Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Yet another week was sailing by, but I figured I would at least try to get out a quick newsletter this morning. We are going into the stretch run, so seeing how everyone is doing will be fun. It’s just fantasy football, but it is also a way for all of us to stay connected as a family and have fun. It has been a really tough year for the family, so connection is as important as ever.
FAMILY DIVISION
With five weeks remaining, this division has become a three-team race to the finish between the Ocean City Flockers (Diane), the 7-4 Farmville Furies (Maddie), and the 7-4 Poultry Platoon (Erika). This week’s games all feature matchups between these three teams and one of the teams lower in the standings. It will be interesting to see if all three can pick up wins in this race to the finish line.
FIRST DIVISION
The First Division has become interesting, as usual. With five weeks remaining, a bunch of teams are still in the hunt. The two-time champion Louisiana Lycanthropes (Kiley) lead the way with a record of 8-3. Really? She picks her players by how much she likes the name. It is an entertaining method, but why does it work? I certainly can’t figure it out.
The Louisiana Lightning (Denny) and the Fruitland Fruit Flies (Tanner) are a game back with records of 7-4. And then it gets really fun. The last spot in the playoffs is currently a three-way tie between the 6-5 Dakota Dragons (Butch), the Baltimore Bulldogs (Katie), and the Oregon Lumberjacks (Jeremy).
Plus, the Hawaii Volcanos (Paul) and the Allegheny Alligators (Cody) are only a game behind this group with 5-6 records. So that puts seven teams within one game of the playoff line. Awesome! Five weeks remain, so there is plenty of time for these standings to change. It should be fun.
There are several exciting games this week, including:
The 5-6 Volcanos need the win to stay in the hunt while the Lycanthropes look to remain king of the hill.
This matchup is very similar to the game above. The Bulldogs want to stay in the playoff bubble, while the Lightning need the win to remain off the playoff bubble.
This is the playoff bubble game. Whoever wins remains on the good side of the playoff line while the loser falls a game back. Big game. Good luck to all.
Dynasty Division
While five weeks remain in the Family and First Divisions, only three weeks remain in the Dynasty Division. So, these games are becoming more and more critical. The tie-break for the playoffs is almost always seven wins. Winning eight games is what it takes to get in. In 32 years, no team with eight wins has missed the playoffs, while teams with seven wins are left out almost every year. Eight is the magic number.
Congrats to the Myrtle Beach Wave (Rob D), the Phoenix Heat (Steven), and the Virginia Pioneers (Dave), who are all tied with 8-3 records. They are still racing for the first-round bye but these three have most likely locked up playoff spots.
And then we reach the bubble. Seven teams are within a game of the current 6-5 playoff line. With three weeks remaining, every game becomes critical.
While the playoff chase is a fun race, the fascinating competition is at the bottom of the standings. Four teams are battling to remain out of last place, and the first relegation slot.
The two promotion teams from last year, the Kobe Beef (Kobe) and The Real Dakota Dragons (Dakota), are in this group. There was a limited pool of players available, but both teams have done an excellent job building competitive rosters. However, it is hard to get wins in this league.
The other two teams in this group best exemplify that fact. The Montana Mountaineers (Chuck) and the West Virginia Blacklungs (Rob S) were the two teams who battled it out in last year’s Super Bowl. Now, they are both at the bottom of the standings. Amazing!
So, will either of these teams go from Super Bowl to Toilet Bowl? It will be fun for the rest of us to watch. Good luck guys. Let’s look at the important relegation games this week.
The Blacklungs draw the Minnesota Blizzard (Geri) in their big game. Just their luck!
The Beef also have a tough matchup against the first-place Myrtle Beach Wave (Rob D).
This matchup may be the most significant week twelve game ever. The defending Champion Montana Mountaineers are on the edge of relegation. They already have losses against the Beef and the Blacklungs. A loss to the Real Dragons will put them at a game back of all three and a tie-break disadvantage. Needless to say, that would not be a good spot.
I am not sure how a deep roster led by Lamar Jackson and Jonathon Taylor has fallen this far, but it shows how slight the difference is between success and failure in this league. The margins are thin.
Good luck to everyone, and hopefully, I will update everything next week.