Week 11 Recap

Ed def. Pulley, 93.85-93.06

The commish wrote off his chances early in this one, and he was wrong. The week did start out well for Pulley, who got 17.03 from Joe Mixon on Thursday night and 27.30 from new acquisition Justin Herbert in the Sunday noon slot. All while Ed got only 5.20 from Austin Ekeler and 6.40 from Christian Kirk.

But the late afternoon games turned it around for Ed. Josh Allen (24.75) and Breece Hall (14.97) put up the highest scores, but it was a late Darrell Henderson, Jr. (9.83) touchdown that made up the final gap. On the other side, George Kittle's 17.87 wasn't enough to overcome Stefon Digg's 3.60, so Pulley took just his third sub-one-point loss ever.

Pat def. Mike R., 90.06-86.73

The next closest game of the week came down to a pair of Eagles on Monday night. That means that D'Andre Swift's (17.73) good game led Pat to a comeback win over Mike and Jake Elliott's (3.00) poor one. Outside of that, Mike got the usual good games from Amon-Ra St. Brown (16.27) and Brian Robinson, Jr. (15.03), but ran into disappointment with the recently added Jared Goff (15.10) and Travis Etienne, Jr. (6.13). Pat got big games from Lamar Jackson (25.10) and Davante Adams (16.93) after several weeks of underwhelming performances from the duo.

Dave def. Matt, 85.01-73.67

Dave reacted quickly and dramatically to Joe Burrow's (8.75) season-ending injury on Thursday night, trading away his four best players to build towards 2024. So of course he wound up winning behind fill-ins Khalil Shakir (21.33) and Romeo Doubs (13.07).

The more significant reason for the upset, though, was a pair of injuries on Matt's end. Mark Andrews (3.07) might be out for the year, and Kenneth Walker III (1.53) also might miss time. Tyreek Hill (25.47) was his usual self, but that wasn't enough to avoid taking the L.

Scott def. Kevin, 83.52-73.93

Scott got some mixed results from his new players: DeAndre Hopkins (13.87) was good, Josh Jacobs (5.50) was bad, and Patrick Mahomes II (18.15) was juuust right - er, mediocre. All tolled, it was enough to beat Kevin, who got only 2.95 from Bryce Young and 1.47 (and new injury concerns) from Cooper Kupp.

Rob def. Derrek, 151.68-90.50

Rob continued his hot streak - his four-game total of 561.22 is the second highest in league history - behind Calvin Ridley (27.53) and newcomer Saquon Barkley (27.90). The Bills defense (23.00) and Gus Edwards (19.27) also put up big scores. Derrek did get 25.37 from Tank Dell, who looks like a great keeper, but otherwise had a forgettable week.

Rabbit def. Richie, 123.07-90.37

The Cowboys defense (23.00), DK Metcalf (18.53), and Devin Singletary (18.00) made sure Rabbit dispatched of Richie with ease. Jaylen Warren (21.03) was the loser's high scorer.

Babel def. Schertz, 109.66-86.61

Babel ascended into first place behind Brandon Aiyuk (26.80) and Keenan Allen (21.47). Schertz got good games from Justin Fields (21.85) and D.J. Moore (18.80), but bad ones from Chigoziem Okonkwo (0.80) and De'Von Achane (0.63).

Trades

"For your birthday, the league collectively gifted you the pleasure of writing the longest Gazette of your life. We're thoughtful like that." - Mike R.

There were ten trades in week 11! That shatters the old record of six, set in week 9, 2015.

As a reminder, the deadline to trade players is kickoff of their game this week!

Trade between Mike R. and Pat

Mike R. received:

• Ja'Marr Chase - from Pat - ineligible to be kept

Pat received:

• Jordan Addison - from Mike R. - keeper cost: 6th

Mike and Pat opened the week by once again swapping Ja'Marr Chase for a Viking. But unlike last year, Chase is the win-now piece.

While Mike wound up losing to Pat in their matchup, this trade wasn't the reason; Chase outscored Addison, 7.60-5.87.

Trade between Babel and Richie

Babel received:

• Tua Tagovailoa - from Richie - keeper cost: 8th

Richie received:

• Puka Nacua - from Babel - keeper cost: 9th

Babel made a move to shore up a weakness he's had since Kirk Cousins got hurt, while Richie nabbed a promising rookie WR.

You have to think both sides were satisfied with how this turned out in week 11; Babel got 20.35 from Tagovailoa, while Richie got 16.03 from Nacua.

Trade between Richie and Scott

Richie received:

• Rachaad White - from Scott - keeper cost: 7th

Scott received:

• Josh Jacobs - from Richie - keeper cost: 2nd

Scott decided to go for it this year, becoming the fourth team to roster Jacobs in 2023. Richie added another potential keeper to his arsenal in White.

While Scott won and Richie lost, neither was because of the player they acquired. Jacobs had just 5.50 this past week, while White put up a nice 12.73.

Trade between Matt and Richie

Matt received:

• Deebo Samuel - from Richie - keeper cost: 2nd
• Chuba Hubbard - from Richie - keeper cost: 10th

Richie received:

• Jaleel McLaughlin - from Matt - keeper cost: 9th
• Jaylen Warren - from Matt - keeper cost: 9th

Richie had one more move up his sleeve, acquiring another second-year RB in Warren, while Matt took his chance to grab the veteran Samuel.

This almost immediately blew up in Matt's face, as Samuel scored just 8.30 and Warren put up 21.03. That gap would have made up the difference in Matt's loss to Dave.

Trade between Derrek and Scott

Derrek received:

• Drake London - from Scott - keeper cost: 4th
• Jakobi Meyers - from Scott - keeper cost: 8th

Scott received:

• Patrick Mahomes II - from Derrek - keeper cost: 2nd
• Skyy Moore - from Derrek - keeper cost: 5th

Scott made another splash by reuniting with Mahomes, while Derrek took on Jakobi Meyers, who's been worth well more than his draft cost this year.

Mahomes didn't have a great week, but his 18.15 was enough to make sure Scott kept his winning streak alive. Derrek won't know - or probably care - how this turns out for him until 2024.

(Fun fact: through his first six seasons, Mahomes has only ever been on Derrek's or Scott's team.)

Trade between Dave and Ed

Dave received:

• Bijan Robinson - from Ed - keeper cost: 1st
• Jerick McKinnon - from Ed - keeper cost: 8th

Ed received:

• Breece Hall - from Dave - keeper cost: 1st
• Jonathan Taylor - from Dave - keeper cost: 1st

It might be more appropriate to review this one alongside the next, since Dave set out to acquire two players who will likely project as top ten picks in 2024 for his four current best players. He identified Robinson as one of the former, so he was willing to pay a large haul for him.

This trade immediately helped Ed, who was without Robinson during his bye, as Hall (14.97) had a big game in Ed's razor-thin victory.

Trade between Babel and Dave

Babel received:

• Travis Kelce - from Dave - ineligible to be kept
• A.J. Brown - from Dave - keeper cost: 1st

Dave received:

• Justin Jefferson - from Babel - keeper cost: 1st
• Roschon Johnson - from Babel - keeper cost: 9th

This was the second half of Dave's big maneuver (see directly above). Babel, giving up the better 2024 asset in Jefferson, got the two higher-ranked players for the rest of 2023 in Kelce and Brown.

Babel won his game easily, so this trade didn't matter much for week 11, but the gap between Kelce (9.87) and his previous TE (Pat Freiermuth, 0.93) was bigger than the gap between Brown's very disappointing 1.07 and who he'd have probably played at WR otherwise (Nico Collins, 8.67), so it did already pay off once.

Trade between Mike R. and Pulley

Mike R. received:

• Travis Etienne, Jr. - from Pulley - ineligible to be kept
• Sam Howell - from Pulley - keeper cost: 9th

Pulley received:

• Derrick Henry - from Mike R. - keeper cost: 1st
• Justin Herbert - from Mike R. - keeper cost: 3rd

This was the type of trade between contenders where one team (Mike) gets the first and fourth best players in deal while the other (Pulley) gets the second and third.

Mike shot himself in the foot for week 11, though, as keeping and starting Herbert (27.30) and Henry (4.60) over Jared Goff (15.60, see below) and Etienne (6.13) would have turned his loss into a win.

Pulley benefitted to nearly the same degree, but just barely lost his matchup, so the trade looks promising even if it hasn't yet paid off.

Trade between Mike R. and Scott

Mike R. received:

• Jared Goff - from Scott - keeper cost: 10th

Scott received:

• DeAndre Hopkins - from Mike R. - keeper cost: 4th

Mike wasn't done, opting to improve from new QB Sam Howell (see above) to newer QB Goff at the expense of Hopkins. Scott had just acquired Patrick Mahomes II, so he didn't need Goff.

Scott got the better end of this, as Hopkins (13.87) nearly matched Goff (15.10) in week 11 and, more importantly, outscored Darnell Mooney (3.20) by more than his winning margin.

Mike would have won his game if he'd had just played Howell (18.15) and kept Hopkins in over Adam Thielen (9.87). With this trade and the previous backfiring right away, who does he think he is, Ed?

Trade between Rob and Schertz

Rob received:

• Saquon Barkley - from Schertz - keeper cost: 1st
• T.J. Hockenson - from Schertz - keeper cost: 4th
• Quentin Johnston - from Schertz - keeper cost: 7th

Schertz received:

• Zach Charbonnet - from Rob - keeper cost: 7th
• De'Von Achane - from Rob - keeper cost: 9th
• Zack Moss - from Rob - keeper cost: 9th

The tenth and final trade of the week was a rather straightforward win-now-for-keepers deal, with Rob on the former side and Schertz on the latter.

Barkley (27.90) was a significant part of Rob's huge week, so it's easy to say this one's already paying off, there. Meanwhile, Achane (0.63) injured his knee again, though Charbonnet (7.63 on Schertz's bench) could be in line for a lot more work with Kenneth Walker III getting hurt.

Standings

1. Babel, 8-3, 1,194.80
2. Ed, 8-3, 1,065.07
3. Pulley, 7-4, 1,294.06
4. Rob, 7-4, 1,224.80
5. Rabbit, 7-4, 1,194.08
6. Matt, 6-5, 1,206.56
7. Dave, 6-5, 1,069.11
8. Scott, 6-5, 992.69
9. Mike R., 5-6, 1,161.52
10. Pat, 5-6, 1,097.51
11. Schertz, 4-7, 1,061.12
12. Derrek, 3-8, 980.09
13. Kevin, 3-8, 918.68
14. Richie, 2-9, 984.96 (e)

Blingalytics Ratings

1. Pulley, 700
2. Matt, 657
3. Rabbit, 635
4. Rob, 623
5. Babel, 593
6. Mike R., 578
7. Pat, 513
8. Ed, 460
9. Dave, 448
10. Schertz, 435
11. Scott, 372
12. Derrek, 355
13. Richie, 355
14. Kevin, 277

Weekly Awards

Team Blangums

Rob's 151.68 is good for his second Team Blangums in three weeks.

Slapped Heartbeat

Jalen Hurts's game-ending kneeldowns caused Matt (73.67) to dip below Kevin (73.93) for the Slapped Heartbeat award.

Weekly MVP

Saquon Barkley put up 27.90 for Rob.

Dud of the Week

Stefon Diggs only mustered 3.60 points in an extremely close loss for Pulley.

Start of the Week

Ed played Darrell Henderson, Jr. (9.83) over Jerry Jeudy (7.73) in a victory where he needed every point he could get.

Misplay of the Week

Pulley could have played Courtland Sutton (14.80) over Diontae Johnson (2.13) in his close loss.

Pickup of the Week

The trades section covered how those transactions impacted week 11's games, but no waiver or free agency pickups had the same effect.

Blessed Cahoots

Scott had the third worst score of the week, but won because he faced the second worst score of the week.

Pryor Play of the Week

Calvin Ridley's 27.53 was more than ten times the total he put up last week, as well as being his first time breaking twenty this season.

Playoff Scenarios

Babel clinches a playoff berth with:

• a win

AND

• losses by two of Matt, Dave, and Scott.

Ed clinches a playoff berth with:

• a win

AND

• a Matt loss OR a Dave loss.

(Richie has been eliminated from playoff contention.)

Week 12 Preview

Game of the Blingaweek

Rob for Today (Rob, 7-4, 4th) vs. Pralines & Dick (Rabbit, 7-4, 5th)

Rob leads all-time series, 10-7.

• Rob still plays: Babel, Pulley
• Rabbit still plays: Pulley, Derrek

Rob is the hottest team in thirteen years, so it's tempting to say he'll cruise into the playoffs and possibly even leapfrog some other teams into a bye. But take a look at his remaining schedule, which is the hardest in the league (+28.6%). Rob will have to earn his playoff berth, for sure.

It's starts with Rabbit, who's been in playoff position all year, but now is in a similar position - including looking up at Rob due to their point totals. At least he'll be a big favorite in his rivalry week game.

Week 12 could be decided as early as Thursday night, as Rabbit has seven of his nine players going on Thanksgiving. (This includes Christian McCaffrey (@SEA), Tony Pollard (vs. WAS), DK Metcalf (vs. SF), and either Jordan Love (@DET) or Geno Smith (vs. SF). Rob doesn't have the sheer volume of players involved in the holiday games, but he does have two of his most important: Dak Prescott (vs. WAS) and CeeDee Lamb (vs. WAS).

Pick: Pralines & Dick.

Other Blingamatches

Pullman's MondoSquad (Pulley, 7-4, 3rd) vs. Harrison Hammers (Matt, 6-5, 6th)

All-time series tied, 8-8.

• Pulley still plays: Rabbit, Rob
• Matt still plays: Kevin, Mike R.

A week ago, it looked like this would be the Game of the Blingaweek. Then both Pulley and Matt each put up their lowest score of the season in week 11; it'll have to settle for the top undercard.

Pulley shouldn't be worried by his roster. Sure, losing Travis Etienne, Jr. isn't ideal, but Justin Herbert (vs. BAL) is a solid upgrade at QB, Stefon Diggs (@PHI) should bounce back from his week 11 dip, and Joe Mixon (vs. PIT) is likely to get even more touches with Joe Burrow out for the year. Something that should worry Pulley, though, is his remaining schedule (+27.7%).

What that future strength of schedule figure doesn't account for, however, is that Matt will resort to Chuba Hubbard (@TEN) at RB and Jonnu Smith (vs. NO) at TE. Oh, and Tyreek Hill (@NYJ) goes up against the pass defense that just shut Diggs down.

Pick: Pullman's MondoSquad.

Live Commish (Ed, 8-3, 2nd) vs. Slap it Again! (Scott, 6-5, 8th)

Ed leads all-time series, 4-1.

• Ed still plays: Pat, Babel
• Scott still plays: Derrek, Richie

It's a testament to how strong the previous two matchups are that this one, which features teams that have each won their last five, is relegated to the third spot in the preview order.

Ed can officially end his nine year playoff drought as soon as this week. If he doesn't, he still should control his own destiny; his -1.5% future SOS is the most average in the league. His starting lineup will be at full strength, too, as Jonathan Taylor (vs. TAM) returns from his bye to suit up for Live Commish for the first time. Alongside Austin Ekeler (vs. BAL) and Breece Hall (vs. MIA), Taylor gives Ed the deepest RB room in the league.

Scott is on a 6-1 run since he changed his team name following week 4. Picking up the best of the AFC West - Patrick Mahomes II (@LV), Josh Jacobs (vs. KC), and Javonte Williams (vs. CLE) - and his remaining schedule (-22.0%, second easiest remaining) means he has a very real shot at sneaking into the playoffs for the first time ever.

Pick: Live Commish.

Keep Calm & Dameon (Babel, 8-3, 1st) vs. D's Nuts (Derrek, 3-8, 12th)

All-time series tied, 8-8.

• Babel still plays: Rob, Ed
• Derrek still plays: Scott, Rabbit

Babel should have his sights set on the regular season championship. He's currently in first place and his schedule (-4.1%) is not especially tough. He might be down to Ezekiel Elliott (@NYG) at RB, but no one can beat his WR corps of A.J. Brown (vs. BUF), Keenan Allen (vs. BAL), and Brandon Aiyuk (@SEA). Oh, and don't forget Travis Kelce (@LV).

Derrek's been playing for 2024 for a while now, which means this one does look like quite the mismatch. But C.J. Stroud (vs. JAC) and Tank Dell (vs. JAC) have shown they can explode for huge games, and Isiah Pacheco (@LV) has firmed up his stranglehold on the Chiefs backfield, so count D out at your own risk.

Pick: Keep Calm & Dameon.

Bernie's Bullies (Mike R., 5-6, 9th) vs. The Chocolate Donuts (Kevin, 3-8, 13th)

Mike R. leads all-time series, 9-7.

• Mike R. still plays: Schertz, Matt
• Kevin still plays: Matt, Dave

Mike's seen his season enter a tailspin, losing five in a row since reaching 5-1 and second place. So while The Gazette might have been ahead of the curve in implying his games have been of the "must-win" variety, it should be obvious to everyone that he can't afford to lose this week. Jared Goff (vs. GB) bouncing back on Thanksgiving would be a big step in the right direction for Mike, as would Travis Etienne, Jr. (@HOU) playing like he did prior to his week 9 bye.

Kevin's lost three straight since he teased us all with a three game winning streak, and while his playoff chances aren't officially zero, he is just playing out the string. Cooper Kupp (@ARI) is questionable, and Bryce Young (@TEN) is Bryce Young, even if he does have a plus matchup this week.

Pick: Bernie's Bullies.

Double Digits (Dave, 6-5, 7th) vs. schertzopotamus (Schertz, 4-7, 11th)

Schertz leads all-time series, 6-5.

• Dave still plays: Richie, Kevin
• Schertz still plays: Mike R., Pat

Less than one week ago, Dave more or less decided to punt his season. But here he is, sitting one spot out of the playoffs with the easiest remaining schedule (-28.9%) in the league. Will Justin Jefferson (vs. CHI), Bijan Robinson (vs. NO), and Kyler Murray (vs. LAR) lead Dave to the postseason?

It helps that Schertz also cashed in for keepers last week. Facing an injured De'Von Achane (@NYJ) and Chigoziem Okonkwo (vs. CAR) is much more appealing than seeing Saquon Barkley and T.J. Hockenson in the lineup opposite yours.

Pick: Double Digits.

The Vistas are Back (Pat, 5-6, 10th) vs. Ed Gross (Richie, 2-9, 14th)

Pat leads all-time series, 8-3.

• Pat still plays: Ed, Schertz
• Richie still plays: Dave, Scott

And while we're talking about unlikely playoff runs, don't count out #PlayoffPat just yet. He's just a game out - albeit with four teams to pass - and has an easy schedule himself (-16.7%). Lamar Jackson (@LAC) and Davante Adams (vs. KC) looked like their old selves in week 11, and D'Andre Swift (vs. BUF) and Alvin Kamara (@ATL) have been solid all year. Pat is not out of it, yet.

Richie is out of it, our lone eliminated team. He's been a feisty out all year, and Puka Nacua (@ARI) and Jaylen Warren (@CIN) only add to that.

Pick: The Vistas are Back.

Closing Thoughts

As referenced in the recap of Rob's game, here are the ten highest scoring four-week runs in Blingaleague history:

1. 585.11, 2010 Rabbit, weeks 8-11
2. 561.22, 2023 Rob, weeks 8-11
3. 546.39, 2018 Mike R., weeks 4-7
4. 545.93, 2014 Pulley, weeks 1-4
5. 541.82, 2010 Rabbit, weeks 7-10
6. 540.88, 2013 Matt, weeks 2-5
7. 540.09, 2010 Rabbit, weeks 9-12
8. 537.29, 2019 Schertz, weeks 7-10
9. 536.77, 2012 Mike R., weeks 7-10
10. 535.01, 2021 Derrek, weeks 11-14

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