Week 16

And then there were two.  I want to thank all of you for giving this little experiment a try this year, and even though I clearly have an inherent bias, I think it was a pretty successful inaugural season!  We aren't quite finished, even after we crown the first champion we have some stuff to take care of, which is part of what makes the dynasty format so interesting!  But before we get to all that, a review of the recently fallen:

Week 15

Two weeks left in the fantasy year and the injuries still haven't stopped coming.  Though Rawls going down didn't effect anyone in the playoff run, Dalton certainly hurts Julio and Friends.  It would seem they got the bye just when they needed it, but even with the injury and no opponent they put up the week's highest score.  It remains to be seen just how badly Eifert and Green will suffer with McCarron throwing the ball.  ACL also suffered from Olsen leaving the game early, but hopefully his injury is only a temporary one.

Week 14

High scores across the board set a great tone for the concluding week of our inaugural season!  Even though the playoff positions were largely set before the games started, each team still put their best foot forward, putting up a collective league-high in total points scored!  Only one team missed the 100pt threshold; unfortunately Land O' Nutts couldn't have foreseen Lacy having too much to drink the night before the Lions rematch.  With such high scores the week before the playoffs, the stage is set for an exciting finish!

Week 13

We're at the end of the season and still can't seem to escape crucial injuries to starting players.  Romo out again, McCown out (essentially taking Barnidge out), CJ?K out for fantasy purposes, Gronk even had his annual scare (though likely will only miss a week or so).  If it weren't for deep benches, this would be a difficult year to battle through for most teams.

As we've come down to the last week of the regular season, the playoff picture looks pretty clear.  Land O' Nutts, Show Me Your TDs, and Runner Runner have been eliminated from contention.  Sicarios need a statistical-anomaly kind of miracle to take a wildcard spot (scoring over 200pts more than Arrogance Can't Lose).  All that's left for week 12 is finalizing the rankings going into the playoffs.  Colorexico's bye is still in contention between The Futures and Julio and Friends, while Newizona's top two spots are locked up.  ACL and BgDkDdy will fight over which side of the playoff bracket they'll be placed.

Week 12

We're getting down to it now that teams are dropping out of playoff contention.  Show Me Your TDs became the first team in the league's history to be mathematically eliminated after week 11 (small sample sizes make certain stats fun, don't you think?).  Land O' Nutts will need a miracle, but they are still technically in contention.  They'll need to win the next two weeks while also needing both Sicarios and BgDkDdy to lose.  The latter two along with ACL are still within a game of each other going for the two wildcard spots, and Runner Runner still has a shot if they win out as well.  Both divisions also have ties for the bye, so the next two weeks will matter quite a bit for just about everyone!

Week 11

Forget all your single-division leagues with obvious playoff pictures and clear roads to victory!  We're here to emulate the NFL, and that comes complete with confusing rankings and mental gymnastics to determine your path to the playoffs.  While four teams appear locked in for playoff spots, the remaining six all remain in contention for those coveted wild card spots.  Let the race begin!

Week 10

Upsets everywhere!  Every single expert consensus pick lost in week 9.  Sicarios, BgDkDdy, and tEDDy bEARs each pulled off wins over the expected favorites, making it clear that nothing is a sure thing in this game.  With four weeks left in the regular season, nobody has yet been eliminated from playoff contention, meaning every game counts!

Week 9

And we thought the first half of the season was brutal for injuries!  Bloody Sunday wreaked havoc across the league, leaving very few safe.  Bell, Allen, and Smith all out with season ending injuries, and Forte's diagnosis is still in the air.  Following the recent losses of Charles and Foster, not many of those early rounders are left standing.  While injuries are tragic, we must move on and work with the fallout.  With so many stars out all at once, many previously unrostered players will have sudden relevance just in time for the playoff push.

Week 8 Preview

Three different matchups came down to close Monday night battles, which made for exciting viewing as Arizona took down Baltimore.  We've now officially passed the halfway point in the regular season, with only six more weeks left until playoffs.  Right now the three frontrunners are pulling pretty far ahead of the rest of the pack, leaving the rest of us to battle over the remaining three spots.  It's still anyone's game, as nobody has worse than a 2-5 record.

Week 7 Preview

Well it was another week of records, both in points scored and poor management!  Seriously, some owners really need to get their heads in the game, and others can just go ahead and calm down (looking at you, Ted).  We're in the thick of it now with BYE weeks, so bench depth is more important than ever, especially as teams start jockeying for playoff position now that we are halfway through the regular fantasy season.

Week 6 Preview

A week of extremes, one match finished within a point difference, while another finished a whopping 84 pt. spread!  Every single week this season has had a unique points leader.  We're probably about due for a repeat, but who will be the first? 

Week 5 Preview

If you build it, they will come.  Or in this case, if you make a big trade, so will everyone else!  After three weeks of silence, the league erupted in trades last week, making things very interesting very quickly.  No players were off limits (well, maybe except for a certain player whose team is named after them, that would be kind of awkward).  All that, and the seemingly unstoppable E-Munnies lost?  This season's looking up!

Week 4 Preview

Holy upsets and nailbiters, Batman!  Big trades, big scores, and big shit talk made for an exciting few days of football, and the big players for the season are starting to solidify themselves.  Now that byes have started things will start to get interesting as teams will have to dig into those deep benches for starters.

Week 3 Preview

The injury bus didn't stop after week 2, seems we are all in for a long trip this season!  With Lacy, T.Coleman, Romo, Hyde, Decker, and Adams all leaving their games with injuries (some more severe than others), this week should be an interesting ride on the waiver wire!

Week 2 Preview

An auction draft way too early in the year followed by one of the most injury-prone preseason/week 1's in recent memory has left many teams wishing they had an IR slot to stash all of their high-hoped starters.  For the Long Haul probably got the worst of it with Kelvin Benjamin's early ACL tear followed by the heartbreaking (footbreaking?) Dez Bryant injury.  That being said, the season is still well under way and most teams look good to make a push for the inaugural playoffs!