Final Four
Sorry for the late post. Good luck to all 4 remaining teams. A one star versus a no star beckons.
#1 JYD 2: Year of the Dog
Owner: John Kapostasy
2018 Season: 10-3
2018 PPG: 460
Playoffs: 6-2
Championships: 1
H2H v. Bo: 2-2
Best Matchup in Round 1: Brandin Cooks v PHI
Worst Matchup in Round 1: Mike Evans @ BAL
The Patrick Mahomes Show heads to Thursday night where not even an Insider knows what to really expect, especially against a solid defense like the Carson Chargers. The Dogs have known about this Thursday game and have known how pivotal it would eventually be. Now it is here. The only wrench thrown in to the well-oiled machine that is the Junkyard Dog's starting QB, is that passes to Tyreek Hill will no longer be greeted with the same insouciance as has been the case for the rest of Kansas City's games. The Dogs, will need their MVP to find other players in red besides the one with a 10 on the front and back (another semi-finalist wouldn't mind a lot of 87). Thursday night certainly is an intriguing matchup, and this blurb doesn't want to discount the importance of the rest of the league slate. But the 2018 Regular Season Champion has been riding the Mahomes train all season, and can ill afford a derailment. Mahomes has gone for less than 100 points only a few times this year, and the Chargers Defense has allowed a QB to go for over 100 points only once (Jared Goff). Choo Choo...
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#4 King of the Hill
Owner: Bo Crawford
2018 Season: 8-5
2018 PPG: 477
Playoffs: 5-4
Championships: 1
H2H v. Kapo: 2-2
Best Matchup in Round 1: Nick Chubb @ DEN
Worst Matchup in Round 1: Aaron Jones @ CHI
Bo's victory over the hapless Magoo last week proved Bo right, that Boner was a 'loser'. Although the League Office thinks this name calling is a little harsh, winners do get their spoils, so sticks and stones and names are fair game. But now comes a bigger challenge. Bo is back into the semifinals for the 5th time in his career (tick tock be damned). He has been able to play in that many Final Four's precisely because of the type of quality roster management that's been on display all year, highlighted by last week (a Corey Davis over Alshon Jeffrey aside). Another week brings more challenges to Bostradamus. To bench Lamar again? Josh Johnson? Roll the dice with Davis? Ravens D/ST over a hot Giants D/ST? Bo has been making the right choices all year, but besides his successful 2009 Brown Jacket campaign, he has struggled to cross the finish line more than once. These late December decisions are much more white-knuckled than the ones made in August-November. He should definitely concentrate more on the task at hand than fighting with the League Office about roster caps. That is an offseason issue.
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#2 Mr. Steal Your Gurley
Owner: Randy Evans
2018 Season: 10-3
2018 PPG: 491
Playoffs: 2-2
Championships: 0
H2H v. Squid: 5-2
Best Matchup in Round 1: Larry Fitzgerald v ARI
Worst Matchup in Round 1: Peyton Barber @ BAL
Randy can't feel too confident heading into his 2nd ever Final Four matchup. Yet, things aren’t as bleak as they might seem on the surface (Randy hasn't been exactly lighting up the scoreboard these past few weeks). The light at the end of the tunnel comes in the form of depth at a position so shallow, the Commissioner has carpal tunnel syndrome from writing about it. Yes it is true, Mr. Steal Your Gurley has some weapons at WR. But with depth, there are choices to be made. Willie Snead has a favorable matchup against the Buccaneers, but Lamar Jackson isn't exactly a gunslinger. DaeSean Hamilton, the newest arrival, showed promise yet in a very limited sample size of one game played. Isiah McKenzie scored 76+ points last week, that is a number unheard of for a Randy WR; but he does play for an anemic Bills offense that is more capricious than Tony's lazy eye after 6 beers. Decisions decisions. This is what DelFL December is all about.
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#3 Squidocalypse Now
Owner: Jeremy Widman
2018 Season: 10-3
2018 PPG: 475
Playoffs: 2-4
Championships: 0
H2H v. Randy: 2-5
Best Matchup in Round 1: Kirk Cousins v MIA
Worst Matchup in Round 1: Christian McCaffrey v NO
Squid now knows how to win the first round game of the Playoffs, doing so in back to back years. It is the 2nd round that he has yet to master. Squid faces a formidable division rival in his Final Four matchup, a team he has already lost to this year. But you could make the argument that Squid's roster has been playing much better than Randy's these past few weeks. The whispers around the league believe that this is Squid's year, if he is going to win the DelFL Brown Jacket, it must be this year. His incredible 5 year run must ultimately deliver a Championship, otherwise, it is just a meaningless DelFL Jeopardy question that die-hards will ask in sports bars in the year 2026. The talent is there. Squid is zoned in. 2 more games to go.
