Week 14 - Playoff Predictions

 A week 13 that couldn't really bring much excitement delivered on not bringing any excitement. The playoff standings are EXACTLY what I predicted they would be last week, although Justin Tucker's missed FG allowed the standings to play out that way (otherwise, Mike would have taken the 3 seed by less than a point). We'll see if this has any bearing on the playoffs.

Let's get into playoff predictions:

Champion: Jon

With Hockenson's recent bump in targets and production and Andy Dalton bringing enough juice on offense to make the run game a threat again, does Jon's team have a weakness? His WR depth all of a sudden looks like it could be an issue if there's an unexpected injury but if you throw the best 9 best players out there, there's not many teams that can compete with Jon's complete roster (he only needs Zeke to be an RB2!!).

Runner-Up: Dan

Dan's biggest advantage against every opponent is having a 4th receiver at the TE spot. If he were a receiver, he'd be the WR3. The difference between him and 2nd place Darren Waller (not counting Kittle due to his missed games) is larger than the difference between Waller and 7th place Goedert. Dan lost fuller but Coutee may be able to fill the void as he did on Sunday against a good Colts defense. His RBs still don't inspire the most confidence and Wilson hasn't been as otherworldly as he was at the start of the season, but good luck picking out a true weakness on this squad.

Dark Horse: Mike

I guess I'm indirectly predicting a winner of this week's 4-5 matchup but Mike's team still has all the components to be a championship team. Roeth and Taysom both have pretty fantasy friendly schedules, his WRs go 6 deep, and he has 2 legitimate number 1 RBs in Henry and Chubb. I don't think I need to remind people of Henry's late season heroics from years past. While other teams are tiring out and getting ready for the playoffs, this is the time for Henry to shine. Let's just say I'm happy I don't have to face him early on.

This is no disrespect to Cho, Eric, and myself, who are all previous champions. But I'd say 2 of the 3 best contenders for the ship this year are ones who haven't tasted the glory of winning the league yet. Maybe 2020 can end on a positive note for one of these teams.

Good luck to all!

SPECIAL PAYOUT NOTE:

Going forward, I will also be updating the table below to keep everyone reminded of the payout structure at the given moment in case there is an abrupt end to the season. Anything grey and crossed out are no longer possibilities and the highlighted text is what the current payout would be if an abrupt cancellation were to happen:

Cancelled or season shortened abruptly after <10 regular season games: All money is returned to owners.
Cancelled or season shortened abruptly after 10-12 regular season games: Top 6 seeds (playoff teams) receive $150, Bottom 6 seeds receive $50.

Cancelled or season shortened abruptly after 13 regular season games (aka we are in the fantasy playoffs): Seeds 1 and 2 receive $250, Seeds 4-6 receive $175 (If the season is cancelled before games are played this week)
Cancelled or season shortened abruptly after 14 regular season games (aka second round): All 4 remaining seeds receive $300 (If the games this week are completed)
Cancelled or season shortened abruptly after 15 regular season games (aka championship): 2 teams in championship will receive $550 each. 2 teams in consolation will receive $50 each.
Season shortened prior to start of season 11+ games: We will have to adjust to however Yahoo changes things. If there is a way to adjust it myself, I will work backwards and make room for the playoffs as we currently do (3 of the last 4 weeks, not including the final week of the season). For example, if the season is cut to 12 games, I would try to adjust it so that the regular season is weeks 1-8, and the playoffs are weeks 9-11.
Season shortened prior to start of season <11 games: With the randomness of fantasy football, any fantasy regular season that is less than 7 weeks is too short to determine a proper winner. If this happens, I will return HALF the money back to all participants and we will be playing the shortened season for a smaller prize (Total prize pool of $600).