Week 11 Recap

Another short week, this time holiday related. We'll hit up an old reliable gimmick this week, before focusing on playoff scenarios starting next week. 

Reminder that the trade deadline is Friday at 2am, so the last good time to upgrade your rosters is in the next 24 hours.

Playoff Picture:
1. Billy - Best Regular Season Record - Division Champ - Bye
2. Weissbard - Wild Card 1 - Bye
3. Kumpf - Division Champ
4. Barnard - Division Champ
5. Levine - Wild Card 2
6. AGD - NiJo Spot

Billy and Weissbard have clinched the playoffs, and can clinch the byes with one more win each. Everything else is pretty wide open, though my 50 point lead over AGD puts me in the playoffs barring a major collapse.

Week 12 Power Rankings

1. Kumpf (Last Week: 5th) 
Thankful For: Cooper Kupp. My self-proclaimed "worst draft pick" is the most reliable 20 points outside of JTT, and compliments a roster with no real weak spots now that I got Cam.

2. Levine (Last Week: 1st) 
Thankful For: Austin Ekeler. Ekeler's explosion on SNF dragged Levine past me and into a position where he can win the division, or at the very least claim the second Wild Card instead of falling back to the NiJo pack.

3. Weissbard (Last Week: 3rd) 
Thankful For: The schedule. The fact that he has faced almost 20ppg less than me and Levine is the only reason he'll be planning for the semi-finals while we struggle for playoff spots.

4. Billy (Last Week: 4th) 
Thankful For: Jonathan Taylor. It's honestly scary what his team would look like if Henry didn't get hurt, but Taylor is outdoing even peak Henry at this point in terms of consistency.

5. AGD (Last Week: 2nd) 
Thankful For: Weeks 1-9. During that time, enough points were banked that AGD shouldn't have an issue getting the NiJo spot unless I lose out. But a team that looked like the clear cut favorite a few weeks back is now hanging on by a thread.

6. Zacherman (Last Week: 8th) 
Thankful For: James Robinson. This was apparent immediately after the draft when Etienne got hurt, but the JRob pick provided enough juice that Z could withstand underperformance and injury from CEH, followed by a complete mental breakdown from Ridley, and still sit in playoff contention.

7. Nick (Last Week: 7th) 
Thankful For: Lack of expectations. As soon as Nick drafted Saquon, his season was pretty much lost in my mind, so he didn't need to deal with the usual late season disappointment of years past. He could still make the playoffs with a healthy roster, but an unlikely playoff push is much better than a collapse from the top.

8. Ajay (Last Week: 6th) 
Thankful For: Staying somewhat relevant despite a disastrous draft. Using his entire FAAB budget on Eli Mitchell kind of worked, Mattison and Darrel both provided random spot starts, and Waller allowed him to upgrade at QB, but injuries and trading Renfrow for a promptly released AP while CeeDee got hurt was the nail in the coffin.

9. Barnard (Last Week: 11th) 
Thankful For: Deebo Samuel. His Chiefs connection has run hot and cold all season, but Deebo has been the constant that has kept the Barndogs afloat. If he keeps getting legit carries at RB (and potentially RB positional eligibility?), Barnard will be a team no one wants to see in the playoffs.

10. Alan (Last Week: 12th) 
Thankful For: The Knicks. I assume Alan has moved on to basketball season as, despite a roster in dire need of help, he has made only 8 acquisitions all season, 2 less than any other team. Trading DK for Hunt looked promising until Hunt got hurt, while the Miles Sanders trade essentially netted him the Pats D/ST, which he ended up not starting to cost him a must-win matchup against Billy. Bing Bong.

11. Mejia (Last Week: 9th) 
Thankful For: Bennett not drafting the team. This team has always been flawed with upside, which is more than we've ever been able to say for a team that Bennett drafted. Since Bennett got involved, their biggest moves have been trading for Demetric Felton, adding Jarvis Landry (and dropping Felton) and dropping a $35 on a 2-8 Texans defense.

12. Marco (Last Week: 10th) 
Thankful For: Mike Williams. The rest of this roster has almost completely turned over, but Big Mike started off as an insane value pick, then completely fell apart, before making a "too little too late" resurgence. Which pretty much mirrors the performance of Marco's team.

13. Gutman (Last Week: 13th) 
Thankful For: Jalen Hurts. Gutman is shockingly one game under .500, but it would take a miracle for this team to make the playoffs. Hurt gives him the best shot, skyrocketing to QB1 on the season and forcing Gutman to look at Chinese websites for an oversized Eagles 1 jersey.

14. Esco (Last Week: 14th) 
Thankful For: The season almost being over. I was going to say "his health" but I've seen how his hands and feet look recently, so I can't even say that with a straight face. DeAndre Swift was a good pick I guess.

Matchup of the Week: Alan vs. Nick

Not a lot of options to choose from this week, so I'll pick a Loser Leaves Town match where the winner could make a late Wild Card 2 push, and the loser is likely out of range for the NiJo spot.

We start with the Thanksgiving fun of Josh and Moss vs. Diggs on opposite sides against a sometimes stout Saints defense. Alan needs the Bills to take page out of the Eagles book and run that ball to open up a 30 point lead if he wants to keep up with Nick's RBs. Barkley is unsurprisingly banged up again, but a healthy Chubb and a surprising Melvin are still a formidable duo. Evans has his own injury worry, which mean a lot rides on Thielen's shoulders to carry the WR load for Alan, along with more Jakobi Meyers than anyone needs at this point in the season. I think Nick has it locked up before Monday, but Lockett is a nice way to end the week as he's gotten 13 targets since Russ got back. ESPN has this one close but I think Nick wins by 20+.

Pick: Nick
MotW Record: 5-6
Rivalry Week Record: 3-4

Week 10 Recap/Mock Trade Mania

It's time for my favorite post the of year, Mock Trade Mania. We've already had 11 trades this year, but I'll be disappointed if we don't hit 15 before the deadline next Friday. As always, these mock trades aren't always the flashiest, but hopefully provide some fodder for trade talks that are eventually consummated.

But first, the Playoff Picture:

1. Billy - Bye - Division Champion
2. Weissbard - Bye - Wild Card 1
3. Kumpf - Division Champion
4. AGD - Division Champion
5. Barnard - Wild Card 2
6. Zacherman - NiJo Spot

We have some shuffling at the bottom here, as the Barndogs momentarily returned to early season form, and Z gained some big ground to take over the NiJo spot. I would currently put the top 3 teams as 90% or higher to make the playoffs, with AGD in the 75% range. Beyond that, it's a free-for-all for the second Wild Card (Barnard, Levine, Alan, Nick) and the NiJo spot (Z, Marco, plus the Wild Card contenders).

Before getting to the mock trades, we have a couple grades from last week to catch up on. All grades are based on when the trade was made.

Trade Grade 10 (Guest Grade by Esco)
Kumpf receives Miles Gaskin
Levine receives Marquise Brown

Levine was probably the only team with too many RBs. Prior to the trade he had at least 5 startable RBs, but guessing who the flex play is between Carter, Williams and Gaskin was almost impossible. Meanwhile, like the rest of us, Kumpf is desperate for warm bodies at RB after the Latavius injury. Unfortunately, Gaskin was the worst of Levine’s RBs AND still has his bye coming up so I’m not sure Kumpf really plugged a hole here. With or without Tua, the Miami offense hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. However, Marquise was essentially expendable with his WR stable so at least he didn’t give up much for the most valuable resource in the league this year. 

For Levine, I’m not really sure this makes his roster management any easier unfortunately. He now has 4 WRs and 2 RBs that sit in the same relative band of value so deciding which 3 to start between Moore, Brown, Sanders, Cooks, Williams and Carter will still be a bit of a guessing game.  At least he has more depth for the bye weeks and injuries so I give him the slight edge here but I’m not sure this trade has any major playoff implications. 

Grades:
Kumpf: C+
Levine: B-
Editor's Note: Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease: F

Trade Grade 11
Esco receives Russell Wilson and Christian Kirk
Weissbard receives Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Fraudbard is making moves to establish himself as a legit contender. Russ and Kirk should most likely have never seen his starting lineup barring an injury to Herbert, and in their place he gets a very interesting piece in CEH. He's supposedly return this coming week, and no one really knows what his role will be, but this was a risk well worth taking. 

Not really sure what Esco was thinking, but I've heard that HFM disease may lead to dementia. If I'm Esco, I'm looking to get rid of my current QB for an upgrade elsewhere, but he apparently thought a QB with a broken finger on a run-first team was worth trading from his already weak RB corps. If there is another trade or two coming, then I'll eat my words, but there's a reason this team has lived in the 14 spot most of the season.

Grades:
Esco: D-
Weissbard: A

Trade Grade 12
Marco receives D'Onta Foreman and JD McKissic
Weissbard receives DeAndre Hopkins and Jamison Crowder

All season I've been beating the drum about how RBs are far more valuable than WRs, so much so that position matters more than talent in most cases. This is not one of those cases. While Marco was insanely fucked at RB, there were ways to fix that without sacrificing Hopkins. Chase Edmonds to Levine for Jeff Wilson (or even just bidding for Jeff Wilson earlier on Friday) would have made sense, for example. If Marco thinks that Foreman is a legit top 20 RB for the rest of the season, then while I wildly disagree, this is somewhat understandable. Getting McKissic as Gibson insurance is smart as well, but again, it did not have to cost you Hopkins. Marco's only path to the playoffs is via the NiJo spot, so even a banged up Hopkins provides the type of upside that can bank a couple of 30 point weeks over the next month. I assume Foreman gets you 8-10 points per game at best. Enjoy that.

As for Weissbard, the fraud has officially been rescinded. Trading RBs for a top 10 WR when healthy, and still being left with CMC, CEH, and the Bears RBs is honestly impressive. Between Hopkins' injury, Amari getting COVID, and Alan not starting the Pats D, you still likely won't finish with the best record, but come playoff time you're up with AGD and Levine in a tier of your own.

Grades:
Marco: D+
Weissbard: A

Trade Grade 13
Ajay receives Adrian Peterson
Billy receives Hunter Renfrow

The top two teams by record are doing some easy business this week. Despite dropping a ton of FAAB on Peterson, he hasn't claimed the Titans backfield and is in a timeshare at best. Without having Foreman and/or McNichols, there's no reason for Billy to burn a roster spot on AP when he can get an upgrade for his receiving corps, which Renfrow shockingly provides. Typically giving up an RB with a hint of upside for WR outside the top 20 (30?) is not smart, but Renfrow immediately steps in as Billy's WR1, and if Billy loses either of his stud RBs, he's fucked anyway. He may have been able to do better than Renfrow for AP, which is the only nitpick here, but if Foreman does take over the backfield today, then Billy sold relatively high.

Ajay went from stacked at RB to desperate in less than a week, which just about sums up his season. It hurts to give up a found money flex option in Renfrow, but if AP does establish himself as an early down back for the rest of the season, this is a great move. I don't think that happens, but Ajay needs upside plays here so I can't fault him too much. If AP starts again for Ajay after this week, then it's either great or terrible news.

Grades:
Ajay: C+
Billy: B+

Mock Trade Mania

Mock Trade 1
Gutman receives Melvin Gordon and Antonio Brown
Nick receives Devontae Booker and Terry McLaurin
Starting off relatively slow, but this move gives Nick a pretty nice WR upgrade while also providing some much needed Saquon insurance. Gutman is in dire straits regardless, but with Aaron Jones out, he can at least pick up a starting RB.

Mock Trade 2
AGD receives Najee Harris and Adrian Peterson
Billy receives Cordarrelle Patterson, Mike Davis, and Chris Godwin
And boom goes the dynamite. Mock trades for Billy are always tough, but with his WR situation, getting Godwin might be worth the downgrade to the Atlanta RBs. The injury situation with Patterson and Davis will need to be monitored, but the potential for a blockbuster is there.

Mock Trade 3
Ajay receives Lamar Jackson, James Conner, and Noah Fant
Levine receives Tom Brady, Darrell Williams, and George Kittle
Ajay needs upside if he has any chance of claiming the NiJo slot, and going from Brady to Lamar provides just that. It would require him completely abandoning his ill-fated TE draft strategy, and would solidify the biggest weakness on Levine's roster, so getting James Conner's guaranteed workload in exchange for the confusion in KC evens things out.

Mock Trade 4
Alan receives Aaron Rodgers and Dalvin Cook
Mejia receives Josh Allen, AJ Dillon, and Odell Beckham Jr.
Alan is for some reason trying to trade away his RBs, who are still insanely below average, so this is a bit of a course correction. Adding Dalvin gives Alan a clear RB1 for the first time all season, and while he downgrades at QB, he doesn't touch his WR duo. Mejia's team has been top heavy all year, so this adds Josh's upside and some depth at WR in exchange for the big drop at RB. At least he won't have to worry about Dalvin's injury/suspension situation.

Mock Trade 5
Barnard receives David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, and Jaylen Waddle
Weissbard receives Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard, and Deebo Samuel
I went back and forth on this one between including Deebo or Tyreek, but figured Barnard would be too stubborn to break up his Chiefs. The Bears and Eagles have relatively boring running games, but the situation in Chicago has a clear starter/backup situation as opposed to the confusion in Philly. The cost for some certainty at RB is steep, but by making this deal, Barnard could make another move to upgrade at WR. As for Weissbard, the lack of a true WR1 is one of the few remaining holes on his ever-evolving roster. 

Mock Trade 6
Esco receives Miles Gaskin and A.J. Brown
Kumpf receives Kyler Murray and Keenan Allen
I'm still confused about Esco trading for Russ, but I have to assume it means that he intends on trading Kyler. My Tannehill/Cousins duo is functional but boring as hell (and now featuring Cam!), so taking a risk on Kyler's health is worth sacrificing my newly acquired RB depth and downgrading at WR, and it means Esco doesn't have to start Kenyan Drake and can ride Miami's easy schedule.

Mock Trade 7
Marco receives Davante Adams
Z receives Devonta Freeman, De'Andre Hopkins, and DK Metcalf
We end on a massive consolidation trade, as Marco takes a big swing for Davante, and sacrifices all of his depth in the process. Z fills his WR2 and Flex holes, while hoping that depth makes up for Davante's upside. Marco re-establishes his roster upside in the hopes of making a run at the NiJo spot.

Week 11 Power Rankings

1. Levine (Last Week: 2nd) 
2. AGD (Last Week: 1st) 
3. Fraudbard (Last Week: 4th) 
4. Billy (Last Week: 6th) 
5. Kumpf (Last Week: 3rd) 
6. Ajay (Last Week: 8th) 
7. Nick (Last Week: 5th) 
8. Zacherman (Last Week: 9th) 
9. Mejia (Last Week: 7th) 
10. Marco (Last Week: 10th) 
11. Barnard (Last Week: 11th) 
12. Alan (Last Week: 12th) 
13. Gutman (Last Week: 13th) 
14. Esco (Last Week: 14th) 

Matchup of the Week: Kumpf vs. Levine

The winner here is all but assured to win the division, while the loser joins the fight for Wild Card 2 and the NiJo spot. Lots of juicy storylines here, starting with the Hollywood/Gaskin trade last week, going through the contentious bid for the Miami D/ST (suck it Levine).

The matchup itself is going to be tight. Lamar and Hollywood vs. Latavius and Andrews will in all likelihood determine who wins, and given the way they played last week, I have no idea what to expect. We also have some Titans fun with Tannehill, AJB, and Geoff Swaim, and I assume that we will be the only two teams interested in the Miami/Jets game.

This will likely come down to Ekeler vs. Diontae on SNF, and unless I'm up 20 heading into the game, I don't like my odds. Call this reverse JuJu or call it admirable humility, but I'm going with the Power Rankings here.

Pick: Levine 
MotW Record: 4-6
Rivalry Week Record: 3-4

Week 9 Recap

Week 9 was the lowest scoring week in modern fantasy history. I don't know how predictive that will be moving forward, but the parity this year is unheard of. Weissbard could easily lose out, Billy lost King Henry, and even the Marco/Z/Ajay trio at the bottom of the standings are within striking distance of the NiJo spot. 

Not a lot of analysis this week because I'm traveling, but Mock Trade Mania is coming next week.

But first, the Playoff Picture:

1. Weissbard - Bye - Division Champion
2. Billy - Bye - Wild Card 1
3. AGD - Division Champion
4. Kumpf - Division Champion
5. Levine - Wild Card 2
6. Marco - NiJo Spot

There is a decent amount of space between Levine and the rest of the Wild Card contenders, but Barnard, Nick, and Zacherman are within 30 of NiJo Spot.

Trade Grade 9
Ajay receives Tom Brady
Marco receives Caron Wentz and Darren Waller

After the draft, Ajay trading Waller seemed inevitable. He was totally screwed at RB, had a wildly unnecessary luxury with multiple top three TEs, and Waller blew up Week 1. Since then, Kittle got hurt, Waller slowed down a bit, and Ajay somehow is relatively stacked at RB. Wentz was holding down the fort at QB, but Brady is an obvious upgrade and the downgrade at Flex is not too big as long as everyone stays healthy. 

For Marco, the question was if he wants to have uncertainty at QB or TE. Other than Weissbard, the self-proclaimed Tight End Whisperer, streaming QBs tends to be a lot easier than streaming TEs, even in this league. Wentz is certainly a downgrade from Brady, but given his easy schedule and the massive upgrade at TE, it makes a lot of sense for Marco.

Is this a true win-win? Marco's roster looks as good as it has all season, and Ajay has the upgrade at QB that could gain some ground in the NiJo race. Well done to both.

Grades:
Ajay: B+
Marco: A-

Week 9 Power Rankings

1. AGD (Last Week: 1st)
2. Levine (Last Week: 4th)
3. Kumpf (Last Week: 2nd)
4. Fraudbard (Last Week: 6th)
5. Nick (Last Week: 3rd)
6. Billy (Last Week: 8th)
7. Mejia (Last Week: 5th) 
8. Ajay (Last Week: 7th)
9. Zacherman (Last Week: 9th)
10. Marco (Last Week: 11th)
11. Barnard (Last Week: 10th)
12. Alan (Last Week: 12th)
13. Gutman (Last Week: 13th)
14. Esco (Last Week: 14th) 

Matchup of the Week: Billy vs. Fraudbard

A divisional, top six Power Ranking matchup that could very well determine who wins the Regular Season prize. Two weeks ago, I would have Billy coming in as the heavy favorite, but since then he lost Henry and Weissbard got CMC back. That makes this relatively even on paper, but the Week 10 matchups are weighted pretty heavily in one direction.

Outside of Herbert, Cooper, and the shockingly valuable Pat Freiermuth all of Weissbard's players have some rough matchups. CMC is matchup-proof when healthy, but he's going up against Cards D, so that's going to be a tough needle to thread for Weiss. Billy on the other hand gets a series of dream matchups for his key players, and I can see Carr, JTT, Najee, and the Bills D combing for 100 themselves. I've been on an absurdly rough stretch in the MotW predictions, but this one seems like a lock.

Pick: Billy 
MotW Record: 3-6
Rivalry Week Record: 3-4

Week 8 Recap

We're at an interesting point in the fantasy calendar. More than halfway through the regular season, still three weeks from the trade deadline, and the playoff picture is wide open. Every team other than Marco and Ajay are within one game of a top five playoff spot, and Marco is currently in the NiJo spot. That means that everyone should be on the lookout for trades, and that will be my focus for the next three posts. Next week I'm in NYC for school so it will be the briefest post of the season, but the week of 11/15 will be mock trade mania, and today I'll give everyone the strategy that I would take heading into the trade deadline.

But first, the Playoff Picture:

1. Weissbard - Bye - Division Champion
2. Billy - Bye - Wild Card 1
3. Kumpf - Division Champion
4. AGD - Division Champion
5. Barnard - Wild Card 2
6. Marco - NiJo Spot

Levine and Alan are within 20 points of the second Wild Card, and Zacherman is 7 back of Marco for the NiJo spot. 

Trade Grade 8
Marco receives Antonio Gibson, Devonta Freeman, and DK Metcalf
Weissbard receives David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert, and Amari Cooper

I don't like trying to grade this one because it's really about what players you think will be better (which is typically a crapshoot) instead of a commentary on team construction (which is less of a crapshoot). So this one really comes down to ceiling vs. floor, and from my perspective, both teams are misreading their situations.

Weissbard's roster is certainly not a first place roster, but it would take a Barnardian collapse for him to miss the playoffs, with a bye more likely than not. That makes him a contender, and as such, he should be doing whatever he can to raise his team's ceiling. As frustrating as Gibson has been so far, when healthy he is an RB1 candidate, and you already have his backup anyway. At WR, DK has managed to produce even with Geno Smith, so assuming Russ does come back, he has week-winning potential. Instead Weiss gets a boring Bears backfield that has the potential to be a timeshare given how good Herbert has looked, and Amari Cooper, who's fine but does not have nearly the ceiling that DK does.

Marco, on the other hand, just needs to keep consistently scoring points. He would need to pass 4 teams to win the Division and 7 teams to get a Wild Card, so the NiJo spot is by far his best path to the playoffs. Instead of keeping the boring but consistent Bears backfield, he now inherits Gibson's injury headaches without even securing McKissic as insurance. DK over Cooper is an upgrade either way, but if for some reason Russ doesn't come back soon, there's a lot of risk there.

Overall, Marco got the better players, but I can't really call this a win for either team.

Grades:
Marco: C+
Weissbard: D+

Week 8 Power Rankings

1. AGD (Last Week: 1st) 
Trade Strategy: Honestly this team is pretty stacked. Two top 10 RBs, three top 13 WRs, a top 5 TE, and then Dak, who's a top 5 QB when healthy. That doesn't even include Julio, who may be washed, but is far better than most teams' fourth WR (myself excluded). The only real strategy I can see here would be to trade Julio or Singletary for Mark Ingram in case Kamara goes down? 

2. Kumpf (Last Week: 6th) 
Trade Strategy: This is easy. I have four top 25 WRs, so trying to package 1-2 of them for an RB upgrade is the low hanging fruit. I could also use a QB upgrade, but I'm holding out hope that Taysom turns into Michael Vick.

3. Nick (Last Week: 8th) 
Trade Strategy: This is another low-key stacked roster without many weaknesses. Getting a handcuff for Saquon is certainly a top priority given his history, and beyond that, I can see trying to upgrade the WR2 spot by combining Lockett or AB with Melvin.

4. Levine (Last Week: 5th) 
Trade Strategy: Another easy one. Levine has five RBs that could start for most other teams, or at least act as flex options. However, he's stuck starting a ton of mediocrity at WR. An upgrade can be made there (or at TE) relatively painlessly.

5. Mejia (Last Week: 2nd) 
Trade Strategy: The team I can't quit. This starting lineup is still extremely solid, with the potential of improved performance, though Rodgers latest drama certainly doesn't help. Priority #1 should be getting Mattison for the inevitable Dalvin injury, but beyond that you just need to hope that no one gets hurt.

6. Fraudbard (Last Week: 9th) 
Trade Strategy: The fact that Weiss was able to ride out the CMC and Russ (and even Jeudy) injuries without falling out of first place is shocking and frankly unacceptable for the rest of the league. But here we are, and his squad is finally getting healthy. His only real trade asset is at QB, which should be able to net him a startable receiver opposite DK, but that still leaves holes at TE and Flex that keep him out of true contender status.

7. Ajay (Last Week: 12th) 
Trade Strategy: Big rise this week for an Ajay team that somehow has multiple starting RBs! Some of those are temporary situations, so combining someone like Mattison with a TE for a more stable RB might be a good move. But considering how the season started, just having a relatively solid roster is something to revel in for now.

8. Billy (Last Week: 3rd) 
Trade Strategy: Hard to analyze Billy's roster until we see how the Titans RB situation shakes out, but the AP bid may have been huge. More likely, they split carries between AP and McNichols, and pass a lot more, which is a lose/lose. It's not really worth trading Taylor or Najee at this point, but giving up the Titans RBs for a WR upgrade might be in the cards.

9. Zacherman (Last Week: 7th) 
Trade Strategy: The Ridley situation really limits Z's trade options, but he's the first team that I think should be really aggressive. WR2, TE and Flex are the holes in this roster, so flipping Davante Adams for a WR downgrade and an upgrade at one of the other spots would help balance the roster and limit your exposure to an apparently contagious Packers team.

10. Barnard (Last Week: 4th) 
Trade Strategy: All year, WR has been your obvious spot to trade from. Fleecing Alan with Odell and Jakobi was one thing, but somehow you lost Ruggs and Michael Thomas for wildly different reasons on back to back days, and now you don't really have any depth at all. Your biggest trade chips now are probably the Chiefs, with a Tyreek for RB/WR duo looking like your best path toward a balanced roster.

11. Marco (Last Week: 10th)
Trade Strategy: What a sad season this has been. Runningback whack-a-mole has been fun to watch for me, but must be brutal on a weekly basis. Now that Mike Williams predictably fell back to earth, your WR depth is not nearly as great as it was, but there are still trade packages here. The Seattle or Chicago RBs plus a WR is not a bad trio to give an upgrade at either RB or WR, but I'm not sure if anyone wants to touch your kursed roster.

12. Alan (Last Week: 14th) 
Trade Strategy: We're now firmly in the Blow It Up section of the post. Alan has Josh Allen, who is one of the few QBs that may be capable of pulling in a starting RB in return (especially if package with an AJ Dillon type). Given Alan's previous trade results, I doubt we actually see a move here, but getting a 30-point scorer at QB could put some of our contenders over the top.

13. Gutman (Last Week: 11th) 
Trade Strategy: Probably the hardest team for me to come up with ideas for, primarily because pretty much the whole team has underproduced so you're selling low on everyone. Between Saquon's handcuff, Gronk's potential doubled with a weak TE position, and your core of Hurts/Jones/Harris/Terry, there's probably a move that can be made, but really you need everyone to start playing better. Ajay just had this happen, so it's not impossible.

14. Esco (Last Week: 13th) 
Trade Strategy: As everyone says, Esco and Alan have a lot in common, and that extends to their strategies. Kyler is banged up, so the window may have already closed, but his ceiling is also worth a ton in a trade. Beyond that, I don't really know what to tell you.

Matchup of the Week: Ajay vs. Levine

Everything coming up Ajay this week, as he tries to make a last-ditch effort to save his season. That includes trying to win a key divisional matchup against an up and down Levine team. No real bye issues here, which is refreshing, so we will get a good look at each of these squads as they try to stay alive in the playoff hunt.

Thursday Night Football is a fun way to start, with an inconsistent Wentz taking on Michael Carter, who looked like post-prime Marshall Faulk last week. If Levine is in the lead after tonight, then this thing is over. If not, then Ajay has a real chance. Lamar and Ekeler will put up points, but beyond that, the ceiling is low for Levine. Ajay has the Henderson/Eli/JJ/Lamb/Waller core, all with good matchups, and while he's currently starting Renfrow at Flex, Darrell Williams looks better to me now that Rodgers is out. I have kursed the hell out of this pick for the last few weeks, but I need Levine to lose and I'm still going with the underdog.

Pick: Ajay
MotW Record: 3-5
Rivalry Week Record: 3-4