Quarterfinals Recap

Babel def. Rob, 122.12-92.00:

Travis Kelce (24.13) and Allen Robinson II (22.40) paced a lineup for Babel that saw no one dip below 7.83 (Wayne Gallman, Jr.). Rob got good games from Russell Wilson (24.20) and Nick Chubb (23.00), but his New Orleans special teamers (Wil Lutz and the Saints defense) scored just 1.00 each, resulting in his fourth straight quarterfinals loss.

Pulley def. Derrek, 121.50-90.58:

T.Y. Hilton (23.47) put up his highest total of the season and Aaron Rodgers (33.80) put up his second highest as Pulley cruised to victory. Derrek got 29.00 from a resurgent Jonathan Taylor, but his Steelers and Vikings were his undoing; Kirk Cousins (16.35), Justin Jefferson (7.20), Adam Thielen (5.20), Diontae Johnson (5.33), and Eric Ebron (6.00) all disappointed.

Weekly Awards

Team Blangums:

Babel's 122.12 just barely edged Pulley's 121.50 for the high score of the week.

Slapped Heartbeat:

Derrek's 90.58 just barely edged Rob's 92.00 for the low score of the week.

Weekly MVP:

Aaron Rodgers's 33.80 for Pulley was the highest score for all starters in the quarterfinals.

Dud of the Week:

Wil Lutz managed only 1.00 points against a bad Eagles team.

Start of the Week:

It didn't matter to his outcome, but Pulley smartly played the Dallas defense (18.00) over Green Bay (3.00).

Misplay of the Week:

Rob played the Saints defense (1.00) over the Cardinals (18.00).

Pickup of the Week:

The aforementioned Cowboys defense (18.00) was a great pickup for Pulley.

Season Postmortems

Rob Gross, 7-6 (0.538), 1,437.41 points, 6th, 7.39 expected wins

From week 2 onward, Rob was first or second in total points. He tied for the most Team Blangums awards. And yet, he finished 7-6 and bowed out in the quarterfinals. Fun fact: while Rob has a notable history of finishing 8-5, the only two times he's scored 1400 points or more, he's finished 7-6. Looking forward, though he traded away James Robinson, Rob didn't go all-in for this year; Antonio Gibson is a nice RB to head into 2021 with.

Derrek Drenckpohl, 8-5 (0.615), 1,314.00 points, 5th, 7.02 expected wins

After two straight Sanderson Cup wins and six straight playoff victories, Derrek has lost his last two elimination games. This season won't go down as especially memorable for D, as he just kind of hovered around the edge of the playoffs. Christian McCaffrey's injury-filled season was a big part of that, and he's no longer keeper-eligible. Justin Jefferson is, though, and he's also already a top ten fantasy WR.

Semifinals Preview

#2 Harrison Hammers (Matt) vs. #3 Keep Calm & Kerryon (Babel):

Matt leads all-time series, 10-4.

Matt and Mark have met in the postseason only once before: Blingabowl V, when Matt ended Babel's video game bosses playoff run.

Lamar Jackson (vs. JAC) had a huge week 14, which bodes well for Matt. Dalvin Cook (vs. CHI) and DeAndre Hopkins (vs. PHI) look to have big games, though each faces a defense that stepped up big time last week. Combine all that with Julio Jones (vs. TAM) being questionable means that Matt has a very high ceiling... but also a very shaky floor.

Babel has his own hit-or-miss starter in Cam Newton (@MIA). But he bolsters that with three of the most reliable receiving options in the league: Keenan Allen (@LV), Allen Robinson II (@MIN), and Travis Kelce (@NO). If D'Andre Swift (@TEN) gives Babel a good game, he has a chance to go where no #3 seed has ever gone before: the Blingabowl.

Pick: Keep Calm & Kerryon.

#1 The Chocolate Donuts (Kevin) vs. #4 Pullman's MondoSquad (Pulley):

Pulley leads all-time series, 13-4.

Kevin and Adam are set to meet in the playoffs for the third time in four years, with 2020 being the rubber match.

Davante Adams (vs. CAR) has been amazing for Kev, ranking as the second overall WR despite missing two games. Darren Waller (vs. LAC) has been great at times, but less reliable, and Terry McLaurin (vs. SEA) is coming off two bad weeks. Josh Allen (@DEN) gives our regular season champ a solid floor at QB, and Cam Akers (vs. NYJ) has come on quite strong the past few weeks.

Pulley has the QB edge with Aaron Rodgers (vs. CAR), and Aaron Jones (vs. CAR) has been solid without hitting his highs from last year. T.Y. Hilton (vs. HOU) has been amazing the last two weeks; if he continues that, Pulley can pull of an upset and return to the Blingabowl, where he's never lost. Or will Pulley regret dropping Mr. Akers?

Pick: The Chocolate Donuts.

Closing Thoughts

This is the first year in Blingaleague history that the #3 and #4 seeds both won in the quarterfinals.

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