*Analyzing Sarasota's Protection List/Some Predictions

[Booger]

Analyzing Sarasota’s Protection List :

Expansion, love it or hate it, it's here. Expansion was announced at the beginning of the S25 season, and all of us have been anxiously awaiting the draft, all of us except for those protected by our teams. Each team was allotted 8 expansion protections (6 if you don't want to count GM’s) which really isn’t a lot given how most teams have around 10-15 active and high earning players. There were a couple of additional rules that went along with this though, for example, players drafted in S24 are automatically protected, and, for every player taken, the team that that player was taken from is awarded one extra protection slot, bringing the total to 9. However, no matter what happens, each existing ISFL will lose 2 quality players in the expansion draft. As a player for the Sarasota Sailfish, I thought it would be a good idea to analyze Sarasota’s protection list to try and figure out the reasoning behind each protection. I’ll also be going through who I think are the best players for expansion teams (worst for us) to draft from the Sailfish.

First, let's start off with the protection list:

Dexter Banks II (QB): A pretty self-explanatory pick here. Dexter Banks II swapped over to QB a couple of offseasons ago and has really begun to emerge as a star over the course of S25. He is easily one of the favorites for awards like QBotY and potentially even MVP, given how much better the Sailfish have performed this season compared to last. Thus, it's pretty easy to figure out why the GMs decided to protect him here. Simply put, without him, the offense would be non-existent. He’s currently at 1109 TPE, but is in regression and is set to lose 20% of his TPE this offseason. He may not be around for too much longer, but Sarasota locked up their QB position for at least the next 2-3 seasons with this pick.

Jamie Nikiah (S): Jamie Nikiah is another really important pick for Sarasota. Other than Nikiah, no protections were given out to the secondary. The Sailfish do have a nice young secondary core though with Harrison Andrews and Eric Richards, so while they may potentially be forced to take the loss of someone like Xavien Adams who they traded for last season, they should bounce back reasonably well. Nikiah is currently at 884 TPE, and as an S20 guy, has been a really great earner. Another reasonably easy pick here for the Sailfish.

Cuco Clemente (DT): The first of 5 S22 guys on this list is Cuco Clemente. Clemente was actually the first Sailfish ever drafted (not counting the expansion draft) and has lived up to his selection so far. He’s been really active both on the forums and in the locker room and is very much the heart of the Sailfish defensive line. Losing him would put too much pressure on an otherwise very young DL, so it’s definitely a good idea for the Sailfish to protect him. Clemente is at 750 TPE and is the highest TPE defensive tackle in the class, so expect some very good production from him in the future.

Haha Mango-Panda (LB): Haha Mango-Panda is another really great S22 player for the Sailfish. Panda was (if I recall correctly) the second Sarasota player drafted, which goes to show how great some of those picks were to still be extremely active today. Panda is one of two linebackers selected on this list but edges out Fawn in TPE at 732 compared to 677. Panda has also been incredible this season, with over 90 tackles, 9 sacks and 18 passes defended, though his production has unfortunately dipped in the latter half of the season. Panda is overall just a great person to have on the team and has proven that he is well worth this protection slot. HahaVP btw.

James Angler (TE/FB?):  Angler is the third S22 guy selected in a row on this list but is definitely worthy of this slot. Angler, despite sucking at uno, is actually Sarasota’s leading receiver this year, with 1256 yards, just 3 more than Michael Witheblock. Angler was the Sailfish drafted directly behind me but has since overtaken me in TPE earned with 714. Since the Sailfish may end up losing receiver Rain Gordon in the expansion draft, it's important that they locked up a great tight end (fullback?) to help fill that void.

Fawn Dillmiballs (LB): Here’s me! I’ve got to say I was somewhat surprised I ended up being protected by the GM’s in Sarasota. I just didn’t think that with only 6 protection slots, having 2 slots being taken up by linebackers would be feasible. But, here I am, and I’m super glad to be staying on the team. I’m not entirely sure how (probably forgetting my predictions) but my TPE production has slowed recently which is somewhat unfortunate, but at 677 TPE I’m by no means slacking off too heavily. Sarasota made a choice to lock down their linebacker core for years to come in the S22 draft, and are sticking to that choice here by protecting me. It feels great to be recognized and I’m looking forward to playing in Sarasota for many seasons to come!

Raphtalia Chan (RB/GM) and Michael Witheblock (WR/GM): It was I’m sure a pretty easy decision to protect both GMs for Sarasota. They’ve done a great job at constructing a team with a shot at the Ultimus, and are in charge of vital players on the team. For Frost, that player is Raphtalia Chan, an S21 running back who, despite being given a heavily decreased workload this season under the new air raid offense, has and will lock down the running back position in the seasons to come. The second GM/player protected is Michael Witheblock. Witheblock is my only S22 Coyote buddy to end up on the Sailfish, but has since risen the ranks and is now co-GM of the team! He’s a great sim tester and an awesome guy in the locker room, so it is a no brainer for him to be continuing here in Sarasota. He is also Sarasota’s second receiver in yards with 1253 yards but is far more efficient than Angler with 21.6 yards per catch compared to 14.6.

Expansion Draft Predictions: Now that we’ve gone through the players protected by Sarasota, I’ll be predicting who the expansion teams take and which other Sarasota player will be protected as a result.

Pick #1: Son Goku. Unfortunately for the Sailfish, they end up losing a phenomenal talent here in Son Goku. Goku has been incredible thus far for the Sailfish, even winning defensive rookie of the year last season. He was one of three extremely talented defensive linemen for the Sailfish (Edd, Clemente, and Goku) but unfortunately, with only so many protection slots, there's almost a guarantee that you’ll lose at least one fantastic player. Whichever team ends up drafting Goku first will have an incredible defensive lineman who’ll lockdown that front for many seasons to come.

Extra protection: Rayne Gordon. Sarasota takes their chance to ensure that the bulk of their S25 receivers return for the S26 season by protecting Rayne Gordon here. Rayne was one of two founding GMs for the Sailfish but due to IRL reasons decided to step down. He’s maintained his productivity for the Sailfish though and having an extra 1000+ TPE wide receiver can’t hurt.

Pick #2: Clark Boyd, TE. Boyd is arguably one of the greatest steals in ISFL history and has become an integral part of the Sailfish offense in the past few seasons. Losing him will hurt, but the Sailfish can rest assured that Angler will be able to continue to hold down the tight end position. What will hurt the most is losing a great part of the Sarasota locker room. Boyd has been a super active member of the team and it would be a great shame to lose him. Whichever team picks him up in the draft will be getting a great player and locker room piece.

Expansion isn’t very much fun for any team but it is tough knowing that however the expansion teams approach this, two great Sarasota players won’t be taking the field for us next season. Though I’m not sure exactly who will be taken, I preemptively wish them the best in their new homes and hope that they can find great success wherever they end up!

So that brings us to the end of this article. Thanks for reading my word vomit as I struggle to afford equipment.

[Frostbite]

What if we lose no body

[Booger]

What if we lose no body

[Frostbite]

hehehehe

[Cheech65]