by CBS Fantasy Journalist

Connecticut Wildcats took yet another hit to the loss column, while Happy Valley Violence won their 3rd in a row. That and more in this week’s Around the League report.

Hear Him Roar

Keystone Longfellows had the good fortune of having the league’s best player this week in T.J. Hockenson. Keystone Longfellows destroyed Big Oregon Bang, winning 100.5 to 66.5 behind 32 points from Hockenson. This was his first venture off the bench, which bodes well for his future playing time. He secured eight out of 12 targets and finished Sunday’s game with 179 receiving yards, almost half of which came from this incredible 81 yard catch and run.

Keystone Longfellows also got the benefit of the 4th straight game that Christian McCaffrey exceeded his expectations. Coach Terry Muth’s squad managed to rise above the bad efforts from Gabe Davis and Kyle Pitts (1 point total).

Josh Palmer and Lamar Jackson were double trouble for Big Oregon Bang, together posting only 7.5 points. Jackson’s momentum from last week’s 33 point performance apparently didn’t carry over.

With the win, Keystone Longfellows moved to 2 – 1 – 1, good for the top spot in the Engle division. The loss drops Big Oregon Bang’s record to 2 – 2.

Sabotage

Dallas Armadillos took Chicago Mud out of the playoffs last year, and went ahead and rubbed some salt in that wound this week. They skated by Chicago Mud pretty easily, winning 71.5 to 54. The win brings Dallas Armadillos’ record to 2 – 1, while dropping Chicago Mud to 1 – 3.

Tee Higgins and CeeDee Lamb were the prime movers for Dallas Armadillos, producing 18.5 and 15 points, respectively. That makes it three straight games where Higgins has outperformed the league average wide receiver. He caught seven out of nine targets for 124 yards on Sunday, all despite a second-half ankle injury that briefly took him out of play.

Meanwhile, Tua Tagovailoa loomed large in the loss for Chicago Mud, scoring -1 points. That was fewer than every other quarterback this season. He is out of the hospital following his frightening injury on Thursday, but his return is still uncertain.

Dallas Armadillos will face off against Connecticut Wildcats next week. Connecticut Wildcats will come into the game looking for their first win. Meanwhile, Chicago Mud will collide with Boxboro Blowfish.

One Sided Affair

Coaches Chris Paret, Jeffrey Ozarski, and John Trzeciak might have been looking to rest their nerves a bit after last week’s nailbiter. They got the rest, and the win. Happy Valley Violence (3 – 1) stomped all over Connecticut Wildcats (0 – 4) 101.5 to 68. The 101.5 points that Happy Valley Violence dropped were the most they scored so far this year.

The game leaves both these teams streaking in opposite directions. The victory makes it three in a row for Happy Valley Violence. This loss brings Connecticut Wildcats’ losing streak to four in a row.

Happy Valley Violence were led by the tag team of Rashaad Penny and Jamaal Williams, who together put up 47 points. Penny contributed a 25.5 point performance, which topped all but three players this week.1 He rushed 17 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns on Sunday in his first 100 yard game of the season, helped by impressive plays like this.

Meanwhile, Connecticut Wildcats had plenty of duds in the loss. They were brought down by four underperformers, the worst of whom was Amari Cooper (0.5 points). Cooper only caught one of four targets for nine yards on Sunday, and his stats for targets, catches, and yards were all season lows.

Both teams have a tough upcoming schedule. Something has to give next week when Happy Valley Violence and New Chester Thorobreds clash, as they each come into the game on three game winning streaks. New Chester Thorobreds will come into the game undefeated.

Connecticut Wildcats’ next two games are against winning teams, starting with Dallas Armadillos next week.

‘Ek of Game

Miami Muffdivers had an atrocious 25% winning percentage all-time against Orange Co. Beach Dudes, but that didn’t matter one bit this week. They wound up with a solid victory against Orange Co. Beach Dudes, winning 81 to 71. The win brings Miami Muffdivers’ record to 3 – 1, while dropping Orange Co. Beach Dudes to 2 – 2.

Austin Ekeler was the clear leader on Miami Muffdivers this week, delivering 26 points. That performance was good for 3rd place among all players this week.1 He scored two touchdowns from 13 carries on Sunday, making two great cuts past Houson’s defense on this short rushing TD.

Meanwhile, two players stood out for their poor performance on Orange Co. Beach Dudes, with Michael Carter and Brandon Aiyuk combining to score only 3 points. Aiyuk has now failed to exceed the average wide receiver’s point total in any week this year.

Miami Muffdivers’ next game will be against Philadelphia Griffins in a rematch from week one. Miami Muffdivers won the previous matchup 79.5 to 57.5. Next week’s game will see both of this week’s top running backs square off, when Austin Ekeler matches up against Josh Jacobs.

Meanwhile, Orange Co. Beach Dudes will take on Big Oregon Bang. Orange Co. Beach Dudes will face off against Lamar Jackson in that game, part of a three game stretch against tough quarterbacks which will see them take on Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts in the following weeks.

Three-peat

Coming into the game, New Chester Thorobreds had scored the most points of any team this season. They didn’t knock it out of the park this week, but that wasn’t necessary. Coaches mike white and Rich Sladic’s squad slid by Boxboro Blowfish, winning 86 to 81.5. With the win and those 86 points, New Chester Thorobreds now sits at the top of every component in the CBS power rankings.

New Chester Thorobreds have now won three games in a row, bringing their record to 3 – 0. The loss drops Boxboro Blowfish’s record to 2 – 1 – 1.

New Chester Thorobreds were a picture of symmetry, winning with a very balanced lineup. Cooper Kupp paced the team by beating the average wide receiver by 7.6 points, while Christian Kirk (4.4 points worse than the average wide receiver) was the worst on the team. Kupp has now bested the average wide receiver’s point total in every game so far this year. As a result, he is currently the 2nd best player in the league.

Meanwhile, Greg Dortch and Jalen Hurts put a big hurt on Boxboro Blowfish’s chances this week, dropping only 10.5 points between them.

The strength of schedule diverges for these squads next week. Something has to give when New Chester Thorobreds and Happy Valley Violence clash, as they each come into the game on three game winning streaks.

As for Boxboro Blowfish, they will match up with Chicago Mud. Coach Weaver will be happy to see that Chicago Mud is coming into next week’s game having scored less than 65 points in their previous two games.

Showtime

Philadelphia Griffins just outclassed Frelinghuysen Froglickers this week, earning a 101.5 to 83 victory. Just another good result from the leagues’ all-time leader in winning percentage.

The win evens up Philadelphia Griffins’ record at 2 – 2. The loss drops Frelinghuysen Froglickers’ record to 1 – 3.

Philadelphia Griffins were led by the two man wrecking crew of Josh Jacobs and Jared Goff, who combined for 57% of Philadelphia Griffins’ points. Jacobs kicked in a 26.5 point performance, which was the 2nd best of any player this week.1 He earned a career high 144 yards and scored his first two touchdowns of the season on Sunday, his ability to dodge tackles was on full display with this defense-defying run.

Meanwhile, Matthew Stafford was clearly the weakest link for Coach David Zilberfarb and the gang as he notched 3 points. Stafford has now failed to hit his expected points in any game so far this year. He threw another pick six on Monday, something he has led the league in by a country mile.