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Good fantasy football team names are almost as important as good teams

Good fantasy football team names are almost as important as good teams

USA Today8 hours ago
With fantasy football draft season upon us, For The Win has been ramping up our coverage the last few days with things like sleepers and busts, injuries to know about and players to avoid at all costs. And we have more to come. But today I'm not here to help you build a good fantasy team. Today I want to impress upon you the importance of having a good fantasy team name.
A good name isn't easy to come by. Typically, you need the good enough fortune of drafting a player with a pun-able enough name to flip into something worthy of team-name status. Then, you have to be witty enough to come up with the pun.
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As someone who hasn't been as thoughtful with these things in the past, my teams are simply a flip of the now-beleaguered GM of my favorite team (shoutout to Low Down Dirty Schoen. 2025 is our year). But I have to admit, some of the names I've seen since my pivot to Joe Schoen in 2022 put my team to... Schoen (sorry, couldn't resist). Seriously, I'm envious of some of these clever puns.
Pin the Tail on the McConkey... I Dream of Jeanty... Mahomes Depot... come on man. Those are great. And it's even better when the pun is a flip of a player who's on the team. Which isn't always possible. Sometimes, you're just carrying over a name from a previous season. Regardless, a good name never stops being good.
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Now, with all that said, let's not get things twisted here. Winning is still the most important part of fantasy football. I'd take a championship as Team Grimes over a runner-up finish as I Dream of Jeanty. But you know what's better than winning? Winning with a cool name. And because only one person can win each year, most of us are going to be losers anyway. The least you can do is put on the fantasy version of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' creamsicle jerseys and lose in style.
Preseason fantasy studs
Week 2 of the NFL preseason wrapped with Monday night's game between the Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals, which leaves just one more week of tune-up games before the real football begins. In the games we've seen, several players have stood out as potential fantasy impact players.
Caleb Williams, in particular, showed some really good things, Christian D'Andrea wrote:
"Williams looked like the Heisman Trophy winner he once was in a game-opening 92-yard touchdown drive capped by a 36-yard Olamide Zaccheaus catch-and-run.
In fairness, backups Tyson Bagent and Austin Reed also carved up a deficient Buffalo Bills defense to the point where Bills head coach Sean McDermott seemed appalled. But after a season where Williams showcased many of the same flaws that derailed Justin Fields -- too many sacks (nearly 11 percent of his dropbacks), an eagerness to ditch designed plays under relatively minor threats of pressure, iffy processing -- this was a step forward. With a proven offensive mind at the helm and a lineup of explosive skill players, Williams could thrive in year two."
Check out more of what Christian had to say about Williams and the other fantasy studs of the preseason.
Quick Hits: Rich Eisen back on SC ... Nnamdi Asomugha interview ... and more
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Arch Manning isn't ruling out 2026 draft — despite NFL legend grandfather's comments
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Arch Manning expectations have Texas at No. 1 in preseason poll. Are we sure he is ready?
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And in perhaps the most outrageous bout of Arch Madness we've seen yet, ESPN/SEC Network commentator Paul Finebaum predicted he would be 'the best college quarterback we have seen since Tim Tebow entered the scene in 2006.' Mind you, since Tebow's Heisman run in 2007, we've seen Cam Newton, Johnny Manziel, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels come through college football. If Manning is even in the top half of that group, then yes, Texas will probably be this year's national champion. But can't we just slow down a little bit given, you know, the lack of on-field evidence that Manning deserves this level of expectation? A year ago, Manning in fact did get his chance to start for Texas when Ewers strained his oblique muscle in the middle of their third game against Texas-San Antonio. Manning remained at the controls for the next two home games against Louisiana-Monroe and Mississippi State and was largely good. 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2026 NFL Draft Back in Play? Texas QB Arch Manning Contradicts His Grandfather
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College Football 2026 NFL Draft Back in Play? Texas QB Arch Manning Contradicts His Grandfather Published Aug. 19, 2025 4:42 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link There's so much speculation about Texas quarterback Arch Manning's future, in the media and even within his own family, that it can be hard for him to keep up. On Tuesday, Manning insisted he's not plotting out how long he'll stay at Texas or when he'll enter the NFL draft, despite his grandfather's recent prediction that he'll be with the Longhorns through the 2026 season. "Arch isn't going to do that," Manning declared to Texas Monthly Magazine about the 2026 NFL Draft. "He'll be at Texas." "I don't know where he got that from," Arch Manning said in his first meeting with reporters since SEC media days in mid-July. "He texted me to apologize about that. I'm really just taking it day by day right now." Arch Manning has been careful while talking about his future as he leads the No. 1 Longhorns as the full-time starter after playing behind Quinn Ewers the past two seasons. Manning enters this season as the early favorite for the Heisman Trophy, has endorsement deals worth millions and comes from the most famous quarterbacking family in football. Grandfather Archie played in the NFL and uncles Peyton and Eli combined for four Super Bowl victories. Add that together and Arch Manning is shouldering the biggest spotlight of any player in the country. Texas opens the season Aug. 30 at No. 3 Ohio State after losing to the Buckeyes in the national playoff semifinals last season. ADVERTISEMENT Manning is also very close to his grandfather, despite any confusion about whether he's destined for one or two seasons as the Texas starter before heading to the NFL. Manning noted Tuesday how Archie is always giving him advice on how to avoid taking big hits to prolong his career. "Those hits add up," Arch Manning said. "My grandfather, he's hobbling around these days. He ends every call with 'get down or get out of bounds.'" Arch Manning appeared in 10 games for Texas in 2024, throwing for 939 yards and 9 touchdowns in 90 attempts, and started two games when Quinn Ewers was dealing with an oblique strain. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience Arch Manning Texas Longhorns College Football What did you think of this story? share

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