The Sanderson Gazette - 2020-09-23 - Chaos Reigns
Week 2 was the third highest scoring week ever, and it also cracks the top twenty for closest average margin.
Week 2 Recap
Pulley def. Kevin, 126.44-125.61:
Heading into Monday night, Pulley probably felt comfortable; he had nearly a twenty point lead with a WR to play vs. Kevin's TE and defense. But for nearly the entire game, Emmanuel Sanders (2.40) sat on zero points, while Darren Waller (19.73) blew up for Kevin. Lucky for the Pullman, Sanders had a late 18-yard catch to pull him ahead in the end, resulting in the closest margin ever between these two.
Outside of that, Aaron Jones scored 43.87 for Pulley while Josh Allen scored 38.15 for Kev.
Mark of Chaos: Pulley won this matchup despite a true zero at TE (Rob Gronkowski) and four more zeroes on his bench.
Schertz def. Scott, 116.11-114.70:
Stefon Diggs (26.40) and Jonnu Smith (23.20) came through huge for Schertz, which was critical due to an injury to Saquon Barkley (2.80) and underperformance from Derrick Henry (8.40) and Deshaun Watson (15.45). Scott was led by Patrick Mahomes II's 30.00 and Miles Sanders's 18.30.
Mark of Chaos: Schertz needed an overtime 58-yard field goal from Harrison Butker (12.00) to claim victory in this one.
Babel def. Mike R., 113.06-102.91:
Mike felt like he had this in control early, as Mike Evans (19.87), Raheem Mostert (17.20), and DeVante Parker (13.07) all had good games to start Sunday off. But Cam Newton (38.05) and Travis Kelce (18.00) came through later from Babel, setting up a Monday night showdown between Drew Brees (for Mike) and Josh Jacobs (for Mark). Neither Brees (17.60) nor Jacobs (11.07) lived up to expectations, which meant Babel held on for the win.
Mark of Chaos: Mike had three players - Mostert, Parris Campbell (0.70), and D.J. Chark, Jr. (11.20) - added to the injury report following this weekend's action.
Richie def. Dave, 103.85-101.98:
Richie got just enough from D.K. Metcalf (18.27) and Josh Myers (5.00) on Sunday night to pull ahead of Dak - I mean Dave. You'll likely understand that slip, since Dak Prescott's 43.80 was by far the main reason Dave kept this one close.
Mark of Chaos: Like with Pulley-Kevin, this was the closest margin ever between Richie and Dave.
Derrek def. Ed, 120.45-115.27:
The Gazette headline is "Chaos Reigns", and the Derrek-Ed matchup is relegated to fifth in the pecking order?! While this looks like the usual drama-filled result these two franchises have produced lately, it wasn't quite so. Instead of Derrek catapulting past Ed on Monday night, this week featured Ed mounting a furious comeback attempt behind Alvin Kamara (32.57) and falling just short. Derrek got a three-touchdown game from Tyler Higbee (25.20) and the usual twenty-point effort from Christian McCaffrey (21.77).
Mark of Chaos: Derrek lost two players to injury mid-game - McCaffrey and Jimmy Garoppolo (14.05) - but not until after they had scored enough to ensure a victory.
Rob def. Rabbit, 138.83-95.29:
Rob's big win came on the backs of Russell Wilson (35.50) and the Indianapolis defense (17.00). Rabs got a great game from his QB, Kyler Murray (33.50), but suffered through a zero from Will Fuller V and fell to 0-2 on the year.
Mark of Chaos: Rob won his first Team Blangums in more than two full seasons.
Pat def. Matt, 128.02-82.27:
Matt Ryan scored 30.75, Nick Chubb scored 25.60, and David Montgomery scored 20.20 for Pat, making up for Julio Jones (3.20) and the Buffalo defense (-1.00) having bad weeks. Matt saw every starter on his team underperform Yahoo's projections, with Lamar Jackson (17.60) being the most notable.
Mark of Chaos: Pat scored 128 and Matt scored 82, not the other way around.
Standings
- Derrek, 2-0, 240.64
- Pulley, 2-0, 224.24
- Richie, 2-0, 216.56
- Babel, 2-0, 204.90
- Kevin, 1-1, 259.53
- Rob, 1-1, 242.02
- Pat, 1-1, 237.59
- Scott, 1-1, 224.95
- Schertz, 1-1, 219.83
- Matt, 1-1, 198.15
- Ed, 0-2, 222.15
- Mike R., 0-2, 192.55
- Rabbit, 0-2, 187.38
- Dave, 0-2, 169.49
Weekly Awards
Team Blangums:
Rob's 138.83 took home the $10 prize this week.
Slapped Heartbeat:
Matt's 82.27 is the sixth highest Slapped Heartbeat score of all time.
Weekly MVP:
Aaron Jones put up 43.87 points, and Pulley needed every one of them.
Dud of the Week:
Will Fuller V scored zero for Rabbit.
Start of the Week:
Derrek played Diontae Johnson's 18.27 over Robby Anderson's 12.53. That 5.74 point difference covered his 5.18 point victory.
Misplay of the Week:
Dave left the (now injured) Courtland Sutton and his 8.80 points on his bench in favor of Mike Williams (1.87) and A.J. Green (3.87) and lost by less than two points.
Week 3 Preview
Game of the Blingaweek
D's Nuts (Derrek, 2-0, 1st) vs. Pullman's MondoSquad (Pulley, 2-0, 2nd):
Pulley leads all-time series, 8-7.
Derrek might not be in first place by expected wins (1.30), but he's close enough to the top to where his 2-0 record looks perfectly fine. But now he'll be without his best player, Christian McCaffrey, for a few weeks. Lucky for him, James Conner (vs. HOU) looked perfectly fine last week and should be able to replace most of McCaffrey's production.
Pulley's ridden a pair of Aarons - Jones and Rodgers (both @NO) - to his own 2-0 start. The Packers offense being back to its old self has been critical, as his WRs - Odell Beckham, Jr. (vs. WAS) and Tyler Boyd (@PHI) - have been inconsistent so far, and his TE - Rob Gronkowksi (@DEN) - has scored 1.47 total. That's led to him sitting with the 8th most expected wins (1.06), which means that if nothing changes, it's unlikely he'll continue to have such a lofty record.
Pick: D's Nuts.
Other Blingamatches
DK Country (Richie, 2-0, 3rd) vs. schertzopotamus (Schertz, 1-1, 9th):
Schertz leads all-time series, 5-3.
Like Pulley, Richie has a record that outshines his peripherals (1.02 expected wins). Calvin Ridley (vs. CHI) has been his most important player, but Tom Brady (@DEN) has been a disappointment.
Meanwhile, Schertz has a similar expected wins figure (1.07), but with a record that matches that. Saquon Barkley's torn ACL is a huge blow, though he had been underperforming through the first two weeks. If Deshaun Watson (@PIT) and Derrick Henry (@MIN) can get on track, Schertz could return to being a contender. But right now, he's not in great shape.
Pick: DK Country.
Keep Calm & Kerryon (Babel, 2-0, 4th) vs. The Fantasy FB Team (Scott, 1-1, 8th):
All-time series tied, 1-1.
Babel has been the most fortunate of the 2-0 teams, with only 0.87 expected wins. While his 2-0 record is a new development, Babel's no stranger to a team that starts slow; in seven of the nine post-expansion years, Babel has had less than 0.9 expected wins after two games. Last year, Babel's scores caught up with his record, and he was one of the most dangerous teams heading into the playoffs. If Cam Newton (vs. LV) continues producing like he has in the new-look New England offense, recent history could repeat itself.
Scott's off to his best start ever, 5th in the league by expected wins (1.14). Patrick Mahomes II (@BAL) is, of course, a reliable QB, and if Clyde Edwards-Helaire (@BAL) puts up scores more like his week 1 than his week 2, Scott should be able to make the playoffs for the first time ever.
Pick: The Fantasy FB Team.
The Chocolate Donuts (Kevin, 1-1, 5th) vs. The Vistas are Back (Pat, 1-1-, 7th):
Pat leads all-time series, 8-3.
Kevin is the opposite of Babel; post-expansion, 0.84 is his worst expected wins figure through two weeks. His 1.40 expected wins this year is the 21st most ever through two weeks (and notice the lone 0-2 team on that list). Keeper Josh Allen (vs. LAR) has been fantastic for Kev so far, but first round pick Davante Adams (@NO) might be out this week.
Meanwhile, Pat's off to his best start by expected wins since 2014, and his 3rd place ranking by expected wins is the highest he's ever been after two weeks. Matt Ryan (vs. CHI) has been great so far, and if Nick Chubb (vs. WAS) and David Montgomery (@ATL) can have more weeks like this last one, Pat could finally play past week 13.
Pick: The Vistas are Back.
Live Commish (Ed, 0-2, 11th) vs. Rob for Today (Rob, 1-1, 6th):
Ed leads all-time series, 8-6.
Ed's the toughest-luck team so far, with 1.10 expected wins (6th) but zero real ones. Alvin Kamara (vs. GB) has been as good as expected, but Matthew Stafford's (@ARI) mediocre start has been a big contributor to Live Commish's underperformance. Ed's +37.1% strength of schedule (meaning his opponents' expected winning percentage is 37.1% higher than average) ranks as the toughest so far this year, which is typical; this is the fifth time in the last six years that Ed has faced one of the five strongest schedules through two weeks.
Rob's faced an easier-than-average schedule (-11.6%) for the sixth straight year. Luck isn't driving his 1-1 record, though, as he has 1.18 expected wins (ranked 4th). Russell Wilson and Tyler Lockett host Dallas this week, and James Robinson (vs. MIA) has emerged as the top RB in Jacksonville. Rob looks like he's rebounded nicely from his disastrous 2019.
Pick: Rob for Today.
Super Bash Bros. (Dave, 0-2, 14th) vs. Harrison Hammers (Matt, 1-1, 10th):
Matt leads all-time series, 8-5.
There's no sugar-coating it: Dave's been the worst team in the league so far. His 0.49 expected wins is dead last, but surprisingly, it's a minor improvement over 2018 and 2019.
Matt's coming off a surprise Slapped Heartbeat, and his mediocrity is a big change from the past two years, when he had more than 1.6 expected wins through two weeks and was among the best in the league. For week 3, he should expect Lamar Jackson (vs. KC) to bounce back. And Jerick McKinnon (@NYG) could be the primary RB for the 49ers with Raheem Mostert injured.
Pick: Harrison Hammers.
Bernie's Bullies (Mike R., 0-2, 12th) vs. Pralines & Dick (Rabbit, 0-2, 13th):
Rabbit leads all-time series, 7-6.
This season has not been kind to Mike. A slew of injures (what else is new?) has left him with 0.71 wins (12th) and a record to match. Mike Evans (@DEN) has been solid, but Drew Brees (vs. GB) has been medicore. Raheem Moster is now out, which means Zack Moss (vs. LAR) will have to carry the load at RB for the Bullies. Ouch. But star WR Kenny Golladay (@ARI) should be back this week.
This season has not been kind to Rabbit. He's fallen below 0.600 - and out of 1st place! - in the all-time standings, and his 0.64 expected wins ranks 2nd worst among all teams. Kyler Murray (vs. DET) has been great, but Joe Mixon (@PHI) and the rest of his roster have been disappointing. But star WR Chris Godwin (@DEN) should be back this week.
Pick: Pralines & Dick.
League Dues
Please pay your league dues if you haven't already; see the Yahoo League Dues page to see what you owe (since some of you owe less due to 2019 Blangums rollover).
Closing Thoughts
If you're surprised we have so many 2-0 teams that don't look that good by expected wins, you're right. There have only been eight teams in history (five since expansion) that have been 2-0 with less than 1.1 expected wins - and three of them are from this year!