GWBL - 2022 Season Recaps - 5th Place

Team:

Super Coopers - Keetz (6-8) - 1,991 points (4th of 10)

What Went Right:

Right off the bat I’d have to say - it was fortunate for Keetz to even make the playoffs. I personally have never made playoffs with a below .500 record, but these new 14 game seasons create some interesting results. That’s not to say Keetz didn’t deserve to make playoffs - with the 4th most points he absolutely did. But I have to say that making playoffs with a losing record is fortunate.

Back to all those points he scored - Let’s start with his first pick. Cooper Kupp was an animal this season and averages 23.7 points per game. He’s WR12….despite the fact he hasn’t played since Week 10. He got hurt in that game and only scored 2.9 points. Take that game out and he averaged over 26 per game in the 8 games he played. The fact he only played 9 games is certainly something I’ll revisit in the next section.

The resurrection of Saquon Barkley was another thing that went Keetz’ way this season. After 2 terrible seasons a lot of the fantasy community had written him off. It seemed like a Todd Gurley situation where there was a chance he could be out of football entirely a year or two from now. Others in the fantasy community, Keetz included, thought he still had it and drafted him in the 3rd round. Those managers were rewarded with an RB5 season - over 1400 yards and 9 TDs. He was especially useful in PPR leagues with 47 catches to date.

The last thing I’ll say is his Week 13 game against Lamone, also known as “the game that saved Keetz season”. Both teams were 5-7 at the time and battling for that last playoff spot. Keetz’ team performed well below his standards, but he still won by a score of 116-99. Lamone’s entire team shit the bed, most notably Alvin Kamara (8), Zay Jones (3), Tua (14), and George Kittle (4). In this scoring a score of 116 is a loss 90% of the time, but Keetz did enough to take the W and ultimately earn the playoff spot.

What Went Wrong:

Losing Cooper Kupp during week 10 was an absolute killer. Kupp was on his way to another WR1 season and was almost guaranteed 20 points per game. Losing a player of this caliber changes the entire dynamic of a team and Keetz was no different. Prior to Week 10 Keetz had a record of 5-4. Including the game Kupp was injured, Keetz was 1-4. To make matters worse, the hit was extremely dirty. If you haven’t seen the replay, the Cardinals DB dove right at his ankle when the pass was high and clearly out of bounds. Shoulda been a flag and a fine, but I digress. In any case this injury was the clear turning point in Keetz’ season.

I’ll also say the Round 1 playoff loss - 146-179 at the hands of Tieg. A 146 point output is more than respectable, but Tieg went off and Keetz didn’t have a chance.

Best Owner Move:

I’d say Joe Burrow in the 10th round, who is currently QB4. What a value. Tom Brady in the 8th was solid as well - QB12. This was a really frustrating season for QBs - just ask people who drafted Russel Wilson, Dak, Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers, etc. Keetz was one of the owners who didn’t have to worry about QB play though. He wisely stacked his QB room with 2 top end talents and never had to worry about the position.

The Christian Watson pickup also comes to mind, especially because it cost him ZERO dollars. He picked him up right after his breakout game in DAL and held him the rest of the way (started him most weeks I believe).

Worst Owner Move:

Keetz is a pretty savvy owner so it’s hard to find anything here. I guess I’ll say taking Leonard Fournette at #19 overall. The return was fine and Fournette is RB14, but when you look at who he passed up on it doesn’t look great. Travis Kelce (TE1) and Nick Chubb (RB6) went immediately after. That’s hindsight though.

Turning down my trade offers for TB12 was another tough move to justify. I think I offered him something like Davante Adams and Rachaad White for TB12, Tee Higgins and Melvin Gordon. Keetz was driving a hard bargain and we never got a deal done. In hindsight he should have smashed accept on that trade.

Preseason Prediction:

I said he’d finish 3rd place and while I was right on playoffs, I didn’t anticipate he’d lose in the first round. I’ll give myself credit for playoffs, so 3 of 5 here.

ESPN said 4th of 10 - ESPN is 4 for 5 now.

Final Thoughts:

Any time you make playoffs it’s a solid season, but this was a little bit below the normal Keetz output. Ultimately the Kupp injury torpedoed his season as it did so many other teams. Oh well, we’ll see Keetz back in the playoffs next year I’m sure.