh season

Article Posted Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014 at 11:00 p.m. Eastern

The seventh-annual UFFL Pro Bowl will take place during Week 17 of the NFL regular season (Sunday, Dec. 28), and the coaches are scheduled to be Andrew So (The Catch) for the Northern Division and Tony DelSignore (Renegade) for the Southern Division. The coaches for both sides were chosen because they scored the most fantasy points for their respective divisions during the regular season.

Ballots were distributed via e-mail to both coaches Wednesday, Dec. 24, and they will have until Saturday, Dec. 27 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern to submit their starting lineups. Replacement coaches may be selected if lineups are not received by this time, although lineups can be adjusted as many times as necessary up until game time. Starting lineups for the Pro Bowl will be posted on this website as they are received.

Live scoring will not be available for this particular contest, but the final outcome should be determined by Monday, Dec. 29. At that point, the box score for the game will be available on the page featured above.

UFFL Postseason Challenge looking for participants: Competitors are now being recruited for the annual UFFL Postseason Challenge on NFL.com. If you wish to participate, look for the registration link in the e-mail that was distributed recently to all league owners or contact the commissioner for more information (and if prompted, the group name is UFFL and the password is playoffs). You do not need to be a current owner in the Ultimate Fantasy Football League in order to take part.

Contestants can register now but will be unable to set their lineups before Sunday, Dec. 28, because all of the playoff teams have not yet been determined. Remember, NFL postseason games begin Saturday, Jan. 3 and run through Sunday, Feb. 1.

Looking ahead: According to Fleaflicker personnel, leagues will be able to be renewed for the 2015 season on or before Feb. 10. The annual owners' questionnaire is unlikely to be revealed before that date (and could be delayed until the spring or early summer) ... CheeseWhiz owner Jim Douglas resurfaced earlier this month following a lengthy absence from active participation in multiple fantasy sports leagues. In an e-mail, he confirmed that extra work responsibilities had kept him from being more involved ... The Fantasy Baseball Challenge league on Fleaflicker, which features a number of UFFL owners, is looking for new owners for possible expansion teams. E-mail commissioner Jared Byrd if interested.

Morristown Maulers win UFFL Bowl XIII

Article Posted Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern

It was a warm Tuesday evening in mid-August and most of the owners of the Ultimate Fantasy Football League had gathered in a chat room for the 2014 live draft. Two of the owners were brand new to the league: Joseph Randall of the Washington Warmongers and Dallas Honeycutt of the Morristown Maulers. "Figure it will take a year to get used to this type of league," Randall said. "Screw that," Honeycutt quipped. "I am gonna dominate this year."

And dominate he did. Honeycutt went 9-4-0 in the regular season, en route to securing the No. 4 seed in the eight-team championship bracket. After toppling the fifth-seeded N2deep in the first round of the playoffs, the Morristown Maulers upset the top-ranked team, The Catch, in the semifinals. This set the stage for a UFFL Bowl matchup against the defending champion, Deltaman.

Despite a historically awful performance from franchise quarterback Andrew Luck (3.36 fantasy points) in the championship game and mediocre performances from running backs Jamaal Charles (9.30 points) and DeMarco Murray (11.80 points), the Maulers persevered, thanks to 20.65 points from wide receiver Jordy Nelson and 23.75 points from an improbable source (running back Matt Asiata). Recent trade acquisitions Jason Witten (17.50 points) and Marques Colston (10.50 points) also made solid contributions.

Tight end Antonio Gates had 23.60 points for Craig Hoffman's squad in a losing effort, with running back Marshawn Lynch (23.30 points) nearly matching his productivity. While quarterback Aaron Rodgers only racked up 17.72 points, the real disappointment was wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who only caught one five-yard pass before exiting the game after aggravating a knee injury.

"I would like to thank the league for a great season and let everyone know that I will do my very best to represent the league as your champion to the best of my ability," Honeycutt said. "Here's to looking forward to an equally great 2015!"

A trade which helps both sides: The Maulers acquired Witten and Colston from the Pulverizers Nov. 25, in exchange for two selections in the 2015 draft (a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder). Honeycutt was looking to bolster his receiving corps for the playoff run, while Pulverizers owner Jared Byrd wanted to have a fire sale in order to compile draft picks - a stark contrast from previous seasons, when early picks were often traded away. Unlike those years, the Pulverizers missed the championship bracket for the first time in the league's 13-year history and were looking to rebuild.

Although multiple other trades were offered to various clubs, this was the only one that was actually completed. Before the deal was finalized, other names that were discussed between the two sides included Roy Helu, Marcedes Lewis and Cordarrelle Patterson of the Maulers and T.Y. Hilton of the Pulverizers.

Interestingly, the Pulverizers finished first or second in the league in scoring every single week after the trade went through, despite not receiving any players in return.

AUTUMN 2014

UFFL News and Notes: September Edition

Article Posted Friday, Sept. 26, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern

The bbashers and Washington Warmongers completed a minor trade Saturday, Sept. 20, when the bbashers acquired the Seattle Seahawks defense in exchange for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. Warmongers owner Joseph Randall had been looking to move the defense in exchange for a second or third-tier running back or wide receiver or a package of lesser players, perhaps due to the emergence of the Cincinnati Bengals defense this season.

Sanu, 25, had caught seven passes for 120 yards and one touchdown through the first two games of the year. It was Randall's first trade in UFFL history and the first time that a defensive team had ever been involved in a trade.

However, this was not the only instance of UFFL trade talks this month. Nearly two weeks ago, Morristown Maulers owner Dallas Honeycutt stated in a post on the league's Fleaflicker message board that he was interested in acquiring depth at running back in exchange for either Buffalo Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel or Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker (both of whom were on his bench). This was due to the fact that Jamaal Charles had been sidelined for Week 3's game due to a high ankle sprain.

Renegade owner Tony DelSignore expressed interest in swapping either Minnesota Vikings running back Matt Asiata or Buffalo Bills running back Fred Jackson in exchange for Locker but trade talks died down after Honeycutt said he was only interested in Jackson if DelSignore was willing to accept Manuel.

SUMMER 2014

Improvements made to draft software

Article Posted Sunday, Aug. 31, 2014 at 1:00 a.m. Eastern

Although this is a classic case of "too little, too late" for the Ultimate Fantasy Football League's purposes, Fleaflicker programmers have redesigned the new draft rooms to include queues - a feature that appeared in the old Java rooms but was missing from the day the newer software debuted as a pilot program until the afternoon of Friday, Aug. 29. However, according to a post on the Fleaflicker mesage board by one of the site personnel, the queues are not accessible using mobile or portrait tablet devices or smaller.

Queues allow owners to lay out their strategy for upcoming picks and filter out players they have no interest in drafting. In an instance where they need to step away from the computer for a brief period of time, the queue is also capable of automatically selecting a player that is high on their wish list while keeping things moving at a brisk pace.

In addition to the queue returning, the lower right-hand portion of the draft page has been improved so that owners can see the positional breakdown of their roster as they are drafting. When the 2014 UFFL Draft was conducted on Aug. 19, the names of the players on one's own team were not able to be viewed without clicking on the Rosters tab on the left side of the screen.

Highlights of the 2014 UFFL Draft
Article Posted Monday, Aug. 25, 2014 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern

Here are some interesting tidbits regarding the 13th annual Ultimate Fantasy Football draft, which took place Tuesday, Aug. 19:

- The entire process was completed in 68 minutes, making this the third-quickest draft in league history; only the 2008 (60 minutes) and 2013 drafts (65 minutes) were faster. For comparison's sake, here are the times of the other live UFFL drafts held on Fleaflicker: 2009 - 85 minutes; 2010 - 75 minutes; 2011 - 90 minutes; 2012 - 80 minutes. Most drafts from the Yahoo! Sports era of the league were of the offline variety and usually took several weeks to complete.

- New draft software was in place for this season's draft, allowing users to have the ability to access the event via smartphones and tablet devices. For the first time in several years, no one appeared to have difficulty entering or remaining in the chat room, due to the fact that downloading the latest edition of Java was no longer necessary. However, the biggest complaint with this version of the software was the lack of a queue. "I've never heard of an online draft with no queue," said owner Andrew So of The Catch. N2deep owner George Thomas added, "This format is really hard to focus on who you want to draft."

- Another difference between the current and previous chat rooms was an inability to view blank spaces on your roster as the draft progressed, in order to better visualize which positions should be targeted in later rounds. The Fleaflicker draft advisor suggestions - many of which were considered ridiculous by many - also fell by the wayside. In addition, it appeared to be impossible to allow your team to autopick for a brief period of time while still keeping the chat window open. On the other hand, the chat room remained open for well over 10 minutes following the draft, offering participants the option to talk with each other for an extended period of time.

- Presumably due to limited screen space on the smartphone, the Android version of the draft room software did not display the draft order or the list of teams present at the live draft but appeared to have everything else.

- Eleven of the league's 14 owners were on hand. Jim Douglas (CheeseWhiz), Grace Cloud (Sisyphean Endeavors) and Stephanie George (Steph Infections) did not attend, while Mark Bender (Shelburn OrangeHats) arrived midway through the draft and Angie Williams (The Steel Curtain) showed up several picks into the first round. Morristown Maulers owner Dallas Honeycutt and Washington Warmongers owner Joseph Randall participated in their first-ever UFFL draft. "Figure it will take a year to get used to this type of league," Randall said. "Screw that," Honeycutt quipped. "I am gonna dominate this year."

- For the first pick in the draft, Thomas selected Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas. The final pick ("Mr. Irrelevant") was Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones, courtesy of the Morristown Maulers, with the third pick of the fourteenth round and 182nd overall selection.

- For the 13th consecutive year, Football Gal owner Mozelle Meyers - a fan of the Washington Redskins - drafted zero Dallas Cowboys.

- bbashers owner Calvin Brown had four picks in the first two rounds of the draft and one of those players selected was Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, who could face a year-long suspension from the NFL. Gordon was chosen with the 16th overall pick. "Kind of early for that gamble Calvin, but could pay big dividends," Thomas said. In response, Brown said, "I had an extra pick this round ... so I went for it."

- In the 10th round, Randall selected Dallas Cowboys running back Joseph Randle. "Joe got him a Joe!!!!!!!!," Honeycutt exclaimed. Randall responded, "Slightly different last name but could not resist."

- Honeycutt was far from pleased that his predecessor, Chad Fuller, traded away his second-round pick to the Pulverizers for wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (formerly of the New York Giants, now with the Indianapolis Colts) during the middle of laast season. To add insult to injury, Fuller missed the championship bracket despite the acquisition. "Nicks?????? Really?????," he said. "Woohoo, my former owner gave up a second-rounder for someone that went in the seventh round this year! That's value right there."

- Renegade owner Tony DelSignore expressed frustration with being unable to land a top-tier quarterback. "All these teams on autodraft stink, made me miss out on a QB," he said. DelSignore used his 10th-round selection on Alex Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs and eventually added Josh McCown of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a free agent.

- Williams wasn't just worried about drafting a championship-caliber team ... but also about making sure she ends up with a better record than Brown. "I'm over here stressing, I need to beat my brother's ass this year," she said. Brown responded, "Sigh ... there's no love in fantasy," to which Williams countered, "NONE!"

New software in place for 2014 UFFL Draft

Article Posted Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern

For owners who competed in the UFFL last season, the draft room is now using completely different software that doesn't require installing Java or any other downloads or plug-ins. It debuted as a pilot software program last week on Fleaflicker and officially became the only way to conduct live drafts three days ago, meaning there is no way to bring back the old Java chat rooms even if leagues wanted to.

So far, the positives seem to be that the new draft software works on almost all mobile and tablet devices (something that was impossible with the old software), although I have heard about BlackBerry users experiencing difficulty. Commissioners now possess the ability to pause the draft for an unlimited amount of time. Theoretically, the draft could be paused on Tuesday evening and resumed on a different day, although this will not happen for the 2014 draft.

The biggest negative is that there is no draft queue, although Fleaflicker promises that they will bring it back in a future upgrade (but there's no telling when that will happen). To test out the new draft software in a mock draft setting, visit the draft section of the UFFL's Fleaflicker website.

UFFL News Ticker: The Sisyphean Endeavors turned down a deal which would have given them Pulverizers quarterback Drew Brees (Saints) and a first-round pick in this year's draft, in exchange for running back LeSean McCoy (Eagles). The Endeavors countered by offering running back Giovani Bernard (Bengals) and a third-round pick to the Pulverizers for Brees, but this trade offer was also turned down.

Plenty of talent available in 2014 UFFL Draft
Article Posted Friday, Aug. 15, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern

As a service to Ultimate Fantasy Football League owners, a list of the top 10 choices available at each position has been compiled prior to the UFFL Draft for the second consecutive season. As you can see, plenty of talent exists in this year's pool of available players. The average Fleaflicker draft position is listed in parentheses.

QUARTERBACKS
Tom Brady (New England Patriots, 44); Nick Foles (Philadelphia Eagles, 69); Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers, 97); Jay Cutler (Chicago Bears, 101); Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys, 102); Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks, 118); Carson Palmer (Arizona Cardinals, 138); Eli Manning (New York Giants, 139); Andy Dalton (Cincinnati Bengals, 165); Ryan Tannehill (Miami Dolphins, 206).

RUNNING BACKS
Montee Ball (Denver Broncos, 9); Le'Veon Bell (Pittsburgh Steelers, 10); Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 24); Toby Gerhart (Jacksonville Jaguars, 30); Andre Ellington (Arizona Cardinals, 31); Ben Tate (Cleveland Browns, 40); Trent Richardson (Indianapolis Colts, 47); Shane Vereen (New England Patriots, 48); Steven Jackson (Atlanta Falcons, 49); Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens, 50).

WIDE RECEIVERS
Jordy Nelson (Green Bay Packers, 25); Alshon Jeffery (Chicago Bears, 26); Randall Cobb (Green Bay Packers, 28); Pierre Garcon (Washington Redskins, 33); Keenan Allen (San Diego Chargers, 36); Andre Johnson (Houston Texans, 43); Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers, 45); Eric Decker (New York Jets, 53); T.Y. Hilton (Indianapolis Colts, 54); Wes Welker (Denver Broncos, 57).

TIGHT ENDS
Julius Thomas (Denver Broncos, 32); Jason Witten (Dallas Cowboys, 67); Jordan Reed (Washington Redskins, 74); Kyle Rudolph (Minnesota Vikings, 91); Dennis Pitta (Baltimore Ravens, 100); Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles, 116); Greg Olsen (Carolina Panthers, 131); Martellus Bennett (Chicago Bears, 141); Antonio Gates (San Diego Chargers, 160); Coby Fleener (Indianapolis Colts, 166).

PLACEKICKERS
Stephen Gostkowski (New England Patriots, 225); Justin Tucker (Baltimore Ravens, 227); Matt Prater (Denver Broncos, 238); Phil Dawson (San Francisco 49ers, 239); Dan Bailey (Dallas Cowboys, 240); Steven Hauschka (Seattle Seahawks, 241); Nick Novak (San Diego Chargers, 242); Mason Crosby (Green Bay Packers, 244); Adam Vinatieri (Indianapolis Colts, 245); Greg Zuerlein (St. Louis Rams, 250).

DEFENSIVE TEAMS
Seattle Seahawks (130); Cincinnati Bengals (140); San Francisco 49ers (152); Kansas City Chiefs (158); Chicago Bears (159); Carolina Panthers (161); Arizona Cardinals (171); St. Louis Rams (174); Buffalo Bills (175); New England Patriots (187).

UFFL News Ticker: Joseph Randall, who recently assumed control of The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes, has renamed the franchise as the GrrrAnimals ... The finalized list of franchise players has been posted on this website ... Fleaflicker announced earlier this week that they are testing a pilot version for new draft software which would not require Java at all - or any other downloads or plug-ins, for that matter. The new software reportedly works on all mobile and tablet devices (something that can't be said about the current Java draft room). However, it is unknown which version of the draft software will be in effect by the time Tuesday rolls around.

Dallas Honeycutt, Joseph Randall join UFFL
Article Posted Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern

In 2007, Dallas Honeycutt appeared poised to join the Ultimate Fantasy Football League. Unfortunately, due to lack of computer access at the time, he ended up being unable to compete. Seven years later, he is finally ready to participate.

The UFFL is happy to announce that Honeycutt, along with Joseph Randall, have been appointed to fill the ownership vacancies created by the departures of Chad Fuller and Jay Klinkhammer. Honeycutt has taken control of the team formerly known as the Cheeko Chiefs and renamed them the Morristown Maulers. Randall, who is recovering from recent shoulder surgery, will assume control of The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes after he registers on Fleaflicker.

League commissioner Jared Byrd briefly considered reducing the size of the league from 14 to 12 franchises, after several people last month expressed interest in participating before ultimately deciding not to sign up. However, during a last-ditch recruitment effort last week, Honeycutt (a veteran of the old CBS SportsLine chat rooms) stated that he would register for the UFFL. After noticing that one vacancy still remained, he asked his friend Randall if he wanted to compete and he agreed to do so.

The Tennessee-based Morristown Maulers will be placed in the Southern Division, meaning that the Philadelphia-based Pulverizers will move to the Northern Division. If Randall's team is also placed in the South, it would mean uprooting another current Southern Division franchise. After this matter is scheduled, the final version of the 2014 regular-season schedule will be available on this site, as well as Fleaflicker.

UFFL News and Notes: August Edition

Article Posted Friday, Aug. 1, 2014 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern

All non-keepers have been moved from the rosters into the free-agent pool on the Fleaflicker website, with two notable exceptions - the rosters of the Cheeko Chiefs and The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes were left intact because neither squad currently has an owner. Commissioner Jared Byrd talked to two people on Tuesday who expressed interest in joining the league but as of this writing, neither person has signed up yet. After owners have registered for those two franchises, their non-keepers will be added to the free-agent pool as well.

The rosters were cleared to give owners enough time to pre-rank unprotected players - if necessary - in advance of the UFFL draft, which will take place at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Aug. 19 (less than three weeks away). This process can also help owners who intend to be present at the draft plan a strategy around which players are available to be selected.

Any team will be able to change their franchise players between now and 3:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Aug. 19 if they wish. The complete list of franchise players, in addition to the final rosters from the 2013 season, will continue to be available on the league website (to allow owners to make and propose trades or adjust their keeper lists).

Any trades made between now and Aug. 19 (draft day) need to be sent directly to the commissioner, after all owners involved have agreed to any proposed deal (to allow me to manually adjust rosters on Fleaflicker). On draft night, any proposed deals need to be announced in the live Fleaflicker draft room, with adjustments to all teams involved in trading being made after the draft.

Let the games begin: Registration has opened for the UFFL Pickem Challenge and UFFL Survival Football contests on Yahoo! Fantasy Sports. For more details, including rules and registration information, visit the fantasy sports leagues section of the website ... in other fantasy sports news, the Fantasy Hockey Challenge (draft to be held Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. Eastern) and the Fantasy Basketball Challenge (draft to be held Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 9 p.m. Eastern) leagues have been renewed for the 2014-15 season on Fleaflicker. The basketball league is full but one vacancy remains in the hockey league. If you're interested in taking over the ownerless team, send an e-mail to the commissioner at jared259@alumni.upenn.edu.

Chad Fuller departs league
Article Posted Friday, July 25, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern

Cheeko Chiefs owner Chad Fuller became the second member of the Ultimate Fantasy Football League to leave in a one-week span, although he did not announce a reason for stepping down. His departure leaves the UFFL with zero international franchises for the first time in its history and two vacancies.

Fuller posted an overall record of 61-76-0 (.445) over nine seasons, including a regular-season record of 50-67-0 and a postseason record of 12-9-0. One of his career highlights was serving as the head coach of the Northern Division in the 2010 Pro Bowl, which he lost to Calvin Brown by the score of 156.88 to 120.49.

Fuller's career got off to a solid start, as he posted a 23-19-0 regular-season record during his first three years (which also happened to be the UFFL's final three seasons with Yahoo! Sports). However, after the league relocated to Fleaflicker prior to the 2008 campaign, he never experienced another winning season.

The search for two replacement owners is underway, although contraction may be a possibility because there are currently an even number of teams (twelve). The UFFL operated with twelve franchises from 2002 until the end of the 2008 season, when two expansion teams were created.

UFFL News Ticker: The Catch owner Andrew So has put Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on the trading block. He is looking for a running back or a second-round pick in return. Foles is expendable because Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is one of So's three franchise players ... The results of the 2014 questionnaire are in, but league rules and settings will remain largely the same. Owners voted to keep playoff game tiebreaker scenarios the same and rejected ideas to eliminate keepers or implement a non-snaking draft order for the 2015 season.

Klinkhammer says goodbye
Article Posted Monday, July 21, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern

After several days of speculation, Jay Klinkhammer, the owner of The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes, officially announced his resignation from the Ultimate Fantasy Football League Monday, July 21. In an e-mail exchange with commissioner Jared Byrd, he revealed that he will only be participating in one fantasy football league this year in an attempt to cut back on the amount of time he spends on fantasy sports. But he also gave another previously unknown reason for stepping down.

"It does have to do with the Fleaflicker site too," Klinkhammer wrote. "I really am not a fan." He said he used both his computer and Android smartphone to access his fantasy sports teams but preferred the UFFL's previous host. "Yahoo! is pretty flawless on it," he said, referring to the league's home from 2002 to 2007.

UFFL News Ticker: Registration for the UFFL Pickem Challenge and UFFL Survival Football contests will open shortly and will remain open through the first week of the NFL regular season. When further details are available, they will be posted here ... Final rosters from the 2013 season will be cleared from the Fleaflicker site soon, in order to give owners time to pre-rank players for the 2014 draft, if necessary. However, they will continue to be made available on this site.

Laying down the Hammer

Article Posted Saturday, July 19, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern

Jay Klinkhammer, the owner of The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes, has announced that he is leaning towards leaving the Ultimate Fantasy Football League.

Klinkhammer, one of only six owners who has participated in each of the league's first 12 seasons, told assistant commissioner Mozelle Meyers in a conversation on Twitter earlier this week that he plans to scale back his participation in fantasy sports. "Probably not," he wrote, when asked if he would be back for the 13th season of the UFFL. "I am kind of leaning towards minimizing my participation."

At the height of his fantasy sports career, he competed in multiple football, baseball, basketball, hockey, auto racing and golf leagues (many of which featured other UFFL owners). Klinkhammer often led the league in free-agent pickups, waiver wire claims and trade offers by a huge margin and was known for his offbeat team nicknames and trash talking. However, it became obvious that something was different in the 2013 season; he didn't make any lineup changes after Oct. 30 and didn't log in to the Fleaflicker website after Nov. 4.

If this is indeed the end of the line for Klinkhammer, he finishes with a 79-78-0 (.503) regular-season record. But it was in the postseason where he really flourished, going 19-9-0 (.678) with three league championships in four UFFL Bowl appearances.

A search is currently underway for a replacement owner for Klinkhammer in case he does officially call it quits. All of the other owners who participated last season have announced their intention to return, with the exception of Cheeko Chiefs owner Chad Fuller, who has not yet responded to the league questionnaire.

UFFL draft news: Circle this date on your calendar - the 2014 UFFL draft will be held Tuesday, Aug. 19, at 9:00 p.m. Eastern on the Fleaflicker website. For early arrivals, the draft room will open at 8:30 p.m. Teams will have up to 90 seconds to make their selections but owners are strongly encouraged not to use up all of their time, in order to keep things moving at a smooth pace.

For owners planning to attend the live draft, visit Fleaflicker to insure that your computer is compatible with the draft room software ahead of time. Owners who will not be able to make it can pre-rank players or rely on Fleaflicker's draft computer to select players in their absence.

Starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on draft day, trades will not be permitted. This ban (which exists because the live draft room does not allow trades to be made) will be lifted immediately after the draft.

Washington's monumental trade

Article Posted Monday, June 30, 2014 at 2:30 p.m. Eastern

UFFL owners Calvin Brown and Mozelle Meyers pulled off a blockbuster trade Sunday, June 29, with Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris and wide receiver DeSean Jackson being dealt from the bbashers to Football Gal, in exchange for a first-round selection (the fourth overall pick) in the 2014 UFFL Draft.

The two sides had been in negotiations for a while. According to a source, the deal was proposed by Brown Tuesday, June 24, and Meyers (who is a Redskins fan) took several days to mull over the offer.

The 27-year-old Jackson had a career-high 82 receptions for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns while wearing a Philadelphia Eagles uniform last season, while the 25-year-old Morris had 1,275 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns for Washington.

In order to free up space on Meyers' roster, Football Gal released wide receivers Chris Givens (Rams) and Greg Little (Raiders).

UFFL News Ticker: Grace Cloud (Sisyphean Endeavors), Chad Fuller (Cheeko Chiefs), Jay Klinkhammer (The North Star Sledgehammers of 10,000 Lakes) and Angie Williams (The Steel Curtain) are the only owners who have not submitted their league questionnaires. Every owner who has already responded is returning for the 2014 season ... The updated list of 2014 franchise players can now be viewed online; Brown and the four owners who have not yet answered the questionnaire are the only owners who have not submitted keepers. It is possible that Brown did not want to announce his keepers until he knew the results of his trade proposal ... Meyers is expected to announce her updated franchise player list in the coming days.

Pictured: Football Gal owner Mozelle Meyers, alongside recently-acquired running back Alfred Morris.

SPRING 2014

UFFL News and Notes: April Edition

Article Posted Saturday, April 19, 2014 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern

Approximately two months after the annual owners' questionnaire was first distributed via e-mail and posted on the Yahoo! Groups message board, only half of the teams have responded. Jared Byrd, Tony DelSignore, Jim Douglas, Craig Hoffman, Mozelle Meyers, Andrew So and George Thomas have already expressed their intent to return for the 2014 season, but the league office is still waiting to hear from Mark Bender, Calvin Brown, Grace Cloud, Chad Fuller, Stephanie George, Jay Klinkhammer and Angie Williams.

Eliminating keeper players in 2015, using a non-snaking draft order in 2015 and changing the playoff game tiebreaker rankings are among the topics that are being debated. As usual, owners are being asked for their own rule change ideas and adjustments. However, unlike previous questionnaires, owners are also being asked at this time for the names of three franchise players (a list that can be changed as many times as necessary between now and draft day). In years past, the franchise player selection process would not begin until June or July, but it was pushed up this season because communication during the summer months between owners tended to be less frequent and response times via e-mail were slower.

To view a copy of the questionnaire or see the results of submitted questionnaires, please visit the Yahoo! Groups message board. If you have not yet responded, please contact commissioner Jared Byrd as soon as possible.

UFFL News Ticker: Congratulations are in order for the winners of several fantasy sports leagues featuring a significant number of UFFL owners. In the Fantasy Basketball Challenge league on Fleaflicker, Calvin Brown (bbashers) edged out George Thomas (N2deep) to win the 2013-14 title, while Andrew So (The Catch) finished in first place in the Ultimate March Madness Pickem contest on Yahoo! ... Meanwhile, Jared Byrd (Pulverizers) lost to K.L. Crispin (who is not part of the UFFL) in the championship round of the Fantasy Hockey Challenge league on Fleaflicker ... Steph Infections head coach Stephanie George was the only owner unable to return for the 2014 season of the Fantasy Baseball Challenge league on Fleaflicker, because of an anticipated lack of internet access in the near future. It is uncertain if she will be able to return for Season 13 of the UFFL. Her spot was filled by Terrance Williams (not the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver), who added that he would be interested if a vacancy or opportunity to own an expansion team came up in the UFFL ... Fleaflicker updated their user interface at the beginning of the month; details about the upgrade can be viewed at the "Site Announcements" forum on the Fleaflicker website.

WINTER 2013

UFFL News and Notes: February Edition
Article Posted Sunday, February 9, 2014 at 1:00 a.m. Eastern

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, commissioner Jared Byrd will renew the Ultimate Fantasy Football League's partnership with Fleaflicker Fantasy Sports, as the league begins preparations for its 13th season (and seventh with Fleaflicker). The renewal process could begin as soon as 3 a.m. Eastern, with the preliminary 2014 regular-season schedule being generated at that point. Additionally, trades involving players and/or draft picks will be able to be proposed and completed again. The annual owners' questionnaire is unlikely to be ready at that point but will probably be distributed shortly thereafter to all UFFL participants.

UFFL News Ticker: Deltaman owner Craig Hoffman won the UFFL Pickem Challenge on Yahoo! Sports, while bbashers owner Calvin Brown was named champion of the UFFL Postseason Challenge on NFL.com ... This year's winners of the UFFL awards have been announced ... Anyone who is interested in participating in the Fantasy Baseball Challenge (Fleaflicker) or the Ultimate March Madness Pickem (Yahoo!) competitions should send an e-mail to Jared Byrd at jared259@alumni.upenn.edu; invitations to the fantasy baseball league can be distributed immediately, while invites to the NCAA tournament contest will be given out in mid-to-late February.

UFFL News and Notes: January Edition

Article Posted Wednesday, January 15, 2014 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern; Updated Sunday, January 26, 2014 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern
The UFFL Postseason Challenge at NFL.com is in full swing, as the field of NFL teams still vying for the Lombardi Trophy has been narrowed from twelve to two. With three weeks down and one more to go in the postseason, let's take a look at how the five participants are doing:

CURRENT STANDINGS (through Jan. 26, 2014)
Calvin Brown	452
Tony DelSignore	390
Mozelle Meyers	356
George Thomas	354
Jared Byrd	326

For more details about the competition, including weekly starting lineups and contest rules, click here.

Also ongoing is the UFFL Pickem Challenge on Yahoo! Sports, featuring eight contestants who have been competing all season to make the most accurate NFL picks. To view the current standings for this game, which ends Sunday, Feb. 2 (Super Bowl Sunday), visit the UFFL Pickem Challenge page .

UFFL News Ticker: At this point, it is unknown if the annual owners' questionnaire will be distributed to league owners shortly after the Super Bowl or if it will be sent out during the summer ... The commissioner will officially renew the league on Fleaflicker in early February so that everyone can view the preliminary 2014 regular-season schedule and resume making and proposing trades.

Southern Division wins Pro Bowl

Article Posted Monday, December 30, 2013 at 11:00 p.m. Eastern
The Southern Division won the sixth-annual UFFL Pro Bowl, 213.93 to 143.45. Southern Division head coach Calvin Brown improved to 5-0 in these Week 17 contests, defeating Jim Douglas in his first-ever appearance in the game. The 213.93 points scored by the Southern Division aren't just a Pro Bowl record, but a record for ANY game in league history. (Looks like the NFL isn't the only football league with a ridiculously high-scoring Pro Bowl!)

Pulverizers quarterback Drew Brees led the way with 46.04 fantasy points, while Layin the Woodley running back Matt Forte chipped in with 35.85 points for the winners. The Catch quarterback Peyton Manning had 34.64 points to lead the North. To see the box score from the game, visit the Pro Bowl page on the UFFL website.

No hassling the Hoff
Deltaman wins UFFL Bowl XII

Article Posted Wednesday, December 25, 2013 at 7:00 a.m. Eastern; Updated Thursday, December 26, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern

Craig Hoffman entered the postseason with the seventh overall seed in the championship bracket, after winning his team's regular-season finale against the Cheeko Chiefs. On paper, things did not look promising for him, even though he had won four of his final five regular-season games, because his team had lost its franchise quarterback (Aaron Rodgers) to a collarbone injury several weeks beforehand. Furthermore, he was slated to face the Northern Division-winning Steph Infections, the second-overall seed, who had defeated him by 20.95 fantasy points in a Week 7 matchup.

But then a funny thing happened that reminds us why we play the games in the first place. Suddenly, it no longer mattered that Deltaman lost to the Steph Infections during the regular season, because the playoffs are a whole new ballgame (both figuratively and literally). Hoffman beat the Infections in Week 14, 123.39 to 101.25, with backup quarterback Andy Dalton racking up 36.10 fantasy points in the victory.

Dalton's clutch play (230 yards and two touchdowns) continued in the semifinals, as Deltaman won their second straight game on the road against the third-seeded Sisyphean Endeavors, 127.15 to 115.69. Like the Steph Infections, the Endeavors had also defeated them during the regular season. And then came the ultimate test.

Enter Calvin Brown, who had dominated the regular season with a 10-3 record and scored more fantasy points than any other team. Like Hoffman, Brown was looking for his first-ever league championship - despite leading the UFFL in victories, fantasy points accumulated and winning percentage since becoming a full-time owner in 2008. It was the first UFFL Bowl appearance for both owners. The top-seeded bbashers, like Deltaman's other two playoff opponents, had beaten them during the regular season. But once again, that didn't matter now that the postseason was here.

Dalton threw for 366 passing yards and four touchdowns en route to leading Hoffman's squad to the UFFL championship, with a 157.72 to 126.92 victory over the bbashers. Wide receiver Pierre Garcon (144 yards and one touchdown) had 24.20 points for the losers but even if Brown had set a perfect fantasy lineup, given the players who were on his roster, he still would have lost by more than 20 points.

"bbashers get bashed," Brown said in a written statement after the game. "That's one helluva headline to wake up to. You know you've stunk up the place when your team flight gets in from the championship game and there are two, count 'em, two, people at the airport ... your wife and your dog. Your players' families didn't even show up!"

Brown was looking to become the second owner in as many years to win a UFFL championship and a UFFL Pro Bowl in the same season. His sister, Angie Williams of The Steel Curtain, accomplished the feat last year. However, if he was looking to her for support after this defeat, he certainly didn't find it. "Bwahahahaha! Yes! I still have family bragging rights," she said.

In other Week 16 games:

Championship Bracket
(4) The Catch 135.83, (3) Sisyphean Endeavors 119.65 - Quarterback Peyton Manning (400 passing yards and four touchdowns) led all scorers with 40.00 fantasy points in the third-place game, which pitted Week 15's championship bracket losers against each other. The Sisyphean Endeavors were led by 32.75 fantasy points from running back LeSean McCoy (162 total yards and two touchdowns), who went on to earn NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Unfortunately, Endeavors quarterback Tony Romo suffered a back injury that may make him unavailable for the UFFL Pro Bowl.

Consolation Bracket
(10) The Steel Curtain 79.90, (9) Layin the Woodley 73.72 - It was a low-scoring affair between the top two teams in the consolation bracket, as they continued to try shaking off some of the rust that may have built up during their Week 14 bye. Wide receiver Antonio Brown (105 yards) topped all scorers with 13.39 fantasy points for Layin the Woodley but it wasn't enough to overcome the team effort of The Steel Curtain, who only saw one starter (wide receiver James Jones) accumulate more than 10 fantasy points.

(13) Cheeko Chiefs 129.69, (14) N2deep 98.89 - The Cheeko Chiefs ended the year on a good note, improving to 3-0 in the consolation bracket after limping into the postseason with six consecutive regular-season losses against Northern Division rivals. Running back DeMarco Murray (111 total yards, two touchdowns) had 25.35 fantasy points for the winners, while running back Ryan Mathews (119 total yards, two touchdowns) compiled 19.39 points in a losing effort for N2deep.

Pro Bowl update: Ballots for the sixth annual UFFL Pro Bowl have been posted online and starting lineups will be posted as they become available. CheeseWhiz owner Jim Douglas has been appointed to coach the Northern Division, while bbashers owner Calvin Brown will lead the Southern Division. The game will take place Sunday, Dec. 29, during Week 17 of the NFL regular season. Because it is a venture independent of Fleaflicker, live scoring will not be available for the event, but the results will be calculated offline and posted Monday, Dec. 30.

Registration open for UFFL Postseason Challenge: Speaking of Sunday, Dec. 29, contestants in the UFFL Postseason Challenge game on NFL.com will finally be able to set their lineups at that point, once the NFL postseason picture has been clarified. The playoffs will begin Saturday, Jan. 3, and anyone who wishes to participate must be registered before kickoff of the first game. In order to sign up, visit this link - http://www.ultimatefantasyfootballleague.net/games/2013nflplayoffs.html.

Week 15 Postseason Recaps
Article Posted Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. Eastern

Championship Bracket
(1) bbashers 155.42, (4) The Catch 125.12 - The bbashers advanced to the UFFL Bowl thanks to a 402-yard, four-touchdown performance from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who accumulated 40.20 fantasy points. The Catch were led by running back Matt Asiata (26.85 points), a last-minute free-agent pickup who scored three touchdowns and racked up 66 total yards. Andrew So had been hoping to make his second appearance in the championship game in the last four seasons.

(7) Deltaman 127.15, (3) Sisyphean Endeavors 116.69 - Running back Eddie Lacy (171 total yards and one touchdown) scored 25.60 fantasy points to give Deltaman their first-ever UFFL Bowl appearance in the 12-year history of the league. Quarterback Tony Romo (358 yards and two touchdowns) had 24.32 points for the Endeavors, whose owner was looking to make it back to the championship game for the first time since the inaugural season.

Consolation Bracket
(13) Cheeko Chiefs 160.43, (9) Layin the Woodley 106.38 - The Chiefs' Week 15 offensive explosion was due in large part to running back Jamaal Charles (49.75 fantasy points), who amassed 215 total yards and combined total touchdowns, making the top-scoring effort of Layin the Woodley wide receiver Antonio Brown (67 yards, two touchdowns and 23.52 fantasy points) look miniscule in comparison.

(14) N2deep 133.24, (10) The Steel Curtain 125.38 - The bye week was more of a hindrance than a help to the defending UFFL champion, as they dropped their first postseason game to N2deep, who has come out of nowhere to win two in a row on the heels of a ten-game losing streak at the end of the regular season. Quarterback Alex Smith (287 yards, five touchdowns and 42.68 fantasy points) had an impressive performance for The Steel Curtain but it was not enough to fend off N2deep, who received 25.95 fantasy points from wide receiver Julian Edelman, who posted 139 receiving yards and one touchdown.