by CBS Fantasy Football AI Journalist

Happy Valley Violence took yet another hit to the loss column, while New Chester Thorobreds won their 5th in a row. That plus a crushing loss for Big Oregon Bang in this week’s ‘Around the League’ report.

Taking the Reins

Orange Co. Beach Dudes gets a big effort from Josh Jacobs this week

After knocking Dallas Armadillos out of the playoffs last year, you might expect Orange Co. Beach Dudes to give ’em a break this week. Well, they didn’t. Orange Co. Beach Dudes got past Dallas Armadillos without much trouble, winning 52.5 to 38. Orange Co. Beach Dudes got a fairly lucky victory, winning with the 4th lowest point total in the league this week.

Orange Co. Beach Dudes got their first back-to-back wins of the season, bringing their record to 4 – 7 – 1. The loss drops Dallas Armadillos’ record to 5 – 7.

Orange Co. Beach Dudes were led by the tag team of Josh Jacobs and Courtland Sutton, who together racked up 24 points. That makes it six straight games where Jacobs has outperformed the league average running back.

Meanwhile, Dallas Armadillos had plenty of duds in the loss. Ricky Pearsall was the worst of a seven man group of underperformers, scoring zero points. That was the fewest of any wide receiver this week. He has now been the worst performer on Dallas Armadillos more times than any other player.

Orange Co. Beach Dudes won this game despite, rather than because of, Coaches dan callahan and Ross Hessler’s lineup moves. They went with Kyler Murray over the higher ranked Russell Wilson.

This decision cost Orange Co. Beach Dudes a total of 16 points, which–thankfully for Coaches dan callahan and Ross Hessler–didn’t matter much this game. It does mark the first time this year that Coaches dan callahan and Ross Hessler’s decisions have cost their team points.

Don’t Test Me

Nick Westbrook-Ikhine’s 16.5 points sinks Chicago Mud

Chicago Mud had a bad week, and nobody is more at fault than Coach Ronnie Feldman. Perhaps scared off by Brian Robinson Jr.’s 0.5 point performance last week, Coach Feldman left him on the bench in favor of D’Andre Swift, despite the experts’ prediction that Robinson Jr. should have played.

This decision took a 11.5 point chunk out of Chicago Mud’s final score and cost them the game, as they just didn’t have enough against Boxboro Blowfish (9 – 3), losing 87.5 to 80.5.

The experts thought Nick Westbrook-Ikhine should have been left on the bench, but Coaches cathy weaver and Doug Weaver knew better. Although Boxboro Blowfish won with a balanced effort, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was the best of the bunch, tallying 16.5 points. That’s the most points that he’s scored this year.

Meanwhile, Coach Feldman can blame the loss on Khalil Shakir, D’Andre Swift, and Baker Mayfield, who together managed only 11 points. Swift’s performances have been a good barometer for Chicago Mud this season, as they have gone 2 – 3 when he fails to meet his expectations, and 3 – 1 when he meets them.

Chicago Mud will face off against Orange Co. Beach Dudes next week. Chicago Mud won’t have Jonathan Taylor available to start in that contest.

Boxboro Blowfish’s next game will be against Keystone Longfellows in a rematch from week one. Boxboro Blowfish won the previous matchup in a blowout. Coaches cathy weaver and Doug Weaver will no doubt be hoping that Saquon Barkley can drop 28 points like he did when they last went against Keystone Longfellows.

Five Alive!

Josh Allen and New Chester Thorobreds make it five in a row against Happy Valley Violence

The experts just can’t seem to give New Chester Thorobreds enough credit. They had topped their point total projections for three straight weeks before this game, and did it again this week. New Chester Thorobreds stomped all over Happy Valley Violence 89.5 to 60.5. The 89.5 points New Chester Thorobreds scored set the high mark for the league this week.

New Chester Thorobreds have now won five games in a row, which brings their record to 8 – 5. The loss is the 4th straight for Happy Valley Violence, dropping their record to 4 – 8.

New Chester Thorobreds got a nice group performance in the win, as five players beat their positional averages. Josh Allen was the first among equals, totaling 20 points. A good performance by Allen has been critical for New Chester Thorobreds this season, as they have gone 5 – 1 when he exceeds his expectations, and 1 – 4 when he doesn’t. He became the first QB to have a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown in the same game (even better, he was on both ends of that reception).

While New Chester Thorobreds had plenty of heroes in the victory, Happy Valley Violence really lost this game as a team. They were brought down by seven underperformers, the worst of whom was Calvin Ridley (2 points). That made him the worst performer on Happy Valley Violence for the first time this year.

Dialed In

Philadelphia Griffins couldn’t handle James Cook as Miami Muffdivers gets the win

Hopefully Coach Nicholas Fisher has been able to find excitement in the non-fantasy parts of his life. The last two games have been blowouts, and this week was just more of the same. Philadelphia Griffins got clobbered by Miami Muffdivers, losing 75.5 to 43. The 43 points that Philadelphia Griffins scored were the fewest they scored this year.

The loss makes it three in a row for Philadelphia Griffins, which leaves them with a 3 – 9 record. The win brings Miami Muffdivers to 7 – 5.

Miami Muffdivers had several players step up in the win, as five starters beat their positional averages. James Cook was just a bit ahead of the others, notching 15.5 points.(1) That makes it three straight games of overperforming expectations for Cook. Over half of his 107 rushing yards came from this unbelievable 65-yard score.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Griffins saw six different players underperform, and while none of them particularly stuck out, Tank Dell and his 0.5 points was officially the worst.(2) Dell’s 0.5 points made him the worst starter on his team for the 3rd time this season. He has now underperformed the experts’ predictions in four straight games.

Coach Fisher appears to have been too busy to set his lineup this week. He left Spencer Shrader in the lineup, despite the fact that he was a guaranteed zero points. He also left Nick Chubb in the lineup ( De’Von Achane would have been 5 points better). This marks the 3rd straight week where he has cost his team points.

All Too Easy

Lamar Jackson helps Frelinghuysen Froglickers cruise to victory

Coach David Zilberfarb definitely did not have the best game personally, but their team managed to rise above their mistakes. Frelinghuysen Froglickers demolished Big Oregon Bang, winning 84.5 to 46. No big surprise seeing Frelinghuysen Froglickers get the win, as they were the biggest favorite of any team this week.

The win brings Frelinghuysen Froglickers’ record to 9 – 3, while dropping Big Oregon Bang to 4 – 8.

Frelinghuysen Froglickers have been relying on Lamar Jackson all year, and he came through again this week. Frelinghuysen Froglickers got good efforts from almost everyone on the squad, with six players topping their positional averages. Jackson was the best of the bunch, posting 18 points. It’s another fine effort from Jackson, who is currently the 4th best player in the league. He threw for 237 yards and rushed for another 79 on Sunday, though some close to him felt he should’ve run even more.

Justin Herbert was the main culprit in Big Oregon Bang’s loss, scoring only 1 point. That performance was worse than every other player this week.(3)

Both coaches in this game struggled with lineup decisions. While Coach Zilberfarb might have gotten the victory this week, it wasn’t due to their efforts. They started Dallas Goedert instead of Brock Bowers, despite the experts’ prediction that Bowers should have played.

This terrible decision shaved 14.5 points from Frelinghuysen Froglickers’ score, which ultimately didn’t make a difference in the final outcome. Coach Zilberfarb’s risk taking this game is out of character, as they have been one of the most cautious tacticians in the league.

As for Coach Rupert, he went Gus Edwards over the higher ranked Bucky Irving. This decision cost Big Oregon Bang a total of 19 points. Coach Rupert’s lineup moves pushed him into negative territory for the season, costing his team 2 points versus what the experts would have done.

Monster

Najee Harris scores 17 points to help put away Connecticut Wildcats

Mercer Mustangs earned a pretty comfortable victory over Connecticut Wildcats, winning 78.5 to 60. The win gets Mercer Mustangs back to .500 with a 6 – 6 record. The loss drops Connecticut Wildcats’ record to 7 – 5.

Najee Harris did about as good for Mercer Mustangs this week as he did bad last week. Harris led a very balanced group of five overperformers for Mercer Mustangs, producing 17 points. That made him the top performer on Mercer Mustangs for the first time this year. He accounted for 129 total yards and a touchdown on Sunday ( and that was after some Thanksgiving overindulgence).

Meanwhile, Cooper Kupp hadn’t dropped the ball for Connecticut Wildcats since week seven’s stinker. Well, that run has come to an end. Kupp was the worst of six underperformers, delivering 1.5 points. His performance this week ended a five game streak of beating the league average.

Next week will see Mercer Mustangs taking on the 4 – 8 Happy Valley Violence. That squad is in the middle of a four game losing streak. As for Connecticut Wildcats, Connecticut Wildcats will try to get back to their winning ways as they have performed uncharacteristically bad of late, losing two games in a row. They will try to turn things around against Miami Muffdivers next week. That will be a rematch from week one, when Connecticut Wildcats won easily.

Bye Week: KEY Longfellows 54 pts

(1) Player didn’t have most points on team, but did the best compared to their position
(2) While Spencer Shrader had the lowest point total on the team, he was in the lineup despite being expected to score nothing.
(3) Performance rank based on how player did vs their positional average