Only one undefeated team remains at the top of the standings and it’s GalensWinningWinners. A perfect 6-0, Galen has made all the right decisions so far and will be on their way to the postseason… unless disaster strikes.
The past two champions of the BBL are a combined 1-11 this season. 2022 champion Ezra is currently 0-6 while 2021 champion Blake is 1-5. So, this shows us one of two things. One, these championships were flukes or two, the Books Boss League is just that competitive year in and year out. I am going to go with the latter.
On to the recaps!
Thunder knocks off undefeated HSG 152-99
We’re Thielen good! The Trop righted the ship from their two-game losing streak, hammering HSG by over 50 points. Nine starters scored in double digits, but none was more impressive than $4 waiver wire steal Adam Thielen. Thielen rattled off 21 points as the Thunder handed HSG their first loss of the season. It was a much-needed win because it doesn’t get easier in week seven, with three receivers scheduled for their bye week.
HSG lost their first matchup of the year, and it wasn’t pretty. Outside of Cooper Kupp (22), HSG left little to be desired and there is no silver lining. What used to be the deepest quarterback room in the league now looks slim. Justin Fields (doubtful to play) and Trevor Lawrence (knee injury on a short week) coupled with CJ Stroud (bye week) and this team only has Brock Purdy left standing. Luckily this team can afford it winning their first five games of the season. Also, one more note Tim, check your messages!
Icecaps earn win over Misfits, 140-114
The Icecaps really only need to start four players on any given week to win. Tua (28), Herbert (23), Hill (24) and K. Williams (25) carried the other non-existing players on their way to their fifth win. Their running back room took a massive hit though, as Montgomery and K. Williams sustained injuries that may force them to miss week 7. At 5-1, they are in a great spot.
The Misfits however, are not in a good spot. Dropping to 1-5, you can’t blame this team for not trying. Consistently trying to alter the roster by trading pieces here and there when it’s all said and done, the current roster has one win in six weeks. Rivaling the Adam Thielen pickup by the Thunder, Chuba Hubbard was an excellent addition to the team this weekend, generating 17 points. The two tenths of a point from Logan Thomas didn’t help, as well as Puka Nacua’s 3 in the flex. Ben also likes throwing away money, spending $30 on Emari Demercado who went two carries for 11 yards and one reception for six yards. I think the smarter decision was benching him. Next week will be very telling for this team.
Sandstorms keep winning, beat Piranhas 128-98
“I have an inquiry.” The Sandstorms got consistency across the board including 21 from Etienne (a former Misfit). Winning their fifth straight, the Sandstorms have made all the right trades at the right time, acquiring the aforementioned Etienne as well as Stefon Diggs. The other good news is this squad isn’t getting complacent, trying to reach out to other managers to improve their roster via trade. Perhaps they could improve if Tim would just check his messages already. At 5-1, maybe this is the year they pull it all together.
Well, this isn’t good. Scoring less than 100 for the second week in a row, the Piranhas haven’t scored over 130 since week 2. Seven starters scored in single digits while the highest scorer was three-interception Jalen Hurts with 22. Also not making wise use of investments, $65 Jerome Ford sat on the bench with 10 points. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but it was more than either of the running backs that were started as well as his flex starter. Now at 3-3, it might be 3-4 after a date with GWW next week.
GWW stays hot, survive late push by Squatches 140-132
Scoring over 140, the larger concern is the health of lynchpin Christian McCaffrey. Exiting the game with an oblique and a rib injury, expect a large sum of the FAAB to be spent on the 49ers backup. Oh wait, GWW burned $35 on Joshua Kelley earlier this year who is not currently on this roster. Not as bad as the $65 Ford investment though. 18 points from a kicker will always be a welcome sign as Harrison Butker kicked things off (literally and figuratively) on Thursday night. 21 points from St. Brown on Sunday and this team is 6-0. If McCaffrey is injured the undefeated record may be in jeopardy, but against the Piranhas I wouldn’t be worried about it.
Looking for inspiration, Ezra Gorman needed a spark. Electing to attend a Sasquatch fest in Columbia this past weekend, Ezra listened in on numerous seminars, trying to generate some motivation on his winless squad. Here’s even a picture of Ezra motivating his team.
Needing an incredible 48-point performance from Prescott and Pollard to pull off an upset on Monday night, the Squatches fell short. A late Prescott to Pollard touchdown was no good as the ball fell harmlessly to the ground, cementing the 0-6 start for the Squatches. Trading for Derrick Henry was an excellent decision earlier this season, scoring 18 points across the pond in London on Sunday morning. After falling to 0-6, Ezra prompted us with an intriguing proposition.
“The only thing to do is scrap the season so far, redraft, and play it out from here.”
I don’t think so Ezra.
HCTM holds off Avalanche 110-104
In the cellar matchup of the week, HCTM earned their first win of the year, albeit against the now 0-6 Avalanche. There we no standouts on this roster, with no player scoring over 19. Moving to 1-5 on the year, HCTM will need to string together a couple wins if they want to have even a remote chance to make the postseason. A matchup against the 1-5 Misfits is on deck.
This is a lost year for Erk. At 0-6, it’s time to either accept the reality of another consolation bracket appearance or time to completely overhaul the roster. What hurts the most is benching Kyle Pitts at tight end. His 11 points would have won the week if he started him over Ferguson. Things will get interesting next week.
Why Next Week is Interesting
One team will be 0-7. The question is who? Perhaps the most anticipated matchup without any substantial implications will be when the Squatches battle the Avalanche in week seven. The league will be watching closely as the two 0-6 teams battle in the trenches of last place.
Survivor Pool
Integrity should always win. At least, that will always be the goal in the BBL. After confirming past scores, it appeared that Yahoo made a VERY late stat correction in week four, giving Ezra an additional .5 points. No big deal, right? Wrong! That additional half point actually swayed a survivor pool elimination and altered the entire mini game. So, for clarity’s sake, let’s go over the current update to the pool as of week 7.
Seven managers signed up, leaving weeks 1-3 as bye weeks before elimination started in week 4. Erk, Logan and Jordan were ineligible to compete.
Week 4- Book was eliminated with 111.92 points, thanks to the additional stat correction applied to Ezra.
Week 5- Blake was eliminated with 104.56 points.
Week 6- Tim has been eliminated with 99.86 points. Jack is immune in week 7 with 140.76 points.
Entering week 7- Jack, Galen, Ezra, and Ben remain in the challenge. No immunity will be awarded this week.
So hey, even the 0-6 Squatches and the 1-5 Misfits still have something to play for.
Cheers!
Books Boss League 