Holy crap. I don't think I've seen a Monday night game that affected so many matchups without actually changing the result of any of them. Usually by Monday night, there's only 1 or 2 matchups that can actually be swung but even the ones that seemed to be out of reach got way too close for comfort for some of the managers. Although none of the matchups got overturned, let's take a look at each of the matchups before and after Monday night, from least to most intense.
6. Chris vs. Jon
Not going into this one since it was the only matchup that didn't hinge on Monday's night result. Chris had a huge lead and the only player on Monday night. Unless Singletary had run backwards from the opponents 1 yard line into his own end zone and fumbled it multiple times, there was no way this matchup was swinging.
5. David Y vs. Jung
Before: David up 11.18
Final: David wins by 18.18
This one looked like it had some potential to be a nail-biter. With Dawson Knox a legitimate threat and nothing but his kicker to stop the onslaught, David looked like he might have to hang on until the end of the night. Fortunately for David, Buffalo kicked multiple field goals in the first half and Knox was relatively uninvolved. On top of that, Knox fractured his hand, limiting his effectiveness in the second half. What could have been a comeback by Jung became a rather uneventful night.
4. Eric vs. Paul
Before: Eric up by 6.92
Final: Eric wins by 12.42
Eric had a small lead and Derrick Henry against THREE players for Paul. Sure, Eric had the best player of the bunch but with the Titans expected to need to throw a lot to stay in the game against Buffalo's explosive offense, AJ Brown got a bump in value while Henry should have had a more mediocre game. Instead, the Titans defense came out of nowhere to force turnovers and limit the effectiveness of Josh Allen (kind of) and were able to control the ground game all night. Henry fell into the end zone three times, neutralizing the threat of a comeback every time one of Paul's guys would get a decent chunk gain. If one of the TDs had flipped from Henry to an AJ Brown fade, it would have been enough to flip this score.
3. Mike vs. David K
Before: Mike up by 41.38
Final: Mike wins by 6.66
Honestly, even though Josh Allen is explosive, I had written this one off as a win for Mike. There was no way that Allen was posting another 40burger a week after he dropped 42. But from the get go, Josh Allen looked unstoppable. Sure, there were drives that stalled out into field goals but he was racking up points consistently and before their final drive, Josh was 9.96 points away from pulling off the comeback. I don't know if David was doing the match, but with 82 yards to go, he would need a couple of Josh Allen runs on a TD drive to win the week (to be exact, he would need 12 yards rushing and 70 yards passing). They moved down the field with ease, getting him the passing yards he needed, but once Zach Moss took it inside the Titans 10, it was GG for David. You might think the failed 4th and 1 was what killed David's chance but it was actually over 3 plays before (unless you think about the fact that maybe they shouldn't have gone for it in the first place, kicked the FG, and gotten Allen more stats in OT).
2. Simon vs. Cho
Before: Simon up by 8.1
Final: Simon wins by 3.56
I felt pretty confident going into this matchup. I assumed that even if Tannehill threw, he would have to pepper Julio with targets and that Buffalo could do a good job in limiting the Titans. But once it got to the 4th quarter with Julio out, Tannehill having rushed a TD himself, and Buffalo looking like they couldn't stop a peewee football team, I started to get nervous. Thankfully, the Titans kept feeding Henry, limiting Tannehill's chances to continue to score points. Additionally, McDermott's decision to go for it on 4th down and failing allowed the game to end, rather than giving Tannehill some additional chances at adding more points AND allowing Tennessee to break the 35 point threshold, making me lose 3 more points in the process. All in all, an extremely stressful night.
1. Dan vs. Rich
Before: Rich up by 23.48
Final: Rich wins by 4.08
Outside of Eric and Paul's matchup which was a true tossup, this one looked to be the most realistic one to be overturned. Sure, Diggs hasn't performed up to his potential but he always performs in primetime and with the number of targets he's been getting against a weak and banged up Titans secondary, this one looked like a comeback special waiting to happen. And it should have... if the Titans hadn't had a HUGE defensive pass interference penalty in the 4th quarter. With 1:48 to go, Diggs beat the corner so bad, he had no choice but to tackle him before the ball got there. Diggs still almost made the catch but almost isn't good enough in fantasy. That catch would have given Dan 10.9 points, more than enough to win the matchup. But alas, he stays in the cellar, hoping for a better week 7.
Good luck to all!
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