How’s this for the start to a new reign? Alan’s first month in Maize & Blue sees him sitting atop his division, as well as owning the highest PF in the league. Their debut week saw them roll over the defending champs, 100 Acre Wood Pooh Bears, in a 95-65 shellacking. Overall, they’ve had two DeLoreans, and almost one more. In addition, they’ve already injected some life into the league by getting involved in THREE trades since the draft, moving Delanie Walker, EJ Manuel, and Mike Glennon for future picks.
And guess who’s been their MVP so far? Giants running back Rashad Jennings, who has been playing as a top five RB, with 12.8 points per game. And how about rookie Kelvin Benjamin, who has exploded onto the scene with 12.3 ppg — he’s outplayed fellow rookie Sammy Watkins by a big margin so far. TE Rob Gronkowski has been a little erratic but he still has three TDs on the season. And then there’s waiver wire pickup Matt Asiata, who scored three TDs last week alone, and he could be the perfect fill in for a still injured Knowshon Moreno. Andy Dalton and Eli Manning could be in for a QB battle, as Manning put up 32 points last week while Dalton was on bye. Overall, Alan is scoring big without a lot of traditional stars, and he’s moving his extra depth to boot. What a start to the season!
Shoguns of Harlem (2-2)
It’s hard to say if Mike’s constant rebranding helps his team or not, but so far the newly dubbed Shoguns are outpacing their 1-3 start from 2013. Despite being riddled with injuries, this team has managed to win on the strength of two 86 point games in WK1 and WK4. The toughest stretch of their schedule seems to be over too, so it could be smoother sailing from here on out. If this team can stay healthy.
Currently, out of eleven players who have seen the field for Shoguns, fully eight of them have a glaring red “P" or “Q” next to their names. Top running back Arian Foster is working his way back from injury — handcuff Ben Tate too — so it’s been up to Tony Romo and Jeremy Maclin to lead the attack. Alshon Jeffery seems to be heating back up, but it looks like TE Vernon Davis coud be dinged up. There’s no second running back on this team, as Chris Johnson is proving that his star days are waaaay over. Receiver Andrew Hawkins has been a steady if unspectacular flex option, as this team looks to run-and-shoot its way to stay competitive.
Detroit Players (2-2)It’s hard to more snakebitten than Detroit Players so far this season. Mark Ingram flashed two weeks of incredible numbers before breaking a hand. A.J. Green missed WK2 after getting knocked out early. Starting TE Kyle Rudolph is also out. And then there’s Robert Griffin III, who wasn’t exactly setting the NFL on fire anyway when he was healthy. At least Players moved fast to acquire Kirk Cousins in a trade, riding him to a WK3 win over the Warriors, before having Cousins’ four INTs sink them to 0.500 in WK4.
So how is this team winning? Welcome to the DeMarco Murray Experience! Mr. Murray is currently the top ranked RB, on pace to break 2,000+ yards, and is in the top five for all fantasy scorers so far this season. It’s Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, and then Murray. He's scored 17, 20, 17, and 26 points so far, with touchdowns in each game. With that kind of running game, Ariel has been able to work around the rest of his frail lineup, while finding useful pieces like rookie Jeremy Hill to fill in the gaps. If Ingram returns soon and Cousins stabilizes, Players could be headed to another post-season appearance. All hail DeMarco!
Mandalorian Warriors (1-3)
How quickly the mighty fall. Despite looking like a potential dynasty just two years ago, Matt’s team suddenly find themselves below 0.500 for the first time in forever, and it’s not unwarranted, as they’ve been the fourth lowest scoring team in M&B so far. After sneaking out a 76-71 WK1 win, Warriors have lost three in a row, with declining PF each time. Yes, they’ve faced four teams with a combined record of 11-5, but the Warriors we know and feared never needed excuses.
Despite a roster replete with stars, the second highest contributor so far this season has been TE Greg Olsen. You know, All-Pro Greg Olsen? No, not ringing a bell? Sure, Drew Brees is still slinging it, but he’s not on fire...yet. The biggest problem in the lineup right now is running back, where LeSean McCoy has been ineffective, and the fantasy world is off-kilter when Chris Ivory has been the steadier scorer of the two. McCoy is still a top option but two weeks with three points total is not going to help pull Warriors out of this tailspin. Larry Fitzgerald’s time as a WR#1 is clearly over, and he hasn’t even broken five points a game this season. Brandon Marshall had a huge WK2 but has been quiet since. Thank goodness for Julian Edelman, sort of. After a fast start, Edelman’s been in decline recently, as the Patriots offense sputters week by week. It’s way too early to hit the panic bell, but Matt has to be worried about losing his iron grip on the Lebowski Achievers this season. Especially to an upstart owner trying to go from worst to first!
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