Banter: Week 5

10/02/2024

Just a bit of banter.

-Commish

Derrick Henry - Sacks In the City

Back to back player of the week for good reason. Henry has been the difference maker against teams that averaged 133 points across those two weeks, putting the Sacks ahead for the W in each contest. The Ravens have found something with Henry, who makes their offense look completely terrifying when playing like this. 159 and 199 yards rushing in weeks 3 and 4 is unreal performance. Henry is first in the Super League MVP conversation in my eyes at this point. Henry will be needed in divisional matchups vs the Bengals in the NFL and Penguins in Super League.

Slat's Slimes vs. Play Action Jackson

There's a ton on the line for both teams this week. The automatic bid for the Super League playoffs will likely be determined by the matchups between these teams. PAJ is in desperate need of a win here as they want to prove themselves as a top team in the league this season. Sam and the Slimes really want to prove that they are a serious team as well. Play Action Jackson's reliance on Jets players is concerning to say the least. I don't trust these guys to hit their projections, which should make this a relatively close ballgame. Both teams have the ceiling to score into the 120's, but I expect this to be lower scoring as BYE games begin and injuries pile up. Some key matchups to watch: Lamar vs Kyler, Kenneth Walker vs Charbonnet, and Kelce vs Conklin.

Bud Ice Penguins vs. Sacks in the City

I think this will be a close matchup, and the last player to play in that matchup is Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has been shopped by the Penguins this week, but the team really needs a big week from Patty if he is staying. Last week, Mahomes injured his own player, so you'd think he's been pissed off and putting in extra work this week. If Mahomes doesn't deliver against the Saints, then it just shows you what kind of player he is. This is a classic MNA setup - one guy left standing in a close divisional matchup. I think both teams will be watching this game with a little extra emphasis on Monday.

Second Streak?

The Bud Ice Penguins lost their streak, but this article is not about them. It's not even about Zark's Sharks, who are currently undefeated. It's about a couple of teams that have a chance at something much worse than 19 continuous wins: an entire season of losing. Currently, 3 teams have a chance at history with an 0-14 season, but only two of them can possibly remain going into next week barring a tie. Today I break down each of these team's chances at going 0-14:

Muff Punters

The Punters are currently without a win, but they haven't been nearly as bad as the other two 0-4 teams. This fact alone makes their chances of going 0-14 exceptionally bad, as the Punters have not played them yet, or Washington Fantasy Team, this season. A win will definitely come here, but how many wins can we expect for the Punters? Winnable games on the schedule include the three aforementioned teams and a matchup vs the Orcas in week 14 where most of the Orcas team is on BYE. I'd say those games contain 2-3 wins, and I think they are likely to pick up a surprise win along the way as well. I am saying at least 4 wins for the Punters this year, which is pretty terrible, but much better than 0-14.

Verdict: Not Happening

PT Flea Flick-er

Now we get to a team that has a chance at history. PT Flea will go against GIRTH this week, which should crown one team with a victory (unless there's a tie). If I was a betting man, I may pick PT Flea here, but it's a tough one. This matchup is as bad as it gets, with BYEs and injuries taking most of the best players out of the game. I just generally think that PT Flea Flick-er wants to win this season more than GIRTH. I think they don't want to go 0-14, which does increase their chances slightly. If PT Flea were to lose, the future would look very bleak as the next time they play GIRTH will be week 14, where both teams will have BYEs to key players. There's a very real chance they lose this week, so I can't ignore the possibility that this team goes streaking.

Verdict: Possible but Unlikely

GIRTH

Since GIRTH is facing PT Flea Flick-er this week, they are in a very similar boat. The difference is, Jackson's team has many BYEs this week, and most of GIRTH's "best" players are active this week outside of those on IR. There's so many questions you could ask about this team. Why is Bryce Young still on the roster? A 40 year old who is not even that good anymore is better than him. Why are there so many QBs in general? If the focus is on next season, none of these guys will have fantasy relevance. I don't see them being toilet bowl heroes either. I don't understand this teams ability to call others out for bad moves when they are currently leading the worst inaugural season in league history. There's a lot to say, but I think it comes down to the fact that this team doesn't care about winning this season. That fact gives them the best odds of going 0-14 in my opinion. Losing this week would make that possibility get a lot bigger. And I think they're losing this week.

Verdict: Likely