#but he's still my beloved chark

[thedenfantasyleague]

The Den Fantasy League Weekly Recap: Week 9

Gents,

We’re almost towards the end of the season and there’s still a lot to come. Plenty of teams are in the hunt and some will separate from the back, for better or for worse. On to the recap:

Team Timshel v. Viking Quest

I haven’t fully decided on how to exactly pin this on JP but it has to be his fault. A Jared/Jarrod on MNF with a dependence on a Patriots RB? Yeah, he started this and now I’m being affected. Not cool, JP. This win for Mike comes with an asterisk and I’m counting this as a loss for Wilmore. I decided to not play Cam and that came back to haunt me. I only really had good games from Kennan and Kelce. Kamara didn’t do much despite the big win and my RBs are starting to concern me. For Mike, a big game from Chark and a miracle game by Russ kept him afloat. Normally when your two starting RBs only amount to 8.4 points you end up with a loss but despite having four turnovers, Russ ended with 22.1 and a victory for Mike. Back to back champ? We’ll see.

11-4-1 PVO v. Virgin Red Roosters

With a new name comes a big victory for Al. The incumbent Cabana Boy can give all the praise to Kyler who popped off for an easy 37.92. His Cardinals have been keeping him steady these last few weeks and even had a 20+ spot from Kirk on his bench. Al has separated himself from the Cabana Boy spot over these last few weeks but no one is safe just yet. For Dylan, he’s trending in the opposite direction. A guy who just can’t seem to find the right QB seemed to start the season off on the right foot with a good draft but hasn’t been able to put it all together. Three players scored in double figures and a bulk of his points are thanks to Scary Terry McLaurin. We can all play the “what-if” game but for Dylan having Brady go for 2.36 with Herbert getting 23.44 and Slayton getting 1.3 and Curtis putting up 22.3 is a tough pill to swallow. Hopefully, he can turn it around quickly or he’s in danger of pouring Gabe fireball shots all weekend long.

The Perfect Ten v. Hank Mardukas

Scott had been rolling. Finally finding the right groove but this week he fell flat and the balloon seemingly popped. For the victor E, he had two 30+ point scorers in Mahomes and CMC. He also had big games from DK and Fuller but now his concern has to go back to CMC. Crisp-tian MunchCrunchfrey is in danger of going back to his injured self which is disappointing for E’s hope of finally getting him back. Scott only had two players in double figures this week thanks to Jonnu and a big game from Drew “Jeezy” Lock. Scott’s seen his fair share of injuries this season with Dak and Saquon, one alone is tough. He’s been able to piece it together and limp along the way but now it’s looking like reality might be hitting him with full force.

Tua Days v. Wilmore Cinderella

Vinny might be in trouble but let’s focus on the good: Tua scored more than Lamar this week. That’s a good thing, right, Vinny? Too bad you didn’t start him; however, it wouldn’t have mattered. Outside of Lamar’s 18.6, he had two players in double figures with Cooks (15.8) and Claypool (11.3). Not great. Vinny has said that he’s trading Dolphins wins for Fantasy losses but it’s still sad to see his team become what it is: a bunch of losers. PVO. He’ll need to step it up in next week’s big matchup with bragging rights for an entire city on the line. For Wilmore, he’s potentially writing his Cinderella story right before our very own eyes. Sure he’s 4-5 but he’s won three out of his last four and could there be a small run to end the season? He had enough this week thanks to Deshaun, AJ Brown, and Jacobs. He’ll need to string along some wins to keep the magic going if he wants to make another run at the title.

Kalabar’s Revenge v. Debbie Rowe

106 points are nothing to scoff at. Outside of a few teams, Jake would’ve been in the fight in most matchups this week. Unfortunately, he ran into a buzzsaw that is Jon West. We’ve always worried about G in October but November the new October? 2020 is a weird year and for G it may just be extra spooky. Jake had a good showing from Allen (36), Gallman (14.2), and JuJu (USC Trojans Fight On - 18.3). Obviously, that wasn’t enough to topple G but what more could you do? For G, there was a lot more he could and did do. The NFC North (some say the NFL’s toughest division) powered him this week and it all started on TNF. Rodgers and Adams combined for over 50 points and Jake thought he had a chance if McKinnon was held without a score. Well, that didn’t happen and, it turns out, McKinnon didn’t even matter. The story for G has been Dalvin. A man on a mission and going nuts. Yards and tuddies have been his only focus the last two weeks and he’s delivered. Nothing else Jake could have done despite dealing with injuries and byes. Jake will bounce back but can G keep up this pace?

Mixon It Up v. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium

Who won the trade? Well, last week it might have been Robbie but this head to head may say otherwise. Despite getting 8.44 from his QB this week (PVO, Stafford couldn’t practice with the ones all week and has been cleared from concussion protocol) he was able to pull out the win. Gabe was tipsy after the 1pm halftime so thankfully he didn’t need to do much coaching with Tyreek’s 28.6 and 16.3 from Diggs. Robbie had a chance on SNF but Gronk left him wanting more after a sad performance. He was saved with a few 10+ point scorers and a 25+ performance from Sloppy. Robbie gets Mixon back next week so watch out world.

Week 10 Matchups

Viking Quest v. Kalabar’s Revenge Virgin Red Roosters v. The Perfect Ten Wilmore Cinderella v. Team Timshel Debbie Rowe v. Mixon It Up Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium v. 11-4-1 PVO Hank Mardukas v. Tua Days *Battle for Miami*

Kurse

“Timshel. He’s getting dangerous” - G the Medium

Commish’s Chat

Best of luck this week, gents. 

Your beloved Commissioner, 

Jared R. Mosqueda

[junker-town]

LSU needs just a little more offense to be a 2017 Playoff contender

Can Ed Orgeron’s team take the step that Les Miles’ team couldn’t?

Ed Orgeron is 12-4 all-time as an interim head coach and 10-25 as a full-timer. It is one of the odder résumés ever compiled.

In two separate awkward situations — taking over for the fired Lane Kiffin at USC in 2013 and Les Miles at LSU in 2016 — he took the reins of demoralized, talented-as-hell programs and did pretty good jobs. USC still lost to Notre Dame and UCLA, and LSU still lost to Alabama and Florida, but he got teams that were too far in their own heads to loosen up. He earned a lot of loyalty in the process.

USC didn’t give him the full-time job, electing to go with former Trojan assistant Steve Sarkisian. LSU did.

Honestly, I was surprised. The Florida loss was supposed to be it. The Tigers suffered a crippling, late miscommunication near the goal line and fell, 16-10, despite outgaining the Gators by 153 yards. According to my Podcast Ain’t Played Nobody co-host Steven Godfrey, the scene on the field was one of devastation — everyone, including Orgeron, understood that his odds had diminished dramatically.

A week later, however, following LSU’s flirtation with eventual Texas head coach Tom Herman, Orgeron’s pitch worked. He promised to bring in a “premier” offensive coordinator and to recruit with abandon. It got him the job.

So now, nearly 10 years after his tenure as Ole Miss head man flamed out, Orgeron gets a chance to exorcise the last of the demons. Ten years ago, he was paranoid and angry and treated everyone — his assistants, the fan base, everyone — like the most petulant athlete on the roster. This time around, he’s letting a talented staff do its job.

He still occasionally comes off as paranoid, mind you. He’s sparred some verbal rounds with Texas and Herman in the name of in-state recruiting. (And at the moment, his Louisiana-heavy 2018 recruiting class is merely good, not amazing.) He has closed all of fall practice from the media. He’s seen quite a few players transfer. There are at least a few red flags.

But if he lets his assistant coaches do their jobs — doesn’t make them run sprints in practice, doesn’t emasculate them too much — that might be all it takes. Because lord knows LSU doesn’t have to get too much better to be utterly dominant.

There were two LSUs in 2016, and this was the case whether Miles or Orgeron was leading the way. The LSU facing anything other than elite defense was dominant. The LSU facing an elite defense was feckless.

LSU vs. opponents with top-10 defense per Def. S&P+ (0-4): Avg. score: Opp 15, LSU 9 | Avg. percentile performance: 73% (~top 35) | Avg. yards per play: Opp 4.9, LSU 4.9

LSU vs. opponents with a mortal defense (8-0): Avg. score: LSU 38, Opp 16 | Avg. percentile performance: 95% (~top five) | Avg. yards per play: LSU 7.5, Opp 4.7

The Tiger defense, led by coordinator Dave Aranda, was lights-out, no matter what. Only one opponent all season (Texas A&M) scored more than 21 points, and LSU ranked third in Def. S&P+ at year’s end.

The offense, however, needed a physical advantage. When it had that, it was untouchable. Running backs Leonard Fournette and Guice ran wild and opened up just enough passing lanes for embattled QB Danny Etling.

The Tigers had no Plan B, though. They had a passer rating of 100.4 in losses and 146.4 in wins. If you were sound enough to control the run, the pass was erased.

That’s where offensive coordinator Matt Canada comes in. Canada led NC State to its two best offensive performances of the last 12 years in 2014 (40th in Off. S&P+) and 2015 (35th), then went to Pitt and fielded a truly elite offense (fourth). And his task for 2017 is to unearth a couple of extra successes per game. And maybe close drives a little better.

In Canada, Aranda, tight ends coach Steve Ensminger (last year’s interim OC), defensive line coach Pete Jenkins, DBs coach Corey Raymond, etc., Orgeron has a talented staff and former star recruits at almost literally every position. He’s got the tools he needs, and now he has a chance to right a decade-old wrong.

2016 in review

2016 LSU statistical profile.

Miles was forced to come to grips with his coaching mortality last November, then survived.

He is beloved and embattled. He heads into 2016 with high expectations and excitement ... and he's basically one bad quarter away from ending up right back atop hot seat lists.

This is all very strange and, yes, very LSU.

My 2016 LSU preview focused on two warring thoughts: that LSU was close to putting all the pieces together for a title run, and that Miles could afford no missteps.

The former was backed up by the fact that the Tigers would finish fourth in S&P+ despite four losses; the latter was backed up by the four losses. Granted, Miles was only around for two of them. He was pushed aside after an 18-13 loss to Auburn with discombobulated late-game execution (like so many other recent losses, any many wins, had).

Orgeron took over, made a few modifications, then fielded mostly the same team.

First four games with Miles (2-2): Avg. percentile performance: 87% vs. teams without elite defense, 74% vs. teams with elite defense

Last eight games with Orgeron (6-2): Avg. percentile performance: 98% vs. teams without elite defense, 73% vs. teams with elite defense

The Tigers still couldn’t solve good defenses but were even more dominant against everyone else. 2017 will be all about figuring out the former. No pressure, Coach Canada.

Offense

Full advanced stats glossary.

The trait Canada brings is adaptability. His philosophy is “It’s all about players, not plays,” so it makes sense that the success of his offenses has correlated with the talent on the two-deep. (Whose offense doesn’t?)

None of his four Indiana offenses (2007-10) topped the Off. S&P+ top 50 (the best was a No. 51 performance in 2007).

His 2011 NIU offense, led by QB Chandler Harnish and a deep receiving corps, surged from 40th to 21st.

His lone Wisconsin offense (2012) had to deal with replacing QB Russell Wilson with a series of replacement-level guys but fell only from fourth to 25th. (Honestly, this may have been his best job, even if he did have Montee Ball, James White, and Melvin Gordon in the backfield.)

His first NC State offense was a dud, but he found a rhythm with quarterback Jacoby Brissett and running back Matt Dayes.

His lone Pitt offense, led by running back James Conner, quarterback Nathan Peterman, and explosive utility man Quadree Henderson, dominated.

Canada doesn’t have that much to figure out here. Despite all of the vagaries associated with the passing game — first with quarterback Brandon Harris, then with Etling — they still ranked 22nd in Off. S&P+. Hell, they still ranked 34th in Passing S&P+. For an occasionally bad offense, that’s pretty good.

Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

D.J. Chark

There are changes afoot, though, and not just in the play-caller’s chair. The receiving corps must replace five of its top seven targets: two wideouts (Malachi Dupre, Travin Dural), two tight ends (Colin Jeter, DeSean Smith), and Fournette.

Dupre is probably the only significant aerial loss. He averaged 9.3 yards per target with 41 catches; Jeter averaged 9.2 per target but only caught 11 balls all year. And in senior D.J. Chark, it appears the Tigers still have a play-action option. Chark caught 26 of 43 passes for 466 yards and three scores; unlike Dupre or Dural, he was targeted mostly on passing downs, but he still led Tiger wideouts with 10.8 yards per target.

Chark has a load of potential, but every other returning receiver on the roster combined for 10 catches last year. Senior Russell Gage (five catches) and sophomore Derrick Dillon (zero) are evidently separating themselves in the battle for playing time, but one assumes towering sophomore Drake Davis and blue-chip freshman JaCoby Stevens (a safety-turned-WR) will find opportunities.

Etling isn’t going to be an all-conference talent, but if the run game is working, and he’s not constantly asked to throw into the teeth of good defenses on third-and-9, he’ll be fine. (This is assuming, of course, that Canada doesn’t give the job to a youngster like four-star freshman Myles Brennan.)

He does still have Guice, after all.

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Derrius Guice

Guice was a smidge less efficient than the banged-up Fournette but was one of the most explosive backs in the country. Of his 183 carries, 37 went for at least 10 yards (14 in the first half, 23 in the second), and 19 went for at least 20. He had 21 carries for 252 yards against Arkansas, then topped Fournette with a 285-yard performance against Texas A&M. He had 29 carries in the first month of the season but still finished with 1,387 yards.

Behind Guice, you’ve got plenty of exciting backups. Darrel Williams is a senior, junior Nick Brossette averaged 9.7 yards per carry last year, and freshman Clyde Edwards-Helaire darn near passed Brossette in the spring.

Barring injury, the only thing that could slow down the LSU run game (besides Alabama) is the LSU offensive line. The Tigers have the requisite former star recruits and return four upperclassmen who have had plenty of rotation time (including all-conference guard Will Clapp, still returning to health from offseason surgery), but attrition drained depth.

After those four upperclassmen are basically sophomore Adrian Magee and a huge load of true and redshirt freshmen. There are four former four-star recruits in that batch, but that’s still a little scary. An injury to one veteran could mean a couple of first-year guys starting.

Defense

On average, teams have seen their Def. S&P+ rankings rise by 34.8 spots when hiring Aranda as coordinator.

Hawaii improved from 106th to 78th in 2010

Utah State improved from 96th to 12th in 2012

Wisconsin rose from 16th to 14th in 2013

LSU rebounded from 28th to third last year

Aranda is one of the most exciting, proven DCs at this point; one assumes the 40-year-old will be the subject of head coaching offers in the near future. But for 2017, he should have the pieces to field another balanced unit.

As good as SEC defenses tend to be, last year, most had to make a choice between efficiency and big-play prevention. LSU chose both.

Aranda has some turnover to deal with. The Tigers must replace their top two tacklers both on the line and in the linebacking corps, and they must replace four of their top six defensive backs. For a lesser DC with lesser talent, this might be problematic. But both Aranda and the talent get the benefit of the doubt.

Losing linemen Davon Godchaux and Lewis Neal might hurt worse if the TIgers weren’t welcoming back Christian LaCouture. The senior was supposed to become a breakout star in 2016, before an August knee injury; also back are tackles Greg Gilmore, Frank Herron, Ed Alexander, and Rashard Lawrence. All of them are former blue-chippers, and having Gilmore at the nose was a big reason why the Tigers gave up five or more yards on only 33 percent of carries last season (10th in FBS).

Meanwhile, losing Duke Riley and Kendall Beckwith at linebacker might mean more if Arden Key and Devin White weren’t returning. They should provide a base of play-makers for the four-man unit while some combination of veterans (Donnie Alexander, Corey Thompson, Devin Voorhies) and young former star recruits (sophomore Michael Divinity Jr., freshman blue-chippes K'Lavon Chaisson and Jacob Phillips) fills in gaps.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Arden Key

The balance was a little off last year. The pass defense was a risk-reward experiment — second in passing success rate, fourth in Adj. Sack Rate, 82nd in passing IsoPPP (which measures the magnitude of the successful plays) — but the run defense was more reactive than aggressive. The Tigers ranked only 93rd in stuff rate (run stops at or behind the line), and while their efficiency numbers were still good because of speed, more improvement is possible. Yikes.

There are some concerns in the secondary, though, where there might be no choice but to lean on youngsters. Of course, with these youngsters, that probably won’t be much of an issue.

The return of corners Donte Jackson and Kevin Toliver II and safeties John Battle and Ed Paris give the Tigers a veteran presence, but only Jackson and Battle brought much disruptiveness to the table. That leaves the door open for rambunctious youth:

Sophomores: corners Xavier Lewis and Kristian Fulton

Redshirt freshmen: safeties Eric Monroe and Cameron Lewis, corner Andreaz “Greedy” Williams

True freshmen: safeties Grant Delpit and Todd Harris Jr., corner Kary Vincent Jr.

All eight were either four- or five-star recruits. Just about any other defense in the country would trade its secondary for this one. LSU has perhaps produced more stud DBs than any other school in recent years, and this iteration has plenty, even if they’re young.

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Donte Jackson

Special Teams

LSU was mostly forgettable in special teams. The Tigers ranked between 45th and 70th in four of five efficiency categories, and the only one in which they were lower (punt returns) is also where they were most explosive.

Losing decent place-kicker Colby Delahoussaye might hurt, but getting punter Josh Growden, kickoffs guy Cameron Gamble, and kick returners Guice and Jackson back will probably establish a pretty high floor. We’ll see about the ceiling.

2017 outlook

2017 Schedule & Projection Factors

Date Opponent Proj. S&P+ Rk Proj. Margin Win Probability 2-Sep vs BYU 46 18.5 86% 9-Sep Chattanooga NR 40.4 99% 16-Sep at Mississippi State 30 12.2 76% 23-Sep Syracuse 60 22.8 91% 30-Sep Troy 79 29.1 95% 7-Oct at Florida 15 3.0 57% 14-Oct Auburn 9 5.8 63% 21-Oct at Ole Miss 26 10.0 72% 4-Nov at Alabama 1 -13.2 22% 11-Nov Arkansas 32 17.2 84% 18-Nov at Tennessee 24 9.6 71% 25-Nov Texas A&M 19 12.4 76%

Projected S&P+ Rk 4 Proj. Off. / Def. Rk 14 / 7 Projected wins 8.9 Five-Year S&P+ Rk 17.3 (5) 2- and 5-Year Recruiting Rk 5 / 3 2016 TO Margin / Adj. TO Margin* 0 / 6.0 2016 TO Luck/Game -2.5 Returning Production (Off. / Def.) 50% (59%, 40%) 2016 Second-order wins (difference) 9.2 (-1.2)

Florida, Auburn, Alabama. If having a top-10 defense remains a prerequisite for beating LSU, those are the three teams that could nick the Tigers. BYU or Tennessee could come close, with some breaks.

Everybody else: you might be out of luck.

I don’t know what to think of Orgeron’s long-term prospects. A record of interim success tells us nothing about program management. But with a pair of ace coordinators and upside in nearly every category, the Tigers’ upside is as high as ever. They are projected fourth in S&P+ and are the projected underdog in only one game (at Alabama). Hell, they only have two other games in which their win probability is under 71 percent.

With Guice and plenty of known quantities and young studs on defense, the bar is high. Again.

And the Tigers only need to get a little bit better on offense to get a whole lot better in the win column. Again.

Team preview stats

All power conference preview data to date.

[thedenfantasyleague]

The Den Fantasy League Weekly Recap - Week 4

Gentlemen, 

I just got done playing volleyball. Three game sweep, NBD. I’m tired. I’ve had a long day. It’s almost 9pm EST. I haven’t started on the recap. But you know what? I don’t care. My members deserve a recap and that’s what they’ll get. 

Viking Quest v. Mr. Magorium’s Mixon It Up

This was a very evenly matched game and I’ll admit, I got excited seeing all those tuddies on Gabe’s bench. Little did I know, his namesake (great team name, Gabe!) provided a massive near-40 point performance. Along with a 19-point performance from Aaron Jones, Gabe’s victory was sealed Monday night. Speaking of Monday night, I won’t play the victim. Sure, Cam succumbed to the CoCo but to my benefit I had Stafford to step in and be the professional he is. Also had a good game from Kamara but only had two other players in double figures and that’s not enough. Gabe has continued to persist past the Kurse. Or has he...?

The Perfect Ten v. Team Timshel

In a battle of champions, it was the latter and not the former who took this victory. Despite and 20+ point performance from Mahomes and a near 20 from Davis, E unfortunately didn’t get the job done with his back Kelley only getting 2.8 points. Mike on the other hand had a good showing from Russ, Amari, and Chark. He was still victorious despite getting 0 from one of his RBs. Two teams in the middle of the pack looking to add another title to their belts. 

11-4-1 PVO v. Tua Days 

Vinny came on a couple weeks ago and was still confident in his team? I don’t know about anymore. He put up a decent score with big games from Lamar+Andrews, Parker, and Randall Bullocks but he had zero chance of beating Dyl. Dylan had two 30+ scorers: Brady and Kittle. Add that in to a 24 point performance from Gordon and the rest got him the victory. Could this be a turning point for Dylan? Is it the end for Vinny? 

Fire Jarn v. Kalabar’s Revenge

First and foremost, happy belated to our own Rubbie. Unfortunately, his birthday week ended on Saturday and didn’t carry over into the new week. A decent 93 was aided by Carson, Tyreek, Allen, and Devin but was no match for October’s Own Kalabar. Despite having a weak D, his team was bolstered by Rodgers (29.58), Cook (27.6), McKinnon (19.2), and Evans (21.7). G is fully into Spooky SZN and may not be able to be stopped. 

Debbie Rowe v. Virginia Reel Rockets

I still have two more of these? Yuck. The good news is the Rays just hit a homerun to go up 5-1 over the Yankees. I can do this. Jane has fought off Kurses left and right (is he done?). The good news is he had a cake walk this week. Big games from Allen, Carson, his little Cooper Kupp, and Kreamy gave him the easy win. Al struggled. And I mean struggled. Putting up only 73+ points is never good. He only had three players in double figures and started a player who didn’t even play. Sad. If it wasn’t for Kyler he would’ve had an all time low performance. Back to Jake. A lot of talk saying he can’t close. I wouldn’t know because I always close. But I don’t think he can. He’s a freezer. 

Wilmore Cinderella v. Hank Mardukas 

Finally. Last one. You’ll hear from JP more below but he’s in a rut. It’s on him to know how deep that is. He tried to claw his way out but still lost by almost 20. A bulk of his points were by three players: Deshaun, Murray, and Rodrigo. Scott struck back with a vengeance with massive performances from Dak and Thielen. Does this get him back on the right track? Only time will tell.  

7 Minutes in Heaven with the Commish

This week we welcome JP and his daughter Avery.... HUUUUUUHHHH?!?!?!?!?! Let the record show my internet went out. Were Spirits involved?

Speaking of Kurses....

“50/50 Debbie Rowe and magorium” - G the Medium

Go Dodgers

Your beloved Commissioner, 

Jared R. Mosqueda

[thedenfantasyleague]

The Den Fantasy League Weekly Recap: Week 3

Gentlemen,

Three weeks in and the pack is starting to separate as we officially get into Spooky Season.

Team Timshel v. 11-4-1 PVO

Golf Dylan and Fantasy Dylan are starting to morph into one. A guy who loves the game but hates the heartbreak. Don’t we all? Dylan’s double-digit scorers were limited to Zeke, Terry Mac, and Mason Cross-bar. Dyl even bet against his beloved Browns to try to get the win. Unfortunately the week he gives up on his QB (future HOFer, John Matthew Stafford) and Minshew Madness fell flat on TNF with less than 10 points. His only hope came on said TNF when Mike started Chark who didn’t even play. Unfortunately, that was it. Even though he got a zero from Chark, every other player scored at least 8 points and big games from Tractorcito (26) and Mr. Unlimited (36.8). The returning champ got out to a slow start but gets his first win of the season.

The Perfect Ten v. Fire Jarn

Speaking of champions, in this matchup, we have one former champ and one wannabe. Both returned to form in their own respects. Rubbie’s week started poorly even though he was able to put up almost 120 points. Led by A-Rob, Wentz, Tyreek, and Henderson he was helped out by the rest of his team to secure a respectable point total. Rubbie didn’t have the luck he needed as he ran into this week’s highest-scoring team. E’s Perfect Ten led the point-total this week with only two players in single digits. That means everyone else had a solid week led by Golladay, DK, Davis, Conner, and a massive MNF performance from Mahomes. Is E back to his old ways trying to become a three-time champ? Is Rubbie legit or just back to his old ways?

Tua Days v. Kalabar’s Revenge

First and foremost, congrats to Vinny and his big Miami weekend. Dolphins win, the U wins, and the Heat are going to the Finals. A big weekend probably is an understatement. Mr. 305 Paiva couldn’t get his perfect weekend though as he went up against the pride of Spooky SZN. Vin only had two players in double figures with Lamar and Chubb but his MNF was an all-around letdown. Vinny had a chance with the Lamar-Andrews combo but Andrews apparently had a pregame meal of popcorn because he had far too many drops to keep it close. Kalabar had this week’s lowest-scoring victory total but it was still enough for the win. Despite JP’s desperation (more on that later), he was able to persevere on to victory. G’s team was top-heavy this week with big games from his skill positions other than TE and Flex. Led by Rodgers, Dalvin, McKinnon, and Ridley, G’s perfect season continues on as we move into October. Not great for the competition.

Debbie Rowe v. Wilmore Cinderella

JP Is desperate. He’s on the brink of making wild trades and practicing spooky magic. Not a great combo. If there is one thing JP hates is being up going into Monday night and last night wasn’t deja vu, history repeated itself. JP was feeling good after the Seahawks/Cowboys game as he was able to get 30+ from Lockett to go along with the 25+ he received from Ekeler. Unfortunately, that was the highlight of his weekend. His newly acquired TE was damaged goods and he had to see his glimmer of hope fade to dust on MNF. Jake continued his scoring bonanza with big performances from Allen, Cooper, and TB D. The backbreaker from JP came on MNF in the form of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Justin Tucker. Anything can happen on Monday night, especially heartbreak.

Virginia Reel Rockets v. Viking Quest

Sunday was a day of Fantasy highs and lows for yours truly. My Patriots combo came out flat after starting hot for the first two weeks and my D hemorrhaged points. Luckily for me, the rest of my squad had my back. Thankfully Keenan and Kamara helped combine for a 60+ burger to help me secure the win on MNF. Speaking of MNF, Al came in with a very small chance but I knew once Butker missed that XP that it was over. Al’s week can be attributed to the combo of Kyler and Hopkins gave him almost half of his team’s points but thanks to the Lions D, Kyler had three picks which brought his total down enough to secure the win for me.

Mr. Magorium’s Mixon it Up v. Hank Mardukas

I never thought I’d see the day where someone gets doubled up. Today was that day. Although it was the worst of the week, we’ve seen lower scores than Scott’s 70+ but there was no way he was coming close. Scott had three players in double figures: Gaskin, Thielen, and (thank goodness for him) Dak scored 27+. Not a great week if you ask me. Scott sold off his damaged goods WR but got back a nothing RB in return. He then spent $23 on another RB who only could muster up 1.5 points. For those wondering, he had one catch for ten yards. ZERO RUSHING YARDS ON ONE ATTEMPT. HE TOUCHED THE BALL TWICE. FOR TWENTY THREE DOLLARS. Yikes. Gabe, on the other hand, was a wagon. He had three players in single digits but also three with 20+ on the week: Brees, Robinson, and Indy D (not Sam Darnold’s fault, USC Trojans - Fight On). The name change seems to be coming in handy. We’ll see if that success continues after his team sacrifice to the spirits.

7 Minutes in Heaven with the Commish

Kurse

“Spirits are concerned about the number of points coming from Debbie Rowe” - G the Medium. PVO.

Week 4 Matchups:

Viking Quest v. Mr. Magorium’s Mixon It Up

11-4-1 PVO v. Tua Days

Fire Jarn v. Kalabar’s Revenge

Debbie Rowe v. Virginia Reel Rockets

Wilmore Cinderella v. Hank Mardukas

The Perfect Ten v. Team Timshel *Game of the Week*

I wish everyone the best of luck and, as always, set your lineups accordingly.

Your beloved Commissioner, 

Jared R. Mosqueda

[thedenfantasyleague]

The Den Fantasy League Recap: Week 11

Gents, 

We’re getting into the chaos that is playoffs, Cabana Boy, and the trade deadline. Let’s get to it. 

El Commish v. Kalabar’s Revenge

One of the topics of conversations this week was the new waiver format of bidding. Well lucky for everyone, it turned out extremely poorly for me. I looked at my roster going into this past week thinking: I need a running back. I had the money, I needed the guy, so I pulled the trigger. My $45 payment ($45 because I knew Rob was going to bid $41; amateur) backfired to a measly 3.8 from one Brian Hill. Other than my two tight ends set and the ever-faithful Pats D, there was a lot left to be desired. My quad of current/former Falcons (Ryan, Tevin, Hill, and Julio) really let me down this week and were the deciding factor in G’s win. For G, he held onto hope going into MNF with a decent lead and good players still left to play. Leading up to MNF, he found success in Le’Veon (15.2), Gallup (14.8), Big Country (12.7), and Raiders D. Lucky for me, Mahomes and Sammy both underperformed in Mexico City but it was still enough to put his team over the edge. 

The Perfect Ten v. Wilmore Cinderella

In our matchup of league winners, we saw two 4-6 teams both looking to make up some ground in the playoff hunt and Cabana Boy race. JP left Sunday with a lead thanks to big games from Hyde (12.5), Thomas (17.4), Sutton (13.8), Cook (9.3), Rams D (10), and a massive game from Brown (25.7). People forget that Gabe gave him Hyde and Sutton, in addition to Carson. JP’s biggest question mark is always going to be Jameis. The dude who has 18 picks and 4 fumbles on the year is a wildcard week in and week out. Can JP find success while having Jameis at the helm? His other concern: JP is addicted to James White. Can’t quit him. Could this be another stumbling block as he tries to get back to his winning ways? Speaking of winning ways, E has found himself in the middle of the pack fighting for something. E’s problem appears to be that he leaves a lot of points on his bench week in and week out. Despite having big games from Kyler (26.7), Ingram (20.5), Ekeler (13.2), and Jets D (11), he still left big games from Calvin (20.3) and Marvin (15.9) on the pine pony. To E’s credit, could he have foreseen Tyreek’s injury? Or that OBJ would be tackled at the 1-yard line? Simply put, no. However, it has to be frustrating to look at bench numbers and think about what could have been. 

Hank Mardukas v. Stick With Us PVO

We have a new leader in the clubhouse. After Debbie Rowe choked, Scott is now our new projected #1 seed as we’re a couple of weeks away from the playoffs. Scott probably had some concern coming out of TNF when both Baker and Jarvis’s performances were overshadowed by the melee that ensued at the end of the game. For Dylan though, that was about it. No one else on his team scored more than 5.7 points EXCEPT Marlon Mack. Why is that such an issue? Dylan’s already banged up Colts got worse when Mack fractured his hand during his game on Sunday. This is a crucial loss at an important time for Dylan. Scott, who missed his projection by almost 17 points, was able to secure this victory well into Sunday afternoon. Led by his MVP candidate, Lamar (33.5), Scott was able to seal the victory. However, don’t let that big number overshadow that no one else other than Tyrell and Lutz met their projections for the week. Can Lamar keep up his success and lead Scott to the promised land? Only time will tell. 

Professor Remus Lupin v. Team Timshel

I didn’t envy Gabe’s position last night. Going into a Monday night up but playing against two players? Nightmare. That’s exactly what Gabe had after losing by less than a point. Gabe saw his week begin with a slow-start on TNF when Chubb and Conner put up a combine 10.8 after a projection of 27.1. He did, however, find a way to make up some ground as he moved on throughout the weekend. The newly acquired Diggs (18.1) made up for his trade partner’s (Conner) poor outing, Zeke had 17.3 BUT a costly fumble, and finally, the 49ers did everything they could to get Gabe the win (Jimmy G, 29.7, and D, 16). That early Zeke fumble most-definitely cost him the game. What didn’t help was Mike going into MNF with two key players: Melvin and Keenan. Mike was helped earlier in the week by his Ravens (Andrews and J-Tuck) and by Dak’s open hips. Unfortunately for Gabe, Mike’s success came all within 24 hours. It started on SNF where Todd Gurley racked up 17.3 points and finally, Melvin and Kennnan combined for 22.1 points to seal the victory. Gabe’s season has fallen to symmetry: after starting out 0-3 he surged back to a 5 game winning streak, only to have lost his last three. They say water finds its level but with Gabe sitting at a game under .500, does he have it in him to sneak out a couple of wins in the last two weeks of the season?

Mixon It Up v. VP

Sometimes all it takes is a name change to get you back on track. Luckily for Rob, early signs are showing that this could be the case. Rob, who had lost his last four in a row, desperately needed a win after falling to .500 and obtained it by a very gross score of 67.7-65.6. However, as we all know: a win is a win. Rob had, once again, a below-average week. In fact, he only had two players in double figures and only one of those met their projections. Thank goodness who got Mixon. You never should look too far ahead but Rob takes on Mike next week and then meets his boogeyman in Dylan the week after. Vinny, on the other hand, was starting to show signs of life until he ran into an issue known as “lack-of-scoring” this week. Similarly to Rob, he only had three players in double figures but the rest of the starting cast gave him nothing. Vinny’s three RBs combined for a measly 10.7 points this week which is not what you want to see out of a valued position. Vinny, who has been historically a thorn in my side, faces off against yours truly as we’re both fighting for our playoff lives. 

Debbie Rowe v. Virg. Gardening Minmaxers

Was this a fluke? Was this a David v. Goliath moment? It may be too early to tell but the worst team in our league just wiped the floor with the best. How did we get here? Jane, who was a force to be reckoned with, had good games from CMC (19.1) and Saints D (17). From there, not a single other player reached double figures and only one surpassed their projections. Having both Jones and Lockett on bye would be enough to cripple a team but, for Jane, it was much worse than that. His rough start on Thursday flowed into an even worse 1pm hour for his beloved Texans. Deshaun, who was projected 20.5, ended with an embarrassing 4 points. Yup, 4. I, for one, didn’t imagine Jane losing again for the rest of the season, let alone to Al. So how did Al pull off the upset? Moments before the clock rang 1pm, a subtle trade was executed but its implications rippled throughout the whole league. Al’s two new players that were active combined for a simple 18.4 points but that’s not where the story is. Despite having 0 from DJ, Al was able to win off the success of two players: Josh Allen of DraftJoshAllen.com and DJ “Baby” Chark. Allen put up a cool 33.8 and DJ an impressive 22.4. So what are some man-alytics we can learn from this matchup? Jake is 1-3 when Deshaun is outscored. Does this challenge the notion that CMC is the backbone of his team? 

Cabana Boy Clinch:

Magic Number: CLINCHED: Debbie Rowe CLINCHED: Hank Mardukas CLINCHED: Kalabar’s Revenge CLINCHED: Team Timshel CLINCHED: Mixon It Up 1: Professor Lupin 1: El Commish 1: Wilmore Cinderellas 2: Stick With Us PVO 2: The Perfect Ten 2: VP Virg. Gardening Minmaxers: 3-8

The Biggest Loser

We’re back this week with Gabe who was our biggest loser after a tough MNF loss. 

Good luck to everyone as we get closer to the playoff and CB hunt. 

Your beloved Commissioner, 

Jared R. Mosqueda