The Sanderson Gazette - 2020-11-18 - What a Year

This will be the final Sanderson Gazette to be written from the UK (well, at least with me as a permanent resident).

Week 10 Recap

Matt def. Babel, 105.98-95.10:

Lamar Jackson (22.95) and DeAndre Hopkins (22.93, including a Hail Mary that will be discussed in more detail later) put up nearly identical scores for Matt, which was enough to get him his third straight win. Babel got huge games from Josh Jacobs (26.40) and D'Andre Swift (23.17), but fell just short of victory. Matt's small lead heading into Monday night held up thanks to Dalvin Cook (11.73) outscore Allen Robinson II (5.73).

Kevin def. Rob, 100.24-92.88:

Our Game of the Blingaweek came down to Monday night, when Kevin got a sufficient 10.00 from the Minnesota defense to pass Rob and claim victory. Josh Allen (29.60) was great for Kev, outscoring Rob's QB (Russell Wilson (9.40)) by more than twenty points.

Derrek def. Richie, 121.37-73.31:

Derrek ran away with this one behind Daniel Jones (23.10), Diontae Johnson (21.47), Justin Jefferson (18.00), and Adam Thielen (17.73). Richie had the overall top scorer in Ben Roethlisberger (32.65), but Alshon Jeffery (zero), Joshua Kelley (2.10), and D.K. Metcalf (3.73) all underperformed.

Schertz def. Pulley, 109.69-81.52:

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (25.87) mostly offset Aaron Rodgers (28.15), which mean that Stefon Diggs (18.40), Deshaun Watson (14.75), and Kareem Hunt (14.13) did enough to keep Schertz's repeat dream alive. And Ryan Succop (16.00) once again was a thorn in Pulley's side. Speaking of the Pullman, his second highest scorer put up 12.80 (Rob Gronkowski), which was a big factor in his poor output.

Rabbit def. Scott, 88.55-77.45:

Kyler Murray put up 30.85, which was the main factor in Rabbit's victory over Scott. Drew Lock (8.55) filled in for Patrick Mahomes II's bye with a big dud, wasting good games from Tee Higgins (19.33) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (16.27) for Mr. Beitzel.

Dave def. Mike R., 87.64-63.70:

Chase Claypool (19.17), Malcolm Brown (17.70), and great special teams (Daniel Carlson (15.00) and the Chicago defense (12.00)) got Dave his second win of the year. Mike got a great game from the now-healthy Nick Chubb (18.60), but suffered yet another key injury, this time to Drew Brees (7.70).

Ed def. Pat, 95.02-79.49:

Ed got great performances from his first two picks, Alvin Kamara (30.57) and D.J. Moore (18.80), which made up for duds from A.J. Brown (2.80) and Mike Davis (4.80). Tyler Bass (18.00) kicked three 50+ yard field goals for Pat, but Jimmy Graham's zero on Monday night cemented his loss.

Standings

  1. Kevin, 7-3, 1,118.45
  2. Pulley, 7-3, 1,035.95
  3. Rob, 6-4, 1,125.97
  4. Matt, 6-4, 1,045.55
  5. Scott, 6-4, 1,015.11
  6. Babel, 6-4, 988.17
  7. Schertz, 5-5, 1,075.58
  8. Rabbit, 5-5, 1,000.95
  9. Derrek, 5-5, 959.74
  10. Mike R., 4-6, 984.72
  11. Richie, 4-6, 956.99
  12. Pat, 4-6, 901.45
  13. Ed, 3-7, 1,065.89
  14. Dave, 2-8, 760.00 (e)

Blingalytics Ratings

  1. Kevin, 635
  2. Schertz, 605
  3. Ed, 589
  4. Rob, 568
  5. Matt, 551
  6. Pulley, 548
  7. Scott, 540
  8. Mike R., 496
  9. Babel, 490
  10. Rabbit, 473
  11. Derrek, 472
  12. Richie, 455
  13. Pat, 365
  14. Dave, 213

Weekly Awards

Team Blangums:

Derrek rode great Monday night scores from Justin Jefferson (18.00) and Adam Thielen (17.73) to 121.37 total points and a $10 prize.

Slapped Heartbeat:

Mike R.'s 63.70 was the lowest score of the week and the first time he's scored less than 89.64 (or more than 119.38) on the season. (His standard deviation went from 8.24 to 13.98.)

Weekly MVP:

Kyler Murray's 30.85 was instrumental in keeping Rabbit in the thick of the playoff race.

Dud of the Week:

Richie needed a win and instead got 3.73 from D.K. Metcalf.

Start of the Week:

No one made a choice that turned a loss into a win this week.

Misplay of the Week:

Babel could have played Wayne Gallman, Jr. (18.23) over Devin Singletary (0.83). He lost by just over ten points.

Pickup of the Week:

Dave traded away his lone active RB prior to the Sunday afternoon games, so he was forced to pick up someone. He chose Malcolm Brown, who scored 17.70.

Blessed Cahoots:

Matt's margin of victory over Babel: 10.88.

Points scored by DeAndre Hopkins on his unbelievable 43 yard Hail Mary: 11.73.

BLESSED CAHOOTS!

Playoff Scenarios

No one can clinch a playoff berth this week.

(Dave has been eliminated from playoff contention.)

Week 11 Preview

Game of the Blingaweek

Keep Calm & Kerryon (Babel, 6-4, 6th) vs. Pullman's MondoSquad (Pulley, 7-3, 2nd):

Pulley leads all-time series, 10-9.

A year ago at this time, Babel was 6-4 and in sixth place. And for as much as I've written about him outperforming his peripherals this year, last year was more extreme, as he had only 4.31 expected wins and 977.11 points (compared to 4.90 and 988.17 this year). Babel lost in week 11 last year, but then won out to make the playoffs. Winning two of his last three this year would definitely clinch a playoff berth, but winning all three means he could snag a bye for the first time since 2008.

Pulley was in second place after week 10 last year, just like today, but was one win worse at 6-4. Another difference is that he was underperforming his peripherals (6.31 expected wins in 2019, 5.48 this year). Pulley needs to win this week, if only to break his first three game losing streak since week 11, 2014.

This week, Babel will hope three RBs repeat their week 10 success: D'Andre Swift (@CAR), Josh Jacobs (vs. KC), and new pickup Salvon Ahmed (@DEN). That will be key, since WR Allen Robinson II is on bye (though Keenan Allen (vs. NYJ) has a nice matchup). Pulley's Packers, Aaron Rodgers (@IND) and Aaron Jones (@IND) have a tough matchup, so he'll likely need Tyler Boyd (@SEA) to bounce back from a poor week 10 and for Tom Brady to continue targeting old friends Rob Gronkowski (vs. LAR) and Antonio Brown (vs. LAR).

Pick: Keep Calm & Kerryon.

Other Blingamatches

The Fantasy FB Team (Scott, 6-4, 5th) vs. The Chocolate Donuts (Kevin, 7-3, 1st):

Kevin leads all-time series, 2-0.

Scott is a lot better off than he was a year ago, when he was 3-7 and in 13th place. Being 6-4 and in playoff position now is good news, and getting Patrick Mahomes II (@LV) back is great news. If new addition Brandin Cooks (vs. NE) can do better than last week, Scott could be the team no one wants to face in the playoffs.

Kevin was 5-5 with just 4.68 expected wins last year, a far cry from his success so far this year. But his current status as top team overall could take a hit; his regular QB (Josh Allen) is on bye, and his backup (Teddy Bridgewater) is questionable. Davante Adams (@IND), Terry McLaurin (vs. CIN), and Todd Gurley II (@NO) might have a huge hole to pull Kev out of if he wants to stay in first place.

Pick: The Fantasy FB Team.

Harrison Hammers (Matt, 6-4, 4th) vs. Rub for Today (Rob, 6-4, 3rd):

Matt leads all-time series, 11-5.

Matt was already doing well when he won Team Blangums in week 11 last year. This year, he's not quite as formidable, but having Dalvin Cook (vs. DAL) and DeAndre Hopkins (@SEA) means he can beat anyone (some evidence: his three game winning streak).

Like Scott, Rob is far better off now than he was last year, when he was in the middle of a historically bad season. A Thursday night shootout would be great for Rob, as he could really use big weeks from Russell Wilson (vs. ARI) and Tyler Lockett (vs. ARI). Especially with James Robinson (vs. PIT) facing his toughest matchup of the season.

Pick: Harrison Hammers.

D's Nuts (Derrek, 5-5, 9th) vs. schertzopotamus (Schertz, 5-5, 7th):

Derrek leads all-time series, 5-4.

Derrek sits on the edge of the playoffs despite being quite a bit worse than last year, when he was 6-4 with 5.99 expected wins. Week 11 is a good week to be Steelers- and Vikings-heavy, as they play Jacksonville and Dallas respectively. So if D wins another game without Christian McCaffrey, it will likely be due to some combination of Kirk Cousins (vs. DAL), Diontae Johnson (@JAC), James Conner (@JAC), Adam Thielen (vs. DAL), Justin Jefferson (vs. DAL), Eric Ebron (@JAC), and the Pittsburgh defense (@JAC) blowing up. (Seven of his nine starters are Vikings or Steelers; there's a reason he has three games above 120 and four below 80.)

Schertz is not as good as he was a year ago, either; that's not surprising, since his first ten weeks of 2019 were among the best we've ever seen. This year, he's just hanging onto some playoff hopes, and they could take a big blow this week with Stefon Diggs on bye and Derrick Henry (@BAL) with a tough matchup.

Pick: D's Nuts.

DK Country (Richie, 4-6, 11th) vs. Pralines & Dick (Rabbit, 5-5, 8th):

Rabbit leads all-time series, 6-2.

In 2019, Richie was 4-6. Today, Richie is 4-6. In fact, this is the fourth time in the last five years that Richie has been 4-6. The top of Richie's roster is dangerous, with Ben Roethlisberger (@JAC), D.K. Metcalf (vs. ARI), and Tyreek Hill (@LV) capable of putting up 30 points in any week. But the bottom of Richie's roster features the likes of Joshua Kelley (vs. NYJ), Alshon Jeffery (@CLE), and Adrian Peterson (@CAR). Oof.

In 2019, Rabbit was 5-5. Today, Rabbit is 5-5. In fact, this is the third straight year that Rabbit has been 5-5. MVP candidate Kyler Murray (@SEA) should feast on Thursday night, and if Joe Mixon (@WAS) is back, that could lead to an easy win for Rabs this week.

Pick: Pralines & Dick.

Bernie's Urgent Care (Mike R., 4-6, 10th) vs. The Vistas are Back (Pat, 4-6, 12th):

Mike R. leads all-time series, 8-4.

Mike had a better record (4-6) last year, but fewer expected wins (4.54 in 2019, 4.96 in 2020). So you might think you would find some optimism coming from Bernie's camp right now. Alas, there is virtually none; for every Chris Carson (vs. ARI) that might return, there's a Drew Brees that is newly injured.

Pat was 5-5 and in the playoff hunt twelve months ago, which means this year is a definite downgrade. Justin Herbert (vs. NYJ) has been a great find with some potential for 2021, and Kenny Golladay (@CAR) could be back this week... but Pat is still an underdog.

Pick: Bernie's Urgent Care.

Live Commish (Ed, 3-7, 13th) vs. Super Bash Bros. (Dave, 2-8, 14th):

All-time series tied, 7-7

Ed was 4-6 a year ago, but his team was significantly worse (4.74 expected wins in 2019 vs. 5.89 in 2020). He might be playing out the string this year, but his overall strength (and possible re-emergence of Ronald Jones II (vs. LAR)) means he can at least have some optimism to take home a Team Blangums prize or two by the end of the year.

Dave was not good last year, but this year is a new level of bad. He has, by far, the fewest expected wins through ten weeks ever. He only has a few more days to trade for keepers, and Michael Thomas (vs. ATL) doesn't look like the asset he was earlier in the year.

Pick: Live Commish.

Closing Thoughts

Remember that the trading deadline is this week, and that players cannot be traded after their week 11 game starts (i.e. if you want to trade a Seattle or Arizona player, you have to do it before Thursday night kickoff).