Chicken Little Flea Flicker @ Pee In Yo Cornflakes!
The two Cinderella franchises that got off to the hottest starts of the season will clash to decide who is going to L.E.D. Super Game VI.
SMASH MOUTH FOOTBALL: They say defense and running the football wins championships. That saying has been put on display all year by these two teams and will carry one of them to the league championship.
Led by Todd Gurley and Kareem Hunt, Chicken Little Flea Flicker (CLFF) got off to a fast start and appeared to be unstoppable. But despite a bit of a slow down from Hunt, Gurley continues to punish defenses no matter how good they are. The dominant Jaguars D/ST has a great match-up against the Texans, as third-string QB, T.J. Yates, takes over for the injured Tom Savage. CLFF will be getting some much needed support from elite TE Zach Ertz, who has cleared the concussion protocol. Despite losing MVP candidate, Carson Wentz, for the season, Ertz will have an enticing tilt against the Giants D/ST that gives up the most points to the TE position. But the real deciding factor in the game will be the play from QB Matt Ryan. Can he finally get past his abysmal performance against the Saints and take advantage of a favorable match-up against the Bucs?
WINNING THROUGH THE AIR: Pee In Yo Cornflakes! (PIYCF) makes his playoff debut on the shoulders of of RBs Leonard Fournette & Christian McCaffery, but it is going to be their ability to score through the air that will determine if they can punch their ticket or not. Fournette should continue to put up good numbers, despite a tough tilt against the Texans. The good news for PIYCF is that there are a lot of favorable match-ups through the air this week. I like the match-ups for McCaffery, Giants TE Evan Engram, and WR Golden Tate. However, WR Juju Smith-Schuster will need to find a way to take some targets away from Antonio Brown against a Patriots defense that was just humiliated by the Dolphins. This is the time of year you need consistency across the board from your players. I'm not sure Smith-Schuster can deliver that. However, the biggest story of the fantasy weekend is the return of Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. This is very good news for Coach Zaino, as Rodgers favorite target, WR Jordy Nelson, is sitting pretty here. Nelson posted 6 TD's in 4 games before Rodgers was hurt. Rodgers will be looking Jordy's way all game.
It's also worth mentioning that QB Alex Smith has a tough match-up against the 3rd ranked pass defense of the Chargers. Given that Andy Reid is no longer calling the plays for the Chiefs, I wouldn't be surprised if they leaned heavily on Kareem Hunt, as they try to stay in the tight AFC West playoff race. Hopefully for PIYCF, Charcandrick West is on the receiving end of those passes instead of Hunt. WINNER: CHICKEN LITTLE FLEA FLICKER
Grizzly Adams Bears @ Huge Hefner
What appears on paper as a true David vs Goliath match-up will be much closer than many think.
"I'M BAAAACK!" - After an embarrassing 2016 season, Coach Russ Alkire and Huge Hefner are back in a big way in 2017. Through a combination of solid drafting, trades, and hawking the waiver wire, Huge Hefner is foaming at the mouth for championship week. But he'll have to get by a truly dangerous Grizzly Adams Beards team first.
Despite having a team full of fantasy studs, there are tough match-ups all around the roster. RB LeSean McCoy and the Ravens D/ST have the best match ups going into the week. McCoy faces a Dolphins defense who shut down Tom Brady, but was gashed by Rex Burkhead. The Ravens defense simply got lucky because they have a game against the Browns. Deshone Kiser is improving with Josh Gordon back in the mix, but is still considered a turnover machine.
The real struggle for Huge Hefner this week will come from RB Alfred Morris and WR Sterling Shepard. Morris was serviceable, but not nearly as much of a factor as RB Rod Smith, who torched the Giants defense for 28 points last week. Shepard's success will be decided on how often the Eagles defense can get to Eli Manning. Wentz may be out for the years, but the Eagles defense is nasty and is one of the best in the league.
However, keep an eye on the quarterback situation here. Aaron Rodgers makes his return this week against a shaky Carolina secondary, but Ben Roethlisberger is coming off a 500+ yard game against a formidable Ravens defense. Decisions, decisions...
"I DIDN'T HEAR NO BELL" - As Cam Newton's Law found out last week, "it ain't over 'til it's over". Despite losing by 40 points going into the Sunday night game, Grizzly Adams Beards clawed back into the game by scoring 55 points over Sunday and Monday night to take down division-rival Cam Newton's Law for a third time this season. However, it could have been much worse, as there were 56 points between Davante Adams, Alex Collins, and Isaiah Crowell on the bench; each of them outscoring starters in their prospective positions. Grizzly Adams Beards will need to have another gutsy performance to win this week, as they have more pressure on them than usual this week. Not simply because of the championship implications, but to quell the start of a potential Huge Hefner dynasty within the L.E.D.
As far as match-ups go, Coach Riley has to be pleased with what is in front of him. Josh Gordon continues to be a late season gem, Le'Veon Bell is arguable the best RB in the league, and Philadelphia's D/ST has a juicy match-up against a Giants offense that is in turmoil. I don't expect a stellar game from Kirk Cousins, as TE injuries and Patrick Peterson will shut down most of the air traffic. Collins ran like a man on a mission last week, and the Ravens will continue to lean on him as they fight for their playoff lives.
I'm going with the home team simply because of the bigger names, but an upset here would not surprise me this week. The Beards are dangerous. WINNER: HUGE HEFNER