Week 11 Stock Market & Previewz

What men like are: Cars, Women and Football

*UPDATED after BDT-Trichs trade*
Old reliables.  That's what Week 10 was full of.  Actually, it's the 2014 season.  Sure, new stars have emerged (Andrew Luck, Antonio Brown, Le'veon Bell).  But it's the old relialbes (Peyton, Romo, Foster, Lynch, Gore, Fitz, Jordy, Steve Smith, etc.) that are coming through and lifting teams, in real football and in fantasy, that it seems time has been in warp between 2008 and 2012 since the Old Future joined the league.  A "veteran" in Japanese (ベテラン=phonetically similarly pronounced as the English word) solely means "elder of profession" (since we technically don't have a military), so on this Veteran's Day we solute the old reliables.  Of course with keeper in play, the draft tended to focus on younglings, but we are reminded that when it counts, experience matters. 

The PSAS playoffs field is pretty set at top-5, with one remaining spot being contested by two that control their own destiny while others make noise in the surrounding areas.  The gate's not totally shut for anyone.  Moral Victory picture is also getting interesting, with Trichs, Polk and Pelican all within 8 pts, making scoring matter as much as getting that W in a brutal way. 

All top-tier teams are facing someone with lesser credentials this week.  Such is the time to prove your worth, as certainly no one up there should drop one to us commoners.  Of course, all their opponents are clinging on their hopes, no matter how small hope can be, and will be coming at them with full force.  If the underdogs succeed in toppling someone is beside the point.  I'm telling you, the odds will be there, and it may be the last chance for a big payday befor that final one waiver pick-up you need to go over the hump.  

The payout schedule for each 5 bankerbitez bet is as following.

                                      Blue Chip     Market Performer     Junk
Blue Chip (#1-4*)                  5                      3                          2
Market Performer (#5-8*)     10                     5                          3
Junk (#9-12*)                        15                     10                        5

*Based on weekly Power Rankingz.  In case of a tied rank, commissioner's ruling will be published here.

The Guide

-Ben vs Cam

(1) AEthernauts 8-2 (2 bb) vs (12) Polk High Panthers 2-8 (15 bb)

Which starting franchise QBs will bounce back?

Nauts are atop alone with three wins in a row, but they get resurgent full-squaded Bundys on DeMarco bye this week.  The other keeper-pillar Newton needs to pick up his game, but judging from MNF he's really not that comfortable this year.  I'd lose the towel, which even at the beginning of the game makes him look sulking, but Cam doesn't care about what I think.  Josh Gordon is still a week away from his debut, which means double TE set may return here.  Nauts are 1-1 in BigSky formation.  

Polk High finally gets their full squad to battle top-ranking Nauts with Charles, AJ Green and Megatron all finally in the lineup healthy.  Roethlisberger on MNF will be targeting Martavis in the endzone, so they better rack up points on Sunday.  Nauts are without RB1 Murray, so if all stars align like it's 2013, Bundys can steal a moral-boosting W here.

Upset looks good on paper, plus DeMarco-less Nauts not as potent.

-Luck vs Kaep?

(2) Phat Girlz 7-3 (3 bb) vs (8) Trichotillomaniacs 3-7 (10 bb)

Rivalry week rematch catch both teams off Week 10 losses.  Projection is even.  Odds aren't though they really should be.  Bring it, bitch.

Monique is starting to sweat a bit at armpits as her squad can't stop the skid.  Week 10 was a rough week of bye as their engine Luck-Hilton lifeline was out along with Garçon, and, while fill-in Alex and Torrey Smitties played admirably, Monique will hurry Luck and Co back into the lineup.  Forte was a rare disappointment in Chicago slump and backfield-mate Tate is losing touches in Cleveland so backfield has lost some firepower of late, which if it continues could be what finally slows down Luck and Co.  SNF Indy match against Brady and Pats D is not an easy one for Luck, but at least they play at home.  Cobb is the key here playing against Philly.  It's been a while since Girlz tasted victory, and one over rival Trichs will be even sweeter.

Trichs dreamed of Carson City in the desert and got Shock-topped big time in Week 10.  I don't even want to talk about it.  Can we move on?  I'll mention Kelvin Benjamin's incredible two-garbage-time-TD performance.  Up until then, he was garbage.  So, Week 11, it's back to Kaep, and Trichs just completed their first trade of the season with the Dwellers.  For WR2, RB2+ and an IDP standout they get Sanchez to connect to Maclin and Shady, WR1 in Dez and a RB2- Ivory.  General was seeming moving away from Kaep when Carson got injured, so Sanchez may get the start here in an expected shootout against GB.  If given a chance, Kaep is in a tasty match against NYG he may actually do something (probably not).  Maclin is cooling as Sanchez is favoring Matthews.  Jackson Brightspot Robinson (actually his first name is Denard and middle name Shoelace) is on bye so Mr. Glasslegs is back as McCoy's stall-mate.  Not ideal situations here against rival Girlz, but such is year 2014 in the Far East.  Half of the bodies' is in the river now but the Trichs squad still got that six cents in their pockets, no they are actually sewn on to their clothes through holes that are on Japanese coins.  Expect a battle.

Girlz hanging in the top-tier means another good odds for Trichs.  Demand may be waning however.

-Brees vs Carr?

(3) TakingTigerMountain 7-3 (3 bb) vs (7) HomeSpunNeckBloodz 5-5 (10 bb)

Crescent City Connection gets the must-win Cyclotron passing through.

TTM has been fairly dominant during their latest three-game winning streak, and while Week 10 win over Ferries came closer than they liked it was yet-again Brees-Graham that shined.  Ben-sanity ended in the hands of the Jets plus two lost fumbles brought Antonio down to earth, but we expect a MNF bounce-back this week.  The Pats offensive pieces returning from bye, Terrence West emerging in Cleveland and Ingram continuing to run for over 100 ydz plus no bye-absence in Week 11 means TTM will stand tall ready against the Spinning Force. 

Bloodz waited until Sunday to pick up a Foles-replacement and in the end went with the lesser Carr over the lesser Manning.  It sort of didn't really matter as they won their Week 10 match riding Arizona defense and Marshall's rebound performance.  Not sure Carr is the long-term solution, or even the short-term starter for the Spinnerz that, for the time being, needs to win and hope the Ferries stumble somewhere along.  Their own path isn't all that smooth-sailing with BDT up next, but Cyclotron is only focused on climbing over TigerMtn this week.

Upset alert at distance but full-squaded Tigers are hard to pick against.

-Brady vs Rodgers
(4) Dijonnaise All-Stars 7-3 (2 bb) vs (10) ThePelicanBrief 3-7 (15 bb)

Colonel and Pelican meet head-to-head as both are coming off wins.

No Foster was no problemo for Colonel as Steven Jackson was ala Foster 2011-esque and it was good.  New-comer Michael Evans continued to be the sole bright spot in Tampa and that's also good.  Rodgers was the 6-TD monster of the week and that's good.  Lamar Miller's injury is a concern but Foster got time to heal and is expected to play so it's good.  The Toyota-sponsored blowout could have been a larger one with Philly D on bench scoring 31 pts and it's all good.  All is good in Dijon as they face pesky Pelican before Phat Girlz showdown.  Of course we Asians know that's a very dangerous place to be.  Luckily, yellow means caution. 

B345tMode single-handedly stood in the way of Hairpullers trying to pluck Pelican feathers with a 4 TD monster of a game to give the Grishamites their first winning streak of the season.  Brady back from bye and playing against Indy in a SNF offensive showdown is an upgrade to Flatto, and Fitz is regaining his 2011 self also though the effect of no Carson in desert is to be monitored.  If the old timers can hang in there this Pelican team is a danger.

I-man smells some-ting hya. 

-RGIII vs Wilson

(5) BuildingDW3LL1NGTh1nk1ng 7-3 (5 bb) vs (6) SanFranciscoFerries 5-5 (5 bb)

Boyz on bye means RGIII (or Sanchez) as Chico comes to Bay where Ferries are itching to bring someone up-there down.

Mark Sanchez got the important start over Return of Romo against Girlz but it really didn't matter as Dez and Nelson f345ted on TDs.  Golden Tate looked like he's still a reliable option despite Megatron's return in Detroit, and that's a good news for BDT as Dez rests this week.  QB position is sort of a headache to figure out with three viable options of Romo, Sanchez and RGIII but it's not a bad thing and more near-deadline trade is always a possibility for the Philosophers.  They already got one done with the Far East Rulaz, trading away favorite Dez along with Sanchez and Ivory for week 12 on RB upgrade of Shoelace Robinson and Week 11 immediate flex help Kelvin Benjamin plus IDP centerpiece Lavonte David.  The WR group is still championship ready with Jordy, Golden and Kelvin, and if Alfred and Montee can produce to their pre-season expectations here at crutch time, BDT has a legit shot at first-round bye with their scheduling easing up toward the end of regular season.  First thing first, sink the boat at bay.

Ferries are still alternating wins and losses but may need to find a winning streak to secure that last playoffs spot that's been dangling within their reach forever now.  Their match against TTM was played actually respectable but the difference was the bye-fill ins of Gronk and WR that low-balled them to the predictable even-week loss.  Boatmen will welcome Gronk back from bye and Beckham's emergence as a solid WR2, but Terrence Williams laying a goose-egg last week before going on bye this week means keeper Patterson needs to really step up.  The Ferries probably wish they could start four RBs against BDT to avoid getting their first streak in the wrong end, so a trade may be in the works, except the likeliest franchise to make a trade is their opponent this week.

 

Odd-number favor SFF but odds are even.  Sort of stinks for them but they don't really need dividends money anyways. 

-Peyton vs Cutler

(9) The Old Future 3-7 (5 bb) vs (11) Shock_Pix® 3-7 (5 bb)

Two season-on-blinks go head-to-head in a match fought for hope and pride. 

Future's rookie campaign is surely not what the Timewarp had in mind.  Behind Peyton they just don't have much since injuries depleted them.  While Gore continues to be the sole piece of 49er offense that isn't a disappointment and epitomizes old-reliability, that says something about the rest of the Future squad.  It's good to see them still active in the waivers and getting improvements.  They have a winnable match here, and it's one they have to win to keep on hanging on to that one strand of straw.

In a way, this one is more a crucial week for psychdogs.  TEs bye means they need to dip to waiver wires (means autopilot indicator).  Bortles on bye means Cutler needs to have a bounceback.  They have weapons to actually fill Harvin's off and Demaryus always give them an explosion-possibility. 

Difficult match, certainly don't want to bet against either of these teams right now.   

Derivatives

For Sale:

Shock Top: Shock and Pelican Win (40 oz)
Catz: Nauts, TTM, BDT and Shock Win (40 bb)

Freebies:
Babylon: Nauts, Girlz, TTM and Dijon Win (20 bb)
Upsetterz: Polk, Bloodz, Trichs and Pelican Win (100 bb) <----BAILOUT


Comment for orders.

Power Rankings Week 11

Just as too many cooks will spoil the broth, too many bye contenders will spoil the wildcard race. Rather than the traditional  middle "hump", we have a middle valley, with lots of high and low. The ironic result is that nobody has actually clinched a playoff spot or been technically eliminated. But don't let that fool you. The top five are very likely going and the bottom five are significantly longer odds than either the two 5-5 teams.  So we've essentially broken down into three races.  A five way race for two bye spots. A free for all blood sport over the sixth playoff spot. And a moral victory points race.

1 (T.1) Aethernauts - (8-2) - The Aerial explorers cruised to a Monday Night victory the top spot (by winning percentage) with their third straight win.  A single huge pass play to Matavius Bryant might have saved the Nauts in week 11, but with Murray and Sanders still clicking they're every bit high end dangerous. Gordon looks more and more like the little something extra this offense could use in a playoff run.   Remaining Schedule - Polk, Old Future and TigerMountain. The Nauts face two sub .500 teams and enter week 11 third by points. A week 13 Titan Clash with the Tigers might well decide a bye.  Playoff bye forecast - Sunny with a chance of week 13 thunderstorm.

2.  (T. 1)  Phat Girlz - (7-3) - The Girlz dropped their third straight and paid for a big wire gamble.  It's not often that the highest paid player in an auction draft gets a chance on the wire as well, but that's precisely the unlikely kind of season AP is having. Dropping three straight, Monique's squad has surrendered the certainty of a bye position but not pole position. The Girlz faced massive bye clusters in the last few weeks, with the core four back on the field at the same time - expectations will be high in week 11.  Remaining Schedule - Trichs, Dijon, Pelican.  The Girlz face two sub .500 teams  and lead the league in points.  Playoff bye forecast - Sunny. 

3. (3) TakingTigerMountain  (7-3) - The Tigers held serve narrowly defeating a playoff worthy Ferries team for the second time this season. Missing Edleman and Vereen the Tigers play was a bit off, including a first drastic lowball of the year for Antonio Brown. With Hillman sustaining an injury and the Saints backfield bound to get a bit more crowded for Ingram, the Tigers could be in for a downgrade via their run attack. Remaining schedule - Spinners, Shockers, Nauts.  Facing one .500 team, one sub .500 and a playoff bound titan, the Tigers get a little of everything. Playoff bye forecast - week 13 thunderstorm.

4. (4)  Dijonaise All Stars (7-3)   - Team Yellow kept it going good racking up 140+ courtesy of a  massive first half from A-Rodg, and collecting all the TDs in the ATL/TB game.  This was Arian's bye week, so a signal win without a team captain is a clarion call to the rest of the contenders.  A dinged-up Lamar Miller could prove a downgrade in the stretch, but Philly's D/ST put up another crazy crooked number. If they keep putting turnovers in the endzone, they could be a serious difference maker.   Remaining Schedule - Pelican, Girlz, Ferries.  The Mustardians get low, high and middle in their quest for a bye spot.  Winning out is probably required but they do have an avenue by beating the Girlz and letting the Nauts and Tigers game decide another spot.  Playoff bye forecast - Foggy. 

5 (5) BuildingDwellingThinking  (7-3) - The German Philosophers racked up a big win with the Sanchize at the helm (undercard to the win was an expected make-up with Romo, who sat the bench with 23). A Hillman injury could come just in time for the returning Ball, and for BDT's beleaguered run game, with plodders Ivory and Morris endzone dependent and the Buffalo backfield gamble appearing to have given way to the unlikely injury-proof legs of F-Jax.  It's still a Cowboys story, so the best indicator of BDT's future will be how Romo comes out of the bye week. Remaining Schedule - Ferries, Bloodz, Shock.  Two middle-brow and a low boy for the Deep Thinkers. BDT will enter week 11 sixth by points, without any games against their bye competitors, they'll have to win out and hope for the best. Playoff bye forecast - Below the Radar.  Wild Card / Consolation cusp - above the cusp, but not safe.  BDT's middling points,  could technically cost them, but it would probably require the Bloodz to beat their score by an average of 30 points per game remaining. 

6. (6)  SanFranciscoFerries (5-5)-  The Ferries lost a squeaker to the Mountain and stay bobbing in the wildcard shallows. A big no show for Terrance Williams undercut what was otherwise a solid offensive performance in week 10. The Wilson/Stafford QB controversy continues, although SFF picked correct last week, but only by virtue of 100+ rushing yards for Wilson.  Beckham's emergence as the Giants top WR is a potential nice upgrade for the Boatmen, the G-men will be playing behind a lot for the rest of the year. Remaining schedule - BDT, Trichs, Dijon. Two top tier and one upsetter the Ferries probably need two of three, they're slightly above average in scoring but could be vulnerable at 6-7.  Wildcard miracle karma - do good works.  The Ferries probably have the toughest remaining schedule, but a couple of wins will take them home. 

7. (8)  Homespun Neckbloodz (5-5) - The Spinners got up off  the ground and hooked up an IV to their season in week 10. Following the demolition of their starting QB, the Bloodz found something from Oakland's Carr. Lowballs from the Old School receiver corps, got covered by a nice day from Marshall and Arizona's D/ST.  With an injury to Marshall's ankle in the blowout SNF game, the Bloodz need Nio-Gio to return immediately to adequately fill a flex.   Remaining Schedule - TTM, BDT, Trichs.  Did I say the Ferries schedule was the toughest? this is more of the same. Points poor, the Bloodz need to be one better than the Ferries.  Wildcard miracle karma - take the high road. The Cyclotron needs wins to power a playoff run, separation from the Ferries is the only path.  

7. (9)  Trichs  (3-7) - Another pullin' MNF for the Shogun, as some D/ST scoring vultured away touches needed for a Maclin/McCoy fueled comeback. Palmer's contract extension ACL jinx cut the Trichs off at the knees in this one.  It's been that kind of season for the Commish, where a marginal lowball gets cherry picked by big scoring by their opponent.  They're #2 in points against, and by the eye-test they've gotten everybody's best licks.   Remaining schedule - Phat Girlz, Ferries, Bloodz. Through a scheduling miracle the Ferries are set up to do the most damage to teams they're chasing. Wildcard miracle karma - fight to the last man. The Hair-Pullers start the last third of the season with a grudge match against PG.  Their games will likely have a big impact on both the bye distribution and the six spot.  In order to take it for themselves, they'll need to win out and hope that BDT sweeps the other WC contenders. 


9.  (7) Old Future (3-7)  - The Future lost a winnable game against the Bloodz and significantly hobbled their chances at the Six Spot  best. Manning continues to dominate, and close in on QB1 in the points rankings, but without the Buffalo duo OF is too dependent on WR points.  A bye for T-Rich was too much to overcome here. Remaining schedule - Shock, Nauts, Panthers. Two fellow cellar dwellers and a Star Lord. If the Future could run the table they're in the conversation. Playoff miracle karma - mustard seed. OF has a chance to rack up two wins against weaker squads, if they could pull of a huge upset of the Nauts it would reshape both races. 

10. (11)  Pelican Brief (3-7) - The Grishamites kept their own hopes alive, pulling the Trichs back into the mire.  A previously undiscovered level of B345t mode for Lynch was the margin of victory. With Brady back next week, and Lynch coming off his best game in a year, PB is not going quietly.   Remaining Schedule - Dijon, Polk, PG. Like the other 3-7 teams, the Pelicans probably need a sweep. Playoff miracle karma - deus ex machina. The Brief rosters some of the most elite recognizable names in the NFL, early in the season it didn't gel, if it does now, they could become a force in the final third. 


11. (10) Shock_Pix  (3-7) - The Shock's chance was two weeks ago at 3-5 to return to playoff relevance. The locker room mood now is somber and the attitude seems downtrodden. Even though it technically was the right decision (as the Bengals waltzed into a blowout loss), Hill sitting the bench looks like coasting. Cutler's dismantling took away their last legitimate chance to Shock the World in week 10.  Remaining Schedule - OF, TTM, BDT.  A cellar dweller and two high flyers, the Shockers could still be midrange spoilers. Playoff miracle karma - grace of god. From early season  low-scoring the Pixies are last by points and would need to win out and have every other WC contender falter. 

12. (T. 11)  Polk High Panthers (2-8) - The Bundys took another one sitting down - posted on the Toyata infamy ad as a 53 point defeat to the Mustardians. Megatron's return was the good news of the day, with over 100 yards and a TD, he'll put a few teeth back in the Panther's bite down the stretch. IF he and Green and Charles manage to fire during the same week, we'll get a glimpse at the team's intended structure.  Remaining schedule - Nauts, Brief, Future. As the recap mentioned no team is eliminated, but with eight losses it's entirely out of Polk's hands.  Playoff miracle karma - infinite universes. The Bundys are 10th by points and a game down on the outsider WC hopefuls. Even with a tie at 5-8 they'll need 

Week 10 Recap

Apologies for delayed post.  I was riding my CitiBike down Bleecker St this morning when this truck came out of no where and almost killed me because I don't wear a helmet.  I took a picture of the truck in preparation for a litigation.  Here it is!

In stark contrast to the madness that was Week 9, Week 10 passed relatively calmly.  Phat Girlz went down to BDT for the third straight loss and probably will lose the Uptown Top Ranking, but the rest of the results were dictated mostly by standings (well except for Pelican beat down of Pullers).  Barring something crazy, five teams above .500 (Nauts, Girlz, TTM, Dijon, and BDT) will make the playoffs, with Nauts one leg up in the race for first-round bye.  The .500 club of Ferries and Bloodz will battle for the last playoffs spot, but the road is rough for both franchises.  SFF face BDT, Trix and Dijon for the final three regular season games, while Bloodz have TTM, BDT and Trix on the plate.  Because of the tough road ahead for both 5-5 teams, the quartet of 3-7 teams still have chances if they can win out the rest of the season.  And as crazy as it sounds 2-8 Bundys aren't mathematically eliminated just yet either (imagine a 5-8 team in the playoffs).  In the market, in part due to lack of upsets, in part due to the market's timidity following last week's near explosion and in part due to dwindling talent pool in waiver-market as the mega bye storm passes through town, not much happened and more was actually taken out.  A needed correction for the final leap, it seems.  The season is by no means close to being over, which means injuries will happen (ala Carson City) and waiver money demand sure will pick up (ala Brandon Jacobs).  Do we hear, Manziel, ehm, Tebow?

Shank-I-Punt

Punters are punters for a reason.  Actually.., I don't really have much to say here.  It was a punt kind of a week for me anyways.  So, here are the results. 

Future: Koenen 23 ydz

TTM: Wing 46 ydz

Trix: Lanning 32 ydz

 

Old Future will collect pool and matching funds (-3+9+9), a smooth +15.  Nice.

Over-Under

In their head-to-head matchup, it was Vick that was 2010, not Ben.  Sanchez on MNF was as effective as he can be (except for that one failed read-option keeper in which Mark went down like a girl), tossing two TDs and throwing for over 330 ydz.

Ben 12.97 / 19.71-proj (UNDER): Future, TTM and Trix bought OVER (and lost)

VIck 17.68 / 16.94-proj (OVER): Future, TTM and Trix bought UNDER (and lost)

Sanchez 19.68 / 16.36-proj (OVER): Trix bought OVER (and won)

Stock Market

In a week with not much activity in the stock market, lack of upsets hit investors hard with many of derivatives featuring underdogs.  The result is a major down-turn for those that were bullish.  Some franchises wisely stayed put, so the damage was rather contained, except where the bleeding didn't stop.

Jeopardy: Future and Trix both lost

Catz: TTM won but Trix lost

Hot-lanta: Future and Polk both lost

Chant-Down: BDT won, but SFF and Polk lost

Babylon O: Nauts, TTM and Dijon won but Girlz lost

Recap

Future: +1

Trix (-5)

TTM (+3)

Future (-5)

Hot (-5)

Ben (-2)

Vick (-2)

Punt (-3+18)

dividends (+2)

TTM: -5

Ben (-2)

Vick (-2)

Punt (-3)

dividends (+2)

Trix: -24

Trix (-5)

Polk (-5)

Catz (-5)

CJ (-5)

Hot (-5)

Ben (-2)

Vick (-2)

Sanchez (+4)

Punt (-3)

dividends (x2=+4)

BDT: -5

Hot (-5)

Polk: +2

dividends (+2)

Unlike Carson, stock market will be back next week

 

Public Funds Index:
+516-31=+485

Week 10 Casino Gulag

Special week calls for something special.  So we have two games in line for you. 

The first is a traditional Casino Gulag styley.  We've put the spotlight on the offensive stars for the past several weeks, but mine is an unheralded people's regime.  So we'll swing that searchlight onto the special teams side once again, and this time it's the punters turn.  We call it Shank-A-Punt.  PICK A PLAYER WHO KICKS THE PUNT THAT TRAVELS THE LEAST DISTANCE.  This is just the punt yardage contest, so the distance the kick travels before it's caught, goes out of bounds, or is downed.  Essentially you are looking for a shanked punt, which usually goes out of bounds.  Touchbacks will be considered kicked to 20 yard line and not to the endzone, so that's something to consider as well.

Crapshoot, I know, with little strategy involved.  It's just impossible to keep the money away from the Goliathes lately, so it's a what-a-heck game.  As usual, 3 bankerbytez per bet, one bet per, winner collects pot and matching funds, first come, first serve with TNF deadline. 

For the second game, we'll simply play a series of Over-Under on player projections for 2 bb each (so everyone can participate).  The lineups are Ben Roethlisberger (19.74 pts), Michael Vick (17.00 pts) and Mark Sanchez (16.12 pts).  Projections will probably change until game time, so whatever the final projection is will be the line.  You can pick just one, two or all three.  For each pick, state OVER or UNDER.  You pick wrong and it'll cost 2 bb; you get it right and you'll win 4 bb (so doubled odds). 

For the second game, the deadline for purchase is their respective game time (MNF for Sanchez, Sunday 1pm eastern for Big Ben and Vick).  There's no rush to pick yet, but make sure to get your orders in before game time.  

Comment below for both game's purchase orders.  For Shank-A-Punt, I'll subject myself to 3-pix-24-hour rule.  

Week 10 Stock Market & Previewz

 

Week 10 usually means crunch time.  Previous week's upsets surprisingly didn't alter the league landscape much, except maybe there are now five elite teams (Girlz, Nauts, TTM, Dijon and BDT) vying for the top two first-round bye spots.  Up to five teams are battling for the last playoffs seat, among whom the Ferries at 5-4 clearly is the favorite, but four games remaining against TTM, BDT, Trix and Dijon make it a tough road for them to even go 2-2 to finish 7-6.  So the door is still open but the rest of the hopefuls are in just-win-out-and-hope-for-the-best mode. One thing the upsets did was put more liquidity into the thinning waiver market, which could see some volatility moving forward.  Another heavy dose of bye here with Houston, Indy, Minnesota, New England, San Diego and Washington all with multiple fantasy stars on break.

 

I'll admit, with circumstances this isn't my A-effort in writing the previewz, many comments aren't backed by research.  Just you know.  What you expect, I wasn't supposed to have any money left after going all-in for AP.  Anyhow, this is B-day week, so I'm forgiven.
 

 

The payout schedule for each 5 bankerbitez bet is as following.

                                      Blue Chip     Market Performer     Junk
Blue Chip (#1-4*)                  5                      3                          2
Market Performer (#5-8*)     10                     5                          3
Junk (#9-12*)                        15                     10                        5

*Based on weekly Power Rankingz.  In case of a tied rank, commissioner's ruling will be published here.

The Guide

-Bounce-Back Week
(t-1) Phat Girlz 7-2 (3 bb) vs (5) BuildingDW3LL1NGTh1nk1ng 6-3 (10 bb)

The much anticipated Week 10 showdown on Luck-TY bye and BDT QB change will feature two teams on mini-losing skids at two drops in a row.  Neither teams can afford to make it three for first-round bye hopes.

"Just one of those days," sighed Monique, and true that.  Week 10 loss for the entourage saw no one other than Luck and TY crack 5 pts while Forte and Cobb were on bye.  Now it's Luck and TY's turn to sit.  While the returning studs will surely pick up where they left off, Ginger is no where to be seen on her bench and there aren't great options at QB in the market with injuries mounting at the position.  Tate's lack of production following offensive line injuries and the subsequent arrival of RBBC makes the once-attractive Cleveland backfield a potential doom.  Monique opened up her phat wallet and went after AP's supposedly near-return in a playoff-aimed move.  But meanwhile for the first time this season, Monique's breathing sounds heavier.

Romo's injury affected the Boyz heavily in Week 10 as low-balling spread from Dez through the roster.  Eli replacing Tony over Robert actually got some good garbage time points to be respectable, and Morris is a clear beneficiary of sharing the backfield with RGIII.  BDT's sentimental attachment to Romo was much less as he was cut loose in a personnel move.  Nelson needs to beat Cobb in TD reception to lift the Dwellers here.

Favorable odds for the Philosophic Ones.

-Rivalry-Week Rematch

(t-1) AEthernauts 7-2 (2 bb) vs (10) Shock_Pix® 3-6 (15 bb)

Nauts beat their Rivalry-Week match handily. 

Nauts got the W in Week 9, but it wasn't pretty.  Emanuel Sanders maxed the troops at 16 pts in an effort in which only Cam cracked double digits among the rest of the lineup.  The backfield has some concerns, with Romo-less Murray running into some walls and McKinnon thrice getting vultured by Asiata.  Now with Minnesota and New England on bye, they need immediate RB help but waiver options were limited this week, making some gaps in the Big Sky.  Nauts need bounce-back performances by Newton and DeMarco to avoid getting Shocked.

The Shockers were just several roster moves away from pulling off another one.  Harvin's move to Meadowlands is clearly benefiting the speedster and psychedog, and Hill will surely get the start this week with Gio still nursing in the infirmary.  There are some offensive gaps to fill come Sunday noon-time, but 2014's version of el mundo is a force to be reckoned with week-in and week-out.

Tempted to touch this upsetters chune.  Sweet like Beres Hammond.

-Rivalry-Week Rematch 2

(3) TakingTigerMountain 6-3 (3 bb) vs (6) SanFranciscoFerries 5-4 (10 bb)

Another rivalry-week rematch: this one with much playoffs implication.

Of the top teams, only TigerMoutain stood firm in Week 9.  Their beatdown of Phat Girlz with season's largest points margin was impressive from Thursday start to Sunday night finish, with all skills position players in the doubles while Sanu and Asiata b345ting on the bench.  WIth Ingram's return to form, Crescent City Connection is threefold now and the rest of the pieces are there with potent NE, Denver and Pitt offensive weapons lined up to fire upon will.  This team has turned the corner and looks built to capture that big phat trophy.  Who needs AP with a team like this now.

Odd-numbered week meant Ferries win, which they pulled off rather efficiently without cracking a hundred.  Odell Beckham Jr.'s emergence is a relief to the Boatmen while their other receivers are stalling.  They get their potent NFC North backfield Lacy and Bush back from bye, but it's Gronk's turn to sit plus Seattle's offensive struggle is affecting the QB numbers here.  We'll see if they turn to Stafford in a crucial game.  The Ferries can ill-afford to keep alternating win and loss, and this game against a 6-3 team is a near-must win if they want to make that playoffs aspiration secured.

Always like favorable odds, but betting against Antonio Brown and TTM is scary. 

-Housing Court

(4) Dijonnaise All-Stars 6-3 (2 bb) vs (t-11) Polk High Panthers 2-7 (15 bb)

The battle between former tenant and landlord have their status reversed here.

All season long, Dijon must have fielded trade offers for QB1 Rivers with stern No-s in anticipation for Week 9's A-Rodg bye.  One week Philip Rivers needed to perform, he gets a negative two, costing the Mustards sixth-straight win and the top-ranking rod.  That's Philip Rivers for you.  Just like Cutler.  Just like Romo.  Break down at crutch.  That's why Eli is Eli.  He's the two-time Superbowl MVP.  Ok, I digress, whatever it's B-day, I don't want to do much researching so just trying to fill the page here.  Besides, I'm tired of looking at Week 9 Dijon-Trix box score.  Back to Dijon, Mike Evans' breakout performance and Miller continuing to shine with the Fins were bright spots in the loss, and Foster gets a timely bye to heal whatever new ailment he got going so it's not all bad for Colonel getting A-Rodg and not-so-Hot-lanta pieces back.

Big Ben's two-week performance is historical, but what's more astonishing is Polk High actually started Roethlisberger on both occasions, the second of which landed them a much awaited W.  AJ got back and while not dominant found the endzone to snap Bundys out of league-worst seven game skid.  Now that Megatron is also due back, this team is positioned to a) go after Moral Victory and Consy prizes hard and; b) wreck havoc on top-tiered teams for the next two weeks with back-to-back matches against Dijon and Nauts.

Good thing I didn't lose all my money on AP, because this one looks tasty.  Oh I'm tempted to touch yet again.

-Talkers battle

(7) Trichotillomaniacs 3-6 (3 bb) vs (t-11) ThePelicanBrief 2-7 (10 bb)

Two of the unique PSAS franchises with whole system and culture that extend beyond the Yahoo frontpage and the Blogger blog face each other in the fifth dimension, third eye vision, whatever.

Trichs have had their back against the river for a while now, and the river front is moving forward.  In Maclin, they've finally got the WR1 that they've been waiting for.  WR2 production is still hard to get right, with Benjamin, Watkins, Floyd and D-Jax all consistently underproducing when given chance to start.  Shady's quietly picking things up, just lacking TDs which may or may not come now that Mark Sanchez is at the helm.  (Tell me, those that follow college football and especially Pac-10, wasn't Sanchez rated so much higher than Foles coming out?  I don't really know since I've been taking Saturdays off from football for awhile now).  Anyhow, in Denard Robinson, they've also got the RB2/Flex in case of Ahmad break-down (or bye which is this week).  General Far East likes to gain momentum here before facing rival Girlz in Week 11. 

Of all the upsets in Week 9, Pelican's over BDT, while discounting the rivalry aspect, was the most impressive.  Brady-B345tM0d3 tandem going for 55 pts and Seattle D regaining fantasy relevance gives moral boost to the Grishamites moving forward.  Week 10 is Brady bye, so Flacco will start in fill-in duty.  Week 10 bye is quietly hitting Pelican hard, making them scramble left to right in the waiver market like me picking beer at gas station walk-in cooler. 

Another good odds if you look at their records and no further.

-Elimination

(8) HomeSpunNeckBloodz 4-5 (3 bb)vs (9) The Old Future 3-6 (10 bb)

Two franchises on the wrong side of the fence are in knock-out battle that only one can emerge out of and keep hope.  The loser, please pack your knives and go.

Week 9's near-miss of an unset over Nauts was even more bitter as Bloodz lost Foles probably for the rest of the fantasy season.  There aren't great options left at QB (Alex Smith, Kyle Orton?), which doesn't help the Spinning Wheel as they lack points to back up getting another loss.  At least they get some NFC North tools returning from bye so they don't have to rely so heavily on the Giants, but it'll take some ingenuity to get the spinning going.

Old Future really needed that W in Week 9 not just for their own sake but for the rest of the bottom of the league's hope.  Now at six losses, the timewarps are truly backed against the wall.  There's probably some mathematical possibility, but it's a long-shot now for the rookies to get to the playoffs.  Last year, a long-shot rookie made playoffs and eventually lost in the championship after some crazy outcomes dictated things in the final weeks of regular season, so keep fighting.  As for the roster, beyond Peyton there's really not much to get excited about here.  They have a serviceable QB stashed on the bench and several teams with QB needs will be calling on them this week, though they aren't likely to get as high a value as earlier in the season for Matty Ice. 

Luck of draw has this evenly matched game giving another favorable odds.  Hey-hey-ho, what a week full of Lee Perries.

 

 

Derivatives

For Sale:

Celebrity Jeopardy: Trix win and Future win (20 bb)

Catz in A-10: TTM win and Trix win (15 bb)

Hot-lanta: Polk win and Future win (40 bb)

Freebies w/ purchase:

Chant Down Babylon: BDT win, SFF win and Polk win (40 bb)

Babylon O-ppression: Girlz win, Nauts win, TTM win, and Dijon win (30 bb)

Comment below for orders.

Week 10 Power Rankings

Three close games decided on Monday Night promised to set the season's playoff path.  They pitted top and bottom six teams a sweep either way could have either significantly complicated things or all but wrapped up the playoff package.  As it was only one MNF upsetter pulled through and the melee (Trichs) and the standings now feature a six above six below breakdown.  Winners of two straight the Trichs are the only team south of the border with top half points, and losers of two straight BDT are the only top with bottom half points. Are they headed in opposite directions? The board-leader PG lost and the basement dwellers won, so nobody is clinched or eliminated yet. With the amount of attrition yet to play, the rankings opine we're looking at a 7-6 bar for the 6 spot (possibly five spot too?) with a points tie-breaker.  Several teams have QB vacancies/byes will anybody trust Dirty Sanchez or the Dog Killer?

T.1.  (1)  Phat Girlz - (7-2) - On a super bye week the Girlz were slimmed down to begin with but didn't get much nutrition from the remaining ingredients. With Forte, Sankey and Cobb on byes this was basically a shot in the dark at a win. The only mildly troubling news is Tate's continued devolution into RBBC role, which might have gotten worse with West's game on Sunday.   It's still the Indy duo, Forte and Cobb that make the Girlz formidable but they won't necessarily tip the scales against other Blue Chippers without multiple starting RBs.  The Girlz will again have too many byes to adequately defend against a top six team next week without sacrificing depth and spending money on the wire.  A third straight loss might well upset Monique's bye dreams. Average Points 126.6  - Average Points Against 113.7

T. 1. (2) Aethernauts - (7-2) - A host of missed projections lead to a nail-biter for the Nauts on MNF.  McKinnon got multi-vultured by Asiata, Sanders returned to his endzone allergic self  and Murray suffered his first single digit of the season under gathering storm clouds in Dallas.  But a win is a win and the Nauts are now in perfect position to secure an all important bye.  If underachieving Cam ever gets it together the Nauts will soar alone at the top of the rankings. Gordon returns in week 12 if the Explorers can keep him rostered that long he's "ready to unload"?  Average Points 120.8  - Average Points Against 107.2

3. (5) TakingTigerMountain  (6-3) - The resurgent Tigers got a teed up upset facing the Girlz in a super bye week, but they looked good doing it again.  All of the skill players were in double digits and three bench players as well. The Tigers are TD hunters and there were no less than 10 scores on the starting roster. When the Saints and Patriots are clicking there's bound to be fire on the mountain. They're now second by points with one foot in the post season at six wins.  A 3-1 finish could easily see them with a bye and a 1-3 could just as easily usher them to the consolation tourney. Average Points 124.3  - Average Points Against 113.1

4. (4)  Dijonaise All Stars (6-3)   - The Mustard Men suffered the most spectacular back up QB destruction in week 9.  Rivers, roundly discussed as an MVP in the early weeks, imploded for a -2 point fantasy performance, including three interceptions and a fumble. Minus Rodgers, White and S-Jax on the bye, Team Yellow had a hard assignment to beat a tough Trichs squad. Luckily for them, they have one to give after squeaking out back to back upsets. After a five game winning streak Dijon drops the Bolt the week after it was first awarded. Average Points 111.9  - Average Points Against 105.8

5.  (3) BuildingDwellingThinking  (6-3) - The Romo Autumn has begun with an initially moderate back injury stretching into missed time and broken ribs. BDT pulled the trigger and parted ways to avoid dropping any of their positional depth. In all likelihood he can be had back when/if he's ready. With Jordy on bye  some high end potential was removed from the Philosopher's equation too. With Weeden captaining the Cowboys offense Dez gets a downgrade, Welker seems to have been obliterated out of the Broncos offense finally.  They'll see what they get from the Buffalo dual injury replacement team and likely let the lesser Manning ride under center for the time being.  More trades could easily be in play before the deadline for the Titration King. Average Points 105.9  - Average Points Against 96.6

6. (6)  SanFranciscoFerries (5-4)-  The bye bonanza hit the Ferries hard, with Lacy, Stafford and Bush all taking a seat during a key playoff race game - leading to a tight finish.  Russell Wilson muddled through another TD-less campaign, now low-balled in three of his last four games.  Forsett, Gronk and Bell all found the endzone.   The Ferries are mid-range streaky, with four games over 120 and three under 90. With decent points and occupying the 6th spot by winning percentage, they control their own fate, but with a tough remaining schedule, they'll have to beat a couple playoff teams to keep it that way. Average Points 111.4  - Average Points Against 116.7



7. (9)  Trichs  (3-6) - Foles' absence might affect the Trichs the most with key pieces Shady and L-Mac. Both functioned well under the Sanchize's stewardship, but for how long? The Keepernick's amazing goalline fumble nearly cost the Trichs a win here - his lost season is a fair parallel for the Shogun squad. Robinson's emergence in J-ville. D-Jax's renewed connection with RGIII, even Palmer's legit passing in Arizona -  all good signs for the Hair Pullers, but have they come too late?  We're going to break with tradition and offer Zeus' Thunderbolt to the Shogun as a two win squad (tied with several others).  Is that bad juju? Is it a fantasy gauntlet? The Maniacs can hardly look a gift horse in the mouth at this point.  Either they hold the bolt through November or console themselves with Golden Tee and consolation tourney.   Every coach says "one game at a time" but they have to be looking at a week 12 game with the Bay Area Boatmen and hoping that a W would pull them even.   Average Points 116.4  - Average Points Against 120.2

8. (8)  Homespun Neckbloodz (4-5) - A crushing end to a near-miss comeback slows the spin of the Bloodz playoff run. Spinners lost their QB in week 9 to a broken collarbone - but Foles has been far from elite.  Replacing his production is less of a concern than when they can get Nio-Gio back. The Bengals tailback is slated to miss another week that the low-ceiling Bloodz can ill-afford. Points poor they need win column at all costs, pumping up their projections to match teams like BDT and TTM still on the schedule is key.  Their only chance to regain control of their destiny is to win out.  Once they hit the six loss mark they'll need significant help. Average Points 98.1  - Average Points Against 93.2

9.  (7) Old Future (3-6)  - The Future sneaked up on the Ferries and cut things close on Monday Night.  Even in defeat Peyton piled up his projection, but on Alshon's bye the slim pickings show OF to be a bit starved at WR.  They need T-Rich to come return to form and Frank the Tank to start busting trenches again.  Dead middle by points they're far from old news, but they need to win out and hope for the best. Average Points 108.4  - Average Points Against 106.5

10. (9) Shock_Pix  (3-6) - A big no-confidence vote in LSU back Hill cost the Shocktop, as Hill ran all over the Jags in place of injured Nio-Gio. The Pixies got smotherered by Polk anyway, but another unexpected R-burger passing storm obscures the closeness of the game.   They were a long-shot to "Shock the World" with a six spot appearance after an absentee start, technically they're still just a longer shot.  But now last in points, their destiny is in the hands of the godz.  Average Points 97.3  - Average Points Against 120.4

T.11. (11)  Pelican Brief (2-7) - The Pelicans caught a massive break with Romo sidelined and upset the favored BDT by a large margin. Again, central is the rejuvenated Brady who slaughtered Peyton's squad at home in early freezing conditions. B345t mode retunred to double digits for the first time in four weeks.  With back to back weeks over 120, the Pelicans are in play for Moral Victory Consideration.  Average Points 99.5  - Average Points Against 109.1

T. 11. (12)  Polk High Panthers (2-7) - Out of nowhere Big Ben has caught fire and leads the league in passing over the last two weeks, throwing 11 TDs.   Charles continues to plow on ahead and AJ Green returned to action after missing four weeks and essentially cancelling Polk's season. If Megatron returns next week there's every reason to think that the Panthers will stay at this high level of scoring and contend for the Moral Victory. Average Points 101.9  - Average Points Against 119.9

Week 9 Recap

 

 

Another nail-biting finish to MNF thrillers in the PSAS wrap up an exciting week that was Week 9.  Three of the top-4 upper echelon teams went down to the underdogs while TigerMountain joins the top-tier with a beat down of the Uptown Girlz.  Bottom-of-food-chain Pelican and Trichs contributed to the mess by beating the Dwellers and the Condiments respectively.  Polk High got the moral-boosting win behind Big Ben's 6 TD night in as many weeks, and we finally saw a week where the parity trend finally reversed.  On the market side, the investors were just a mere 2-pts-by-Bloodz away from being actuated a bail-out fashion 100 bankerbytez freebie payoff.  Still, with upsets abound, those who were bullish on the dogs in Week 9 all got solid returns on their investments as the market as a whole had the biggest gain of the season since Week 2.

PSAS's Weekly Fan-pick

That was fun, our new pickin's game except I picked mostly Broncos so it wasn't too fun for me.  I won't pick three from the same team again and I won't proclaim Orange Crush back again, but I could totally see that game or its variation making a come-back in the future.  The highest scoring combination was B. Roethlisberger, J. Maclin, J. Hill, and R. Gronkowski.  Our winner is Colonel Mustard, who picked two out of the four best performers (Maclin and Gronk).  While his league-leading winning streak was stripped, his drained waiver money gets a restock so he can pay for Amukamara replacement mei yo wenti. 

Dijon: Luck 29.66 + Foster 18.90 + Maclin 29.80 + Gronk 16.50 = 94.86

Future: Peyton 22.32 + Foster 18.90 + Dez 7.50 + Gronk 16.50 = 65.22

Trix: Peyton 22.32 + Charles 14.80 + DT 13.70 + Julius 9.70 = 60.62

Pelican: Russel 10.26 + Lynch 26.30 + TY 13.10 + Julius 9.70 = 59.36

Nauts: Brees 17.33 + Foster 18.90 + DT 13.70 + Gronk 16.50 = 66.43

TTM: Peyton 22.32 + Antonio 21.40 + Charles 14.80 + Jimmy G 14.30 = 72.82

The Mustards collect pot plus matching funds, +33 bb.  Nice.

Stock Market

There's odds, and there's odds.  After pay-schedule restructure, the aim was to refrain from over pumping the waiver market with free money.  Week 9 results could have easily blew that policy out the window, almost handing out Benjamin Franklins left and right.  In the end, it wasn't meant to be and nothing crazy like that happened.  But just a reminder, if you don't play, you won't get paid.  And those who played, you got served. 

Hot-lanta: Polk won but Future lost

Babylon: Nauts won, but Girlz, Dijon and BDT lost

Catz: Trix won but BDT and Shock lost

Upsetters: TTM, Trix and Pelican won, but Bloodz lost

Recap

Future: +37

TTM (+10)

Trix (+15)

Pelican (+15)

Polk (+5)

Hot-lanta (-5)

Fan-pick (-3)

Trix: +22

Trix (+15)

Fan-pick (-3)

dividends (x5=+10)

Nauts: +25

Trix (+15)

TTM (+10)

Fan-pick (0)

TTM: +28

Trix (+15)

TTM (+10)

Fan-pick (-3)

dividends (x3=+6)

Dijon: +33

Fan-pick (-3+36)

Pelican: -1

Fan-pick (-3)

dividends (+2)

Polk: +2

dividends (+2)

It's all about the numbers

Public Funds Index:
+370+146=+516