Week 9: And We Back

Hello there. Welcome back to the Weekly Wrap-up. Hope you didn't miss us too much during our bye week. (Yes even us at MFFL Studios get a bye week believe it or not!) A lot has happened since we last convened: The Scoregasms added a "The" to their name, revealed a new co-owner and unveiled their new logo; our previous top 3 teams have lost 5 of their 6 games over the last 2 weeks, GM Dom got good?; and GM Michael and GM August actually won a game! With teams in the lower standings picking up the PACE while the top teams are faltering, the league is the closest and most competitive it has ever been this late into the season! Only 3 games separate first place from last place and as week 10 approaches, no team has yet been eliminated from or clinched their spot in the 2019 MFFL Playoffs. Since the standings do not offer their usual separation and clarity with a season as tight as Dom before DTDB, the Power Rankings may be more important than ever in hinting at which teams may make a late season run for the playoffs. Also, according to Chief Pick-em Analyst August, the Power Rankings have been a more ACCURATE predictor than Yahoo's very own official projections. (It appears I am stellar at everything regarding fantasy except actually managing a team.) So just in case you needed any more reason to take the Power Rankings more seriously, there you have it! They are the end all be all to the MFFL distribution of skill and strength.

Power Rankings:

1. No More Mr. Nice Guy: No surprise as GM Grafton continues to dominate the points column and now leads the league in total points on the season. Hopefully the wins continue to follow suit.
2. Kraft Beer: Even after a heartbreaking loss and continued QB struggles, GM Ian and the Krafties are still a dominant force in the league but might need to make adjustments to stay in their top position.
3. Belichick Yo Self: WR Adams appears to be back while RB Henry continues his tear on NFL run defenses. The team with the highest ceiling in the league could be a repeat favorite if GM David can re-board their low floors.
4. The Underachievers: GM Dom and the Let Downs have posted back to back 120+ point games and have knocked off 3 of the 4 previous champions. Success may just be in their future as they stand on the edge of the playoffs.
5. The Scoregasms: Co-Owner Susie has really shown her expertise in The Scoregasms latest performances proving to be the true mastermind in the Gasm Front Office. On the outside of the playoffs looking in, The Scoregasms season is will certainly be coming to an epic climax. 
6. Tittsburgh Feelers: GM Matt and the Feelers crack into the upper half of the rankings and they still might be underrated. WR Golladay is OPEN all day, WR Sanu seems to have received a massive upgrade with his trade to the Pats, and RB Kamara seems to be fully returned from his injury and bye week. (GM Matt seems trusting enough in Kamara to start him even when he doesn't play, but it seems to work so you do you)
7. Bigpapihugetime: How far the greats can fall. After being #1 on the rankings for nearly the entire first half of the season, GM Kurt has dealt with a string of punishing injuries and bye weeks that have hurt their recent performances and clouded their projections going forward. 
8. The Juice is Loose: The ghost of Chubb still haunts GM Kelly but the problem seems to be in his WRs where his starting WRs have yet tp account for 30 combined points in a week all season.
9. 5 Year Plan: No this is not a joke. GM August actually doesn't have an awful team. RB Elliott is a lock for 5+ yards on every carry and rookie RBs Monty and Singletary seems to be developing larger roles and becoming more efficient as the season grows on. Furthermore, WR Metcalf is a certified baller. The QB streaming does not seems to be working for the 5th year manager, so a permanent QB acquisition could be in the agenda for the Stalinists.  
10. Leprechaun Soldiers: RB Gordon finally seems to be developing into the back he was drafted to be, while RB Jones II is said to have earned a larger role, but injuries have plagued the Soldiers all season as they appear to be returning from the war scene every week. 5 players have the big Q or worse next to their name on GM Connor's roster as his managerial skills will surely be tested in this second half of the season.
11. Romanian RAPOs: meh GM Michael is just thrilled with the victory. WRs Odell and Allen need to show their true colors in order to keep their season alive. 
12. Miking Mikes: GM Darren and the Mikes have not eclipsed 100 points since week 5. RB Jacobs has been a true highlight this season however has not been surrounded by a strong supporting cast as him and MT have been posting over a 1/3 of the team's total points as of late. Their 3 week losing streak could continue as they slip out of their playoff spot.

Matchup Highlights:

While the season as a whole has been an extremely close race, this past week was no different. 3 of the 6 matchups were decided by less than 2 points. The most tense of these matchups stretched late into Monday Night between Romanian RAPOs (3-6) and Kraft Beer (5-4). The RAPOs had left it all on the field Sunday Evening as QB Wilson went ROLLING for 50 points, putting the team on his back once again to give them a fighting chance. GM Michael and the RAPOs were forced to watch as the Krafties attempted a Monday Night Comeback from RB Barkley and TE Engram. Needing 19 points to steal the victory, Engram was peppered with short check downs while Barkley erupted for his one giant play that he gets every week, earning nearly 18 points with nearly a quarter to go. As the time slowly ticked away, that last play never came. Instead, the RAPOs celebrated a much needed victory to bust the league wide OPEN, keeping all teams alive for the playoffs for another week. 

GM Brody and The Scoregasms (4-5) failed to keep their winning streak going as they fell to GM Matt and Tittsburgh Feelers (6-3) 111-109. QB Garoppolo went flying high for 37 points while TE Kittle had a solid 15 points to give The Scoregasms an early Thursday Night lead. However, it was all Feelers from then on, as RB Drake exploded in his first game as a Cardinal with 29 points, and QB Cousins and WR Golladay both surpassed 20 points in the victory. GM Matt was certainly feeling himself as he gets another victory by only playing 8 players for the second week in a row, jumping into second place in the standings. 

In what was truly a despicable spectacle for the rest of the league to watch, GM Connor and Leprechaun Soldiers (4-5) stole a pitiful victory over Belichick Yo Self (5-4) by the score of 84.14-83.96. Mocking the rest of the league, GM Connor claimed the lowest winning score in the league this season on the backs of basically 3 players. QB Watson and RBs Gordon and Jones II combined for 80% of the team's points while GM David appeared to suffer with the same problem, only QB Rivers struggled as well. Both teams will be looking to improve on their performance next week, as total points scored may be a deciding factor in determining the final season standings.

Weekly Awards:

• Oh Boy! Play of the Week:

Arizona desperately needed a RB after both DJ and Edmonds fell to injuries, and so they traded for RB Drake who had been trapped in the garbage pile of Miami Dolphins. Emerging from the trash however, he was given the go from GM Matt and didn't disappoint. His 29 points from over 160 total yards and a TD were key in the Feelers victory.

GM August gets an honorable mention for starting WR Metcalf who erupted for 23 points on 123 receiving yards and a TD. 

• Murphy Mixup:

GM Ian suffered a heartbreaking defeat against GM Michael and it's all his fault. Well not really, but benching QB Murray for Winston resulted in a -2.3 point swing which would have been enough for the victory. 

GM David gets another honorable mention here for mixing up his Kicker (lol seriously? who has two kickers (Taco)). Maher sat on the bench with his 15 points, watching K Myers come up one extra point short.

• WTF Waiver Wire:

GM Michael dropped $12 on RB Mark Walton of the Dolphins. A week later, he was suspended for 4 games after disappointing in his one game for the RAPOs. In response, GM Michael dropped Walton and spent $3 on RB Ballage to once again secure the coveted Dolphins backfield. Oh yeah, GM Michael also drafted RB Ballage in the 9th round of the draft.

• Crackhead of the Week:

GM Kurt gets the Crackhead of the Week Award for being the only manager to not yet vote on the League Pick Em this season. It's really not that hard to do guys smh. 

Wildcat Matchup of the Week:

Two teams on opposite sides of the playoff edge face off this week as #5 The Underachievers (5-4) takes on #9 The Juice is Loose (4-5). This is certainly a must win matchup for both teams as every game becomes crucial for these bubble teams to control their destiny. This one should be a high scoring affair as both teams will be led by their All-Star QBs. QB Mahomes looks ready to return for GM Dominic and the Let Downs while QB Jackson will be looking to build on his epic performance last week as he takes on the lowly Bengals. WRs Lockett and Hill should be electric for the Let Downs, and they will need to be this weekend as RB Bell is nursing a knee injury. RB Cook of the Juice Boxes will need to continue to continue his amazing season in order to give GM Kelly a chance at victory. Expect WR Tate and newly acquired TE Gesicki to impress for the Juice Boxes and keep things close while GM Dominic will not rely on RB Jones for once. Instead, a close game should see GM Kelly take a lead into Monday Night where WR Lockett will be waiting to steal the victory for GM Dominic and the Let Downs. 

Thanks to all for tuning into the Weekly Wrap-up! MFFL is made possible thanks to viewers like you. Keep Pounding and May the Force be with you. So Long and Goodnight.