Hoff's Hot Takes Mid Season Review
Hello, and welcome to Hoff's Hot Takes Mid Season Review. Today we are going to be looking back at the first half of the season, look back at week 6, lay the foundation moving forward, a Tidwell interview, and much much more. Today's Hot Takes are brought to you by Potbelly Chicken Salad Salad, Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew, and KB Toys.
Week 6 Recap - George and Kyle had a barnburner of a game, and Kyle gets the better of George by 6.5 points. Kyle was led by Lamar Jackson, who became the first QB to run for 150 while throwing for 200 (unless you count Colin Kaepernick in the playoff game against Green Bay, but hey, lets just sweep him under the rug). Terry McLaurin, and James Connor also showed up for Kyle. George, keep your head up, if you keep scoring 130 you will be fine.... JB loses a close game to Joe. This could be a first round playoff matchup between the 4/5 seeds. No real big games from anybody involved, Joe just eeked one out over DMXDawg69 by a handful....Jordan got 41 points from his D and Kicker to beat Nolan by about 25. Big games from Russ Wilson and Devonta Freeman. Nolan had Will Dissley leave early, who is having a good stretch, and none of his studs had stud games besides Watson. He will be alright though....Mike takes down Tidwell by 15. Mike is having Mahomes fall off after a treacherous start. Seems like Mahomes floor is still about 20 points, so "fall off" is a bit misleading I suppose....Beej gets a win over Peter, with Kyler Murray getting over 30 points. Broncos had a good day, and thwarted Tyreek Hill;s big return....Micah takes it to Nick for a W by about 20 points.
Interview with Steve
Jordan: What is your ideal steakhouse order? Cocktail, app, meat, and side
Steve : Start with a Manhattan, salad with a vinaigrette to start, followed by a Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes and assorted vegetables- paired with a 2016 Le Chatelet Gold Label (100% Merlot)
Jordan: What is the best airport you've been to, and why?
Steve: Thats a tough one... Best airport is probably Copenhagen, but best lounge is the new United Polaris at Newark (fucking legit). Copenhagen airport gets me to anywhere in the world and is a stones throw from Stavanger. Its easy to navigate, updated and has mikkeller bars throughout. The United Polaris lounge is brand new. While Newark airport is a disaster, the lounge is legit. Great 3-4 course meals for "free", great bar selection, private bathrooms with showers and bluetooth speakers.
Jordan: What are your four favorite things that are blue?
Steve: The blue hozzle on my Ping putter circa 1998, and therefore the putter by default- Ill never get rid of that beauty, My blue suit, Monet's Water Lilies, The floor of my parents pool- there is no place like home
Jordan: Mt Rushmore of sports logos?
Steve: Blackhawks, PSG, New Zealand All Blacks, Atlanta Braves "A"
Jordan: You are locked in a Wal-Mart forever. How long do you survive, and what is your plan of attack?
Steve: I would B-Line for the hunting section at Walmart. I would arm myself with two cross bows and a Bowie knife- shit is about to get real Lord of the Flies. At that point I would likely start hording the non-perishable food items and create a dewy decimal type system for my ridiculous stock of pringles and canned green beans. Frankly, if there was no prospect of escape from WalMart I would just end it seppuku style because eternal nothingness is far better than the hell that is WalMart. I'd give it a few days. Time is non-linear in WalMart, so that few days would feel like 30 years- 30 years stuck in a WalMart? Nei Takk
Lets get started with our mid season review. We will go by team by team and see what is going on :
Joe - After an unprecedented draft board, Joe is off to a 3-3 start. The Good? Dalvin Cook and Josh Jacobs are living up to the first round draft status - especially Jacobs who Joe can now keep for as long as he wants in the 16th. Darren Waller is keepable and young at a position that is not deep. Cortland Sutton is good too. Joe has gone through the toughest part of his schedule, so look for him to climb the leaderboard. The Bad? Odell, Mixon, and Adams are off to slow starts or hurt. With one or two of those guys healthy and producing like usual, is Joe 5-1? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe fuck yourself. Joe should be looking to trade using his insane draft board next year, and his young guys he wont use to upgrade some spots. Look for Joe to be 3/4/5/6.
Nolan - If this was college football, Bowlin Ass Nolan would be more like the Outback Bowl, and not the national championship playoff. He is 4-2, but does not have a lot of points points, and right now, he is looking in at the playoffs. I expect that to change. Watch for Nolan in the next three weeks to claim his spot - his schedule is Nick, Beej, and Peter the next three weeks. I could see him getting 5-6 points coming up and shooting up the boards. Nolan took Michael Gallup with a 15th round choice, so look for him to use that long term keeper for trade bait either this season, or in the offseason. Ditto for DJ Chark. Look for Nolan to be a 4/5/6 seed.
George- Is Austin Hooper going to really be the number one fantasy tight end? I mean, Austin Hooper sounds like the pussy kid in your kids first grade class who cant be within 50 feet of peanut shells... George is gonna get Gurley back, and paired with Carson, may be part of the best RB group in the league. George should be a candidate for a bye week, and be one of the final four standing.
BJ - Papa Beej. Not the season Brian Walter was looking for. Trading away his WR assets may be the best way to turn this around for Beej. Miles Sanders and Kyler Murray look like they will continue to grow, and will be crucial to Beej moving forward.
JB - JB is riding the best player in fantasy right now. McCaffrey is the number one runningback. In fact, if you took only his receiving numbers, he would be better than Brandon Cooks, TY Hilton, and JuJu. McCaffrey with Thomas gives him a nice floor that wont let him have a terrible week, or get blown out. He needs his QB situation to improve to really be a threat - Daniel Jones is his starter right now with Brees and Cam hurt. Hollywood Brown is an 11th round rookie keeper to lean on with Thomas and McCaffrey. Look for JB to compete for the 5 or 6 seed, or possibly win the Consolation Bracket.
Jordan - One of the preseason favorites still is in a good spot. JuJu has been a disaster, and needs to turn it on for The Nature Boy to make a run deep. Between Singletary, Montgomery, Freeman, and Lindsey, he should find two backs to put out there every week to support Julio. Hunter Henry is back and had a great first game. Pats D/ST is one of the best commodities to have, but they will surely take a step back. Some tweaks are needed, but expect him in the playoffs as a 3/4/5 seed
Kyle- One would have to give Kyle an A+ for the season. Lamar Jackson has been unbelievable, Kyle got 3 points this week, and it was much needed. Due to these three points, he slides into the 5 seed. His next 5 games are against Joe, Mike, JB, Tidwell, and Jordan. He is going to have to score a lot to win. Lamar Jackson rushing is the same as Tarik Cohen and Tevin Coleman. Could see Kyle sneaking in as a 5/6 seed, or winning the consolation bracket.
Peter- What a weird season for Peter. Tyreek Hill and Melvin Gordon really put him behind the 8 ball early. He added some value for next year in trading away Travis Kelce to Kyle. What a stand up job he is doing by employing Tyreek Hill, and Josh Gordon on his team. Apparently, Aaron Hernandez was also being scouted by Dennis Reynolds 5 Star Men.
Mike - Patrick Mahomes fantasy playoffs schedule : Denver, New England, DA Bears. Not good, but he will still be there thanks to a good start. Mike has 69 dollars to spend in FAAB still. Nice. He has Kyle and Jordan, but then eases up to end the season with Nick, Beej, and Peter.. Mike should contend for the bye week, and make a run in the playoffs.
Micah- Micah is going to need Aaron Rodgers to step up to keep being consistant, and at QB 14, that isn't good enough. The rest of Micah's team lacks true stars, but has a ton of depth, and a good mix of upside, and a high floor. He will be a team that should keep afloat during bye weeks, and always compete. Look for him to sneak in the playoffs, or be in the running for consolation champ. He is gonna need to dominate the next few weeks, because he closes with Nolan, George, Mike, and Joe.
Nick - DK and TJ look to be a good pair of rookies to build around with Zeke and Kerryon. He probably should have won week 1, which would have started his season off a bit better. A good team for the bottom of the table. His running backs have a floor for scores in the teens, but he needs his WRs to step up to stay competitive consistently.
Tidwell - Tidwell is 2-4, and in 9th place as of this writing. Early season injuries to Barkley and Sterling Shepard slowed his team down. McCoy had a nice change of scenery, but is now in a log jam in KC. Ertz is disappointing, and has only two games over 10 points this season. Expect this team to turn it around - Ertz, and Leveon should step it up, and he will get Barkley back. After Peter this week, the schedule really is tough to close out the season for Scandinavian Steve.
Perfect team through 6 weeks - Mahomes, McCaffrey, Cook, Chubb, Godwin, Thomas, Hooper, Pats D
King of the Hill - Johnathon *clap clap* Raymond *clap clap* Baillargeon *clap clap clap*. JB is eliminated with just shy of 100 points. Better luck next year for the prestigious King of the Hill cup. Eliminated - Beej, Peter, Tidwell, Jordan, Nick, JB. Still alive - Kyle, Mike, George, Nolan, Joe, Micah.
Current Playoff Standings - George, Mike, Jordan, Micah, Kyle, Joe
ESPN Playoff Projections - George, Mike, Jordan, Nolan, Tidwell, JB
Hoff's Hot Takes Playoff Preview - Mike, George, Joe, Jordan, Nolan, Micah