The Sanderson Gazette - 2011-11-02 - Undecided
Games separating first and last place: two.
Week Eight Recap
Mike def. Rabbit, 113.31-97.69:
What we've learned:
Rabbit's not unstoppable. He still leads the Blingaleague in points, but even studs like Tom Brady (14.90) and Mike Wallace (9.33) can have down weeks.
Running backs are important. Mike's ridden Adrian Peterson (30.73) and Fred Jackson (21.87) on his current four-game winning streak, and Arian Foster (18.80) keeps chugging along for Rabbit.
Drafting remotely isn't all that bad. Neither Mike nor Rabs was present at the draft in person, and yet they're among the top teams in contention for the Sanderson Cup.
Kevin def. Allen, 137.99-92.68:
What we've learned:
Steven Jackson's not dead yet. The Rams' RB put up 32.17 points for Allen, easily his highest total of the season.
Chris Johnson might be, though. Kevin was happy to grab Johnson with the fourth overall pick, but he's been a total bust. This week, he scored only 5.67 points, and has started to lose carries to Javon Ringer.
Kevin's team is certainly capable of winning a championship. Of course, it's maddeningly inconsistent, too. Still, I wouldn't want to have to face him with my season on the line.
Ed def. Rob, 95.88-79.58:
What we've learned:
Our mom loves me more. That's what was riding on this game, right?
Rob's team is completely off the rails. Through four weeks, he looked like one of the better Blingaleague teams we've ever seen; since then, he hasn't won a game. And now, his RB stable is in big trouble.
Tight ends aren't that important. I sit at 5-3, one of four teams sharing the Blingaleague's best record, and yet I have not had a good season from my TEs in the slightest. Meanwhile, Rob, with one of the better tight ends in Rob Gronkowski, is in the middle of a huge collapse.
Pulley def. Derrek, 106.08-85.45:
What we've learned:
In an league with twelve quality owners (each of the Fultz brothers counts as a half), you should never count yourself out. Just one week ago, Pulley was about ready to punt the season. He still has an uphill climb, but he's only one game out of the playoffs (and two behind the best record) with five to play. It's not over yet.
Don't draft a defense in the third round. Imagine if Derrek had drafted Ryan Mathews (seventh-highest-scoring RB) or Brandon Marshall (eighteenth-highest-scoring WR). Those were two of the players he missed out on by taking the Steelers defense (fourteenth-highest-scoring, and that's propped up by not having had their bye week yet) in the third round.
That Pulley's long-term relationship with Rob Bironas is one of the best things about the Blingaleauge.
Pat def. Matt, 90.89-72.51:
What we've learned:
Anything can happen. Pat's team was down to starting Jabbar Gaffney (5.33), Brian Leonard (2.03), and Brandon Jacobs (1.00). And yet, Ray Rice (29.10) and Greg Olsen (15.73) powered him to victory.
Relying too much on one NFL franchise can occasionally be disastrous. Matt's Cowboy trio (Dez Bryant, Demarco Murrary, and Dan Bailey) scored a combined 11.86 points, thanks to the Eagles shutting down Dallas on Sunday night.
We play in an incredibly evenly-matched league. I mean, look at this: four teams are 5-3, four are 4-4, and four are 3-5.
Babel def. Dave, 108.65-46.33:
What we've learned:
When all is said and done, it might very well be Mark Babel who possesses the Sanderson Cup. Babel didn't really like his team following the draft, but he has won four of five and has only failed to score 100 points once all season (week three).
Calvin Johnson is sick. He put up yet another 20-plus-point week, scoring 22.67 against the Broncos.
Dave isn't quite ready for prime time yet. He started a total of five players on bye this week, and only Cam Newton scored in double figures for him. Don't let this happen again, Fultz; even you are better than this.
Current Standings
Allen, 5-3, 852.81
Babel, 5-3, 849.59
Mike, 5-3, 848.96
Ed, 5-3, 809.28
Rabbit, 4-4, 921.16
Kevin, 4-4, 837.66
Matt, 4-4, 795.96
Derrek, 4-4, 761.26
Rob, 3-5, 856.91
Dave, 3-5, 801.29
Pulley, 3-5, 705.27
Pat, 3-5, 679.91
"200 Points, Bitches"
Steelers defense:
Week Eight: 6.00
Season-To-Date: 51.00 (6.38 per week)
Points To Goal: 149.00 (37.25 per week (bye still remaining))
It's not going to happen, D.
Weekly Awards
Team Blangums: Kevin's team got hot, and put up 137.99 points.
Slapped Heartbeat: Dave's 46.33 is actually a little surprising, coming from only four active players.
Start of the Week: There were no games close enough to merit this award.
Misplay of the Week: Ditto.
Weekly MVP: How about LeSean McCoy, for Kevin? He continued his awesome year with 32.50 points this week.
Weekly Dud: Allen's been relying on Drew Brees so long, it's no surprise that the QB's poor 7.35-point showing coincided with an Optimus Prime loss.
Week Nine Preview
Game of the Blingaweek
The Chocolate Donuts (Kevin, 4-4, 6th) vs. Pralines & Dick (Rabbit, 4-4, 5th):
Why you should care:
To start with the obvious: no matter who you are, you're within one game either way of these two. It also should be a high-scoring affair; these are the last two Team Blangums award winners, and both project nicely this week. Yahoo puts Rabs at 119 and Kev at 97, and that's before the latter picks up a defense that doesn't have a bye this week.
And this is a hugely important game for both. The winner moves solidly into the playoff picture, when you factor in their total points; the loser will be facing an uphill battle with only four weeks remaining.
Pick: Pralines & Dick.
Other Blingamatches
St. Olaf Real Stuff (Ed, 5-3, 4th) vs. Goulden Pink OBGYN's (Babel, 5-3, 2nd):
Why you should care:
Again, we're all closely-bunched, so any team ahead of or tied with you losing is great news. If you're not named Allen or Mike, you should probably root for Babel; he'd be more likely to bounce back from a loss, thanks to being a stronger team. Babel will be without Calvin Johnson this week; on the other side, I might have to start CJ Spiller in place of Ryan Mathews.
Pick: Goulden Pink OBGYN's.
Oedipus Rex Ryan (Mike, 5-3, 3rd) vs. D's AutoPicks (Derrek, 4-4, 8th):
Why you should care:
Mike could put Derrek in a huge hole. Derrek, who already is considerably behind his 4-4 bretheren in points, can't afford to slip any further. And he's facing a white-hot team; Mike has won four in a row and will project over 100 points once he picks up a defense. If Adrian Peterson weren't on bye, I'd say this was a no-brainer choice; as it does stand, it's still not a tough one.
Pick: Oedipus Rex Ryan.
Harrison Hammers (Matt, 4-4, 7th) vs. Location Nouns (Rob, 3-5, 9th):
Why you should care:
To see if Rob's freefall continues. He must have gotten on some people's nerves with his early confidence; now, those people (Pulley, I'm looking in your direction) are filling up with glee. However, since he gets some RBs back this week (Blount, Tolbert), I think he stands a good chance to end his skid.
Pick: Location Nouns.
The Yips (Dave, 3-5, 10th) vs. Optimus Prime (Allen, 5-3, 1st):
Why you should care:
Because Dave actually will field a full team this week! And Allen's got some important players (Steve Smith, Jonathan Stewart) on their bye weeks, so this game should actually be competitive. I don't fully trust Allen, and no one in their right would trust Dave, which makes this an interesting pick. I'm sensing an upset.
Pick: The Yips.
Pullman's MondoSquad (Pulley, 3-5, 11th) vs. Camp Hope (Pat, 3-5, 12th):
Why you should care:
I'm not really sure. Technically, they're both still in the playoff hunt, but they carry the two lowest point totals (by far) along with their places in the cellar. The loser of this game will be four games out with four to play, so I guess if you're interested in seeing who'll be the first eliminated team, then this game's for you!
Pick: Pullman's MondoSquad.
Closing Thoughts
BLINGALOW!
Eddo