Semi-Final Preview
What a week it was last week, with a major upset in Mean Machine beating The Rookie despite a huge Chiefs reversal. The Trojans, No Bobby No and the Ginger Snaps took care of business and we are left with an interesting final four. The Murphy bracket had its own drama with Vonteego Cross giving up all hope after Ben Roethlisberger took Ortiz into the Bar 80 bathroom, only to have Smokin Jay Cutler prove he can be a high end two, against the Patriots, at home. All Fired Up took care of business, after Pat texted me asking about what you get for winning the consolation bracket, thinking he had his win locked up thanks to hot starts by Josh Gordon and Doug Martin. Pat was ultimately done in by the fantasy grim reaper himself Tom Brady.
With all this in mind we move on to week 15, which has the most important game all season in the AFC. If the Steelers win over the Patriots, they lock up a bye and the number 1 seed with some help. Can this hurt The Trojans in a potential championship matchup?
Semifinal #1 – The Trojans vs Ginger Snaps
What a matchup between the two highest scoring teams last week. These two terms have split two matchups this season and are coming off dominant victories. The Trojans are led by Antonio Brown who has 149.7 points in his last 4 games combined. The team has 3 top 10 wrs, 3 top 6 rb’s, and two top 12 qbs. The area of weakness for this team is Kyle Rudolph (in a walking boot and might not play this week) along with an underwhelming Seattle defense. The team does have replacements on the bench if they would like to swap out. Drew Brees has been a huge disappointment this season with only 2 300 yard games and only 1 game with 3 td. I expect this to continue this week, since the Saints will probably have no reason to throw against the Jets and Bryce Petty.
The Ginger Snaps are hoping Deandre Hopkins continues to be peppered with targets despite playing against the fantastic Jags secondary. Cooper Kupp has caught at least 5 passes in 5 consecutive games and has been very consistent recently. He is the only rookie wr to have a shot at 1000 yards. Jared Goff has been better then Brees and will need to be for the Ginger Snaps to win. Someone needs to have a massive performance for the Ginger Snaps to advance. Here is the Wild Card: I would start Dede Westbrook over Matthews this week. Marcus Mariotta is not healthy and Dede Westbrook should be able to get behind the pathetic Texans defense at will. He has a shot at having a massive game and is the type of hail mary that can help you pull a massive upset.
Prediction: The Trojans win a close matchup that will have a combined total nearing 350 points. The biggest difference maker will be Todd Gurley who will destroy the Seahawks and Murphy’s dreams in the process, causing him to throw his hat across Chuck’s basement and storm upstairs to have a slice of pizza.
Semifinal #2- No Bobby No vs Mean Machine Child Beaters
A closely contested matchup between two teams that have taken very different paths to get here. Solid drafting and minimal moves got No Bobby No here, why Mean Machine had to revamp half of their roster to advance this far. It’s no secret that I think the commish and Timbo have done a fantastic job of managing this season. With the hopeful return of Tyrod Taylor against a Miami team coming off a huge emotional win over New England, No Bobby No hopes solid qb play will at least match Prescott and Smith, who have two great matchups in Primetime. Dak Prescott is going to score at least 20 points, but No Bobby No is in trouble if he can get a third touchdown. Russell Wilson has been the top qb in the league this year averaging over 26 points per game. Unfortunately, one of his two duds were against the LA Rams, who he plays this weekend. The Running backs should favor No Bobby No with Jordan Howard and Devonta Freeman finally coming back to life last week, and having what appears to be positive matchups this week. Hyde has been a rock all season and will probably have another solid game this week, but Lynch might struggle against the Cowboys with All World Linebacker Sean Lee. WR’s do favor No Bobby No while tight end, defense and kicker clearly favor Mean Machine. Zach Ertz is back and facing a pathetic Giants defense, but can Nick Foles be trusted? Mean Machine has the best defense in fantasy by far. I personally think this is the matchup of the top two defenses this week with Mean Machine having a clear advantage. Seriously, I do not remember the last time I saw a defense projected for 15 points.
Prediction: I reached out to DeMayo to make this pick.
“I will pick No Bobby No if Tyrod plays because I like your QB’s as much if not more than his. I think you have a better spot at RB, and I like your WR more. Going to be a great matchup and think it’ll be VERY tight but I give the edge to No Bobby No.”
Murphy Bracket
Choice of pick matchup- All Fired Up vs Vonteego Cross
Joe Mixon is still in the concussion protocol as of this writing while Kamara claims he is good to go. Carson Wentz tearing his ACL really hurts All Fired Up because now they are stuck starting Eli Manning. Vonteego Cross spent money to get Nick Foles because with Rodgers back, they did not have two starting qb’s. Mike Evans has been a gross disappointment this season, but Hogan is back and Drake has been a beast since he got the job. Vonteego Cross has made some great moves for players like DaVante Adams, Marquise Goodwin, and the previously mentioned Foles. All Fired Up has the edge on defense and is hopeful for a big game from Jimmy Garappolo. This matchup is so close, all it takes is one dud for a team to lose.
Prediction: Alvin Kamara leads Vonteego Cross to victory and Joe Mixon lets All Fired Up down one last time.
The battle for the toilet seat- Team GFY vs Ride or Dies
Another close matchup that will probably come down to Monday Night Football with 3 players in this matchup playing. Team GFY has the advantage at running back and wide receiver while Ride or dies appear to have the edge at qb, tight end and flex. Defense is a clear advantage for Pat and Marty along with kicker, but the Rams are playing the better qb. Really the deciding factor is will Rodgers have any rust in a must win comeback game. I think he might and I think the Packers will lose. A fun fact is the last time either of these teams won was week 8.
Prediction: Rodgers comes back rusty and Ride or Dies goes from First to Last.
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