Notes From the Commissioner's Desk

Half-way through the season, The Equalizer looks to be in great shape. There’s lots of parity, and I legitimately believe any 6 teams could make the playoffs. We have more two-win teams than any other, and they’re only two games out of second place. The second half of the season is shaping up to be a classic Upstate barnburner.

If we just look at history, though, those teams below .500 have a severe uphill battle to the playoffs. Since 2009’s inaugural season, only three teams* were below .500 at the midway point and made the playoffs. Interestingly, the most common record for future playoff teams was 3-3, so our bevy of 2-4 teams could change everything.

Below I’ve outlined some thoughts on each team going forward. A State of the Franchise address, as seen through my own league-managing colored glasses. Let’s have a great second half out there, and stay true to yourselves.

(*- 2010 St. Hugo’s Battalion 2-4; 2011 Home Depot Cabinet Faces 2-3-1; 2014 Redwood Chipalopes 1-5 [admittedly, I forgot about the insane run LJ went on last year after his horrific start, but it’s still pretty crazy])

Ants in My Eyes Collins

First alphabetically and first in our hearts. The team from Milwaukee is all about the streak. 3-0 to start the season, and winless ever since. The only reason the Collins’ aren’t sitting at .500 is because of a Monday Night miracle from Russ Wilson’s legs, which earned a tie with the TD’s after stat corrections. The AJ Green injury has frustrated the coaching staff, as has the lack of a consistent running attack. The TE position has come together nicely, but figuring out which guy to start may prove tricky. The team sits decently at 5th in total points, and precariously at 2nd in points against with the top 2 teams in the league yet to face. Some early season splurging on the FAB may come back to haunt the Collins’ later this year.

Playoff bound if: Hillman solidifies himself as a weekly starter in Denver, Vereen picks up all of Stevan Ridley’s slack in New England, and AJ Green gets a bionic toe

BAMA bound if: The Denver, New England and New Orleans backfields all turn into messes, Green gets prolonged time on the bench, and either Dez or Edelman get hurt

Dark Force

The Force had a rough first four weeks to the season, going oh-fer while still scoring over 100 in three matchups. But as we all know, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. The last two weeks have seen the Force rebound in a huge way by taking the crown for most points scored both times. What’s more, those two weekly high scores are also the two highest scoring weeks of the entire Equalizer season (credit to Roc City- he’s tied for second with 159). The Thomas teammates in Denver have certainly helped, with Demaryius grabbing 42 and 28 points, and Julius with 24 and 21. With Mohammed Sanu filling in superbly for AJ Green, and Matt Forte leading the league in receptions, the Force is threatening big time for the upcoming second half. The remaining schedule is also favorable, with only one match against a team currently above .500.

Playoff bound if: Eddie Lacy turns into the guy everyone thought he would be, and

Sammy Watkins busts open to justify trading away Ben Tate

BAMA bound if: Eddie Lacy stays right where he is, injuries take one of the Thomas’, and nobody on the bench steps up to be a reliable Flex play

Ethan’s Mom’s Panties

Many journalists are starting to refer to Washington’s NFL team without including the nickname. I would prefer to do the same here, but every part of the Panties name is offensive. I am at least consoled by the fact that this team sits dead last in points scored, wasting the opportunity to grab more wins by virtue of having the second best points against margin. The Panties did sustain a huge gut punch when AP was lost to suspension, and nobody else has stepped up to pick up the slack. Aaron Rodgers has been hit or miss, with only three games over 20 points, and stud TE Jordan Cameron has been hampered due to injury. Bright spots for the second half do abound, however. Jerick McKinnon is seemingly poised to get the majority of carries in Minnesota and Rueben Randle has all of a sudden become the Giants number one receiving option. James Jones and Andre Johnson have quietly and consistently been putting up solid numbers, and if the 49ers remember to keep giving the ball to Frank Gore, this fantasy team might make a run.

Playoff bound if: Michael Floyd gets rid of this injury and goes on to be the top 10

receiver we all thought he would be, the Minnesota backfield becomes a one man show and Rodgers asserts himself as worthy of the discount double check on a consistent basis

BAMA bound if: Johnson and Jones flounder from inconsistent QB play, Gore gets

hurt, Minnesota gets into a RBBC, and no other WR’s step up

The Fat Cats

Through our first four weeks, the Cats dominated the standings. Scores of 139, 141 and 159 made this team a scary foe, but apparently as Calvin Johnson and Jimmy Graham go, so does this team. Currently on a two game losing streak, the Cats are looking to right the ship in a hurry with its top dawgs on the injured list. Fortunately, the Cats have some wiggle room, especially after hitting free agent gold on Ahmad Bradshaw and Justin Forsett. Plus, Mark Ingram should be back soon, and Steve Smith sold his soul on his trip to Baltimore. Having Philip Rivers dominate the QB stats has helped greatly as well.

Playoff bound if: Johnson and Graham come back just fine, Odell Beckham gets hot

with Victor Cruz out for the year, and bevy of running backs stay productive

BAMA bound if: Injuries continue to wreak havoc, no RB asserts himself enough,

and the trio of Rivers, Nelson and Smith come back down to earth

Las Vegas Outlaws

The 3-3 Outlaws are chugging along as best they can. After 149 points in week one, this team is sitting at 8th place in points scored and points against, but has two wins while scoring less than 100 points. The hot story for the Outlaws at the moment is injuries, specifically to the running back position. Moreno, Ridley and Ball are all hurting, and Le’Veon Bell is the only player hanging on. The trade for Richardson should provide some stability, but he’s not going to be lighting up the scoreboard if his history tells us anything. Still, Antonio Brown has proven to be PPR gold, Bell has been solid, and new pickup Andre Holmes has huge TD potential in Oakland. The TE position is quite shallow after another injury to Dennis Pitta forced ownership to start the other Raven Owen Daniels.

Playoff bound if: Richardson or Jonathan Stewart actually turns out to be a solid RB2,

Vincent Jackson has a big rebound, Nick Foles has a redux from last year, and Owen

Daniels starts catching touchdowns each game

BAMA bound if: The injuries keep coming and nobody steps up to be a WR2 or Flex,

the TE position stays mediocre

The Old Guys Club

Last year’s champs have had a rough go of it so far. As Varney pointed out on the blog, the Old Guys have three losses of 5 points or less, which is as agonizing as it gets. The easy first target for the Club’s woes is stud preseason favorite Jamaal Charles, who has only one game with more than 10 points (although that one game was for 31). The $7 keeper Gio Bernard has salvaged half of the team’s backfield, but the RB heavy strategy of the Club has not worked out like last year. Chris Johnson is clearly behind Chris Ivory in Gotham, Toby Gerhart has proven why he was only a backup all these years (*sigh*), and Bishop Sankey is only starting to pass Shonn Greene on the depth chart because of injuries. What’s actually come together nicely is this team’s WR core. Larry Fitzgerald was drafted to be the number one, but the trio of Sanders, Hilton and Hopkins, and the flashes from Brandin Cooks, have to be pleasing to the Club’s front office. TE has been hit or miss with Ertz, but Jay Cutler is doing pretty well, and how about Catanzaro the kicker stacking up four games of nine or more points.

Playoff bound if: Charles turns it around to be the man we all expected, the right WR’s

get started each week, and Ertz gets a better rapport with Foles during the bye this

week

BAMA bound if: Charles keeps up the duds and Sankey can’t carry the load in

Tennessee, the wrong WR’s keep getting started, and Jay Cutler keeps throwing

too many interceptions

PB Pandemonium

Besides a dud in week on, the Pandemonium has consistently scored solid points and sits fourth in total points scored on the season, while catching a break with tenth in points against. If you point to one player that has led this team to prominence, it’s got to be DeMarco Murray. Having the league leader in rushing from a guy who wasn’t a top tier RB talent heading into the season always helps, especially pairing him with keeper Peyton Manning. But we can’t overlook Chris Ivory scoring double digit points the first four weeks to solidify Pandemonium’s backfield, and now Branden Oliver has risen in San Diego out of complete obscurity. Larry Donnell shored up the TE position, and with Jordan Reed now back it only gets better. Or what about Randall Cobb grabbing a touchdown in all but one game? Unfortunately, when Victor Cruz went down, so did the value of the Pandemonium bench depth. Malcolm Floyd is boom or bust, and Markus Wheaton and Michael Crabtree have not taken advantage of their opportunity. The best handcuff this team has was just arrested for shoplifting, so anymore injuries could seriously limit Pandemonium’s potential.

Playoff bound if: The status quo is maintained and both TE’s produce starter worthy

numbers

BAMA bound if: Murray goes down from the heavy workload, Reed gets another

concussion, Cobb stops grabbing touchdowns, and Andrew Luck keeps looking

more and more at Hilton instead of Reggie Wayne

Redwood Chipalopes

Looking at the box scores, the Chipalopes have had a rollercoaster season. They scored their highest point total of the year in week one and lost. Two wins have come by three points or less, and two other losses have been very poor points scoring performances. Matt Stafford has been wildly inconsistent, Lesean McCoy went silent for a while, and no RB2 has been able to last very long. Brandon Marshall and Percy Harvin are up and down, and all the while Josh Gordon lurks in the backroom of his car dealership waiting to suit up for Redwood. Greg Olsen has been this team’s rock alongside Stephen Gostowski, booting anything he can get a foot on in New England. With only three RB’s on the roster, management has to hope Rashad Jennings stays out for a while to give Andre Williams lots of touches. Anquan Boldin isn’t lacking for looks, and Eddie Royal continues to defy the odds to stay relevant. After a matchup with 4-2 Pandemonium this week, Redwood only faces one team currently at or above .500, so the schedule has the door open for these hungry Chipalopes.

Playoff bound if: McCoy gets back to being an ace, Marshall gets over the nagging

injuries, Percy Harvin’s new home in New York raises his value, and Josh Gordon

easily picks up where last year left off

BAMA bound if: A RB injury further depletes this crew, Stafford can’t get it going,

and the WR’s all flounder to varying degrees

Roc City Super Dudes

The best record in the league belongs to this team here, thanks in part to the best points against margin, and that with Dark Force hanging 184 on them in week 5. The Dudes have three wins using less than 120 points, including a very fortunate 80-63 win in week 2. But a win is a win is a win is a win. Scheduling can only play so much a part of this game, and the Dudes roster is as deep as any team in the league. Without injuries, the Dudes have five startable RB’s and four of the best PPR WR’s you could have. And this all without Jason Witten being his normal high volume catching self. The Bengals defense started out real hot, and the 49’ers have picked up the slack since week four. The only weakness is at the QB position, as Matt Ryan has been only mediocre since his huge week one performance. Tony Romo is certainly a viable option on the bench, but you never know when he’ll throw up four picks. The Dudes have been fortunate thus far, but the team should only score more points going forward, especially with Lamar Miller being the man in Miami and Pierre Garcon benefitting from a possible return from RGIII.

Playoff bound if: Julio and Alshon start grabbing 20 point games to carry the team,

Witten gets more involved, Joique Bell runs rampant with Reggie out, and everyone else just does their job

BAMA bound if: The middling points scored continues and the points against start

to pile up, especially if the struggles continue with Ryan, Witten, and Garcon

Saskatchewan Rough Riders

Our Canadian team via Arizona has been the unluckiest thus far. The Rough Riders have the highest points against total by more than 30 points, and have the second least points scored. Three games scoring less than 100 have hurt, but despite the wide point margin the Riders still have two wins, one of which was by a single point in week four. The big story for the Riders is underperformance. Alfred Morris, Keenan Allen, Torrey Smith, CJ Spiller. All names expected to do good things this year, but have totally busted thus far. Funnily enough, having Eli Manning at QB has worked out pretty well. We can sum up the Riders season just by looking at the current Flex starter- Miles Austin. But that doesn’t mean things can’t turn around. Delanie Walker has been the bright spot, and there’s no indication he’ll slow down. Allen and Morris can’t get any worse, and Marquise Lee is finally healthy on a Jags team throwing the ball a whole bunch. Marshawn Lynch could certainly beast mode the rest of this team into playing better.

Playoff bound if: The disappointments turn things around, the Giants offense slingsthe

rock, somebody emerges as a Flex, and the point differential gets much more

favorable

BAMA bound if: Nothing changes, nobody steps up, and injuries make things even

worse

SGF Dirtdogs

Two straight solid performances in a row have almost erased the sour taste of the opening four weeks of points scoring drudgery. Tom Brady finally started putting things together, Desean Jackson has been much more boom than bust, and Golden Tate has emerged as a great option in Detroit with Megatron out. Antonio Gates having a top two QB has helped, and Vernon Davis as a Flex is highly palatable. Fred Jackson continues to drink from the fountain of youth, and Isaiah Crowell seems to have earned a significant portion of the carries in Cleveland. What’s more, the Dirtdogs have already played four of the teams currently above .500. If injuries don’t hit this team, things could continue to rise. That’s a big if, though. Reggie Bush is already struggling to stay on the field, and Wes Welker is clearly the fourth option in Denver. Donald Brown was a nothing even when healthy, and Blount had one standout game to carry the season. The Dirtdogs are standing precariously on the edge of fantasy production, but you never know what could happen with this game.

Playoff bound if: Brady, Tate and Jackson keep it up to hold the team together,

Gates and Davis contribute TD’s when necessary, and Crowell keeps getting more

carries

BAMA bound if: Jackson and Crowell fade off, Tate loses catches when Calvin comes

back, Jackson stops getting the long bombs, and any injuries crop up

Touch My TD’s

Our highest scoring team is a combined three points from being 5-1. The TD’s haven’t scored less than 108 points all season, and that was week one. Two straight weeks of 144 and 143 show the big time potential for the TD’s going forward. Having the number one player in fantasy has certainly helped, but the points don’t stop with Andrew Luck. Arian Foster has been huge since coming over after the week two trade, Gronk Nation is doing his big thing, Jeremy Maclin paid off big early in the year, and Mike Wallace is enjoying a nice bounce back season. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the Eagles defense has 20 or more points the last three weeks. This all happening while Doug Martin, Roddy White and Cordarrelle Patterson have done almost nothing to contribute. As hot as this team has been, I only see it getting better in the second half. Even if anything goes wrong, Cam Newton leads the list of potential trade bait.

Playoff bound if: Andre Ellington gets even better, and one of the WR’s steps up to

be a consistent number two

BAMA bound if: Injuries take a heavy toll as a drone strike hits TD’s headquarters