Getting Easy For Some
Getting Harder for Others
Week Nine in the Subsim Fantasy Football league. If you're keeping score than you better start penciling in one team for the playoffs. You can also pencil one team for an early trip away at the end of the season, and while you're scratching over the remaining intermediary positions, you can keep the eraser handy as we still don't have a clear picture of who's advancing and who's not.
But we do have a very clear picture of the two most important items you should do, right now.
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Week Nine in the Subsim Fantasy Football League, and in past years, we would normally be touting the virtues of one team an "winner takes all"...and then going "oops" about four weeks later when they crash and burn int he final weeks of the season. We're going to look at the low scoring adventures of this weeks games then come back and really draw our first predictions on the final placings.
Let's start with the first game where we nearly had a massive choke. Drunk Monkeys were playing the Helmand Nighthawks, again this week. The Monkeys sole win this year came against the Nighthawks, but it wasn't going to be a repeat performance this week. Despite the sloppy play of Aaron Rodgers (QB) and Ju Ju Smith - Schuster - probably form doing too many commercials, it was Cam McCaffrey that kept the Nighthawks on the winning path. Not that they needed much of a performance, Coach Thad once again started two (2)players still on their season break and was only able to post a paltry score. The Nighthawks didn't have to do a lot to win, but, at one stage, they didn't look like they could post a score to won. Grinding out needlessly what should have been an early slam dunk, the Nighthawks finally come away with the win defeating the Drunk Monkeys in a low scoring game, 120 - 81.
Our Match of the Day this week, although unadvertised in this forum, cause I forgot to really proof read my own publication (bad, Gut Wrench) was the Black Cats hosting the Guns of Hochuli. These two divisional rivals have been almost locked in step since the start of the season, and while the Gunners have quietly and methodically gone about their business, it has been the Black cats which has been the most surprising Ghost Team of the past decade, amassing wins early in the season. Well, those wins came to a historical low halt today as the Cats register the lowest ever score in the history of the league. Fielding only three players, the Cats had more players on the field than in the stands (barely). The Guns of Hochuli made a quick meal of the Cats disposing of them 129 - 53.
Our closest game of the week was the Who Dat Nation hosting the Australian Taipans. The Nation have been stifled by the Black Cats winning ways and needed to get back on track against the Taipans. The Taipans have been frustrated week after week, plagued by injuries, and this week was no exception as they started six (6) players on the Questionable list. There was even an unconfirmed report of Antonio Brown (WR) being at the ground getting ready to suit up for the Taipans. Taipans started with a weak score and finally put some points on the board to at least make this a game. Who Dat Nation crippled the Taipans with their receiving corps and though behind on the scoreboard at the start of Monday night, had really only to take the field and put on a quarter of a game to ensure the win. Who Dat Nation get back on the wining track defeating the Taipans 157 - 122.
So this week the low scoring aspect of the league has brought some question into the final play off positions. We'll take this apart one by one and start to clear the air.
The Helmand Nighthawks at 7-2 lead the league and the Surface Skimmers division. The Nighthawks still have to play the Monkeys two more times before the end of the season. Giving the Nighthawks wins in both games, they only need to win one more game to ensure a play off position. They will, in all fairness, probably finish the regular season as the #1 seed. Again.
We're going skip over the #2 seed for just a moment, but we will come back to it.
The #3 and #4 seeds in the league so far are the Who Dat Nation and the Black Cats. The Black Cats have shown themselves to be the best damm ghost team ever, but the Nation have chased them down from arrears and equaled their 5-4 record. If the Cats continue to ghost the remainder of the season the Who Dat Nation will mathematically outscore them and assume the higher seeding within the consolation series. For the moment, we'll give the Nation the #3 seed, but we're not going to give the Cats a seeding just yet. Let's get back to the #2 seed.
The Guns of Hochuli with their win this week reach 6-3 and hold the #2 seeding, for the moment. Their division included the Australian Taipans and the Drunk Monkeys. As we mentioned earlier, we don't expect the Monkeys to carry through on wins, so unless there is an appearance by Coach FYC, we'll go ahead and pencil the Monkeys in as the #6 seed and eliminated from the playoffs.
But what does that have to to with the #2 seed. Everything.
The Gunners, have, in the last few weeks, methodically gone about business and won games. But, they also give the appearance of being a part time Ghost team as well. They need another four (4) wind to solidly their position, because they are also scheduled to play the Who Dat Nation, the Black Cats and the Taipans in the final weeks. On paper, that's a tough draw.
The Black Cats are 5-4 and in the #4 seed, but they are also 2-1 in their division, while the Who Dat Nation are 0-3 within the division. The Cats really only need to beat the Nation one more time to ensure a higher ranking then them, or, hope for the Nation to be defeated by the Nighthawks. The Cats may end up stealing the #3 seeding from the Nation, unless they can get some help. And where is that help going to come form?
The Australian Taipans at 3-6 are three games back of the Divisional Leaders and in trouble if they want to play in December. The Taipans have had more injuries this year than...they did last year, when they won the league. The Taipans have to play everyone in front of them on the ladder in the last few weeks, and most of their past games have been decided by one or two players, or one or two injuries. The Taipans look like they will miss out on the playoffs, unless they can win. If they do, their wins will reshuffle the Who Dat Nation, Black Cats and possibly, but less likely, the Guns of Hochuli.
So what does that mean? The seeding for positions #2 through #5 are not yet decided, and with too many variables and ghost teams, could change next week. But fortunately, that's why you have us writers at the helm. Which leads us to next weeks Match of the day, the Guns of Hochuli hosting the Who Dat Nation. The Nation need the win to pull ahead of the Black Cats, and if the Gunners are in fact ghosting, this will be the week when it shows up. The Nation can pull ahead of the Black Cats with a win and leapfrog up the ladder to strengthen their claim on the #3 seed, As usual, we will be there to capture all the highlights and the low lights.
Each week, the Associated Subsim Writers (ASW) will nominated their Most Valuable Torpedo (MVT) of the week, the single player who proved decisive in their teams performance.
With some low scoring this week, we really had to look hard to find a worthy recipient for this award. We found it in a previous winner of this award for the this season. For the effort of 146 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, 3 receptions for 20 yards and a touchdown, for a total of 43.60 points, the Associated Subsim Writers (ASW) are proud to present the Week Nine MVT to Cam McCaffrey (RB) of the Helmand Nighthawks..
