Pretenders and Contenders
FFC West
The West race has escalated to a back and forth between Lin Sanity and the Sacramento Wolf Pack. I have both teams pegged as playoff teams, one as the division winner and the other to grab one of the three wildcard spots. Lin Sanity has grabbed control of the division and with players like Tyreek Hill and Mike Evans: they represent the ultimate volatility in explosive upside and basement bottom floor lowside. It’s an exciting team to watch and if they get hot at the right time, Lin Sanity will be able to outgun any team in the playoffs. While the Wolfpack look like a more steady squad who can produce points on a consistent basis, they will need Jalen Hurts rushing upside to elevate his value to elite status in the second half of 2021. Regardless, both teams are very good and will most likely both make the playoffs and potentially play a third matchup against each other. The important tie breaker to look at is the Wolf Pack own the head to head tiebreaker as of right now and these two teams are scheduled to play again in Week 13 which may decide the ultimate fate for both teams. Although not mathematically confirmed it might be safe to deem the Spartans and PGD as pretenders to miss the 2021 playoffs.
FFC South
This is a runaway train for first place as the Craters have undoubtedly been the class of the entire league through eight weeks only losing one game and sweeping the division in the first four games. This squad is virtually a lock for the playoffs, a heavy favorite as a top two seed and the favorite to win the coveted bye week with their head to head victory over Gandalf the Goat.
The interesting race to watch in this division will be wildcard hopefuls Bruce Almightys and Uur UPS, both 4-4 as we speak, who look to be hitting their stride mid season and have strong well rounded rosters who could do some damage in the playoffs. But making the playoffs will be a task in itself. As it stands both teams are on the bubble of the wildcard but it’s hard to rule out either team as a wildcard squad come playoff time. While the UPS have been one of my pre season favorites to win the entire league with one of the best rosters and benches and undoubtedly the best running back duo, Bruce’s elite receiver core and Cooper Kupp’s ascension to the #1 fantasy receiver has made this team a much more compelling competitor in the wildcard race. I have both teams pegged as contenders but it will be hard for both teams to make the playoffs. I think ultimately it’s going to come down to managing QB play: will Ryan Tannehil become elevated with the loss of Derrick Henry as a more aggressive passer or will Justin Fields make a leap into the starting lineup late into the season and push Bruce over the edge? Dr. Jenious is unfortunately far behind the rest of the division at this point and is a pretender to miss the 2021 playoffs.
FFC North
With three teams ranked in the top seven of the power rankings this week, the FFC North looks like the best division in BFFL by a considerable margin. The question is: who will separate themselves as a little better than the other two? With the loss of Derrick Henry in Week 8 I think Pool of the Dead now turns from the overall favorite to probably talent wise a little behind the other two squads. With healthy returns for Josh Jacobs and Antonio Brown, they will remain a contender but I like the other two squads just a little better. The Jedi Knights have come on strong the last four weeks as Joe Burrow, Leonard Fournette and AJ Brown have really taken a step forward. Burrow was strong all season but Fournette and Brown have bounced back from slow starts to the season within the last month and have really positive outlooks for the rest of the season. Current division leader Korriban Warriors have benefited from consistent play from Thielen and Cooks and now Jonathan Taylor has blasted off to elite running backs and one of the most consistent and elite fantasy assets in the entire league. I think the division race will boil down to Warriors vs Jedi and it’s a razor thin margin degree of separation. With the Jedi owning the head to head tiebreaker 1-0, these teams will meet again later in the season and I think that will ultimately decide their fate. Whoever misses out on the division will be thrown into a competitive wildcard scene as you figure the loser of the Wolfpack/Linsanity division race and the combination of a very strong UPS and Bruce will lie in waiting to compete for a crowded wildcard. I like all three teams as contenders and I think unfortunately Ernie’s Rubber Duckies is the odd man out here.
FFC East
The defending champion Gandalf the Goat has run away with the FFC East division and is firmly in the driver’s seat of grabbing the division and in contention for the #1 overall seed. Roster wise this team is so superbly stacked and far ahead of the division, it is comical to even compare any other squad in the division to this team so I’ll just stop writing about Gandalf here. They are a stone cold lock to win the FFC East with the greatest of ease.
The only interesting team is the 4-4 Hot Pocket Hot Locket but with such a low points scored total it’s hard to imagine they can edge out the cluster of strong teams in the wildcard bubble. Ultimately I think HPHL, MD Nuts and SLAM BALL are all pretenders.
In summary I think the playoff picture will materialize into the following top 4: the Craters (South), Gandalf (South), Warriors/Jedi (North) and LinSanity/Wolfpack (West). In the wildcard I think the loser of the West race will be there along with UPS and the last spot will be down to the wire Pool of the Dead vs Bruce vs loser of Warriors/Jedi. Yes I know, it’s not exactly a good prediction but if I had to provide my best guess at this point I’ll go:
1. Craters (bye)
2. Gandalf the Goat
3. Sacramento Wolf Pack
4. Korriban Warriors
5. Lin Sanity
6. Uur UPS
7. Bruce Almightys
Fantasy Awards Progress Report
Fantasy MVP: It’s a close race so far between a few candidates. Right now I have Josh Allen as the clubhouse leader entering the second half of the NFL season with the caveat that Derrick Henry’s injury on Sunday will most likely sideline him for the rest of the season otherwise he would be my favorite. Right on his heels I would have several candidates including Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady, Cooper Kupp, and Austin Ekeler to round out my top five. There is a lot of football left and this list could radically shift when you factor in injuries, bye weeks, and some boom candidates for the latter half of the fantasy season. When you look at the fantasy teams associated with the candidates it’s clear they are all on strong rosters with playoff aspirations and I believe all of these teams will make the playoffs.
Fantasy GM of the Year: It’s way too early to call but since this is just a progress check I think it’s clear two division leaders who have a strong lead in their division: Chet and Casey are the clubhouse favorites. The other two divisions have two teams vying for control and are in close races so keep these names on your radar as well: Marvin, Raj, Stan, Roberto and Ravneet.
Breakout Player of the Year: This is really like throwing a dart with a blindfold on because I think we are poised for some really tremendous second half breakouts. I’m looking at players like Jonathan Taylor, Joe Burrow, Deebo Samuel and others to take a meteoric leap (and have already started to) in the eyes of fantasy GMs as an elite running back with the number of injuries and opportunity to rise to elite status. However as of right now it is absolutely a slam dunk that Ja’Marr Chase the rookie receiver who entered Week 8 as the #2 ranked receiver is absolutely amazing. Similar to Justin Jefferson’s breakout of 2020, we might see his LSU teammate join the list of this category’s winners.
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