Playoff Preview Bonanza!!!
It’s a bit later than expected, but I’ve finally got a playoff preview just in time for the games to begin. Well, they already began, but that’s just that stupid Thursday game which should have never been played. Anyway, see if you agree; leave comments with your own predictions!
8. Blinder Squirrels (6-7, 6th in total points)
The Blinder Squirrels have had an up and down season, but managed to win enough to get in and keep alive their hope of improving each year (past finishes: 4th, 3rd, 2nd). They’ve been on a strong roll at the end of the year, and boast a talented roster which could easily carry them a lot farther than their seed would indicate.
Odds of winning the championship: 15-1
7. Granite Daisies (7-6, 7th in total points)
Despite appearing to be one of the weaker teams in the playoffs, the Daisies have done something no one else can claim – knocking off the Blitzers. There are two teams with more than a one game winning streak heading into the playoffs – and the Daisies are one of them. Don’t underestimate the strength of their lineup.
Odds of winning: 18-1
6. Cool Runnings (7-6, 5th in total points)
The Runnings have endured an uneven season, looking unbeatable half of the time and looking quite ordinary the other half of the time. Which team will show up in the playoffs? They boast an exceptional number of superstar performers on their roster, so as long as they can get solid production from their role players, they are a strong dark horse candidate.
Odds of winning: 9-1
5. Cupcakes of Doom! (7-6, 4th in total points)
The Cupcakes have been the ultimate definition of consistency this year in the turbulent world of fantasy football. While their record is quite ordinary, they have only had one game scoring less than 92 points, a feat to which no one else comes close. Being able to put this kind of pressure on opponents week in and week out can pay big dividends in the playoffs, where only one bad week can ruin the season.
Odds of winning: 3-1
4. The Schmuckernators (7-6, 1st in total points)
The Schmuckernators absolutely caught fire after a horrendous start to the season, and look as capable as anyone of winning the whole thing. The roster is as loaded as anyone, and while the Schmucks have a history of bad luck around this time of the season, this could be the year they finally put it together and make a run through a tough draw to the championship.
Odds of winning: 4-1
3. Kenny Gee Wilikers (8-5, 8th in total points)
Has any team ranked this high ever seemed like such a big underdog? Surviving off of a quick start in a difficult season with an obviously subpar roster, the Wilikers have lost three of four and would seem ripe for an upset. At least history is on their side; this is the time of the year they perform best – with 7 total playoff wins over the past three seasons, including a championship, it would not be unprecedented to see another couple of victories.
Odds of winning: 12-1
2. Fat Cats (8-5, 3rd in total points)
Putting together a great season after last year’s disappointment, the Cats are among the dangerous teams in the league as we all witnessed in their week 6 breakout performance. They are also their own worst enemy, with an unfortunately high rate of clunkers sprinkled amid strong efforts. While they are an unknown quantity in the postseason, the end of the year injuries are a worrisome sign heading into the playoffs; still, this team just needs to pull together and perform up to their potential and they’ll go far.
Odds of winning: 5-1
1. Ritzy Blitzers (12-1, 2nd in total points)
The prohibitive favorite. Each year, the Blitzers manage to top themselves in the regular season, and this year was no exception. Their chances of erasing last year’s playoff disaster seem good as they seek to continue their relentless consistency and excellence, though the draw is surprisingly tough.
Odds of winning: 7-3
Overround (~21)
Curious about my picking capabilities? A month before the end of the season, I made a few predictions. I did manage to get 7 of the 8 playoff teams and 5 of the seeds correct (Blitzers – 1, Cats – 2, Wilikers – 3, Cupcakes – 5, Daisies – 7), only missing a few things: the late season charges by the Schmucks (4, pred. 8) and the Squirrels (8 – pred. out) and last month swoons by the All-Stars (out – pred. 6) and Runnings (6, pred. 4). Not too shabby, I’d say. Let’s see how this week shapes up.
1st Round Matchups
(1) Ritzy Blitzers vs. (8) Blinder Squirrels
Ages ago, these two met and produced a world-class eyesore with both teams having their worst outputs of the season. While the Blitzers have had a tremendous year, they can’t overlook the hard-charging Squirrels. Though it may seem unlikely that the Blitzers would bow out in round one, the Squirrels have awfully favorable matchups. And if we learned anything last year, it’s that there is certainly precedence for this sort of monumental upset.
Prediction: It will be quite tight, but the Ritzy Blitzers keep bringing it until they see the Blinder Squirrels run.
(2) Fat Cats vs. (7) Granite Daisies
On paper, this is the most lopsided of the first round matchups. The Cats just have so many weapons. However, this game isn’t played on paper; it’s played on a real-live computer screen. If the Daisies can keep it close in the early games, they have a number of intriguing quantities in the late-going who just might be able to push the Daisies over the top for the upset.
Prediction: After all that, it probably won’t be all that close as the Fat Cats put in their titanium teeth to go feasting on the Granite Daisies.
(3) Kenny Gee Wilikers vs. (6) Cool Runnings
If there’s one higher ranked seed that looks especially vulnerable, it’s the low-scoring Wilikers. And it’s not just their weaknesses; the Runnings look primed for a strong run through the playoffs. History is all the Wilikers have to hang on to, as they have won all four of the previous meetings between these two teams, including twice this year and a thriller in last year’s playoffs.
Prediction: The Cool Runnings sharpen their blades and finally slice right through the sweet melodies of the Kenny Gee Wilikers.
(4) The Schmuckernators vs. (5) Cupcakes of Doom!
In the always exciting 4-5 matchup, we have two underachieving, would-be powerhouses. But the playoffs offer a chance for redemption, and it starts with this game, a rematch of the week 3 sleeper won by the Cupcakes. That happened so long ago it has little bearing on this game, and while the Schmuckernators are favored this time around, it’s gonna be really close.
Prediction: The Cupcakes of Doom! poison the Schmuckernators’ playoff hopes once again.
8. Blinder Squirrels (6-7, 6th in total points)
The Blinder Squirrels have had an up and down season, but managed to win enough to get in and keep alive their hope of improving each year (past finishes: 4th, 3rd, 2nd). They’ve been on a strong roll at the end of the year, and boast a talented roster which could easily carry them a lot farther than their seed would indicate.
Odds of winning the championship: 15-1
7. Granite Daisies (7-6, 7th in total points)
Despite appearing to be one of the weaker teams in the playoffs, the Daisies have done something no one else can claim – knocking off the Blitzers. There are two teams with more than a one game winning streak heading into the playoffs – and the Daisies are one of them. Don’t underestimate the strength of their lineup.
Odds of winning: 18-1
6. Cool Runnings (7-6, 5th in total points)
The Runnings have endured an uneven season, looking unbeatable half of the time and looking quite ordinary the other half of the time. Which team will show up in the playoffs? They boast an exceptional number of superstar performers on their roster, so as long as they can get solid production from their role players, they are a strong dark horse candidate.
Odds of winning: 9-1
5. Cupcakes of Doom! (7-6, 4th in total points)
The Cupcakes have been the ultimate definition of consistency this year in the turbulent world of fantasy football. While their record is quite ordinary, they have only had one game scoring less than 92 points, a feat to which no one else comes close. Being able to put this kind of pressure on opponents week in and week out can pay big dividends in the playoffs, where only one bad week can ruin the season.
Odds of winning: 3-1
4. The Schmuckernators (7-6, 1st in total points)
The Schmuckernators absolutely caught fire after a horrendous start to the season, and look as capable as anyone of winning the whole thing. The roster is as loaded as anyone, and while the Schmucks have a history of bad luck around this time of the season, this could be the year they finally put it together and make a run through a tough draw to the championship.
Odds of winning: 4-1
3. Kenny Gee Wilikers (8-5, 8th in total points)
Has any team ranked this high ever seemed like such a big underdog? Surviving off of a quick start in a difficult season with an obviously subpar roster, the Wilikers have lost three of four and would seem ripe for an upset. At least history is on their side; this is the time of the year they perform best – with 7 total playoff wins over the past three seasons, including a championship, it would not be unprecedented to see another couple of victories.
Odds of winning: 12-1
2. Fat Cats (8-5, 3rd in total points)
Putting together a great season after last year’s disappointment, the Cats are among the dangerous teams in the league as we all witnessed in their week 6 breakout performance. They are also their own worst enemy, with an unfortunately high rate of clunkers sprinkled amid strong efforts. While they are an unknown quantity in the postseason, the end of the year injuries are a worrisome sign heading into the playoffs; still, this team just needs to pull together and perform up to their potential and they’ll go far.
Odds of winning: 5-1
1. Ritzy Blitzers (12-1, 2nd in total points)
The prohibitive favorite. Each year, the Blitzers manage to top themselves in the regular season, and this year was no exception. Their chances of erasing last year’s playoff disaster seem good as they seek to continue their relentless consistency and excellence, though the draw is surprisingly tough.
Odds of winning: 7-3
Overround (~21)
Curious about my picking capabilities? A month before the end of the season, I made a few predictions. I did manage to get 7 of the 8 playoff teams and 5 of the seeds correct (Blitzers – 1, Cats – 2, Wilikers – 3, Cupcakes – 5, Daisies – 7), only missing a few things: the late season charges by the Schmucks (4, pred. 8) and the Squirrels (8 – pred. out) and last month swoons by the All-Stars (out – pred. 6) and Runnings (6, pred. 4). Not too shabby, I’d say. Let’s see how this week shapes up.
1st Round Matchups
(1) Ritzy Blitzers vs. (8) Blinder Squirrels
Ages ago, these two met and produced a world-class eyesore with both teams having their worst outputs of the season. While the Blitzers have had a tremendous year, they can’t overlook the hard-charging Squirrels. Though it may seem unlikely that the Blitzers would bow out in round one, the Squirrels have awfully favorable matchups. And if we learned anything last year, it’s that there is certainly precedence for this sort of monumental upset.
Prediction: It will be quite tight, but the Ritzy Blitzers keep bringing it until they see the Blinder Squirrels run.
(2) Fat Cats vs. (7) Granite Daisies
On paper, this is the most lopsided of the first round matchups. The Cats just have so many weapons. However, this game isn’t played on paper; it’s played on a real-live computer screen. If the Daisies can keep it close in the early games, they have a number of intriguing quantities in the late-going who just might be able to push the Daisies over the top for the upset.
Prediction: After all that, it probably won’t be all that close as the Fat Cats put in their titanium teeth to go feasting on the Granite Daisies.
(3) Kenny Gee Wilikers vs. (6) Cool Runnings
If there’s one higher ranked seed that looks especially vulnerable, it’s the low-scoring Wilikers. And it’s not just their weaknesses; the Runnings look primed for a strong run through the playoffs. History is all the Wilikers have to hang on to, as they have won all four of the previous meetings between these two teams, including twice this year and a thriller in last year’s playoffs.
Prediction: The Cool Runnings sharpen their blades and finally slice right through the sweet melodies of the Kenny Gee Wilikers.
(4) The Schmuckernators vs. (5) Cupcakes of Doom!
In the always exciting 4-5 matchup, we have two underachieving, would-be powerhouses. But the playoffs offer a chance for redemption, and it starts with this game, a rematch of the week 3 sleeper won by the Cupcakes. That happened so long ago it has little bearing on this game, and while the Schmuckernators are favored this time around, it’s gonna be really close.
Prediction: The Cupcakes of Doom! poison the Schmuckernators’ playoff hopes once again.
5 Comments:
"they have only had one game scoring less than 92 points, a feat to which no one else comes close."
Hey now... I've only had three games under 100, and the Schmucks only have three games under 96, so I wouldn't say no one came close. Though if you look at it from the reverse you could say there's a 300% difference.
My predictions:
Blitzers over Squirrels
Daisies over Fat Cats
Runnings over Wilikers
Schmuckernators over Cupcakes
Well done Danny. I've only been able to read this entire "Playoff Preview Bonanza" now early monday morning. I'm impressed with your analyses its realistic knowledgeable and surprisingly unbiased. If I were to be doing a playoff preview I would have my team winning it all and the Ritzy Blitzers losing every game :)
However, this game isn’t played on paper; it’s played on a real-live computer screen.
What a great quote.
i was pretty proud of that one.
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