Huh. It’s almost like Tony wrote the script for this postseason. Wish we’d been out in Vegas the last couple weeks and were betting on his picks here.
CC S/U
CC Spread
Postseason S/U
Postseason Spread
Tony
2-0
2-0
11-1
8-4
Andy
1-1
1-1
9-3
5-7
So, what happens now?
After such a truly horrible 2020–a year that saw the NHL & NBA suspend their seasons midway through, before returning to half-ass their playoffs in a bubble, and an MLB season that showed just what a bunch of absolute whiners both players and owners can be, we finally reach the culmination of the one league to manage to pull off a full season amidst the pandemic.
It wasn’t always pretty–some weird scheduling and plenty of fans whining enough about how their team was being screwed that you’d think they were in the MLB (looking at you, Pittsburgh), but the full slate of games was played, the playoffs have gone off relatively smoothly. And now we get to “The Big Game” – and honestly, I have to imagine most of the league brass couldn’t be happier with the matchup.
Tony is on fire since the playoffs started. Andy is plugging along alright as long as point spreads aren’t involved. Here are the postseason standings:
Div S/U
Div Spread
Postseason S/U
Postseason spread
Tony
4-0
3-1
9-1
6-4
Andy
3-1
1-3
8-2
4-6
We’re down to three games left in the season. The Championship games this weekend have some interesting storylines. Here are our guesses:
Tony and Andy tied across the board last week. How about that. Tony scored a solid hit picking the Browns, while Andy pegged the Rams upset over Seattle – and both actually got half their bets correct.
Go figure.
Straight-up
Spread
Andy
5-1
3-3
Tony
5-1
3-3
Quite possibly the best weekend of football games in any given year is the divisional round of the playoffs. Here are our picks:
For Saturday, oddly enough I might be most looking forward to the Bucs vs Football Team game, although more because the other two bore me, and I’d like to see more of Antonio Gibson, and whether or not Tom Brady is enough to overcome the seemingly perpetual playoff choking of Bruce Arians. Plus, if we play the “Every time they mention Alex Smith’s gruesome injury” drinking game, I can be passed out by the early second quarter.
On Sunday, the Ravens/Titans game should be a solid matchup to watch, with Derrick Henry and Lamar Jackson—and surprisingly, the Steelers/Browns game offers some intrigue, with the Covid Coaching situation for the Browns, and the questions about just how overrated the Steelers really are.
As for the Bears/Saints…well, apparently that game will be featured on Nickelodeon, which sounds about right for where it should be.
Andy
As much as I rail against playoff expansion – blatant money grab – there are several interesting games this weekend. I won’t have the opportunity to sit down and watch straight through – the perils of having young kids – but I’ll monitor all of them.
The ones that interest me the most, I think, are Colts/Bills, as it seems to me with the defense they have, the multitude of weapons on offense and the mobility of Josh Allen, they may have the best chance of dethroning Kansas City in the AFC. But are they ready? Pittsburgh and Cleveland will also be interesting, as the Browns get back into the playoffs for the first time in ages. But I don’t think Cleveland is ready to stick in that game yet.
The NFL lot kind of bores me a bit. The Bears, Washington Football Team and, with its defensive deficiencies, the Seahawks are, I think, pretenders this year. Rams/Seahawks will be the most competitive game this weekend, but honestly, it feels to me like whoever ultimately emerges from this slate of teams is nothing more than prey for an AFC Super Bowl win.
With our top four players (Mahomes, Henry, McKissic & Kupp) all in both of our lineups, not a terrible surprise that Week 16 was close–but Andy pulled it out, mostly thanks to a solid Logan Thomas performance.
Week 16
Season
Total points
Weekly average
Andy
123.82
10-6
2,156.2
134.76
Tony
114.52
6-10
1,949.1
121.81
This week Fanball can’t screw up the slate, since all games are on Sunday. Of course, a new thing that I’m not sure I like about their platform is that my LeagueSafe winnings are mixed in with my DFS winnings balance…I suppose it makes it easier to extract, but it sure did muddy up my tracking of just how poorly I was doing.
Andy: Week 17 is always a challenge. Throw in the pandemic and a lot of teams either alive for the playoffs or still jockeying to see what their seeding might be and this is an even more tricky final week than most. For example, with the Saints still having an outside shot at the NFC’s bye but Alvin Kamara ruled out early on the COVID-19 list, I initially had Latavius Murray as a play this week. But such is the 2020 season – and hopefully this won’t be an issue when 2021 rolls around.
Hey, whaddya know. Andy got three games right. That took long enough. Doesn’t get him back to positive, but it puts him in striking distance. Tony joined him in the negatives this week. Good time for the season to end, I guess.
Week 16 W/L
Season W/L
Week 16 $$
Season $$
Bankroll
Andy
3-1
21-41-2
+$2,052
-$10,340
-$340
Tony
1-3
22-39-3
-$1,391
-$10,317
-$317
Andy: To say I’ve got momentum is severely far-fetched, but I’ll take a good week. Hoping to end on a good note. (more…)
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