The Sanderson Gazette - 2023-11-15 - Tight at the Top

Week 10 wasn't notably high scoring (though it did crack the top 20% of weekly average scores), nor were its games notably close (though it did crack the top 20 closest weeks ever).

Where it was notable was in the race for Team Blangums. The fifth-highest score of the week was within five points of the top score, and the seventh-highest score was within ten. That many teams have never been so close to Team Blangums before!

Week 10 Recap

Scott def. Pulley, 123.32-100.81

So, let's open with the team that came out on top: Scott. Yes: Scott!

This one actually looked like it could go either way heading into Monday night. Scott had Javonte Williams (18.03), James Cook (10.37), and a 9.71-point lead; Pulley had Stefon Diggs (4.53) and Courtland Sutton (11.07). If you look at those scores, you can see that Scott extended his league and pulled to .500 on the year.

Jared Goff (24.45) and Rachaad White (17.37) also did well for Scott, while Sam Howell (25.80) and George Kittle (21.47) were even better for Pulley.

Babel def. Rabbit, 122.82-113.59

Babel righted his ship and finished just behind Scott. Keenan Allen's 35.33 was a big part of that, though Brandon Aiyuk (13.33) and Trenton Irwin (13.20) also had good games. Geno Smith bounced back from last week's with 27.25 for Rabs, and Devin Singletary added 22.47, but it all wasn't enough get the win.

Rob def. Pat, 122.53-117.18

Now we get to the wildest game of the week. After the noon games, it looked like Ja'Marr Chase (22.53), Chris Olave (18.53), and Dustin Hopkins (12.70) were going to carry Pat to victory. But then Dak Prescott (41.90) and CeeDee Lamb (33.53) put up over 75 points between them in the late window and pushed Rob ahead. And ultimately, Davante Adams (11.47) and Dalton Kincaid (12.80) just couldn't do enough for Pat on Sunday and Monday night, respectively, so the outcome stayed that way.

Matt def. Schertz, 120.79-92.40

Like Rob, Matt looked like he was doomed by the early games, but Brandin Cooks (29.07), Kenneth Walker III (20.83), and Tyler Lockett (18.27) erupted in the afternoon. Schertz got 23.87 from T.J. Hockenson and 22.00 from the 49ers defense, but Derek Carr's 5.50 and Jahan Dotson's zero pushed him to his fifth straight loss.

Ed def. Mike R., 119.30-100.32

Mike Evans exploded for 25.07 for Ed while Derrick Henry (1.87) and DeAndre Hopkins (3.60) stumbled in the same game for Mike, which set the tone for this one. Mike did get enough from Justin Herbert (31.65) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (27.70) in their matchup to pull slightly ahead after the Sunday games, but Josh Allen (16.15) and Jerry Jeudy (4.67) didn't completely implode on Monday night, so Ed walked away with his fourth straight victory.

Derrek def. Dave, 90.10-70.05

Derrek pulled off a big upset behind C.J. Stroud (22.10), Jayden Reed (17.20), Tank Dell (14.77), and Elijah Moore (11.87). Dave took a zero from Gerald Everett and saw Marquise Brown (3.73) and Kahlil Shakir (3.20) put up disappointing totals, too.

Richie def. Kevin, 87.60-86.38

After Garrett Wilson (12.40), Josh Jacobs (11.07), and Tyler Conklin (9.33) pushed Richie ahead on Sunday night, he opted to bench Russell Wilson (18.65) to ensure he hung on to his small lead. Kevin got another big game from Jahmyr Gibbs (24.37), but Taysom Hill's (2.87) production fell off a cliff.

Trades

Trade between Ed and Rob

Ed received:

  • Trevor Lawrence - from Rob - keeper cost: 4th
  • Indianapolis - from Rob - keeper cost: 9th

Rob received:

  • A.J. Dillon - from Ed - keeper cost: 6th
  • Antonio Gibson - from Ed - keeper cost: 7th

Rob wanted to shore up his flex depth to account for injuries, while Ed was looking ahead to get a QB to cover Josh Allen's upcoming bye. This was a trade that looks fairly boring from the outside, but should help both parties.

Lawrence (expectedly) was on Ed's bench in week 10, but Gibson was pressed into duty for Rob and put up a very useful 12.90. This trade currently grades out as "win-incomplete".

Standings

  1. Pulley, 7-3, 1,201.00
  2. Babel, 7-3, 1,085.14
  3. Ed, 7-3, 971.22
  4. Matt, 6-4, 1,132.89
  5. Rob, 6-4, 1,073.12
  6. Rabbit, 6-4, 1,071.01
  7. Mike R., 5-5, 1,074.79
  8. Dave, 5-5, 984.10
  9. Scott, 5-5, 909.17
  10. Pat, 4-6, 1,007.45
  11. Schertz, 4-6, 974.51
  12. Derrek, 3-7, 889.59
  13. Kevin, 3-7, 844.75
  14. Richie, 2-8, 894.59

Blingalytics Ratings

  1. Pulley, 721
  2. Matt, 702
  3. Rabbit, 605
  4. Mike R., 596
  5. Rob, 579
  6. Babel, 575
  7. Pat, 520
  8. Dave, 456
  9. Ed, 456
  10. Schertz, 439
  11. Scott, 376
  12. Derrek, 346
  13. Richie, 346
  14. Kevin, 284

Weekly Awards

Team Blangums

Scott's 123.32 earned him just his second Team Blangums ever!

Slapped Heartbeat

Dave's 70.05 is his lowest score of the year and the lowest of the week.

Weekly MVP

Dak Prescott's 41.90 for Rob will take this narrowly over Keenan Allen's 35.33 for Babel.

Dud of the Week

Hunter Henry scored just 2.80 for Pat in a game he lost by just over five points.

Start of the Week

Antonio Gibson's 12.90 (over A.J. Dillon's 8.47) didn't directly win Rob's matchup, but he should get credit for making the right play in a very close game.

Misplay of the Week

Pat won't get this award for starting Hunter Henry, since he had no flex options on his bench that scored any points. Instead, Mike R. will take it for sitting Brian Robinson, Jr.'s 25.67 in favor of Adam Thielen's 5.60. Getting 20.07 more points would have gotten him a win over Ed.

Pickup of the Week

Babel turned to Trenton Irwin to cover for some injuries and was rewarded with 13.20 points.

Pryor Play of the Week

Brandin Cooks had scored more than 12 points in two of his previous three games, but I don't think anyone saw his 29.07 coming for Matt. His 173 receiving yards in week 10 represent more than half of his total on the season.

D'Ernest D'oh

Ed decided to take on the Colts defense (18.00) in his trade with Rob. Had he played them instead of ultimately dropping them to play the Bears (9.00) instead, he'd have taken home Team Blangums.

Week 11 Preview

Game of the Blingaweek

Pullman's MondoSquad (Pulley, 7-3, 1st) vs. LiveCommish (Ed, 7-3, 3rd)

Pulley leads all-time series, 9-7.

The Game of the Blingaweek won't result in anyone formally clinching a playoff berth (only two games separate first place from seventh, currently), but it will go a long way towards locking one of these two teams in. And they both come in hot; from week seven on, Pulley and Ed are a combined 7-1.

Pulley has quietly been one of the stronger teams through ten weeks that we've ever seen. And while Stefon Diggs (vs. NYJ) has certainly been worth the first round pick, Pulley's doing it without relying on one or two players. Instead, Travis Etienne, Jr. (vs. TEN), Raheem Mostert (vs. LV), Sam Howell (vs. NYG), and the Browns defense (vs. PIT) have all consistently put up strong numbers.

Ed has reached 7-3 in a much less sustainable way, benefitting from the league's easiest schedule (-25.2%). He team isn't bad, however; Josh Allen (vs. NYJ) and Austin Ekeler (@GB) are elite at their positions, and Mike Evans (@SF) and Christian Kirk (vs. TEN) are a solid WR pair. If the rest of Bijan Robinson's (bye) season goes like his week 10 did, Ed can definitely contend for the Sanderson Cup.

As for this week's game... Robinson's bye is probably a hurdle Ed's team won't be able to overcome, and Pulley will put himself in prime position to get a bye.

Pick: Pullman's MondoSquad.

Other Blingamatches

Bernie's Bullies (Mike R., 5-5, 7th) vs. The Vistas are Back (Pat, 4-6, 10th)

Mike R. leads all-time series, 12-5.

Mike once had his eye on a bye, but his current four game skid has pushed him all the way down to seventh place - a full game behind the current final playoff team. It's hard to blame any of his current players; sure, Justin Herbert (@GB), Derrick Henry (@JAC), and DeAndre Hopkins (@JAC) have had some duds recently, but they've also had some good games in that stretch.

Pat's also on a rough run. From week 5 on, he's scored 107 or more four times, and less than 92 twice; he's lost all the former and won both the latter (credit to Rob for bringing this to The Gazette's attention). Lamar Jackson (vs. CIN) has scored more than twenty points just once in that six-game stretch, though D'Andre Swift (@KC) has been pretty reliable. But with Saints Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave on bye, Pat's up against the wall this week.

Therefore, it's not surprising that Pat went into seller mode, sending Ja'Marr Chase (@BAL) to Mike for Jordan Addison (@DEN). Despite the disparity in matchups, that trade should swing this one Mike's way.

Pick: Bernie's Bullies.

Harrison Hammers (Matt, 6-4, 4th) vs. Double Digits (Dave, 5-5, 8th)

Matt leads all-time series, 11-6.

Matt sits solidly in second place in points and expected wins and gets Jalen Hurts (@KC) and Tyreek Hill (vs. LV) back this week. So if any one of Tyler Lockett (@LAR), Kenneth Walker III (@LAR), or Brandin Cooks (@CAR) repeat their week 10 production, Matt could be in the Blangums conversation again.

Dave's season has been a roller coaster. He started 2-3, scoring below 90 points four times. He then had a very nice three game run to pull above .500, but has since put up two sub-100 games. A.J. Brown (@KC) and Travis Kelce (vs. PHI) are back from their byes, but Jonathan Taylor's on his. This is not a great week to have a must-win game.

Pick: Harrison Hammers.

Keep Calm & Dameon (Babel, 7-3, 2nd) vs. schertzopotamus (Schertz, 4-6, 11th)

Schertz leads all-time series, 7-4.

"Babel's season is going similarly to his draft: pretty solid start, then downhill very quickly, then a second wind. He just needs to avoid the part where he passes out on concrete." - Rob

It does seem like Babel's back on track, doesn't it? Keenan Allen (@GB) is a monster. Brandon Aiyuk (vs. TAM) is productive. And Puka Nacua (vs. SEA) and - more importantly - Justin Jefferson (@DEN) are back this week!

On the other side, Schertz is on a five game losing streak. That's his longest losing streak since, well, last year. He gets a key player - Justin Fields (@DET) - back this week, which should also help D.J. Moore's (@DET) score. But Najee Harris (@CLE) and Kareem Hunt (vs. PIT) facing off against each other's strong defenses is less than ideal.

Pick: Keep Calm & Dameon.

Rob for Today (Rob, 6-4, 5th) vs. D's Nuts (Derrek, 3-7, 12th)

Rob leads all-time series, 11-10.

Rob's on quite a tear lately, averaging more than twelve points more than the next closest team over the past three weeks (see the summary table). Dak Prescott (@CAR) and CeeDee Lamb (@CAR), who collectively have a low score of 23.47 in that span, are the biggest reasons why. But don't overlook solid contributors Cole Kmet (@DET) and Gus Edwards (vs. CIN). And De'Von Achane (vs. LV) might be back this week, too.

Derrek is mostly playing out the string, but he's got a good enough team to disrupt some playoff hopefuls. C.J. Stroud (vs. ARI) has given him competition for Patrick Mahomes II (vs. PHI). Tank Dell (vs. ARI) has benefitted from the former, too. And Keaton Mitchell (vs. CIN) is trying to be the Baltimore version of Achane. Will it be enough to take down the league's hottest team?

Probably not.

Pick: Rob for Today.

Slap it Again! (Scott, 5-5, 9th) vs. The Chocolate Donuts (Kevin, 3-7, 13th)

Kevin leads all-time series, 3-2.

Scott's four game winning streak has put him in a surprising position: contender. Trading for Javonte Williams (vs. MIN) and Michael Pittman, Jr. (bye) was a shrewd move, and Rachaad White (@SF) has really broken out. Top that off with Jared Goff's (vs. CHI) matchup against the Bears, and Scott could wind up above .500 after this week.

It's hard to assess his opponent, as Kevin has made a habit of making all his moves on Saturday and Sunday this year. So his current Yahoo projection of 37 points is certainly wrong: Rhamondre Steveson (bye), Taysom Hill (bye), and Tyson Bagent (@DET) are not going to remain in his lineup. But will he have enough firepower to take down the defending Team Blangums winner?

Pick: Slap it Again!

Pralines & Dick (Rabbit, 6-4, 6th) vs. Ed Gross (Richie, 2-8, 14th)

Rabbit leads all-time series, 7-4.

Stop me if you've heard this one before: Rabbit has fallen off his torrid early season pace, but remains solidly in the playoff picture. Ending his two game losing streak this week will be critical. Christian McCaffrey (vs. TAM) has a tough matchup, but Tony Pollard (@CAR) has one that could result in him finally breaking out.

Richie gutted out a win last week, but is really just playing out the string. Josh Jacobs (@MIA) and David Montgomery (vs. CHI) both get lots of volume, and Garrett Wilson (@BUF) and Deebo Samuel (vs. TAM) both have tons of potential, so Richie can upset anyone. Will he?

Pick: Pralines & Dick.

Closing Thoughts

As a reminder, the trade deadline is week 12. That means players can be traded up until kickoff of their week 12 game (or the kickoff of the final game of the week for players that have week 12 byes).