Playoff Matchups

PLAYOFFS
Athena Nike (9-4) vs Dirty Birds (7-6)
During a so-called “rebuilding year,” Frank’s team went 8-1 down the stretch and almost stole an Inscrutable Drama Kings title from Monkeys. Instead, they’ll have to be happy being the hottest team in the division heading into the playoffs, and then try to knock off Evan in the division title game. A long playoff run could be hard with Rob Gronkowski out and basically the entire team dinged up but the path is clear for Nike!

After a 1-5 start to the season, it looked like Dirty Birds were headed straight to the Toilet Bowl, especially with Andrew Luck having a totally lost season. However, six straight wins later and Jon was headed to the playoffs, despite losing their last matchup. With the Eli Manning and Odell Beckham combo leading the way, Birds hope to pull off an improbable first round upset.

Philadelphia Phreaks (8-5) vs Fat Jubas (5-8)
Phreaks won the Spunky Misunderstood Geniuses division last year with a 7-6 record, but will have to battle in the first round despite one more win. After starting off the season 3-4, Ping righted the ship and cranked out five wins in six tries to lock up a playoff spot. With new superstar Allen Robinson on the rise, can they pick up their first post-season win since 2006?

The annual “this team doesn’t really deserve to be in the playoffs do they?” team, Fat Jubas. Two straight wins qualifies Jubas as “hot” however, in this division, and Eric’s team will be looking to make noise, as history has shown us that a team with a losing record can still advance far in the post-season. With Marshawn Lynch lost for the season, David Johnson, Jeremy Hill, and Darren McFadden will have to step up together.

BYES
Chunky Monkeys (10-3), Gang Green (9-4)
Evan’s team started off the season on a seven win streak before being upended by the defending champs, Tiiite End Jammers, in WK9. Including that loss, Monkeys have been only 2-3 and have lost to both Athena Nike and Dirty Birds in recent weeks. Still, there may be nothing to fear here as this team is the highest PF in the league at 116.9 ppg and only had one week below the century mark. That’s consistency!

Similarly, Gang Green started off 6-1 before going only 3-3 the rest of the way. With injured players left and right — Jimmy Graham and Mark Ingram are both out of the season -- Greg must be happy for this much needed bye. That’lll give Blake Bortles an extra week to show us that he could possibly be a (fantasy) championship quarterback!

TOILET BOWL
#1 LA Buffy (6-6-1) vs #4 Battle Angel (2-11)
It’s tough to get into a winning rhythm when you're facing the toughest PA in the league. Buffy was respectable the whole year but despite two wins to close out the season, they missed the playoffs by one game. Buffy has had to deal with losing Arian Foster and Julian Edelman for the year, also Matt Forte missed some extended game time. But with Carson Palmer and AJ Green blowing up, they are the favorites to win the Toilet Bowl.

I guess when you start 2-4 with a four game losing streak and then finish off the season with seven straight losses you’re the worst team in the league. With a last place PF that averaged 86.9 ppg, Vu’s squad didn’t even need a tough schedule to bury them. Martavis Bryant has been brilliant since his return from injury but we’re thinking this might be Drew Brees last year leading Battle Angel...

#2 Tiiite End Jammers (4-8-1) vs #3 Fobsters (4-9)
Our defending champs had a limp title defense, starting off with just one win in their first eight matchups. But at least they gave Monkeys their first loss of the season. Strangely, Jammers had a good 3-4-1 division record but went 1-4 against the other (weaker) side, which does not load well for their cross division matchup versus Fobsters. Oh yeah, last year this was our Super Bowl XIIII matchup, can you believe that?

Jimmy’s team crapped the bed with one win in their last eight tries, and basically rode Tom Brady the whole season while the rest of the roster fluctuated due to a startling amount of injuries. At least some nice finds happened, with Chris Ivory, Travis Benjamin, TJ Yeldon, and TE sensation Gary Barnidge contributing around Brady. Can they pull off a Toilet Bowl upset or two like their “magical” run to the Super Bowl last year? We’ll see!