Preview

Week 9, 2016

AD (3-5) Vs Matt (4-4)

Power Ranking 8th vs 10th

AD leads the series 10-6, but last 12 games are 6-6.  After suffering a three game losing streak, Matt's now on a three game winning streak, but only one 100+ game the last four weeks.  Six straight weeks of 100+ scoring has only yielded a 3-3 record for me so apparently 100+ scoring means very little.

AD favored +9 or 10 when Matt puts his Defense in.

(Update: AD favored +20 or +13 if Matt gets a new Defense to put in)

Chad (0-8) Vs Cow (4-4) ***Tsunami Alert***

Power Ranking 13th vs 6th

Cow leads the series 12-10, but Chad has won 4 of the last 5.  Cow has lost 3 straight and 4 of his last 5 this year.  It's no longer a question whether there is a slide going on.  Now the question is, how long the slide lasts?  Course, he is playing Chad this week who's lost 8 straight.  Very little would make Chad happier than upsetting Cow's chances to make the playoffs.

Cow favored +20

(Update: Cow favored +36 after huge Thursday night performance)

LaRon (4-4) Vs Ryan (4-4) ***Storm Warning***

Power Ranking 3rd vs 11th

1st match-up.  LaRon is 3rd in PR but 1-3 his last 4 and 2-4 his last 6 games.  Weird.  Ryan, on the other hand, since beginning the season 0-4, which wasn't Ryan, has now won 4 straight.  Ryan at the helm for the last three.  That's a team on a streak.  I wanted a competitive team in the league and not just some ghost bitch team... I got it.

Both teams currently have bye week issues that they haven't filled yet so let's just call this a draw for now.

(Update: LaRon favored +25 even without a Defense)

Alex (2-6) Vs Chip (2-6)

Power Ranking 16th vs 12th

1st match-up, at least in this reality.  They could be fierce rivals in an alternate one, right?  Alex notched a big win last week, or as big a win as a 1-5 team can have I guess.  The point is neither of these teams are actually out of the running...yet.  We've seen multiple 8-6 teams make the playoffs.  Now are the odds in their favor? No, but it's worth chasing at the moment.

Alex favored +12 or so once Chip handles his QB problem.

(Update: Alex favored +1)

Dustin (7-1) Vs John (6-2) ***Game of the Week***

Power Ranking 2nd vs 1st

Here's the one we've been waiting for... They didn't play last year but John won two games in 2014 to extend his overall series lead to 6-2.  If you've been following along then you know the story.  Dustin has won 7 straight and scored 100+ the last 4 weeks.  John has Babe Ruthed us, pulling a Joe Namath, declaring himself the 'Future Champ' and so far he's backing it up.  John has won 5 of his last 6 scoring 100+ in them all.  Both, win or lose, have a great shot at locking up a playoff bye, but whoever wins this one has a better chance, plus bragging rights.  They both have bye week players missing but it looks to be worse for Dustin.

John favored +16

(Update: John favored +25)

Rick (5-3) Vs Pitch (3-5)

Power Ranking 14th vs 9th

Pitch leads the series 2-1, winning the last 2.  After weeks 4 & 5 Pitch looked to be on track.  Those were two strong weeks that looked convincing.  He's lost 3 straight since then and hasn't busted 100 in two weeks.  Roethlisberger coming back may very well change that.  Rick is still recovering from the nut shot he took last week, scoring just 44 points with a half empty roster.  That may be a defining week for Rick later in the season.  Right now though it's just a bad loss on a bad week.

Pitch favored +19

(Pitch favored +21 as is or +14 or so if Rick puts in a Defense)

Beas (6-2) Vs Jimmy (6-2)  ***5 Star Game of the Week***

Power Ranking 7th vs 5th

These two battled each other back and forth, no team winning more than two in a row (once each), from 2004 to 2009 equaling each other 5-5 in 10 games.  Craziness.  From 2011 to present Beas has won 3 of the last 4 with Jimmy winning last season.  So Beas leads the series 8-6.  After two miserable weeks of scoring in the 70s, Beas bounced back in a big way last week to defeat Cow in a Monday Night thriller.  He's hoping, whatever those two weeks were, they were just an anomaly. Jimmy is riding a 4 week winning streak scoring 100+ in three of those.  (Just saw the pending trade, so that will change things a little I think)

Let's call it a draw for now.

(Update: Beas favored +15 post trade)

Adrian (5-3) Vs Papa (3-5)

Power Ranking 15th vs 4th

1st match up.  Adrian has scored in the 80s the last three weeks... 0-3, right? Nope.  He's gone 2-1 through that stretch.  Fortune favors the .....  But he's 5-3 nonetheless and in position to build on it.  You know how on Cheers Norm had his seat at the bar?  Well, that's Papa at the Trading Post.  I hear he now has reserved parking.  We'll see how this plays out, but for now we'll call it a draw.  Papa may be favored by a little once it shakes out.

(Update: Papa favored +2 as is or Adrian favored +5 if he adds a Kicker)