TRADE 5: Keep 'Em Moooooving

Phoenix makes their fourth trade of the season, sending away their 1st round pick in a two for two deal with the league's top team.

SOUTH PARK ACQUIRES WR KEENAN ALLEN & WR ROBBY ANDERSON
PHOENIX ACQUIRES WR AMARI COOPER & RB CARLOS HYDE

The Cows have been the league's best team despite their top wide receiver going MIA in two of three weeks; Amari Cooper pulled the same trick in 2017, spending a lot of time being invisible only to pile up points in a select games and maintain his status as a WR1. His inconsistency won't be South Park's problem anymore- they send him back to Phoenix (where he finished 2017) in exchange for the more dependable Keenan Allen. Coming off a down week, Allen is a target monster with soft hands and great body control; As long as he is healthy and in the lineup, he can be counted on to make a difference nearly every week. Lanky Robby Anderson (recently acquired from Philadelphia) will go to the bottom of the depth chart with the Cows, where his Amari-Lite profile will play better as a plausible flex.

Carlos Hyde's stellar start to the year made him expendable; Todd Gurley II is the obvious alpha dog in the pack, while Lamar Miller is a dependable veteran and Kerryon Johnson is the up and coming rookie. With staggered bye weeks, if the trio stay healthy and productive the Cows saw an opportunity to address their weakest point.

For the Uprising the flurry of trades has overhauled the skill positions pretty dramatically after their second straight loss dropped them to 1-2 and twelfth in the standings:

WR KEENAN ALLEN 🠺 WR AMARI COOPER
RB TEVIN COLEMAN 🠺 RB CARLOS HYDE
WR BRANDON MARSHALL 🠺 WR MICHAEL CRABTREE & WR PIERRE GARCON

The team has addressed its depth issues at receiver and upgraded at RB1, while keeping Andrew Luck, AJ Green, and Jordan Reed at the nucleus of their offense. Will it help them get back to .500%? Time will tell. Last season the Uprising started 0-3 before finishing 9-1 and clinching their fourth championship. Carlos Hyde has looked like a bellcow through three weeks, one unlikely to cede touches to his competition as long as he remains healthy;

Amari Cooper is not the team's only enigma at the position: The team retains DeVante Parker and Dez Bryant at the back of their bench, hoping the former can get healthy and deliver on the pedigree he flashed earlier in his career, while the latter needs to sign with a team before he can show if he has anything left.

TRADE 4: Burfict Two

The Uprising continued to add to their receiver depth this morning, sending suspended linebacker Vontaze Burfict to South Philly for a couple more wide outs, each with their own fleas.

PHILADELPHIA ACQUIRES LB VONTAZE BURFICT
PHOENIX ACQUIRES WR PIERRE GARCON & WR ROBBY ANDERSON

Vontaze Burfict has been a proven playmaker whenever he can get on the field, which, between suspensions and injuries, has limited him in recent years. After two stellar seasons of sixteen games to start his career, he's played in five, ten, eleven, and ten games the past four, and after finishing his suspension this week he'll max out at twelve if he can stay healthy and out of trouble. Of course, as mentioned, when on the field Burfict is a tackle machine with a penchant for huge plays, a bonafide LB1 that flies all over the field. The youn gRum Ham linebacking corps will be better for his presence, and bye weeks often make four LB a preferable setup in the midseason.

The Uprising take on a pair of disappointing wideouts in Anderson and Garcon, who the Rum Ham had selected in the 5th and 7th rounds, respectively. Besides a touchdown for Robby in week one, each has been well below expectation, prompting disgruntlement. Garcon will reconnect with a quarterback that he had brief success with in 2017, but Anderson, coming off a breakout season hasn't been enough to develop a rapport and get steady looks. As we approach the quarterpole, each will look to put their forgettable starts behind them and move forward.

TRADE 3: Midnight Express

Binghamton and Phoenix finalized a deal overnight that addressed both team's needs.

BINGHAMTON ACQUIRES TEVIN COLEMAN
PHOENIX ACQUIRES MICHAEL CRABTREE

When everyone is healthy, the Snipers backfield will feature Devonta Freeman and Joe Mixon- problem is, neither are healthy, so the squad has been scraping the bottom of the barrel recently. Last week Chris Thompson and Rex Burkhead combined for a meager 6.7 points, as the team fell to 1-2. Enter Tevin Coleman. The Uprising's lead back through three weeks (and the direct beneficiary of Dev Freeman's injury) Coleman has intrinsic value to the Snipers as a steady handcuff, giving them a starter today and insurance tomorrow. And while Michael Crabtree was drafted to play second fiddle to DeAndre Hopkins, Emmanuel Sanders, Nelson Agholor and Cooper Kupp had jumped him in the pecking order, making him a depth piece.

While the veteran Crabtree had been relegated to a bench option Upstate, in Phoenix he quickly slotted in at the three, behind Keenan Allen and AJ Green, pushing DaVante Parker and Brandon Marshall to share a flex role. Neither had been able to take the reins in the early going- Parker recovering from a broken finger and without assurance of bankable volume, Marshall getting six looks a game but unable to do much with them at this stage of his career. With Dez Bryant still yet to report, the team will see if Parker can deliver on his pedigree or Marshall has some life left in his 34 year old legs.

TRADE 2: Shuffling Offenses

Philly had their running backs on the block for weeks, desperate for some offense. New York was looking to optimize their backfield, and with their star runner on an early bye the impetus for change was sparked. And so, the league sees its second deal, in which both team lose and gain a Howard.

SOUTH PHILLY ACQUIRES WR TYLER BOYD, TE OJ HOWARD, & RB TARIK COHEN

NEW YORK ACQUIRES RB JORDAN HOWARD, RB GIO BERNARD, & WR DEDE WESTBROOK

With three players going in either direction there's a lot to unpack. Jordan Howard is the immediate headliner, a bellcow running back that in coming weeks will pair with Christian McCaffrey to form a dynamic 1-2 punch. The Rum Ham also send Gio Bernard over, a former bellcow thrust into the lion's share of carries while Joe Mixon (BIN) is down; With Kenyan Drake looking suddenly unreliable, both running backs should get immediate play, before Bernard joins Drake as a depth piece. That's what Dede Westbrook is- a slot receiver with big play ability, his volume is going to vary, but there will be some big weeks to come. Once Doug Baldwin returns to healthy the Finest will line him up alongside Julio Jones, then rotate Westbrook with similar players Desean Jackson and Tyler Lockett, hoping to exploit matchups. 

For the Rum Ham, they get a couple of players on the rise at positions of need. Tyler Boyd has shown well in the past two weeks, and is seeing more targets; He won't score every week, but with WR2 upside he's a major upgrade for a team that plugged a newly resuscitated Jordan Matthews immediately into their week three lineup. Meanwhile OJ Howard is showcasing himself as a TE1 prospect, as a player who rarely leaves the field and avails himself in the red zone. Philly can go into a jumbo set, pairing their new tight end with Jimmy Graham and feel much more confident in their offense. Tarik Cohen, "the Human Joystick" is more of a bye week filler than anything else, and a downgrade from Gio Bernard for this week, but when Adrian Peterson returns from his bye he should replace Howard alongside Alvin Kamara. Cohen won't get a ton of touches, but he only really needs one to prove effective as an explosive scatback. 

X: Week Three Results

After three weeks parity reigns, as the South Park Cows top the standings, taking the pole at 3-0, while the hard luck Pawnee Pride fester at the bottom, 0-3. In between a dozen miles of mediocre, 2-1's and 1-2's, all scuffling for positioning. Every week we're seeing a couple of high scoring losers and a couple of low scoring winners, fortunes shaped by variance and happenstance; Long term you expect the cream to rise to the top, but it's a game of chance whereby each team can only minimize risks so much.

An automated (and unannounced) change in Y! league logistics has impacted trading, as players that have already played cannot be traded midweek. It's an unwelcome damper on our transaction spree and the effect has already been felt; We've got a single deal swung through three weeks, the lowest total in a decade. While we attempt to rectify the issue, we encourage managers to be vigilant in swinging deals on Wednesdays and Thursdays, after the dust settles on waiver claims; Those are your prime days for trading, with minimal room for hesitation.

YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO BE NEUTRAL ON A MOVING TRAIN!

SCOREBOARD:

Week 3 Matchups

• Phoenix Uprising165.26Hill Valley McFlys177.28
  FinalRecap
• Binghamton Snipers179.16Deputy Van Halens249.64
  FinalRecap
• HoChiMinhLeadFarmers213.22South Park Cows233.49
  FinalRecap
• Orgrimmar Horde244.80Savannah Petes171.45
  FinalRecap
• Manitoba Moosecrew231.63Pawnee Pride205.11
  FinalRecap
• Mar-a-Lago Grabbers134.95Brew-tang Killa Beez172.72
  FinalRecap
• New York's Finest198.06South Philly Rum Ham219.06
  FinalRecap

POWER OUTPUT:

1. DVH 250: Shrugging off week one's collapse, the Deputy has dominated back to back weeks, looking like they want to match last year's #1 seed in point amassing fashion.
2. ORG 248: The Horde made a great show of things, with every offensive player scoring double digits, and their defensive front all putting up 18+, damn. Secondary will have better days.
3. SPC 233: The League's best team overcame some duds from their top wideouts, and has depth to spare going into the bye weeks. Drew Brees and the Cows are the early favorites for LBX.
4. MMC 232: Welcome to the show Calvin Ridley, take a table up front. In a wideout hungry league, he's shown he belongs. Defense might need some tweaking this week though.
5. RUM 219: Matt Ryan, Alvin Kamara, and Jordan Howard put this team on their back and won. Great RB depth has yet to net them a credible receiver despite their plea for a partner.
6. HCM 216: An unstable defense hurt this team, which played well enough to win. With eight WRs on the roster, moving a WR3 for a LB2 might be a solution.
7. PAW 211: The accursed drop a third game despite a solid score, with the obvious achilles heel being that WR corps. Couldd they move Juice Landry for a pair of upside WR2s?
8. NYF 198: Kenyan Drake, Kevin Byard, and Eric Ebron were picked in the league's first ten rounds and collectively relied upon to do more than they did in week three. A tough loss.
9. BIN 179: Trouble at running back lingers with their bellcows hobbled. This is a team that would benefit from some smaller trades (WR3 for RB3?) for short term plug-ins.
10. HVM 177: Lucky victors, they left a ton of firepower on the bench but were able to get the W anyway. If Aaron Donald starts scoring points, look out.
11. BKB 173: Luckier victors, the Beez were propped up by Justin Houston and some Fitzmagic en route to a 2-1 record. One more week until Mark Ingram returns!!
12. SAV 171: Several good performances were undermined by bad ones; Leaving inactive Preston Brown in the lineup would have stung more if the game was at all competitive.
13. PHX 168: With a sputtering offense, and key injuries sapping their roster, the team had a chance to win anyway, until their kicker missed twice causing a -7 point swing on MNF.
14. MAL 138: After a couple of weeks at the top of the pile, the Grabbers tumble all the way down- but they didn't have to! They left a remarkable 60.27 points on the bench.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:

TRADE 1: Big Burly Man Fish

We finally have a swap! Old trading partners Pawnee and Phoenix renew their bus route, swapping running backs (and throwing in a linebacker) to close week two's action.

PAWNEE ACQUIRES RB RASHAAD PENNY & LB DE'VONDRE CAMPBELL
PHOENIX ACQUIRES RB DERRICK HENRY

An exchange of these hulking running backs was in discourse before week two began, but ultimately required another round of tape before coming to fruition. All three players are of the big and fast variety, emphasis on big: De'Vondre Campbell is 6'4" and 234 lbs, Derrick Henry is 6'3" and 238 lbs, and Rashaad Penny is only 5'11" but weighed in at a whopping 236 at training camp.

All of these players are in pivotal years in their development; In his third year, Henry is expected to challenge for more of a bell cow role, though at the moment he's more of a thunder component to a thunder/lightnign dynamic. The Uprising will hope he bumps his touches north of 20 in coming weeks; With Reuben Foster returning from suspension in week three, the team had an abundance of linebackers, and Campbell was the odd man out.

He'll fit in nicely with a Pride team that has seen almost no production from veteran edge rusher Ryan Kerrigan. Campbell's elevated role (following his batterymate Deion Jones being placed on IR-DTR) and ever snap skill set should bump up the floor for a team coming off a narrow defeat. Penny is also a nice fit; He joins Chris Carson on the Pride, handcuffed together for the time being. Ultimately Pawnee might prefer to see one RB cede carries to the other, but locked in a timeshare they've hedge their bets in supplementing their rookie RB1 Saquon Barkley.

X: Week Two Results

The Van Halens went from worst to first in the weekly power output, putting together the third highest score in league history in week two. We had three teams score over 200 points and lose (Hill Valley, New York, and Pawnee) while the Moosecrew, (week one's latest losers due to a point reversal) scored a W in week two despite only 179 points. WE ALSO HAD OUR FIRST TRADE! But I digress.

The Mar-A-Lago Grabbers and South Park Cows sit at the top of the pile through two weeks, each getting to 2-0 in impressive fashion. At 0-2 and the bottom of the heap, the South Philly Rum Ham flounder, while the Pawnee Pride pray for a birthday present of a stat correction to switch places with Orgrimmar. In between, a whole lot of 1-1.

NOTE: There is a disparity between the final scores in the recaps and on the front page. I believe the former to be more accurate, but will use the latter for the Power Output.

SCOREBOARD:

Week 2 Matchups

• Phoenix Uprising196.74Deputy Van Halens268.00
  FinalRecap
• Binghamton Snipers230.26South Philly Rum Ham154.48
  FinalRecap
• Hill Valley McFlys224.34South Park Cows231.57
  FinalRecap
• HoChiMinhLeadFarmers185.58Savannah Petes202.56
  FinalRecap
• Orgrimmar Horde210.60Pawnee Pride209.44
  FinalRecap
• Manitoba Moosecrew178.73Brew-tang Killa Beez140.79
  FinalRecap
• Mar-a-Lago Grabbers237.19New York's Finest225.11
  FinalRecap

POWER OUTPUT:

1. DVH 268: An overhauled defense and production from top to bottom helped Deputy turn their season around in a hurry. They can be bad! They can be good! Now the test will be week-to-week consistency.
2. MAL 240: The Grabbers are the early kings of Larkspur, getting huge numbers at WR and DB, and still expecting the return of Wentz and Jeffery. The team's curious under utilization of their bench is bewildering, but hasn't hurt them.
3. SPC 232: After Todd Gurley and Drew Brees, the offense might not have an every week starter on their roster... and that's okay, as the LBVII champs mix and match a stable of credible options to exploit matchups.
4. BIN 230: Off the schneid with a win, this is a team with an immediate need for a starting RB, as Joe Mixon joins Dev Freeman on the shelf. However, with a nice rotation of five startable wideouts, perhaps they just roll out role players instead.
5. NYF 225: Hard luck losers in week two, there's not much more they could do; In hindsight, starting the jumbo package and plugging OJ Howard in would have cut the margin under three, within reach of a second stat correction victory. But... not to be.
6. HVM 224: The team's incredibly deep reserve of talented players is an undeniable strength, but in a tight loss like this, it leaves a lot of room for second guessing. An optimal lineup would be at 2-0 this week, but as is they split the opening rounds.
7. ORG 214: An early injury to defensive captain CJ Mosley is what kept this matchup so close. Barring unfavorable stat corrections the Horde get their first win in half a decade, and Mosley's injury is expected to only be week-to-week.
8. PAW 209: The Pride have numerous goats for the week two defeat that drops them to 0-2: Back of the roster starters Jermaine Kearse and Ryan Kerrigan combining for less than a point certainly ended up being disastrous.
9. SAV 206: A "quiet" win to draw even, Kenny Stills and Sammy Watkins swapped roles while Adam Thielen and Kenny Golladay were great again. Josh Gordon becomes an X-Factor that could make the Petes WR corps the best in the league.
10. PHX 200: An early AJ Green fueled lead evaporated quickly, as the Uprising could only muster a decent score on a week full of great ones. Injuries on the high priced defense have stretched the team's depth early.
11. HCM 186: Big Ben's effort was incredible, and Michael Thomas has shown to be every bit an elite WR, bu tthe rest of the team ranged from "just fine" to "barely adequate" and wasted the monster scores. Daniel Carlson wasn't executed, but he did lose his job.
12. MMC 179: In a bit of karmic retribution, the Moosecrew regain the win they lost on Thursday morning despite the league's third worst score. Deshaun Watson got his groove back, but LeSean McCoys injury leaves a bit of a week-to-week hole at RB.
13. RUM 154: JJ Watt is a superb defensive player, one of the best of all time. But he cannot defend everything, and in week two nobody else showed up. He scored 16 points on his own, while the other seven guys combined for 23.5.
14. BKB 141: Uh-oh. After starting off with a win, the freshly reoriented franchise crashed down to earth due to a host of underperformers. There's plenty of blame to go around, but the team needs to find someone besides Duke Johnson until Mark Ingram comes back.

TEAM OF THE WEEK:

New York defeats Manitoba

New York's Finest have defeated the Manitoba Moosecrew in week one after a long review. The officials went under the hood and have overturned a TJ Watt game clinching sack. The 4.5 reversal leaves the scoreboard at:

NYF 197.11
vs
MMC 196.44
00:00

It's too early for this to be season altering, but it certainly could end up mattering a whole lot. A suddenly deflated #9 Moosecrew squad faces the #6 BrewTang Killa Beez in week two, while the freshly minted #7 New York squares off with week one's finest, the #1 ranked Mar-A-Lago Grabbers.

All Quiet on the Trade Wind Front

The draft is over. Week one is over.
We're only 7.6% of the way into the Larkspur Bowl's tenth season. But with the trade deadline set for Saturday November 17th we've got less than ten weeks to swap assets outright, so the getting is only good for so long.

There have been sixteen deals in each of the past two seasons, with the years before that counting 19, 23, 29, 19, 14, and 9 deals, in reverse chronological order. In the inaugural season only a single trade was completed, although, only half the current league was present in that year, 2009: Phoenix, New York, Hill Valley, Orgrimmar, as well as the Atlanta Rage (now the Philadelphia), the Knee Deep Parrots (now the Savannah Petes) and the Levee G-Men (now the HCM City Lead Farmers) have been here since inception, piling up exchanges.

Anyway, this ain't a history lesson. It's a compulsion for wheeling and dealing! This morning the first round of waivers will be awarded, and the limited sample size is likely to leave cupboards bare. With injuries piling up, teams are in need... lets see who, of what.

01. Mar-A-Lago 1-0
The Grabbers have enviable depth, especially at WR. Sophomore TE Evan Engram struggled with drops in week one, but possesses the sort of rare playmaking ability at the position that makes upgrading on him difficult. When Alshon Jeffery returns to health, the team should be in a position to upgrade at RB2 if they desire to.

02. South Park 1-0
The Cows have a nice group of WRs, but if Amari Cooper continues to be such a boom/bust commodity, they will lack a true WR1. With two bellcows at RB in Gurley and Miller, and nice depth (Carlos Hyde) and upside (K. Johsnon) the team should have the bench spots to take flyers and punch lottery tickets in the early going.

03. Hill Valley 1-0
Aaron Rodgers appears to ready to play, although his hobbled leg might mean he is pulled early in blowouts. With plenty of solid QBs readily available, the position's trade value is low. The McFlys have a good group at WR; With Leveon Bell away, there are no must start RBs on the team, but plenty of credible starters- all five could slot in based on matchups. For being the last (starting) TE drafted, Tyler Eifert has healthy floor and upside if he can stay healthy.

04. Phoenix 1-0
The team's running backs are some of the least imposing in the league and the WR group drops off significantly after their top two (Allen/Green) as the team is counting on 100 year old Brandon Marshall to bridge the gap while Davante Parker heals and Dez Bryant waits to sign a contract. The team will count on its defense, and value picks Andrew Luck and Jordan Reed in the early going, and hope some of their RB committee comes to prominence sooner rather than later.

05. HCM City 1-0
Big Ben is nearing the end of his career, and while no one would question his toughness, there may be some legitimate concerns about his turnovers- he had five in week one. Like their LBIX foe, the team's receiver group gets questionable in a hurry after the Thomas duo at the top; With eight ont he roster, the team will hope someone distinguishes themselves. All of their running backs appear to be time-share options for now, making each week a gamble on usage.

06. Brew-Tang 1-0
For the first month of the season, Buzz, your running backs, woof! Mark Ingram's return from suspension after that should give them at least one bankable asset, and they've already succeeded in winning a game without him. Duke Johnson and Buck Allen are unlikely to be volume answers, though each will have their moments; Frank Gore and CJ Anderson are past their prime but might have a few throwback performances up their sleeves. The team has a nice trio of WRs and an elite TE, with reasonable flex options. Marvin Jones Jr might be the best WR on the trading block, but is he worth a RB2?

07. Manitoba 1-0
Losing Delanie Walker and counting on David Njoku is a clear hole in the roster. The team has four exciting WRs, including the top three rookies from 2014; Odell and Mike Evans are elite options, while Kelvin Benjamin joins Terrelle Pryor in trying to regain previous form- but it's a nice group with plenty of upside. The other three WRs on the roster appear thoroughly replaceable, or if the Moose believe in them, might make one of the aforementioned targets trade bait for a TE. At RB it's a couple of clear starters in Ajayi and McCoy, a solid third in Isaiah Crowell, and an upside piece in Sony Michel. GOOD! Now they just need Deshaun Watson to meet expectations.

08. Savannah 0-1
The team's young RBs has underwhelming starts to their season, but Kareem Hunt and Dalvin Cook are both expected to play big bellcow roles. Behind them are a bunch of spare parts, barely waiver wire options- if one goes down, there will be a clear need. The WR group has plenty of upside but a frightening floor... Gordon, Watkins, and Stills all have histories of pulling vanishing acts. Kenny Golladay gives them a good looking fifth option, and Phillip Dorsett is as good as anyone's sixth option. Jack Doyle is an underwhelming presence at TE, but he's not nothing.

09. New York 0-1
The team's belief in Eli was misplaced in week one. While the reliable veteran should have some leash considering the weapons at his disposal, but the position can be swapped at minimal cost on the wire if the Finest decide to make a change- Joe Flacco joined the squad already. The rest of the roster looks good- Doug Baldwin's injury theoretically should be a boon to Tyler Lockett's value, mitigating some of the loss. DeSean Jackson and LeGarrette Blount are both questionable, but the team's offensive depth is fine. On defense the team has already been forced to address injuries, but this early the wire is still rife with possibilities.

10. Binghamton 0-1
The Snipers overcame a tough start to make the playoffs in year one, and they're in an early hole once again. The team's offense is deep: Dev Freeman and Joe Mixon are a superb options, and Chris Thompson has shown time and time again that he is a gamer, while Alfred Morris and Rex Burkhead each have a scenario where they ascend to bellcow roles. Greg Olsen's injury is unfortunate, but a shrewd Jared Cook pickup negates a positional need. Injuries will force this team's hand on the roster this week, but with plenty of options they can afford to be patient.

11. Orgrimmar 0-1
Injuries and ineffectiveness marred week one for the Horde's return, and there may be some lingering ramifications; Zeke is a must start, but if Beast Mode cannot go, there's no obvious choice between Nick Chubb, Theo Riddick, and Spencer Ware. Likewise, Marquise Goodwin's early injury hurt the bottom line in the opener and if he cannot go, his replacement Ted Ginn is also questionable. If Davante Adams and/or ASJ cannot go too, the team will have to rely on the ghost of Rishard Matthews, or make a deal for depth.

12. Philadelphia 0-1
The Rum Ham's top WR Allen Robinson may take a few weeks to get going- which is bad news if Philly cannot get some early W's. The rest of the corps is steady, though aggressively unappealing- Robby Anderson has considerable upside, but Pierre Garcon, Mohammed Sanu, and Donte Moncrief are as ho hum a group of veterans as can be. However, Dede Westbrook, recently awarded off waivers, may have the upside to ascend to an every week role, as could Courtland Sutton if there are some injuries ahead of him on the depth chart. The team really needs Jimmy Graham to produce- he represents one of the team's few mismatch opportunities. Alvin Kamara did everything and more in week one, while Jordan Howard is a viable for totes every week; Gio Bernard as their only reserve will make bye weeks sting and an injury cataclysmic.

13. Pawnee 0-1
The youth of this team might put the Pride in an early hole this season- they'll have to hope several players "get it" sooner rather than later if they're going to make a run this season. That said, a best case scenario would have this team cresting into the playoffs, and playing their best football when it matters most. A worst case scenario... is very bad. There is little in the way of established trade value on this squad; Juice Landry could fetch a hall, and the team's trio of running backs (Saquon, Carson, Henry) are variously intriguing. Martavis Bryant's return is fortunate, though nobody knows how long he'll remain eligible.

14. Deputy 0-1
The Van Halens have two problems at WR: There are not many good ones on the roster, and several of them are injured. Golden Tate is the only sure thing right now, and he's miscast as a WR1. Likewise, Trey Burton was drafted to start at TE, but has never been a primary weapon before. The skills are probably there but without the pedigree or the resume, there's a big risk and no safety nets. The team is set at RB: Melvin Gordon is a machine, while Leonard Fournette has unlimited upside; Owning both teams' talented handcuffs means they should only have to weather byes at the position in weeks 8 and 9.

X: Week One Results

Week One's closest matchups was Hill Valley vs Savannah, with the McFlys outlasting the Petes pending stat corrections; Both teams featured quality performances up and down the roster, but only one could win. Savannah will regret keeping Kenny Golladay on the bench, but will ultimately benefit from the sophomore receiver's breakout providing their WR corps quality depth. The McFlys have already shown a ton of gumption, overcoming Jerick McKinnon's season ending injury and Le'Veon Bell's holdout, then seeing team Captain Aaron Rodgers return from a scary knee injury to lead them to victory; Derek Carr should prove the be a capable backup if Rodgers needs some time to recover.

Manitoba dispatched New York, with the former banking what proved elusive in 2017: A win. They already have a third of last year's total. The Finest should not be ashamed in their effort by any means, but the bigger insult is injury: top receiver Doug Baldwin was injured before he could register a point, and a partially torn MCL leaves a murky timetable for return. Better than top safety Keanu Neal who is out for the season after tearing his ACL. Benched receiver Desean Jackson could have helped in week one (his 33.35 points were stranded on the bench) but is questionable for week two, along with defensive players Deion Jones, Trumaine Johnson, and Darqueze Dennard. Olivier Vernon was out week one, and may not be ready to return in week two, leaving the defense depleted against current points leader Mar-A-Lago.

Blowouts abound in week one, with five teams cruising to easy victories. For two of those squads this is familiar territory- Phoenix and HCM City competed for the title last year, and they've shaken off any residual hangover. The rest of the squads with big victories are turning it around after lost 2017's: South Park and Mar-A-Lago spit out bad tastes, while the Killa Beez move to quickly overwrite the moribund legacy of the Oakwood Drivers.

On the flip side: Binghamton, Pawnee, Deputy, Philadelphia, and Orgrimmar are reeling, hoping to reboot their season in week two and get even. Due to a quirk of scheduling, at least two teams that should be plausible; The Snipers and Rum Ham face off, while the Pride and Horde do battle. Meanwhile, the bottom feeding Van Halens get the defending champion Uprising in week two.

SCOREBOARD:

Week 1 Matchups

• Phoenix Uprising234.36Binghamton Snipers184.32
  FinalRecap
• Deputy Van Halens158.36South Park Cows248.26
  FinalRecap
• Hill Valley McFlys235.47Savannah Petes232.03
  FinalRecap
• HoChiMinhLeadFarmers217.40Pawnee Pride171.32
  FinalRecap
• Orgrimmar Horde181.79Brew-tang Killa Beez208.40
  FinalRecap
• Manitoba Moosecrew201.04New York's Finest197.11
  FinalRecap
• Mar-a-Lago Grabbers248.91South Philly Rum Ham171.64
  FinalRecap

POWER OUTPUT:

1. MAL 249: The Grabbers ascend to the top spot on an all-around effort helmed by free agent pickup Phil Rivers and defensive captains Myles Jack and Quandre Diggs 
2. SPC 248: The Cows' deep roster was able to absorb a minimal showing from their top receiver Amari Cooper, who is coming off a very boom/bust 2017.
3. HVM 235: The McFlys eke it out in the 4th thanks to a shrewd waiver claim of James Connor, who mitigates Le'Veon Bell's holdout in the early going.
4. PHX 234: Despite a host of inactives on the bench, Phoenix took care of business thanks to superb secondary play from rookie Denzel Ward and entrenched captain Reshad Jones.
5. SAV 232: The Petes will be holding their breath for a stat correction by Thursday, otherwise Kenny Stills' big day in support of a magnificent defense will be for naught.
6. HCM 217: hWon despite some points left on the bench and six players under performing by more than 50%. Long WR group looks tough to manage after pair of Thomas' at the top.
7. BKB 208: A new era puts the Beez in the drivers seat to do what Oakwood never could... win more than they lost. Huge days by Tyreek Hill, Von Miller, and Antonio Brown led the way.
8. MMC 201: A win is a win, but a hotly contested victory is all the more satisfying. The Moosecrew will look to keep the train chugging despite the loss of Delanie Walker to IR.
9. NYF 197: The Finest could still get a reversal (it happens every season!) but their mounting casualties are a concern; They'll need to address issues at WR and S regardless. 
10. BIN 184: The Snipers' defense really lulled besides a big day from Ronald Darby. TE Greg Olsen's injury already addressed by clever Jared Cook acquisition.
11. ORG 182: Horde was hoping to return from half decade hibernation and win, but an early injury to Marquise Goodwin and a slow return from Rishard Matthews prevented it.
12. RUM 172: Twas not to be in South Philly on this day, as only 6 players mustered double digits, and only Kamara's mammoth output made the final tally approach respectability.
13. PAW 171: No Pride in this set of pass catchers, who had Jarvis Landry and almost nothing else for Patrick Mahomes to throw at. This is a very young team with 7 rookies and 4 sophomores.
14. DVH 158: Yuck. Last year the team had its best season ever, winning 10 games and finishing in the top 7 in points 14 times. Having seven players score less than 2.5 points wasn't how.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

Plenty of the usual suspects in week one, as all but Denzel Ward were on the TOTW in 2017. Ward, a rookie got on the board in his first ever chance, repeating TJ Watt's feat from last season.