Well that’s it folks, the fantasy season is officially over. Looking back at my mid-season report, I really thought this post was going to come a few weeks ago. The playoffs are over and I’m happy to report that I had reason to hold off. Let’s start with a bit of bad news and then end on a high note.
Work League
At my last report, I was 9th overall at 2-6. I finished the season in the same place at 4-10. The good news is I didn’t come in last, the bad news is the guy who didn’t wasn’t really playing. I ended with the highest PA (by 100) for anyone in the league but my team also failed to show up when it really mattered down the stretch.
Despite this being a work league, only 1 of the 4 teams in the playoffs still/ever worked with us. I’m not sure if that really means anything but certainly seems suspect. The team that ended up winning the championship was the only one who has never gotten a paycheck from our employer, which sucks. He made the best use of waivers and I have to think there is some coincidence there. With an injury laden season, those that picked up backups who turned out to be more effective than the people they were replacing, did well.
Big Money Father/Son League
I started 4-0 but fell to 4-4 by mid-season. I would eventually fall as far as 8th overall with a record of 5-7 after week 12. A week later I’d pulled out a 3 point win over the previously 10-2 Brady juggernaut (who I’d beaten before) and moved up to 6th. I had a chance, a slim chance, and it would all come down to the final week of the regular season. For me to make the playoffs, I had to win and two other teams had to lose.
Ryan Grant had an explosive week and I won with no real problems. The first of the two teams I needed to lose had Campbell and Shockey starting the when they got hurt so he went down without a fight. The other team, last year’s champion, was up against his son who’d stopped playing due to his record and had a starting player on IR. The son was 19 points down with only Colston left to play Monday night so I’d pretty much written off any chance of a post-season appearance. Colston grabs 92 yards on his way to two TDs and ends up with 20 points for the night. That’s right folks, I got into the playoffs by one measly point.
As the fourth seed I was matched up with the Brady-nator once again. As was the case in leagues around the country, the team with Brady lost (by 5 points) and I’d beaten him a third time to advance to the championship. My old man made a mid-season lunge for the top and also found his way into the playoffs as the third seed. He managed a win in the first round so we ended up with an all Derecola championship… which we knew drove others in the league nuts. I doubled up his score and took home the crown but there’s no word yet on my winnings will be.
So that’s it. Two seasons; one disastrous and another as good as it gets. In both leagues, those who made savvy waiver moves were the ones who ended up winning it all. I participated in fewer leagues this year so I could focus better and I think my one league benefited from that. I was in denial about my team in the work league, so I didn’t make as much use as I should have, but you can’t win them all.
Winning one is enough for me.
How’d you do?
I choked in both work leagues unfortunately. Oh well, there’s always next year.