A 3-peat signal caller….Warriors runs away from their roster detractors….multiple trophies for the Hurricanes….A Cold Streak continues….A Hot Streak continues….more Milestones….and the current Playoff Picture….full run down of Week 9 after the break….
Aaron Rodgers performance so far this year proves that he is obviously a robot or at least an android….He/It used the Bye Week to recharge his/its batteries and claimed his/its 3rd Player of the Week trophy on the year….Only 5 of his/its 26 passes touched the ground as he/it threw for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns for a ridiculous 145.83 QB rating on the week….Adding another 52 yards on the ground against the Playground Legends defense was just enough to take this week’s title away from Thrasher’s QB Phillip Rivers and earn Armed N Dangerous their 4th trophy on the year….
When the trade went down in Week 8, teams openly scoffed at the Warriors Running Back acquisition, but one week later and he is celebrating with a Royal coming out party showing he can produce in this new offensive system….Playing on 64 of 67 offensive snaps Helu averaged 4.1 yards per carry on the ground and converted on 82% of his 17 targets from the backfield for 105 yards on the Night against the Runs N Throses Defense….His 27 points more than doubled 10 other starting backs and just edged out Arian Foster’s performance for the Hurricanes securing the Warriors their 4th Player of the Week award in what was reported this week to be their final season in the TBFL….
The Hurricanes may have just missed out on the Running Back award, but their careful study of the X-Factor secondary went to good use this week as 3 of the top 4 Wide Receivers came from their roster….Vincent Jackson pulled in 7 grabs for 141 yards and 3 scores totalling the highest point total for all players on the week and matching his own season high point total from Week 2….Hurricanes will need to keep getting this kind of production from their receiving corps as they continue to fight for control of the Buccaneer Division….
The Kicker Roulette wheel stopped on 9-White last week, but started spinning again in Week 9….David Akers is the 8th different Kicker to win this Player of the Week award for the 8th different team….Bubba Army, Fudgie Whales, Husslers, and Runs N Throses are the teams that remain with this spot empty on the mantle….Through 9 Weeks Akers sits tied as the highest scoring kicker on the year but is still only 2 Points Per Game better than Kicker #12 – Alex Henery….The 2-Pack of Player of the Week trophies are Hurricanes 2nd and 3rd awards on the year….but not their last of the week….
In a week where starting a Bye Week defense would NOT have given you the lowest point total (hello Fudgie Whales -11)….Husslers shows us that good roster management wins games….Their Week 9 free agent acquisition beat out every other squad and secured their 9 point victory over Money Inc 130 to 121….the result ties the Money Men for the 15th highest score resulting in a loss when their point total would have resulted in a win against 9 out of 10 other potential opponents….The win also keeps the rookie team in the Wildcard Hunt as they take over the 6th seed from Playground Legends….
Team of the Week
Starting as the lowest scoring team in Week 1 it took 8 weeks for the Hurricanes to go from Chumps to Champs….Their 156 point explosion is the 14th highest score of all time….the 5th 150+ point outing in the league this year….the 4th highest score this year….and 2pts short of their team record 158 that put them into Fantasy Bowl 13 last year….The total also makes them the fastest team to ever reach the 5000 Points Scored Milestone….They accomplished the feat in just 48 games played….that’s an average of over 104 Points Per Game in their 3½ seasons played….they are still in the hunt for the Buccanner Division crown and along with Bubba Army remain undefeated in division games….
Chump of the Week
This is the 3rd Chump Award in a row for the Grandmasters tying them with the Fudgie Whales in the Chump of the Year race….Their 7 game slide since Week 3 is the worst in team history and ties for 9th longest of all time….the 6th longest streak in one season….Average scoring for the league rose 1 point to 106 but UO went the opposite direction falling 8 points from last week’s bottom score….Production (or lack thereof) was consistent across positions with the 2nd lowest Quarterback score, 2 of the bottom 3 Wide Receiver Scores, and the 2nd lowest Defensive score (again thanks only to Fudgie Whales record setting -11)….Their All-Play record is currently the league lowest at 24-75-0 for a dismal .242 record….but it is 20 points better than their actual record of .222….
Lucky Streak
Bubba Army’s current 7 game win streak going back to Week 3 ties Runs N Throses for longest of the year….ties for 8th longest of all time….and is 2 wins short of the team record set 9 years ago….But alot of this run has relied on lucky breaks….4 wins have been in games considered ‘Coulda Lost’ if the opponent had used a different starting lineup….This week’s win over Fudgie Whales is the first since 2008 and came in a week where their point total would have gone for a loss against 7 out of 10 other potential opponents….
Noteworthy Milestones
Runs N Throses 1st victory over the Warriors since 2009 makes them the first team to record 100 wins in the Regular Season….already the first team to win 100 games overall it took 164 games played to reach this milestone….that is a Regular Season win rate of 61% over their 12½ seasons played….
Fudgie Whales did manage to hit double-digits at every position this week for the first time all season….unfortuneatley 11 going the wrong direction from their San Diego Chargers defensive squad prevented them from getting a win….But it did not prevent them from becoming the 3rd fastest team to reach 5000 points scored requiring 53 games to reach the milestone….
Playoff Picture
With 4 weeks left to play in the regular season there are still no Division Titles locked up and no teams have been eliminated from Wildcard contention….Warriors, UO Grandmasters, Fudgie Whales, and Money Inc have been mathematically eliminated from their respective Division races….Bubba Army and Bay Area Thrashers seem to have the inside track both sitting on 3 game leads with 4 to play while Runs N Throses is still battling hard with Hurricanes who trail by only 1 game and already hold the head-to-head tie breaker over the Throsers….If the Playoffs started today the teams would be seeded:
#1 RNT 8-1
#2 BBA 7-2 (By head-to-head win over BAT)
#3 BAT 7-2
#4 HUR 7-2
#5 XFA 4-5 (By head-to-head wins over AND and PLA, by total points over HUS)
#6 HUS 4-5 (By head-to-head wins over AND and PLA)
On the Bubble
AND 4-5 (By head-to-head win over PLA)
PLA 4-5
WAR 3-6
MNY 2-7 (By div-record over UOG, by total points over FUD)
FUD 2-7 (By head-to-head win over UOG)
UOG 2-7
The 6 bubble teams are either currently tied with 4 wins or no more than 2 back with 4 to play from the last 2 wildcard spot holders….A solid run from any of them could secure a spot in the playoffs….