We are a month into football season! The Cardinals look like one of the strongest teams in the NFL after dominating the Rams while the Chiefs reminded everyone that they can score over 40 points whenever they want. Both New York teams got their first wins of the year, both via overtime and Tom Brady’s return to Foxborough did not disappoint. Also, pound for pound Austin Ekeler is a beast.
There are no more undefeated or winless teams after this week in the BBL, as Hurts so Good lost to Philly Special and All I do is Winston finally got their first win against the Piranhas.
On to the recaps!
Tropical Thunder 156.25 – 133.56 GalensWinningWinners
The Thunder were busy early Sunday morning making some last-minute start-sit decisions in picking up and starting Zach Wilson and the Miami defense. Wilson (21) put up a solid performance considering his last two weeks were terrible (Wilson combined for five points weeks 2-3) while the Miami defense (7) did average. Either way, it did not matter as the Thunder scored their highest point total of the season scoring over 156 points. Finally, a breakout week from Matt Ryan (37), along with DJ Moore (24), Ezekiel Elliot (20) and Tyler Bass (14) propelled the Thunder to the second highest score in the league. They sit at 3-1 going into week 5.
Another week with missed expectations for GWW. Outside of the 167-point outburst in week 2, they are averaging about 122 points per week. Half of the starters scored in single digits which didn’t help. They made a nice pickup this week with the Green Bay defense that scored 14 points, the fourth highest value on the team. Austin Ekeler also shined on Monday night, scoring just south of 30 points (28). GWW was busy as well Sunday morning, but not in a good way. They swapped out Cordarrelle Patterson for Trey Sermon in their flex position which proved to be a 21-point swing. Sermon scored 9 points, while Patterson’s career 30-point performance was left on the bench. It would not have changed the outcome of the matchup though, but it would have helped in the all-important points scored metric going forward. GWW drops to 1-3.
Philly Special 150.39 – 135.63 Hurts so Good
After suffering a setback last week, Philly Special scored 150 to beat the last undefeated team left in the BBL. Patrick Mahomes (42) picked up some of the slack that Kirk Cousins (12) lacked this week while Saquon Barkley used an overtime touchdown to get to his fantasy output of 25 points. Mahomes and Barkley contributed for over 44 percent of Philly’s points on the week. Three starters scored less than nine points, but Philly got solid points from the rest of his team. Philly has been extremely consistent this year scoring over 140 each week to put them at 3-1. Consistency is key, and Philly Special might have something good with this team.
Hurts so Good lost their first game this season to drop to 3-1. HSG had strong starters in Jalen Hurts (33), Corey Davis (17) and Justin Jefferson (15). The Bills defense also dominated the Texans and scored 26 fantasy points for this squad. The problem for HSG included starters Tyler Lockett (2), Chris Carson (3) and Travis Kelce (2). This cost HSG their undefeated record this week. HSG is on the lookout for a quarterback, mostly because Baker Mayfield scored less than 10 points and their other quarterback on the bench (Teddy Bridgewater) was diagnosed with a concussion. Still a strong team, they sit at 3-1.
All I do is Winston 159.86 – 101.87 Amazon Piranhas
Finally, All I do is Winston got their first win this week destroying the Piranhas 159-101. Winston got great performances from Terry McLaurin (25), Deebo Samuel (28) and Derrick Henry (25) on their way to 159 points. Winston had some tough opponents this season, accumulating the highest points allowed through three weeks, part of the reason they were 0-3. That was definitely not the case this week as the Piranhas stood no chance. Winston could have started four players (Allen, McLaurin, Samuel, Henry) and still could have won this matchup, with those players combining for 102 points. This week was a much-needed win for Winston.
It feels like I am writing the exact same recap for the Piranhas for the second week in a row. Just another embarrassing showing from this team, barely scoring over 100 points. Aaron Rodgers (28), Taylor Heinicke (34) and Antonio Gibson (14) set a strong foundation and combined for 76 points. They set the stage for a good week for the Piranhas, but never had the chance of materializing. This squad ended the week with 101 points despite those three strong starters. Is the Christian McCaffrey injury to blame for this roster’s struggles? Maybe. It certainly doesn’t help when six starters score less than five points. Not even McCaffrey could help this team right now. This is a prime example of how strong quarterback play cannot carry teams to victory. Rodgers and Heinicke scored 62 from the quarterback position, with all eight other starters combining for 39. This team needs to make a significant move if they want to make the postseason this year.
Everglade Squatches 147.70 – 124.70 Hipple’s Heroes
Somehow, the Squatches sit with an even record at 2-2 despite having 447 points (111 per week) though four weeks. (For reference, All I do is Winston has 597 points (149 per week) and only has one win to their name). The point is this team should be quite satisfied with the 2-2 record. They finally scored over 120 points, scoring 147 to take down Hipple’s Heroes. Quarterbacks Dak Prescott (28) and Justin Herbert (27) led the way for the Squatches. They also finally got production from first round pick Jonathan Taylor who scored 18 points. They still had four starters in single digits, but considering the way this team has looked, 2-2 is a great spot.
And another loss for the Heroes. I am really not sure what to make of this team. Sam Darnold led the Heroes with 36 points, and they also got 14 points from tight end Jared Cook. Otherwise, the Heroes threw together a rather unimpressive roster. Six players scored less than 12 points, with three of them scoring less than seven. After drafting a strong team with a lot of depth, this team has quickly become short on depth and very dependent on a select group of players. The Heroes have not cracked the 130-point mark in the last two weeks and have consequently lost those matchups.
Tundra Icecaps 141.36 – 119.34 Sahara Sandstorms
The Icecaps once again proved to anyone that didn’t believe in them that they are one of the stronger teams in the league. But if we really take a deep dive into their starts this week, they were carried by four players. Russell Wilson (26), Matthew Stafford (24), David Montgomery (23) and an explosion by Tyreek Hill (38) combined for 111 points. The other six starters were not productive, scoring less than eight points, three of which scoring less than four. I would be filled with regret if I didn’t mention that the Icecaps kicker woes came to surface again this week, as Daniel Carlson scored two points. Luckily it did not matter as the Sandstorms failed to meet expectations this week. The Icecaps are 3-1.
Well as soon as we hyped up the Sandstorms last week, they underperformed severely. Failing to score 120 points, the Sandstorms got a bad start on Thursday night when they opted to start the Bengals defense who scored six points. Half the roster scored single digits with two starters scoring less than two points which included Mike Williams (1) and Robert Tonyan (0). Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow had strong starts with 27 and 26 respectively, and Najee Harris tacked on 16 points for the Sandstorms. Unfortunately, the 119 was the second lowest score in the league. The loss dropped their record to 2-2.
Week 5 Matchups
Hurts go Good 3-1 vs. Sahara Sandstorms 2-2
Tropical Thunder 3-1 vs. Philly Special 3-1
Tundra Icecaps 3-1 vs. Hipple’s Heroes 1-3
All I do is Winston 1-3 vs. Everglade Squatches 2-2
GalensWinningWinners 1-3 vs Amazon Piranhas 1-3
Around the League
There were no trades made on Sunday, (thankfully) but there are two pending trades that were accepted Monday and will be sent to the league office for review later this afternoon. They involve four different franchises.
Everglade Squatches receives
Cordarrelle Patterson
Justin Fields
Laviska Shenault Jr.
GalensWinningWinners receives
Calvin Ridley
Derek Carr
Well alright then. That is certainly a fascinating trade for the Squatches. Cordarrelle Patterson currently stands as the second ranked running back based on points this year. Surely the Squatches are banking on that to continue. Shenault also looks to receive more work due to the injury to DJ Chark in Jacksonville. That’s also dependent on if Jacksonville can actually move down the field to score.
GWW gains a solid quarterback in Carr and the pure talent of Calvin Ridley who has started rather cold this season. Good on this team for selling high on Patterson and turning two bench players into Calvin Ridley and Derek Carr. Well done.
Amazon Piranhas receives
Dalvin Cook
Tom Brady
Hipple’s Heroes receives
Antonio Gibson
Latavius Murray
Taylor Heinicke
And another week with a panic trade for the Heroes, it just happened on Monday rather than Sunday. I truly do not know if this team wants to win this season. Brady, the quarterback three on the year in fantasy points, has one bad week and trades him for Taylor Heinicke? Must really like what he sees out of Washington to grab Heinicke and Gibson from the Football Team. Then he ships out number two overall pick Dalvin Cook for the aforementioned Antonio Gibson and Latavius Murray. I was hoping that their flurry of trades early in the year was for a purpose, but it does not appear that way in the slightest. The problem is, this manager thinks he’s actually making good trades but here is just another instance of a head scratching decision for this team.
As for the Piranhas though, the potential is definitely there. Down the stretch the Piranhas could be starting Christian McCaffrey and Dalvin Cook in their running back positions making them a dangerous team in the postseason. I mean, these were the first two players drafted off the board this year so the talent and star power are there. They are just both battling injuries and not at 100% health right now. I did say that this team needed to make a significant move but is it the right one? The problem with this roster is getting to postseason, as the Piranhas need to be winning now, not later as they currently sit at 1-3.
Lookout for the week 5 edition of the Power Rankings that will come out later this week!
Cheers!
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