This is just ridiculous. It's week 13, the last of the fantasy regular season and we only have one team that's clinched a playoff spot (although it would be almost impossible for Eric to lose his spot. He would have to lose to Mike while scoring very few points and Nelson, Cho, Dan Park and the winner of the Yim v. Jon matchup would all have to surpass him in points for. With Jon and Yim more than 130 points behind, I'd pretty much say Eric is a lock. But as Yim found out playing against Jordan Matthews, nothing in fantasy is certain until the games are played.). So even if we take out Eric and myself, there are 6 teams (sorry David and Biggie, your point differentials are too much to overcome even if you win and all the teams ahead of you lose) vying for 4 playoff spots. Not only that, none of the seeds have been determined yet and Eric could still lose his bye to Nelson (or in a more ridiculous scenario to Mike, Cho or Dan). With all that being said, let's check out the potential ramifications of each matchup. There won't be a full-fledged MOTW this week but all of the matchups will be diagnosed on a team by team basis.
1. I Have a Concussion (Simon) vs. 6. Leaky Spark Tube (Dan)
Who Simon is rooting for: N/A
Who Dan is rooting for: Eric
A huge game for Dan as even if he wins, he will not be guaranteed a spot. If Eric beats Mike, that will open up a sure spot as long as he himself is able to win. Otherwise, he'll have to make sure he wins AND scores enough points to keep Jon/Yim at bay. If we take a quick look at the matchup, Dan's got Luck against a struggling Redskins team, Lacy and Bell playing against teams that can definitely be run on and Simon's got some injury issues on his team. All things are looking up for Dan to continue his season past week 13.
2. Marc by MarcTrestman (Eric) vs. 4. taeyeon (Mike)
Who Eric is rooting for: Paul
Who Mike is rooting for: Simon, David K.
Most weeks, this would definitely be the MOTW due to the standings of the two teams and the playoff implications. Eric has the luxury of controlling his own destiny: win and not only do you secure the playoff berth, but you will also receive the coveted first round bye. If he can't pull off the win, he'll need some help from Paul to keep Nelson from creeping in to the top spot. Mike should make it with a win but once again, the point differential game comes into the equation. A loss by Dan or Cho would greatly increase his odds of making the playoffs, even if he falters this week against Eric. He's done an admirable job of ripping off 2 straight much-needed wins and climbing from 9th to 4th in just 2 weeks. Who actually wins the matchup? Mike does have some tasty matchups with the Eli+Odell+Jennings (aka the entire NYG team) combo against the Jags or Tate against a Bears team that is without Fuller and will be focused on stopping Calvin. But I still have to say Eric wins. There are just too many weapons (especially at WR) that can go off for 20+. Mike will need help to keep his playoff hopes alive.
3. Turn Down for Watt (Nelson) vs. 11. Ben There Raped That (Paul)
Who Nelson is rooting for: If he wins, Mike. If he loses, Eric.
Who Paul is rooting for: His fantasy basketball team as his football one is irrelevant at this point
Nelson, whom I stated as having a 75% chance of missing the playoffs, has won 4 in a row to keep himself in the playoff discussion. He's climbed from 8th to 3rd but his position is a very fragile one due to his lowest total of points scored. However, it seems like he's either really lucky or teams have a hard time scoring on him because he's got the lowest points against as well. If he loses this week, the teams below could all overtake him quite easily. Nelson will definitely have to track more than just his matchup this week as the Eric/Mike matchup plays a huge role in his ultimate playoff seeding. If Nelson wins, he'll be looking for Mike to knock off Eric so that he can earn himself a much-needed bye. If Nelson loses, he'll be looking for a win by Eric to knock off one of Nelson's potential rivals for the 3-6 seeds. Nelson's team has been decimated at the RB position but Brees and Graham are good enough to carry the team to a victory (as we witnessed last week against David Kim, eliminating him from the playoffs on the last Saints play of the game). This matchup is too close to call.
5. Jacked Up! (Cho) vs. Rice Beaters (David K.)
Who Cho is rooting for: Simon, Eric, Paul
Who David is rooting for: For Mike, Cho, an Dan to all lose and for his team to score 300+ points, clinching him a playoff spot
Cho's team finally got a break the last 4 weeks with teams regressing to the mean and scoring under 80 ppg against him. However, he was only able to go 2-2 during that stretch and puts himself in an undesirable position of playoff uncertainty. He still has a great chance, especially if he wins, but if he had pulled out a victory last week, he could have been playing for a bye, not his playoff life. Getting Josh Gordon back has made Cho's wide receiver corp the best in the league. With him, Nelson, and Bryant/DeSean, he can compete with anyone, even Eric. David K., the other man who could have rode his WRs to the playoffs, has finally benched one of his coveted WRs who has not lived up to expectations. It's been a disappointing season as David could have really made something happen had he been willing to trade one of those studs for a decent RB. Now, he just lives to play the role of spoiler. But will he succeed? I say no. Too much firepower carries Cho in an easy victory, as Ray Rice's karma brings down David to wait until next year.
7. Pass that Blount vs. 8. Gotta Catch Jamaal
Who they are both rooting for: Eric, Simon, David K.
It all comes down to this. And a win isn't a guarantee to make the playoffs. If Nelson, Mike, Cho, and Dan all win, the winner could still see himself stuck in 7th place due to both of these teams' low point total. But let's worry about external factors later. Who actually wins this matchup to keep themselves in the playoff race? My money's on David Y. Although Jon has played with a lot of heart and some saavy (Sanu, Hill), his ridiculous inability to drop Adrian Peterson will become his downfall. Had he given up on the man and maybe tried for some other free agents, he might not even be in this position. But we all know Jon. This man does not know when to let go. And when Foster and Charles are running all over his team and Rodgers gets caught in a shootout with Tom Brady at Gillette, Jon will be looking at his team that is devoid of playmakers other than Antonio Brown and wondering why Peterson is still on his team.
Final Predicted Standings:
1. Simon
2. Eric
3. Nelson
4. Cho
5. Dan
6. David Y.
Good luck to all and Happy Thanksgiving!
Simon Kim
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