by Continued from Part 1, here’s our take on the next six teams.
Darque Warriors (3-3) 473.54 Points
The Darque Warriors are riding quite the roller coaster to start the season. Win, Loss, Win, Loss, Win, Loss. The concerning part is that the last two weeks, they are averaging just 58.15 points. This is down from the 89.31 points that they averaged Weeks 1-4. Perhaps it is just a slight speed bump though.
Andrew Luck has been dominant. Drafted 42nd overall as the Warrior’s 5th Round keeper, Luck has proven to be a steal! He is currently ranked as the #1 fantasy player in the league. This hasnt been due to just a few monster weeks either. Luck’s numbers have been solid every week, with just one score under 20 points. This has been a real help getting Darque to this 3-3 record. If not for the Misfits beating them in Week 4 in a barn burner (106-104), the Warriors would be just a few points out of 3rd place, with a 4-2 record.
Got a chance: Gronkowski is still healthy. Branden Oliver came out of nowhere and is looking like a madman. Lamar Miller is now the undisputed RB in Miami. Ingram is returning shortly. The stable of WRs have promise. With Luck leading the way, the Darque Warriors have as good a chance as any to make their way into the top 4 for that postseason battle.
Irish Pride (3-3) 441.95 Points
The Irish Pride have been singing Cher songs recently…particularly “If I could turn back time.” Just 3 weeks ago the Irish were killing it with a 3-0 record. But then, the skid began. Their current 3 game losing streak now brings them head to head with The Pimps, who’s QB (Peyton Manning) is looking to break the all-time TD record. The Irish will need to counter this attack to get back on their winning ways.
Consistency: These guys are the poster child of consistency. Every week, the Irish Pride have scored in the 70 point range. (70.41 80.09 70.66 70.65 74.62 75.52). Ok, so week 2 they scored 80.09, but the point is proven. Currently the Irish are averaging 1.37 points above the league average. So, even if nothing were to change, this team’s consistency will keep them in the hunt. Wins and losses would be sprinkled throughout. But, without dipping below that 70 point barrier ever, those wins will certainly return. But, for a true playoff push, they will need someone to step it up.
Their QB combo of Drew Brees and Matt Ryan should prove helpful. Brees hasnt been the superstar that he’s been in year’s past (yet). But, Matt Ryan has lit it up many weeks. The Irish just have to tune it in and begin starting the right QB each week. Until then, the Irish reap rewards by having 2 top 10 RBs (Bernard and Forsett). Demaryius Thomas (WR5) and Kelvin Benjamin (WR12) look to be putting up stellar seasons as well. The sky is the limit here.
The Pimps (2-4) 427.58 Points
There’s just something not right with The Pimps. One thing is for sure though. Other teams know how to light up the scoreboard when they play them. Currently, The Pimps have the most points against (507.71). This is a 84.6 point average, which amounts to 12.3 points higher than the league average (72.3). OUCH!
Manning predictably is this team’s driving force. He ‘s everything as expected and currently is the #2 player in the league (just behind Andrew Luck). What is killing this team though, is their ground game. The Pimps drafted just 3 RBs. ..and Rashad Jennings has a boo boo, Alfred Morris is just mediocre, and Shane Vereen just wasnt getting the carries. With Ridley being out for the year, this could change things dramatically.
Overcome: The Pimps need to overcome a few things. Looking back at their RBs…they dont need to go insane to right this ship, but a bump in play would help. WR will be the key. Victor Cruz’s injury hurts. He’s a weapon that The Pimps had high hopes on. They have other notable WRs who can have their big games, though. Brandon Marshall has to step it up and perform as a top 10 WR. The addition of Desean Jackson could be big here as well. He’s got the top 10 potential, but can he be consistent in this offense? All of these points are moot, though, if teams keep posting their best weeks against The Pimps!
IcEbAy bAsHeRs (2-4) 426.72 Points
The Bashers began the season like a Lion, and have closed out the first half like a lamb. Week 1’s performance was impressive! They beat down The Pimps with a score of 120.57-62.78 (a 57.79 point victory). This went down as the 19th biggest blowout in our league’s history (for the regular season). Since then, they went Loss, Loss, Win, Loss, Loss.
The Bashers drafted 2 WRs in the first two rounds and a total of 3 in the first six rounds, yet they don’t lay claim to a Top 15 WR statistically. This hurts. Injuries are the big reason here (Calvin, AJ Green). Compound this with relying on the combo of Stafford/Calvin, and it’s very clear what has gone wrong this far.
The Bashers 120.57 points scored in Week 1 still ranks as the highest score posted this far into the season. But, they also are the owners of the lowest points score in a week (Week 3, 30.72). That mark may be temporary though, looking at way the Dawgs season is going.
Hope: The Bashers are in a tough spot with this 2-4 record. However, this is something that can be overcome. If they can win 4 or 5 out of these next 6 games, playoffs could be a possibility. Calvin Johnson and AJ Green have to return soon. The combo of Stafford to Calvin is game changing. TY Hilton, fast becoming a star in this league, rounds out a steller WR core. They just need to all get on the field.
Midway Monsters (2-4) 388.58 Points
The Midway Monsters can’t be happy with what’s happened so far. After drawing the #1 pick and having the pick of the litter, their selection of Lesean McCoy has led to 6 weeks of disbelief. 1TD. McCoy has scored just 1 touchdown this far into the season and currently ranks as the 29th RB in the league. The preseason promises of Doug Martin’s return to fantasy glory hasn’t arrived yet either. This 3rd round draft pick trips over his own shoelaces with his depressing 2.9 ypc. Add the Monster’s 3rd RB drafted, Ray Rice, and nothing more needs to be said about these RB woes.
Fortunately the Midway Monsters do have some gems. Philip Rivers is currently the steal of the draft. Selected in the 11th round, he now ranks as the #2 QB in the league. This is just 3.6 points per game less than Andrew Luck. That’s value. Ahmad Bradshaw has also been helping things. He went undrafted, but is the clear Colt RB to own, and is the #6 ranked RB in the league.
What now? Lesean McCoy is looking productive again. But can he start finding that endzone? He has to if the Monsters want to try to crawl back into things. There is a supporting cast here. Terrence Williams and Alshon Jeffery can be stars. But is this enough to make a playoff push? Things would really have to start clicking. Otherwise, the Monsters only other hopes would be to finish #5 or #6 to avoid competing in the toilet bowl with the Top Dawgs.
Bottom Dogs (0-6) 276.55 Points
What has become of our reigning champion? Perhaps partying too much this off-season and suffering a championship hangover? These are the darkest days ever for this storied franchise. 0-6? Not counting the X-Factor team from 2002, the only worse starts are 2 teams who started 0-7. Will that record be broken?
This season hasn’t just been bad, it’s been epically bad. Let’s take a look at their points scored by players started:
- Through 6 weeks, the Dawgs have scored a total of 46.1 points at the QB position. That’s an average of 7.68 points per game.
- The TE position is even worse. The Dawgs have accrued a TOTAL of just 7.85 points at TE.
- Jumping early on a defense in the draft didnt work. Starting Defenses for the Dawgs come in at a league worst 5.2 points per game.
These numbers just don’t lead to wins. But, surely someting will change. If not, the Dawgs could own the record for least points scored in a season, which is currently owned by the 2001 Pocket Rockets (551.43 points).
Any hope? Surely the Dawgs are out of playoff contention. There could be a small hope for avoiding the bottom 4 and being Toilet Bowl Bound. But those chances are slight. The big and most likely question is if they are going to gain that shame of Toilet Bowl Chump. There are studs on the team. Jamal Charles, Dez Bryant, and Julio Jones create a good base. They just need to regain their form and start a QB that can score double digits.
