OBITUARIES - 4TH PLACE - KEN PEABS

THE FOURNETTEUATE FEW: 7-6

What Went Right?:

The last 5 weeks of Ken’s season is the first thing that comes to mind here. This spanned from Week 10 of the regular season through the first round of the playoffs. During this stretch Ken went 5-0 and had some of his best weeks of the year. Over 13 weeks of regular season action, the FEW averaged 119.3 points per game. That was good for 4th best. During his 5 week bukake party his team was even better. During that 5 week span his team averaged 125 points per game. Over the regular season that would have been tops in the league (Tieg was 124 per week). All in all he put up about 625 points in those 5 games – all of which were wins. This was probably the best 5 week stretch any team had all year (Keetz would be close).

The points were great, but the circumstances made things even better. First off, The Fournettuate Few defeated 3 of the 6 playoff teams in those 5 weeks. He beat Rob D, Lamone and myself which is pretty good company. Second of course is that the last of those wins was his first round playoff victory. If there’s ever a time to put up 143 points, the first round of the playoffs is it. Last but not least, Ken saved his season with those wins. Going into Week 10 Fournettuate Few was 3-6 and on the outside looking in. It pretty much seemed like a guarantee that he would miss the playoffs. All he had to do was lose ONE game and he’d be out. He literally had to win every single game from there on out in order to make the playoffs……and he did. That’s pretty fuckin ridiculous, four regular season wins in a row. Robby D and Keetz were the only other teams to match that feat this year.

Simply put, Ken’s team got hot at the right time. You never wanna limp through the end of the regular season like my teams always seem to do. Growing stronger as the year goes on and making a late run is the way to go. While he ultimately fell short, Ken should feel pretty good about that 5 week stretch.

One last thing - the major ingredient for this turnaround was Antonio Brown. During those 5 weeks, he combined for 42 catches, 674 yards, 6 TDs and 140 fantasy points. On a per week basis, that’s over 8 catches, 134 yards and a TD PER WEEK. That’s actually insane.

What Went Wrong?:

I’ll talk about 3 things here. The first was Matt Ryan and his horribly disappointing season. After taking the NFL MVP award last year, Ryan was a hot name in fantasy football. He had all his weapons back and it seemed like he would continue to produce at a high level. In fantasy drafts he was the 4th QB taken right after Rodgers, Brady and Brees. Unfortunately it didn’t work out. Due to a combination of Super Bowl Hangover, 28-3 shame and a new offensive coordinator, the Falcons offense stalled this year. Matt Ryan is currently QB15 and only has 3,700 yards with 19 TDs and 12 picks through 15 games. That’s a long way off from the 4,950 yards with 38 TDs and 7 picks last year. Yikes.

Another thing was the ill-timed absences of Leonard Fournette. Even though he had an awesome season, Fournette was literally a no-show in a few key spots. The first was Week 7 when he was a surprise inactive about an hour before kick-off. He’d been dealing with an injury all week, but it seemed like he’d play. Unfortunately he didn’t and Ken lost his matchup by 3 points that week. Fournette had a bye in Week 8 before again missing a game in Week 9. This time it wasn’t injury though, this time it was a violation of team rules that lead to a suspension. Ken lost that game by 10. The last and most impactful of the bunch was his absence in Round 2 of the playoffs (Week 15). Even though Fournette put up 28 against me in the first round (OF COURSE HE DID), he sat out in Week 15 with an injury. Pretty sure the Jags were just resting him, which makes it even worse. Ken lost that matchup as well.

The last thing that went wrong was Antonio Brown’s injury. After putting up 32 against me in Week 14 (OF COURSE HE DID), Brown got injured the very next game (OF COURSE HE DID). He hasn’t played since and Ken hasn’t won since.  Sad face.

Best Roster Move:

Alex Collins – acquired on October 18th for exactly zero FAAB dollars. That was right before Week 7 and since then, Collins has scored 5, 22, 8, 19, 16, 26, 30, 10 and 11 points in 9 games. Collins is a top 20 RB and locked down Ken’s FLEX spot towards the end of the year.

Jamaal Williams – acquired for 26 pubic hairs on Wednesday, November 15th (right before Week 11). Since Week 12, Williams has scored 15, 32, 26.5, 30, 5 and 9 points in 7 games. Even though he didn’t play at all the first 9 weeks (11 carries), he’s still ranked as RB35 on the year.

Marvin Jones – acquired in exchange for the Packers D on October 5th. No cash considerations. Jones is currently WR12 and 10 or more points in 7 of the 9 games since then.

Mark Ingram – taken with the 58th pick in our draft (6th round). It was more just pure luck, but Ken’s 6th round pick is RB6 on the year. In total he has 1,000 rushing yards, 400 receiving yards and 12 TDs.

Worst Roster Move:

Dez Bryant in the 2nd round was a bad pick by Ken. All of the signs pointed to Bryant being a bust candidate, but Ken took him over guys like Michael Thomas (WR7), Brandin Cooks (WR13), Alshon Jeffery (WR16) and Keenan Allen (WR4). Bryant is currently WR25 with 66 catches for 814 yards and 6 TDs on the season.

Matt Ryan in the 5th round, see above. Ryan was taken over guys like Jarvis Landry, Larry Fitzgerald and Kareem Hunt (all 5th rounders).

Ken added Josh Gordon for $60 late in the year. Gordon has only scored about 8 points per week since the signing.

Defining Moment:

When Antonio Brown got injured in Week 14. Brown was pretty much Ken’s team and once he went down…..kaput.

Pre-Season Prediction:

In terms of predictions, I say Ken will finish 5-8 and miss the playoffs. Crazy to think it’s been 3 years since Ken finished 1st place in the regular season with a 10-3 record. Interestingly enough I think he had Antonio Brown and DeMarco Murray that year – he now has Antonio and another Cowboy’s skill player. Maybe that’ll help him get back to the playoffs, but as of now I don’t think so.

Yikes, only 3 correct out of 7 so far. In fairness though, Ken’s late season run was ridiculous and Tieg’s collapse was equally absurd. Without those I’d be shooting 5 of 7, but oh well.

Applicable Quote:

“Appear weak when you are strong and strong when you are weak.”

That’s a quote from Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” and is pretty applicable to Ken. Ken’s team appeared weak through the first 9 games this year. Everyone thought he was out of the hunt, everyone wondered if he’d go for the Gabriel. Everyone was wrong. In reality, Ken was just getting started. He proceeded to rip off 5 straight wins and was definitely a contender before injuries to Antonio/Fournette. Appear weak when you are strong indeed.

Wrap It Up:

Ken had a real good season and should be proud of how it ended up. He was dead in the water through 9 weeks, but he made a ridiculous run and made it into the money rounds. He ultimately fell short, but it was a good season nonetheless.

Next year will be an interesting one for Ken. Due to his wedding, the draft is gonna be a little tricky. We’re either doing it the weekend of his wedding, or as soon as he gets back from his honey-moon. Depending on when we do it, he may miss out on a lot of prep time. August 15 through Septembeer 30th is PRIME fantasy research time and Ken is gonna be on his honeymoon during that period.  I’m definitely curious to see how this plays out. (And congrats Ken, looking forward to the wedding.)