Week 8: David finally beat Dylan
Six straight losses to Dylan, then the season's biggest blowout.
Week 8 was the week the league's most lopsided grudge finally flipped, and everywhere else the games came down to who somebody left on the bench. David Andreassen had never beaten Dylan McGinty. Now he has, by the largest margin anyone has posted this season. In every one of the other four games, the losing manager had the winning answer sitting on the bench.
🏆 WINNER OF THE WEEK — David Andreassen (Chase to Witch Mountain)
David, you did not just win this one, you ended an argument. The top score of the week at 144.9, an eighth straight win to sit 8-0, the Belt defended for the seventh time, and the first win in this series after six losses. Nothing here asks for a qualifier.
💀 LOSER OF THE WEEK — Harold Jimenez (Don't Sweat The Technique)
Harold Jimenez lost by 1.06 with Kirk Cousins on his bench and Lamar Jackson in the quarterback slot scoring zero. That is the whole story, and it did not need to be.
| Final | Margin |
|---|---|
| The Empire Strikes Backfield 136.12, Hail Mary Poppins 130.5 | 5.62 |
| The Snap 120.66, Don't Sweat The Technique 119.6 | 1.06 |
| Mean Machine 124.86, YAC_all_day 110.96 | 13.9 |
| 4*TOWN AND GOAL 129.28, Redcoats 103.94 | 25.34 |
| Chase to Witch Mountain 144.9, For The Birds 61.08 | 83.82 |
David Finally Gets Dylan
David Andreassen's Chase to Witch Mountain had met Dylan McGinty's For The Birds six times and lost six times. David wanted this one, and the final was 144.9 to 61.08, the largest margin of the season. Both teams were projected close, 142.16 to 141.7, which makes the gap harder to explain and more fun to look at.
Dylan, there is no decision to roast here, so I won't pretend. For The Birds came in on five straight wins and left with the season's low score, 80.6 under projection, a number the draft room will repeat back to you in August. He is still 6-2 and second in the table.
David, six losses to the same person is a long wait, and you did not win this one on a coin flip.
Harold's Zero
Harold Jimenez told the desk in August that his lineup process is sweating Sunday morning. The recorded lineup had Lamar Jackson at quarterback and Kirk Cousins on the bench. Lamar Jackson scored 0. Kirk Cousins scored 28.18. Harold lost to Drew Richardson's The Snap 120.66 to 119.6. Harold, I am not angry. Just look at the quarterback slot first next week.
It stings more because the rest of the week was sharp: Tyler Bass off the wire for 16 in his debut, and the Saquon Barkley flex call returned 12.4. That is a manager paying attention everywhere but the one slot that mattered.
Drew needed every bit of it. Before Monday he trailed 85.36 to 119.6, then Jaxon Smith-Njigba's 23.8 and Colston Loveland's 11.5 carried him over. Even then the win only holds because the Bengals D/ST he added this week recorded a safety worth 2. Drew, you added a defense and won on a safety. Don't tell me that was the plan.
Steven's Monday
Steven Ginter's The Empire Strikes Backfield trailed Kristen Ginter's Hail Mary Poppins 108.22 to 130.5 going into Monday night with one player left. D'Andre Swift scored 27.9, and the final read 136.12 and a win, 24.4 over projection, the biggest overachiever on the board. Not every one of his seven observed lineup edits landed: Denzel Boston in the flex over Rashee Rice, 9.7 against 18.3, could have lost it. Monday night forgave him.
Only two teams scored more than Hail Mary Poppins' 130.5, and Kristen drew one of them. The Tucker Kraft start over George Kittle was right at 17.3. The Jordan Mason flex was not: 2 points while Keenan Allen sat with 13.7, and that swap alone turns the loss into a win. Kristen, you had the right answer in your own hands. The loss moves her to 5-3 and third in the table, with the playoff question from that 0-2 start still open.
| # | Team | W-L | GB | PF | Streak | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase to Witch Mountain | 8-0 | — | 1096.3 | W8 | — |
| 2 | For The Birds | 6-2 | 2 | 897.8 | L1 | — |
| 3 | Hail Mary Poppins | 5-3 | 3 | 1062.6 | L1 | — |
| 4 | The Snap | 5-3 | 3 | 1028.4 | W1 | — |
| 5 | Redcoats | 3-5 | 5 | 929.4 | L1 | — |
| 6 | 4*TOWN AND GOAL | 3-5 | 5 | 904 | W1 | ▲1 |
| 7 | Don't Sweat The Technique | 3-5 | 5 | 896 | L1 | ▼1 |
| 8 | Mean Machine | 3-5 | 5 | 838.8 | W1 | — |
| 9 | The Empire Strikes Backfield | 3-5 | 5 | 822.8 | W1 | — |
| 10 | YAC_all_day | 1-7 | 7 | 981.2 | L3 | — |
Five teams sit at 3-5, two games behind the fourth seed, so the bench points above are going to decide seats, not pride.
Mahomes Came Back to Haunt Jim
Jim Gascon's 4*TOWN AND GOAL dropped Patrick Mahomes this week. Mathew Clark's Redcoats picked him up, started him over Brock Purdy, and got 25.44 head-to-head against the man who cut him. That is as poetic as fantasy gets, and Mathew still lost by 25.34.
Mathew, here is why. Tyler Allgeier scored 36.1 on your bench while Omarion Hampton started for 4.7, and that swap alone flips the result. You have started six different defenses this season, so finding the right player is not the problem; you left the best one sitting there. Jim had Joe Burrow's 39.48, the top player score of the week, which covered his Caleb Douglas waiver add managing 8.3.
Gregory's Bench
Gregory Leite kept Bhayshul Tuten at a round-7 price. Tuten scored 29.9 this week, on the bench, behind Bijan Robinson's 7.6. YAC_all_day lost to Kevin Gaffney's Mean Machine by 13.9, and the Tuten swap alone would have won it. Gregory, the James Cook III flex call over Carnell Tate paid 18.1, so you were reading the board. You just stopped one slot early.
Gregory also kept Bijan Robinson at a round-1 price, Cook at a round-2 price and Drake Maye at a round-6 price, and this week the round-6 keeper outranked the round-1 keeper. That leg of the bet is in trouble, not settled. He sits 1-7, and the playoff question leans no.
Kevin earned this one. He added the Jaguars D/ST and started them over the Texans for 21, and started Michael Wilson, a player Jim dropped back in Week 3, for 26.8 over Rome Odunze's 12.7. Jim added and started Caleb Douglas, the player Kevin dropped, and got far less back.
- 🏆 Top Score: Chase to Witch Mountain — 144.9
- 🚽 Toilet Bowl: For The Birds — 61.08
- 🔨 Beatdown: Chase to Witch Mountain over For The Birds by 83.82
- 😰 Photo Finish: The Snap over Don't Sweat The Technique by 1.06
- 📈 Overachiever: The Empire Strikes Backfield, +24.4 over projection
- 📉 Faceplant: For The Birds, -80.6 under projection
- 🪑 Bench of the Week: Redcoats left Tyler Allgeier (36.1) on the bench
- ⭐ Player of the Week: Joe Burrow (39.48) — started by 4*TOWN AND GOAL
- 🥊 The Belt: Chase to Witch Mountain — defended against For The Birds, 144.9 to 61.08 (7 straight defenses)
The hardware tells it plainly: the top score and the Beatdown belong to the same manager, and Bench of the Week belongs to the man who got Mahomes right and Allgeier wrong.
On Deck
The Belt climax: David defends against Kevin with the all-time series tied 2-2. If David holds, the streak and the Belt both stay put; if Kevin takes it, the unbeaten season ends against a 3-5 team. Harold meets Dylan with Harold leading the series 3-2, both coming off losses. If Harold wins, Dylan's 6-2 cushion gets thinner; if Dylan wins, Harold drifts further from the line.
Drew faces Kristen at 5-3 apiece with Drew leading the series 6-3, and the loser hands the five-team pack at 3-5 a game back. Jim meets Greg with Jim leading 1-0; Mathew meets Steven with no prior meeting on file.
Same time next week. Set your lineups.