Tuesday, November 28, 2017

IX: Week Twelve Results

Headed into the final week of the season, we've got a pretty good lock on the playoff teams barring some record highs and record lows, although the seedings are still very much up in the air: the 10-2 Deputy Van Halens are #1, and everyone else is scrambling for their seat.

Phoenix at 8-4 has the inside track for the #2 seed and the second bye; With 134.56 points on Savannah and 231.72 over New York, a win over hapless Toronto this week should guarantee them a week of rest. A loss would open up an opportunity for the other 8-4 teams, Savannah or New York to sneak into the bye with a win. Should all three lose, the winner of the #5 Binghamton (7-5) vs #6 HCM City (7-5) game could catapult all the way up to the two seed on points.

The loser of that matchup is likely still in line for the six seed. #7 Pawnee vs #8 South Park features two 6-6 teams, and while the victor will get to put 2017 down as a winning season, they would need to close a prolific points deficit in a single week to get into the dance. The best odds are a Pawnee win and a HCM loss, coupled with the former outscoring the latter by at least 109.65.

They are not good odds.

Freshly eliminated are the South Philly Rum Ham, who drop to 5-7 pending a stat correction reversal over Pawnee. It is their third matchup decided by less than two points; They went 1-2 in those games, the win coming upon review. If the 185.84 to 184.28 score stands, so be it. If it is reversed, Philly is fifty points back of Pawnee, making the top six seeds all the safer.

The Hill Valley McFlys finally came alive, winning two straight and guaranteeing themselves a bid for the consolation bracket. They have never finished worse than seventh overall- they'll need to win their third undercard to keep that streak of 'top half of the league' results going.

Oakwood's five game losing streak sunk their season in spectacular fashion; They'll face fellow 4-8 squad Mar-A-Lago this week, with the loser having a slight risk of falling out of the consolation bracket... but it's unlikely. On points and matchups, both 3-9 Canadian teams figure to see their seasons end mercifully this week- although Manitoba showed some pride and scraped out a win over a coasting Deputy in their penultimate showing.

SCOREBOARD:



Week 12 Matchups


POWER OUTPUT:
  1. SAV 262: Monster output from a team cresting at the right time; Julio Jones reminds everyone that he is as dominant a force as there is in this game. Joe Mixon's arrival is nice, too.
  2. HVM 232: Well, here's the defending champs looking like defending champs! Keenan Allen has recovered from his midseason swoon in a big, big way; Bobby Wagner is boss.
  3. BIN 218: Surging into first in overall points, the the Snipers are not anyone's ideal playoff matchup, deep and potent at every position. Alvin freaking Kamara.
  4. SPC 215: The Cows' rough start will keep them from the playoffs, but won't stop them from pushing for the top spot in next year's draft- a lot of underheralded gems on this roster.
  5. NYF 206: Some low scoring early wins pumped up their standing, but New York's quietly been showing legitimacy this month; This was a 'good loss' the team a viable contender.
  6. PHX 191: The team may have peaked midseason, but still have won eight of nine. After waiting three months (and two years) for Josh Gordon, he's set to return this week.
  7. HCM 191: A win would have put them in nice position to claim the #2 bye, but the Lead Farmers look like a credible playoff threat with scary upside.
  8. PAW 186: The back half of the season was a nightmare scenario for the Pride; This was their best effort in six weeks, but the result hangs precariously and may be futile regardless.
  9. RUM 184: Last week it was Kenny Stills, this week they wasted Robby Anderson- The Rum Ham's 2017 will go down as one of the great 'what-if?' seasons in Larkspur Bowl history.
  10. MMC 179: Dropping the top seed doesn't matter to Deputy, but it's a nice feather in Manitoba's hat. Breaking 190 in their final game would be a nice goal... They did it 12 times in '16.
  11. OAK 172: Tom Brady can't win alone. This was one of the worst RB situations all year and Dev Freeman's injury left the cupboard totally barren. Gotta grind that carousel around, kids.
  12. DVH 143: Weeks 12, 13, and 14 all mean nothing to Deputy, which is good since Zeke and Crab are suspended. A loss in week fifteen would be a huge disappointment, considering.
  13. MAL 159: Antonio Brown is really good- like, too good. Still not good enough to compensate for eleven starters scoring single digits though. 
  14. LTP 115: No holes in the lineup despite the woeful total. With Kelvin Benjamin and Sterling Shepard nursing injuries, the team has packed it in with a week left to endure.
TEAM OF THE WEEK:

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Monday, November 27, 2017

2017 Trade Review

This season's sixteen deals were all sound transactions when they were made, but some proved to be more beneficial (or detrimental) than others. This season's best trade additions?
  1. Savannah revives Alshon Jeffery: The team has gone 4-1 since he arrived and he has put up scores of 20.5, 24.9, 17.9, and 14.6 (with his bye week in there as well.) This was the perfect buy at just the right time, and the main reason Savannah's bite backs its bark.
  2. Binghamton scores Cam Newton: Losing an all time great QB and replacing him seamlessly has really worked out for the Snipers, making them one of the league's scariest teams, one that threatened to drop 300 and has no discernible weakness going into week 13.
  3. Pawnee nabs Melvin Gordon and Marvin Jones: Both players have been every week starters, giving quality numbers in 80% of their games, while the players they were exchanged for have been suspended or just plain terrible. 
  4. Philadelphia strikes gold in Robby Anderson & Tevin Coleman: have both outshone Marquise Lee since the deal. Each will figure prominently into the Rum Ham consolation bid, as they look to solidify the first pick in the draft for a second year in a row.
  5. Manitoba Wentz there: The rest of the team fell to shambles, but the trade for Carson Wentz ends up being the sort of move that promises Manitoba should be back in contention in 2018.
Curiously enough, the league's current top seeds of Deputy and Phoenix both appear to have lost substantially on a pair of trades... yet are playoff locks. Just the pitfalls of weekly variance, the benefits of a deep roster, and some really good (or bad) luck.
  1. Pawnee has to be considered the winners of the trade, simply because Melvin Gordon played all twelve games this season, while Zeke Elliot was suspended for half of them. That said, Deputy is going to the playoffs as the #1 seed, and the Pride are in the consolation bracket so...
  2. This deal goes to Pawnee, primarily because, but for injury, Chris Carson looked like a legitimate starting RB, while everyone else has proven to be a spare part. Besides...
  3. Pawnee moved Njoku for Hunter Henry shortly thereafter, while simultaneously buying low on Cam Newton and selling high on Matt Stafford. A small coup.
  4. A trade of minimal significance, Oliver was merely an un-utilized handcuff, whereas Ellington started a game and scored zero. Advantage Pawnee.
  5. This deal looked good for Deputy initially as Lee's role grew, but over the long haul Anderson and Coleman both proved to be high value assets that keyed Philadelphia's shortly live resurgence. 
  6. Carson Wentz for two players that were gone before kickoff ended up being a QB1 for nothing. Savannah's greatest lament should they not win it all this year.
  7. An even deal, where Hill Valley scored a TE2 and South Park got a RB2, plus took a flyer on a failed WR. Made sense for both teams then and now.
  8. Phoenix bought low on both WRs: Sean Lee and Duke Johnson both suffering injuries made it look shrewder than it actually was. Kearse has had his moments.
  9. After giving away Carson Wentz, the Petes nabbed Alex Smith at the bargain price of a $2 scratchoff. All things considered, they wish they had Wentz, but this was okay.
  10. Binghamton lost Aaron Rodgers to injury and responded by adding Cam Newton who immediately guided the team to relevance. Aaron Jones' injury bottomed out the return- Roger Lewis remained bye week flex filler at best. 
  11. Pawnee has turned Marvin Jones into a WR1, reeling off elite numbers in four of five starts- but Pawnee is on the verge of losing all four of them. Still, they would have been far worse off with Jordan Matthews, who looks utterly spent and deserving of his spot on the trash heap.
  12. Savannah also acquired a Phoenix WR and immediately transformed him into a high end producer, as Alshon Jeffery turned his season around, going from overrated WR3 to sneaky WR1; Frank Gore has continued to be steadily dependable, but ASJ's tumbled following the deal. On the other side Phoenix helped their depth but hurt their top-end, as neither Parker nor Abdullah serve as every week starters. At least they spun off Pryor!
  13. With the roster number crunch weighing on them, Phoenix turned IR eligible Corey Coleman into cornerback Marcus Peters who scored 27.7 in his Uprising debut. Coleman has looked good in two games since returning to the lineup for Pawnee, but may be too little too late.
  14. In the same vein, Pawnee's acquisition of Coleman meant saying bon voyage to IR'd Greg Olsen, who was paired with Eddie Lacy on a trip to Manitoba. Both players were hurt in their Moosecrew debut, because that's the season they are having. Theo Riddick has been back end of the bench filler, while Carr was subsequently turned into...
  15. Terrelle Pryor. Phoenix had already bought bargain basement on the second round pick and was lucky to get anything for him- his value already crashing hard, it bottomed out in Pawnee with a 3.3 point start and a trip to injured reserve in a low risk (but still losing) gamble. Carr stepped in for Phoenix after Deshaun Watson's untimely injury, part of a committee with...
  16. Kirk Cousins, who Phoenix made their seventh quarterback through ten weeks. Selling Powell was a godsend, as he has struggled mightily with the Grabbers, despite context clues pointing upward for him. Mar-A-Lago's RB troop ends up being one of the worst on the year with only eight of 24 starts to date meeting their projections.
We'll see if any of these long term deals end up paying dividends when it matters most: The Playoffs.
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Friday, November 24, 2017

O Captain, My Captain!

Week Twelve means that every player has gone through their bye week, which also means every player has had the potential to put ten games on paper. As such, we'll take a look at the list of players that have been on the field for 100% of the snaps they could take with their team. (Except Manitoba. Who through a combination of injury and inefficiency have been unable to get any player on the field for ten games. Their captains played nine.)

 BINGHAMTON SNIPERS

  • WR AJ GREEN
  • TE KYLE RUDOLPH

  DEPUTY VAN HALENS

  • WR DOUG BALDWIN
  • WR LARRY FITZGERALD
  • RB CARLOS HYDE
  • DE JADEVEON CLOWNEY
  • LB CJ MOSLEY
  • LB KJ WRIGHT

  HCM LEAD FARMERS

  • QB DAK PRESCOTT
  • RB LE'VEON BELL
  • WR TYREEK HILL
  • RB LAMAR MILLER
  • WR DESEAN JACKSON
  • LB ALEC OGLETREE
  • LB CHRISTIAN KIRKSEY
  • DE MELVIN INGRAM

  HILL VALLEY MCFLYS

  • WR MICHAEL THOMAS
  • WR KEENAN ALLEN
  • LB BOBBY WAGNER
  • LB DEION JONES

  TORONTO LES TRES PETITES

  • WR DEANDRE HOPKINS
  • WR KELVIN BENJAMIN
  • RB LESEAN MCCOY
  • K STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI
  • LB JUSTIN HOUSTON
  • S HAHA CLINTON DIX
  • LB ERIC KENDRICKS
  • DT NDAMUKONG SUH
  • LB KIKO ALONSO

  MAR-A-LAGO GRABBERS

  • WR ANTONIO BROWN
  • WR DEMARYIUS THOMAS

  MANITOBA MOOSECREW

  • RB DEMARCO MURRAY
  • WR DAVANTE ADAMS
  • LB TJ WATT

  NEW YORK'S FINEST

  • RB TODD GURLEY
  • WR SAMMY WATKINS
  • LB ZACH BROWN
  • S LANDON COLLINS
  • S JAMAL ADAMS

  OAKWOOD DRIVERS

  • QB TOM BRADY
  • WR JARVIS LANDRY

  PAWNEE PRIDE

  • QB DREW BREES
  • RB KAREEM HUNT
  • RB MELVIN GORDON
  • LB CHANDLER JONES
  • DE JOEY BOSA

  PHOENIX UPRISING

  • TE JIMMY GRAHAM
  • WR BRANDIN COOKS
  • WR DEZ BRYANT
  • DE KHALIL MACK
  • LB RYAN SHAZIER
  • S RESHAD JONES

  PHILADELPHIA RUM HAM

  • TE TRAVIS KELCE
  • QB MATT RYAN
  • WR ADAM THIELEN
  • LB MARK BARRON

  SAVANNAH PETES

  • WR JULIO JONES
  • RB CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY
  • K JUSTIN TUCKER
  • LB BERNARDRICK MCKINNEY
  • CB DARIUS SLAY
  • S TYRANN MATHIEU
  • LB VON MILLER
  • S HARRISON SMITH

 SOUTH PARK COWS

  • QB RUSSELL WILSON
  • LB TELVIN SMITH
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Tuesday, November 21, 2017

IX: Week Eleven Results

The trade deadline came and went without another exchange, and a huge part of that is the market. In a re-draft league, there is only a BUYER's market; All fourteen teams are looking to add. When injuries or ineffectiveness create a need, and another teams has surplus value at a position the potential for an exchange exists, if both teams can agree on value.

But there's no SELLER's market. There is only the season at hand, so the opportunity to mortgage current assets in exchange for future considerations is limited. Even the draft order, the league's only link between seasons, is incentive for winning, doubling down on the BUYER's market. The answer to this riddle is carry-over: KEEPERS and DRAFT PICKS, commodities linked in utility. In order to make one quantifiable, so too comes the other. The proposition has existed before, and will be revisited again this off season.

IN ANY CASE! The contenders will be forced to forge ahead with the team they have, cast-offs and upstarts on the wire the only reinforcements coming. That group of contenders has whittled away another team: most likely the downtrodden Oakwood Drivers who, after four straight losses, now sit at 4-7. However, their battle with the South Park Cows may not be quite over: separated by a scant 1.2 points, a reversal is possible. Ultimately the winner has the longest playoff odds imaginable- but mathematically, a green team will remain eligible for another week. The loser is done, relegated to consolation goals with two weeks left in the regular season.

That was the week's closest duel, but four currently playoff bound teams also had tightly contested games previewing the playoff to come: #1 seed Deputy ousted Savannah 192.63-189.7 in a struggle that came down to the final minute, and could conceivably also feature a stat correction review. Meanwhile, the oldest team in the league outlasted the newest, as Phoenix topped Binghamton and ended their six game win-streak.

Meanwhile, New York's Finest moved into sole possession of the #2 seed, getting to 8-3; Well behind the Van Halens in points, that's likely the highest they can reach after striking a critical blow to Pawnee's Pride. Due to point differential, the Finest will likely need to win out (at Hill Valley, vs Deputy) to secure the bye- but the opportunity is in their hands, no one else can reach 10 wins this season... Pending an overturned call awarding Savannah the game.

At 7-5 and all but assured a post season berth are Phoenix, HCM City, and those Savannah Petes. While this should be the Uprising's eight straight playoff appearance, the Lead Farmers and Petes have much more sordid histories. The Lead Farmers' only post season jaunt was way back in 2010, when (née the Levee G-Men) they upended the Atlanta Rage in the first round before falling to eventual LBII Champion Phoenix. Meanwhile, Savannah has had three tickets punched ('09, '11, and '14) with the last featuring the franchise's only postseason victory, when (as the Margaritaville Parrots) they dropped Toronto LTP before dropping to... Phoenix. (The Uprising would lose LBVI to New York.)

Binghamton sits alone at 6-4, in the sixth and final playoff seed. With a very healthy lead in points, it would take an utter collapse for them to miss the playoffs in their debut season- as long as they win one game the chances of them, in two games, as the odds of them ceding their 175.42 lead on Pawnee or the ~225 points they have on South Park or South Philly are infinitesimally minuscule. HOWEVER, if they lose to Oakwood AND HCM City to close the season, they will fall under .500% and likely see one of those lesser teams steal their seat.

Things of note at the bottom: Mar-A-Lago led the league in points this week, while Hill Valley pushed up into 12th, leaving Toronto in the cellar and Manitoba locked in the sub-basement.

 SCOREBOARD:


Week 11 Matchups


POWER OUTPUT:
  1. MAL 217: Antonio Brown and Rishard Matthews paced this game, and there was no looking back from the word go. Too late to mean much, but nice to be on top for a week.
  2. SPC 203: Russell Wilson is putting this team on his back and willing them forward, but even winning out might not be enough. A *SECOND* game lost on reversal would be crushing.
  3. HCM 202: After hitting a bit of a lull following a 5-1 start, Alec Ogletree and Christian Kirksey picked up their boy Dak Prescott and got the train back on track.
  4. OAK 201: It looks like Oakwood's fifth season will be their fifth season failing to make the playoffs. They can blame their deplorable running back depth for this one.
  5. HVM 195: HThe McFlys would prefer to forget this season but with a strong finish they could get to a respectable 6-7 and perhaps secure the top pick for the third time in four years.
  6. DVH 193: Jadeveon Clowney has been a monster of the midway, the league's premier stopper up front, finally delivering on all of the hype. He's the key to Deputy's great season.
  7. SAV 190: Aaron Donald was the only one who couldn't deliver at least 7.5 points, and that's what it came down to in this one. Robert Woods going down post deadline hits at their achilles.
  8. NYF 190: This clutch squad wins, even if it is usually not by much. The lackluster WRs are just who they are now- they overcome it time and time again. 
  9. PHX 186: They survive a horribly inefficient week where they left a ton of points on the board. Lots of depth means lots of choices, which means lots of room for second guesses.
  10. BIN 175: Their batch of RBs are cream of the crop, but the excess cannot help them now. What can help them is Cam Newton returning from bye. Win & in, they've got two swings at it.
  11. RUM 172: Kenny Stills, 34.8 on the bench; Jermaine Gresham 1.8 in the flex, 33 point margin, lose by 29.43. Swap them and at 6-5 they're in a three way race for two spots. Instead...
  12. LTP 166: Injuries piling up to match disinterest wastes one of the best RB tandems in the game. Two glaring holes on the offense wipe out competitiveness: Two more games.
  13. MMC 153: In a season where nothing has gone right, the effort is there despite the results being absent. They'll be well equipped to bounce back in 2018.
  14. PAW 150: They've been unable to breach 170 on their 1-4 swoon, as the team that scored 200+ in 5 of 6 weeks to start the year is gone. Perhaps they went a trade too far?

TEAM OF THE WEEK:

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Friday, November 17, 2017

The Impending Deadline

The Larkspur Bowl trade deadline is technically 11:59pm (PST) tomorrow, Saturday 11/18; That translates to 2:59am EST in the wee early hours of Sunday 11/19 at league headquarters in New York. Things have been quiet on the trade front, as we've gone nearly ten days since the league completed its fifteenth deal. The active players on the trade block in 2017 break down like this:


PAWNEE: 9
PHOENIX: 6
MANITOBA: 3
DEPUTY: 3
SAVANNAH: 3
PHILADELPHIA: 2
MAR A LAGO: 2
BINGHAMTON: 1
SOUTH PARK: 1
HILL VALLEY: 1
NEW YORK: 1
TORONTO: 0
HCM CITY: 0
OAKWOOD: 0

Before the deadline we'll take a look at one position of perceived need for each team, as well as float a few plausible deals that could go down in the next thirty hours. All fourteen teams are still competing for something- be it this year, next year's draft, or just a modicum of respect.

 Deputy Van Halens
RB - With Zeke Elliot suspended, the Van Halens are left with very little RB depth after Carlos Hyde and Alfred Morris. But for a team that won't see meaningful action til week 15, maybe that is not such a big deal. Perhaps they can acquire David Johnson and bye week TY Hilton by sending must-win Philadelphia Doug Baldwin.

 Savannah Petes
FLEX - The TE spot has been an achilles heel for the Petes all year, and after their big three WRs (Julio, Alshon, and Robert Woods) there's nobody else to count on. Maybe a talent infusion from Manitoba: Gore/Woods/Ebron for Hogan/Fuller/Bennett? At 7-3 they can afford to take on injuries to supplement a playoff run.

 New York's Finest
WR - The team has no true WR1 potential at the position, as Devin Funchess and Sammy Watkins intimidate no one. The team would likely have to move Gurley and roll with Martin and Burkhead to net difference makers at the spot. Perhaps Jared Cook to Toronto for Kelvin Benjamin, leaving Engram to TE and the flex as the only soft spot?

 Binghamton Snipers
S - The offense is stacked, but the secondary's back end could use a steady presence alongside Jahleel Addae. The wire's an option, but with good RB depth they might be able to peel away an elite safety for a spare part? Dion Lewis for Deputy breakout Safety Kevin Byard might be an nontraditional upgrade for both teams.

 Phoenix Uprising
RB - The carousel is full up, with six RBs on the roster- and no kicker at the moment. None of them project to be a slam dunk every week starter, so the team would like to turn their depth into something more dependable, a bankable asset that leaves only one spot in rotation. The team is definitely open for business!

 HCM City Lead Farmers
WR - There are plenty of pretty good options on the roster, but if the team could package two (or three) for one surer thing they may be better served longterm. New York looks like a plausible partner- could we see Desean Jackson and Golden Tate for Devin Funchess?

 Pawnee Pride
TE - Hunter Harvey has the upside but not the steady volume. Cameron Brate had the volume, but that well appears dry. Without a a clearly defined trade asset, a bigger deal involving many moving parts may be the answer. Start at Kareem Hunt and Hunter Henry to Hill Valley for Delanie Walker and Latavius Murray?

 Philadelphia Rum Ham
QB - It is probably sacrilege but Matt Ryan is the #16 on the year. He's up to #8 over the past month's upturn, but with the QB market fairly inexpensive and the team deep, a creative backup solution solution shouldn't be ruled out. Or with the season on the line, maybe TY Hilton to HCM for Desean and Deonte?

 Oakwood Drivers
RB - With Dev Freeman doubtful and the depth chart fairly woeful, the Drivers' should be considering a big deal to nab multiple backfield options. Getting an RB2 and an RB3 for the injured star shouldn't be hard; Maybe they could nab a quality safety in the deal as well, dumping Mike Gillislee and Tyler Higbee.

 South Park Cows
S - The Cow secondary boasts some nice cornerbacks, but the safeties have each only scored double digits in four of nine games over the first ten weeks of the season. With a superlative linebacking corps, perhaps an IDP for IDP deal could get done... like Trumaine Johnson and Tashaun Gipson to Savannah for Harrison Smith?

 Toronto Les Tres Petites
TE - The bench is a wasteland; Tyrod Taylor, Willie Snead, and George Kittle are all basically worthless at this point. The team could use some RB depth, but there's no active TE this week, so... Taylor Gabriel and Leonard Fournette for Moosecrew's TE Martellus Bennett and RB Duke Johnson?

 Mar-A-Lago Grabbers
RB - Well stocked for a consolation bracket run, the Grabbers could do with an upgrade at RB, where they have nice depth and upside options, but no real elite starter. Perhaps pairing Martavis Bryant and CJ Anderson for Oakwood's Devonta Freeman would work, with an eye on securing the top pick next year?

 Hill Valley McFlys
QB - The McFlys have won three brackets in the past three years, but are not even ticketed for consolation play at the moment. Moving some excess RB or WR depth for a higher upside signal caller could make sense? Or bundling a TE and RB for a higher end RB: Delanie and Ajayi for old friend Shady McCoy?

 Manitoba Moosecrew
WR - With Chris Hogan and Will Fuller out and Jermaine Kearse on bye, the  Crew are scraping the bottom of the barrel more than usual this week. In dire need of wins to get out of the basement, a firesale could help the team finish near respectability- or maybe sending long term assets Greg Olsen and Sean Lee to Deputy for CJ Mosley?
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Tuesday, November 14, 2017

IX: Week Ten Results

Week ten is in the books, and we see the playoff field reduced to ten as well: Toronto, Mar-A-Lago, and LBVIII champion Hill Valley fall to 3-7 and join Manitoba (2-8) at the elimination table. Each now has three weeks to get themselves out of the bottom two spots and into the consolation bracket, where they can compete for picks at the top of LBX's draft board and compete for respect: Five or six wins looks and feels a lot better than two or three. Finally, each squad also has a chance to play spoiler to a playoff hopeful in its final three weeks.

Of the ten that remain in contention, the Deputy Van Halens are the deserved top seed, 9-1 and first in overall points. They've clinched a playoff spot and likely a first round bye. In that instance, and should Ezekiel Elliot's suspension hold up for its full duration, Deputy will need to focus on winning their semi-final matchup in week fifteen without their marquee runner. This puts them in a power chair with the trade deadline approaching (SATURDAY 11/18, 11:59 PM PST) where they can afford to mortgage some short term utility for endgame dominance, while everyone else is forced to address more immediate needs.

The race for the bye should be far more dramatic. At #2 and #3 are Savannah and New York, both an impressive 7-3 but with far behind the point pace of the teams licking their heels: #4 Binghamton, #5 Phoenix, and #6 HCM City, all 6-4. At seven wins, the Petes and Finest are almost assured a spot in the playoffs, but even a single loss could cripple their hopes of a pass through the first round, and each team still has Deputy on their docket, giving the other three teams a great opportunity to rise up to the penultimate berth.

At 5-5 we have two dark horses: Pawnee, fading of late but fortunate to salvage a win in week ten; And Philadelphia on the rise, having gone 4-1 since a 1-4 start. Both teams will need to help themselves with a week twelve game between the two looming large: A loss there would likely be a grievous wound. Winning out should punch a ticket for one of these teams; Winning two out of three might be enough, especially for the Pride whom rank a reputable seventh in total points.

And then the darker horses: 4-6 and needing to win out (and get some help as well) Oakwood and South Park are likely playing to maintain consolation seeding and see if they can make 2018 their year. The Drivers have scuffled after a 4-3 first half, while the Cows' 0-3 hole seems like it will be too much to overcome barring a true Cinderella run here in the seasons's final three weeks.

SCOREBOARD:




Week 10 Matchups


POWER OUTPUT:

  1. BIN 235: The Snipers six game winning streak is the longest in the league this year; The team has scored under 175 once in ten games this year, a rocksteady floor.
  2. DVH 218: Seven games over 215, including five in a row shows the team to be the most consistent in the league, commensurate with their lofty ranking. 
  3. RUM 214: This team has caught fire at the right time- if they can beat HCM, PAW, and HVM in succession, they're playoff bound. Otherwise, another 'what-if?' season for them.
  4. SAV 204: HWith back to back 200+ performances, Savannah seems to be cresting in their final approach to the playoffs, but will need to survive one last salvo of key byes in week 11.
  5. MAL 190: HA good showing in a season of good showings, the team has not broke 200 points in a game this year but is almost always competitive. Missing the 2 punch to Antonio's 1.
  6. NYF 188: With the league's most fortuitous slate (fewest PA) the Finest have capitalized and are poised to return to the LB playoffs after missing either bracket last year.
  7. HCM 183: It looked like the Lead Farmers would keep hold on the two seed until NYF's Devin Funchess messed everything up last night. Still control their destiny!
  8. PHX 182: The team's lowest score in two months was worse than each of their last two losses, but on this given Sunday it was enough for the W. 
  9. OAK 173: A month ago it looked like the Drivers were playoff bound. Now they need to win two of three to get their first six win season in half a decade of attempts. 
  10. HVM 168: 'Defending champion' is rendered a lame duck title, as the McFlys will defend nothing in 2017. They'll look to win their third consolation bowl in four years instead.
  11. SPC 165: Almost good enough to win despite a lackluster effort, the Cows are likely to miss the playoffs again after two playoff runs (and a championship) in their first two years.
  12. PAW 156: Terrible score, optimal result. Pawnee avoids a month of losing to stay on the fringe of contention, but the wheels have fallen off for a team that went 10-3 last year.
  13. LTP 138: Three huge games (and a 185.08-184.86 win) mask six games where Toronto scored 168 or less and was barely even competitive: Flukes in every direction.
  14. MMC 132: Manitoba's lost season continues. If they have consolation bowl aspirations, they need to bury the McFlys this week, or else spruce up the cellar, that's just your life now.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:

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