Wow, what an end to the semi-finals. First, a huge loss for Rich as Hurts exited the game in the first quarter. There's no guarantee that he puts up 21+ points if he stays in the game but I'm sure Rich would have liked those chances over having no shot at any points from the QB position. And in the other semi-final matchup, Dan showed that he might have won that trade with BTJ seemingly taking him to the ship with another monstrous performance. But with Baker and Bucky going on Sunday night, Jon had a chance to turn the tables around. He needed 40 points from the duo and he got 42, giving him a great come from behind victory, even if the Bucs weren't able to get their own win.
And now we go to a crazy end to a crazy season. We'll have a first-time champion AND a first-time Kim-Lee family champion. After being the laughingstock of the league for so long (and Jon trying to distance himself from his family, at least, for fantasy purposes), one finally gets to write a storybook ending and etch their name into the annals of history. Who will come out on top?
MOTW
1. To infinity and bijans (Jon) vs. 2. Ra-Dogging It (Paul)
QB: Jon ◯ ◯ 🟢 ◯ ◯ Paul
So I'm kind of cheating because obviously Lamar has already played but I actually think this gap won't be as big as people are expecting. Baker has been a top 5 QB all season and against an improved Carolina team that has surprisingly been involved in shootouts, I expect to see 3+ TDs from Baker as they continue to fight for a playoff spot. Most weeks, Lamar is the clear favorite but on this week, expect a rather tough challenge (within 5 points) from Baker.
WR/TE: Jon ◯ ◯ ◯ 🟢 ◯ Paul
Paul's WR group is probably the biggest reason he's gotten to this point. Amon-Ra and Terry have legit been WR1s and Nico probably would have been if he stayed healthy all year. Nico disappointed on Christmas day but it was met with a poor performance by DK on Thursday night. If you look at the remaining options, Kupp and Jauan are in sneaky shootout games so while their normal fantasy opportunity isn't as high as Paul's receivers, they should be able to close the gap a bit. McBride helps to close the gap a bit as the Cardinals should focus on getting him the ball after he had almost no opportunities last week but Paul has chosen one of the hottest TE hands in Chigo to counteract that advantage. Can Chigo continue his ridiculous recent streak of play? This is a gamble to throw a guy like this in during champ week but I like the play.
RB: Jon 🟢 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ Paul
This is where the pendulum swings the other way. If Kamara had been healthy and kept some early season form, then I think this green circle goes even further left but even without him, this backfield is rock solid. Bijan has basically been an RB1 every week in the back half of the season. Bucky should be in the same boat but Todd can't seem to commit to one RB in that backfield. At least it's not a 3-way committee and both Bucky and White get to eat. I will say that in most weeks, Pollard and Conner shouldn't be rated this low. But with Tyjae's recent burst performances, the Titans having nothing to play for, and his recent ankle issues, I don't see a lot of upside here. Mix that in with Conner not being 100% and I'd be surprised if both these backs can total up to Bijan's points.
K/DST: Jon ◯ ◯ ◯ 🟢 ◯ Paul
Aubrey might be the only kicker in the league that can actually swing the green dot towards his owner's side. He can make anything from 65 yards in and in an offense that can move but not score TDs, he's in a near perfect situation to rack up points. As for defenses, I think both of these defenses are middling but they're both playing terrible offenses and are fighting for playoff positioning. I think Maye is a tougher matchup than DTJ but it's not by much.
Winner: Jon
I think the strength of his backfield and Baker being able to neutralize Lamar is going to be huge in Jon's quest for his first title. While he had some key members go down (Godwin, Kamara, Dobbins), his deep and complete team may have just enough to get him his long awaited first ring.
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