As we get ready for the last week of the regular season, goals for the playoffs and the off-season take hold. Some of us are heading into a run for a trophy, and others need to retool before next season – where does your team stand?
12. Nacho Team
2019 Draft: 5th Pick
2019 Record: 3-9
Wk 13 Opponent – Redbank Mallrats
After back-to-back trips to the Championship Game in 2015 and 2016, Nacho Team has turned in a third straight losing season, apparently still recovering from that heartbreaking Finals loss to The Quasars. They play a playoff-bound Mallrats team that has been real up and down all year. A loss should lock Nacho Team into the first pick in the upcoming 2020 draft.
A win would help Nacho’s all-time Win% obviously, and might still land them the #1 pick, but at that point, it would depend on what The Quasars, Murphy Inn-ines, and TIM! do. Nacho could (unlikely) fall as far as the 4th pick with a Win here.
What’s on the Line: The #1 pick.
11. The Quasars
2019 Draft: 8th Pick
2019 Record: 3-9
Wk 13 Opponent – Flying Dutchmen
2019 proved to be The Quasars first losing season since entering SC League in 2016 (when they won the Championship), and the first time they’ve ever missed the playoffs. Their Week 13 Matchup with the Flying Dutchmen could provide an opportunity to climb back in the Platinum Level to finish the season, after dropping into Gold with a current manager score of 897.
Additionally, he could play spoiler and potentially prevent the Dutchmen from earning a first-round BYE. On the flip, a loss here, coupled with a win by Nacho Team, could land him the first pick in the 2020 draft.
What’s on the Line: Platinum Status, #1 Pick, Play Spoiler
10. Murphy Inn-ies
2019 Draft: 3rd Pick
2019 Record: 4-8
Wk 13 Opponent – The Tim Brady’s
Since entering the league in 2015, replacing the once-great Burrito Warrior, Murphy Inn-ines impressed early and have faded fast. A win here could put a stop to a troubling slide, as they’ve gotten worse every year since; 12-1, 10-3, 7-6, 5-8. A win here brings 2019 to 5-8 and stabilizes the fast-falling franchise, but a loss would mean a 4-9 finish and the 5th straight year on the slide.
Currently in line to repeat in the third spot come draft time, that could change. Depending on what happens with some of the other teams at the bottom, Murphy could be drafting anywhere from 1st-5th, unless he outscores C Tan by more than 2500, then 6th is possible, though not probable.
What’s on the Line: Draft Position and Team Trajectory
9. TIM!
2019 Draft: 6th Pick
2019 Record: 4-8
Wk 13 Opponent – Sc4_Skippers
TIM! TIM! TIM!, it’s been a rough 12 years. This franchise has been spinning its wheels in Detroit Pistons fashion for years now. Not bad enough for the #1 pick, but not good enough to contend. TIM! hasn’t made a playoff appearance since 2013, and hasn’t registered a victory in the postseason since George W. Bush was president. A win against the recently reeling Skippers could provide some confidence for 2020, but more than likely just messes up his draft plans moving forward and leaves him stuck in the middle of the draft again.
What’s on the Line: Not much. Sorry, buddy.
8. The Tim Brady’s
2019 Draft: 11th Pick
2019 Record: 5-7
Wk 13 Opponent – Murphy Inn-ines
After back-to-back trips to the playoffs, and a loss in the Championship game last year to the Skippers, TTB hands in their first losing season. Despite his first-round pick of Michael Thomas earning his Draft Spot, and stealing Russell Wilson in 13th round, injuries to Bress and Roethlisberger had some major ripple effects and the run game never found a way to get going. But after a 1-6 start to the season, the Brady’s made a late-season run at respectability, winning 4 of their last 5, and looking to continue the trend. A 1-6 team finishing 6-7 is nothing to scoff at, and a win isn’t going to affect his draft slot too much, as he’ll likely be looking at either the 6 or 7 pick next year.
What’s on the Line: Respectability.
7. C Tan vs the World
2019 Draft: 10th Pick
2019 Record: 5-7
Wk 13 Opponent – SECOND DECK
The commish is sort of stuck in No Man’s Land and will be drafting right in the middle regardless of what happens here. So he’ll be playing for Stats and looking to spoil SECOND DECK’s chances at a division title and first-round BYE.
After securing a Bronze Trophy in 2018, C Tan’s first since 2014, this season will be remembered for how well he drafted to start (hitting big on 4 of his first 5 picks), but then falling pretty flat after that, no doubt affecting by his long-running QB-curse which saw Big Ben injured early on.
What’s on the Line: Playing Spoiler
6. Redbank Mallrats
2019 Draft: 7th Pick
2019 Record: 7-5
Wk 13 Opponent – Nacho Team
An up and down draft led to an up and down season, and any credit they deserve for drafting Lamar Jackson in Round 13, is nullified when you realize they dropped their 12th round pick – Austin Eckler – before the season even started. But a late run and a painful stat correction loss secured a spot in the postseason for the Mallrats after a loss in the 2017 Final and a first-round exit last year. That 2017 Silver Trophy is the team’s first hardware since their 2006 Championship, and this team is hungry for another.
Some tough player matchups this week put the game against Nacho Team in doubt, but with a little luck, they could have some favorable projections in the following weeks. The outcome of this game will help to decide the matchups of the opening round. The Skippers have secured a BYE, as The Flying Dutchmen and SECOND DECK fight it out for the other division title. With a victory, the Mallrats would end the season on a 5 game winning streak.
What’s on the Line: Playoff Seeding
5. QAnon
2019 Draft: 2nd Pick
2019 Record: 7-5
Wk 13 Opponent – BE A MAN HOGAN
Drafting Christian McCaffrey with the 2nd pick almost makes up for taking Kerryon Johnson in the 2nd round and drafting Baker Mayfield to be your QB1. Ultimately strong WR-play and the monster that is Kyle Van Noy helped carry QAnon to the playoffs for just the 4th time in the last 10 years, and that comes after going each of their first 6 seasons in the league.
This matchup offers perhaps the most intriguing game of the week, as the 4 and 5 seeds square off in what could be the first of 2 in a row, with the very real possibility they could play in the first round. The only happens though if the Mallrats lose. Should the Mallrats dispatch Nacho Team, then the loser of this game will have to face either SECOND DECK or the Flying Dutchmen.
What’s on the Line: Playoff Seeding
4. BE A MAN HOGAN
2019 Draft: 5th Pick
2019 Record: 3-9
Wk 13 Opponent – QAnon
After finishing a respectable 4th place in their first season, and then defeating the Mallrats to win it all in 2017, BE A MAN HOGAN had a title hangover and missed the dance last year. But now they return to the postseason and will look to defeat QAnon and secure the number 4 seed, and avoid a first-round bout with one of the 9-win teams.
This game will span a long holiday weekend and be heavily featured in primetime, with a combined (at time of print) 7 players going on Turkey Day, 5 on SNF, and finishing off with 3 guys on MNF. Current projections give HOGAN a 147 point edge.
What’s on the Line: Playoff Seeding
3. Flying Dutchmen
2019 Draft: 1st Pick
2019 Record: 9-3
Wk 13 Opponent – The Quasars
The most beleaguered champ we’ve seen, The Dutchmen will march into the postseason for only the 7th time in the last 19 years. This is their first appearance since 2015, which saw them follow up their 2014 Championship with a 4th place finish after losing to first-year team Murphy Inn-ines in the 2nd round and then dropping the Bronze game to the Skippers.
This week’s matchup is the Dutchmen’s biggest game since that Bronzed loss back in 2016, with a possible first-round BYE on the line against the 11th place team to end the regular season. Given current projections, The Dutchmen will have about a 200 point confidence cushion, at least until 12:30 tomorrow when The Quasars have 2 players going in the Lions-Bears game…
What’s on the Line: Playoff BYE
2. SECOND DECK
2019 Draft: 9th Pick
2019 Record: 9-3
Wk 13 Opponent – C Tan vs the World
No team has appeared in more playoff games than SECOND DECK, and their next one will be #36 – no other manager has hit 30 yet. Currently tied with the Dutchmen atop the Bel Air division, SECOND DECK is also playing for a BYE. The difference here is in playoff experience. While the Dutchmen make only their 7th postseason bid since 2001, SECOND DECK has missed the dance only 4 times in that span.
The matchup with C Tan vs the World isn’t a gimmie, as C Tan currently sits just outside the playoffs, and is actually the current projected winner, though SECOND DECK hasn’t set a kicker yet. You can’t ask for much more reason to care about Week 13 game if you’ve already clinched a spot – UNLESS you have a shot at a BYE week.
What’s on the Line: Playoff BYE
1. Sc4_Skippers
2019 Draft: 12th Pick
2019 Record: 9-3
Wk 13 Opponent – TIM!
In what is maybe the least important game of the week, the Skippers take on TIM!, and enter the game a hefty favorite. With the division title and playoff BYE already locked in, the Skippers are playing for stats and pride. Likewise, TIM! is outside the race looking in, and doesn’t have much chance for meaningful movement in the draft, so they too will be playing just for pride.
What kind of pride you wonder? Well Dakota Pride of course. The winner of this matchup will earn bragging rights for a few days, and the loser has to shave half of their face for school next week, Harvey Dent style.
What’s on the Line: Continued Dominance?
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