Week 4 - MOTW

Wow, how lucky are you guys? 2 weeks, 2 posts. Don't expect this for the rest of the season. Just enjoy it while it lasts.

Let's get into the first MOTW of the year. It matches up 2 bitter rivals, although only 1 side knows about the rivalry. In the wake of a massive trade, will Chris's new additions take him to a W? Or will Jon get to take down his rival (to be clear, Chris is unaware of this rivalry) for bragging rights (not sure who he will be bragging to)?

MOTW

4. One Tyreek Hill (Jon) vs. 6. #winnable (Chris)

QB: Jon ◯ ◯ ◯ 🟢 ◯ Chris

At first, I was going to put this all the way to Chris's side. The Hurts 1-yard run is still unstoppable and while the passing offense hasn't been as potent as last year, Hurts should have a fun time with a Commanders defense that just got torn up by a similar QB in Josh Allen. But the reason I have some optimism for Jon is that TLaw actually hasn't been that bad in real life. He's missed a few throws, some drops by the receivers, and a few would-be TDs have been nullified due to a toe over the line. I think he rebounds against a middling Atlanta defense with a mini revenge game factor for Ridley in a game that's pretty much must-win for the Jags to stay as the plucky Super Bowl hopeful.

WR: Jon 🟢 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ Chris

Chris just traded his best receiver away and I still believe Christian Watson is one week away so this one firmly belongs in Jon's corner. I actually don't know if I pick any receiver on Chris's team to start over the top 3 receivers on Jon's team. Sutton has become a reliable target for Russ and he faces a putrid Bears defense, Evans is a TD machine, and Tyreek may just outscore Chris's entire WR group.

RB: Jon ◯ ◯ 🟢◯ ◯ Chris

What he lost with trading Olave, he hopes to gain in the RB column. He get Kamara who has fresh legs (not returning from injury, just a suspension) and almost no competition in the backfield. Jon has some decent backs to match with Gibbs screaming potential and Jacobs in a potential bounceback spot against one of the softest run defenses in the Chargers. No Ekeler means Chris has to start a backup back in Gainwell or Zeke and neither one can match Jon's backs. Let's call this one a wash.

TE/K/DST: Jon ◯ ◯ 🟢 ◯ ◯ Chris

This one is kind of ugly all around. Henry has been relatively good this year but I don't think he separates himself from all the TEs after Kelce, Hock, and Andrews. Both Kickers should be on offenses that put up a lot of points, but I'm not sure if it'll be them that score them. And both defenses face great offenses, which may mean that Jon and Chris change who they play at that DST spot after this post is finished.

Winner: Jon

I think this one is going to come down to the wire. The winner will be decided by fewer than 10 points but in a close one, I have to give it to the most explosive player and in this matchup, that's Tyreek. I don't think he puts up 39 like week 1, but don't be surprised to see him over 25 this week.

Good luck to all!

Week 3 - Pour One Out For Our Fallen Homies

Only 2 weeks in to the season and it feels like injuries are already ravaging teams. Let's see how these injuries (and other unexpected personnel decisions) impact not only the team with the player, but the teams that picked up the replacement.

Honorable mentions/not sure if there will be an impact: Saquon, Montgomery, Waddle, Richardson

1. Nick Chubb

Impacted GMs: Jung (⬇⬇⇩), David K (⬆⇧)

Jung's team was built on a 2 RB strategy and he expected the 4 legged horse of Chubb + Henry to keep him in most fantasy matchups. Now? He's hoping that Cleveland resigns Kareem Hunt. Meanwhile, David K steals Ford off the waiver wire and he could usurp Conner as the RB2 on that team.

2. Aaron Rodgers

Impacted GMs: Jung (⬇), David K (⬇⇩)

Somehow another player went down who affected the same 2 teams, but this time, they both suffer due to the loss. Jung lost his starting QB in Rodgers and he may have picked up a better option anyways in Goff, but it still hurts to lose your preferred QB1. David K's strategy was built around 2 exciting, young players in Bijan and Wilson and Wilson goes from a mid-tier WR1 to a mid-tier WR2 thanks to Zach's inability to be as effective as Aaron. Bad news for everyone involved.

3. JK Dobbins

Impacted GMs: Mike (⬇)

Tough to see JK go down again and even tougher for Mike who was hoping he could be his sneaky good RB2. Thankfully for Mike, he was able to snag the Gus Bus off the waiver wire but there's a reason Dobbins was the lead back. Gus won't be able to replicate the same success and he'll probably have to split snaps with Justice Hill. 

4. Joe Burrow

Impacted GMs: Mike (⬇⇩), Paul (⬇⇩), Jung (⬇), Simon/Dan (⬇)

So this injury happened in the pre-season but I have a feeling this is going to be a potential lingering disaster. Burrow just doesn't look like himself through 2 games. His game was never built on being crazy mobile but he had underrated athleticism and escapability when needed. Without that aspect of his game, the entire Bengals offense is struggling, but especially Chase. They just don't seem to be on the same page and without Burrow's ability to extend plays, the improvisational plays that came to define their connection has been struggling. Tee and Mixon also get a little bit of a downgrade just due to Burrow's impact reaching in to every part of the offense.

5. Cooper Kupp

Impacted GMs: Rich (⬇⇩⇩), Mike (⬆⬆⇧), David K (⬆⇧)

This one's an interesting one because the impact is currently somewhat minimal but could be bigger as the season goes on. As we all know from playing fantasy for so long, hamstring injuries do not subside quietly, especially for skill position players over 30 (side note: I think all of us are over 30 now other than David K so we can REALLY relate to the struggle of recovering from injuries) who rely on the explosiveness from their legs to create separation. If this lingers, Rich will have a tough road ahead without his first round draft pick. Meanwhile, David K (aka elite scavenger) and Mike have taken advantage by taking Stafford's new favorite targets who have both overtaken Van Jefferson on the depth chart (poor David Y, who tried to preemptively take Van and ended up with the WR3 on that team). Both Puka and Tutu (what a sick name pairing) may end up playing key roles on their new teams.

6. Austin Ekeler

Impacted GMs: Chris (⇩⇩), Rich (⇧)

At first, this looked like a minor injury but now with the team saying that the timeline to return is uncertain, I think this could also be an injury to monitor for the long term. Ekeler is 28 (which is over 30 in running back years) with a lot of mileage. He's had some injury issues in the past so whether the injury lingers or the Chargers staff choose to limit his workload to keep him for their wishful playoff run, there could be a negative impact coming. As for his replacement in Kelley, he gets great opportunity if Ekeler is gone but he didn't do much with it this week. Also, in Rich's muddled backfield with a lot of RBs that could be good but also couldn't, it's hard to say the impact he'll play over the course of a season.

7. Cam Akers

Impacted GMs: Chris (⬇⬇), Simon (⬆⬆⇧)

Originally drafted to be his RB2, Chris lost him even without a significant injury. I swear that Cam must have slept with McVay's girlfriend/wife because I don't understand why he hates him so much. He had a great end to the 2022 season and all of a sudden at only 24 years old, he's unplayable. Simon (learning from David K's scavenging) looks to be the biggest beneficiary as he picked up Kyren even before the news that Cam would be exiled to Siberia. Simon has potential for more upside if Cam Akers gets traded to a lead-RB needy team (see Cleveland, Miami, Indy, or maybe even Baltimore?) he might have another top 24 RB on his hands to use on bye weeks or for trading purposes.

Biggest loser so far as directed by the football gods: Jung (Runner Up: Chris)

Biggest winner so far as directed by the football gods: David K (Runner Up: Mike)

Good luck to all!

2023 - Welcome!

Welcome back to the league!

I know I stopped posting near the end of last year but it was kind of fitting for a season that ended without a champion. Sure, Yahoo may say Jung won but Diggs, Mixon, and whatever kicker Dan had could definitely have scored enough to make up the difference. So if anything, this year feels like we're playing for TWO TIMES THE GLORY. Hopefully everyone is up for the challenge.

Before we get into the dirty business, let's share some good news:

- David Y had a daughter!

- Jon had a son!

- Paul had a daughter!

- Cho moved into his new house (to be fair this may have been last year but I missed it)!

If there's anybody I missed, I do apologize but it also probably means we haven't talked in a while. Don't be a stranger and reach out any time, especially to share good news!

Now to get into the dirty details, let's just get to some of my favorite teams and my least favorite teams as we enter the season.

Favorites:

Let Bijans be Bijans (David K)

What? David K makes my list 2 years in a row?? This is not a mistake. Sure, Bijan and Garrett could be a risky combo, banking on 2 guys under 23. However, Bijan should dominate on an Atlanta team that runs when they're down 28 and Wilson had 1000+ yards with Flacco and Zach Wilson. Imagine what he can do with Rodgers who loves to overtarget his favorite guys. Add to those 2 a Lamar/Andrews stack in what should be a fast-paced offense, Addison who could be a rookie sleeper next to JJettas, and James Conner, an underrated back who has the backfield to himself, and suddenly, David K has got a squad. Warren and Doubs are great sleepers that he basically got for free and Goff could finish as a top 10 QB. Watch out world. David K is coming for his ship.

Jacked Up! (Cho)

Although I'm not a huge Saquon fan this year, the rest of his roster looks great. Amon-Ra already showed us that he's ready to feast as Goff's favorite target. Keenan Allen and Darren Waller could be top 30 players that fell way too far because of the perceived step back they will take due to their age. If Deshaun Watson can regain some of the Houston form (and not sexually harass masseuses), Kenneth Walker holds off Charbonnet and becomes a bell cow back, and one of his lottery ticket WRs pays off (Pickens, Michael Thomas, Alec Pierce), Cho could be coming back to regain the trophy that was once his.

Dark Horse:

No Punts Intended (Paul)

Although his team is WR heavy, the 3 heavy WRs could all finish as WR1s. Chase should compete for the overall WR1, DeVonta is in a high-powered offense looking at single coverage thanks to AJ, and Ridley will be TLaw's defacto number 1 option. Herbert was criminally underrated due to his struggles last year (he had broken ribs, missed his left tackle, and was stuck in Lombardi's conservative offense) and although his RBs are weak, If Cook or White can both just be RB2s, this WR corp may be enough to destroy most teams.

In Time (Eric)

First off, great team name. Somehow an homage to The Office and a pun based on his best player's name all in one. I'm hoping Eric will make the effort to get a picture of the real Justin as his team's profile pic. But look at this roster and try to find a true weakness. It might be TE but outside of Kelce, TE feels like a wasteland this year. He's got 2 RBs that own their backfield and are young enough to have a breakout year, 3 WRs that have clearly defined roles in great offenses and a QB that should run enough to have a great floor any given week. Watch out.

Cellar Dweller:

MotherKuppin Hamstring

It's not entirely his fault as his team was auto-drafted in the first 4 rounds or so (although it is his fault for not showing up) but it's a tough hill to climb when your first round pick may not be available for a while. And even when he comes back, can a 30 year old Kupp regain his form? And if the Rams suck, will they even risk reinjury? Add to that Davante who somehow downgraded again from Carr to Jimmy G, Aaron Jones who lost Rodgers and will probably lose more work to Dillon, and Mattison, who gets a large opportunity but has never really shown explosiveness in the past. The cherry on top is Daniel Jones at QB. I know real life QB competence doesn't equal fantasy competence but keep me away from anything related to Daniel Jones. Without Kupp, this team truly looks like it'll struggle every week to put up over 100 points.

Saticoy Steel (Dan)

What a great Office callback. Dan, I will reward you one day for being so consistent and on top of your team names. But I really don't understand the strategy of drafting Kelce and Hock in the first 5 rounds. The Kelce Mahomes stack may not be as good this year if Kelce has a hard time recovering at all from his knee injury and teams triple team him due to the fact that apparently nobody else on the team can catch a ball. His WRs are pretty weak, with most of them being on poor offenses or too far down the depth chart to be counted on week to week. I don't want to doubt Dan, who honestly may have been a champ last year, but that 5th round pick will keep me scratching my head.

Good luck to all!