Tuesday, October 15, 2019

XI: Week Six Recap

Half of the league is 2-4 through six weeks, at once bringing every one within at least a game of playoff position, while also pushing the new abyss of relegation into the back of everyone's minds. Well, almost everyone: Hill Valley and Ohio have been juggernauts, steadily gaining momentum since week one, when the Tommy Boys lost and the McFlys won on stat correction. Since then, unbeatable. Their week eight matchup has another obstacle- Hill Valley should get a test from HCM City (4-2) first, while Ohio sees a not-dead-yet Deputy in week seven, but after that, they jostle for the top spot while everyone else slogs it out in the bottom.

The fourth and final team currently over .500 are the Pawnee Pride, now winners of three straight despite a forgettable effort this turn... We saw four previously one win teams notch over 200 points in week six, bookened on the Power Rankings by Hill Valley and Ohio... the shrinking middle class all took it on the chin this week, with Savannah and Jersey both dropping their second straight, while New York continues to alternates wins and losses.


Week 6 Matchups

 
WEEK SIX POWER RANKINGS:

  1. HVM 230: The champ keeps rolling, and is reaching the point in the season where they may have to decide if they're optimizing for the playoffs or seeking undefeated immortality.
  2. PHX 224: Here come the Uprising, who expect to add Saquon, Darius Leonard, and perhaps AJ Green this week to an offense featuring rookie QB Kyler Murray.
  3. PRH 214: Left for dead on the side of the road, the Rum Ham have won two straight, but remain in last on total points. Only prescription for what ails them? Keep winning.
  4. SPC 209: The Cows' hard luck has been well documented, but on the upswing they're a team nobody wants to see on their remaining schedule: Right in the thick of the points race.
  5. DVH 203: Van Halen reunites after losing for a solid month- will they keep the band together or are they making moves in an effort to JUMP up the standings, wakka wakka wakka?
  6. OTB 201: Ohio keeps winning, rising to the top of the rookie class and challenging for the top spot overall. Credit a very fine draft class: The team has only made six moves to date.
  7. HCM 187: Jared Goff picked a real bad day to suck, short circuiting an otherwise fine effort from a legitimate contender in a trap game. You know who didn't suck? Stefon Diggs.
  8. JSC 186: A late scratch for Randall Cobb wasn't the difference in the game, but it didn't help- injuries and bye weeks become a minefield this time of year, and week 7 isn't any easier.
  9. MAL 186: Despite James Bradberry's very best effort, the Grabbers losing streak hits a month long tumble. A Gronk return would be a huge boost- either on the field or on the trade market.
  10. CRT 178: Josh Gordon early injury was the only real chink in the armor here- Jamie Collins behaving like a mortal human being instead of an unstoppable God killer didn't help either.
  11. BIN 169: The Snipers drop their third straight, and you can blame guys named Juju and Sprinkle.Does that sound like a bad psychedelic funk band? Featuring Gardner Minshew II.
  12. NYF 167: NOT THEIR FINEST! Not today. With half their lineup coming up dud in week six, the Finest will see their defense hit by the bye week boogey in week seven.
  13. PAW 167: This is a team that won. Not by the hair on their chinny chin chin (which is sparse) but due to the other team's unrelenting suckitude. Also: teams gameplan to block Shaq Barret!
  14. SAV 124: Not Great Bob! Just four players in double figures. The kind of stinker that sometimes happens, and you just gotta dust yourself off and hope it doesn't happen again.

WEEK SIX TEAM-OF-THE-WEEK

  • QB Lamar Jackson NYF (34.24) His heroics couldn't get the win for New York, but they do erase the stink of his week five performance and assert that he is a legitimate QB1.
  • RB James Conner SPC (30.4) Conner's night on the ground was adequate (16 rushes for 41 yards and a TD) but he thrived out in the flats, catching 7 passes for 78 yards and another TD.
  • WR Stefon Diggs HCM (49.5) The squeaky wheel gets the points! Nine touches for 185 yards and three trips to the end zone, and those weeks as an afterthought are all forgiven.
  • TE Austin Hooper SPC (24.5) Unmentioned among the top tier of tight ends, Hooper is one nonetheless, scoring double digits in five of six games, getting heavy target volume weekly.
  • DL Aaron Donald DVH (25.5) Patience wins the day in Deputy, as Donald erupted for 7 tackles, (3 TFL) and two sacks, along with a forced fumble. 
  • LB Devin Bush HVM (27.25) The rookie disruptor scored seven tackles, a defelection and a pick- but put an exclamation point on a sixth win by recovering a fumble for a touchdown.
  • CB James Bradberry MAL (39.0) A dominant performance for any position, but especially at CB: Ten solo tackles, 4 PDs and 2 interceptions providing  added wow factor. 
  • SS Landon Collins HVM (31.0) Twelve tackles, a TFL, a sack, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble conjure memories of Collins' idol Sean Taylor. BAD ASS.
  • K Brett Maher PRH (13.5) A couple of real long kings (50+ and 60+) along with a mid-range hit and a PAT make up for a miss from 42. 
B-DIVISION POWER RANKINGS

  1. MANITOBA MOOSECREW 1543.54 (+286.39)
  2. NITTANY LIONS 1414.36 (+237.57)
  3. TORONTO LES TRES PETITES 1397.81 (+208.10)
  4. BREWTANG KILLA BEEZ 1293.14 (+190.51)
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Thursday, October 10, 2019

Trade 8: Risks & Rewards

Following Carmel's deal earlier this week, the Jersey Crew pulled the trigger on their first ever deal, a RB/LB swap with Phoenix. The Uprising add another hobbled player, as they continue to amass injured talent despite a 1-4 start.

PHOENIX ACQUIRES: RB DAVID JOHNSON & LB DEION JONES
JERSEY ACQUIRES: RB MELVIN GORDON & LB DEMARIO DAVIS

David Johnson joins Saquon Barkley on the Uprising sideline, where the seventh and first overall picks recuperate from injuries. While Barkley is not playing in week six, Johnson has a chance to suit up right away- more likely, both debut in week seven, and the Uprising will have to dig out of their hole without either.

For Jersey, it's potentially a lateral move, as Melvin Gordon would likely have been a first round pick if he were active- and he is now! And he's healthy! He slots in immediately where Johnson had been, and should not miss a beat. If Austin Ekeler continues to eat into Melvin Gordon's target share it could erode some of Gordon's top end value, but he's sure to get his touches.

The trade of a gimpy running back for a healthy one comes at the cost of a slight downgrade at linebacker- Deion Jones was a premier LB in 2017, and matched his per game rate during an injury ravaged 2018. He's been adequate to date in 2019, but looks to have one of the most inviting schedules in the season's back half, where Phoenix will need to put up big numbers to make up ground in the playoff race. Demario Davis is perhaps only a half tier behind Deion Jones in projections, a quality veteran LB that should supply good production week in and out.


Jersey sees their floor rise up as they work to make their inaugural season a successful one, while Phoenix takes on some added risk in hopes of a better reward. Time will tell if this deal ends up favoring one team or the other, or is a win-win. Or a lose lose!?

EVERYBODY LOSES.
Except Hill Valley.
So far.
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TRADE 7: $kill Positions

The Pawnee Pride are running back rich, but with bye weeks sidelining Marlon Mack and Josh Jacobs this week, they hit the trade block to fill the hole- and the Rudy-Toos were happy to oblige them, upgrading their receiving corps in the process.

PAWNEE ACQUIRES RB DEVONTA FREEMAN
CARMEL ACQUIRES WE COURTLAND SUTTON

For Carmel, Jordan Howard strengthens his grip on the RB2 position with Freeman out of the way, while Sutton fills in at the WR3 slot; There's no RB depth beyond Howard and Zeke Elliot left, but with a couple of weeks worth of injuries between them and their own byes, that's a problem for another day. As is, the Carmel starting lineup is strong, and they've completed their first Larkspur Bowl trade- an important milestone for every franchise.

Pawnee will be looking to ship out a running back or three in the near future: They've got no receiving or tight end depth to speak of, with inactive Antonio Brown and Dawson Knox (caught a touchdown once) the only substitutes on the roster. If they deal off the top of their depth chart or the bottom will be an interesting thread to follow, as they seek to get back to the Larkspur Bowl after losing in heartbreaking fashion in 2018.


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Tuesday, October 8, 2019

XI: Week Five Recap

In a week as feast or famine as any on registry, Hill Valley continued to McFly high, soaring to 5-0. It's the second best start in franchise history, after they began 8-0 in 2011; Which, to date is the second best start ever. The longest undefeated streaks to start the season belong to New York (9-0 in 2015), with Mar-A-Lago and South Park both winning seven straight to start the season, in 2011 and 2014 respectively.

Larkspur Bowl IX runner-up HCM City sits in second at 4-1, tied with the Ohio Tommy Boys, both on four game win streaks after dropping their openers. Behind them are the Savannah Petes, the league's overall points leader dropping to 3-2 after their worst performance to date. Another new franchise, the Jersey Sanitation Crew, sits over .500 in playoff position, along with perennial playoff contenders New York's Finest and the Pawnee Pride.

Dropping under .500 with eight games left to play are the Grabbers, who have now lost three straight after opening up with a pair of victories. They sit alongside Carmel and Binghamton, both at 2-3 and with some work to do to get back into the sweepstakes.

South Park is a hard luck 1-4, with a competitive point total that should help them if they can claw into a tiebreaker situation. The same cannot be said of Deputy or Phoenix, who will likely need to win seven of their remaining eight games to ensure they can punch a ticket- the Van Halens missed the dance last year but appeared in 2017 and 2016, while the Uprising last missed the playoffs in 2009. Finally, the South Philly Rum Ham won't go winless; They eke out a victory and now have something to build upon over the remaining two months of play.



Week 5 Matchups

 
WEEK FIVE POWER RANKING:

  1. HCM 272: The top score in the league this season (4th best all time) saw 47+ points from Will Fuller, Christian McCaffrey, and Aaron Jones. Uh, that will do pig. That will do.
  2. OTB 242: Ohio didn't need this many points to win, but what were they gonna do, ask Amari Cooper to take it easy? Utter domination from the surging Boys.
  3. CRT 221: The sort of up-and-down the lineup production that is the result of expert planning and execution, the whiff of victory is especially sweet against top shelf competition.
  4. PAW 215: The Pride have their RB factory churning out quality, while MT and George Kittle round out a great set of weapons... but QB remains unsettled and the defense booms and busts.
  5. HVM 208: Another week, another win, Hill Valley rarely overwhelms but consistently shows no chinks in the armor. If A-Rod and OBJ turn it around, they'll be truly scary.
  6. NYF 203: Winning with Lamar Jackson off his game, everyone else picked up the slack and New York has no obvious holes... though the onslaught of byes is still yet to come.
  7. SPC 190: Good enough to win is yet again not enough to win, as all but four of the Cows put up double digits, but only one score (Jaylon Smith, 18.5) scored more than 15.
  8. JSC 181: Goose eggs from Mike Evans (mystery) and Sammy Watkins (injury) felled a team performance further hindered by lingering injuries to David Johnson and Brandin Cooks.
  9. PRH 180: Rum Ham get out of their dark place, holding off the collapsing Grabbers thanks to trade acquisitions DJ Chark and Preston Smith, plus ole reliable Matty Ice. 
  10. SAV 174: A rare misstep by the Petes, with Phil Rivers, Keenan Allen, and Emmanuel Sanders all neutralized, and Evan Engram injured. They'll look to rebound against Pawnee.
  11. DVH 174: Deshaun Watson has alternated between unstoppable and stoppable, but he could not will a team that got single digit production from ten starters to victory.
  12. MAL 167: This sequel plays exactly the same way! Injuries to Pat Mahomes (Q) and Sterling Shepard (D) spoil the return of McLaurin, as the offense looks to get back on track. 
  13. BIN 158: The Carson/Lindsay running game was very good, and Juju bounced back soundly. This concludes the list of bright spots for the Snipers in week five.
  14. PHX 147: Nearly every gamble Phoenix has taken has backfired (this week: Gallman) and time is running out. Right now they wouldn't qualify for the consolation bracket. 


WEEK FIVE TEAM-OF-THE-WEEK:

  • QB Deshaun Watson DVH (48.34) 473 total yards, five touchdowns, only five incomplete passes... Watson at his best is as unstoppable as any quarterback in the league at their best.
  • RB Christian McCaffrey HCM (52.5) 237 total yards, three touchdowns... he even threw a pass, and though it fell incomplete, he's shown he's as multifaceted as anyone in the league.
  • WR Will Fuller HCM (53.3) Showing that he is more than a touchdown specialist, he had eleven catches that did not finish in the end zone, and only 3 that did. 217 receiving yards.
  • TE George Kittle PAW (19.4) 88 yards on seven touches, a touchdown and five first downs, Kittle's return from the bye invigorated a Pride offense to a victory.
  • DL Danielle Hunter JSC (21.5) Seven total tackles, two sacks and TFLs, and Hunter is back on track for a sack a game pace. He's extremely reliable at a volatile position.
  • LB Joe Schobert HCM (19.5) & LB Demario Davis PHX (19.5) Shared honors for tackle monsters Joe (11 & a TFL) and Demario (7 and two PDs) in week five.
  • CB Jaire Alexander OTB (19.85) A pick and three batted balls, plus a couple of tackles, and Jaire has scored at least 9.5 points in four of five games on the season.
  • SS Tyrann Mathieu OTB (19.5) Ohio IDPs have been dominant week in and week out, and Honey Badger totes the mantle here with a 79 yard pick six, a PD, a three tackles.
  • K Justin Tucker MAL (16.0) two PATs, two short field goals, and two long field goals. Easy, peasy, pudding pie.


B-DIVISION POWER RANKINGS:

  1. MANITOBA MOOSECREW 1257.15 (+264.04)
  2. TORONTO LES TRES PETITES 1181.21 (+302.52)
  3. NITTANY LIONS 1175.79 (+216.09)
  4. BREWTANG KILLA BEEZ 1102.63 (+237.67)



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Sunday, October 6, 2019

TRADE 6: They Might Be Giants

A small deal went down yesterday, as Pawnee and Phoenix shuffle their rosters.

PHOENIX ACQUIRES: RB WAYNE GALLMAN
PAWNEE ACQUIRES: QB DANIEL JONES

Wayne Gallman slots in as Saquon Barkley's handcuff, providing short term value and an insurance policy for the Uprising. With Phoenix moving on to Kyler Murray for week five, Daniel Jones heads to Pawnee where he will try to supplant Baker Mayfield under center. This deal could end up being a minor exchange, or something more substantial- time will tell!


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Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Trade 5: Le'Veon Wears His War Wound Like A Crown

The 4-0 McFlys and the 0-4 Rum Ham link up for a predictable deal where South Philly ships a premium asset out for a talent infusion. It's a sensible deal for both sides with the results to speak for themselves.

HILL VALLEY ACQUIRES: RB LE'VEON BELL
SOUTH PHILLY ACQUIRES: RB DAVID MONTGOMERY, WR DJ CHARK & LB PRESTON SMITH


The big prize is obviously Bell, the thirteenth overall pick in the draft a month ago. Bell is a marquee talent, but in an underpowered offense his upside may be limited. Still, with a versatile skillset and no other premier weapons to compete with for touches, Bell coming out of his bye week immediately improves the league's top team, teaming with Dalvin Cook to give the team bankable every week starters.

It's been a horror show in South Philly this September, as the team has not won a game, barely scoring at all, and facing possible relegation. Give the Rum Ham credit- they're playing the hand dealt to them and doing what they can to remain relevant, even if they are only scrounging to make the consolation bracket. Montgomery offers a similar floor to Bell, a capable back without  while DJ Chark is no world beater, he's an unquestioned starter for the Rum Ham. Until Tyreek Hill returns, he is the team's primary threat, as sad as that sounds. Preston Smith is a boom/bust sack threat that will be a weekly dice roll.
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Tuesday, October 1, 2019

XI: Week Four Recap

Week four sees Hill Valley stay in control, South Philly continue to sink, and everyone else start to separate: Four 3-1 teams (SAV, JSC, OTB, HCM), four 2-2 teams (MAL, NYF, PAW, BIN), and four 1-3 teams (SPC, CRT, PHX, DVH) all jostling for position. As always, eight wins is the magic number, with seven wins often coming down to a tiebreak (head to head in a two way tie, total points in a multi-team tie) so banking those victories is vital.



Week 4 Matchups

 
WEEK 4 POWER RANKINGS:
  1. SAV 227: The Petes have been dominant to start the year, scoring over 200 in all four games and leading even the undefeated McFlys by 75 points to date. 
  2. HVM 224: The Champs roll on by way of riches (six players with 17+ points) overcoming rags (six players with less than 5 points) to take home win number four.
  3. HCM 223: Tactical sunday night grab of CB Mike Hilton sealed this one, blocking their opponent out of points that would have forced the result to state correction review.
  4. PAW 222: The Pride bounce back to even their record, and undraft edge rusher Shaq Barrett is a major reason why. Questions about Ekelers role going forward remain.
  5. JSC 221: Crew at Work, reeling off three straight wins while streaming at quarterback, a daring strategy that has often been underutilized in the Larkspur Bowl.
  6. SPC 215: Well, they can't take this one away! The Cows break into the win column at last, fifth in overall points to date. Kelce/Hooper looks like the best jumbo package in the league.
  7. PHX 204: Despite their best effort of the season, the Uprising fall and leave little room for error if they want to push their playoff streak to ten. Good news: Melvin returns!
  8. NYF 182: The team had not shot in this one, despite new acquisition Todd Gurley nearly matching dynamic quarterback Lamar Jackson on the stat sheet. 
  9. CRT 175: Carmel has looked adequate every week, but needs to find that top gear to mount a playoff push in the midseason... Jamie Collins looks like an MVP candidate. 
  10. BIN 173: YoYo-ing between wins and losses, the Snipers have held tough despite some early season injuries, but if Davante Adams misses time, they'll be hard pressed to bounce back.
  11. MAL 173: Grabbing two out of the gate then dropping back to .500, MAL gets a chance to feast on South Philly in week five and get back that loving feeling.
  12. OTB 170: Their worst effort by far, and yet they come out victors, a serendipitous bit of scheduling nirvana. Most weeks you need more than 15.9 from WRs, but Chubb got it done. 
  13. DVH 141: The pitfall of pairing a QB and WR1 is that when their offense stalls, so does yours. Watson/Hopkins bottom out and a quality ground game couldn't save them.
  14. PRH 135: With baseball over, the Rum Ham can focus on football, or else, they're going to be switching into golf mode pretty quickly. Winter golf. It's a thing, probably.
WEEK 4 TEAM OF THE WEEK:

  • QB Aaron Rodgers HVM (30.38) This is the Rodgers Hill Valley expected when they drafted him 71st overall, 3rd slinger off the board. 468 total yards and a pair of scores works fine.
  • RB Nick Chubb OTB (42.6) An absurd stat line, with 183 yards and three scores, Chubb powered the Tommy Boys to their third straight victory almost unilaterally. 
  • WR Chris Godwin HVM (40.8) This is the Godwin Hill Valley expected when they drafted him 42nd overall, #2 WR to date. It's like the champion McFlys know what they are doing!?
  • TE Austin Hooper SPC (21.5) Hooper may be the second option to Kelce on the Cow offense, but don't tell him that; nine catches for 130 yards in a dominant performance.
  • DL Jadeveon Clowney NYF (17.85) It took him about a month to acclimate to a new defense, but Clowney appeared to get the hang of it in week four and took a pick all the way home.
  • LB Joe Schobert HCM (26.5) Old Shoe swarmed in this one, tallying seventeen total tackles, two for a loss and one sack in a big time performance in a tight matchup. 
  • CB Janoris Jenkins CRT (26.6) Jackrabbit picked off two, flicked off three more, and added four tackles to his stat sheet just to show you he could. He can. He will. He did.
  • SS Jabrill Peppers PHX (26.6) His pick six was the exclamation point on a game where he score six tackles, defended a pair, and got into a postgame altercation about uniform numbers.
  • K Josh Lambo PAW (16.0) Four field goals and a couple of PATs make Lambo your week four golden booter.


B-DIVISION POWER RANKINGS:

  1. MANITOBA MOOSECREW 993.11 (+234.93) Surging into first
  2. NITTANY LIONS 956.20 (+142.80) Clunker, with Chubb regrets
  3. TORONTO LES TRES PETITES 878.69 (+255.03) Moving up into contention
  4. BREWTANG KILLA BEEZ 864.96 (+153.53) Toiling at the bottom
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