The final two weeks of the regular season. Here are the playoff scenarios we are watching for in week 12:
CLINCHED – PLAYOFF SEEDING AT STAKE
1. Rapids Plungers – Clinched a playoff berth, can clinch a first round bye with a win.
2. Bossman – Clinched a playoff berth, can clinch a first round bye with a win.
CLINCHING SCENARIOS
1. pack slayer – Clinches a playoff berth with a win
2. DaUnderdog – Clinches a playoff berth with a win and a loss by teamAlaska.
3. HHH – Clinches a playoff berth with a win and a loss by teamAlaska.
4. Big Papa – Clinches a playoff berth with a win and a loss by teamAlaska.
**Kind of seems like pack slayer may have a cheering section this week as he plays against teamAlaska**
ELIMINATION SCENARIOS
1. U Don’t Know – Eliminated with a loss OR wins by Big Papa, HHH, pack slayer & DaUnderdog
2. PackMan12 – Eliminated with a loss OR wins by Big Papa, HHH, pack slayer & DaUnderdog
3. Pack Attack – Eliminated with a loss OR wins by Big Papa, HHH, pack slayer & DaUnderdog
4. teamAlaska – Eliminated with a loss AND wins by Big Papa, HHH, & DaUnderdog
ELIMINATED
1. PackerFANatic7
2. 16hrs Ahead of You!!
3. BIGBOY!
4. Sportsfreak
Now that you know the playoff scenarios let’s get to the previews.
Pack Attack (5-6) vs 16hrs Ahead of You!! (1-10)
This is a must win game for both teams. Pack Attack to keep their ever so slim chances of making the playoffs alive and for 16hrs to have a shot at avoiding last place. There is not much more to be said here so let’s move on to some more interesting games.
Prediction:
Check out the Yahoo predictions for this one!
Historical Look at this Match-Up:
- Regular Season Match-ups: 17
- Record: Advantage Pack Attack at 13-4
- PPG Avg: Advantage Pack Attack 119.38 to 102.89
Rapids Plungers (9-2) vs Big Papa (7-4)
Rapids Plungers has had a tough 3 game stretch by their standards this year as they have lost two of those three games and in two of those games they failed to score over 102 points (73 & 101). I am not saying that I am worried about this team yet however when you look at their roster there are two guys that have really showed signs of regression these past few weeks (C. Kupp & C. Godwin) and the thing that makes you nervous is the play of their respective QB’s. I am thinking this team will adjust and figure out ways to win but they are not looking like their dominant self. A loss here however would warrant some serious caution flags! Big Papa comes into this one riding a lot of momentum. They have won 4 of their last 5 games and in the last three weeks have been averaging 131 ppg. That is big news given that this team was being carried by their defense earlier in the season. A win here and it would be time to start talking about this team as a real championship contending team!
Prediction:
How different this game would look on paper if Mahomes was playing for Big Papa. Luckily for Rapids Plungers he is not. Plungers is hoping to get Engram back and even so they were able to pick up a solid backup TE this week in R. Griffin. For Big Papa to win they are going to need some of their lesser known players such as Cohen, Beasley and D. Johnson to find ways to have solid games. Even without Mahomes I think this is going to be a closer game then most might think but it is hard to pick against Rapids Plungers. I think they figure things out this week and get their 10th win of the season.
Historical Look at this Match-Up:
- Regular Season Match-ups: 11
- Record: Advantage Big Papa at 6-5
- PPG Avg: Advantage Rapids Plungers 115.30 to 114.39
DaUnderdog (7-4) vs BIGBOY! (3-8)
DaUnderdog is riding high after that big win last week despite Wilson and Lockett being on a bye. They get the two of them back this week but then they are hit with two other big names on a bye (H. Henry and D. Cook). Those are two very difficult players to replace but as shown from last week if any team can do it I think this team would be it. BIGBOY! is just trying to avoid finishing in last place and trying to get into the consolation round. I haven’t heard too much from the reigning champ this year who is normally known for their trash talk. I think mostly what I have heard has been desperation type of trade offers and lots of excuses but hey they are the two time defending champ and it was the coaches birthday yesterday so hopefully that means his players will pick up their game and get them the win!
Prediction:
I think this might turn out to be a close game and likely a lower scoring game. I think DaUnderdog figures out a way to win this one and all but clinch a spot in the playoffs. Look for the final score to be something like 110 to 85.
Historical Look at this Match-Up:
- Regular Season Match-ups: 9
- Record: Advantage BIGBOY! at 7-2
- PPG Avg: Advantage BIGBOY! 117.56 to 105.21
Bossman (9-2) vs PackerFANatic7 (3-8)
Welcome to the only game in the league this week that features two teams with winning streaks of 2 games or more. If you didn’t look at the records and that first sentence was the only thing you read you might think this would be game of the week material! Sorry to disappoint you because I do look at the records and that would tell me that Bossman is good and PackerFANatic7… not so good! There is never anything wrong with building some momentum for next season and in doing so avoiding a chance at finishing last which is what PackerFANatic7 has been doing these past two weeks. Bossman has been the model of consistency as they have had only two games in which they failed to score more then 102 points (both of them losses). The first 4 weeks of the season they were really just trying to figure out the right roster but since then they have been dominating and have won 7 straight games. During this 7 game winning streak they have averaged a league best 149ppg. They will look to keep that impressive streak going and of course with their eyes set on that #1 overall seed.
Prediction:
This is an interesting one as I was expecting to write about how Bossman was going to roll to their 8th win in a row and then I saw J. Winston as their starting QB over Prescott and if there is one thing that J. Winston is good at it is he sure knows how to lose games! I am not loving the other matchups for Bossman either and they have Ekeler and T. Hill on a bye. You know what, I think PackerFANatic7 actually wins this one. Look for them to keep their winning streak intact and get their 4th win of the season. Oh and I know Bossman will love this. This is the only team in the league they have yet to beat! Good Luck!
Historical Look at this Match-Up:
- Regular Season Match-ups: 2
- Record: Advantage PackerFANatic7 at 2-0
- PPG Avg: Advantage PackerFANatic7 146.61 to 108.73
HHH (7-4) vs Sportsfreak (3-8)
HHH has been winning when they had to and now have won 3 of their last 4 games. They will be facing Rapids Plungers next week so this is a game that they are likely feeling like they have to find a way to win. The one thing that makes me pause just slightly when I look at these last three wins and that is the competition. They have beaten PackerFANatic7, PackMan12 (A struggling 5 win team) and 16hrs Ahead of You!. They now get to go up against Sportsfreak another team near the bottom of the standings. How they finish off these next two games might tell us a lot about what this team is made of and what type of playoff run they might have. Sportsfreak is playing out the season. They have two games remaining and two things to play for. #1 avoid last place and #2 try to get into the consolation round so at least they have a reason to keep an eye on their team. Unfortunately neither of those were likely goals they had plastered all over their wall to start the season! So who wins?
Prediction:
I think HHH wins this one. I don’t see enough weapons for Sportsfreak to be able to keep up. Look for HHH to come away with a relatively easy win in this one.
Take a look at the historical stats in this one. Crazy how close they are given they have played each other 17 times!
Historical Look at this Match-Up:
- Regular Season Match-ups: 17
- Record: Advantage Sportsfreak at 9-8
- PPG Avg: Advantage HHH 116.21 to 116.11
pack slayer (7-4) vs teamAlaska (6-4)
pack slayer saw their 4 game winning streak come to an end last week and now they go up against a team that is in “must win” mode and just defeated the top team in the league in Rapids Plungers. pack slayer has not yet punched their ticket to the post season but a win here and they are in. A loss and suddenly they have the same record as teamAlaska and the final week of the regular season gets a bit more interesting. teamAlaska knows what they have to and that is simple. Win their next two games and see what happens. There is a lot of scenarios that I don’t have time to figure out but if they win their next two games I would bet that teamAlaska is in the playoffs the question then becomes who would not be!? Yes, I am looking at all of you teams with 7 wins right now (pack slayer, DaUnderdog, HHH & Big Papa).
Prediction:
This is going to be a tough one for teamAlaska to come away with the win. The individual player match ups seem to favor pack slayer. The wildcard whenever you are playing teamAlaska is McCaffrey. I think he likely hits his projected # of 20 but not much more and that pack slayer should have enough firepower to pull off the close win. pack slayer by 5.
Historical Look at this Match-Up:
- Regular Season Match-ups: 8
- Record: Advantage pack slayer at 6-2
- PPG Avg: Advantage pack slayer 127.48 to 113.62
PackMan12 (5-6) vs U Don’t Know (5-6)
This is a really intriguing game as outside of 16hrs these have been two of your worst teams the past 3 weeks as they have both loss three in a row! What makes this intriguing is that the winner here (depending on the outcome of other games) may actually have something to play for the final week of the regular season. Yes, it would be a long shot but in a 14 team league you just are looking for a chance and that is what they very well could have. The one thing to point out is that points scored is becoming a real factor because we already know both of these teams would have to win a tie breaker. That means that not only do they need to win but they need to win big. Winning with 110 points is not going to cut it. For a chance, I think they need to be in the 150 to 170 range (Especially U Don’t Know).
Prediction:
I am not yet sure who PackMan12 will be starting at QB so it is hard to pick this game. I really don’t expect either of these teams to score much this week which isn’t good towards their potential playoff spot as mentioned above. I guess at this point I will go with U Don’t Know simply because they have a full lineup!
Historical Look at this Match-Up:
- Regular Season Match-ups: 8
- Record: Advantage PackMan12 at 6-2
- PPG Avg: Advantage PackMan12 129.67 to 106.67