Three weeks into a fantasy football season, one can really start getting a sense on which are the teams to beat and which need help. We are starting to see that in our XN Sports League of Champions. This week brought a couple blowouts, some disappointments, and one particular soul-crusher. As always, click on each matchup’s heading to visit our league and see a complete breakdown of all the action.
MY BUDDY AND ME (Dave Major) 153, @Brykno Rhinos (Bryan Knowles) 126
These two teams entered Week 3 with mirroring records. The Majorettes were 2-0 and the Bry Guys were 0-2. And this matchup ended up how one would expect. For Mr. Buddy, it was business as usual. The mere foursome of Jimmy Graham, the Bears DEF, Peyton Manning, and Geno Smith (yeah, a Jet) were enough to get him over the century mark. He still managed to put up the highest point total of the week even with Daryl Richardson and his goose egg in his lineup. Now at 3-0, maybe it’s about time Major earns a promotion to lieutenant colonel.
The same can’t be said for the Rhinoceroses. Despite putting up his highest point total of the year, Bryan still fell well short. His team was led by a surprising Jake Locker, with Calvin Johnson, E.J. Manuel, and even the Packers DEF all contributing 19 points or more. Rob Gronkowski can’t come back soon enough for Knowlesy, as the Brandon Pettigrew/Coby Fleener combo is not cutting it at the tight end position. Still, though, Bryan is strangely confident for a last place team.
I’ve started 0-3 in the @XNSports fantasy league. I have successfully lulled them into a false sense of security!
— Bryan Knowles (@BryKno) September 24, 2013
Sure you did, Bryan. Sure you did.
4TH AND GOAL (Neil Parker) 150, FANTASY FOUNDATION (Rich Hribar) 129
This was an important week for the Parkers. At 1-1, a loss would put him below the .500 mark, while a win would put him comfortably at 2-1, while also knocking Richie Rich from the ranks of the unbeaten. And win he did. A 31-spot from Drew Brees led all quarterbacks for the week, but it was a solid all-around effort as well. Only two of his non-kickers failed to reach double digits and it was enough for the second-best point total of the week. It was an important victory for him, as his bench has become the de facto injury ward.
@LordReebs @coleman_ff I’ve got Shane Vereen, Steven Jackson and Eddie Lacy – every win counts for me. — Neil Parker (@naparker77) September 23, 2013
While Neil needed the victory, some may consider him heartless for it. Specifically his opponent.
@naparker77 you are the ruiner of 8 year old dreams! — Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) September 23, 2013
Such are the perils of having your son as a co-owner of a fantasy football team. He has to learn the knocks are hard, even when he’s not ready to admit defeat.
@coleman_ff @naparker77 hahahaha.. It’s tough telling an 8 yr old that Wes Welker can’t score 50 pts on MNF.
— Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) September 23, 2013
The Junior Hribar shouldn’t be too worried just yet, though. His team remains at 2-1 and has two solid fantasy QBs (Tony Romo and Michael VIck), two top-end RBs (Trent Richardson and Jamaal Charles), and Welker. The concerns may come if his favorite Victor Cruz continues to suffer at the hands of a dreadful Giants team and if Vernon Davis remains lost in 49er land. Until then, it shouldn’t get too bad.
BLURRED GOAL LINES (Tony Consiglio) 146, DERWOOD #DEGENERATES (C.D. Carter) 119.50
C.D. wanted this win badly. He needed this win. Already at 0-2, he was ready to do anything to get into the win column. Down by 33 points with the Sunday night and Monday night games remaining, he still had Jay Cutler, Terrelle Pryor, Julius Thomas, and Sebastian Janikowski left to play while I still had Antonio Brown. That led him to this request.
@TonyConsiglio12 I need this one. Please remove Brown. Thanks.
— C.D. Carter (@CDCarter13) September 22, 2013
Desperate times call for desperate measures, right? Well, I was having none of it.
@CDCarter13 Lol. I appreciate the gamesmanship. I think you can still get by me even with him, though. — Tony Consiglio (@TonyConsiglio12) September 23, 2013
I really didn’t think he had a shot. And that was before I knew Brown would put up a league-high 35.50 points. But with him staring 0-3 in the face, I didn’t feel the need to rub salt in the wound. It was a steady week for the Derwoodies, with only one non-kicker scoring nine points or fewer. But he lacked any spectacular performances, as none of his players topped out above 18. Meanwhile, things continue to look up for the Liners, as my team now sits atop the league. Brown, LeSean McCoy, and Matt Stafford all put up 21 or more points, helping to offset the duds that were Colin Kaepernick and Rashard Mendenhall. I figure, though, that at least Kaep should come around soon, but as long as I stay in the win column, that’s all that matters.
KEEPIN HEADS RINGIN (Michael Clifford) 133.50, FIFTY SHADES OF CATS (Felipe Melecio) 75.50
Slick Cliffy came through in Week 3, managing to pick up his first win of the year, and it came at the expense of Felipe. Fifty Shades of Cats? More like Fifty Shades of Ugly. The 75.50 points are the lowest single-week total in the league this year. And this comes after saying he would have “an easy win against an easy opponent” in his Week 3 preview. What was that, Felipe?
@SlimCliffy definitely the worst week in #fantasyfootball ever — Felipe M (@pathological_h8) September 23, 2013
That will happen when you have just three players score 10 or more points, while the rest put up fewer than eight. It was not a good weekend to be a cat. Mikey was empathetic.
@pathological_h8 happens to the best of us
— Michael Clifford (@SlimCliffy) September 23, 2013
Really, Mike? “Best of us?” Does that not mean your team is included in the aforementioned “best”? Them’s big words for the fourth-lowest scoring team in the league that just picked up its first win. It certainly helped that he had a matchup against a JV team. The Heads’ Cam Newton, DeMarco Murray, and Eric Decker actually won the matchup by themselves, combining for 77.50 points. It’s a good win, but still probably falls short of the “best of us” category.
STUDFELDSVILLE (Salvatore Stefanile) 119.50, THE WINTER CLASSICS (Chris Blanchard) 88
This was hardly the must-watch game of the week, with these two teams barely cracking 200 combined points. Studly’s Village owned the three highest-scoring players in this matchup in Jordan Cameron, Matt Forte, and Julio Jones. He also started two of the three players who tallied just 0.50 points in Andre Roberts and C.J. Spiller. Even though the Bills’ RB is averaging a paltry six points per game, Stef still has hope.
@Shizark54 I think Spiller will turn it around. But that’s just me.
— Salvatore Stefanile (@2QBFFB) September 24, 2013
Maybe he’s just biased because he owns him. Blanche is probably feeling the same way about Stevan Ridley, who was supposed to be The Classics’ top RB option. Instead, he’s part of the reason they’re 1-2. It also doesn’t help that his number one WR is Dwayne Bowe, his lead QB, Aaron Rodgers, managed just 11 points, and his high point-scorer of the week was the pizza-rescuer who now has a broken arm. Maybe a slice will help cheer Mr. Winter up.
COCONUT PETE (Tom Fitzgerald) 104, MAKE IT WAYNE (Igor Derysh) 103
This was the lowest-scoring battle of the week, the closest, and the most gut-wrenching. Early on, it wasn’t looking good for the Coco Puffs.
@tfitzpeace @XNSports When your kicker is your leading scorer at halftime, you’re in good shape
— Igor Derysh (@IgorDerysh) September 22, 2013
But his team responded to the rah rah halftime speech from Coach Fitz as five players reached double digits. Igor’s Ravens DEF topped his lineup with 21 points, while Adrian Peterson added 17, and three others gave him more than 10. It all set up a battle on Monday Night Football. After Sunday, Fitzy held a 12-point lead with Denver’s defense left, while the Wayneiacs were looking for a big game from Demaryius Thomas. 10 catches for 94 yards totaling 14 points would qualify. But the three points from Denver’s DEF was just enough to give Petey the one-point win. There really was little to say.
That one hurt. cc: @tfitzpeace #XNSportsLoC
— Igor Derysh (@IgorDerysh) September 24, 2013
So, while Igor tends to his wounds, Week 3 of the League of Champions has come to an end. Two teams remain undefeated, two are still winless, and everyone else is caught in the middle. Here are the current standings, and don’t forget to check back later this week for a recap of this week’s transactions to see how everyone is adjusting following Week 3.
