Tag: Schoolya’gain

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2018 1st Overall Draft Pick

A multi-layered, combination offline and online random generated selection has been performed under the eye of two veteran franchises. Every team not already guaranteed a spot in the draft was included in the selection process. The winner of the 2018 1st Overall Draft Pick is…

 

Amendola Sent Me

…I mean, Gronk Out With Your Honk Out

……I mean, Mr. Gisele Bundchen

………I mean, The Brady Bundchen

congrats go out to

WHITE WES WELKERS

don’t fuck it up

 

The rest of the order shifts up. Yeah, you still last Bagel.

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SE7EN

“No throne is legit until it has been defended.”  – I said that shit.

Welcome to Season VII. Blessed be the Lombardi fruit. 

ORGANIZATION

As you know by now, we have reduced league ownership to 12 members. Senior leader correspondence this week was a shadowed assessment of corporate loyalty. Loyalty is a cohesive force that forges individual teams into a league and advances fidelity. We don’t need any owners volunteering to ‘sit one out’ competing in our theatre of war, much less sitting on our board of directors. We don’t need that seditious burden at our proverbial table. This includes you Schoolya’gain – you’re safe for now, but you’ve been put on notice. Locate and harness that allegiance within.

REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

This change improves our market cap and should reduce opportunity cost significantly this season. This change to a 12-team roster also means that Constitutional Amendments 15.2 and 15.3 are enacted. The first week’s lineup will be established based on the results of the previous season. The 1st place finisher will play the 2nd place finisher; the 3rd place finisher will play the 4th place finisher; and so on. If teams have been retired or removed, the standings simply shift up.

Following the conclusion of Week 12, after we’ve each played each other once, we will manually set the schedule for the final week of the regular season based on the current league standings. Week 13 will be a true test of which team best deserves that position in the playoffs. For this week, the 1st place standing will play the 2nd place standing; the 3rd place standing will play the 4th place standing; and so on.

DRAFT

This year’s draft will be held on Saturday, August 25th at 9:00 am. Draft location is TL3 Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. All Team Owners are expected to attend.

Weekend festivities begin Friday, August 24th at 2:00 pm. The tentative weekend schedule is as follows:

Friday: Golf Outing TBD (options available: DC Virtual, TopGolf, FootGolf, go play actual golf); followed by BBQ and evening Poker

Saturday: Live TL3 Draft; Paintball Outing at Hogback; multiple Loudon Co. microbrewery stops; followed by BBQ and evening Poker

The tentative draft order has been set. See the Draft Center page for a preliminary look. With the Consolation Bracket Champion on hiatus, that guaranteed #4 pick is not filled and the order shifts up. A follow-up post announcing the first overall draft pick is imminent.

LEAGUE DUES

Pay your dues. See the updated League Dues page for details and a public snapshot of your TL3 credit report. Under his eye.

LEAGUE HISTORY

The League History page has been updated to include the results of our 2017 season. Organized by win percentage, Trouble Hunter is the winningest program at 22-10. She finished 4th and 5th in her two seasons, with a Regular Season Championship in her rookie year. Get that money girl.

“No throne has been successfully defended…yet. That changes in 2018.”  – I said that shit too.

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Pay Day

The League Dues page has been updated to reflect cash winnings. All winnings have been distributed as of this post. Final league standings, including the NIT results, are outlined below.

I sincerely want to recognize the Lake Hickory Swallops for their season. And not just the NIT blowout and pulling off the cash win. This is a team that scored the third most points in the league, and would have smoked every single one of us in the playoffs. Had he not been up against one of the toughest schedules in the league this year, and pulled off just one or two more wins during the regular season, he would have made the playoffs and dominated all three games. During Weeks 14, 15, and 16, LHS put up 193, 156, and 214, respectively. None of us would have survived that onslaught. Respect.

I will likely forego the usual “League Trophies” post as there is no way to create custom trophies on Yahoo.com. Although, I do recommend you check out the Record Book page on our league site which breaks down the various accolades, points, stats, medals, and what-nots of the season. I really like the Team Points page that outlines the ‘Points From Draft Players’ and the ‘Points From Post-Draft Acquisitions’. This is the data that I wish I had the time to nerd-out on and track closer, as these are the type metrics that we should be engaging.

2017 Single Game League Leaders
QB – Alex Smith (49.30 points in Week 13) – Air Jordy
RB – Todd Gurley II (49.60 points in Week 16) – Lake Hickory Swallops
WR – Julio Jones (50.80 points in Week 12) – Whitey Ford’s Team
TE – Jack Doyle (30.10 points in Week 8) – White Wes Welkers
K – Robbie Gould (24.00 points in Week 15) – Air Jordy
DEF – Baltimore Ravens (61.30 points in Week 6) – Reason to Kerrigan
LB – C. J. Mosley (20.30 points in Week 8) – Schoolya’gain

SEASON HIGH SCORE – Air Jordy (224.40 points in Week 15)
SEASON WIN STREAK –Christian’s Brothers (+7 Weeks 9-15)

Thanks again for your patience with the new league platform on Yahoo and the offline NIT playoff tracking. Stay tuned for one last sunset post on this year’s league champion and the future of The Lombardi Three…

-The Commish

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End of Regular Season 2017

At the conclusion of the Regular Season, we have each played each other once. I have updated our Strength of Schedule and see no real surprises here – same narrative, different weeks. I was hoping to see some of it balance out, but we have deviated even further from the mean. A team’s advantage of +23.7% far exceeds any we have seen throughout our league history. Same goes for a disadvantage of -19.8%. My conclusion after this year’s results, combined with the impoverished health of the NFL and the size of our rosters, is that we can only be competitive as a 10-team league, statistically speaking. Otherwise it’s just random luck.

A potential alternative is to disregard regular season standings and utilize aggregate rankings to measure a team’s performance and determine playoff seeding. Clear evidence already exists that supports this option as we have never had a #1 or #2 seed win the playoffs. We are obviously not structuring this right.

Maybe this year will be different. Christian’s Brothers has hit his stride and is averaging 184.5 points per week over his current 5-game win streak. Maybe this year will be more of the same. Last year’s Regular Season champ, Trouble Hunter, averaged 181.2 over her regular season finale, but came up short in the playoffs and finished 5th on the season. Same fall from grace met Air Jordy in the 2015 and 2014 seasons where he averaged 203.9 and 190.3 per week, respectively, and lost in the first round of each playoff. Lady Luck breaks up with all of us eventually. She clearly had commitment issues.

Regular Season Awards
Regular Season Champion – Christian’s Brothers (20% Bonus)
Regular Season 2nd Place – Bagel Time* (5% Bonus)
Regular Season True Coach Ranking – Schoolya’gain (5% Bonus)

Regular Season True Coach Rankings
The Regular Season True Coach ranking is a carryover from our time on NFL.com. This ranking is tabulated throughout the season and measures your performance across three (3) categories – your point differential* in fantasy points between your starting and ideal lineup each week; how you breakdown weekly if you played all teams each week; and your overall W/L standing. *For our time on Yahoo.com, I replaced point differential with Total Points. It ends up being the same results and the math is much easier. Schoolya’gain finished 1st, 2nd, and 5th, respectively.

Schoolya’gain
Christian’s Brothers
Air Jordy
UnLockin’ Yo Schtuff
Bagel Time*
White Wes Welkers
Trouble Hunter
Lake Hickory Swallops
Whitey Ford’s Team
K-Nasty
Reason to Kerrigan
Tannehill for President
Wanted Dez or Alive
IJamAllDay

Guaranteed to Cash on Wins
Christian’s Brothers
Bagel Time*
Trouble Hunter
UnLockin’ Yo Schtuff

Chance to Cash on Wins (# of Playoff Wins Required)
Schoolya’gain (1)
Whitey Ford’s Team (1)
Air Jordy (2)
White Wes Welkers (2)
Reason to Kerrigan (2)

Only one of the following teams can cash out, and they need to win the Consolation Bracket Playoffs to do so. This will guarantee half their dues back and the #4 pick in next year’s draft. Of course, Wanted Dez or Alive could #RunTheTable and kill all of their chances to cash.

Lake Hickory Swallops (3)
K-Nasty (3)
Tannehill for President (3)
IJamAllDay (3)

Single Game League Leaders (through Week 13)
QB – Alex Smith (49.30 points in Week 13) – Air Jordy
RB – Kareem Hunt (44.60 points in Week 1) – Air Jordy
WR – Julio Jones (50.80 points in Week 12) – Whitey Ford’s Team
TE – Jack Doyle (30.10 points in Week 8) – White Wes Welkers
K – Ryan Succop (21.50 points in Week 6) – IJamAllDay
DEF – Baltimore Ravens (61.30 points in Week 6) – Reason to Kerrigan
LB – C. J. Mosley (20.30 points in Week 8) – Schoolya’gain

SEASON HIGH SCORE – Whitey Ford’s Team (219.5 points in Week 12)
SEASON WIN STREAK – Schoolya’gain (+5 Weeks 6-10) and Christian’s Brothers (+5 Weeks 9-13)

 

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Strength of Schedule

Schoolya’gain flipped the district in Week 10 and unseated that gerrymandering, bench-swappin’ Bagel Time* in order take back the house. And she did it legit, with a Strength of Schedule differential right down the center of the spectrum. She was one of only two teams to survive an upset this week and has averaged 167 points per game over her current, league-leading 5-game win streak.

I have attempted to measure our strength of schedule through Week 10 by comparing each team’s current win percentage to their win percentage if they played every other team in the league each week. This is a very simple method for measuring how hard, or unlucky, your schedule has been and vice versa. I have charted these results below.

I caveat the following analysis not to pick on any teams in particular, but to provide defined examples of how the calculations are derived and demonstrate the unforgiving nature of playing this game from year to year. No matter what you do, sometimes the odds are just stacked against you. Don’t take it personal.

Looking at the EASY (or lucky (however you wish to look at it)) end of the spectrum, Christian’s Brothers, IJamAllDay, Bagel Time, and Trouble Hunter have had the most fortunate matchups to date, respectively.

  • Christian’s Brothers has enjoyed a +19.2% advantage thus far, having been fortunate enough to compete against one of only a few teams who he could have beaten in multiple weeks. In Week 2, ten of the other thirteen teams in the league would have bested Christian Brother’s had they faced him, yet he was fortunate enough to have faced one of the only three teams he could have beaten. This happened again in Week 4 when the odds were even slimmer. Eleven teams in the league would have outscored CB, but again, he faced one of the two teams that couldn’t.
  • IJamAllDay has been able to make the most of a +16.2% advantage, by scoring the least amount of points in the league but still managing a 5-5 record and a potential playoff position in the current standings. Looking at the same weekly scenarios, IJAD had the same luck in Week 6, as he squared off against one of only three teams he could have beaten that week.
  • Bagel Time’s* advantage of 15.4% is negatively inflated by the use of the Bench Swap. Had he taken a loss that week he would be closer to the spectrum at 5.4%. However, he’s not off the hook. In Week 2 BT* had the luxury of playing one of only two teams he could have beaten that week, earning a win after a 124-point effort. Five other teams lost that week and they scored 140 points or more.
  • Ditto Trouble Hunter in Weeks 2 and 8, facing one of the only two teams with a lower score in both matchups. Unfortunately for TH, she hasn’t been able to benefit as much from this luck as she has experienced both ends of the spectrum having lost in Week 9 to one of only four teams who could have beaten her.

Looking at the HARD (or unlucky) end of the spectrum, Air Jordy, Wanted Dez or Alive, Lake Hickory Swallops, K-Nasty and White Wes Welkers have had the most unfortunate matchups to date, respectively.

  • Air Jordy has faced an -18.5% disadvantage thus far. Same story, different results. This started in Week 2 after putting up 170 points (170 points has only been eclipsed 22 times over our 140 scores this season) and losing to one of the only 2 teams with higher outputs. This happened again in Week 10 facing one of only 4 teams with the chops needed to win.
  • A somewhat different scenario has plagued both Wanted Dez or Alive (-17.7% disadvantage) and Lake Hickory Swallops (-14.6% disadvantage) all season. Other than one or two duds, they have both been putting up consistent middle of the road numbers, but continually end up with the short straw when facing the one half of the league that could challenge them. For these guys it’s either been bad luck, or no luck at all.
  • K-Nasty (-11.5% disadvantage) put up great numbers in Weeks 6 and 7, but faced one of the only four teams to beat him in Week 6, and a bottom half matchup in Week 7 driving his strength of schedule differential down. Another middle of the road guy that can’t catch a break.
  • In Weeks 5 and 7, White Wes Welkers (-11.5% disadvantage) would have taken down any one of eight and nine matchups, respectively. These two wins would have been the difference between a 10th place and a 4th place standing. To add insult to injury, these losses were the meat of his league-leading, 5-game losing streak covering Weeks 3 through 7.

With three weeks left in the regular season, maybe these odds will start to balance themselves out as we compete against the remaining teams in the league we haven’t faced yet. A full historical Strength of Schedule will be performed and analyzed against the final standings for each season. Though, the more I dig in to the random, uncontrollable nature of fantasy football, the more I question its value. I fear where this will take me.

Of final note, Week 11 is traditionally our lowest scoring week of the season on average and we are trending that direction. Chart below explains everything.

We have new single-game leaders at QB, TE and LB. All of our top performances came out of Weeks 6 through 8, with the exception of RB, which still hasn’t been broken since Week 1.

Single Game League Leaders (through Week 10)
QB – Russel Wilson (46.60 points in Week 8) – Wanted Dez or Alive
RB – Kareem Hunt (44.60 points in Week 1) – Air Jordy
WR – Amari Cooper (44.00 points in Week 7) – Trouble Hunter
TE – Jack Doyle (30.10 points in Week 8) – White Wes Welkers
K – Ryan Succop (21.50 points in Week 6) – IJamAllDay
DEF – Baltimore Ravens (61.30 points in Week 6) – Reason to Kerrigan
LB – C. J. Mosley (20.30 points in Week 8) – Schoolya’gain

SEASON HIGH SCORE – Wanted Dez or Alive (212.45 points in Week 3)
SEASON WIN STREAK – Schoolya’gain (+5 Weeks 6-10)

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POSTLIMINARY WEEK 4

We are officially a quarter of the way through the season and I have no earthly idea how any team in this league, or any NFL team for that matter, is going to end up this year. I got nothing. The NFL and the state of Texas have no clue what to do with Ezekiel Elliott, the AFC East-leading Buffalo Bills have now beaten the Broncos and Falcons in back-to-back weeks, and Kirk Cousins is channeling his inner RG3 as he’s led the Redskins in rushing yards in three of four games this season. This all just feels out of sorts. I think the results of the Ball Gazer submissions each week were evidence of that. Week 3 was so bad I didn’t even post the results (as a group we were borderline .500). Trouble Hunter flirted with destiny in Week 2 (13-3), which would have ordinarily earned her a Bench Swap in any other season, but her domestic partner already deprived her of that luxury.

Usually there are indicators at this point in the season of some league playoff contenders, dynamic lineups, strong defenses, and deep benches. Or worse yet, obvious duds, poor drafting, someone you hate, domestic violence, broken families, and even a DUI or two. We got none of that. Shit, the teams with the two worst report cards after the draft have the most points in the league to date.

The turmoil continued in Week 4 as five out of the top seven squads lost and five out of the bottom seven won. The battle of the 0-3s drew to a close with IJamAllDay victorious, leaving Reason to Kerrigan the only squad left without a W. But RTK’s 0-4 record has a huge asterisk next to it, being the victim of a bench swap in Week 2. RTK has also faced the toughest competition opposing the second most ‘Points Against’ to date. Christian’s Brothers is the only undefeated team left, but this squad has also been the beneficiary of the weakest competition in the league through the first four weeks, having faced the least amount of ‘Points Against’ in the league by 166 points. That’s just ridiculous. That’s kinda like getting spotted 41.5 points each week before the game even starts. No one should be concerned though, as this won’t last. CB is 22-25 over his career.

Circling back on the ‘Balls’ and ‘Swaps’ discussion, we need to take care of a little admin. The unplanned BYE in Week 1 for the Bucs and Dolphins unveiled a void in our ruleset. You don’t know you need a rule for something, until you need a rule for something, and you know what that means. I have modified the language in our Constitution to address this issue should it arise again. If any NFL games are cancelled or postponed during Week 1, the win requirement is set to 85% correct picks, assuming picks are submitted for each game being played. If Amendment 13.5.1 – Shrinking Balls takes effect and any NFL games are cancelled or postponed during Week 2, the win requirement is set to 78% correct picks, and if any NFL games are cancelled or postponed during Week 3, the win requirement is further set to 71% correct picks, again, assuming picks are submitted for each game being played. This will cover us in the event something like this comes up again.

BYE weeks come in to play in Week 5. The Falcons, Broncos, Saints, and Redskins are off.

-The Commish

Single Game League Leaders
QB – Tom Brady (46.50 points in Week 3) – Unlockin’ Yo Schtuff
RB – Kareem Hunt (44.60 points in Week 1) – Air Jordy
WR – Stefon Diggs (37.30 points in Week 3) – IJamAllDay
TE – Jason Witten (25.70 points in Week 2) – Schoolya’gain
K – Matt Prater & Stephen Hauschka (19.00 points in Week 3) – Wanted Dez or Alive & Trouble Hunter
DEF – Jacksonville (49.70 points in Week 1) – Schoolya’gain
LB – Bobby Wagner (16.60 points in Week 4) – Reason to Kerrigan
HIGH SCORE – Wanted Dez or Alive (212.45 points in Week 3)

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110 DAYS

As much as I wish this blog more frequently probed the goings-on of the Cryptocurrency Singularity, or ponied up frolicsome Senior Moments, or knocked around belvederes on the impending Psychic Crystal Drug Apocalypse (we all wear Converse), this is about fantasy football; and more importantly, The Lombardi Three.

From this Thursday to Christmas Day, over the next 110 days, I encourage each of you to abort any vacation plans you had, cancel your kid’s birthday party, torpedo that two-week bag-juice cleanse the misses wants to do together (that shit sounds horrifying), postpone your dissertation work on Hyperbolic Discounting (a terrible subject about why you make terrible life choices), abrogate any work commitments, personal commitments, play dates, double dates, date nights, movie nights, fight nights, tickle fights, and pillow bites, and focus on what’s important – the Lombardi Three trophy. On this day in history, look at what so many others have accomplished:

0070 – Roman emperor Titus occupies and plunders Jerusalem
1228 – Roman emperor Frederick lands in Israel, restores Jerusalem (aka Sixth Crusade)
1652 – 15,000 Han farmers go full militia on the Dutch and kick their asses out of Taiwan
1911 – French poet Apollinaire arrested for stealing the Mona Lisa from the Louvre (baller move)
1927 – TV is invented; let me repeat – TV is invented today
1945 – Japanese surrender Wake Island to U.S. Marines (ooh rah!)
1997 – Lockheed Martin launches Maiden flight of the F-22 Raptor
2017 – Dawning of Sixth Crusade of the Lombardi Three

This is YOUR year. This is YOURS for the taking. Yeah YOU. I smell a champion in you like a fart in a car.

By the way, Week 1 Ball Gazer forms are due by kickoff of tonight’s game. Due to the postponement of the Tampa Bay – Miami game, the resulting threshold is 13 out of 15 picks. Technically this is 0.83% easier than getting 14 out of 16 picks. Thanks Irma!

Here’s one more little gift for you from our darling league radical, Schoolya’gain. This is a great piece on Michael Bennett, older brother of Green Bay Packer TE, Martellus Bennett.

SEAHAWKS’ MICHAEL BENNETT IS AN ACTIVIST DISGUISED AS A FOOTBALL PLAYER

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FINALS

The final week of the season and the Playoff Finals are here.

Unlockin Yo Schtuff (6) 9-6
vs.
Tannehill for President (4) 10-5

A Packer-backer and TL3 OG is in the finals! Unlockin Yo Schtuff has been up and down, unable to put a win streak together all season. Unlockin strung two wins together in weeks 1 and 2 and hadn’t repeated that feat until the past two weeks. However, he is averaging 160.93 points (5th) on the season, 162.98 points (1st) in the playoffs, and has a season high of 188.70 points (9th) in week 8.

TL3 sophomore, Tannehill for President, is riding a league-leading 8-2 record over the last 10 weeks and averaging 168.96 points per week (2nd) over this time frame, including his season high of 208.20 points (4th) in week 6. On the season T4P has a slight edge on Unlockin at 162.60 points per week (4th), but has only put together an average of 153.88 points (3rd) in the playoffs.

The last time these two teams met in week 11, Tannehill edged Unlockin by a mere 3 points. The final score was 171.65 to 168.65.

PAYDAY

I have to say, I think this little pay structure realignment/experiment seems to have worked out. The #1 overall seed didn’t run away with it, but will still walk away with a really nice return (at least $130). We certainly can’t say the same for the last two Regular Season Champions (cough, cough, same guy)…

For now we have at least six teams in the money with the potential for three more to hit pay dirt. Schoolya’gain and Wanted Dez or Alive each need one more win to reach the league minimum. If Schoolya’ wins, she simply earns back half her league dues and a 7th place finish. Wanted is in the 3rd place matchup with Air Jordy and is not only playing for his eighth win; this final W will also net him the Playoff 3rd Place Bonus. With a win, he earns almost all of his dues back. A loss, and he gets nothing but the extra 3rd round draft pick he already takes with him into next season.

The Whiteshadow and Eastside Forty-Ounces are both vying for their eighth win and the Consolation Bracket trophy (9th place). The Consolation Bracket winner is guaranteed the 4th round draft pick next year so there is much to play for in this matchup. The last time these two teams met in week 10, Whiteshadow dismantled Eastside by more than 40 points and didn’t leave a single point on the bench. The final score was 167.05 to 126.80.

LOMBARDI LEGENDS

ll2

Last but not least, there are a few teams whose final game will determine if they make the cut for next season’s Lombardi Legends league. Trouble Hunter and Tannehill for President are a lock. Unlockin and Air Jordy can snag the last two spots with a win. Bagel Time has a chance to take the fourth spot under three out of eight potential win-loss scenarios between these three teams. See below.

ll-scenarios

In Scenarios 2 and 7, if Air Jordy Loses and Bagel Time wins, Bagel takes the fourth spot no matter what. The tiebreaker for Lombardi Legends is total points and both Bagel and Unlockin have sizeable leads over Air Jordy. In Scenario 6, Unlockin will lose the 4th spot with wins by Air Jordy and Bagel, unless his total points for the week are 56.75 points more than Bagel Time’s total. This is not that far-fetched. The spread over 15 weeks of play averages 94.40 points. The high end of the spread is 151.30 taking place in week 3 (Bagel Time 235.55 – Wanted Dez or Alive 84.25), and the low end of the spread is 65.90 occurring last week in week 15 (Trouble Hunter 179.40 – Wanted Dez or Alive 113.50).

Next time you hear from me, we will have crowned our 5th Champion. And in honor of our 5th anniversary I am upping the ante on our league trophy. More to come. Finish strong.

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The Stage is (pretty much) Set

Here is a look at the preliminary standings for our playoffs starting next week…barring any miracles.

2016-playoffs-2

Trouble Hunter was a lock at #1 no matter what happened. Congratulations boo. Now’s when it really gets good.

Assuming the plane from Indianapolis lands in New Jersey, Air Jordy will secure the #2 seed. With a four-way tie at 8-5, Air Jordy gets the nod for overall tiebreaker by matchup. He beat each of the other three teams for a heads up record of 3-0.

RGIII’s Company earns the next matchup tiebreaker (3rd seed) for beating both Bagel Time and Tannehill for President for a heads up record of 2-1.

Late bloomer, Tannehill for President, is tied for the best record over the last seven games at 5-2 (tied with Trouble Hunter). He picks up the 4th seed for splitting his matchups with RGIII and Bagel finishing at 1-2 overall.

Bagel Time wraps up the tiebreaker with the 5th seed for not taking care of business when it counted. He lost to all three teams during the regular season, including losses by 0.05 and 1.40 points, finishing with a heads up record of 0-3. Inches man.

Unlockin Yo Schtuff and Schoolya’gain finish the regular season at 7-6, and the matchup tiebreaker goes to Wisconsin’s Unlockin (6 seed) for his win in Week 12 over the Twin City’s own Schoolya’gain (7 seed). Feels good to be on top of a Viking – I know what I’m talking about.

The final playoff spot goes to one of two teams in a head-to-head matchup in Week 13. It’s winner take all. Unless Frank Gore puts up a 34.60 stat line, Wanted Dez or Alive will squeak in at 6-7, tied with The Whiteshadow. The matchup tiebreaker would put WDOA in at #8 and a lock for the playoffs in his rookie season with the Lombardi Three.

That leaves up to two teams in the consolation bracket eligible for a cash payout this season (gotta get 8 wins). Keep playing no matter what. That cash payout and the #4 draft pick next year are still up for grabs.

Last but not least, all of this could be thrown in to complete upheaval if Brandon Marshall and T.Y. Hilton GO THE FUCK OFF tonight. I highly welcome that chaos. If they just match their best weeks at 25.40 and 33.10, respectively, Marshall and Hilton will put together just enough damage to spin Bagel Time into a 0.35 point loss meltdown and leave one Jon Bon junkie shot through the heart. Standby to standby…

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Hao Jiu Mei Jian

Yes, this is a TL3 blog post. Rare sighting this season, I know. Truth is, your league biographer has been completely consumed with a new gig and dropped anchor during the busiest time of the year. That combined with a lot of personal travel kept yours truly off the laptop. To top it off, there has been an enormous amount of turmoil in the league this year related to injuries and the impact thereof, leaving us languishing and wearied in winds of uncertainty. The league standings reeling to and fro like grain fields swaying in the breeze; so heavy upon them the disappointment of their ever-changing rosters. An injury plagued season does not bode well for a 14-team league – something that was insufficiently considered with the re-expansion this season.

Having had time on my side, I’m not sure the weekly commentary would have held much weight or importance to it. The only permanence in the league has come from one team, Trouble Hunter. This fantasy rookie has thoroughly dominated this season and held an unrelenting half nelson on lady luck like no other team in league history. To date, TH has scored an average of 186 points per week, has players ranked in the top 7 at every position, with the exception of Kicker, and leads 3 out of 4 coaching metrics. In unprecedented fashion, TH still maintains 12 of 16 draft picks including 11 of the top 12 picks as healthy starters. No other team in the league can boast this level of good fortune. The chart below measures your wins against the reverberation of your draft picks.

week-10-players-remaining

Of note, reigning two-time regular season champion, Air Jordy, has had their roster completely decimated this season, retaining only 4 of the original 16 players drafted. Fortunately for AJ, they have faced the least amount of competition in the league to date and narrowly escaped with six wins, including an overturned win by 0.05 points (lowest in league history) in Week 3 after late stat corrections.

With a 5-way tie for second place and more than half the league only a game apart, playoff spots are still up for grabs for every team in the league. Although, teams looking to play the long game may possibly start thinking about next season. I want to remind you that this season we officially implemented the ability to utilize future draft picks as acquisition value. To support this type transaction I offer the following optional supplement to The Lombardi Three Constitution.

16.1.4 – The Big Short: Bearish traders may include an option as value to their trade deals. The option reduces the draft pick by one (1) round for each week (full game) the player acquired is injured and does not play, for a maximum of five (5) rounds. Suspension, partial games played, or poor performance are not valid against the option. E.g., Player A is traded for a 3rd round draft pick including the option. If the player misses 2 weeks due to injury, the draft pick drops to the 5th round. If the player misses the rest of the season the draft pick drops a maximum of five (5) rounds to the 8th round. This supplement is optional and must be specifically included in the trade deal.

Another trade issue arose this season that officially needs to be addressed. Due to current systematic restrictions on the NFL.com platform, the trade execution window of one (1) day is regularly stalled for an additional day due to what time of day the trade is officially accepted. For example, if a trade is accepted on Wednesday morning, the 1-day trade window does not officially start until the beginning of the next full day, Thursday, pushing the application of the trade until Friday morning. This makes it especially difficult to complete a trade for players competing on Thursday night games. The following amendment to The Lombardi Three Constitution supports this and potentially related scenarios, allowing for the teams involved to have their trade expedited.

16.2 – Hammer Time: Upon request, the League Manager has the ability to cut the red tape and expedite any accepted trade that has passed a 24-hour rejection window. The request must come from both teams involved. Manual adjustment to the team lineups will be made once the trade takes effect.

Looking ahead, we are facing the potential for playoff seeds being determined by tiebreaker, so I’m looking forward to covering the parade of make-or-break scenarios. I’ve been reading up on some new fantasy platforms including some unfranchised, private, pay-to-play platforms. Without doubt, we will never play another season on NFL.com. Additionally, five years of action, and the overall physical nature of the NFL, have confirmed that we are better with a 12-team lineup. How we incorporate reductions are TBD at a much later date. With that in mind, stop thinking, let things happen, and be the ball.