- Continuing his campaign to score the most points without making playoffs, TJ Hock's Pro Skater put up a ridiculous 186 to drop Ja'Mario Kart a peg and put him at some risk of being left out of the post-season.
- In our 5v6 matchup, Bass Hunter crushed Pollard's Gate by 50, giving them some breathing room and a shot at the bye week. Scoring 162 in a game where your QB leaves with a concussion is impressive, and no one should be excited to match up against this WR core.
- The oft renamed It Take Tua shot up from 8th to 5th as they dropped Allen Wake to 6th in the process with a really well rounded performance. 4 different players hit the 20+ mark to give him a dominant 40 point victory
Playoff Power Rankings
I did this earlier in the season, but with one week to go before the playoffs start, lets take another look at power rankings based on scores from the last three weeks. As you'll notice quickly, teams records don't necessarily reflect how strong they're coming on for this final stretch.
note: this includes only teams who are still in the running for playoffs
The Top End (130+ Points/Week)
- B RB1NSZN^2 : 138.7
- Bass Hunter 64: 132.3
- It Takes Tua: 131.5
This group has a huge lead on the rest of the league, as there are no teams within 10 points/game of them. Whether it's Mike Evans, Tyreek Hill, or ARSB, this group is being lifted a lot by their star WRs.
In The Mix (110-120 Points/Week)
- Ja'Mario Kart : 120.8
- Kuppheads : 112.9
Honestly, 8 points/week is a pretty significant difference, and I considered putting Ja'Mario Kart in a tier of their own. These are teams that can win any given week but are going to be underdogs against our first group with a high degree of certainty. Kuppheads should (does) count themselves very lucky to have a bye week locked up to dodge a first round loss.
On The Edge (100-110 Points/Week)
- Allen Wake: 105.6
- Pollard's Gate III : 102.3
Another step down, these teams are fighting for 6th spot, and whoever wins is likely to be a somewhat significant underdog in that matchup.
So You're Saying There's A Chance (Sub 100 Points/Week)
- DK King of Swing : 97.8
- Lockett League : 86.8
Recent history is similar for these teams, but there's a big difference between DK and Lockett in terms of playoff aspirations. DK is very likely in the playoffs if they can overcome their week 14 opponent while Lockett trails teams they need to pass by close to 100 points and faces the best team in the league.
Matchups to Watch
watch the throne
Now that we're familiar with standings as well as which teams are running hot in the back half of the season, here are our week 14 matchups to watch.
It Takes Tua (5th, 7-6) vs DK King of Swing (8th, 7-6)
You really couldn't pick two teams that are on more opposite trajectories right now. After struggling for much of the early season It Takes Tua has really hit their stride in the month of November. DK meanwhile has lost 2 of their last 3 games to fall slightly out of the playoff hunt.
- If Tua wins, DK is eliminated, and Tua secures a playoff spot.
- They can move as high as the 3rd seed if Ja'Mario Kart and Bass Hunter 64 both lose, but both of those teams are strong favorites this week.
- They could fall to 6th if Allen Wake wins and closes a 16 point gap
- They cannot be jumped by Allen Wake AND Pollard's Gate III as they face each other.
- If DK wins, Tua is eliminated
- DK is almost guarantee a playoff spot. They will jump Tua + the loser of Allen Wake v Pollard's Gate but could technically end in 7th if Lockett League wins and outscores them by 80 (I wouldn't worry, I'm not sure if Lockett will even hit 80)
- They can realistically move as high as 5th if Pollard's Gate wins and they (DK) outscore Pollard by ~15 points
Allen Wake (6th, 7-6) vs Pollard's Gate III(7th, 7-6)
Man, how perfect is this? The 6th and 7th place teams meet in the final week to decide who will get a shot at glory and who will take top spot in the losers bracket. Separated by only 3 points/week over the last 3 weeks, I think we can expect this to be an extremely close and competitive game.
- If Allen Wake wins: Pollard's Gate III is eliminated
- Allen Wake is locked into the playoffs. Their closest competition will take an L, and 8th place DK can't catch them without taking down Tua ahead of them
- They can climb as high as 3rd, but like we noted with Tua the teams above them are not very likely to lose
- They can catch It Takes Tua and jump into 5th if both teams win and they close a 16 point gap
- If Pollard's Gate III wins: They're in the playoffs, and Allen Wake is eliminated
- They can realistically move as high as 4th, but unlike Allen don't have the points to catch Bass Hunter and move into 3rd in the ceiling case
- With 5th and 6th being the mostly likely seeding outcomes, the results of Tua v DK matter a lot to them
B RB1NSZN^2 (2th, 8-5) vs Lockett League(9th, 7-6)
This one shouldn't be close, but bye weeks are so important that this is really something to keep on eye on. If RB1NSZN falls the door is open for Bass Hunter to grab the bye, which also impacts the first round matchup for our Allen vs Pollard duo above.
Pickup of the Week
This is a confusing one, but I'm giving it to It Takes Tua, for Christian Watson. He's been so good the last 2 weeks, but depending on the severity of his injury may not be start-able again this season. Still getting a 24 point WR off waivers and playing them is a steal.
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