LBXIV: WEEK SIX

Lightning round to catch up: Jersey falls to 5-1 and the undefeated dream ends for the fourteenth consecutive year. Behind them, three teams (Hill Valley, Ohio, and Manitoba) keep their head above water, and then full half the league sits at .500 with only Carmel (2-4), Pawnee (1-5), and South Philly (1-5) in the dumps.

Week 6 Matchups

 

• Phoenix Uprising187.92Carmel RudyTuesdays167.40
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• Binghamton Snipers180.80Mar-a-Lago Treason169.06
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• Deputy Van Halens203.10NJ Sanitation Crew182.70
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• Hill Valley McFlys268.08South Park Cows169.11
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• HoChiMinhLeadFarmers205.99Manitoba Moosecrew174.65
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• Pawnee Pride162.87Savannah Petes180.32
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• South Philly Rum Ham150.96Tommy’s Boys170.30
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Strill quiet on the trade front. Mar-A-Lago picks up Deon Jackson and he immediately stars, giving the wire a special sheen, but the tried and true kingmaker has always been wheeling and dealing! Also, a tie at placekicker- we're going to a kickoff.

TEAM OF THE WEEK (WK 6)

• QB JOE BURROW (OTB) - 32.40 PPOINTS
• RB DEON JACKSON (MAL) - 25.40 POINTS
• WR JA'MARR CHASE (SPC) - 33.20 POINTS
• TE MARK ANDREWS (SPC) - 23.20 POINTS
• DL JONATHAN ALLEN (MAL) - 21.05 POINTS
• LB DEMARIO DAVIS (MMC) - 23.50 POINTS
• CB SHAQUILL GRIFFIN (DVH) - 23.50 POINTS
• SS CJ GARDNER-JOHNSON (PAW) - 23.75 POINTS
• PK WIL LUTZ (MMC) & RYAN SUCCOP (JSC) - 14.00

TRADE 2: Shuffling the Deck

Earlier this week Carmel and Phoenix swapped players ahead of their pivotal week six matchup. It's their second trade of the season, accounting for 100% of the league's trading activity to date- concerning volume for a league that has historically thrived on blockbusters. Like their previous swap, this deal is minor in nature:

CARMEL ACQUIRES: RB MICHAEL CARTER

PHOENIX ACQUIRES: WR HUNTER RENFROW

The Rudy-Toos saw Khalil Herbert play on Thursday then had James Conner officially ruled out, so they were in need of an immediate stopgap to platoon with Austin Ekeler. In Carter they're getting a veteran who has a defined (if somewhat mitigated) role on his team's offense, and vultured a pair of touchdowns last week. Not a world beater and not any every week starter (unless something were to happen to Breece) he'll look to do damage to the team that drafted him in the eleventh round.

Phoenix adds Carmel's fifth round pick in Renfrow, albeit one that has wrapped disappointing results around a concussion. Now on a bye, the Uprising will hope that his role expands moving forward, as bye season and injuries add up. At his best Renfrow is a scrappy slot receiver that relies upon volume to add value, the arrival of Davante may cap his upside. 

LBXIV: WEEK FIVE

Week six is already underway, but lets quickly recap where things stand after five weeks:

LBXII's champions from New Jersey remain unbeaten, pushing it to five in a row with the league's highest point total substantiating their claim. The only team within a game of them? The defending champions from Manitoba. It's a new era in Larkspur, where the old powers have faded and newer teams are competing for their second trophy.

The league's three game winners are a mix of veteran contenders (Hill Valley, South Park) and upstarts building on last year's playoff appearances (Mar-A-Lago, Ohio) to round out the playoff field, and leaving more than half the league under .500 at this juncture.

The lack of trades this season owes to many factors, not least of which is a communal patience instilled over time. Still, with bye weeks now in play, the effort to exchange rather than add from a fairly barren wire should ramp up as each week ekes closer to do or die.

Week 5 Matchups

 

• Phoenix Uprising171.25Mar-a-Lago Treason287.61
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• Binghamton Snipers147.16HoChiMinhLeadFarmers174.73
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• Carmel RudyTuesdays205.26Pawnee Pride113.96
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• Deputy Van Halens260.47South Philly Rum Ham168.34
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• Hill Valley McFlys181.65NJ Sanitation Crew238.40
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• Manitoba Moosecrew177.76Tommy’s Boys154.98
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• Savannah Petes189.24South Park Cows179.62
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Mar-A-Lago put together a top five score in trouncing Phoenix, with Josh Allen and Gabe Davis proving a dynamic duo. Meanwhile Deputy (in the run up to their Head Coach's nuptials) delivered a whopper as well- a savvy start of swiss army knife Taysom Hill clinching a vital W while dropping South Philly to 1-4, a cellar they share with Pawnee. With eight wins the 'magic number' for securing as playoff spot, it will take something close to perfection for either team to make a run in 2022.

TEAM OF THE WEEK (WK 5)

• QB JOSH ALLEN (MAL) - 41.66 POINTS
• RB AUSTIN EKELER (CRT) - 40.60 POINTS
• WR GABE DAVIS (MAL) - 37.50 POINTS
• TE TAYSOM HILL (DVH) - 38.41 POINTS
• DL MAXX CROSBY (SAV) - 21.00 POINTS
• LB DAVID LONG (PHX) - 21.00 POINTS
• CB BYRON MURPHY (SAV) - 25.00 POINTS
• SS DESHON ELLIOT (SPC) - 34.00 POINTS
• PK JUSTIN TUCKER (SAV) - 17.00 POINTS

LBXIV: WEEK FOUR

Only the Jersey Trashers remain undefeated, a perfect 4-0 after pounding the Petes, who lose despite an all-time day from Tight End TJ Hockenson. Hill Valley and Ohio fall to 3-1, while South Park and Manitoba bounce back to the same record. 

Scrapping for the sixth seed in the early going are three 2-2 teams: Binghamton, Mar-A-Lago, and Phoenix haven't done themselves any favors in the season's first month, but at least they do not have holes to climb out of.

That leaves six teams at 1-3, none of which should be counted out, but each of which will need to be much better over the next two months if they want to punch their ticket to the dance.

Week 4 Matchups

 

• Phoenix Uprising180.60Pawnee Pride211.33
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• Binghamton Snipers223.57Tommy’s Boys200.60
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• Carmel RudyTuesdays178.86South Park Cows196.41
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• Deputy Van Halens193.70Manitoba Moosecrew199.01
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• Hill Valley McFlys184.48South Philly Rum Ham196.89
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• HoChiMinhLeadFarmers167.04Mar-a-Lago Treason182.95
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• NJ Sanitation Crew231.06Savannah Petes198.10
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We're in our final week before the byes begin- injuries are starting to take their toll on rosters, and yet we still have only seen a single minor trade, with Week Five already underway. Everyone is challenged with sending out at least one trade offer to get a conversation going- maybe it goes nowhere! YOU NEVER KNOW UNTIL YOU GO.

TEAM OF THE WEEK (WK 4)

• QB TOM BRADY (SAV) - 27.50 POINTS
• RB JOSH JACOBS (JSC) - 39.40 POINTS
• WR JUSTIN JEFFERSON (JSC) - 29.90 POINTS
• TE TJ HOCKENSON (SAV) - 42.00 POINTS
• DL JONATHAN ALLEN (MMC) - 27.00 POINTS
• LB FRANKIE LUVU (PRH) - 33.15 POINTS
• CB L'JARIUS SNEED (BIN) - 17.50 POINTS
• SS JORDAN POYER (SPC) - 28.00 POINTS
• PK BRETT MAHER (HVM) - 15.00 POINTS