I'm still reeling from getting pounded in the butt by Eric's 136 point outing (which I probably would have no chance of winning even if I had Zeke and Jordy). It's pretty hard for me to even open up the fantasy site today but I gotta keep the fans happy.
Instead of the standard MOTW, I'll break down the reason why each team is a championship contender. And then I'll turn right around and poke holes in each team's chances.
1. Jacked Up! (Cho)
Hope: Can you find a weakness in this team? With the trade rape to get Matt Ryan and picking up Rodgers, he shored up his weakest spot. TE might be his Achilles heel but that's just nitpicking. Additionally, the Jaguars get 2 terrible offenses in the next 2 weeks which they should feast on.
Despair: Rodgers is trying to return from an injury to his throwing shoulder. Are we sure he'll be able to be 100% in his first week? Additionally, his RB2 spot is shakier than ever. McCoy might be hurt, Kamara regressed terribly (thank God for that bye), and Coleman is streaky with Freeman as the lead back. Hopkins has to face 2 tough defenses in the Jaguars and Steelers. While I still believe that Cho has the best chance to win, it won't be a walk in the park.
2. mike&mike (David K.)
Hope: Just making the playoffs should be a win for David but he wants more. The addition of Josh Gordon was huge after he traded for Kelce, keeping his WR corp as one of the most formidable in the league. Hunt looks like he's returning to form, Gordon has 2 matchups that should allow him to rack up yards, and Denver gets a terrible Indy O-line to rack up double digit points in Week 15.
Despair: The QB spot is still his shakiest spot. Keenum should be an upgrade from Mariota but other than the opportunity for double points to Thielen, I don't believe he'll be a QB1. Evans has been unplayable, making his WR3 spot in flux at the moment. And can we believe in the resurgence of Hunt after one game?
5. Dinkin Flicka (Dan)
Hope: For Dan's sake, I hope this is the year he finally wins. And he's finally got a team that he should be very confident in. Wilson has been on fire as he always is in the second half of the year, His 2 RBs are workhorses that seem to get their points whether their teams are winning or losing, and he's got a plethora of WRs that may not be sexy to have, but perform on Sundays.
Despair: The loss of Wentz should hurt Ertz a ton, especially as he now has to compete with Burton for targets. And while he as a bunch of WRs, none of them have risen up as the cream of the crop and on any given Sunday, I could see a dud coming from any of them. Jordan Howard's averages are great but his streakiness is definitely a worry. If he happens to deviate to the Jekyll version for one week, Dan's quest for the ship may fall short again.
6. Dont Stop BellLeveon
Hope: When you get Le'veon and Gronk, I don't think you're worrying about much. That's arguably the best RB and best TE in the league. When you can beat any team at 2 positions, you always have a chance. Additionally, as I saw last week, this team has great explosive potential. Jamaal Williams is coming into his own and Fitz and Watkins are a solid source of double-digit point potential.
Despair: Losing Wentz hurts. A lot. Dropping from Wentz to Garoppolo is like downgrading 2 players. Also, even if Eric can win this week, Jimmy has to face a tough Jaguars defense in week 16. Williams also tussles with 2 tough defenses so his explosiveness may be tempered. With Amari Cooper being MIA, he'll have to hope to find a gem for his WR3 spot.
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Thursday, December 7, 2017
Playoffs!
I must start with the fact that I have no idea what's going on with the font. Please excuse this horrendous black border surrounding everything.
Welcome to the playoffs! We'll start with the final analysis of the PF rankings that we've been tracking all season:
Week 4 Week 6 Week 9 Week 13
1. Cho (0) 1. Cho (0) 1. Cho (0) 1. Cho (0)
2. Simon (0) 2. Simon (+1) 2. Simon (0) 2. Simon (+1)
3. David K. (+3) 3. David K. (+1) 3. Eric (+4) 3. David K. (-1)
4. Jung (-1) 4. Dan (+1) 4. David K. (-1) 4. Dan (+1)
5. Eric (+4) 5. Eric (+4) 5. Dan (-1) 5. Eric (+1)
6. Dan (+1) 6. Jung (0) 6. Jung (+2) 6. Paul (+4)
7. Biggie (+1) 7. Paul (+3) 7. Paul (+3) 7. Biggie (+1)
8. Jon (-4) 8. Biggie (-1) 8. Biggie (+1) 8. Jon (-1)
9. Paul (+1) 9. Jon (-7) 9. Mike (-4) 9. David Y. (+2)
10. Mike (-5) 10. David Y. (+1) 10. Jon (-4) 10. Jung (-1)
11. David Y. (0) 11. Mike (-3) 11. David Y. (+1) 11. Mike (-7)
12. Alex (0) 12. Alex (0) 12. Alex (-1) 12. Alex (0)
Most of the league has nothing to complain about as they got the position they deserve. Except for Paul. He should have snuck into the playoffs but a few tough losses coupled with Mike's ridiculous lucky streak have left him on the outside looking in. Look at all the people Mike has pushed down in the rankings: Dan, Eric, Paul, Biggie, David Y. It's unbelievable. He outperformed his PF ranking by 7 spots and is playing for the grand prize instead of the gift card. At this point, I'm kind of rooting for him to win the whole thing.
In the meantime, here are some playoff predictions (in parenthesis are the predictions from the beginning of the year and their current seed in the playoffs):
Winner: Cho, 1 (Jon, N/A)
Not really a pick that's going to wow anybody but when you lock up a first round bye, have 4 of the top 13 running backs over the past 4 weeks, trade raped to get a solid WR2 and QB (and has a top 3 QB possibly returning from injury), own one of the league's best defenses that has one of the softest schedules, and a potential second round matchup against one of the least deserving teams to ever make the playoffs, how am I supposed to pick against you?
Runner-up: David K., 2 (Eric, 6)
2 for 2 with these out of nowhere picks. But hey, I call it like I see it. In his first appearance in the playoffs, he's guaranteed himself a 75% chance at some money. While Hunt has been disappointing in the second half of the season, people don't want to face that Gordon/Hunt backfield that has the potential for a 20+ game at any given moment. Thielen has come out of nowhere to be a top 10 WR over the last 4 weeks AND on the season (and unofficially became the best white WR at the moment, although this has really only been a 2 horse race between Jordy and Edelman up to now) and the addition of Josh Gordon was a very saavy move, assuming Josh can keep himself away from the devil's lettuce. His QB spot is still a little shaky but it shouldn't hold him back from being profitable in the league this year.
Dark-Horse: Eric, 6 (David K., 2)
A few things have changed that took Eric from being one of the favorites to relegating him to a dark horse but don't let his seed fool you, Eric deserves to be here. He got here on the back of his 3 stars (Wentz, Bell, Gronk) and he'll continue to lean on them as long as they'll carry him. He'll need to take some risks with filling out the rest of his roster but don't expect him to go down without a fight.
If you're in the consolation bracket, don't forget that you're playing for a gift card. This year it will be a $25 gift card to a location of your choice (from a selected list)! Make sure you keep on fighting until week 16!
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
Welcome to the playoffs! We'll start with the final analysis of the PF rankings that we've been tracking all season:
Week 4 Week 6 Week 9 Week 13
1. Cho (0) 1. Cho (0) 1. Cho (0) 1. Cho (0)
2. Simon (0) 2. Simon (+1) 2. Simon (0) 2. Simon (+1)
3. David K. (+3) 3. David K. (+1) 3. Eric (+4) 3. David K. (-1)
4. Jung (-1) 4. Dan (+1) 4. David K. (-1) 4. Dan (+1)
5. Eric (+4) 5. Eric (+4) 5. Dan (-1) 5. Eric (+1)
6. Dan (+1) 6. Jung (0) 6. Jung (+2) 6. Paul (+4)
7. Biggie (+1) 7. Paul (+3) 7. Paul (+3) 7. Biggie (+1)
8. Jon (-4) 8. Biggie (-1) 8. Biggie (+1) 8. Jon (-1)
9. Paul (+1) 9. Jon (-7) 9. Mike (-4) 9. David Y. (+2)
10. Mike (-5) 10. David Y. (+1) 10. Jon (-4) 10. Jung (-1)
11. David Y. (0) 11. Mike (-3) 11. David Y. (+1) 11. Mike (-7)
12. Alex (0) 12. Alex (0) 12. Alex (-1) 12. Alex (0)
Most of the league has nothing to complain about as they got the position they deserve. Except for Paul. He should have snuck into the playoffs but a few tough losses coupled with Mike's ridiculous lucky streak have left him on the outside looking in. Look at all the people Mike has pushed down in the rankings: Dan, Eric, Paul, Biggie, David Y. It's unbelievable. He outperformed his PF ranking by 7 spots and is playing for the grand prize instead of the gift card. At this point, I'm kind of rooting for him to win the whole thing.
In the meantime, here are some playoff predictions (in parenthesis are the predictions from the beginning of the year and their current seed in the playoffs):
Winner: Cho, 1 (Jon, N/A)
Not really a pick that's going to wow anybody but when you lock up a first round bye, have 4 of the top 13 running backs over the past 4 weeks, trade raped to get a solid WR2 and QB (and has a top 3 QB possibly returning from injury), own one of the league's best defenses that has one of the softest schedules, and a potential second round matchup against one of the least deserving teams to ever make the playoffs, how am I supposed to pick against you?
Runner-up: David K., 2 (Eric, 6)
2 for 2 with these out of nowhere picks. But hey, I call it like I see it. In his first appearance in the playoffs, he's guaranteed himself a 75% chance at some money. While Hunt has been disappointing in the second half of the season, people don't want to face that Gordon/Hunt backfield that has the potential for a 20+ game at any given moment. Thielen has come out of nowhere to be a top 10 WR over the last 4 weeks AND on the season (and unofficially became the best white WR at the moment, although this has really only been a 2 horse race between Jordy and Edelman up to now) and the addition of Josh Gordon was a very saavy move, assuming Josh can keep himself away from the devil's lettuce. His QB spot is still a little shaky but it shouldn't hold him back from being profitable in the league this year.
Dark-Horse: Eric, 6 (David K., 2)
A few things have changed that took Eric from being one of the favorites to relegating him to a dark horse but don't let his seed fool you, Eric deserves to be here. He got here on the back of his 3 stars (Wentz, Bell, Gronk) and he'll continue to lean on them as long as they'll carry him. He'll need to take some risks with filling out the rest of his roster but don't expect him to go down without a fight.
If you're in the consolation bracket, don't forget that you're playing for a gift card. This year it will be a $25 gift card to a location of your choice (from a selected list)! Make sure you keep on fighting until week 16!
Good luck to all!
Simon Kim
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