It's been a minute, so how bout a feature. After all, I feel like the quicker another story gets out in the FCSsphere the quicker I can move on from the fact that I lost yet another Victor Bowl. I'm going to just treat it as a form of therapy.

 

2021 was another one for the books. The year of the Runnin’ Bills. That also meant a fifth different champion in six years. Despite falling short, it was a special year for a team like The Bronx who won more games in 2021 than ever before. It was also a year to forget for teams like Virginia Beach and Nashville. The good thing about the FCS is that things change so rapidly. This year was a perfect example of that as the Caps went from last in the East in 2020 to the last team standing in twelve months. I’d like to take a step back and analyze where I believe teams are headed. Are there any squads that are poised to take that Little Rock leap? Are there teams that are headed for the Virginia Beach plunge? Let’s take a look!

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The Bronx Dominion | Stock Falling ⋁

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What a year for the Dominion. Everything bounced right for TB at the beginning of the year and that hot start carried him to his first ever eastern regular season title. A Derrick Henry injury did all but eliminate him as a true Victor Bowl contender, but Cooper Kupp and a couple of “all-in” moves were enough to carry him all the way to the Eastern Division Final. The Bronx are entering the offseason in a really difficult cap situation, which is the price teams pay for going all-in. Mixon and Kupp are far from cheap, but they are acceptable contracts. Aaron Jones’ $70 contract is what pops off the page. In hindsight, you have to wonder if Tanner regrets his Henry for Jones swap. Tanner is going to have to do some major roster finagling via trade to free up some cap space to be able to really make any meaningful improvements.

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BSC Jacks | Stock Falling ⋁

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With the relatively low yearly expectations from year to year, 2021 has to be seen as a success for Big Sky Country. Did they get over the hump? No. However, they made the playoffs and, in hindsight, were a Zack Moss late scratch away from their second Western Division Finals appearance, but as they say, “the ball don’t lie.” Taking contracts into consideration, BSC is entering the offseason with more cash to spend than any other team in the FCS. That is definitely a plus with the star studded RFA class that sits in front of us. Theoretically, the Mayor should have no issues accruing some serious talent to put around Diontae Johnson. Having said that, BSC does not boast a favorable reputation for hitting it out of the park in the offseason and are losing a lot of talent themselves in guys like Travis Kelce, Tyler Lockett and Adam Thielen. That reputation, combined with his free agents up for bid, is what is keeping me from saying his stock is rising, but the favorable financial position makes it very possible that I could eat my words.

 

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Portland Rippers | Stock Falling ⋁

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What makes my second Victor Bowl flop in as many years worse is the fact that it feels like my window to be a true contender might have closed. What once looked like a loaded roster quickly became a bunch of flops as the year progressed. Ridley, Mahomes and Diggs all disappointed compared to their 2020 performances. Bad trades early on, such as moving Javonte Williams and Deebo Samuel, proved costly. I will start reaping the consequences of the “all-in” moves I made in 2022. Having said that, I have cap space that is manageable and some tradable assets in Cook, Waller and Diggs. I will not straight-up say I am entering a rebuild, but I will say I will not be entering this next year with the same level of confidence and moxy as I did this past year.

 

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Little Rock Capitals | Stock Falling ⋁

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I was given a hard time all year for being googly eyed over the Capitals roster, but look who’s laughing now. I’m cooling off of them just a hair for 2022. Don’t hear what I’m not saying, though. I still expect Miller’s boy’s to be near the top, I just don’t think it will come as easy. The biggest reason for that is the talent he’s potentially losing in RFA. Last year’s overall RB2 and WR2 in Devante Adams and Austin Ekeler are up for bid this year. It’s hard to envision the Caps locking down both guys as their prices will be high. Having said that, Little Rock will have plenty of money to work with and will be able to find pieces that can fill their shoes as well as anyone can. I still think the Caps will enter the year as one of the favorites, but this is simply a case of when you’re at the top, there’s nowhere to go, but down.

 

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Colorado IceCats | Stock Falling ⋁

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2021 featured Colorado’s toughest year since joining the FCS. They might now be wishing it was tougher as they were not bad enough to get top odds in the lottery. An injured Lamar, a down year for Kamara, and a putrid WR room made things really hard for the Cats. Webb doesn’t have a whole lot invested in his current contracts, but you pay for what you get and there seems to be a lack of talent on the roster as things stand. A big issue is that his most expensive and talented player (Kamara at $70) is facing some legal issues that puts his future in serious doubt. Without Kamara, this team is starved for relevant fantasy options. Devonta Smith would headline his squad. This will be a pivotal offseason for the IceCats, but it seems like a few things need to bounce their way through trades and RFA to recover, especially if Kamara is gone. In the past, Webb has been a little hesitant to pull the trigger on trades. It will be interesting to see if his strategies change when he is far from his familiar home near the top of the FCS totem pole. At this point it is hard to see Webb returning to FCS glory in 2022.

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Reno Cutthroats | Stock Rising ⋀

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I was relatively high on Reno coming into this year as I thought they boasted the best RB duo to kickoff 2021. Having said that, they were very much a top heavy roster, and an early CMC injury caused them to be a fish out of water. Nate might’ve committed to the rebuild earlier than I would have, but now he might be thanking himself as he, again, may have one of the best RB duos entering the year in Derrick Henry and DeAndre Swift. Saying the WR room is shaky would be an understatement, but stockpiled cash and only two $5 contracts on the books bodes well for the Cutthroats with the robust receiver market that is upcoming in the RFA. Reno is in a position to take a big step forward in 2022 if they play their cards right.

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Charleston Bombers | Stock Rising ⋀

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It was a very “meh” year for Enloe’s Bombers. They hung around playoff contention the entire year, but really never were able to break through. Enloe lacked having “that guy” on his team and was forced to rely on the contributions of many to stay competitive from week to week. Luckily for him, this is the RFA cycle he can get “that guy” and he is not in a terrible position as far as cap space is concerned with Evans, Moore, and Jeudy returning. On top of that, Enloe won the consolation bracket and is among the 3 teams with the highest odds at claiming the #1 rookie pick. Similar to Great Falls, Charleston has developed a reputation for being rather conservative, but the recipe is there for the #BombSquad to take a step forward in 2022.

 

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Twin City Bootleggers | Stock Rising ⋀

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If I had to take my shot on who 2022’s Little Rock would be, it would be Twin City. There is plenty of momentum for the upcoming season. Acquiring Javonte Williams is at the top of the achievement list, but paired with other young studs like Elijah Moore, Kyle Pitts and Tee Higgins and it has the makings of something special. Mix in a new brand and you can see why there is so much excitement. A couple negatives would be that the Bootleggers don’t have any proven veterans currently and they have a nasty contract in Josh Jacobs, but I think both of these issues could be rectified. Sam is going to have a decent chunk of change to work with to make up for the lack of proven players in RFA and I think Jacobs might take a step forward next year with Josh McDaniels running the show.

 

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Nashville Riflemen | Stock Rising ⋀

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What a rough year for the most prestigious franchise in the league. Some may call it a Brown year (stinky). This is going to be a pivotal offseason for Powder City. Their current roster is talent starved. It's highlighted by an aging, expensive DeAndre Hopkins and a mediocre at best RB duo in Damien Harris and Miles Sanders (Oh, and pretty much a mascot at this point in David Johnson). Because of that, it is unlikely that they are going to be able to recoup with the trade market. Brown is going to be forced to be aggressive in the RFA which, historically, is very much against his MO. Having said that, he will have the cash and a high rookie pick to work with. On the contrary to Little Rock, the Riflemen have nowhere to go, but up.

 

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Virginia Beach | Stock Rising ⋀

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Virginia Beach embraced the rebuild in 2021. It seems they might have learned a valuable lesson from their ludicrous spending the year prior. They, no doubt, will look to make some noise in the RFA market, as well. I think what separates the Rovers from a team like the Bootleggers is their current talent on their roster. I’m not so sure that they have any sure-fired keeper worthy players on the roster as they currently stand. I am a fan of Kadarius Toney and Amon-Ra St. Brown showed promise, but they have serious question marks everywhere else. Things will have to bounce their way in RFA to become legitimate contenders. Having said that, the bar is low right now and Hadyn’s aggressive tendencies should pay dividends this offseason. Things are definitely looking up for Neese’s squad, relatively speaking.

 

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Tucson Javelinas | Stock Rising ⋀

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Well the road to the West has run through Portland of late, but I think the buck stops this year. Trent’s wizardry again looks to have paid off. When the Javies acquired JT and Chase, it looked to be a very risky proposition. Well, it turned out about as well as Daniel could have hoped as they assisted in resurrecting a team that struggled early on. Make no qualms about it, though. Losing in the divisional finals is not the standard in the dessert and they will be out for blood next season. A loaded keeper core may feature the top 2 receivers and top 2 backs in fantasy. The only problem is the burden of the hefty contract McCaffrey brings. I would be surprised if he is a Javelina for the start of 2022 as Daniel likely needs the flexibility to make more meaningful moves for depth. While CMC comes at a hefty price and injury risk, I believe someone will take the risk which will allow Tucson to be an aggressive player in RFA.

 

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DC Anarchy | Stock Rising ⋀

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It was a very curious year for Zach Massey. A rough start triggered a rebuild. This rebuild ended up not being a rebuild at all as the Anarchy roared back into contention and ultimately a playoff berth. They were less than 5 points away from beating the eventual champs in the Wildcard round. I expect them to pick up where they left off. They don’t have the best cap situation due to a couple of pricey contracts followed up by being $24 in the red through trades, but his pricey contracts are studs in Harris and Hill. He already possesses the talent to be competitive. He really just needs to stay watered and build around the studs he already has. I expect him to search for value in RFA to do just that. Barring some version of 2016 Massey showing up, I imagine he will be right in the thick of things for 2022.