FFAC Recap - Week 7: Where Are You?
And I’m so sorry.
FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Let’s just, uh, not acknowledge my lack of presence for a month on the recap and podcast side of things. Is this gaslighting? What are you talking about, I’ve been here the whole time.
How couldn’t I be, sitting here, pretty at 7-0 about to go 8-0 practically stomping out all hope for our fallen 2020 Champion. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet, there’s a “week” of recap to do and it’s already Sunday morning.
Recap
Normally I’d keep it to the previous week’s matchup and all that jazz but considering the circumstances let’s do a little state of the league.
7 Weeks in, Stefan & yours truly have created some real separation from the rest of the league. And for the first time in what seems like…ever? Stefan is crushing it. But it’s not just lucky scheduling and matchups (there’s a tiny bit of that), Stefan and myself are at least 2 games above everyone at 6-1 and 7-0 respectively. To boot, the top 2 seeds are also straight up the best teams in the league thus far, only 5 points of separation between us, but a solid 86 points ahead of 3rd place in Points For. So you’ll have to forgive us both for being a little cocky this season, there usually isn’t this type of lead at this point in the season for 1 team, let alone 2.
Enough of what we know at the top (also for the record, if Stefan and I played each other every week so far this season, I’d be 5-2 so SUCK MA DI-). There’s still a solid 2nd half of the season to play, so it’s not like it’s impossible for either of us to fall apart, only a bad injury or 2 away. Still, there’s a sea of 4-3, 3-4 teams, with Adam, Cody, & Ben barely holding on at 2-5 each. Talk about another fall from grace, that Ben. No, you weren’t going to escape my fury either, even though I’ll be directly stepping on Ryan’s throat this week. Take ol’ Lassie out back.
Spencer, Shelby, Fireball, & MJ sit at 4-3; Zach & Jay at 3-4. Shelby is reeling just a bit with back to back losses after starting 4-1, whereas Spencer & Fireball have rallied a bit after a rocky start. The 3 of them make up the 3, 4, & 5 seeds, but Spencer and Fireball in what I’d call, the solid B tier of teams if we were to do some form of Power Rankings (no offense to Shelby, but Jay has scored 53 points more and is 1 game worse in the standings). As far as seed order, they’re the only other 2 teams currently in a top 6 spot with more than 800 points for. And to be honest, Spencer MAYBE pulls off the upset last week if it weren’t for that late TE scratch that he kept in his lineup, but at that point you’re pulling a backup TE from free agency, so with a 12 point loss I doubt it would have been enough anyways. Alas, both are actually a little better than their record suggests, and teams to keep an eye on.
Shelby, MJ, & Jay round out who I consider the mid tier/most likely to have a real playoff shot. Assuming things hold 1-4, these 3 are vying for the final 2 spots, and of course, anything can happen in the playoffs. If I had to be a betting man, I’d say it’ll be Shelby & Jay, since MJ has benefitted from matchups, considering he has the 2nd fewest points for in the league. Don’t get too upset at that stat, Ryan. You’re next at 3rd worst in points scored so there likely will be a correction. Although, Cody was in a similar position last year and suddenly turned it on in the 2nd half. You never know.
Zach, Adam, Cody, & Ben are on that “oof” tier of teams, and although Zach is 3-4, he joins Ben as literally the only 2 teams not to break 700 points for yet this season. I’m no excel wizard like MJ, but if my math is correct, that is no bueno. Crazy things have happened, though, so it’s not impossible for a 2nd half turnaround, but y’all gotta make trades, hit that waiver wire harder, SOMETHING.
Ryan. Oh Ryan. Look, Ben deserves a round of shaming considering you both were Champ or Runner Up in back to back seasons, but Ben went from Champ, to runner up, to not good. Ryan went runner up, Champ, to completely off the cliff. So, the focus goes to the reigning Champ. You know, I usually stick to my guns saying that a Champion holds on to that title until the following season’s playoffs. This year, that gets tested because if/when he loses to Danny this week, it’s a 1-7 hole that practically eliminates him from playoff contention. Not mathematically, yet, but close. I don’t know what fantasy football gods you pissed off last year, but they clearly are not happy with you. On the other hand, it would be a comeback of epic proportions if he were to some way, somehow, turn it around.
Preview
MJ v Zach
Adam v Ben
Fireball v Cody
Jay v Shelby
Stefan v Spencer
Danny v Ryan
It’s very possible that Cody, Ben, or Adam have their season go into life support were they to lose, but we’re guaranteed at least 1 loss in that group so Adam v Ben is key. If Cody also loses, that makes 3 teams (including Ryan) that are all but dead, and that’s boring, so I’m hoping for some upsets.
My match of the week, however, belongs to Stefan v Spencer. The 2 seed vs the 4 seed, straight up. Stefan can create more distance from the pack and keep pace with Danny, or Spencer could make a case for a top tier caliber team. Rodgers didn’t do him any favors on Thursday, though, so it’s already really close.
I’m rolling with Spencer, Zach, Adam, Cody, Jay, and of course, I will bury Ryan, put him in the dirt, and continue on my path of destruction to go 8-0 UNDEFEATED STILL BABY, STAY MAD.
Danny "PapaWins” M
