Last year, Eric shocked the world to become the first and only 8-seed to win a championship, proving what I always say, “just make the playoffs and win three games.”

Does anyone have a miracle run in them this time around? The top headline all season has been wrapped around Bob Castrone. He began the year 1-7 and the focus was on whether he could turn things around and make it 17-straight postseason trips. Yet, it wasn’t all about Bob. Eric took defending a title to a new level, easily crushing the competition and finished with 12 wins, a top seed and a scoring crown. Myself, Colby and Calderon kept it close with Vozzola, but in the end, we both faded down the stretch, while Burrier finished like a man on a mission (4 straight 1,500-pt games to end the year). Michael was the preseason favorite, who did manage to win nine, but that had more to do with folks not showing up.

Speaking of not showing up, Griff and Jeff were no shows all season, both finishing with just three wins on the year. Masterson scored roughly the same amount of points, but managed to pull six wins out of his ass. Don was always in the thick of things, but dropping his final five did him in. Matt, like Bob, was a high scoring team whose win total didn’t match his point production, but he still managed to sneak in during the final week of play. As for Bob; we thought he was toast, then were convinced he made it, but in the end, he came up just one game short, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2005. 

#1 THIS IS THE YEAR vs #8 TWO HEADED RUSSIN’ ATTACK

2019 RECORD
Eric: 12-2
Rob M: 6-8

2019 SCORING
Eric: 1,606 PPG (1st)
Rob M: 1,136 (11th)

2019 BREAKDOWN
Eric: 122-32 (12-2 vs Rob)
Rob M: 52-102

CAREER PLAYOFF RECORD

ERIC – Until last season, Eric’s postseason career was pretty damn ugly. In 20 seasons, he managed to win a playoff game in just one season (2012). Prior to 2021, he had dropped five of his last six quarterfinals games and had a postseason record of 3-10. In 2021, he entered the playoffs as an 8-seed, who only got that spot because of Michael’s failure to set a lineup. Well, he took advantage of it. He would cruise through the postseason, knocking out the 1-seed, 2-seed and then the defending champ (Jeff) in the finals. He would win his first championship, becoming the first 8-seed to walk away with a title. Overall, his .375 winning percentage is 9th in the league, but his 1,379 points per game average is a decent 6th.

ROB M – Other than Mike, who has been in the league just 3+ seasons now, no one has had less success in the postseason than Masterson. Overall, he’s just 5-15. He’s 5-10 in the quarterfinals, which isn’t great and he’s 0-5 in the semifinals, which is awful. He’s the only veteran team to never reach a title game. Since 2007, he has just two playoff victories and his last quarterfinals win was 2019. His .250 winning percentage is only better than Mike’s (who has yet to win a playoff game), but his 1,344 points per game average in the playoffs is 8th best.

PLAYOFF HISTORY BY SEEDS

1-SEED IN POST
The league’s top seed leads all seeds in wins with 32, although just second in winning percentage (.615). They have reached 10 of the possible 23 title games, but they are just 4-6 in the championship contest. The top-seed champions are Robio in ’99, Jason in ’01, Matt in ’09 and Bob in ’14. Yes, it’s been eight years since a top-seed has won a mug.

8-SEED IN POST 
Until last year, an 8-seed had never been to a title game. Overall, they are just 8-23. The .258 winning percentage is the lowest among the seeds. While they’ve reached the semifinals five times, they are just 1-4 in that second round, finally winning a championship last year with Eric.

#1 VS #8 IN QUARTERFINALS
Last year, 8-seed Eric upset 1-seed Rob. That ended an 8-year drought for the last playoff spot. Overall, the 1-seed is 18-6 against the 8-seed, which is tied for the best record by a seed in the quarterfinals.

ERIC vs ROB M | THIS SEASON
Back in week six, a 2-2 Masterson squad took on a 3-1 Eric team and managed to not get blown out. Eric defeated Rob, 1,691-1,423. He was led by a pair of monster efforts by Mahomes (460) and Hall (454). Rob had four players top at least 190 with the Broncos DST (197), Brown (216), Carr (266) and Kamara, who had the only good game of the season, scoring 358. However, his tight end (Everett) managed just four points, while Eric got 290 from Kelce. That was a 286-point difference in a game Rob lost by 268.

ERIC vs ROB M | CAREER
Rob leads the overall series, 14-12. Rob struggled with Eric early in his career, dropping two of their first six meetings, but between 2008-2013, Rob won seven of eight to take a 9-5 lead in their series. Eric took two in 2015, but between 2016-2020, Rob won five of six. However, Eric has taken the last two.

ERIC vs ROB M | POSTSEASON
These two have faced off just once in the postseason and we’ve already mentioned it many times. Masterson, after earning his first ever 1-seed in 2020, was stunned by 8-seed Eric in the quarterfinals, 1,441-1,1128.

#2 Hey Man, Nice Shot vs #7 The Genius

2019 RECORD
Robio: 10-4
Matt: 6-8

2019 SCORING
Robio: 1,464 PPG (2nd)
Matt: 1,425 PPG (3rd)

2019 BREAKDOWN
Robio: 96-58 (9-5 vs Matt)
Matt: 91-63

CAREER PLAYOFF RECORD

ROBIO – Arguable no one has been better in the postseason than me. I lead the league in wins (27-10 overall) and winning percentage (.730). I average a stunning 1,519 points per game in the playoffs, which is the most in league history. I’ve been nearly unbeatable in the quarterfinals, going a league best 13-2, although I did lose in the first round last year. I’ve also gone 9-4 in the semifinals. My nine title game appearances are a league best and my five championships are also the most. My championships are 1999, 2000, 2002, 2012 and 2019.

MATT – Neatock is basically me in the postseason, with a few less years under his belt. His .667 winning percentage is the second best, as he has gone 16-8 overall. His 1,510 points per game is second only to me. His quarterfinals numbers aren’t dominant. He’s just 7-5, but he’s a solid 5-2 in the semifinals and 4-1 in the title game. That lone defeat was a one-point loss to Bob in 2014. He is one of three people (Robio, Bob) to have earned back-to-back titles. His titles came in 2007, 2009, 2017 and 2018.

PLAYOFF HISTORY BY SEEDS

2-SEED IN POST
The two-seed has produced a solid .622 winning percentage, going 28-17 overall. While it has struggled to escape the quarterfinals, it has dominated once it gets past that first weekend. The two-seed is an amazing 8-4 in the semifinals and even better in the finals, where they have gone a stunning 7-1. Their seven championships are a league best. They are Robio ‘00, Bob ‘04, Calderon ‘13, Griff ‘15, Calderon again ‘16, Matt ‘17 and Robio ‘19.

7-SEED IN POST 
For being the second-to-last team to fit into the playoffs, the seven-seed has done pretty well. Overall, they are 23-21, having reached 12 semifinals, where they have won more than they lost (7-5). In the finals, the 7-seed has won four championships: Don in both ‘06 and ‘08, Bob in ‘11 and Matt in ‘18.

#2 VS #7 IN QUARTERFINALS
Overall, the two seeds are tied 12-12 in the quarterfinals. However, the two seed won last season and has actually taken five of the last seven meetings.

MATT vs ROBIO | THIS SEASON
Neatock and I have split our two meetings this season. Back in week three, led by Lamar’s 588 points, I escaped with a 18-point victory over Matt, 1,562-1,544. Pierce added 262 and Kirk delivered 200. None of those guys will be starting for me this weekend. Matt got 416 from Hurts, 286 from Chubb and 230 from Brown, Nico Collins at the second wide receiver spot managed just 82 points.

However, Matt would get his revenge. Despite being the dog, he cruised to an easy 1,458-1,068 victory last week. Again, Hurts was the man, scoring 438, but Neatock also got 444 from Evan Engram of all people. As for me, Joe Burrow proved to be no Lamar, scoring just 258. Ekeler did this part with 268, but Dalvin Cook managed only 92 points.

MATT vs ROBIO | CAREER
Overall I lead the series, 17-11. I won ten of the first 12 meetings after Matt joined the league in 2003, until Matt swept me in two contests in 2014. He would win again in 2015. In 2016, I swept him in two, but then he swept me again in 2017. Since then, I’ve taken four of the last  seven games.

MATT vs ROBIO | POSTSEASON
Shockingly, despite appearing in 51 combined postseason games, Matt and I have never faced off before in the playoffs. The closest we came was in 2019. Both teams were in the semifinals, needing just one win to face off in the title game, but while I beat Masterson, Matt felt to Calderon, depriving us of a Matt v Robio championship game.

#3 THUNDERPANTS vs #6 The Dick-Taters

2019 RECORD
Rich B: 9-5
Rich C: 7-7

2019 SCORING
Rich B: 1,386 PPG (3rd)
Rich C: 1,308 PPG (9th)

2019 BREAKDOWN
Rich B: 77-76-1 (7-7 vs Michael)
Rich C: 73-80-1

CAREER PLAYOFF RECORD

RICH B – Mr. Burrier’s playoff career hasn’t been the prettiest picture on the wall. Overall, he’s just 7-13, winning only 35% of his games (which is the second worst percentage among veteran teams). His teams have averaged just 1,258 points per contest, which is the lowest mark between veteran teams. He’s just 3-10 in the quarterfinals, having won once since 2014. He does have a winning record in the semifinals, going 2-1. While he lost the 2011 title game to Bob, he does have one championship under his belt. It was way back in 2003. The 18 years separating him from his last title is the longest drought by a team that’s actually won a title.

RICH C – One of six people to have a winning record in our postseason, Calderon is 17-13 overall. His .567 winning percentage is the fifth best. He averages 1,410 points per game in the postseason, which is the fourth best. While he’s fallen victim to upsets in the past (three times losing as a 2-seed to the 7-seed), Rich is a pretty good 10-5 in the quarterfinals. In fact, he was the first 8-seed to ever beat a 1-seed (back in 2003). In fact, he’s a solid 5-1 in the quarterfinals as a lower seed. He’s 5-5 in the semifinals and 2-3 in the title game. He won it all back in 2013-2016. Just recently, he did become just the second person to reach back-to-back finals and lose both games (2018-2019).

PLAYOFF HISTORY BY SEEDS

3-SEED IN POST
The three seed is only 20-23 overall in the playoffs, struggling to escape round one at times, doing well in the semifinals (7-4), but failing in the finals. Has reached the title game seven times (third most), but has managed to win just two championships and those championships happened a long time ago (Robio in 2002 and Burrier in 2003). The 3-seed has lost the title game in 2006, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014.

6-SEED IN POST 
16-22 | The second worst seed to be, based on a .421 winning percentage. While the six-seed isn’t too bad in the quarterfinals, winning more than it loses (13-11), they have struggled beyond that, going 2-8 in the semifinals and have lost both games in the finals (2001 and 2015). The 6-seed is the only seed to never deliver a championship.

#3 VS #6 IN QUARTERFINALS
Overall the #6 seed leads the series, 13-11 and have dominated lately. In fact, the last time a 3-seed won a playoff game was back in 2014 quarterfinals (Matt over Masterson). The 6-seed has won seven straight years. That’s the longest streak one seed has over another seed.

RICH C vs RICH B | THIS SEASON
These two last faced off back in week four. Calderon was 3-1 and Burrier was 1-3. Calderon improved to 4-1 after escaping with a 57-point win, 1,558-1,501. In that game, Calderon for once had the better QB, as Rodgers outscored Mariota, 248-58. Barkley (324) and Evans (326) helped to overcome the season-ending injury to Williams (54 points). While Burrier lost, that game showed what this team could be. Jacobs had his breakout game, scoring 470, while Tyreek Hill added 318. After this meeting, Calderon would end up winning just three more games, finishing 3-6, while Burrier turned a 1-4 start into a 8-1 finish.

RICH C vs RICH B | CAREER
Calderon leads the all-time series 17-13. Burrier took the early lead in this series, winning five of the first seven contests. In both 2007 and 2008, they would face off twice and both times split the two games. Calderon would beat Burrier in 2009 and 2010, before Burrier took a pair in 2011. By then, Burrier led the series, 9-6. Calderon would then go on to win five straight, before Burrier again swept him in two in 2017. However, since then, Calderon has taken six straight. The six straight wins is the longest winning streak among the playoff teams that one team has over another at this moment in time.

RICH vs RICH B | POSTSEASON
Despite being in the league a combined 39 years between the two prior to this season, they have only faced off once in the postseason. That was way back in 2003, when 3-seed Burrier escaped with a low scoring victory over Calderon. Of Course, Calderon was an 8-seed, one week removed from becoming the first 8-seed to win a playoff game (over me). In the quarterfinals, Calderon scored 1,953 points. In the semifinals, he did not, losing to Burrier 1,141-1,054.

#4 Bemortarboarded Neatock vs #5 Dudelove 

2019 RECORD
Colby: 9-5
Michael: 9-5

2019 SCORING
Colby: 1,359 (6th)
Michael: 1,346 (7th)

2019 BREAKDOWN
Colby: 85-68-1 (7-7 vs Michael)
Michael: 80-73

CAREER PLAYOFF RECORD

COLBY – Nobody is going to be fooled into believing Colby is a playoff master, but he hasn’t been a tragedy either. Overall, he’s 7-11. His .389 winning percentage is better than Burrier, Eric, Masterson and Michael. He’s a decent 5-6 in the quarterfinals, 2-3 in the semifinals and 0-2 in the title game, losing to Griff both times in 2005 and 2015. In total, he’s won a playoff game in five of his 18 years in the league prior to this season. Of those five times, four times he was the lower seed in the quarterfinals. The only time he was a higher seed and advanced to the semifinals was in 2008. Odd fact: Eight of his 11 postseason defeats were to either Bob (3) or Griff (5).

MICHAEL – His career is short; just in his fourth season and he did manage to make the postseason his first two years, but both playoff tries were brutally awful. Overall, Michael is 0-2 in our postseason. Not only has he never won a playoff game, he’s never even broke 1,000 yet. He scored just 831 in a quarterfinals defeat to me in 2019 and then managed only 945 against Burrier the following year.

PLAYOFF HISTORY BY SEEDS

4-SEED IN POST
The 4-seed is a pretty bad 14-22 overall, struggling to escape round one. In fact, they’re almost as bad as the 8-seed, but once they escape that tough first round, they’ve been pretty solid, going 4-2 in the semifinals and 3-1 in the finals. Griff in 2005, Bob in 2010 and myself in 2012, have all won titles as the 4-seed.

5-SEED IN POST 
Like I said, the 5-seed has dominated the quarterfinals, but unlike the 4-seed, once it escapes, it tends to falter. They are just 6-11 in the semifinals (the 11 loses are the most of any seed in that round) and are 2-4 in the finals. The champs from this seed are Matt back in 2007 and Jeff in 2020.

#4 VS #5 IN QUARTERFINALS
The 5-seed is a stunning 18-6 in the quarterfinals. They have won five straight and ten of the last 12 meetings in the playoff’s first round. The 18-6 overall record in the quarterfinals is tied with the 1-seed for best record by one seed over another.

COLBY vs MICHAEL | THIS SEASON
These two have faced off twice this year and Colby took them both. In week two, Colby improved to 2-0 after a 1,605-1,279 victory. His squad was led by Josh Allen, who scored 460, but he wasn’t the only one. Waddle dominated (462 points), while McCaffrey (256) and Sutton (254) both topped 250. Michael got 354 from Herbert, but only the 49ers DST managed to top 200 (scoring 247). He got zero points from the tight end spot (Kmet).

In week 13, in a battle for third place, both teams struggled to score, but Colby again walked away with a win, 1,200-1,086. McCaffrey led the way, scoring 352, while Allen added 259. Even the kicker, Koo, contributed 180, outscoring Colby’s WR/WR/TE who only delivered 162 combined points. Like in week two, Michael again only got 200+ efforts from Herbert and the 49ers D. Jefferson was held in check (172), while his two backs (Murray, Johnson) managed a total of 204 points.

COLBY vs MICHAEL | CAREER
In Michael’s first season in the league (2019), these two faced off twice and split the two contests. However, Michael won the next two in 2020 and 2021. However, the series is now tied 3-3 after Colby’s two-game sweep this season.

COLBY vs MICHAEL | POSTSEASON
These two have never faced off in the postseason. The lack of playoff history between the eight teams in the 2022 postseason is a bit jarring. Matt and I have never faced off and Eric/Rob M and Rich/Rich have each faced one another just once. Of the remaining teams, only Rob/Rich C and Rich C/Eric have faced off three times in our postseason history.

I hate predictions. I have no clue what is going to happen and I’m too tired to do any real homework. Having said that…

QUARTERFINALS

#1 ERIC vs #8 ROB M
6,575. That’s the point gap between Eric’s team and Rob’s squad. That’s the second largest scoring gap between two teams in league history. The record was back in 2001, when former league member Jason, the #1 seed, had outscored Rick (another former league member) by 7,042 points.

So, does Rob have a shot at revenge this time around? The answer is, sure. He’s only a 173-point underdog. The key to victory for him is simple, he needs something that hasn’t happened all season to happen. He needs his two “stud” backs to be studs together. Taylor and Kamara were supposed to be a dominant 1-2 punch, but neither has thrown any jabs. However, with both teams coming off bye weeks, maybe just maybe those coaches remembered that the key to success is running the ball. If those guys can produce, then Rob has a shot. He’s going to ride his Jets, White and Wilson, who can put up some digits against a suspect Lions defense. Schultz has been productive lately and needs to not get his ass kicked by Kelce and the Broncos defense will be facing a backup QB in Arizona.

Yet, this is still Eric. The Chiefs are facing the Texans, which means Mahomes could deliver 400 and Kelce could approach 300. Hell, Pacheco could bring him 200. The Eagles should crush the Bears, so Sanders will get plenty of touches. I also like Chase facing a Bucs team that allowed the 49ers to score 35 points. The only concern for Eric may be the Bills defense, facing a solid Miami offense. Although, word is it might snow and let’s see what Dolphins can do in the snow.

PREDICTION: Eric Proves To Be Too Much
Eric averages over 1,600 per game. Rob hasn’t even scored 1,600 this season. It won’t be domination, but it would be a massive upset and Masterson can pull off the upset. I’m not willing to pick that upset. 

#2 ROBIO vs #7 MATT
It’s not that my team has gotten cold, but two of my three worst outings have come in the last three weeks, as my boys have run a little hot and a little cold lately. In fact, Matt, who beat me last week, would have beaten me in two of the last three weeks. For Matt, he’s got a massive advantage at QB, as Hurts, along with Brown, should dominate the Bears in Chicago. I would not be surprised if the Eagles score at least 38 this week. While I don’t expect Engram to score 400, Dallas has been vulnerable to tight ends and I’m loving the Packers D against a beat up Rams offense. For Matt to beat me a second time, it’s going to come down to the backs. Singletary only had eight carries last week and Chubb’s has been down-right bad lately, having failed to top 200 in four of his last five games. Matt needs Chubb to get back to his 300-pt ways, which might be tough against a solid Ravens run defense.

As for me, I’m down Lamar and while Burrow has done some good things this year, he can also struggle when facing a pass rush. The Bucs have not been great this year, but they can sack themselves a QB. Any kind of pressure and Burrow might struggle to top 200. Ekeler has been solid, but if I’m going to win this game, I need Adams to be dominant Devonta. I also need Cook to show up and play for once. I could start Dobbins, but I won’t. I traded for Cook, so I’m riding with Cook. I’m also going to start Smith in an effort to offset Hurts.

PREDICTION: MATT WON LAST WEEK; HE’LL DO IT AGAIN
I expect this contest to be high scoring, with the loser actually topping 1,500. Yet, it’s hard to see how I beat Matt if Hurts puts up another 400-pt effort, which is exactly what I expect him to do. I got to pick one upset. I sorta nailed it last week, so why not go for it again. 

#3 RICH B vs #6 RICH C (+32)
One team is hot. One team is not. Burrier has won eight of nine games and has topped 1,500 in his last four contests. Calderon had dropped five straight before pulling out a low scoring victory in week 14. Still, Calderon has topped 1,500 just once since week five. The fun part about this game is that neither team has produced a single quarterback performance of over 300 points. Daniel Jones hasn’t been terrible for Burrier since becoming the starter, but he’s still relying on Jacobs and Hill. The hard part for him is, the matchups won’t make life easy. Jones faces a decent Commanders pass D, while Jacobs must run into the Patriots. Meanwhile, Hill has to play in the cold in Buffalo. On top of that, Harris and Freiermuth face a tough Panthers D and Lockett faces the league’s top D. Those are not matchup gold.

Calderon will roll with Watson again. He didn’t look great in his second outing, but he did manage more fantasy points. For the older Rich, it will come down to his backs. Barkley has disappeared from the Giants offense. If he again struggles to gain 50 yards, Calderon is toast. Knight is good, but he’s not bring home a 300-pt game. Hopkins has a new QB and one has to wonder if defensive coordinators have figured out Watson.

PREDICTION: Burrier Bounces Calderon
In what will be the week’s lowest scoring game, Burrier will escape with a victory over Calderon, scoring the kind of points that would have led to defeat in any other game. 

#4 COLBY vs #5 MICHAEL (+11)
Colby somehow enters the postseason having won three of his last four, despite the fact in his last five games, his team has averaged just 1,135 points per game. The problem has been, his stars refuse to shine. Allen has been good, but he’s suppose to be a 400-pt quarterback. Etienne has struggled. He has just over 300 fantasy points in his last four games combined. Waddle has just three catches and 80 fantasy points in his last two. Hell, Cooper, the best receiver in Cleveland has struggled with Watson, having failed to top 90 in his last two.

Meanwhile, Michael has been hot/cold. When hot, he’s one of the best teams, having topped 1,700 three times since week nine. However, this is the same team that has failed to top 1,200 five times this year. Of course, when he’s successful, it’s because Jefferson is dominating. The league’s top receiver has scored over 300 in seven games this year. The problem for Mike is, the Colts are second in the NFL against wide receivers in fantasy. I’m also not in love with Conner and Mixon facing the Broncos and Bucs Ds. Granted, they both should get plenty of touches, but those two defenses have done well stopping the run.

PREDICTION: Colby Coasts To Victory
Every year there’s a team that limps into the playoffs, easily looking like a quarterfinals exit, who suddenly scores 1,500 and stuns the world. Colby’s squad is that team this year. I love McCaffrey against the Hawks and the Cowboys have given up running yards this year, so Etienne should breakout. 

SEMIFINALS

#1 ERIC over #7 MATT
Hurts toughest game will come in two weeks against the Cowboys in Dallas. Matt barely has a chance against Eric with Hurts scoring 400. He has no chance if Hurts is just so-so.
PREDICTION: ERIC HANDLES NEATOCK 

#3 RICH B over #4 COLBY
Burrier came into the postseason hot and he keeps the heat on. Colby’s boys will look like his early 2022 team in the quarterfinals, but return too their later 2022 self in the semifinals.
PREDICTION: BURRIER GOES BEAST MODE  

FINALS

#1 ERIC over #3 RICH B
This will be fun. The league’s best team all year vs the league’s hottest team, but in the end, Eric will prove to be too much for Rich. Vozzola will become the fourth person in league history to go back-to-back.

YOUR 2022 CHAMPION