"Ugh. Could be the _____est final ever." - Pulley, 2:36 PM, Sunday

Semifinals Recap

Ed def. Rabbit, 131.09-79.85

Ed's Saturday night players - Josh Allen (26.85), Austin Ekeler (9.30), and Josh Palmer (6.27) - got him off to a nice start, but it was noon on Sunday when Breece Hall (34.30) really pushed him ahead, while Geno Smith (18.05), DK Metcalf (13.47) were just OK for Rabbit. The margin here widened in the later window, as Mike Evans (23.47) did very well for Ed while Tony Pollard (4.47) fell flat for Rabs. By the time Christian McCaffrey put up 20.03 on Monday night, this one was already over: the commissioner returned to the Blingabowl for the first time in thirteen years.

Rob def. Matt, 126.88-87.43

The other semifinal wasn't much closer. Tee Higgins (24.67) had a huge Saturday for Rob, and Calvin Ridley (22.80) carried that into the early Sunday games. Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb added 19.15 and 23.13 in their own losing effort in the late slot, and this one was just about over. That was helped by Kenneth Walker III (5.67) and Ka'imi Fairbairn (2.00) having poor games for Matt. Matt had a very long shot at a Monday comeback, but Jalen Hurts (25.95), Deebo Samuel (6.97), and Isaiah Likely (7.47) didn't do enough (while Saquon Barkley (16.13) was good for Rob).

Weekly Awards

Team Blangums

Ed's 131.09 was the high score this week.

Slapped Heartbeat

Rabbit's 79.85 was the low mark this week.

Weekly MVP

Breece Hall scored 34.30 for Ed.

Dud of the Week

The Washington defense scored just 1.00 for Rabbit.

Start of the Week / Misplay of the Week

Two blowouts, two unawarded awards.

Season Postmortems

Rabbit, 8-6 (0.571), 1,533.82 points, 6th place (regular season), 8.82 expected wins

Rabbit started off 4-0 and was among the best teams ever through four weeks. But he lost his next two, failing to score even 90 points in either week. On the whole, he had a year with very few near-average games; he never once scored between 86.17 and 112.33.

Rashee Rice (keeper cost: 11th) already looks like the best WR on the Chiefs and should be a great keeper. Sam LaPorta (9th) also should help take the sting away from having to let Christian McCaffrey (ineligible to be kept) go.

Matt, 9-5 (0.643), 1,604.45 points, 2nd place (regular season), 9.73 expected wins

Matt didn't score less than 107.46 for the first eight weeks, but was only 5-3 due to some early bad luck. His season ultimately was sort of like Rabbit's; he never scored between 81.75 and 107.46.

Tyreek Hill (keeper cost: 1st) for the 11th or 12th overall pick looks like quite a good keeper. Beyond that, Matt traded away Jaylen Warren (9th) for Deebo Samuel (2nd), so he doesn't have an obvious second choice.

The Year in Trades

Week 4

Trade between Ed and Pulley

Ed received:

• Mike Evans - from Pulley - keeper cost: 3rd
• Greg Joseph - from Pulley - keeper cost: 9th
• Zach Ertz - from Pulley - keeper cost: 9th

Pulley received:

• George Kittle - from Ed - keeper cost: 4th
• Michael Thomas - from Ed - keeper cost: 7th
• Cameron Dicker - from Ed - keeper cost: 9th

The first trade of the year didn't start off that well for Ed, as Evans scored below seven points twice in weeks 4-6 (and had his bye the other). But from that point on, he was outstanding, scoring in single digits just once.

Kittle was the other significant piece, and Pulley had to like what he got out of him. There were three true duds, but also some huge games, which was great for the tight end position.

Ertz and Thomas were middling and then got hurt. The kickers didn't last on their acquirers' rosters, of course.

This trade was a pretty solid win-win; it depends on how you value the #3 overall WR (Evans) vs. the #1 overall TE (Kittle).

Week 5

Trade between Derrek and Ed

Derrek received:

• Isiah Pacheco - from Ed - keeper cost: 7th

Ed received:

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

Derrek was 0-4 and went into sell mode early - and has to love what Pacheco could bring next year. Jacobs did pretty well the one week he was on Ed's roster, but then he became part of an even bigger deal.

This was probably another win-win.

Week 6

Trade between Ed and Richie

Ed received:

• Austin Ekeler - from Richie - keeper cost: 1st
• Antonio Gibson - from Richie - keeper cost: 7th

Richie received:

• Josh Jacobs - from Ed - keeper cost: 2nd
• George Pickens - from Ed - keeper cost: 6th

Richie was 0-5 and went into sell mode, and at the time, Pickens looked like a good get. He wound up being incredibly boom-or-bust. Ekeler was sort of the same for Ed. Jacobs was fine, but later got Richie another potential keeper.

Another win-win? Or at least, a not-lose-not-lose? It's hard to say either side would have preferred to have kept the players they traded away, even if what they got wasn't what they hoped for.

Week 7

Trade between Dave and Derrek

Dave received:

• Jonathan Taylor - from Derrek - keeper cost: 1st
• Marquise Brown - from Derrek - keeper cost: 3rd
• Kyler Murray - from Derrek - keeper cost: 11th

Derrek received:

• Zay Flowers - from Dave - keeper cost: 7th
• C.J. Stroud - from Dave - keeper cost: 9th
• Tank Dell - from Dave - keeper cost: 9th

Dave was sitting at .500 and decided to go big, trading away three good-looking keeper assets to get Taylor and Brown. It paid off initially, as he won Team Blangums in week seven.

Derrek finally got Zay Flowers, who he had been trying to trade for during the draft. Flowers and Dell give him an abundance of keeper options.

This was yet another win-win, even if Dave later blew it all up (which we'll get to).

Week 8

Trade between Dave and Scott

Dave received:

• Breece Hall - from Scott - keeper cost: 1st
• Romeo Doubs - from Scott - keeper cost: 9th

Scott received:

• Michael Pittman, Jr. - from Dave - keeper cost: 5th
• Javonte Williams - from Dave - keeper cost: 6th
• Anthony Richardson - from Dave - keeper cost: 8th

Dave pulled the same type of deal off the next week, nabbing Hall for another keeper platter. He would go on to lose two of the three games in which Hall was on his roster, though, before making one of the splashiest trade combos with him and Jonathan Taylor (we'll get there soon).

For Scott, who was just 2-5 at the time, Richardson looked like the best keeper value. But Pittman and Williams were good enough from that point forward to propel him to the edge of the playoffs. Pittman, in particular, looks like good value going into 2024.

Scott pretty clearly won this deal.

Week 10

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

This was not a blockbuster, but it made so much sense. Ed needed Lawrence to fill in for Josh Allen in week thirteen, and he delivered. Rob built some depth, and wound up starting both Dillon and Gibson before the season ended.

This was definitely a win-win to this point, though Rob's current injury situation (more on that later) means that there is a small chance one side could like this a lot more than the other.

Week 11

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

At 5-5, Mike didn't want to give up on defending his title, so he made this big move. Chase was just OK in weeks 11-12, great in week thirteen, and awful in week fourteen. Addison was worse in weeks 11-12, had his bye week thirteen, and was awful in week fourteen.

For just this year, Mike won. But he still failed to make the playoffs, and Addison looks like a very good keeper, so overall, Pat won.

Trade between Babel and Richie

Babel received:

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

Richie received:

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

Babel was 7-3, fighting for a bye, incredibly strong at WR, and weak at QB - so this trade made a ton of sense for him. Tagovailoa scored 20+ twice and 9 points twice in his four regular season weeks on Babel's roster. Nacua was better on Richie's, and is a better keeper.

I'd say Richie won this trade, but also that Babel didn't lose it, as he probably wouldn't have played Nacua much, if at all, late in the year.

Trade between Richie and Scott

Richie received:

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

Scott received:

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

White, the keeper, had a much stronger finish than Jacobs. This one's a clear win for Richie.

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

This looked like a loss for Matt right away, as the difference between Warren and Samuel in week eleven was more than the margin of his loss. But Samuel scored 30+ in weeks thirteen and fourteen, when Matt secured a bye, so this turned into a win for him.

Meanwhile, I'm not sure Warren is even one of Richie's four best keeper options, so this is a definite win for Matt.

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, riding a hot streak, decided to go all-in to make the playoffs. Mahomes was extraneous to Derrek, who'd traded for C.J. Stroud, and also disappointing based off expectations. London and Meyers aren't great keeper values, either.

This trade has no winners or losers.

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

Dave lost Joe Burrow and decided right then that he was playing for 2024 and wanted to acquire two sure-fire first round picks to keep. So he overpaid for both Robinson and Justin Jefferson (see the next trade).

Hall helped Ed win an extremely close game in week eleven, so this is a clear win for him. Whether it's a win or loss for Dave will have to wait until next year.

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

Dave did the same thing here as above. Babel got two studs, but they both were disappointing. Kelce scored between 9 and 13 points every regular season week Babel had him, while Brown sandwiched two 10's with a 1 and a 15. However, both gave him more than Jefferson, who only played in week fourteen and scored just 3.60 there.

This was a win for Babel, even if it feels kind of meh, because he did get more from what he got than what he gave. Whether it's a win or loss for Dave will have to wait until next year.

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

First, the RBs: Henry was bad his first week for Pulley, scoring just 4.60. He was then great the next three before completely bottoming out with 1.03 in the quarterfinals. Etienne was bland for Mike in weeks 11-12 and pretty good in 13-14 for Mike.

As for the QBs: Herbert was great in week eleven, not very good in weeks 12-13, and left week fourteen early and scored just 0.80. Howell was incredibly consistent for Mike, scoring 18.30, 18.30, and 18.95 before his week fourteen bye, though he wasn't always in Mike's lineup.

Was this lose-lose? A win for Pulley before it completely busted in the playoffs? I can't tell.

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

Hopkins was pretty clutch for Scott down the stretch, though his bad week twelve did come in Scott's lone second-half loss. Goff was OK at best for Mike.

Scott is the winner here.

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

Hockenson will always bring good memories to Rob after his late-game touchdown in week twelve vs. Rabbit turned a loss into a win. Barkley was awesome two of the three regular season weeks he was active for Rob (the fourth was his bye).

On Schertz's side, Achane looks like a worse keeper today than he did at the time of the trade, though Charbonnet is probably still the same.

This one looks like a clear win for Rob.

Blingabowl XVI Preview

#1 Live Commish (Ed, 12-3) vs. #5 Rob for Today (Rob, 10-6)

Ed leads all-time series, 11-7.

Ed's semifinals performance reflected his team pretty well. Josh Allen (vs. NE) played like a top QB. Mike Evans (vs. NO) played like a top WR. And one of Breece Hall (@CLE), Jonathan Taylor (vs. LV), and Austin Ekeler (@DEN) played very well while the other two were OK. Throw in a solid game from Brandon Aubrey (vs. DET) and eight targets to Jake Ferguson (vs. DET), and it doesn't seem like too high an outlier for the commish.

Rob was kind of the same. Dak Prescott (vs. DET) and CeeDee Lamb (vs. DET) produced well. Saquon Barkley (vs. LAR) provided a TD-driven good score at RB. And two of Calvin Ridley (vs. CAR), Tee Higgins (@KC), and Jaylen Waddle (@BAL) had big games. But week sixteen also brought poorly-timed injuries to Waddle and T.J. Hockenson (out for the year). Will Gus Edwards (vs. MIA) or one of A.J. Dillon (@MIN) or Antonio Gibson (vs. SF) come up huge on the biggest stage?

Pick: Live Commish.

Third-Place Game

#2 Harrison Hammers (Matt, 9-6) vs. #6 Pralines & Dick (Rabbit, 9-7)

Rabbit leads all-time series, 13-7.

Tyreek Hill (@BAL) vs. Christian McCaffrey (@WAS).

Pick: Pralines & Dick.

Closing Thoughts

It's been a great year, everyone. Thank you all for making this the best league in North America!

Previous Next

All Sanderson Gazettes