Nightmare Turned Miracle

Surprisingly, this is the post number 20. I don't know if that is a lot or a little, but I do know that 98.8 percent of these posts are fantasy football related. At some point during the third quarter last night, I was planning on writing a rant of epic proportions. This rant would have rivaled Pete's meltdown on the league. It was painful watching Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers last night; for three and a half quarters I felt like I was being tortured at Guantanamo Bay (relax it's a joke). I only needed 10ish points to win, it was like Newton knew this and decided to play the worst game of his career. For some unknown, the Panthers kept letting their starters get battered and Slightly Buzzed was able to squeak away with the victory. They benefitted a lot from garbage time this week, Brandon Marshall was able to put up an impressive stat line despite being down a 100 points. 

Anyway I have been getting tired with the format of the recaps, it seems like I write the same thing every week. For this week I'm hoping to keep it short and share a few observations, some league related and others just in general. 

- House Hodor had a day for the record books. Marshawn Lynch and Peyton Manning combined to outscored the entire Loading... team. The 97.80 margin of victory was the largest margin of victory not just for the season but in the league's history. They could do no wrong Martavis Bryant and Terrance West also had huge games. Still, their 174.8 points is not the most scored in a single week. The most points in week was 182.12 back during FatGuyInALittleCoat's epic first season. 

- I want to go on record that I am genuinely rooting for Mark Sanchez to have great success, this was before he found his way onto Slightly Buzzed. I did not like the way his tenure with the Jets ended, even though his time was up I thought he deserved better. I hope the Jets organization watched last night's game and finally realized in order for a young quarterback to succeed he needs weapons. If they are gonna go quarterback in draft, then they also better build a solid offense around him. Side Note: I think it's Marcus Mariota or bust in the draft. I'm not sure if he's the answer, but if the Jets draft Jameis Winston than I might have to question my allegiance. 

- Quietly, Gentle Vibrations is on a six game winning streak. They took down the freight train that is AND I JUST WENT OFF. Their top heavy formula has been the answer for them this imagine, you have to wonder what this team would be like if Adrian Peterson played this season. If Josh Gordon plays like he did last year, this team will be a force during the stretch run. There's a solid base in place if that top three can stay healthy. 

- One of my favorite underrated players in the NFL is Christian Ponder. We all know he isn't great but he is definitely entertaining. Apparently, his first career pass was a 75 yard touchdown. I've spent about two years looking for the clip of his "non-intentional grounding", so far no dice. Ponder is being mentioned this week, because I read a story that when his wife, underrated hottie Samantha Ponder, got married they had their wedding dinner at Arby's. That is Jay Cutler swag right there. I also find the picture below hilarious: 

- Seagrape Security is currently on pace to break the league's most points scored in a season and weekly average. The record is famously held by 4th and God. This week the Seagrape will be bringing unveiling a new look team, with several key players on bye. This week may hurt their scoring average but they have enough depth to be competitive and make a run at a W. 

- The most surprising record may belong to Smooth Saddles. Their 6-4 mark is more impressive when considering that that their points for and against are near even. It will be interesting to see if they can this pace going. Working in their favor is that they have had the easiest strength of schedule so far and their remaining slate features teams they are 3-1 against. 

- I don't know if anyone has seen it, but the promo for the Spurs-Lakers game on Friday grinds my gears. The promo uses the opening music from Breaking Bad and makes stupid chemistry references. It probably just annoys me because it reminds me of the show and that it is a cheap analogy. 

In case you didn't click on the Samantha Ponder link...you're welcome. 

- No spoilers here, but I have to say that, so far, this season of The Walking Dead is the best so far. I'm mentioning it in this post, because the show airs on Sundays. I'm not sure what is different, but it has been dope. The pace is certainly better, they are always on the move. Learning more about the characters is an added bonus. Grantland has an interesting article with reasons for the show's improvement. 

-Lastly, I have brought this up before but Fairfield is playing Loyola at the Barclays Center on December 28. I really want to go! I hope you guys have an interest in going too. It sounds far away, but it will be here before you know it. Tickets are not that expensive and Fairfield even has their own ticket package. Please let me know what you think!

What the hell is this??

Election Day

If this doesn't encourage you to vote, I don't know what will

We're coming at you with a special Election Day post! The Double Ent-Andres take pride in the democratic virtues that it embodies. For nearly all of our league going-ons we hold votes or the occasional case race to decide how things should work. Not once has the charming commissioner had to pull rank in the three years of the league. These factors have made for a competitive league that we all enjoy and are fully invested in, regardless of standing. 

Enough with the boring stuff...this week I want to focus on the X-Factors. Each team has their own particular x-factors, these can be a particular player, position, etc. The x-factors are going to be a major part in determining on what each team will do for the rest of the way. Many teams were affected by these players in their Week 9 matchups. But first let's check out this crazy touchdown for the 100th time from Anthony Fasano, Verona's finest...

   

Do we think Jay Mohr or Fasano is the most famous person to come out of the great town of Verona, NJ?! Place your votes now! To his credit, Fasano returns to Verona every year for his annual Bocce Tournament.

Anyway, back to the X-Factors. Where better to start than with our first place team, Seagrape Security? They just pulled off the most impressive win of the season and maybe one of the top five all time in our league's history. They should be going out and buying Adam Vinatieri a Christmas present. Their win was huge because it prevented their fourth straight lost and sprung them back into first place. It seems that their x-factor is none other than Tony Romo and that was even before they picked him up. Romo's presence impacts the performance of DeMarco Murray and Dez Bryant; if he is not on the field their numbers are negatively impacted. This problem was evident this past week when Seagrape Security had their lowest point total of the season. Romo's health will have a major impact on a team that many believe will make a deep run for the Burgerson title.

LastCupChris has been solid over the past few weeks, Andrew Luck has been an absolute fantasy monster. He has been so impressive that they were hardly impacted by Ben Rapistlisberger's amazing numbers sitting on their bench. Still, the biggest factor going forward has to be their WR 2 and 3 positions. Emmanuel Sanders has clearly set himself as the number one option, but it is difficult choosing between Roddy White, Reggie Wayne, and Marques Colston. All players are solid, but for the most part have a low ceiling; you know it's tough when Yahoo describes Colston as a "Reggie Wayne-esque WR 3." So the problem is figuring out who to play and sit each week, because it can be easy to leave a big performer on the bench. The emergence of Mark Ingram looks like it could be putting less pressure on this position, he should pick up some slack in the FLEX position.

Arian Foster is for sure the x-factor on Gentle Vibrations. The last few weeks Foster has been an absolute monster that has helped propel Gentle Vibrations into third place after a 2-3 start. Currently, Foster is injured but hopefully the Bye Week will help in the recovery. With Foster out, it leaves them starting someone named Boobie Dixon at running back. One cannot rely on Boobies in fantasy football. Yes, they have Alfred Blue in the wings but he cannot match the production of Foster. Something that we all should keep note of is that Adrain Peterson is back on the Gentle Vibrations' roster. If Peterson were cleared to be play that could soften the blow of a missing Foster. The stashed players on their roster is a close second for x-factors, Josh Gordon is patiently waiting as well.

Like LastCupChris, Smooth Saddles have issues at wide receivers. However, things maybe turning the corner for them. The return of Robert Griffin III should in theory help the production of Pierre Garcon and everyone is talking big game about Brandon LaFell. If those two guys make the leap they can pair nicely with Julian Edelman; still tricky starting two receivers from the same team but Tom Brady has been sharing the wealth. Difficult week with all three of them on bye, still they have solid replacements filling the gaps for them this week.

We all need to recognize that Bishop Sankey is going nowhere this year. I'm sure House Hodor has acknowledged this and has made adjustments. Hodor, at the moment has a solid team and is quietly sitting in fifth place. Their player to make this list is a toss up between Percy Harvin and Keenan Allen. One of these players needs to step up to fill the WR 2 void, particularly when Martavis Bryant comes back to Earth. My money is on Harvin being the more likely one to take the step up; Harvin was the best player on the field in his game on Sunday. I have a feeling that the Michael Vick and the Jets will make a conscious effort to feed him the ball. He should have bigger games when guys stop doing this to him...

  

There hardly seems to be any holes on AND I JUST WENT OFF. The most likely candidate for the list is Jay Cutler. Cutler may not be playing great in real life, but has been solid in fantasy. The Bears have been in crisis the last few weeks and hopefully they were able to right the ship. If Cutler becomes a shell of himself this could certainly impact AND I JUST WENT OFF negatively. As we head later into the season it becomes more difficult to replace quarterbacks, especially with most teams rostering at least two quarterbacks. Either way it appears that they have enough depth at other positions to keep the team afloat in case Cutler were to struggle.

Week 10 is where the league sees a retooled LOADING... I wonder if we have reached the point where they are no longer "loading"? The biggest difference maker down the stretch looks like it will be Calvin Johnson, who has hardly played this season. If Johnson comes back healthy this could make LOADING... downright frightening. Brady, Johnson, Jeffery, Gronkowski, Miller, etc that is a team that can compete with anyone. This is a tough week for byes for them, but they have constructed a roster where they have depth to replace their heavy hitters.

Surprisingly, Julius Thomas may in fact be the x-factor for Dickle Pickle. Thomas, quietly, has been putting up less than stellar numbers. They need him to get back on track to pick up the slack of a few of their receivers and their RB 2. Thomas combined with Drew Brees and Matt Forte should keep Dickle Pickle in contention deep into the season.

What was thought as their strongest position has suddenly become a big question mark for Those magic fingers. Phillip Rivers was awful this past Sunday and if Russell Wilson is not running, his numbers take a hit. Thankfully Rivers has a bye to get his head back on straight. My guess is that Wilson will go back to himself and have solid numbers. Jimmy Graham appears to be himself again and Odell Beckham Jr looks like an absolute stud.

Finally, Slightly Buzzed has many factors impacting them. Health is probably the biggest factor going forward. The return of Rashard Jennings, Fred Jackson, and AJ Green's continued health could make for a huge difference. If those guys come back healthy and they can figure out the quarterback situation then they might be able to spoil a few seasons down the stretch.