The final week of the Dirty Dozen regular season has always been a fun one to follow and that was certainly the case this week with eight teams scoring more than 100 points and two teams scoring more than 170. I can't confirm this following assumption with any proof, but I would guess that this week was the highest scoring week in our league ever. By my estimations, we've had over 2,800 team performances in our history and we saw the best and third best team performance in terms of points scored. We also had some shuffling of playoff seeds, trophies changing hands, and lots of scoring, which can be tough to cover in 1,000 words or less, especially if we want to offer a quick little playoff preview on top of it all.
In order to make this post as efficient as possible, I'm going to try to offer up a quick recap of where each owner stands after week 13, break down the trophy chases, and then come back on Wednesday or Thursday with our round one preview. I'm hoping this format will allow us to recap everything a little better and also make the readers of this post not feel like the dude from Clockwork Orange who was forced to look at the screen until he went mental. Week 13 was certainly a FUNtastic time and hopefully it's a sign of things to come in the postseason. Let's get to it.
Zach Suer
What else can I say about Zach Suer and his Punchin' Donkeys at this point? He completed his undefeated regular season, was our top scoring team once again, and looks poised to maintain ownership of the Granger Cup. While Zach lost a few trophies and didn't rack up the points he is accustomed to in week 13, he still got the job done and was able to win the regular season and points title with ease. On top of the undeniable positional talent Suer's collected, he's also the owner of our top rated D/ST going into the playoffs. This move is the latest of his smart, timely pickups that have reinforced an already sturdy squad. It will probably get tougher for Z in the playoffs but so far the 2014 season has allowed Suer to chill out and burn through an entire Copenhagen log of victory dips this season.
In order to make this post as efficient as possible, I'm going to try to offer up a quick recap of where each owner stands after week 13, break down the trophy chases, and then come back on Wednesday or Thursday with our round one preview. I'm hoping this format will allow us to recap everything a little better and also make the readers of this post not feel like the dude from Clockwork Orange who was forced to look at the screen until he went mental. Week 13 was certainly a FUNtastic time and hopefully it's a sign of things to come in the postseason. Let's get to it.
Zach Suer
What else can I say about Zach Suer and his Punchin' Donkeys at this point? He completed his undefeated regular season, was our top scoring team once again, and looks poised to maintain ownership of the Granger Cup. While Zach lost a few trophies and didn't rack up the points he is accustomed to in week 13, he still got the job done and was able to win the regular season and points title with ease. On top of the undeniable positional talent Suer's collected, he's also the owner of our top rated D/ST going into the playoffs. This move is the latest of his smart, timely pickups that have reinforced an already sturdy squad. It will probably get tougher for Z in the playoffs but so far the 2014 season has allowed Suer to chill out and burn through an entire Copenhagen log of victory dips this season.
Jeff Meyer
Safe to say that Meyer didn't finish the season the most optimal way. Getting your shit pushed in by 119 points isn't going to boost the confidence level of Granger nor will the 78.1 points he posted this week. This is still a pretty decent team and I think week 13 was disappointing mostly due to some really tough matchups that his players faced. It's still a disheartening way to enter the playoffs for Meyer who will hope that at least one week 13 performance will carry over and that's the 30+ points both of his unreliable QB's posted this week.
Ace and Gary
Much like Meyer, these guys have been at the top of the standings most of the season but there is an equal feeling of skepticism and optimism in the Peppel's coaching office. These brothers have QB problems similar to Granger as the potential of a 30 point game is there but the more likely result is a sub-20 point performance filled with stupid decisions. The acquisition of C.J. Anderson and Keenan Allen have been brilliant and will give these guys a little more faith when they fill out their playoff roster. The Pep's have playoff potential and it could be potentially glorious or potentially gory when it's all over.
Mike Castillo
Mike Castillo sat down at the D12 Thanksgiving table, loosened up his belt, and consumed more fantasy points than anyone we've ever witnessed. Castillo went back for second, third, and fourth servings this week as each time we looked up, one of his fantasy players was scoring buku points. Motherfucking 197 points in one week? That's a record. Hammering an opponent by 119 points? That's a record, too. We knew this team was better than their record indicated and there's no way Castillo can be under the radar now. Luck is great, Charles is tremendous, Bell is a bonafide studmuffin, and the stable of receivers are dangerous. A clutch-tastic week from Luck and Bell helped Castillo claim some positional money on top of his historic weekly output, which rounded out a pretty special fantasy week for Castillo. Castillo made a bunch of really smart moves this week in terms of pickups and start/sits and even though there's no chance in hell he replicates this performance in the playoffs, I think he's the most dominant owner not named Zach right now.
Jeff Fanning
If this was any other week, Fanning would be talked about with great admiration after the 170.3 point game he just posted. Even though his thunder was stolen by Castillo, we can't overlook the fact that a huge week 13 performance could mean great things for week 14 and beyond. Fanning's team isn't the most consistent but if Brees is starting to hit his stride and Foster is truly healthy, this is a team that can put up some big numbers. Fanning's glaring weak spot has been his receivers all year but a combined 57.2 points from LaFell, Wright, and Stills might be exactly the performance that this team can build on. It was a tremendous final week for Fanning and if this team can put it together for three more weeks that are close to what they did in week 13, Fanning's got a punchers chance at this thing.
J.P. diZerega
D12 hosted a crazy points party this weekend and J.P. was one of the owners beer bonging fantasy points by the gallon. Julio Jones had the tough task of going man-to-man with Patrick Peterson and Jones flat out dominated one of the best cornerbacks all day long. It's been a frustrating season for Julio but maybe this is precisely the game he and the Falcons needed. Tre Mason has been a nice trade find for J.P. and while Tre won't have the luxury of playing the Raiders again, he's a pretty good running back and should get the bulk of the carries in St. Louis. This team still has major questions to answer but there are fewer questions to answer after this high scoring week.
Jerome DeFelice
Thanks to some shitty scheduling luck, this team is 6-7 and a seven seed entering the playoffs. Seeding doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot come playoff time and the commish should shrug off his sub .500 record and seven seed and instead focus on keeping the point scoring wheels spinning like they have all year long. Rodgers is money in the bank, Lacy is looking more reliable each week, and for once the receivers and tight ends all scored in double digits. The commish decided to trade away some of his RB2 options because of his faith in Lamar Miller and that faith will be tested if Lamar continues to lose goal line carries while former Turbos, C.J. Anderson and Tre Mason continue to make plays. This is a pretty dang good team but not a complete team, which means they could go all the way or be one and done pretty easily.
Chris Marvel
The Bears helped Matthew Stafford get some of his mojo back and with Stafford's favorable playoff schedule, he'll be the man under center for Chris the rest of the way, most likely. LeSean McCoy continues to get hosed at the goal line but he did make a big time play on Thanksgiving, which hopefully is a sign of better days for Shady. Chris couldn't have liked the sight of Jimmy Graham getting shut out on Sunday and he'll need Graham to come up huge the rest of the season if Chris plans on making a Cinderella run. Antonio Brown is still the best fantasy receiver in our league and has been the most consistent player on a roster loaded with inconsistency. This is a pretty decent eight seed but if Stafford struggles and Marvel's running backs don't produce, it's going to be a quick postseason for Christopher.
Jordan Marvel
I pretty much covered the pitfalls of this team last week and being that Jordan is celebrating his honeymoon currently and hopefully has better use of his time than reading this, I'll say goodbye until next year to Jordy.
Corey and Dan
We all agreed that this team would be great if healthy but vulnerable if unhealthy and unfortunately for these dual owners, the injury bug's bite was vicious. I still contend that this team would be contenders with this current roster as a receiving trio of Megatron, Green, and Gordon is the most dangerous in this league and probably more dangerous than any trio in any other league you're in. This won't help ease the sting of a shitty 2014 for these two who will have to spray on their injury bug repellent when they sit down for the 2015 draft.
Kevin Petty
This season flat out sucked for Petty who had one of the worst drafts in a long time. He was able to win four games and not finish last, so there's that.
Dave Cress
At this point, I have to think Dave would rather not remember his Drunk Cactusman name and thanks to his last place finish, he ensured that he will have a name change next year no matter what. It's just up to who wins the Granger Cup now. It was a familiar blend of poor play and inconsistent offensive roles for all of the players on this team who made the entire 2014 season feel like dry humping a cactus. Dave's current tight end sums up his season pretty accurately.
Safe to say that Meyer didn't finish the season the most optimal way. Getting your shit pushed in by 119 points isn't going to boost the confidence level of Granger nor will the 78.1 points he posted this week. This is still a pretty decent team and I think week 13 was disappointing mostly due to some really tough matchups that his players faced. It's still a disheartening way to enter the playoffs for Meyer who will hope that at least one week 13 performance will carry over and that's the 30+ points both of his unreliable QB's posted this week.
Ace and Gary
Much like Meyer, these guys have been at the top of the standings most of the season but there is an equal feeling of skepticism and optimism in the Peppel's coaching office. These brothers have QB problems similar to Granger as the potential of a 30 point game is there but the more likely result is a sub-20 point performance filled with stupid decisions. The acquisition of C.J. Anderson and Keenan Allen have been brilliant and will give these guys a little more faith when they fill out their playoff roster. The Pep's have playoff potential and it could be potentially glorious or potentially gory when it's all over.
Mike Castillo
Mike Castillo sat down at the D12 Thanksgiving table, loosened up his belt, and consumed more fantasy points than anyone we've ever witnessed. Castillo went back for second, third, and fourth servings this week as each time we looked up, one of his fantasy players was scoring buku points. Motherfucking 197 points in one week? That's a record. Hammering an opponent by 119 points? That's a record, too. We knew this team was better than their record indicated and there's no way Castillo can be under the radar now. Luck is great, Charles is tremendous, Bell is a bonafide studmuffin, and the stable of receivers are dangerous. A clutch-tastic week from Luck and Bell helped Castillo claim some positional money on top of his historic weekly output, which rounded out a pretty special fantasy week for Castillo. Castillo made a bunch of really smart moves this week in terms of pickups and start/sits and even though there's no chance in hell he replicates this performance in the playoffs, I think he's the most dominant owner not named Zach right now.
Jeff Fanning
If this was any other week, Fanning would be talked about with great admiration after the 170.3 point game he just posted. Even though his thunder was stolen by Castillo, we can't overlook the fact that a huge week 13 performance could mean great things for week 14 and beyond. Fanning's team isn't the most consistent but if Brees is starting to hit his stride and Foster is truly healthy, this is a team that can put up some big numbers. Fanning's glaring weak spot has been his receivers all year but a combined 57.2 points from LaFell, Wright, and Stills might be exactly the performance that this team can build on. It was a tremendous final week for Fanning and if this team can put it together for three more weeks that are close to what they did in week 13, Fanning's got a punchers chance at this thing.
J.P. diZerega
D12 hosted a crazy points party this weekend and J.P. was one of the owners beer bonging fantasy points by the gallon. Julio Jones had the tough task of going man-to-man with Patrick Peterson and Jones flat out dominated one of the best cornerbacks all day long. It's been a frustrating season for Julio but maybe this is precisely the game he and the Falcons needed. Tre Mason has been a nice trade find for J.P. and while Tre won't have the luxury of playing the Raiders again, he's a pretty good running back and should get the bulk of the carries in St. Louis. This team still has major questions to answer but there are fewer questions to answer after this high scoring week.
Jerome DeFelice
Thanks to some shitty scheduling luck, this team is 6-7 and a seven seed entering the playoffs. Seeding doesn't mean a whole hell of a lot come playoff time and the commish should shrug off his sub .500 record and seven seed and instead focus on keeping the point scoring wheels spinning like they have all year long. Rodgers is money in the bank, Lacy is looking more reliable each week, and for once the receivers and tight ends all scored in double digits. The commish decided to trade away some of his RB2 options because of his faith in Lamar Miller and that faith will be tested if Lamar continues to lose goal line carries while former Turbos, C.J. Anderson and Tre Mason continue to make plays. This is a pretty dang good team but not a complete team, which means they could go all the way or be one and done pretty easily.
Chris Marvel
The Bears helped Matthew Stafford get some of his mojo back and with Stafford's favorable playoff schedule, he'll be the man under center for Chris the rest of the way, most likely. LeSean McCoy continues to get hosed at the goal line but he did make a big time play on Thanksgiving, which hopefully is a sign of better days for Shady. Chris couldn't have liked the sight of Jimmy Graham getting shut out on Sunday and he'll need Graham to come up huge the rest of the season if Chris plans on making a Cinderella run. Antonio Brown is still the best fantasy receiver in our league and has been the most consistent player on a roster loaded with inconsistency. This is a pretty decent eight seed but if Stafford struggles and Marvel's running backs don't produce, it's going to be a quick postseason for Christopher.
Jordan Marvel
I pretty much covered the pitfalls of this team last week and being that Jordan is celebrating his honeymoon currently and hopefully has better use of his time than reading this, I'll say goodbye until next year to Jordy.
Corey and Dan
We all agreed that this team would be great if healthy but vulnerable if unhealthy and unfortunately for these dual owners, the injury bug's bite was vicious. I still contend that this team would be contenders with this current roster as a receiving trio of Megatron, Green, and Gordon is the most dangerous in this league and probably more dangerous than any trio in any other league you're in. This won't help ease the sting of a shitty 2014 for these two who will have to spray on their injury bug repellent when they sit down for the 2015 draft.
Kevin Petty
This season flat out sucked for Petty who had one of the worst drafts in a long time. He was able to win four games and not finish last, so there's that.
Dave Cress
At this point, I have to think Dave would rather not remember his Drunk Cactusman name and thanks to his last place finish, he ensured that he will have a name change next year no matter what. It's just up to who wins the Granger Cup now. It was a familiar blend of poor play and inconsistent offensive roles for all of the players on this team who made the entire 2014 season feel like dry humping a cactus. Dave's current tight end sums up his season pretty accurately.
Award Breakdown
Even though the big time trophies (reg. season champ & most points scored) were decided well before week 13, we still had some positional trophies go down all the way to the Sunday night game. Let's see how it all shook out.
MOP
The Colts have leaned on Andrew Luck all season and thanks to the horrible Redskins secondary and a huge 42.8 point game, Luck was able to surpass Peyton Manning and Rodgers to win our MOP award for Michael James Castillo.
Team QB
Much like the MOP award, this was a three person race that would be determined by the performances of Manning, Luck, and Rodgers. Luck's big game set him up for the lead but both Rodgers and Manning were well within range. Unfortunately for Jerome, Adams dropped a sure TD at the end of the Packers game that cost him this trophy while Manning decided to have a subpar game at the wrong time for Suer.
Team RB
This added to Castillo's incredible week 13 as he was only four points behind Fanning for this award to start the week and thanks to LeVeon Bell's gigantic 31.4 point game, Castillo was even closer going into the SNF game. Charles only needed a few points and got those in the second half to give Castillo his second come from behind positional trophy on the day.
Team WR
Zach had an insurmountable 51 point lead and obviously didn't have to do anything besides roll out his usual studs to keep this trophy.
John Elway Award
Again, Luck's big day in Indy helped seal this award as our best individual QB of 2014.
Terrell Davis Award
DeMarco Murray has pretty much been the lead dog for this award since the start of the season and another steady performance on Thanksgiving day helped DeMarco take home this trophy while Forte and Lynch didn't do much during turkey day.
Rod Smith Award
Antonio Brown didn't score a touchdown until 2:34 left in the game but when he tacked on another garbage TD with 0:00 left, it gave him a nice lead over DT for this award. Thomas scored a touchdown but couldn't get one more to make this interesting as Brown kept his hold on this trophy as the night ended.
Shannon Sharpe Award
With both Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas scoring zero points, Gronk was able to fend off his competition as easily as he does free safeties every Sunday.
Defense of the Year
This one was very close between the Bills and Eagles. The Eagles had an impressive Thanksgiving day showing but the Bills forced a lot of turnovers on Sunday and returned one to the house, which sealed the deal for the Bills to take home this award.
Jason Elam Award
Get excited people because we have our first tie for this award ever! Parkey's 15 points on Thanksgiving put the heat on Gostkowski and Vinatieri and a late, uncharacteristic shank from Gostkowski took him from the winner of this award to the co-winner (I don't think that's an actual word).
I'll be posting these trophies on the ESPN site and also hand out some more trophies based on the commish's judgement as we go through the playoffs and don't worry, there's no need for me to break each of those down on this website.
The playoffs will be here before you know it so make sure you have your ipads charged and tumblers filled for Round 1. The playoffs are why you went through all of your intense preseason studying, why you ignored work and family for long periods of time, why your battery is at 6% when Sunday ends, and why you're still checking in on this website every week. Come back here Wednesday or Thursday (I'll let everyone know exactly when on the ESPN site) to see how our playoff bracket might play out according to the commish and what to look for as we align our troops for the battle of the Granger Cup.
Even though the big time trophies (reg. season champ & most points scored) were decided well before week 13, we still had some positional trophies go down all the way to the Sunday night game. Let's see how it all shook out.
MOP
The Colts have leaned on Andrew Luck all season and thanks to the horrible Redskins secondary and a huge 42.8 point game, Luck was able to surpass Peyton Manning and Rodgers to win our MOP award for Michael James Castillo.
Team QB
Much like the MOP award, this was a three person race that would be determined by the performances of Manning, Luck, and Rodgers. Luck's big game set him up for the lead but both Rodgers and Manning were well within range. Unfortunately for Jerome, Adams dropped a sure TD at the end of the Packers game that cost him this trophy while Manning decided to have a subpar game at the wrong time for Suer.
Team RB
This added to Castillo's incredible week 13 as he was only four points behind Fanning for this award to start the week and thanks to LeVeon Bell's gigantic 31.4 point game, Castillo was even closer going into the SNF game. Charles only needed a few points and got those in the second half to give Castillo his second come from behind positional trophy on the day.
Team WR
Zach had an insurmountable 51 point lead and obviously didn't have to do anything besides roll out his usual studs to keep this trophy.
John Elway Award
Again, Luck's big day in Indy helped seal this award as our best individual QB of 2014.
Terrell Davis Award
DeMarco Murray has pretty much been the lead dog for this award since the start of the season and another steady performance on Thanksgiving day helped DeMarco take home this trophy while Forte and Lynch didn't do much during turkey day.
Rod Smith Award
Antonio Brown didn't score a touchdown until 2:34 left in the game but when he tacked on another garbage TD with 0:00 left, it gave him a nice lead over DT for this award. Thomas scored a touchdown but couldn't get one more to make this interesting as Brown kept his hold on this trophy as the night ended.
Shannon Sharpe Award
With both Jimmy Graham and Julius Thomas scoring zero points, Gronk was able to fend off his competition as easily as he does free safeties every Sunday.
Defense of the Year
This one was very close between the Bills and Eagles. The Eagles had an impressive Thanksgiving day showing but the Bills forced a lot of turnovers on Sunday and returned one to the house, which sealed the deal for the Bills to take home this award.
Jason Elam Award
Get excited people because we have our first tie for this award ever! Parkey's 15 points on Thanksgiving put the heat on Gostkowski and Vinatieri and a late, uncharacteristic shank from Gostkowski took him from the winner of this award to the co-winner (I don't think that's an actual word).
I'll be posting these trophies on the ESPN site and also hand out some more trophies based on the commish's judgement as we go through the playoffs and don't worry, there's no need for me to break each of those down on this website.
The playoffs will be here before you know it so make sure you have your ipads charged and tumblers filled for Round 1. The playoffs are why you went through all of your intense preseason studying, why you ignored work and family for long periods of time, why your battery is at 6% when Sunday ends, and why you're still checking in on this website every week. Come back here Wednesday or Thursday (I'll let everyone know exactly when on the ESPN site) to see how our playoff bracket might play out according to the commish and what to look for as we align our troops for the battle of the Granger Cup.