The 25th addition of the Robioland Football Playoffs is upon us. We have our eight, but in reality, all the talk is on Colby Hall. The defending champ is looking to become the fourth person in league history to go back-to-back mugs. On top of that, he’s coming off a regular season where he won 11 games (the most) and averaged 1,553 points per game (the most), thus is looking to become just the fifth person to earn the in-season Triple Crown, which is a top seed, scoring crown and a league championship. So much at stake. Yet, can anyone step up and challenge Tucker Carlson’s favorite bathhouse buddy? That’s what we’re here to find out. First up, the matchups.
#1 BUKAYA SAKA (Colby) vs #8 CHASE ‘N GOLD (Eric)
2023 RECORD
Colby: 11-3
Eric: 6-8
2023 SCORING
Colby: 1,553 (3rd)
Eric: 1,358 (5th)
2023 BREAKDOWN
Colby: 107-46-1 (11-2-1 vs Colby)
Eric: 73-80-1
CAREER PLAYOFF RECORD
COLBY – Overall, Hall is 10-11 in our postseason. He’s 6-6 in the quarterfinals, 3-3 in the semifinals and 1-2 in the finals. He twice fell to Griff in the championship game in 2005 and 2015, before winning it all last season for the first time. Prior to last year’s run, he had won just two postseason games (both in 2015) between 2012 and 2021.
ERIC – It took Eric seven years to make it to the playoffs and it took another five before he won his first playoff game. And up until 2021, he was one of the worst postseason teams in league history, sitting at 3-10 at one point. However, in 2021, as an 8-seed, he did the unthinkable. He won the championship. Remember, he only got in because Michael failed to set his lineup. Last year, he entered the playoffs as the big dog, becoming the second team to average over 1,600, but it wasn’t enough as he bowed out in the semifinals. Overall, Eric’s postseason winning percentage is only .375 (6-10), going 3-8 in the quarterfinals, 2-1 in the semifinals and 1-1 in the finals.
#1 VS #8 IN THE PLAYOFFS
The one seed remains the best seed to be in the postseason, going 33-20 overall. They are a solid 18-6 in the quarterfinals against the 8-seed. Their 10 wins in the semifinals (10-8) are the most, although they’ve only managed to go 4-6 in the finals. The four 1-seed champs are Robio ’99, Jason ’01, Matt ’09 and Bob ’14. All four of those teams, like Colby this season, earned the scoring crown as well. As for the 8-seed, like I said, just 6 wins in the quarterfinals (6-18) and they are just 1-5 in the semifinals. Eric’s 2021 championship run as the 8-seed is the only championship for the final playoff spot.
COLBY vs ERIC | THIS SEASON
These two had arguably one of the best games of the season, combining to score over 3,800 total points. Led by his three studs, Etienne 378, McCaffrey 356, Brown 380, Colby topped 2,000. He would have hit 2,200 if he had started the right QB. Eric battled behind a pair of 400-pt efforts by Howell (486) and Lamb (460), but it wasn’t enough, as he fell 2,061-1,780.
COLBY vs ERIC | CAREER
Colby leads the all-time series 12-11. He jumped out winning five of the first six meetings, but until the win the season, Eric had been dominating lately, having taken six of the last eight meetings dating back to 2016.
COLBY vs ERIC | POSTSEASON
These two have faced off only once in the postseason. Back in 2015, Eric entered the postseason with nine wins, thanks to a 7-2 start to the season. He earned the 3-seed. Colby was 6-3 that year at one point, but dropped four of his final five to finish 6-7, earning the six-seed. Yet, it was Colby who pulled out the victory, defeating Eric, 1,563 – 1,204.
Everything is Coming Up Colby | The Colby Hall Story
Life in fantasy is a lot easier when you win it all one year, then get to walk into the next season with two stud keepers, including one in the 13th round (Etienne) and the best player in football with the 12 overall pick (McCaffrey). Yet, Colby wasn’t a two-hit wonder. He added A.J. Brown and Hockenson, one of the best wideouts and one of the best tight ends in the game. The Cowboys DST dominating throughout was the cherry on top.
Yet, despite scoring well early on, Colby quickly found himself at 1-2, as he faced 1,500 from Mike in week two and 2,000 from Calderon in week three. However, those defeats, along with another in week six proved to be hiccups.
He plugged away at WR2, with Addison doing nice work in the middle of the season, Colby was able to overcome the only major injury issue when he lost Kirk Cousins for the year. Say what you want about the Vikings arm, but he’s solid in fantasy. Since then, Colby has mostly relied on Stroud and seems poised to put it on Purdy’s shoulders here in the postseason.
He now enters the postseason riding a eight-game winning streak.
Eight is Not Enough | The Eric Vozzola Story
Projected to be one of the best teams in the league in the preseason, Eric was expected to be a contender with Fields, Mixon, Chase and Lamb. Yet, out of the gate, he failed to sniff 800 in a week one weekly low score defeat to Jeff. Eric would end up dropping three of his first four as it seemed like everyone on his squad was playing below par.
Over the next month though, things looked to be going his way, even with Fields and Conner getting hurt. Eric scored 1,800 in week five, 1,780 in week seven, 1,572 in week 9 and 2,153 in week 10. Sure, he “only” went 3-2 and was just 5-5, but he was clearly looking like the one guy who could take down Colby.
Yet, after cracking 2,000, Eric’s squad hit a wall. Down Fields, with Chase now without Burrow, plus more injuries to his running backs, he would drop his next three, averaging only 1,190 points per game. If it wasn’t for week 13 defeats to Bob and Matt, he would have been toast heading into the final week. Instead, those two lost and Eric was given an opportunity to get back into the postseason with a win over Bob. While he didn’t score a ton of points, he didn’t have to and he easily defeated Bob, making his ninth straight playoff appearance (the longest active streak).
#2 REAL MEN PRODUCE PORN (GRIFF) vs #7 THE GENIUS (MATT)
2023 RECORD
Griff: 9-5
Matt: 7-7
2023 SCORING
Griff: 1,368 (3rd)
Matt: 1,277 (9th)
2023 BREAKDOWN
Griff: 90-64 (10-4 vs Matt)
Matt: 60-94
CAREER PLAYOFF RECORD
GRIFF – It’s been five years since Coomer last made a playoff appearance, so let’s brush off the dust and dive into his history. Overall in the postseason, he’s one of the best. He’s one of only three people with at least 20 career playoff victories, going 20-13 overall. He’s a solid 10-5 in the quarterfinals and a league best 8-2 in the semifinals. His eight trips to the finals is the second most, despite the long playoff drought. Unfortunately, winning the title game hasn’t always been his thing. He’s just 2-6 in those games, winning it all in 2005 and 2015.
MATT – Like Griff, Neatock is a playoff savant. His .667 winning percentage in the postseason is the second best, going 18-9 overall. He’s good in the quarterfinals (8-5), but like Coomer, he’s been great in the semifinals, winning six of his eight games in that round. However, he’s better in the finals, going 4-2, winning it all in 2007, 2009, 2017 and 2018. His four mugs are tied for second most with Bob.
#2 VS #7 IN THE PLAYOFFS
While the 2-seed enjoys a better overall record, the 7-seed still leads the 2-seed in their head-to-head meeting, going 13-11. Two of these wins came via Neatock, who won in the quarterfinals as the second-to-last seed in both 2018 and last year. In both cases, he reached the finals. Overall though, the two-seed is 28-18 (second best playoff record), going 8-3 in the semifinals and an amazing 7-1 in the finals. The seven championships via the 2-seed are the most of any seed. They were Robio ’00, Bob ’04, Calderon ’13, Griff ’15, Calderon ’16, Matt ’17 and Robio ’19. As for the 7-seed, they also have eight semifinal wins (8-5) and they’ve won half of the title games they’ve been in, including Don twice in 2006 & 2008, plus Bob ’11 and Matt ’18.
GRIFF vs MATT | THIS SEASON
These two faced off twice this season and Griff walked away the winner both times. Back in week three, Coomer won, 1,728-1,359, behind Lamar’s 386, Allen’s 342 and Jefferson’s 288. The Buccaneers scoring 272 against the Bears helped as well. For Matt, he relied on Hurts, who hit 308, but Adams was the only other player to top 200 (228).
In week 13, Neatock kept things closer, but still fell short, 1,564-1,490. In that contest, Matt got another 328 from Hurts and LaPorta added 340. The Falcons D proved to be a nice addition, scoring 246. However, Griff got 442 from Nick Collins and on Monday night, skipped past Matt on the back of Engram (224), a tight end Neatock cut that week.
GRIFF vs MATT | CAREER
Prior to this season, Griff had struggled against Matt, who led the series 14-9, after winning four of the last five, until Griff took a pair of games this year, bringing his all-time record against Neatock to 11-14.
GRIFF vs MATT | POSTSEASON
These two have only met twice in our postseason. Back in 2009, Neatock was the clear favorite all season and wrapped up the regular season as the 1-seed and scoring champ. He cruised into the finals that year, scoring 1,832 and 1,950 in the first two rounds of the playoffs. For Griff, he was a nine-win division winner who also dominated, scoring 1,801 and 1,622 in his two playoff wins; the second one being over 2-seed Bob. Unfortunately for Griff, despite getting three 200pt efforts and a 300pt game by Matt Schaub, he couldn’t overcome Neatock, who got four 200+ games and 340 from Peterson. Matt won his second career title, 1,608-1,384.
In 2015, on the shoulders of David Johnson, Griff won his final five games and cruised into the playoffs as a two-seed. Matt was no slouch, having won eight games, although he last had won three in a row back in the season’s first three weeks. In the quarterfinals, Griff dominated Jeff, while Matt beat Masterson. In the semifinals, Coomer hit another level and easily dispatched Neatock, 1,962-1,335. He would defeat Colby the following week and earn his second career title.
Return of the Mac | The Griff Coomer Story
Five years…and just 19 total wins brought one of the greatest fantasy teams to its knees. No team entered the 2023 season more desperate for a playoff trip. Having the league’s first overall pick and best wide receiver (Jefferson) would help, although a lack of greatness at every position other than WR1 and QB was concerning. So was the week one result, where both of Griff’s backs failed to top 100 and Lamar only produced 88. Coomer didn’t sniff 900 and lost to Bob.
What followed was a three-game winning streak that featured three straight 1700-point games, something Griff hadn’t done before. Yet, it still felt off. Over his next four contests, he would lose twice, failing to hit 1,000 both times, including an awful 681 in week five. Through eight weeks, Griff was 4-4, with three 1,700-pt games and four sub-1,000 games. Sure players like Allen and Collins were doing more than expected, but Griff’s backs were bad and Jefferson was out with an injury.
Yet, behind stud play by Lamar and Allen, plus the emergence of White, Griff’s mediocre team became a good team. He would wrap up the regular season winning five of his final six games, topping 1,400 in all five wins, including a 1,872 effort in week 10. Four of those five wins came against playoff teams. He finished the year third in scoring (his highest since 2015) and second in the standings (for only the second time since 2013).
The League Got Neatock’D | The Matt Neatock Story
Neatock has brought some pretty boss teams into the postseason over the years. This is not one of them. He began the season winning just two of his first six games, oddly enough, scoring over 1,500 in both his victories. This seemed unlikely, since Stevenson and Sanders were proving to be the league’s worst backfield, while both Adams and Hopkins were doing little. The only thing Matt had going for him were Hurts and LaPorta.
He eventually also got lady luck going for him as well in week seven, when he escaped with a brutal 957-637 victory over Don. Foes continued not to show and Matt bounced back and forth from winning low scoring affairs to losing low scoring affairs. In week 14, he needed all the help he could get from his opponent and Masterson delivered by benching Hall, allowing Matt to escape with a 1,035-977 victory, earning him the 7-seed. Since week six though, while Matt did go 5-4, he has broken 1,500 only once in those nine games.
#3 DUDELOVE (MICHAEL) vs #6 TRAVIS & TAYLOR: A LOVE STORY (ROBIO)
2023 RECORD
Michael: 8-6
Robio: 7-7
2023 SCORING
Michael: 1,387 (2nd)
Robio: 1,354 (6th)
2023 BREAKDOWN
Michael: 90-64 (7-7 vs Robio)
Robio: 84-70
CAREER PLAYOFF RECORD
MICHAEL – These two teams couldn’t be more of a contrast when it comes to a playoff resume. For Michael, he has no resume, as he’s searching for his first ever postseason win. He’s 0-3 for his career, twice failing to even score 1,000.
ROBIO – I remain the king of the postseason, going a league best 27-11 (.711). My 1,512 points per game is also a league high. I’m a stunning 13-3 in the quarterfinals, a solid 9-4 in the semifinals and I’ve won five of my nine title game appearances. The nine appearances and five championships are both league best. The only downside is, I used to be nearly unbeatable in the quarterfinals, but I’ve actually lost in the first round the last two years.
#3 VS #6 IN THE PLAYOFFS
Recently, the 6-seed has dominated the 3-seed, winning seven of the last eight meetings. Overall, the two seeds are 12-12 against each other. The 3-seed is 21-23 overall (.477). They’ve had success in the semifinals, going 7-4, but are just 2-5 in the finals and those two championships were a long time ago; Robio ’02 and Burrier ’03. As for the six seed, despite the recent success in the quarterfinals, the 6-seed is still just 16-23 overall. They are just 3-9 in the semifinals and they are 0-3 in the finals, remaining the only seed to never win a championship.
MICHAEL vs ROBIO | THIS SEASON
The two of us have split our two games this season. Back in week three, I was missing my top three backs, plus I had to bench Burrow. Not a single player hit 200 and the Jaguars D went -8. Michael ran away with a 1,361-856 victory, behind Mahomes (416) and Swift (276). However, the rematch in week 14 would prove to be much different. Riding behind Deebo’s 420, Moore’s 296 and my kicker (Aubrey) scoring 290, I produced the week’s high score and defeated Evangelist, 1,876-1,345. Michael was led by Njoku’s 302 and 468 from his two running backs.
MICHAEL vs ROBIO | CAREER
Michael won our first ever meeting back in week three of the 2019 season and had good success against me. After sweeping me last year, scoring over 1,700 in both contest, he led the series, 4-2. He’s up 5-3 now after our season split this year.
MICHAEL vs ROBIO | POSTSEASON
We’ve only met once in the playoffs and that was back in Michael’s first season in the league. Evangelist came in cold, having won his first four career games, before losing eight of his final ten, settling for a six-win 7-seed. Me, I was the greatest team that ever existed. I finished the year 11-2, crushing the all-time scoring record for a season. In the quarterfinals, the results reflected the regular season results, as I crushed Michael, 1,692-831.
From Hot to Cold | The Michael Evangelist Story
Like in his first two seasons in the league, Michael did what he probably does in bed with the wife; start hot, finish cold. This season, he rolled off five straight wins to start the season. No, they weren’t dominant wins, as he topped 1,500 just once, but his opponents averaged just 1,097 per game. Yet, there were good signs. Swift appeared to be a solid back and he managed to grab Williams off the wire. Sure, the receivers were inconsistent and the TE wasn’t good, but as long as he had Mahomes, all he would need to do is trade Herbert and he would be ready for a strong finish.
Well, Williams got hurt, his receivers struggled to be great, Mahomes struggled as well and Herbert remained stuck on his bench, becoming not worthy of a trade. Mike would go on to lose four of his next five and there was talk about a massive collapse to finish the season. Then weeks 11 and 12 happened. Thanks to the return of Williams and the addition of Njoku, Evangelist topped 1,500 in one game, then scored his first ever 2,000-pt game the following week. At 8-4, he wasn’t going to miss the playoffs, even after dropping his final two to officially finish 3-6 in his final nine. That was still good enough to put him in third place.
From Cold to Hot | The Robio Murray Story
To call my start a cold one would be an understatement. With Burrow being bad, Ekeler out, along with Taylor and Kamara, I had nothing to bring to the table. I lost my first four games, failing to sniff 1,000 in my first three. Yet, with Kamara and Ekeler back in week four and D.J. Moore scoring over 600, I earned that first win over a good Griff team.
With a healthy roster,I would pull out victories in my next three, getting me back to 4-4. Could I get over the hump? No. I lost to Matt and Calderon, struggling to put up points in both. Thus, trades were needed, especially when Burrow was lost for the season. I shipped off backup running backs and landed Deebo and Stafford and suddenly good things happened. I would win three of my final four, even scoring over 1,500 in my defeat to Colby. I ended the year with back-to-back weekly high scores and earned the 6-seed. Not bad for an 0-4 start.
#4 FOOTBALL (JEFF) vs #5 THE DICK-TATERS (RICH C)
2023 RECORD
Jeff: 8-6
Rich C: 8-6
2023 SCORING
Jeff: 1,366 (4th)
Rich C: 1,339 (7th)
2023 BREAKDOWN
Jeff: 79-75
Rich C: 82-72 (8-6 vs Jeff)
CAREER PLAYOFF RECORD
JEFF – Thanks to some recent trips to the finals, Greenblatt is above .500 for his postseason career (8-6 overall). He’s 4-3 in the quarterfinals, 3-1 in the semifinals and 1-2 in the finals. All three trips to the finals have come in the last seven years. He won his first championship over me in 2021 and nearly went back-to-back, before falling to Eric the following season.
RICH C – Calderon’s resume is a mixed bag of championships and being on the wrong side of upsets. He began his postseason career back in 2003, becoming the first 8-seed to beat a 1-seed in the quarterfinals (a 1-seed who was also a scoring champ). In those early days, while he did reach the title game in 2007 (losing to Matt}, he was more known for being a two-seed who lost in the quarterfinals (that happened three times between 2008-2012). In 2013, he finally got past that hump. As a two-seed, he ended up defeating Griff for his first ever championship. Since then, he has returned to three more title games, winning it all a second time in 2016. Overall, he’s 17-14, going 10-6 in the quarterfinals, 5-5 in the semifinals and 2-3 in the title game.
#4 VS #5 IN THE PLAYOFFS
Over the last three years, the 4-seed has taken two of the last three games in the quarterfinals, including Colby last season. However, prior to that, the 5-seed had won seven in a row over the 4-seed. Overall in the quarterfinals, the 5-seed is an unbelievable 17-7 against the 4-seed. The 17 victories is one less than the 1-seed has over the 8-seed. Oddly enough though, beyond the quarters, the 4-seed has been more successful. Overall, the 4-seed is just 15-22 (thanks to a 7-17 mark in the quarterfinals), but they are 5-2 in the semifinals and they’ve won four of their five games in the finals, including Griff ’05, Bob ’10, Robio ’12 and Colby last year). Meanwhile, the 5-seed is 27-22, but are just 6-11 in the semifinals and have won just two of their six title games. They were Matt ’07 and Jeff ’20.
JEFF vs RICH C | THIS SEASON
Greenblatt topped Calderon back in week seven, 1,476-1,220. In that game, Jeff only got 108 from Goff, but he got 264 from Cook, 308 from Nacua, 236 from Hill and 246 from Mark Andrews. For Rich, three players topped 200 (Barkley, Walker and Evans), but Tua struggled against the Eagles (144) and the Bills DST got roughed up by the Patriots (scoring only 48).
JEFF vs RICH C | CAREER
Rich leads the all-time series 12-10. The win this year was a second straight against Jeff, after losing three in a row to him. Before that, he had won four of five.
JEFF vs RICH C | POSTSEASON
Of the eight teams in the postseason this year, no two teams have faced off more in the playoffs. This will be their fourth matchup in our postseason. Back in 2009, the year Jeff went solo again, 5-seed Calderon took down Jeff in his first ever non-Colby playoff game.The game was tight, as Rich escaped with a 60-point victory, 1,293-1,233. The following week Rich would fall to Neatock. Fast forward seven years.
In 2017, Jeff is the top seed, having won 11 of 13 games, including one in week six against Caldron. Rich settled for the scoring crown and a 9-win two-seed. Greenblatt escaped a bad one in round one, beating Burrier, 905-840. The following week, Jeff topped 1,800 and easily beat me to reach the finals. For Rich, he had no issues at all, scoring 1,878 and 1,588 in easy victories over Eric and Bob. In the finals, Calderon’s ease would continue. Led by 414 by Doug Baldwin and 394 from Le’Veon Bell, Calderon crushed Jeff 1,846-1,180. While Greenblatt did get 350 from McCoy, Jeremy Hill scored only 16 and the Titans DST managed only eight points.
In 2021, Jeff would finally get a taste of a postseason victory over Rich. That year, Jeff was an unassuming 7-win, six-seed, who also was the defending champ, who barely beat me in the quarterfinals. Calderon began the year 2-7, riding a six-game losing streak at one point, only to finish with five straight wins, earning the 5-seed. He pulled off a stunning 10-point win over 4-seed Matt in the quarterfinals. However, in the semifinals, Rich’s magic show came to an end, as Jeff easily won, 1,801-1,460. Jeff would go on to lose to Eric in the finals.
A Jewish Deion Sanders | The Jeff Greenblatt Story
For years, Jeff has been one of the best in our fantasy baseball league, winning multiple titles, but his recent success in football has made him an official two-sport star, thanks to a trio of title game appearances (and the one 2020 title). This season, at times, he’s looked elite. He won his first two games of the year, scored 1,500 in a defeat and hit back-to-back 1,600 in weeks five and six. Through seven weeks, he was 5-2 and looked like a legit challenger to Colby behind league MVP candidate Tyreek Hill, stud tight end Andrews, a solid wire pick up in Nacua, along with pleasant surprises, Goff and Cook.
Yet, the second half of the season began with a four-game slide where scoring became quite a challenge. Jeff average just 1,119 PPG during that stretch. Andrews was gone and Kupp struggled in his return, while Goff and Cook suddenly struggled with consistency. Yet, the scoring picked up in the final three weeks (1,355), while the foes stopped showing up (946 PPG) and Greenblatt finished with three straight wins that locked him into an 8-6 record and the 4-seed.
Just Hanging Around | The Rich Calderon Story
I’ll be honest, I sorta forgot about Calderon a couple of times this season. Sure, he had a solid 3-0 start that featured the seasons’ first 2,000-pt game, but he seemed overly reliant on Tua, Barkley and Evans, as players like Waddle, McLaurin and Smith were letting him down. When Barkley went down, Rich tried to cover with Ford, but he failed and Rich dropped back-to-back games where he failed to top 1,000.
Between weeks 4-9, Rich would win twice, but he would score over 1,300 just once. Yet, a solid win in week 10 over me and a bigger victory over Burrier put him at 7-4, which basically was a lock for a playoff spot. Yet, despite scoring another 1,600 in week 13, Rich ended the season dropping two of three and instead of landing in the two spot, fell to the 5-spot.
ODDS TO WIN IT ALL?
If you want to do good in fantasy football, you’d best avoid the Fantasy Pros web site, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun with all the information. Below are the percentages that Fantasy Pros gives each team to win it.
- Bukaya Saka (Colby) – 21%
He enters the postseason riding an 8-game winning streak. In the history of the league, the team that entered the postseason with the longest winning streak has won it all just four times: me in 1999, Jason in 2001, Bob in 2004, Griff in 2015 and me again in 2019. - Travis & Taylor: A Love Story (Robio) – 18%
I entered the postseason having earned back-to-back weekly high scores. Only two people have done that before. I did it in 2008 and Bob did it twice in 2009 and 2021. None won the championship, although all three won in the quarterfinals. - Real Men Produce Porn (Griff) – 13%
Griff has won five of six games entering the playoffs. His last playoff victory was the 2015 title game. If he doesn’t win the quarterfinals, it would be the second longest streak (8 years) without a single postseason victory. - Chase ‘N Gold (Eric) – 11%
He has just one win over the last month. This is the 6th time he has earned the 8-seed. That’s the most by one team. He’s 1-4 as the 8-seed in the playoffs. - DudeLove (Michael) – 10%
Dropped six of his final nine games after a 5-0 start. In the history of the league, only one team has started a season 5-0 or better and went on to win the title. In 2012, I started 5-0, but then lost six of my final eight, settling for the 4-seed. Yet, I won my fourth career title that year. - The Dick-Taters (Rich C) – 9%
Rich is just 5-6 since his 3-0 start, failing to win three in a row since weeks 1-3. He had won four straight in the quarterfinals before falling to Burrier in round one last year. - The Genius (Matt) – 8%
Matt enters the postseason having dropped three of five, earning the 7-seed. Neatock is 5-1 as the 7-seed in his career, winning it all in 2018. - Football (Jeff) – 7%
Not sure why Jeff, the four seed, is the lowest rated on Fantasy Pros. He’s won three in a row, erasing a four-game losing streak between weeks 8-11. Jeff enters the playoffs have won four straight games in the quarterfinals.
X-FACTOR
The X-Factor is not the best player on each team, although he is the most important, in my mind, to help a team win three in a row.
Bukaya Saka – Amari Cooper
Colby’s team is so good, he could actually struggle at the WR2 spot and still win every game. However, if Cooper can regain his late 2022 form, he’ll become unbeatable. Remember, it was Cooper who scored 330 in last year’s title game for Colby. This year, he’s struggled to be good, as the Browns QB situation has been awful. Now they have Joe Flacco to finish the season. No, Flacco isn’t great, but he knows the importance of putting the ball in the hands of playmakers. Last week, he tossed it to Cooper 14 times. Sure he only caught half of them, but that percentage will grow as the two work together more.
Real Men Produce Porn – The Medical Staff
Right now, Coomer enters the quarterfinals with three question marks at receiver, as Allen, Collins and Jefferson are all hurt. Allen is already out for Thursday, Jefferson is questionable and Collins is hopeful. Griff has Lockett and Higgins on the pine, but they consistently can’t do what Allen, Collins and Jefferson can do. Those three are All-Robio type receivers and if they’re not on the field, Griff won’t be in the postseason very long.
Dudelove – David Njoku
The tight end spot has been a headache all season, but the Browns tight end showed last week he can be elite. He had 91 yards and two scores, scoring 302 points. No, he’s not going to average 300 for the postseason, but with names like Kelce (this week), Hockenson and Kittle all potentially in Michael’s path to a mug, he can’t afford to have a hole at the tight end spot.
Football – Ezekiel Elliot
The fact that Stevenson still isn’t even practicing means that Elliot could have the chance to finish strong during our postseason. So far, Elliot has been a great fantasy player as the starter. In six quarters of football, he has 120 rushing yards, 112 receiving yards and a score. He’s all that the Patriots have and they will feed him the ball. A guarantee 250 at the RB spot will help overcome any injury issues with Hill.
The Dick-Taters – Zack Moss or Kenneth Walker
Running backs matter in this league and having a second one is key to postseason success. Rich already has Barkley, who has been pretty good when healthy. He had Walker, who was solid all season, until he got hurt. He’s now on the bench with Moss getting the start. Since Taylor was knocked out of Indy, Moss has not delivered those pre-Taylor numbers. He’s scored just 114 and 112 the last two weeks. This is the same guy who averaged 323 in his four games pre-Taylor.
Travis & Taylor: A Love Story – Austin Ekeler
He came into the season as my best player and has been anything but that. He’s topped 200 just four times and his points prior to last week’s 260 were 110, 98 and 54. Now Justin Herbert is gone, so one of two things can happen. The Chargers could feed Ekeler like their life depends on it and he scores a ton of points based on usage. Or defense will have no respect for the QB spot, crowd the line and Ekeler gets 50 yards per game. The former is what I need to succeed in the playoffs.
The Genius – Jalen Hurts
Matt’s gotten better at both RB and WR and he’s always been good at QB, but with the playoffs starting, Matt now needs Hurts to dominate. The foes are lined up, as the Eagles will face the Seahawks, Giants and Arizona. None of those teams are great against the pass. The Giants have been pretty bad this year and the Cardinals are one of the worst in the league. Anything less than 400 points by Hurts each week should feel like a disappointment for Matt.
Chase ‘N Gold – Justin Fields Legs
The five games prior to getting hurt, Fields wasn’t running much, averaging only 35 rushing yards per game, with only one score. This was a guy who ran for 1,000 yards last year. Rushing stats are a game changer at the QB spot. If a running QB isn’t running, then what good is he? Well, in his last three games since coming back from injury, Fields has rushed the ball 42 times and has 104, 59 and 58 yards in those three games. Run, Forrest, Run!
PREDICTION TIME
According to CBS, the four higher seeds are all favorites, although all but Colby are slight favorites, as all are favorite by less than a TD. That makes three of the four games a toss-up.
QUARTERFINALS
#1 COLBY vs #8 ERIC (+134)
Let me say this…Colby is the clear favorite. Yet, he isn’t unbeatable. Over his last five weeks, his squad has averaged just 1,366 per game. That still makes him the best scoring team in the league, but it also means he can be beat, as we have a number of teams that can drop 1,600 on any given Sunday.
Unfortunately for Eric, I don’t think that’s this week. I suspect Fields is going to struggle against the Browns and Mixon is going to hit a wall against the Vikings D. In fact, having two Bengals (Chase) facing the Vikings isn’t a good thing. Lamb should be fine, although I want to see Dak throw the ball when it’s 20 degrees outside. Connor is going to get crushed by the 49ers, which means Goedert is the only player on Eric’s squad I have confidence in.
For Colby, I look for Purdy to put up 400 against the Cardinals and Brown is going to hit 300. Adding in a guarantee 300 from McCaffrey and I would already have Colby beating Eric. This game had the vibe of an upset, but it won’t even be close.
WINNER: Bukaya Forever, 1,788 – 1,130
#2 GRIFF vs #7 MATT (+27)
Based on his past performance as a 7-seed, Matt could argue he has the league right where he wants him. I will say this: his team has improved. Hurts is about to get hot, Montgomery and Hubbard are both playing well, LaPorta is an elite TE and even Matt’s wideouts as getting good. Dare I say, Hopkins is even a WR1 again?
For Griff, I think Lamar delivers another big game, although I’m a little worried about White against a decent Packers run defense. While I have a lot of faith in Engram, who has been fantastic the past two weeks, I can’t have faith in this receiving core. If all were healthy, with healthy quarterbacks, it could be one of the best trios ever. However, injuries riddled this group and will hammer Coomer in the postseason. Upset alert!
WINNER: The Genius Can’t Be Beat as a Seven Seed, 1,390-1,284
#3 MICHAEL vs #6 ROBIO (+33)
Evangelist enters the week with the best player between the two teams. Kyren Williams has been hot and he should find plenty of room against the Commanders poor run D. Yet, that might be the only position, other than the Fins D (vs the Jets) that Mike has over me. At wideout, Olave is not 100% and Ridley is facing the Ravens. Meanwhile I have Deebo, who should dominate the Cardinals.
While Mahomes is a far superior QB over Stafford, I actually suspect Stafford to outscore Mahomes who is facing an underrated Patriots D. I like Ekeler to put up 200+ again and who doesn’t love my team MVP, Aubrey?
WINNER: Travis, Taylor and Robio: The Love Story Continues, 1,542 – 1,238
#4 JEFF vs #5 RICH C (+59)
Potentially down Tyreek is a big blow to Greenblatt. Yes, Elliot can flex in there and deliver, but it also forces him to start two Rams receivers. That continues to be asking a lot. James Cook might struggle against the Dallas run D and I have big concerns about Goff, who hasn’t looked good lately. I also don’t have faith in Likely hitting homers two weeks in a row.
For Calderon, Mike Evans caught one ball last week. That won’t happen again. Tua facing the Jets minus Hill is concerning, as I expect Miami to lean on their running game. Kittle should put up solid numbers and Barkley can do a lot in the passing game against the Saints. This game is a tough toss-up and I have no clue who is going to win. Gotta pick someone.
WINNER: Football Downs Dick, 1,324-1,298
SEMIFINALS
#1 Colby vs #7 Matt
History says it’s tough to repeat. History says it’s tough to win the title after scoring the most points and earning the top seed. History says the team with the longest winning streak entering the playoffs hardly ever wins it all. History also says Neatock loves being the seven seed. History is stupid.
WINNER: Bukaya Saka
#4 Jeff vs #6 Robio
Greenblatt has eliminated me from the postseason the last two times we met in the playoffs. That ends this season, as my late-season trades continue to pay off.
WINNER: Travis, Taylor & Robio
FINALS
#1 COLBY vs #6 ROBIO
If you think I’m picking against Colby, you’re on crack. He becomes just the second team and the first since 1999, to win his final 11 games of the season, thus earning him back-to-back titles. With both McCaffrey and Etienne available to be kept again next year, is it too early to talk dynasty?
Your Champion!