Match-up Build-up Week 16 Championship Edition

The Perpetual Dynasty @ Unstopa-Bo

It all comes down to this. The 2016 Championship match-up is upon us, and the combatants are prepared for an absolute war. Perhaps the two best teams this season, TPD and UB set the stage for one hell of a championship duel, featuring the two division winners from the regular season.

TPD booked their ticket for the championship match after defeating McCoy in the semifinals. They were fortunate, as both teams participating in the other semi final scored more points than TPD, but overall it was another solid performance from this squad. They have scored over 120 points in 9 of their last 11 games.

UB was fantastic in a close semifinal match-up a week ago. They scored 152 points to seal their spot in their 2nd consecutive semifinal. They have scored over 120 points in 7 of 9 games.

All the scripts, themes, and understandings have been written before. There is not much to say other than this is going to be a match-up for the ages. Both teams have performed well all season long and both squads look ready to put on a show. The time has come and new pages of MFFL history are about to be written. This ink is ever lasting.   

Match-up Build-up Week 15 Playoff Edition

The Final Four. The 2016 MFFL playoffs are set and the match-ups are potent, with one game featuring the two winningest teams of all time, while the other match-up pins two playoff participants from last season against one another. It's go time and the stakes could not be higher. 

The Perpetual Dynasty vs The Real McCoy

In terms of historical perspective, match-ups in the MFFL do not get much bigger than this one. These are the only two teams to make the playoffs 4 of 5 years and they are #1 and #2 in all time winning percentage. 

TPD fought through early season poor circumstances and closed out the year in terrific fashion, winning five of their last 6 match-ups. They scored under 120 points only once in their last seven games, and scored the most points over the course of the season, a feat they have now accomplished in 4 out of the 5 years in this league. Even with the poor circumstances last year and the first part of this year, this team has maintained a level of potency matched by none. Entering the playoffs their biggest question mark is the health of Julio Jones. The star WR has been battling a toe injury and if he cannot go it would be a massive blow to the TPD starting lineup. The biggest strength for TPD is their other two WRs.   

McCoy enters the playoffs as the #2 seed, winning 6 of their last 7 games. It is yet another successful season for this franchise acquiring 10 wins with the third most points in the league. LeVeon Bell has been an unstoppable rebel force for this squad and they have been powered all season long by the depth of their roster. One of the bigger question marks for McCoy entering this week is the presumed benching of Drew Brees. For a long stretch of the season Brees was a catalyst for many McCoy wins, but lately he has been a detriment. McCoy’s strength is the feature RB status of each of his starting running backs.

This match-up is one of the biggest in MFFL history. Inarguably the two best managers in the league over the course of the first 5 seasons, this match-up is a clash of titans. On one side you have the most dominant team, featuring multiple point and winning achievements, while on the other side there is a two time champion that owns the best season ever by an MFFL team. This year looks like it will be an epic game. Both squads have seemingly good match-ups and outside of Julio and Drew both teams are loaded for bear. As we have seen in the past, records and match-ups mean nothing once the playoffs start. It is impossible to predict the outcomes and no matter how the match-up looks on paper it never goes down like it seemingly should. This match-up is earthquake inducing. 

Unstopa-Bo vs Advantageous Morgans

The second playoff match-up features two playoff participants from a year ago. Both have carried the success from last season into this one and the match-up could not be closer.

UB finished with the top overall seed, though it was not achieved in style. They put up 69 points last week, making it the lowest point total ever in the week before the playoffs for a playoff participant. Interestingly enough, UB scored 76 points last year in the week before the playoffs but they still made the championship game. This team suffered a huge loss in Melvin Gordon last week due to injury. They will have to rely on the dominance of Zeke and Devonta as they have all season. Their performance last week could be looked at in two ways, as a negative trend or a sign of their impending explosion. 

The Morgans just achieved the biggest turn around in MFFL history. The details of which are described in the previous matchup buildup. The Morgans failed to finish out the year as East division champs but it does not matter as making the playoffs was miracle enough. This team also enters the playoffs on a sour note, scoring 85 points last week, but before that performance they were one of the hottest teams in the league. Both teams will have to find a way to put the pieces back together before this mega clash.

These two teams might be the most underrated in the entire league year in and year out, but after Sunday that mantra could be broken. Even with some question marks, either team could be a champion by years end and their roster's could explode at any moment. The 2016 playoffs are here.

Match-up Build-up Week 14

It is week 14 and for the first time in league history all the playoff spots may be sealed before the regular season final match-ups begin. Three teams have already booked their tickets and the remaining spot is all but booked by another team. It would take crazy circumstances to prevent TPD from acquiring the final slot as they hold the points tie breaker over LFB by 166 points. Due to the nature of this week let us take a deeper look at the playoff participants rather than breaking down each match-up.

The Perpetual Dynasty

(It is weird discussing TPD as a playoff participant because it is not 100% assured, but it is 99% assured and we write this with the understanding that TPD may not make the playoffs if the inconceivable happens.)

TPD started slow this season yet again. Their slow starts to a season are a trend in this league. Their (1-3) start was due in large part to their inability to score points early on, but their poor circumstances had also carried over from last year with teams blowing up against them each week. It was the last thing TPD wanted after last season’s unlucky circumstances, but last season had prepared TPD better for such circumstances. TPD felt they improved their gameday managing during last year’s tough sledding and it seems to have carried over to this season. When faced with tough lineup decisions this year TPD has, for the majority of the season, gone with the eventual better choice. After their (1-3) start TPD went on a tear, winning six of nine while averaging 140 ppg. Their pick up in play at the season’s midway point has also been a trend in this league. One difference between last year and this year is their weak schedule down the stretch. They has won 4 of 5 games, and during that span teams have not been scoring points against them. While TPD’s big point totals have negated it, the fact is in the past TPD was losing games even while scoring big point totals because of their difficult schedule, and the weak schedule this year has not doubt helped them be in this positive position late in the year. They of course made a bunch of high profile trades and continued to make sound pick ups on the free agent market. The biggest roster stressor has been the injuries to their RBs. They have lost guys like Woodhead, Anderson, Rodgers, and Prosise due to injuries and their star WR Julio Jones is hobbled entering the final stretch. All and all this team probably should have clinched a spot sooner if their high point totals translated into more wins, but the result is the same and barring something other worldly, TPD will be back in the playoffs for the 4^th time in 5 years.  

Advantageous Morgans

Entering Week 8 of this season the Morgans had one victory…and now they are a playoff participant. They've had six straight victories in the biggest turn around in MFFL history. Their biggest issue early on was their inability to score points. They averaged 100 points per game in their first 7, but in the six games since they have averaged 133. The turn around happened seemingly out of no where. They made a big trade for D. Murray but outside of that their roster was not overhauled too drastically. Their roster just started to preform at a higher level and the pick up in play of Mariota, Matthews, and kelce has been the catalyst. Way back in week 3 this team lost Adrian Peterson, but outside of that they have not dealt with any crippling injuries. They have made sound free agent pick ups and when guys got hot on their roster they left them in for weeks and racked up the wins. This team is playing with house money at this point. They have already accomplished so much this season. They will take to the playoff bracket with arguably the most momentum in MFFL history.

The Real McCoy

There is not much more to say about the McCoy franchise. The success they have achieved in this league is remarkable. They have been in and around grabbing the #1 seed each of the last 3 seasons. 

The season started out atypical as they acquired a victory in week 1 while scoring the 2^nd lowest point total. At the time it was a huge victory because they were trying to obtain victories without the services of LeVeon Bell, but as the year progressed it became clear that this team was going to win many more games. Once Bell returned their team went to the next level. They started the season 4-1 averaging over 130 points per game in the first five. They went on a stretch of average performances over their next 6 contests, scoring under 130 in every game but one during that span. Fortunately, during that span they acquired two victories while scoring under 120. They are now hot again scoring over 135 in 3 of 4 games. They have not dealt with many injuries this season and the two main injuries that occurred, McCoy quickly replaced those players with their replacements Howard and Rawls, who have performed better than the guys before them. McCoy’s curse has been their depth. It has allowed them to work their lineup to the fullest each week but perhaps no team has left more points on the bench week to week. Entering the playoffs they will try to get the most out of their lineup with good gameday managing. This is an elite team in the MFFL and over the last 3 years no team has been able to match their winning abilities. They are one of only two teams to make the playoffs 4 times in 5 years.

Unstopa-Bo

It has been an incredible year for this once dormant team in the MFFL. For the second straight season the Unstopa-Bo franchise has been destroying people. No team has been as consistent as UB this year and their performances are a kin to the days of 2014 when LFB scored at least 120 points in every game except the championship. Oddly enough, UB for the 2^nd straight year has orchestrated the least amount of moves in the league. Their strong drafts have literally carried them. Looking at their team log this season not a single person has gotten hurt other than A. Luck for one week. It is the same blueprint they used last season and not many people believed their injury fortunes would carry over for another season but they have. UB has proven to be one of the best drafters in the league. While this level of inactivity may not be sustainable each and every year, UB is a serious contender for 2016. They will attempt to get back to the championship game and this year finish the job. Most who have stood up to UB over the last two years have lost, often times losing big. 

Match-up Build-up Week 13

1. Unstopa-Bo @ The Real McCoy

Week 13 is yet another massive display of crucial match-ups across the MFFL. It has been a parody rich season and the final stretch run is anything but predictable.

Both of these teams have clinched a playoff spot. The first time they met it lived up to the hype and this time around could determine the #1 overall seed for the playoffs. McCoy has been on a roll lately, winning 5 straight games. Each week the roster puts out full team efforts, with multiple times McCoy leaving the potential for more points on the bench. The depth of the roster has been huge in becoming one of the most consistent teams of the season. What this team has accomplished over the last three season has been remarkable.

UB scored points last week but came away with a loss. Still one of the best and most consistent teams in the league, UB is well into their preparations for the playoffs. The last two seasons have been a 180 for this franchise as they have gone from one of the worst to battling for first. Long ago are the days when UB was not a team to be feared. Any match-up against this squad in the playoffs will present challenges.

Even though both of these teams have benefited from a soft schedule allowing them to pick up wins in typical losing scenarios, the fact is both teams have been consistent and formidable all season. Regardless of this week’s outcome both will be a tough out in the 2016 playoffs. Congrats to both of them for already clinching.  

2. Tavon and Only @ The Perpetual Dynasty

Tavon fought their hearts out last week but ultimately had their hearts broken on Monday night football. It was a must win football game for the franchise and the loss puts their playoff hopes on life support. Their roster has been hit by injuries and their schedule has increased in difficulty at the worst time. Long the top dog of the East division this season, Tavon has now lost 4 straight and needs a win on Sunday. If they can win this week then they have a match-up against the league’s worst team in week 14 and their hopes would immediately rekindle. It is not over by a long shot for this franchise.

TPD put up big points in their must win game of week 12. The team has been hot for a while now, averaging 140 ppg over their last eight, holding the most points in the league for the season. They started out slow as they always do but they have once again been a formidable foe over the majority of the season. This is yet again a must win game for this franchise. Their schedule has softened significantly over the last month and in the end, it may come down to TPD winning a low scoring game with fortunate circumstances to finally break through their unlucky curse. This week is another opportunity for TPD to try and break the poor circumstance trend. 

This will be an all out war. TPD has been in these scenarios many times in the past and multiple times they have failed to follow through. It is impossible to put expectations on this match-up. 

3. La Flama Blanca @ ShowMeYourTDs

LFB kept their playoff hopes alive by the slimmest of margins. They failed to score over 100 but found a way to win. This team has not performed well since early in the year but they have found a way to get back in it, very similarly to last season. Their next two games are against two strong teams. If they beat both and make the playoffs it will be well deserved. LFB knows how to win these types of games.

TDs is out of playoff contention but they continue to put up points and will attempt to play spoiler against multiple teams down the stretch.

4. Advantageous Morgans @ El Pollo Loco

The Morgans continue to roll,. They have won 5 in a row and continue to put up big point totals. It has been a remarkable turn around and now they have established themselves as one of the hottest teams in the league. If their turn around is completed with a playoff appearance this team will feel great about their chances with this nothing to lose mentality fueling them. 

Loco’s loss last week was devastating to their playoff chances. While their playoff hopes are not completely squashed, they now need to win out and get help along the way. This team battled injuries all season and once again are near the top of the list in terms of the most unlucky teams in the league. Loco does not care about that, all they want is a playoff appearance.

5. Pryor to the Snap @ The North Remembers

Pryor will try to play spoiler. 

TNR simply did not show up last week and their team has been struggling to score points as of late. They need this win in preparation for a huge match-up against UB in week 14. Their playoff hopes are still well within reach.