IT’S A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE! THE CLASS OF 2029 VS LOLITA EXPRESS. IT’S ROB VS BOB.
It’s the Class of 2020. vs Lolita Expreess. It’s Rob vs Bob. This title game contenders are the top two teams in the career rankings. We have a combined 433 career wins, eight career top seeds, 11 scoring crowns, 37 postseason trips, and now 16 appearances in the title game. Most importantly, nine championships.
This isn’t just a battle for the 2025 Championship mug. This game will decide who is truly the greatest.
There have only been two names at the top of my career rankings. Up until 2009, it was mine. Yet, when Castrone defeated me in the 2010 title game, I swapped out Rob for Bob. It hasn’t changed since. Griff came close to taking the 1-spot back in 2015 and Calderon has certainly been considered, but since 2019, it’s been Bob in first and me in second.
Recently, I’ve considered swapping us two. While Bob has gone a decade without a championship, first struggling to escape the quarterfinals, then most recently just make the playoffs, I earned a fifth title in 2019 and I’ve continued to produce double-digit win seasons since. Yet, I’ve never pulled the trigger.
However, if I win this championship, I will say it now, my name will be back atop the career rankings next season. If Bob wins, it’s going to be awhile before it gets removed. No pressure.
ROBIO vs BOB | THIS SEASON
We faced off not too long ago in week 11. Both our quarterbacks struggled. Maye managed only 240 points, while Matt Stafford only threw for 130 yards and scored 206 points. Our Defenses were awful. The Falcons D/ST produced just seven points for me, while the Chargers gave Castrone just 23 points. At wide out, it was pretty even, although I beat out Bob when Nacua and Collins combined for 400, while he got 330 from his hands. Running backs were solid on both sides, but my produced a bit more. Robinson and Henderson combined for 772 compared to McCaffrey and Williams who combined for 674. Yet, the biggest gap was at tight end. Bob only got 14 points from David Njoku, while I started Mark Andrews (with Tyler Warren on a bye) and he had his best game of the season scoring 194 points. When the dust settled, I walked away with a 1,693 – 1,377 victory.
ROBIO vs BOB | THE HISTORY
One big reason I’ve kept Bob ahead of me in the career rankings is because he has dominated me over the years. Bob joined the league in 2003 and up through 2011, I never once managed to beat him in two straight games. After a two-game sweep in 2011, Bob led the series, 12-5. I finally got a streak going, sweeping two in 2012 and taking a third straight in 2013, but then Castrone took control again. From 2014-2021, he would win eight of nine games and led the series 20-10. Since 2022, I’ve turned the tide, taking three of four, but overall Bob leads the series 21-13. I’ve only beaten him three straight times once in my career. A victory this week would be a third straight win.
ROBIO vs BOB | THE PLAYOFFS
We’ve faced off three times in the postseason. The first time was 2008. That year I started off slow (1-3), but I arguably had one of the greatest squads ever when the regular season ended. I won only six of my final nine, but I topped 1,500 seven times and produced six weekly high scores. Bob began the year with a weekly high score and never dropped two in a row. He finished the season 9-4. While we finished first (Robio) and second (Bob) in points, neither of us won our division, so we ended up facing off in the quarterfinals. It wasn’t close, as 5-seed Robio beat 4-seed Bob, 1,641 – 1,136. I would reach the title game where I would fall to Don.
Two years later, I lost my first game of the season and then I wouldn’t lose again. I would win 12 straight in the regular season (earning the top seed) and then took down 8-seed Burrier and 7-seed Don to reach my sixth career title game. Much like 2009, Bob started off well and never slumped. He won five of his first six and finished 9-4, but once again failed to win his division. As the 4-seed, he crushed 5-seed Griff and then 6-seed Colby. He reached the title game as his two foes combined to barely scored over 1,700 total points. That wouldn’t be the case against me, entering the game riding a 14-game winning streak, right? Wrong. I failed to top 1,000 and Bob walked away with a second career title, 1,283 – 948. He would go back-to-back championship in 2011.
Again, two years later we would face off again. This time in the semifinals. I started the season red hot winning five straight, topping 1,600 three times. Then injuries kicked in and I would end up dropping six of eight, including my final three regular season games. Despite this, my seven wins were good enough for 4th place. Bob went the opposite route. He started slow, dropping his first two and through nine weeks he was just 3-6. A three-game winning streak finally flipped the script and despite falling in the final game of the regular season, his six victories were good enough for the 7-seed. In the quarterfinals, I escaped a high scoring affair with 5-seed Molly, while Bob topped 1,800 and dominated 2-seed Calderon. However, in the semifinals, my boys topped 1,500 for a second straight week while Castrone’s squad didn’t. I would win, 1554- 1,471. A week later I would defeat Eric to finally win my fourth career title.
THE TITLE GAME MATCHUPS
When we look at these lineups, it makes sense why we’ve got these two teams in the finals. The two quarterbacks are currently the second best (Stafford) and third best (Maye) quarterbacks in fantasy. Both Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey are top-three backs, while Kyren is the 8th best. The wide receivers are scary good. Smith-Njigba and Nacua are 1-2 among all wideout. Nico Collins is up to sixth best. A.J. Brown is 12th best, but over the last six weeks, he’s been a top-five receiver. I have a top-five tight end. Bob has a top-five defense and both our kicker are top-10.
As of this writing, Bob is the slight favorite. CBS has him at 52%, just a 39-point favorite, as we are both projected to top 1,500.
The action starts early, as I have the Lions D/ST playing on Christmas. Bob’s defense will follow on Saturday afternoon. Seven players will play Sunday at 1pm, including my quarterback and Bob’s top receiver. We each have one player playing at 4:30. He then rolls with McCaffrey on Sunday night. By this point, if I’m winning Bob is in trouble. However, it’s safe to assume this championship will be decided Monday night, when he has Stafford, while I have Robinson and Nacua playing that evening.
QUARTERBACK
DRAKE MAYE (ROBIO) vs MATT STAFFORD (BOB)
We have two top-three quarterbacks in Maye and Stafford. The Patriots second-year man has surprised even me, thanks to 29 total touchdowns and nearly 4,000 yards passing. He’s turned it over only 11 times. Stafford has been even better, with nearly 4,200 yards and a league best 40 touchdowns to only eight turnovers. Stafford has outscored Maye by 382 points (26 per game), thus his ceiling is higher, but there is no real advantage, especially with both coming off great games.
Even the matchups won’t provide much information. Both Bob and I should be happy with our quarterbacks’ foes. Stafford heads inside to face the Falcons, who are 18th against the pass. They have intercepted a ball in three straight games, but they have also given up 3+ touchdowns four times this year. Maye faces the Jets, who are 25th against the pass. They’ve given up 26 touchdowns this year, including five to the Jaguars two weeks ago. Yet, the craziest stat is the fact they have zero interceptions on the season. None. Nada.
Maye should be able to dominate them. The only question mark will be weather. When you’re playing outdoors in the Northeast, you never know. if you’re getting freezing rain, snow or hurricane-level wins. Stafford has no such problem playing in Atlanta’s dome. The only real issue Stafford will have is, if Adams is out again, which I believe he will be, that means his favorite target by a long mile will be Nacua (who plays for me) and receivers get more per yard.
FINAL POINTS
Maye 342 | Stafford 382
RUNNING BACK #1
BIJAN ROBINSON (ROBIO) vs CHRISTIAN McCAFFREY (BOB)
Now this is fun. We got the 2nd ranked running back (McCaffrey) and the 3rd ranked running back (Robinson). CMC averages 315 per game, while Robinson average 301 per contest. Both are hot. McCaffrey hasn’t dipped below 200 in five weeks, topping 400 twice, including this past Monday. Robinson has been above 230 in five of his last six games, topping 400 twice and scoring 380 and 396 in his last two games. These boys are rolling.
McCaffrey has been a stud all year, but with Purdy back and healthy, the 49ers offense is on fire. They head home this weekend to face the Bears, who led the NFC North. Chicago has the 10th best defense against the run, although they gave up 122 yards to the Packers on Saturday. Ashton Jeanty had his best game of the year against the Bears, rushing for 138 yards back in week four.
McCaffrey has it tough, but Robinson has it tougher. He’s also at home, but he will face a Rams defense that is the fifth best against the run. Only three teams have rushed for over 100 yards against them, although the Seahawks did it twice, including last Thursday. Derrick Henry’s 122 yards in week six was the best individual performance against the Rams.
The reality is, nobody is stopping these two. They’re both going to get their digits, but McCaffrey clearly has the higher ceiling. Again, the 49ers offense is humming and while the Bears D is decent enough, they’re coming off a very emotional game, beating their arch-rivals with an improbable comeback that locked up a playoff spot and makes losing the division hard. Would anyone blame them if they shit the bed on the road against a hot SF team?
FINAL POINTS
Robinson 262 | McCaffrey 378
RUNNING BACK #2
TONY POLLARD (ROBIO) vs KYREN WILLIAMS (BOB)
Now this matchup is interesting. For nearly the entire season there isn’t a soul who would say Pollard was as good as Williams. Through 13 weeks, Pollard had zero 200-point games and failed to even score 100 points four times, including three straight heading into week 13, when Masterson finally cut him loose. At the same time, Williams was delivering 200-point efforts effortlessly. He had seven by week 13 and has produced two more since.
Yet, oddly enough, despite averaging 231 over this last three games, it feels disappointing. Why? Because of Blake Corum. While Williams has 924 points the last three weeks, Corum has 988 points. Meanwhile, in week 14 I picked up Pollard with all my other backs on a bye. He proceeded to score 442 points, handing me a sixth straight win. He’s been on my pine since, but he still producing, topping 200 in two straight, having scored 930 points since I’ve picked him up.
Granted, asking for a fourth good game feels like I’m asking too much, but I don’t have any better option. The Titans face the Saints, who just shutdown the Dowdle/Hubbard backfield, but before that, they gave up at least 137 yards in four of their last six and a running back has produced a running touchdown in seven of the last nine contests. Spears will get some touches, but he remains primarily a third-down back. If Pollard can get 20 touches, he should be able to deliver 90 yards and a score.
Kyren Williams heads out east to face the Falcons, who are only 17th against the run. The Cardinals ran for 127 yards this past week. However, they are the only team to top 100 rushing yards against Atlanta since they gave up 248 to the Colts in week ten. Once again, it will come down to
FINAL POINTS
Pollard 236 | Etienne 212
WIDE RECEIVER #1
PUKA NACUA (ROBIO) vs JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA (BOB)
This is arguable the greatest wide receiver battle in title game history. These two are not only 1-2 in receiving, they’re 1-2 by a lot. JSN has scored 3,916 points. Nacua has 3,856 points. The next guy up, George Pickens, has only 3,244 points. Now, officially Smith-Njigba is first, but Nacua actually missed a game this year and when you factor that in, he averages 2,75 per game to JSM’s 261 per game. But at this point, trying to decide a favorite is meaningless. They are both studs.
If you’re looking for something to separate them, it’s the matchups. Both are on the road in the NFC South. Nacua gets the Falcons, who are only 26th against wideouts in fantasy, while JSM is on the road facing the Panthers, who are 14th against wideouts. They’ve been better at home, but overall, solid receivers have put up solid performances against them, led by George Pickens’s 168 yards in week six.
FINAL POINTS
Nacua 332 | Smith-Njigba 318
WIDE RECEIVER #2
NICO COLLINS (ROBIO) vs A.J. BROWN (BOB)
Collins has the better stats on the season, 280 more points, but Brown has been the better receiver since week 12. Since facing the Cowboys, Brown has averaged 239 points per game. Since week 11 he’s averaged 10 targets per game and that includes a two target week 15. In that time, he has four games of 95+ yards and scored twice.
Nico has been solid as well. Since coming back from an injury that cost him week eight, he has averaged 215 per contest, although he hasn’t received double digit targets the past three games. This coming week hitting 200 might prove challenging. The Texans are facing the Chargers in Los Angeles. They are the third best defense against wideouts and only the Cowboys this past week have managed to pass for over 200 yards and two touchdowns. Only three wideouts all year have topped 100 yards receiving.
A.J. Brown takes on the Bills in Buffalo. They have the 10th best defense against receivers and they’ve gotten better as the season has gone on. Just in the last month, they’ve held the Steelers’ receivers to just 32 yards, the Patriots to 97 and the Browns to 52. Granted, those are not elite receiver units. Yet, the last time a wideout topped 100 yards against them was Drake London back in week six.
Neither receiver is going to dominate and I don’t expect either to reach the end zone, but Brown has the advantage simply because his quarterback looks for him more.
FINAL POINTS
Collins 172 | Brown 190
TIGHT END
TAYSOM HILL (ROBIO) vs JUWAN JOHNSON (BOB)
In what could prove to be a bold move or a costly decision for either of us. I decided to add Taysom Hill, who continues to be listed as a tight end, even though he lines up as tight end, running back and quarterback. With Saints’ running backs dropping left and right, the 35-year-old actually led the team in rushes this past week, while also catching four passes and throwing a touchdown. He finished with 210 points. This after scoring just 266 points all season, including 18 in his last three contests. Obviously if either Kamara or Neal come back, I’ll have to rethink this, but for now, let’s roll with the old man as he faces the Panthers, who are 15th against tight ends and 25th against running backs.
For Bob, tight end is the only position he is changing this week, starting Juwan Johnson over Loveland, who is actually the real starting tight end for New Orleans. His floor is higher for sure, while I believe Hill’s ceiling is higher, but Johnson is coming off an 8-catch, 89 yard game this past weekend. He’s received nine targets twice in the last month. His problem is, he doesn’t score. He has only three touchdowns all season and none since week ten.
FINAL POINTS
Hill 142 | Johnson 116
PLACE KICKER
ANDRES BORREGALES (ROBIO) vs CHASE McLAUGHLIN (BOB)
Bob’s got the advantage at the kicking spot, as McLaughlin has made 28 of 32 field goals and 29 of 30 extra points. He’s a perfect 11 for 11 from 50+ and hasn’t missed any field goal since week six. Best yet, he avoids the cold, as Tampa heads down to Miami to take on the Dolphins, who are a decent 11th against kickers and they’ve gotten better. After allowing 17 field goal attempts in the season’s first six games, they’ve only allowed 10 in the last nine contests.
Borregales, the former Miami Hurricanes kicker has had an okay rookie year, making 24 of 29 field goals, including only two of four from 50-plus. He’s not the kind of kicker you normally want on your fantasy team, but I’m going matchup here. The Jets defense allow the most field goals in fantasy. The last time they faced the Patriots, Borregales attempted three (but missed one). I’ll be watching the weather, so there is always a chance for a last-second change, but for now,
FINAL POINTS
Borregales 110 | McLaughlin 130
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
LIONS (ROBIO) vs CHARGERS (BOB)
The difference between the Lions and Chargers is night and day. The Chargers are the fourth best D/ST in fantasy and they’ve scored at least 110 in seven of their last eight games. This includes three 200-point efforts. They have two 5-sack games just in the last month. They head home to face a Texans offense that is 12th against D/STs and they’re playing with scraps at the running back spot. With the Texans D also top-five, I expect a low scoring rumble in LA.
On the flip side, we have the Lions D/ST. Currently ranked 22nd in fantasy. They have scored a total of 51 fantasy points in their last five games. Yes, that’s an average of 10.2 fantasy points per game. What the fuck a I thinking? I’m not sure and honestly, I could change my mind and go with the 49ers against Chicago. They’ve played well lately, scoring 144 or more in three of four, but for now, I’m playing the matchup. The Lions are on the road, but still in dome facing the Vikings offense that is ranked 31st against fantasy defenses. That’s the second worst offense that has to play Thursday night on Christmas, most likely with Max Brosmer at quarterback. Again, this decision is fluid, but for now, Merry Christmas, Lions!
FINAL POINTS
Lions 142 | Chargers 138
AND THE FINAL PREDICTION IS…
There is too much talent on both sides of the ball for this game to be anything but a high-octave, high-scoring affair… the kind we will tell our grandkids about. I don’t have a single soul playing in this game scoring under 100 points, I got five total topping 300 and another three scoring over 200. I’ve made some small moves to find an advantage, swapping out a tight end and kicker and praying my backup running back can produce enough points, but in the end, do you really think I’m picking myself here? I haven’t yet in the postseason.
Bob’s advantage will be at quarterback and most importantly at RB1, as I have McCaffrey outscoring Robinson by 116 points in a game I’m predicting Bob wins by 126 points. After a decade of indignity, Castrone finally brings home that fifth career Championship mug in what will be the highest scoring title game ever. Or I’ll win my sixth crown and you will all bow down to me as the unworthy subjects that you are.
LOLITA EXPRESS WINS, 1,864 – 1,738
