Wow! Trades are rare in this league as you all know and it is hard to come up with a trade that both parties feel good about. So to see what happened in the final couple of days before the trade deadline was really…. well fun to see! In all we saw 13 players change teams in two days (11/9 and 11/10). These are teams that are battling for their playoff lives so it will be interesting to see how they end up. Do they help or hurt? Or maybe they won’t matter at all as all the teams who completed trades were not at that time in the top 6 for a playoff berth. I have an opinion who won and who loss if I were to evaluate them and it just might come out in the recaps.
Pack Attack (128.30) vs Bossman (112.55)
Pack Attack was one of four teams that made trades just before the deadline. The trade didn’t lead them to a victory this week, in fact they actually lost 6 points this week due to the trade but the next three weeks and if guys can stay healthy will be the determining factor on how they fared. Pack Attack (5-5) was able to get back to .500 on the season while Bossman (5-5) falls back to .500 and out of the top 6 spots. Both of these teams are lower in the scoring department so it is likely that they will have to win out to get into the playoffs!
pack slayer (115.53) vs 16hrs Ahead of You!! (84.36)
This was a huge win for pack slayer as they moved their record to 5-5 and if the playoffs were to start right now they would be in as the #6 seed. That has got to feel good for this team as just two weeks ago they were amidst a 5 game losing streak and now after two straight wins they find themselves in the #6 spot! 16hrs (4-6) suffered another tough loss, there 3rd loss in a row and what started out as such a promising season is now looking more and more like it may end the same way it has for the past 8 seasons… missing the playoffs. There is still hope but it will require winning the final three games and getting some help!
PackMan12 (156.66) vs Big Papa (113.95)
PackMan12 (8-2) continues their impressive season with a convincing win over Big Papa (4-6). Roethlisberger (43pts) and Tyreek Hill (31pts) were the difference makers for PackMan12 in this one. With three games left they still are fighting for that overall #1 spot in the playoffs however probably more important then that is to get the first round bye. Big Papa has no choice now.. they have to win out to have a shot at the playoffs. They have went 2-2 over their last 4 games but that isn’t going to cut it. They will be going up against Bossman in a win or go home scenario.
U Don’t Know (148.58) vs BIGBOY! (144.02)
What a game! U Don’t Know has had some impressive wins this season but this one was the best. Without Adam Thielen in the lineup you right away knocked off 20 points from U Don’t Know’s score but they figured out a way to get the win and move to an impressive 9-1 on the season! In doing so, they were also the first team to officially clinch a playoff spot. If you had any doubts who the best team in the league was before this week… well now you know. BIGBOY! (6-4) on the other hand suffered their first loss since week 4. A win here would have put them in prime position for a chance at a first round bye in the playoffs but that now looks unlikely. I was also impressed with this team again this week. They battled all game and thanks to 19pts from OBJ in Monday nights game they almost pulled off the comeback win. I still think this is one of the best teams in the league and a 4 point loss to the best team in the league is nothing to be too down about.
DaUnderdog (135.60) vs PackerFANatic7 (112.05)
Remember all those trades and that thing I was talking about with winners and losers at the trade deadline. This is where it gets interesting. On the eve of the trade deadline DaUnderdog (4-6) pulled off two big moves. They involved moving some big name players in Davante Adams and Dalvin Cook but in return they gained a lot of depth. PackerFANatic7 (4-6) also traded a big name in Rob Gronkowski. Dalvin Cook for Aaron Jones. I think you could make an argument either way and make a case for on paper who came out ahead in that one. Here though is the part I find interesting. PackerFANatic7 played DaUnderdog this week. DaUnderdog was starting in his flex either Marquise Goodwin, Jamaal Williams or Cordarrelle Patterson. The trade allowed DaUnderdog to insert Aaron Jones into his lineup and PackerFANatic7 couldn’t do the same with Cook because he was on a bye. I think you all know the rest. Aaron Jones puts up 31 points… I guess maybe he was as shocked about the trade as anyone and wanted to show up his former team!? This was a game that both teams couldn’t afford to lose and it seemed like PackerFANatic7 gave this one away by trading for three players that were on their bye week! DaUnderdog on the other hand got 54.62 points from players that weren’t on their roster from a week ago and based on how the traded away players fared that was a net gain of 35.77 points this week. That’s impressive and well done!
HHH (170.96) vs teamAlaska (107.90)
HHH (7-3) struggled last week and it seemed as though they took out all of their frustration on teamAlaska (1-9)! HHH put up 170 points despite getting 0 points from Sammy Watkins and losing -2 points from the Seattle D. We all know that this is a team capable of putting up big #’s week in and week out however it is the consistency that I need to see and that they will need to find if they want to make a deep run in the playoffs. teamAlaska continues to put up a fight but they were no match this week against HHH. Three more games left to try and pull themselves out of the bottom of the standings.
Rapids Plungers (117.07) vs Sportsfreak (112.80)
Wow! In what might be the best comeback of the season Rapids Plungers comes away with yet another improbable win! Going into Monday night’s game Rapids Plungers was losing 112.80 to 88.79. Rapids Plungers had only Matt Breida left to play which meant they had a chance. However, if I were a betting man I certainly would have been putting my money on Sportsfreak. Breida has had only one game this season over 20 points and has been averaging in the 10 point range. Breida however decided this was a good night to have his best game of the season by scoring 2 TD’s and going over 100 yards rushing. Let’s talk about that 100 yards rushing because the exact # was 101 yards rushing. There is this bonus that happens at 100 yards and that bonus is worth 5 points. If Breida rushes for 99 yards instead of 101, Sportsfreak wins 112.80 to 112.07. Ouch… so yes Sportsfreak you lost this game by 2 yards. This pretty much sums up each of these two teams seasons. Sportsfreak continues to find ways to lose while Rapids Plungers continues to find ways to win and guess what? This team is now 6-4, has won 4 games in a row and 5 of their last 6 and controls their own destiny for the playoffs. They have a tough three game stretch ahead but the momentum has been building with this team and they have a coach that just knows how to win! It will be interesting to see how the last three weeks turn out!
Have a great week everyone!