There really wasn't
much hope left for my season being salvaged, but entering Week Eleven there was still a little. But we're quite done with that, now. I cobbled together just over a hundred points, but it wasn't enough leading predictably to my
fifth straight loss and the effective end of my season. Winning out the final four games was a heck of a lot to ask, but stumbling on the very first one drained any residual drama out of the situation.
My only hope was tied to the return of one or both of my injured superstars.
Justin Jefferson has been eligible to return from the IL for a few weeks, but once again he was not activated, which isn't an encouraging sign that he is going to play at all again this year, either because his injury is lingering or because he has only one more year on his Minnesota contract and doesn't want to risk missing hefty time next season and jeopardizing his chances of a big-time extension or landing somewhere else via trade.
However, my other ailing star, Miami rookie RB
De'Von Achane, was indeed tracking for return. With his gaudy 12 yards-per-carry average and a less than stalwart Vegas Raiders opponent, if he was activated I was surely going to be playing him. With BYEs the only other option on my bench beside Achane was
Chuba Hubbard, whose 4.90 showing last week helped me to a loss. De'Von
did suit up and go!....but after just three plays he seemed to re-aggravate the same knee that landed him on the IL and he was pulled and did not return. He had a single yard rushing and one short pass completion for four yards for a grand total of exactly 1.00 Fantasy point. Ouch. He isn't yet back on the IL nor shut down for the rest of the season, officially he is listed as day-to-day. But whether or not he returns at some point and can get back to the dynamic player he had been earlier in the season, it no longer matters to me.
Of course lowly Chuba Hubbard on the 1-9 Panthers ended his week with 7.50 points, which is hardly anything to crow about but in a close week a significantly better score than 1.00 and would have made the difference. *sigh*
Achane's teammate
Tua Tagovailoa had a pretty good if unspectacular game numbers-wise in the win over Las Vegas with 325 yards passing and a pair of TDs, though again mitigated by his two turnovers, ending with 21.60 points in a week where had he gotten closer to his ceiling I would have cruised to victory. And while Achane stumbled my other two backs carried the load. Commander
Brian Robinson had another good game, once again buoyed by some big pass plays for 131 total yards, but no TDs in the embarrassing loss to the Giants, for 16.60. The Jets continued their laughably lackluster campaign, though
Breece Hall managed their only score of the day versus Buffalo, a receiving TD and 73 total yards for 15.80, which was a rather miraculous fantasy accomplishment in a game where the final score was 32-6.
My top score of the week came from
Brandon Aiyuk, who for the second straight week scored a TD and had his best game of the year with 156 yards on only five catches for 24.10! Unfortunately the struggles for Washington's
Terry McLaurin continued and by contrast his five catches were good for only 43 yards and no scores and 6.80 points, the third straight week where he couldn't even get to double digit fantasy points. Ugh. Doubly painful as a Commanders fan, watching their season implode right along with mine.
On a week where a nice little surge from my kicker or defense might have put me over the top I got just 3.00 from Detroit's
Riley Patterson (three PATs!) and 6.00 from their DEF in what I hoped would be an epic, butt-kicking rout of The Bears but instead turned into a shootout they only pulled out in the closing minutes. As for my TE, Arizona's
Trey McBride continues to be my best option, and he had seven targets in the loss to Houston, but only five catches for 43 scoreless yards and a ho-hum 6.80, far from the 17 and 20 point scores of recent weeks. Conswarnit!
After all of that, I did crest a hundred points (101.70), and Sean's team was behind me at the end of Sunday's play by 15.76 points. He had but one player going on MNF, Philly's D'Andre Swift. Swift hadn't topped fourteen points since
week four and had only scored more than 15.76 twice all year. Which meant, obviously, he was going to have a big night. When I saw in the pregame it was raining in Kansas City I knew I was fu*ked. Sure enough, Swift scored the first TD of the game in The Eagles' second drive, only his fourth score of the year, just about guaranteeing that minus injury or a couple fumbles he was going to best fifteen points. He ended with 18.20 on 107 total yards, giving Wide Right a 2.50 margin of victory. So one stinking field goal or a modest 4.00 from Achane instead of a 1.00 and I am 5-6 and still have a mathematical chance. Instead 4-7 insures I am
done. Even if Jefferson were to come back and Achane's knee was fine and they both averaged 30.00 points a week the rest of the way I no longer have a path.
Justin Jefferson and De'Von Achane both went down in Week Five. I managed a win in
Week Six without them to go to 4-2 and I was in fourth place. Have. Not. Won. Since. Now I am 4-7 and in tenth place.
Yeah.
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I'm sorry Wylde. I guess this explains why Tyler Boyd crapped the bed.
