Week 8 Recap: Monday Night Madness

Although the point totals were eerily low on Halloween, Week 8 produce three thrillers on the holiday weekend. Starting with your incumbent 1-seed, Brule's Rules. In a classic battle of Dolan Drive residents, Nick staved off Dave's comeback as Carson Wentz was not able to produce enough points to mount a comeback while the Eagles D caved and allowed 29 points to Dak Prescott. Next, there was the clash of the Cleveland residents with Ben and Will. A matchup that was back and forth the entire day on Sunday

As we look to this week's updated standings, there are two teams holding firm with Josh and Nick at 7-1. After that, it's anyone's game. Seriously. Spots 3 through 10 are seperated by just two wins with only 5 weeks left. The trade deadline is next Thursday and I would be surprised it was a quiet week. With trades coming in at a frantic pace to start the season, there are certainly some teams that could desperately use a roster shake-up. One of the big matchups resides with Team New Year and WYPOMC. A win for either team would be a massive uptick to their playoff chances. For Chreeyusz, a rare two game winning streak and Aaron would be given new life after losing three in a row. This is crunch time gentlemen, no turning back from here. Bye weeks have caused the matchups to be low scoring, making every roster decision even more crucial in the upcoming weeks. Best of luck to all and enjoy the games. I know I certainly will.

GAME OF THE WEEK

(4-4) Hogan Knows Best - 113.9

(5-3) Start The Carr - 114.1

"Can't think of anything witty for a quote this week. Was very stressed out during the matchup. Much respect to Will. Just happy to get the win and move onto the Dirty Birds." Start the goddamn' Carr indeed. Ben needed every possible yard this weekend and the legend, Derek Carr certainly delivered. Facing a potential loss in four of the five weeks, the young gunslinger (Ben, not Carr) was rewarded for his loyalty to Carr and saw 44 points in his favor. Just enough to squeak by for his 5th win. Next week, with a chance to keep pace in the division with Dave and Josh playing one another, Ben travels to Hotlanta to face the Dirty Birds. Brian has been struggling and much of his team is on bye this week, leaving Ben in a prime position to steal a victory and grab his 6th win. However, nothing is easy when it comes to these two. Let's not forget the epic battles they had a Summer Classics of the past. Too many rounds to count. Whether it's a spear, a push onto the asphalt, anything, it will be a bloodbath whenever these two are involved. I can still envision the infamous "punch" thrown at SC2 that nearly sent Ben on a bloody rampage. Don't think he hasn't forgot, Bri.

Another heartbreaker for Will. Him and Ben traded leads the entire weekend and witnessing this game firsthand was truly a treat for me. Not a treat for William however. Vikings Defense got torn apart by Jordan Howard and Jay Cutler but did just enough to get a point for Ben. Regardless of the loss, he's still in strong shape and is currently tied with Chreeyusz for 2nd in the division. AJ Green put up another monster game while John Brown and Carson Palmer found their footing against Carolina. This combination could prove more Lethal than Mel Gibson with an Australian accent in the upcoming weeks. Here's what Will had to say, "Heartbroken this week, all the credit in the world to Ben and his squad. Roll Tribe?" Yikes. We definitely jinxed the Indians in Cleveland this weekend but oh well. Next week, Will faces Dom in what looks to be a tight matchup based off of projections. A win puts Will in great shape to finally get back in the playoffs but Dom will hope to extend his season one more week. Can Dak Prescott save Will's team as well?

(3-5) Dirty Birds Inc. - 108.4
(4-4) Team New Year - 116
Another incredible finish in this one. Trailing by 20 points going into Sunday Night, Chreeyusz needed some magic in primetime for a crucial upset to keep his team on pace for the postseason. After 12 points from Dan Bailey, Stefon Diggs only needed 11 points to get him back to 4-4. Diggs, who has severely cooled off after his incredible start to 2016, dialed up a huge performance as the Vikings tried to make a comeback. Needing one more catch to complete the comeback, Slingin' Sam Bradford found Diggs in the endzone to give Chris his 4th win of the season. A team that had struggled so much in crucial points so far this year came through when he needed it the most. Russell Wilson looked like hot garbage again and it appears Chris will be playing Jameis for the significant future. Allen Robinson was a no-show until garbage points and with Jarvis Landry coming off a bye, expect some fireworks from Chris' squad in Week 9 against Aaron. He has stated that he will avoid eye-contact in the halls of Schalmont this week to avoid giving his opponent an edge. A win really helps Chris' playoff chances. Chris did not mince words about his opponent either, "I was pleased with my team and Stefon Diggs' TD with 5 minutes to play...really funny how Brian talked up his team so much this year and he is sitting with a 3-5 record."

"At least the Falcons won." Really all that Brian could say after a disappointing loss in the waning moments of the Monday Night game. Although he's stressed that he isn't panicking, there has to be some sense of concern as he sits at 3-5, in a three way tie for the playoff spot. In addition, he has lost to both Aaron and Vinnie, technically making his the 10th seed at the present time. Matt Ryan had a fine performance but Julio Jones was hampered with an injury, resulting in a 5-point performance. Things are starting to intensify over at the Dirty Birds facility and what better time then to have half your roster on a bye? Brian will need to plug some serious holes this weekend (no pun intended) in order to avoid falling too far behind the 8-ball. A loss would put him at 3-6, his worst record this late in the season in over 4 years. Ben is fresh off a clutch victory against Will and is certainly out for blood to improve his playoff stock. Certainly a matchup to keep one's eye on this weekend, although half of Brian's team will play tonight against Tampa.

(1-6) The Shitty Beatles - 85.2
(4-3) Team Ruthless - 123.5
This week, it was certainly Joe who received the better part of the trade with Dom. Mainly, because he has Amari Cooper. With a career day in Tampa, Cooper was the icing on the cake for Joe's 4th win of the season. Back at .500, he's slated for the 6th spot, hoping to gradually rise in the standings to cement his status as an elite team. Derrick Henry starting in place of LeSean McCoy provided a huge spark on Thursday with the best game of his career. Even CJ Prosise was able to add double digits in the blowout effort. Dez Bryant returned with 100 yards and a score and now Joe's team looks as scary as ever. With Joe's upcoming schedule, he has a great chance to create some separation between himself and the team's around him. This week he faces Vinnie, then Will and Brian in Week 11 where the Falcons are all on bye. We could be in the midst of a patented Joe Bergami late-season run to get a Top-4 seed in the playoffs.

The winning streak was not be for Dom unfortunately. After his first win of the season, he ran into the highest scoring team of the week (again), and crushed by Team Ruthless. A low scoring week but there were a few bright spots. Philip Rivers continues to produce with his "never say die" attitude and can still be counted on for close to 20 fantasy points each week. Thankfully, he won't need to deal with the Broncos again this season. However, all of this really doesn't matter as the Cubs(!) are now World Series Champions. Talk about a roller coaster ride of emotions yesterday. The highest of highs and lowest of lows, Dom finally can rest peacefully knowing his Cubs have won it all. An unbelievable experience that trumps any fantasy football season. Anyways, Dom will take on Hogan Knows Best in a game he desperately needs to keep any playoff hopes alive. Most of Will's team is on a bye so it's a great chance for Dom to snag Win #2. Go Cubs Go.

(6-1) TY Beanies - 121.7
(1-6) Why You Pee On My Car? - 58
As usual, Josh's opponent had an off-week, leading to his 7th win this season. Complete balance from Josh's team once again. No one scored more than 20 out of his skill players but none scored less than 12. Simply remarkable. Even with bye weeks, he has enough depth to put out a roster that is capable of beating anyone on a given week. Assuming the health stays intact, we may have found our champion already. While Josh's roster is as potent as anyone's, it is interesting to note how little his opponents score against him. The most points scored against Josh this season are a whopping 103 by Joe. Granted, he has blown most teams away but as we've seen in the past, team's that don't allow many points during the regular season, tend to have it balance out in the postseason. Just something to keep in the back of your head, Mommy's Lil' Slut. Regarding his team's performance this week, Josh had this to say, "Our goal every week is to create separation in our division and that's exactly what we did. Hell of a job by these men. On to EBDB BnB. Good Luck." A huge matchup this weekend that has huge implications in the AFC. A win for Josh would all but seal a division title.

Welp, Marcus Mariota didn't die. That's always the main thing to focus on with each one of Aaron's matchups. Already in a tough spot due to byes, he didn't stand much chance against Josh on Sunday. But there is some good news, potentially great. Roethlisberger is back and with Antonio Brown returning from his bye week, he is all hands on deck for next week against Team New Year, hoping to avoid another loss. Julian Edelman finally started to display his true value against Buffalo, unfortunately, he won't be able to play this week on a bye. The interesting decision lies with Aaron keeping in a hot Mariota for the possibility of double points with Antonio Brown. Certainly something to look out for before kickoff. A win can vault him right back into the playoff picture with his team regaining health. Brandon Marshall's play against Miami will certainly be the driving force this week.

(2-6) Schenectady Schmeckles - 103.3
(3-5) Kissing Suzy Kolber - 95.1
A major upset in the battle of Lake George kept Chris alive in the playoff race for the time being. Aaron Rodgers was strong yet again but the contributions from Terrelle Pryor, LeGarrette Blount and others were just enough to get past Kissing Suzy Kolber. However, Chris saw the demise of two more running backs as Knile Davis was cut by Green Bay and Arian Foster retired. As this present moment, Chris has 0 running backs that could physically be played this week. Serious roster adjustments will need to be made as he faces Nick in Week 9. Another upset win would keep his team alive but with a depleted running back core, it may not seem too likely. Andrew Luck and Aaron Rodgers square off this weekend and should ultimately decide this contest right away. If he could piece together a roster to dethrone Nick, it would make for one of the greatest upsets in recent history.

Another step back for KSK this weekend after a huge win against Chreeyusz. His team really let one slip away in an attempt to get to 4-4 and now sits outside looking in for this year's playoffs. Tom Brady was fantastic yet again but the rest of the lineup severely let him down. Matt Forte registered a huge game but only Brandin Cooks was able to top double digits for the rest of the lineup. A mysterious illness right before game time for Ty Montgomery gave Vinnie no time to react and the 8-point loss without him playing seems to make matters worse. Just a terrible break for a team desperately needing a win. Now, his depleted roster due to byes faces Team Ruthless in what could be a must-win game for KSK. Anything to avoid dropping to 3-6 and a full game out of the last playoff spot. A bounce back performance from Mark Ingram after failing to score a point would be appreciated on Vinnie's behalf. Thankfully for Vinnie, there are some winnable games after this weekend.

(5-2) EBDB BnB - 90.3
(7-1) Brule's Rules - 92.8
Best matchup on the board was fairly underwhelming until the Sunday Night matchup. Nick jumped out to an early lead even with a weak performance from his 5 Colts but strong contributions from Jordy Nelson, Larry Fitzgerald and Isaiah Crowell allowed him to maintain a strong lead into the late game. With his lineup set, he sat and watched on gamecast to the last play as the Eagles D and Carson Wentz could not muster three more points to give Dave the upset. Certainly an off-week for Nick but these are the problems when having half your roster on the same team. Thankfully, with no injuries and only Larry Fitzgerald on a bye next week, he can pretty much clinch a playoff spot and a potential division title all in one-full swoop against the banged up Schmeckles. Jordy Nelson can hopefully neutralize the damage of Aaron Rodgers as the Packers take on a suspect Colts defense. Expect Indy to be playing from behind in this one again. I smell garbage points. Nick wasn't able to get a full look at his team in action so he declined to comment, expect for praising his friend/opponent on another great matchup.

After a few nail-biters falling in his favor, Dave suffered an unfortunate loss on Sunday Night at the hands of his QB Carson Wentz. He has shuffled his quarterbacks all season and it finally caught up to him. Blake Bortles didn't play well but his late garbage points were more than enough to get the job done. The inconsistencies of both signal-callers have really plagued Dave in all three of his losses. Thankfully, the rest of the squad looks strong, even with Todd Gurley returning from bye. Devonta Freeman is silencing all his doubters with week after week of great play. Kelvin Benjamin and Greg Olsen has experienced a rough patch and are looking to breakout against a favorable second half schedule. Next week, Dave his sights set at the top of the division against Josh. Needing a win to prevent Josh from essentially clinching, he will look to pull out all the stops this weekend. Cam Newton will be playing against Dave but thankfully he has his two favorite targets. Gurley and Freeman have yet to click at the same time and it would be a massive boost for both to put up 20+. Regardless, Dave is in great shape for the playoffs and the only thing holding him back is the QB dilemma.