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.