I like to keep this recap focused on football issues for the most part, but there’s a current team tanking so badly in the NBA that I wanted to deviate from the norm to discuss my disgust.
This team went into the season with a roster that everyone knew would not be competitive, made no real substantial change from last year’s disastrous campaign, and appears to be content to let its fans suffer for now with only the promise of vague hope for the future. At some point, that’s not good enough. You can’t expect even your most loyal backers to show up every year and foot the bill for poor strategy and substandard play. They’re already double-digit games out of first place, for the love of gawd.
It’s embarrassing, not only for those fans but for the whole NBA. The draft strategy of “lose a lot now, hope for a windfall later” cheapens competitive balance, and waters down the whole product. Why watch any regular season games with this team, even if you’re rooting for the opponent?
It’s a joke, and the league needs to come down hard on the owners and managers involved in this farce.
That’s why I hope NBA executives and the media continue to call out the 4-18 New York Knicks for tanking this season in the hopes of a lottery pick, all the while claiming they’re rebuilding for the future. I hope karma keeps them from getting a high draft pick, and other teams learn that trying to lose only makes you a loser organization. Honesty is the most important policy.
Wait, people are mad at the 2-18 Sixers for this? Why? At least they’re being honest, saying the system sucks and rewards teams that tank. They’re not lying about trying to win like the Knicks.
QB: Cam Newton, 41.34 pts -- started by Sam WR: Julio Jones, 34.27 pts -- started by Jo
RB: LeVeon Bell, 45.83 pts -- started by Jo
TE: Martellus Bennett, 23.60 pts -- started by me
K: Josh Brown, 21.00 pts -- on the wire
DEF: St. Louis, 32.00 pts -- on the wire
D: Sheldon Richardson, 14.50 pts -- started by Joel
Poor Rams. Second week in a row that they’re the top defense, and still no one wants to pick them up…
In fact, the Rams are the #3 defense for the year, but are still unloved in the league. Granted, 69 pts in two weeks will shoot you up the chart pretty quickly. But it’s more evidence that we’re still not doing a great job getting our act together on the non-offense side of the ball.
“Worst of the worst” edition
3rd place: Chicago, -5.00 pts -- on Bobert’s bench
1st place (tie): Cincinnati, -6.00 pts -- on the wire
1st place (tie): New Orleans, -6.00 pts -- on the wire
Meanwhile, two defenses bottomed out this week, allowing 35-plus pts and recording no sacks/turnovers/success. New Orleans now boasts the lowest fantasy scoring defense in the league, and yet still sits in a tie for first place in the NFC South (at 5-8). And Atlanta’s loss Monday night guarantees the division will not have a champion with a winning record at year’s end. So a 12-win wild card team could end up on the road against a 7-9 squad, because life isn’t fair.
I know I’ve complained about this before, but…
Every week, Yahoo has a pre-weekend list of “fantasy lames” who owners should consider benching because of their anticipated poor play. Every week, it’s a joke. This week’s list included Jamaal Charles (5th best RB on the week), TY Hilton (3rd best WR on the week), and Greg Olsen (2nd best TE on the week), all of whom were labeled unstartable.
But that’s not even the stupid part. Who in the middle of their fantasy playoffs is going to bench Jamaal Charles, the #2 overall pick in most fantasy drafts this year? Who do you have to replace him? Same for TY Hilton, who is the #1 WR option on nearly every fantasy team he’s on. Do these people think I usually keep top-scoring players on my bench that can step in and replace his expected output?
If you are trying to decided each week whether to which of the five fantasy players in the league to put on your bench because of your wealth of great players, you don’t need fantasy advice. You need to get on a plane to Vegas, to put that ridiculous luck to good use.
Peyton Manning had a miserable day on Sunday, throwing for 173 yards and two INTs … no touchdowns for the first time in his last 51 games. Here’s what has happened in the NFL since that impressive streak began, in late November 2010:
** Peyton Manning threw 145 TD passes.
** The Chiefs went from a division leader to a joke and back to a playoff team.
** Robert Griffin was drafted, named NFL offensive rookie of the year, got injured, came back, and lost his starting job to a free-agent cast-off.
** The Raiders won 21 games … and lost 45.
** The Browns have started eight different QBs.
** Tom Brady threw a TD pass in 52 straight games. Just saying.
One again, this time with meaning … The Eagles and Cowboys square off this week with the division title on the line. A win almost guarantees a playoff berth for one of the teams, and a loss all but ends the other’s realistic chances.
Luckily for us, the whole thing is already written out in the contest summary itself:
Big Dallas/Philly NFC East rematch game this Sunday
** Eagles DL dims Blue Star again. I chant: “Fly, thy champs”
Remember, you can’t spell Dallas without “all sad.” Let’s keep it that way.
** I’m two games down to Dad in the weekly picks because I hate the Giants soooo much.
** Seriously, the loser of the Eagles/Cowboys game could end up 11-5 and miss the playoffs. That super sucks … unless it’s the Cowboys.
** Ohio State made the college football playoffs because I give up nothing makes sense anymore.
Week 14 standings 1 --- Stewie Griffins Head --- 1990.67 pts
2 --- Sheldon's Big Money --- 1983.27pts
3 --- Ouch My Zach Ertz --- 1969.31 pts
4 --- Gettin' Chippy --- 1931.26 pts
5 --- The Maltese Falcons --- 1853.95 pts
6 --- Tickle me Romo --- 1820.91 pts
7 --- Blue Collar Killers --- 1705.78 pts
8 --- Car full of Clowneys --- 1676.45 pts
9 --- king hippo --- 1670.01 pts
10 --- Show Me Your TDs --- 1665.02 pts
11 --- I Mildly Like WRs --- 1300.39 pts
It’s still a three-team race at the top of the league, but don’t sleep on Joanner and her Chip Kelly inspired attack. She rang up 218 pts this week, the league’s third consecutive 200-plus pts week and the second-highest single-week score in league history (Sam had a 223 pts week last year). She now sits just 59 pts out of first, within striking distance of Dad’s tenuous first-place perch.
But I think the important thing to note is that I made the playoffs in both of my pay leagues…
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