Well just like that, we're down to the final four. Ryan and Eugene got their one week "vacation" from fantasy football but now it's back to business as the stakes are super high, a trip to the Wane McGarity Bowl and a guaranteed $300 is what the winners will get. Typically, there's at least one team that stands out as a favorite to win it all at this point, but honestly, this is one of the first times I can remember where all 4 teams are pretty damn equally matched. I've never had a tougher time predicting who's going to win as all 4 teams have a legit shot at advancing to the championship round. Definitely looking forward to see how this plays out. Onto the predictions
Hoosier Daddy (11-2) vs
Channel 4 News Team (9-5)
All Time Record
Albert Leads series 9-6
2016 Matchup Record
Ryan leads 1-0
Key Players
Hoosier Daddy: Ben Roethlisberger (Bengals) Michael Crabtree (Chargers) Demaryius Thomas (Patriots) Ezekiel Elliott (Bucs) Greg Olsen (Redskins) Thomas Rawls (Rams)
Channel 4 News Team: Andrew Luck* (Vikings) T.Y. Hilton (Vikings) Jordan Matthews (Ravens) Doug Baldwin (Rams) LeSean McCoy (Browns) Jordan Howard (Packers) Tyler Eifert (Steelers) Doug Martin (Cowboys)
Wildcards
Hoosier Daddy: Roethlisberger tough road matchup. Kenny Britt/Steve Smith choice. Tevin Coleman over Mark Ingram
Channel 4 News Team: Luck's health and difficult matchup against Vikings. Hilton's performance if Luck is out plus difficult matchup against Vikings. Difficult matchup for Doug Martin
Predictions
Yahoo Says: Albert wins 110-108
I Say: Ryan wins. Boy this is tough. These two have been in the league since day 1 so they are no stranger to each other as this is the 16th time these two have played each other. Ryan's trying to cash in on his best season he's ever had but he has giant roadblock in his way with Albert's team who's on a 4 game losing streak where he's been DOMINANT scoring wise. Both guys have question marks at the QB position as both Big Ben and Luck have difficult matchups. I do think though that Ben has the "easier" matchup of the two as Minnesota has been absolutely brutal on QB's this season. The 4 game streak Albert's on has been largely due to the Luck-Hilton connection and if it falters, it could be a HUGE problem. Like I said in the preview, the Britt/Steve Smith situation is going to be a key decision to make and might be that one crucial move that could win or lose this matchup for Ryan. I like the gutsy call in playing Tevin Coleman over Ingram as that could be a wild card move that pays off in spades since Coleman is playing the 49ers and Ingram's been crap and plays Arizona. I think Zeke and Thomas Rawls do their thing and I think because Denver sucks so bad at running the ball, Demaryius gets a ton of targets and has a good game. I'd be a lot more confident in Albert if Luck was 100% and NOT playing Minnesota, but hey sometimes things zig when they should zag and Luck does have the talent to overcome a difficult matchup. I don't fully trust Baldwin/Matthews, but McCoy has the best matchup outside of the 49ers you can ask for in the Browns. Him and Jordan Howard could easily have gigantic games that could overshadow if Luck/Hilton struggle. This was a super tough decision, but I'm still a little bit more confident this week in Ryan's guys and I'm going to give him the slightest of slightest edges over Albert. It should be a very even matchup.
Rocket Man (10-3) vs
SCLSU MudDogs (8-6)
All Time Record
Eugene Leads Series 4-1
2016 Matchup Record
Eugene Leads 1-0
Key Players
Rocket Man: Aaron Rodgers (Bears) Julio Jones* (49ers) Travis Kelce (Titans)
SCLSU MudDogs: Drew Brees (Cardinals) Larry Fitzgerald (Saints) Julian Edelman (Broncos) Le'Veon Bell (Bengals) Carlos Hyde (Falcons) Delanie Walker (Chiefs) Jimmy Graham (Rams)
Wild Cards
Rocket Man: Melvin Gordon out. Kenneth Farrow fill in. Julio Jones health. Relying on a lot of inconsistent supporting players.
SCLSU MudDogs: Brees tough matchup. Who's the flex play? Who's the WR3 play?
Predictions
Yahoo Says: Alex doesn't have a WR3 in right now, but plugging in anyone makes him the slight favorite
I Say: Alex wins. Boy what a worse case nightmarish scenario for Eugene. His guys are dropping like flies at the absolute wrong time. Melvin Gordon has been all but ruled out for Sunday which means Eugene's going to have to roll with Kenneth Farrow (who would've EVER thought in a semi final game Kenneth Farrow would be a factor!?!) and hope for the best. Also, it's not a given that Julio Jones will be good to go and even if he does end up playing, will he be a decoy? Will he play much? They are playing the 49ers, who they could probably win without him. Anquan Boldin, who is TD Dependent, will have an injured Matthew Stafford throwing to him, and guys like Farrow, Devante Parker, Rishard Matthews, and Kenneth Dixon are going to have overachieve for Eugene to hopefully advance. The only good news is, at least Alex has some problems of his own. Drew Brees has been AWFUL two straight weeks, and it's going to be another tough road matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. It's not a guarantee Brees' breaks out of his slump. I also have no clue who Alex is going to play at WR3. His options are pretty bad, and that could be a low scoring position. I still believe overall due to injury concerns on Eugene's side, that Alex has a slightly better outlook and will get the win, but it won't be a slam dunk. I think it'll be close, but I trust Alex's squad a little bit more this week.
No comments:
Post a Comment