Week One is in the books! Let's break down the matchups and preview what we have in store for week 2.
Matchup of the Week:
(1.) Kurty's Lil' Beauties 197.00
vs
(7.) Cody Burrows in Buttholes 150.56
Our "matchup of the week" features the team with the first overall pick in the draft, vs the team with second overall pick. Both teams had quite the showing for the fantasy opener, yet Kurty posted the highest score of the week with 197.00 behind amazing performances from Amari Cooper and Deebo Samuel, and also getting above-expectations outings from the core of his team.
The only weakness of Kurty's week was QB Lamar Jackson, who under-performed his projections Monday night, but the Lil' Beauties already had the matchup sealed. On the bench, QB Jared Goff outscored Jackson but you obviously can't be too mad about that. TE Jared Cook, WR Cole Beasley, and WR Nelson Agholor look to be solid bench depth after their week-one usage.
CBB rolled the dice on QB Jalen Hurts, but his gamble paid off with Hurts racking up 27.76 points, leading scorer on his team and QB6 on the week. He also had stellar performances from TE Darren Waller Monday night and RB De'Andre Swift, who made an impact in the unlikely Detroit comeback against San Francisco on Sunday.
There were a few factors that worked against CBB, notwithstanding the sheer volume of points he was facing from Kurty: his first round pick Dalvin Cook was good, but not great on Sunday, and clearly out-performed by Kurtis's first round pick McCaffrey. His wide receivers had mediocre days across the board, with his bench receiver DJ Chark outscoring any of the four receivers he started. It didn't help that Michael Gallup was injured during the game and now will miss some time, but at the end of the day the lackluster receiving is what ultimately sank CBB. He can take comfort in knowing he posted the second highest score of the week, and would have been victorious against any other opponent except Kurty.
The Rest
(10) MCKC 124.14
vs
(5) Savages 127.44
In a close runner-up for "Matchup of the Week", MCKC and Savages had the closest winning margin (3.3 points) of any week 1 matchup as Savages held onto a 20.3 point lead entering Monday night. Savages was all finished, but MCKC had RB Josh Jacobs going, and the Raider managed a solid 17-point game but alas was not enough to secure the fantasy victory for MCKC.
Savages got the win, despite having 3 starters post single digit days, and MCKC having only one do so. The real difference maker was the 2-TD days enjoyed by savages WR Adam Thielen and TE Travis Kelce, who's scores tipped the scales for Savages against MCKC's roster that also largely underperformed expectations without enjoying a breakout week from any player.
(9) Staff Infection 126.96
vs
(4) Vaders Shade 131.96
Probably the most interesting matchup (and second-closest, 5.00 point margin), was the nail-biter between Staff Infection and Vaders Shade. Despite things not going well in various ways, each team had a few security blankets that saved the day and kept the game close through the final minutes of the Sunday Night Rams/Bears game. Vaders Shade had sub-par days from his RB group and his WR1 Julio Jones, but Kyler Murray's performance gave him the edge needed for victory.
Staff Infection had terrible luck, getting 0 points from 2 starters, and while the rest of the team performed fairly strong it was not enough to overcome the lackluster Derrick Henry outing and the other donuts on his stat sheet. Newly-Acquired TE Gronkowski (via trade w/ Kurty) and other bench players had strong days for Staff Infection, so the roster holes look to soon be filled.
(2) RayJohn 143.22
vs
(8) Loveland Longshots 127.26
In a matchup that began Thursday night with RayJohn posting strong numbers from WR Ceedee Lamb, WR Antonio Brown, and QB Dak Prescott, Loveland Longshots was literally a long shot before he had a player take the field. On Sunday Longshots had a superstar performance from Tyreek Hill and a very solid showing from QB Russell Wilson, but very pedestrian numbers from the rest of his team.
Ironically, both RayJohn and Longshots suffered disappointing outings from their early round RBs in Harris and Jones, but a powerful day from Joe Mixon and a late TD catch by Robert Woods helped RayJohn finish the rout and enter week 2 the third highest scoring team.
(6) Khronick 111.00
vs
(12) Bye Felicia 103.18
In a tale of two misfortunes, the matchup between Khronick and Bye Felicia had its struggles on both sides. For Khronick, they began way before game time when RB Gus Edwards tore his ACL and was lost for the season the same day the season kicked off last Thursday.
Subbing in Philip Lindsay for Edwards, and a touchdown from rookie WR Devonta Smith helped bolster a dull week overall for Khronick, giving him the victory in a 7.82 close one. Bye Felicia had awesome days from her first pick QB Pat Mahomes and WR2 Tyler Lockett, but that couldn't overcome the single digit performances from each other roster spot.
(11) Beaver Licker 107.52
vs
(3) G Towns Finest 134.62
Our final matchup was a fairly one-sided affair, with G Town's Finest having a solid day throughout and only a few players like QB Justin Herbert and his Packers Defense truly underperforming. Beaver meanwhile experienced the worst nightmare of fantasy owners, when his star QB Aaron Rodgers had a miserable outing and barely posted a single point.
RB Zeke Elliot and WR3 Henry Ruggs didn't help the situation, but overall the day wasn't horrible except for the QB disaster. G Town will take the win, carried by stellar days from WR De'Andre Hopkins and flex RB Melvin Gordon III.
Week Two Preview
Matchup of the Week
(3) GTowns Finest
vs
(7) Cody Burrows Buttholes
CBB was the second highest scoring team of week one yet still suffered a loss. GTowns Finest secured a win and the fourth highest point totals a week ago. This matchup will prove whether CBB can pull out of the 0-1 hole behind a strong team, and if GTown simply benefited from Aaron Rodgers laying a week 1 egg. CBB is looking for a bounce-back week from his receivers while hoping bench WR DJ Chark or some waiver help can replace injured WR Michael Gallup in his lineup for the time being. GTown is hoping for a continued emergence of rookie WR Jamar Chase to help his already booming WR core keep rolling, and a better outing from QB Justin Herbert may be essential for his victory in our Matchup of the Week.
Runner Up
(1) Kurty's Lil' Beauties
vs
(4) Vaders Shade
In our highest ranked matchup of the week, we have our #1 team from week one meeting our #4 team, and sparks are sure to fly. Kurty blasted to victory behind mind-bending games from WRs Amari Cooper and Deebo Samuel, but the fact the half of Deebo's 30 points were scored on one play means there could be some regression there. The NFL and SportsLeaf projections favor Kurty's roster, so Vader will need another stellar performance from QB Kyler Murray and a bounce back day from his receivers to bridge the gap.
SportsLeaf Prediction:
Kurty's Lil' Beauties Goes to 2-0
The Rest
(5) Savages
vs
(9) Staff Infection
Savages pulled off a close week 1 win, and Staff Infection suffered a close loss. A runner-up to the runner-up of Match of the Week, if you will, this matchup features some interesting question marks including the clearly metered role of Saquan Barkley through week 1 for Savages and what do do about the receiver situation for Staff. Another fun storyline: Savages lost RB Raheem Mostert to IR for the year, and Staff Infection has SF rookie RB Trey Sermon on the bench, who will likely absorb much of that vacant production. Savages meanwhile has rookie WR Jaylen Waddle waiting in the wings, primed for showtime after a week 1 score in Miami.
SportsLeaf Prediction:
Staff Infection Bounces Back, Wins Week 2
(2) RayJohn
vs
(10) MCKC
RayJohn had pretty solid numbers from his starters in week 1 with the exception of RB Najee Harris, and even had a strong showing from the bench depth. Conversely MCKC suffered a close loss due to his team meeting, and not exceeding, expectations. In week 2 RayJohn looks to keep the roll going behind his strong RB trio and QB Dak Prescott, while hoping to get a little more production from the WR group. MCKC has a powerful roster including WR Devante Adams and TE George Kittle, that will need to at least meet projections this time around in order to pull out of the 0-1 hole.
SportsLeaf Prediction:
RayJohn Squeaks Out A Close One
(8) Loveland Longshots
vs
(6) Khronick
Loveland Longshots had a rough go in week 1, as did Khronick but Longshots took the L while Khronick sits at 1-0. For week 2, Longshots needs to see a true bounce-back performance from RB Aaron Jones, and the promotion of RB Jamal Williams to the flex position should add some ability there. Khronick had less-than-stellar outings from his team across the board week 1, and will need hefty days from QB Josh Allen, WR AJ Brown, and hopefully some help from the RB room in order to secure a victory.
SportsLeaf Prediction:
Loveland Longshots Catapults To Victory
(12) Bye Felicia
vs
(11) Beaver Licker
In a matchup between two of our less fortunate week 1 teams, we have strong rosters that simply underperformed to start the year. Beaver, like anyone with a GB player rostered, need Rodgers to have an MVP-type day, and his RB/WR group needs to build on the success they started on week 1. Bye Felicia doesn't have any QB problems with Pat Mahomes leading the charge, but a solid outing from the Robinson/Gibson RB combo will be essential if she is to climb out of the bottom ranks.
SportsLeaf Prediction:
Beaver Licker By A Hair
Oh no. "Beaver Licker by a hair" got me. Haha