BEST MOVE OF THE WEEK
There weren't any glaringly obvious Best Move of the Week candidates this past week, so I'm going outside the box on this one. The starters chosen in every matchup almost universally played better than bench players, and there was no bold or risky call that paid off. Guys that were supposed to score scored. Almost embarrassingly, I'm forced to dig a little deep and once again mention a defense. We're going to look at the Miami D/ST, the first waiver claim of the week by Ray Rice is an asshole. Miami absolutely obliterated the Jaguars, earning RRiaa an absurd 33 points. Though RRiaa won by over 27 points, there's no doubt that choosing the right D/ST played a huge role in the win. WORST MOVE OF THE WEEK In Weeks Six and Seven, Tom Brady has looked like the Tom Brady we've known for the last decade. In Week Eight, he continued his dominance, earning 32.2 points against Chicago. Unfortunately for our "Best Move of the Week" earner, RRiaa, he also chose to leave Mr. Brady on his bench in favor of Russell Wilson and his 11.8 points. As previously mentioned, there wasn't really any impact on the final score with either of these moves, but the fact remains that RRiaa could have scored another 21+ points if he had rolled with the hot hand against the second-worst passing defense in the league. Honorable Mention: TK playing Paul Posluszny. Power Rankings: #1 the mullynation (6-2) --- The #1 overall spot remains in the clutches of the mullynation for another week. This is a team that is 1.2 points away from being the highest-scoring team for three straight weeks. the mullynation has now scored 976 points on the season, 92 points more than second place. This week was a dominating performance by the entire team, with SIX mullynation players earning at least 19.8 points. That makes scoring 156 points pretty straightforward, actually. In the battle of husband vs. wife, it would seem like wife had some more ammo in this case. Murray put up 20+ points without a touchdown. Luck continued his MVP campaign with the help of TY Hilton, and Mark Ingram picked up right where he left off now that he is healthy again. Calvin Johnson is reportedly coming back this week, and Jimmy Graham is apparently healthy enough after earning 12 points this week. It would appear that the mullynation has survived the worst of the injuries, and at 6-2, another win guarantees a playoff berth. Facing the underdog RRiaa (2-6) this week could be enough. We'll just have to see what happens. #2 Staff Infection (6-2) --- SI rode Jeremy Maclin to the tune of 31.4 points, overcoming some average days from Lamar Miller, Gio Bernard, and Demaryius Thomas. Jordan Cameron continues his year of mediocrity (wait was that me who predicted that?) and is basically droppable at this time, even without considering the fact that he'll likely miss the next two weeks. Still though, SI got the job done yet again against a surprising TK. SI is gearing up for a Top 2 seed, with TDfW and GMMBP as its two main competitors. Given the mullynation is in the other division, there's no competition there. SI faces off against TDfW in Week Nine, then GMMBP in Week Ten, with both teams having major Bye problems in those weeks. The next two weeks are going to be pivotal in securing a top 2 seed and the first-round playoff bye, but we'll just have to see what happens. #3 Turn Down for Watt (5-3) --- TDfW walked into a veritable buzzsaw this week, and that buzzsaw was in the form of his wife. No one was going to catch the mullynation in Week Eight, but TDfW was the lamb that was brought to the slaughter. I pulled the trigger and made a move for LeSean McCoy by sending the newly-acquired Chris Ivory and AJ Green to RRiaa. Sure, that may be overpaying, but the gamble is going to come down to AJ's health. I'm betting he won't be the same guy as he used to be, and RRiaa is betting he'll be close enough. Ivory has been solid this year, no doubt, but he's not a guy who can take over a game and score 25+. McCoy hasn't shown that this year, but don't forget that last year he AVERAGED 17 points per game behind his stud offensive line. That offensive line has been rocked by injuries and suspensions, but the two most critical pieces are both now returning in Week Nine. I'm gambling Shady starts to resemble his old self. We'll just have to see what happens. #4 Gin Makes Me Bum Pucker (5-3) --- GMMBP continues his remarkable five game winning streak, beating PMotr handily in Week Eight. All things have been pointing up for GMMBP recently, though there is some mild concern on the horizon regarding the RB corps. GMMBP (or should I say "Please Take a Seat") originally had such issues (and reached the #10 seed) due to major issues at RB, but since Justin Forsett and Brandon Oliver filled in, things have improved drastically. The only issue is the recent increased usage of Lorenzo Taliaferro (19.2 points compared to Forsett's 8.8), and the return of Ryan Mathews approaching. It seems possible that GMMBP will make the playoffs but have issues with RB stability at that point. We'll just have to see what happens. #5 302 Cadets (4-4) --- The Cadets posted a healthy total this past week, nearly reaching 140 points. Drew Brees looked like himself again, Charles found the endzone twice, and Brown certainly benefitted from Big Ben's career day. Further, 302 got solid production from Bradshaw, and even Andre Holmes contributed 13 points. Bernard Pierce is a concern, being a healthy scratch from the Ravens' game. It's questionable how much value he has going forward, but it's also not really clear if 302 really needs him for anything. The core of Brees, Charles, and Brown is one of the best in Just Win, Maybe, though some WR depth could still help. Don't forget Odell Beckham Jr. is coming back from Bye this week, so we'll just have to see what happens. #6 Tucker and Duds vs. Evil (3-5) +1 Tucker and Duds vs. Evil is the newest team name in Just Win, Maybe, with Evan evidently figuring that Julio Jones is no longer worthy of the team namesake. After weeks of 5.2 and 5.6, Julio scored 6.1 in Week Eight. Week after week I've defended him (and Brandon Marshall too), but it's becoming more and more clear that Atlanta's significant offensive line issues are limiting Julio's value. It's not a question of his talent, but his opportunity. Fantasy usually isn't won with the most talented team. Forte, on the other hand, continues to play like an MVP candidate, and Golden Tate has flourished in Calvin Johnson's absence. On that note though, with Calvin returning this week, is TaDvE losing its most productive WR? Things could get thin at WR, a position that wouldn't seem to be an issue on paper. We'll just have to see what happens. #7 Ray Rice is an asshole (2-6) +3 The #10 spot is honestly turning into an almost ridiculous predictor of success for the next week. RRiaa put together easily its best week of the year while facing off against its main rival, #Omaha. This team has now officially climbed out of our last place record-wise, tying #Omaha in record but narrowly winning in the tiebreaker: points scored. For both of these teams the playoffs are still a possibility, and I don't think I need to remind everyone that FIVE teams were 7-6 last year, with four of them making the playoffs (including myself, your eventual champion). Regardless of how it turns out, this was a big week for RRiaa. Instead of slipping into last place by two games and kissing the playoffs goodbye, RRiaa got the job done with a nice total of 133 points. This was a balanced team effort (except for Julian Edelman's 1.4 point stinker), headlined by Dolphins D/ST scoring 33 points. The total could have easily been higher too, as mentioned earlier regarding Tom Brady. Trading LeSean McCoy may have stung emotionally, but getting Chris Ivory and AJ Green is solid value. Ivory outscored McCoy this week, and when Green returns, his presence will lock up a nice WR corps. This next week takes RRiaa on the road to the mullynation, a stiff test. The reality is that for RRiaa to make the playoffs, the next five weeks are going to need to be 5-0 or at least 4-1. It isn't the best time to play the mullynation, but we'll just have to see what happens. #8 Poppin Mollies on the reg (4-4) -2 PMotr was our low-man-on-the-totem-pole this week, with a score of just 88.3. It was the only team to not break 100, and it would have been a 50+ point victory had Sammy Watkins not caught a garbage time TD when the Bills were already leading by 20+. Sammy saved PMotr from temporarily becoming the Butt Pirates or Little Daniel's Shower Time, and for that, Dan should be pleased. Still though, this is a team that I have a hard time figuring out. Two weeks ago they looked really rough. Last week they looked solid (+2 in the rankings), and then this week they looked awful again (-2 in the rankings). I'm embarrassing myself trying to rank them. Lynch has finally started to show what I thought we would see at the beginning of the year. Marshawn Lynch, who I seriously owe an apology to. I thought Lynch was going to head into a downturn this season (and he still may), but this far, he’s been absolutely fantastic. PMotr will go as Lynch goes, as Martin, Ellington, Asiata, and Joique Bell are not exactly the most proven commodities. I wrote that after Week Three, and I think it's worth recalling. As Lynch has seemingly hit his downturn, PMotr is left grasping for RB consistency. The pickup of Denard Robinson may ease that issue, as the playoffs are obviously a very real possibility despite the #8 ranking. We'll just have to see what happens. #9 Team Kanne (3-5) -1 TK is a frustrating case. This is a team that has ridiculous potential and has scored big points a couple times, but it's just not a common thing. Arian Foster may end up being the only RB who you could argue is BETTER than Demarco Murray right now, at least on a per-game basis. He's playing lights-out and giving TK a chance to win almost every week. Jay Cutler scored back in his usual wheelhouse, totaling 21.7 points. TK got solid production from Greg Jennings, Delanie Walker, the Lions D/ST, and Adam Vinatieri, but really the team was done in by Antone Smith and Paul Posluszny. After scoring just 0.9 points last week, Antone Smith perhaps wasn't the safest play this week, but it's tough to count on Knile Davis or Alfred Blue, since both are backups. Then again, so is Smith. Smith had three carries for five yards before injuring his neck and leaving the game. That, along with Paul Posluszny's zero points (that's what happens when a player is on IR), cost TK the upset victory over SI. Had TK played a decent defensive player and either Blue or Davis at RB2, he would have won. Hopefully this is the last time we see a player starting for TK who is not playing for the week, but we'll just have to see what happens. #10 #Omaha! (2-6): -1 Despite breaking 100 points, #Omaha! still scored the second-fewest of the week. The RB position is officially a major issue, with only one #Omaha! RB scoring at least 7 points since Week Three, when Zac Stacy scored 12.1. Week Four: CJ Spiller (6.4), Bobby Rainey (1.8) Week Five: Zac Stacy (5.8), CJ Spiller (3.3) Week Six: Andre Williams (5.9), Doug Martin (4.8), CJ Spiller (-0.1) Week Seven: Andre Williams (5.1), Isaiah Crowell (2.3) Week Eight: Ronnie Hillman (13.8), Doug Martin (2.6), Isaiah Crowell (0.9) That means that #Omaha! has been earning 4.38 fantasy points per RB start over the last five weeks. Week Eight actually improved that number quite a bit! If we look at just Weeks Four through Seven, that average drops to 3.92 per RB start. Needless to say, this is a team in dire need of RB help. Waiver claims, trades, whatever. Something needs to help this RB corps. Montee Ball returning might actually be bad news. He did very little in the early season before getting injured, and his presence may split the RB focus from just Hillman to Hillman/Ball, making neither one a good RB1. Still though, the blessing of the #10 spot hasn't failed yet, and #Omaha! has a crucial matchup with his brother GMMBP in Week Nine. GMMBP won the first round, but can #Omaha! settle the score and make a push for the playoffs? We'll just have to see what happens. Predictions (Winners underlined): Staff Infection (6-2, +884/-753) @ Turn Down for Watt (5-3, +829/-803) Ray Rice is an asshole (2-6, +724/-859) @ the mullynation (6-2, +976/-877) Poppin Mollies on the reg (4-4, +782/-748) @ Tucker and Duds vs. Evil (3-5, +799/-855) Team Kanne (3-5, +815/-829) @ 302 Cadets (4-4, +852/-795) Gin Makes Me Bum Pucker (5-3, +742/-749) @ #Omaha! (2-6, +709/-845) Last Week’s Picks: (5-0) Overall record: (24-16)
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By: Hayden HansonMr. Hayden Hanson (Editor in Chief) is an Accountant-extraordinaire, as well as an aspiring writer. He has written several moderately-successful self-help books, the most famous of which is "What Do You Mean You Can Smell My BO?" Gustav Travers of the New York Times praised the book as "A vulnerable, courageous look into the mind of a man who has literally no sense that other people exist. And also no sense of smell. Nope, he definitely doesn't have that either. Just musk, like a hog that's gotten into the cabbage." Archives
September 2019
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