The Sanderson Gazette - 2022-09-28 - Gross

This season has had a lot of low scores; the current median of 93.08 is the lowest since 92.15 in 2008. Five teams - Mike R., Pulley, Babel, Richie, and Pat - have yet to score 100 points or more; you have to go back to 2017 to find as many teams struggling early in the season (six).

Week 3 Recap

Matt def. Ed, 136.04-134.50

This was a wild one, starting with Jalen Hurts (29.50) and Mark Andrews (23.87) for Matt and Chris Olave (19.60), A.J. Brown (17.33), and the Eagles defense (20.00) for Ed in the early Sunday games. They made Matt a slight favorite. Ed added Cordarrelle Patterson (21.70) and Christian Kirk (15.60) in the afternoon games, swinging the projection towards the commish. But when Courtland Sutton (12.93) and Melvin Gordon III (12.47) did just enough on Sunday night, the stage was set for Monday night drama. That was when Saquon Barkley put up 20.10... just enough to give Matt an epic victory, and send Ed home with a brutal loss as the second highest scoring team of the week.

Scott def. Pulley, 101.50-93.15

Scott also turned in a come-from-behind win on Monday night thanks to Ezekiel Elliott (13.57). He was also helped by Josh Allen (28.70), Breece Hall (10.97), Devin Durvernay (9.13), and T.J. Hockenson (8.40), who all just barely beat their Yahoo projections. Pulley had a chance at victory due to Marquise Brown (18.67) and James Robinson (18.13), but fell to 1-2 on the year.

Derrek def. Mike R., 79.38-74.12

At one point, Derrek looked like a Slapped Heartbeat contender, but wound up notching a win to move to 2-1. It was defenses that decided this one: the Bengals scored 18.00 for D, while Mike got a zero from the Giants. Derrick Henry (22.23 for Mike) was the high scorer in this disappointing matchup.

Rob def. Rabbit, 104.45-59.64

The Game of the Blingaweek was a big dud, but not because of Rob, whose score was solid. Joe Burrow (24.75) and Nick Chubb (17.30) led the way for his third win in as many weeks. Rabbit had no one hit either of those totals, and the Chargers defense hit rock bottom at -6.00.

Kevin def. Pat, 110.10-84.05

Trevor Lawrence (27.80) and the Broncos defense (20.00) led the way to a comfortable victory for Kevin. Pat got 17.60 from CeeDee Lamb, but fell to 0-3 on the year.

Dave def. Babel, 105.94-92.02

Our defending champ finally got a win... despite most of his team underperforming. Dameon Pierce (16.80) and Travis Kelce (15.83) both exceeded expectations for Dave, and were key to his victory. Babel got 14.60 from Matt Prater in a losing effort.

Schertz def. Richie, 91.54-80.77

Lamar Jackson (39.60) once again carried Schertz's team to victory, albeit a far less impressive one than last week. Richie got another good game from Amari Cooper (19.47), but Russell Wilson (8.90) couldn't get him a comeback win like in week one.

Standings

  1. Rob, 3-0, 337.83
  2. Schertz, 2-1, 366.02
  3. Matt, 2-1, 360.31
  4. Ed, 2-1, 349.79
  5. Rabbit, 2-1, 314.37
  6. Kevin, 2-1, 303.91
  7. Derrek, 2-1, 301.46
  8. Scott, 1-2, 304.28
  9. Dave, 1-2, 299.82
  10. Mike R., 1-2, 253.76
  11. Pulley, 1-2, 250.99
  12. Babel, 1-2, 239.31
  13. Richie, 1-2, 222.33
  14. Pat, 0-3, 221.17

Blingalytics Ratings

  1. Matt, 772
  2. Ed, 756
  3. Rob, 756
  4. Schertz, 655
  5. Rabbit, 631
  6. Kevin, 572
  7. Scott, 570
  8. Dave, 561
  9. Derrek, 503
  10. Mike R., 310
  11. Pulley, 296
  12. Babel, 258
  13. Pat, 185
  14. Richie, 175

Weekly Awards

Team Blangums

Just like in their matchup, Matt's 136.04 edged Ed's 134.50 here.

Slapped Heartbeat

Rabbit's 59.64 is our new low for the year.

Weekly MVP

Lamar Jackson scored 39.60 for Schertz and will take this award home for the second straight week.

Dud of the Week

The Chargers defense put up the lowest score a defense can (-6.00) for Rabbit.

Start of the Week

Despite some close games this week, no one made a move that qualifies for this award.

Misplay of the Week

Ed weighed draft round over opposing defense in choosing Kyler Murray (15.50) over Kirk Cousins (20.40) and paid the price.

Pickup of the Week

Ed does deserve credit for picking up the Eagles defense and their 20.00 points. So does Matt for grabbing Greg Dortch (10.67).

Blessed Cahoots

Derrek is extremely lucky the Giants defense put up a big fat zero for his opponent (Mike R.) on Monday night.

Pryor Play of the Week

Mike R. finally got a great game out of Derrick Henry (22.23)

Week 4 Preview

Game of the Blingaweek

Rob for Today (Rob, 3-0, 1st) vs. Live Commish (Ed, 2-1, 4th)

Ed leads all-time series, 9-7.

We were very close to having the Gross brothers be our only two 3-0 teams, and even though that didn't pan out, this is still the easy choice for Game of the Blingaweek (and the inspiration for The Gazette's headline this week).

Rob has been 3-0 before, but he's never had this many expected wins at the three-week mark. Nick Chubb (@ATL) has been his best player, never putting up less than 14.37. Jaylen Waddle (@CIN) has also exceeded expectations. Curtis Samuel (@DAL) has also been a solid pickup.

Ed's also never had this many expected wins before. He's been led by A.J. Brown (vs. JAC), Christian Kirk (@PHI), and Cordarrelle Patterson (vs. CLE), but he might wind up sitting one of those three with Mike Evans (vs. KC) returning from suspension.

Both these teams look like clear contenders at this point, and this is a tough matchup to pick. Kyler Murray (@CAR) has a more promising matchup than Joe Burrow (vs. MIA) in the battle of the underwhelming QBs, which tilts this one in Ed's favor.

Pick: Live Commish.

Other Blingamatches

D's Nuts (Derrek, 2-1, 7th) vs. Super Bash Bros. (Dave, 1-2, 9th)

Derrek leads all-time series, 10-4.

By 2022 performance alone, this game doesn't deserve second billing, but we'll call back to 2021 to drive some hype for it.

Last year's regular season juggernaut, Derrek, got huge weeks from Jonathan Taylor (vs. TEN) and Justin Jefferson (@NO) in week one, but mediocre performances since. They both have the potential to carry him to the playoffs on their own, still - which might be necessary with the way Patrick Mahomes II (@TAM) and D.J. Moore (vs. ARI) have delivered so far.

Dave can't be too disappointed with Travis Kelce (@TAM), but his other keeper - Davante Adams (vs. DEN) - has been quite lackluster to this point. Justin Herbert's (@HOU) injury is also a significant concern for our defending champ.

Pick: D's Nuts.

schertzopotamus (Schertz, 2-1, 2nd) vs. Swift Justice (Babel, 1-2, 12th)

Schertz leads all-time series, 6-4.

Schertz barely cracked 90 points in week three, but still jumped from 4th to 2nd place. A good deal of that is his point total, which is buoyed by his near-record week two score. Lamar Jackson (vs. BUF), Stefon Diggs (@BAL), and Aaron Jones (vs. NE) were a huge part of that, but only the first of that list was good this past week.

Babel's had a rough go of it so far, putting up his second worst expected win total through three weeks in franchise history (and having the exact same point total as his one worst year). D'Andre Swift (vs. SEA) is questionable for week four, which means Najee Harris (vs. NYJ) will have to finally play like an RB1. Keenan Allen (@HOU) should be back, though, which is a good sign.

Pick: schertzopotamus.

Harrison Hammers (Matt, 2-1, 3rd) vs. The Vistas are Back (Pat, 0-3, 14th)

Matt leads all-time series, 9-5.

On paper, this one's a mismatch. Matt's coming off a Team Blangums win, while Pat is our lone 0-3 squad. Jalen Hurts (vs. JAC) has been outstanding all year for Matt, and Saquon Barkley (vs. CHI) just swung week three in his favor. Meanwhile, Pat has taken up Matt's mantle as home of all the Cooks... which isn't a good thing, as Dalvin (@NO) and Brandin (vs. LAC) have been disappointing so far.

Pick: Harrison Hammers.

Three Digit FC (Scott, 1-2, 8th) vs. Bernie's Bullies (Mike R., 1-2, 10th)

Scott leads all-time series, 3-1.

Scott is better than his record shows; he's one of only two teams to break 100 every week (Rob is the other). Josh Allen's (@BAL) consistent output has been a big driver of that, while Devin Duvernay (vs. BUF) has been an underrated pickup. Mike has been suffering through disappointing starts from Ja'Marr Chase (vs. MIA), Allen Robinson II (@SF), Tom Brady (vs. KC), Darren Waller (vs. DEN), and even Derrick Henry (@IND).

Pick: Three Digit FC.

Pralines & Dick (Rabbit, 2-1, 5th) vs. Pullman's MondoSquad (Pulley, 1-2, 11th)

Rabbit leads all-time series, 8-7.

Rabbit looked amazing after two weeks, but laid a huge egg in week three. He'll need Amon-Ra St. Brown (vs. SEA) and Tyreek Hill (@CIN) to rebound to return to the top of the standings. Gabriel Davis (@BAL) should be healthy again to aid in the effort. Pulley's seen James Robinson (@PHI) return to 2020 form, but will need Alvin Kamara (vs. MIN) to do a whole lot more to have a real shot at the Sanderson Cup.

Pick: Pralines & Dick.

The Chocolate Donuts (Kevin, 2-1, 6th) vs. DK Country (Richie, 1-2, 13th)

Kevin leads all-time series, 7-3.

Kevin has gotten off to a quiet, yet competent, start. Cooper Kupp (@SF) is as reliable as they come, and Trevor Lawrence (@PHI) appears to have taken a big leap in his second year. If Joe Mixon (vs. MIA) can get going, Kevin has a shot at returning to 2020 glory. Richie rode Russell Wilson (@LV) to a win in week one, but has really faltered since. Austin Ekeler (@HOU) and James Conner (@CAR) have been big reasons for that.

Pick: DK Country.

Closing Thoughts

Ed's loss as the second highest scorer of the week is rare - it's only the 13th time that's ever happened. This instance was especially notable, as there was a 24.40-point gap between Ed's score and the third best total of the week (Kevin's).

Of all the times the #2 score lost, that is the largest gap. The rest:

  1. Week 3, 2022, Ed, 24.40 (134.50-110.10)
  2. Week 7, 2013, Babel, 23.80 (133.37-109.57)
  3. Week 7, 2012, Dave, 17.53 (116.95-99.42)
  4. Week 2, 2013, Kevin, 14.34 (151.29-136.95)
  5. Week 11, 2021, Richie, 13.90 (137.82-123.92)
  6. Week 5, 2015, Rob, 13.40 (131.32-117.92)
  7. Week 7, 2016, Matt, 13.12 (129.83-116.71)
  8. Week 8, 2018, Scott, 13.10 (142.51-129.41)
  9. Week 6, 2018, Ed, 10.83 (130.71-119.88)
  10. Week 3, 2010, Dave, 4.96 (128.55-123.59)
  11. Week 5, 2020, Ed, 2.13 (135.15-133.02)
  12. Week 7, 2014, Rabbit, 1.13 (113.52-112.39)
  13. Week 10, 2012, Rob, 1.11 (109.34-108.23)