As I’m sure you notice, the blog has had sort of an overhaul. It was boring before. Hopefully you like the new look better.
8 weeks are in the books and as of today there is not a single team we can say will certainly be in or out of the playoffs. The 4 teams that have 5 or more wins should seemingly be safe, but last year TITTY was 5-3 at the same point and did not make the playoffs. Every single win is hard to come by. Most likely after this week’s games I’ll start getting into playoff previews and where each team stands. Let’s head to the recap.
The King’s Crusaders 101 – Stanky Monkeys 67:
This is now the 4th game Chris has won by scoring fewer than 105 points. Still nobody else in the league has won by scoring this low more than once. I’m really not sure what to make of this team. From the outside they look like a contender, yet it is obvious the King is prone to bad weeks. Having healthy receivers may be the key to his success. Also the message board post is one of the most ridiculous I’ve seen, but it was still good for some humor and trash talk. Well done. This was a disappointing effort from Stanky after the team had made much progress in the past couple weeks. I’m just going to attribute this debacle to having half a team on a bye week. I think at full strength Lou can have a respectable team, but with so many teams breathing down his neck for the final playoff spot, I don’t think there is much more room for error. This team has broken 120 only one time all season so there is still a ways to go.
Johnson’s Farm 120 – Tequila Party Gnomes 74:
I’ll be honest I did not see this result coming at all. Coming off a 155 point performance TPG looked prime to make moves in the EFFL. But having Boldin and Flacco on a bye and losing Britt and Zach Miller to injury pretty much sealed the Gnomes fate. Also a Sims-Walker explosion was unstoppable. There was a small explosion on Sims when TPG revealed that every time these teams meet that guy explodes. Digging into the archives confirms that in the past 3 meetings between these two, Sims-Walker has averaged 21 points per game. Rough. I still think the Farm is one of the worst, if not the worst team in the league. At 4-3-1, the team is looking respectable, but I see fortunes changing quickly for both of these teams. I say fluke.
Coach Janky Spanky 88 – Animals With Eyepatches 83:
Although I do appreciate EEB contributing to eventually securing a Pylons first round bye, I do not like the way this was done. The Eyepatches clearly lacked explosiveness without Roddy White and Romo. EEB has now scored more than 100 points twice in 8 weeks. No team in the EFFL has ever been that bad. Ever. Yet after this win, Janky Spanky sits only a game and a half out of a playoff spot and certainly alive in the playoff hunt. This should have been a week where EEB was buried but it was not to be. Jimish meanwhile has been boom or bust. 3 games 105 or under and 5 games 128 or over. Despite the loss this team is still a serious contender with tons of potential. Since he plays me I’m fully expecting an explosion in Week 9.
Maybe This Time 135 – The Stone Masons 109:
When the text came in at 1 PM that 3 Broncos receivers were going to be in the Masons lineup, I immediately shifted my focus to London and rooting for everything Broncos. There was nothing the Masons could even do about this game. Sam’s team has been on fire, and everyone from Peterson to Rivers to Witten exploded for a huge week. This is what happens when somebody else drafts your team. Like Janky Spanky above, the Masons are by no means out of the race at all. With 5 weeks to play, being within a game and a half of the final spot is very close. A 6-7 team could definitely get in. Opportunities are becoming limited, however, and the ship needs to be righted quickly. A week 9 Broncos bye will certainly put this team to the test. Sam’s team has proven again that it is a serious contender and now I am miserable with a Woody in first place in each division.
Dueling Pylons 164 – Tweeting In the Trenches 106:
This is the most points the Pylons have ever scored in a game, the most scored by any team this season, and the 9th highest scoring game in league history. I’m sorry, I really am. I would have loved for this to be on Chris or Nick. This is already this 5th time in 8 weeks that somebody has dropped 140+ on Fusco. It makes fantasy football not fun, and the only person I truly enjoy making fantasy football not fun for is EEB. 4 of the past 5 weeks TITTY has played either the high score or 2nd high score. Interesting stats on Fusco’s EFFL history: when his opponent scores less than 115 he’s 9-0. In all other games he is 0-12. This is the absolute definition of a mediocre team. Fusco has scored between 90 and 120 in all but 5 games historically. If the Pylons can get healthy, this team is going to be extremely tough down the stretch. The Manning, Gore, Foster, Gates combo is a legitimate threat every week to put up 100 points. Despite Fusco’s rough fortunes, he sits only a half game out of a playoff spot at 3-5. I honestly like his roster, and if the pieces fall into place I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team near the top at the end.
**** Week 9 Preview ****
Stanky Monkeys (3-4-1) v. Coach Janky Spanky (2-6):
This is probably the most important game this week in the league, but it avoids game of the week status due to the fact that these teams are both so awful. These are the two lowest scoring teams in the league, and their scores last week combined still wouldn’t have beat the Pylons. This game is pretty much the season for Janky Spanky as a loss here would put him 2.5 games back of a playoff spot with only 4 to play. A win here and the bottom of the playoff bracket is blown wide open, and this thing will be like a dog fight until the end. Ironically, Stanky brings back the man himself this week in Vick. This game is also extremely important for Lou as the last 4 weeks of the season he plays 4 of the current top 5 scoring teams, the toughest schedule in the EFFL. EEB got the better of Lou back in week 5 with his only good week of the season. This also has my favorite named matchup as the Stanky-Janky Spanky matchup. I think Lou is going to step up and take this one with most of his team back. EEB’s team is just so so bad.
The King’s Crusaders (6-2) v. Tweeting In the Trenches (3-5):
Again, I just want to apologize. Get 164 dropped on you and then have to take on the King the next week. These teams have met twice and Woody has averaged 136 points in those games, both wins. A win here would almost certainly lock up a playoff spot for the King, but Fusco cannot afford to lose any ground with so many teams in the race. I think we’re gonna see a very high scoring game here, and Fusco needs to just suck it up and score a ton of points. This is certainly going to come down to the wire with Rodgers going against Jennings Sunday night and then TO going Monday night. TO has been absolutely dominant over the past month, and could certainly put up 30 points. Also very important is the Giants game to see who gets the bulk of the catches, Nicks or Steve Smith. I know each of these teams loves when I pick against them, but I think the King is just going to be too much in the end.
Johnson’s Farm (4-3-1) v. The Stone Masons (2-6):
Likewise with Janky Spanky, the Masons have a tremendous opportunity here despite being 2-6. With a win, the entire playoff picture is shaken up and the Masons will be alive and well. With a loss, it will probably be too large a hole to climb out of to make the playoffs. Thankfully the Masons get to play one of the weakest teams in the league. And even more, no Chris Johnson and no Sims-Walker. The Masons have shown resiliency before. Just last year, they sat at 2-6 and hopes looked very dim. 3 wins and a tie later, they were playing for the playoffs in a do or die game week 13. Having no Broncos will no doubt be tough, but I think Brees, Wells, McCoy and Tron will be having huge games. BG’s 2 highest career scores have both been against Nick, and I fully share in that sentiment of desire to beat him as badly as possible. The Masons will come out ahead in this one.
Tequila Party Gnomes (3-5) v. Maybe This Time (6-2):
This is a key divisional matchup, and this game is just as important for the Gnomes. A loss here will almost certainly put Sam into the playoffs as well and give TPG fewer opportunities to pass teams. Sam has scored 135+ 2 straight weeks, and keeping a streak like that going is very difficult to do. TPG meanwhile over the past 2 weeks has been night and day. A monstrous performance followed by a huge nothing. I’ve said many, many times that this team’s fortunes lie on the shoulders of Joe Flacco and I continue to believe it. I think this week the Dolphins get clowned by a strong team coming off a bye. I like picking the underdog, and I like to see Sam lose. Let’s go TPG and seal up this Pylons playoff bye week.
**** Game of the Week ****
Animals With Eyepatches (5-3) v. Dueling Pylons (5-3):
This game features the league’s two highest scoring teams. This game also features the most combined wins of any week 9 matchup. More than anything, this is a statement game. Both of these teams have looked to be on the verge of breaking out at various times throughout the season but neither has yet to do so. Jimish has now lost 3 of 4 after a fast start with that only win coming against these Pylons when he dropped 158 behind a monster effort across the board. That week the Pylons lost 4 players due to injury, and this time around things should be different. I fully expect this to be a high scoring affair. After losing 5 straight against the Pylons, the Eyepatches have now won 3 straight in this series. I don’t think this matchup could get any more even, and the Pylons will be in agony Monday night. I think the Eyepatches return from a down week to put up 150. It may take that to win this game, but it’s gonna be the Eyepatches moving to 6-3.
There’s your wrapup for this week. Good luck to everyone. Each game means a lot to the end of season results.
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