The Sanderson Gazette - 2021-10-06 - Even More Spread Out

Before we get into Gazette business as usual, it's worth looking at the current standings. There are only two teams with a 2-2 record at the moment, a true historical rarity. The only year we've had fewer than five teams with a .500 record after four weeks was 2010, when we had three.

This also marks just the second time we have multiple 0-4 teams (also in 2010) and the third time we've had multiple 4-0 teams (2012 and 2020).

Week 4 Recap

Mike R. def. Pat, 133.41-122.50

"I need 33.41 points so we can go down in the record books with the tie and co-Blangums. We need some cooperation from Mr.’s Ekeler, Waller, and Allen. I’m wearing my tux in preparation for the camera crew for the post game presser." - Pat

"Blingaleague is like the World Cup and [my other league]'s like Olympic soccer. Both should be important but I can only truly get behind one." - Mike R.

Our first in-season rematch was nearly as dramatic as its previous incarnation, but with the opposite outcome. Just Herbert (22.50) didn't deliver quite enough for Pat to finish off his Monday night comeback, despite Tyreek Hill's huge 42.80 point game on Sunday.

Mike got huge games from the Buffalo defense (26.00) and Tyler Bass (16.00) on top of very good ones from David Montgomery (22.60) and James Robinson (19.53).

Richie def. Rabbit, 134.52-83.89

Richie did get enough for a Monday night comeback... in the Team Blangums competition. Austin Ekeler (20.30) ran for 20 yards on his final carry to push Richie to our top weekly score. Rabbit's team fell flat for the first time this year, with Cooper Kupp (8.53) and Tyler Lockett (3.20) both failing to reach double digits.

Derrek def. Ed, 130.98-106.39

Derrek played Ed, so of course he had five players (Patrick Mahomes II (34.00), Saquon Barkley (27.07), Diontae Johnson (18.27), Jonathan Taylor (17.77), and Justin Jefferson (17.20)) score more than 17 points. Ed saw Jalen Hurts (30.55) go toe-to-toe with Mahomes, but once again took a tough loss to D.

Kevin def. Pulley, 97.37-85.80

Kevin's 2020 Sanderson Cup campaign famously consisted of some wins while taking zeroes from players, and he apparently decided to up his difficulty level this week by playing two at once (Logan Thomas and Robbie Gould). That wasn't enough to lose to Pulley, though, who suffered through a zero of his own from D.J. Chark, Jr. and duds from George Kittle (5.33) and Odell Beckham, Jr. (4.00).

Rob def. Scott, 112.77-63.49

"Playing Scott is a great way to turn your season around." - Rob

Rob didn't truly need to play Scott, as he put up a strong score thanks to Dak Prescott (28.90) and Terry McLaurin (28.40). Scott got 22.55 from Russell Wilson, but had four players combine for a net of 0.34 points (JuJu Smith-Schuster (1.47), Robert Tonyan (1.07), DeSean Jackson (0.80), and the Atlanta defense (-3.00)).

Babel def. Matt, 108.67-78.00

Babel moved to 4-0 with Deebo Samuel (32.90) leading the way. Matt finally saw Robert Woods (12.40) outperform his projection, albeit just barely.

Schertz def. Dave, 103.15-64.75

Schertz's Derrick Henry (24.37) and Mike Gesicki (13.60) were the only players in this game that outperformed their expectations by more than a full point.

Standings

  1. Babel, 4-0, 486.01
  2. Derrek, 4-0, 484.11
  3. Rabbit, 3-1, 506.95
  4. Richie, 3-1, 449.00
  5. Schertz, 3-1, 432.77
  6. Kevin, 3-1, 416.23
  7. Matt, 2-2, 375.16
  8. Dave, 2-2, 348.68
  9. Mike R., 1-3, 444.92
  10. Pat, 1-3, 394.11
  11. Ed, 1-3, 388.18
  12. Rob, 1-3, 378.51
  13. Pulley, 0-4, 350.73
  14. Scott, 0-4, 298.01

Blingalytics Ratings

  1. Derrek, 791
  2. Babel, 733
  3. Rabbit, 689
  4. Mike R., 640
  5. Richie, 579
  6. Schertz, 566
  7. Kevin, 507
  8. Pat, 473
  9. Ed, 446
  10. Rob, 406
  11. Matt, 394
  12. Dave, 351
  13. Pulley, 301
  14. Scott, 124

Weekly Awards

Team Blangums

Richie's 134.52 made him the first back-to-back Blangums winner since Rob in weeks 2 and 3 last year.

This is the 14th time someone has had a multiple-week run of Team Blangums. The previous 13:

Slapped Heartbeat

Scott's 63.49 gets him his second Slapped Heartbeat of the year. This is not the right way to keep pace with his rival.

Weekly MVP

Pat didn't win, but he did get 42.80 from Tyreek Hill.

Dud of the Week

If Pat had gotten more from either Chris Carson (3.13) or Myles Gaskin (0.30), he very easily could have won his matchup (and Team Blangums).

Start of the Week

Mike played the Buffalo defense (26.00) over the Carolina defense (-7.00) for a 33 point swing.

Misplay of the Week

If Pat had played Darrell Henderson, Jr. (12.50) over Myles Gaskin (0.30), he'd have won his matchup (and Team Blangums).

Blessed Cahoots

Kevin won despite getting zeroes from Logan Thomas and Robbie Gould.

Pryor Play of the Week

Saquon Barkley (27.07) had been trending in the right direction, but he finally exploded for Derrek.

Week 5 Preview

Game of the Blingaweek

Swift Justice (Babel, 4-0, 1st) vs. D's Nuts (Derrek, 4-0, 2nd)

All-time series tied, 7-7.

As noted earlier, this is just the third year we have two 4-0 teams, so this is an obvious choice for Game of the Blingaweek. It's not, however, the latest in the season two undefeated teams have met; in week 6, 2012, 5-0 Rabbit defeated 5-0 Mike R..

If you look at Babel's and Derrek's ten most similar teams, you'll notice they have nine in common (and the tenth is each other). Notably, none of those nine teams won the Sanderson Cup, and ominously, six of the nine had losing records over the rest of their seasons.

Using the teams in first or second place through four weeks as a comparison is a little better, but not much; only three of our thirteen previous champions have been in bye position at this point in the season.

Prior to this season (he was also in first place after week 1), Babel hadn't been in first place since 2008. He's gotten there behind the emergence of Deebo Samuel (@ARI) and D'Andre Swift (@MIN) as elite fantasy players, as well as mostly steady numbers from Adam Thielen (vs. DET) and Keenan Allen (vs. CLE).

Derrek's been riding Patrick Mahomes II (vs. BUF) and waiting for Saquon Barkley (@DAL) to play like a first round pick, which he finally did in week 4. Other than that, D's team has been filled with solid performers, which has led him to the fifth most expected wins ever through four weeks.

Pick: Swift Justice.

Other Blingamatches

Pralines & Dick (Rabbit, 3-1, 3rd) vs. schertzopotamus (Schertz, 3-1, 5th)

Rabbit leads all-time series, 8-2.

Rabbit's list of top comps contains two more championship squads - 2015 Pulley and 2013 Matt - than Babel's or Derrek's, which is encouraging. That's especially true if Christian McCaffrey (vs. PHI) returns soon, and if Kyler Murray (vs. SF) continues looking like a potential MVP. It's not surprising that Cooper Kupp (@SEA) and Tyler Lockett (vs. LAR) came back down to Earth after scorching starts, but they make up a strong WR corps.

Schertz has been leaning heavily on Derrick Henry (@JAC), which probably won't change given that juicy matchup. Stefon Diggs (@KC) also has a great opportunity to blow up this week. Schertz has a pair of champions - 2016 Kevin and 2009 Matt - that profile similarly, but his #1 is concerning: 2010 Mike R., who finished with a 4-9 record.

Pick: schertzopotamus.

DK Country (Richie, 3-1, 4th) vs. Bernie's Bullies (Mike R., 1-3, 9th)

Mike R. leads all-time series, 5-4.

Richie is a close match to Schertz, so has a similar list of comps - except his #1 (2014 Rabbit) finished with ten wins. Sam Darnold (vs. PHI) and Ezekiel Elliott (vs. NYG) have been critical players in Richie's back-to-back Blangums and could both have big games again this week.

The most similar team to Mike R. - 2016 Rabbit - made it all the way to the Blingabowl. Losing David Montgomery (@LV) for the next 4-5 weeks must temper Mike's optimism, however; even James Robinson's (vs. TEN) return to 2020 levels can't make up for that lineup hole.

Pick: DK Country.

The Chocolate Donuts (Kevin, 3-1, 6th) vs. Live Commish (Ed, 1-3, 11th)

All-time series tied, 8-8.

Kevin is in the same general ballpark as Schertz and Richie, though he has a much less notable most similar team: 2017 Rob, who finished in fourth place. Josh Allen (@KC) has been just OK in three of the four weeks so far, though he gets a great matchup to put up another week like week 3, when he scored over 40 points.

Ed doesn't have any encouraging comps; only 2014 Matt even rallied to make the playoffs among teams that appear on his most similar list. Jalen Hurts (@CAR) has been a great fantasy QB so far, but unlike Josh Allen, has a tough matchup in week 5.

Pick: The Chocolate Donuts.

The Vistas are Back (Pat, 1-3, 10th) vs. Pullman's MondoSquad (Pulley, 0-4, 13th)

Pulley leads all-time series, 11-1.

Pat appears on Ed's list of similar teams, though his has an additional playoff team, 2015 Richie. Tyreek Hill (vs. BUF) has been amazing vs. Mike R., but disappointing against everyone else so far. Darrell Henderson, Jr. (@SEA) looks like he's fully healthy, and will give Pat a solid RB to rely on.

Pulley isn't similar to any playoff teams, which is not surprising given his 0-4 record. That said, six of the nine historical teams on his list won more games than they lost from week 5 onward, led by 2010 Rob, who finished 6-7 and just missed the playoffs. Pulley will need one of Joe Mixon (vs. GB) or waiver pickup Samaje Perine (vs. GB) to have a big week to start righting his ship.

Pick: The Vistas are Back.

Harrison Hammers (Matt, 2-2, 7th) vs. Rob for Today (Rob, 1-3, 12th)

Matt leads all-time series, 12-5.

Matt has mostly also-rans among his most similar teams, but 2017 Kevin did nab a bye. Brandin Cooks (vs. NE) finally had an off week and faces another tough defense, while Robert Woods (@SEA) might be trending in the other direction.

Rob has a less optimistic set of comps; 2017 Matt is his #1, and does anyone remember that version of our Monster Heel? Calvin Ridley (vs. NYJ) has a great opportunity to return to WR1 status this week and make Rob regret that trade less.

Pick: Rob for Today.

Super Bash Bros. (Dave, 2-2, 8th) vs. Where's My State Farm Discount (Scott, 0-4, 14th)

Dave leads all-time series, 2-1.

Dave's two most similar teams suggest his season could go in very different directions: last place, like 2017 Mike R., or a bye, like 2017 Kevin. Scott probably shouldn't look at his own.

These guys combined for less than 130 points last week.

Pick: Super Bash Bros.

Closing Thoughts

If you're like me, you've had the feeling this season has had less drama than normal - and you'd be right. The average margin of games this year has been 33.20, the largest ever (both overall and through four weeks).