Only two weeks left to go -- two chances to solidify your spot in the postseason, either by winning your division or posting up enough wins to grab a Wild Card spot. If you're in the white part of the below chart, then two wins will get that locked in. If you're in the grey, then two wins might just be what will move you into the postseason. Let's take a look at how last week's action has shaped the chart:
Only one major change on the board, with Why Not Zoidberg? taking over the lead in the AFC West and sending Indiana Jems down into the grey.
With that, let's take a look at our divisional matches for the week:
For most of the season, the AFC West has been the tightest division in the league, and that definitely remains the case here with two 8-7 players and two 7-8 players all vying for the title. The one thing we can say for certain here is that this will not be settled until Week 18 -- the only thing to be determined here is how many players will still be in the race then. And this week it'll the first-place Why Not Zoidberg? taking on the fourth-place Lyle Alzado. And while no one really wants to be in fourth, it's not all that bad when you're in the one division where fourth place hasn't been eliminated from division title contention. So basically, whoever wins this week is guaranteed to remain in contention for the season finale.
Up in the AFC North, there's only one role left for Mean Machine, and that's one of spoiler. Brenda's Bulldogs has secured herself a spot in the postseason, but she's still looking to wear the division crown. If she gets the win and JPP's Missing Fingers loses, then the division belongs to Brenda's Bulldogs -- any other result, and this is going to come down to a Week 18 showdown between those two. For his part, Mean Machine has been eliminated from playoff contention, but he's already got one Player Of The Week under his belt, and would certainly love to add another here.
There are whole lot of ways the race in the NFC South could go. Right now, Beep Bops has the division lead and cannot miss the postseason. But he still has a threat to his title aspirations in the form of Alabama Slammers. If Alabama Slammers beats LV-426 Xenomorphs this week and Beep Bops loses his match, then the Week 18 match between the two of them would be a winner-take-all contest for the division title (and possibly the #1 seed), while the loser would have to settle for a Wild Card berth. However, two losses by Alabama Slammers could see him miss the postseason entirely, while if LV-426 Xenomorphs were to close out the season with two wins then he might find himself squeaking into a Wild Card spot of his own.
Big happenings in the NFC North, where Delta Dawgs -- who has already locked in a playoff spot -- can wrap up the division title with a win here over Pigskin Palookas. It's also an important one for Pigskin Palookas, because if he comes out ahead this week then he would secure his own playoff berth, and would have the inside track to take the division title for his own. Match Of The Year for these two here!
It's been a blowout season in the NFC East, where Turf Toe has as many wins as any two other players in the division combined. The division title is his, but he still has goals left to achieve. He's currently sitting at the #2 seed in the AFC, which was once good enough for a first-round bye, but not any longer. Since the NFL revamped the playoffs last year, it's only the #1 seed that gets a bye, and that's still in Turf Toe's reach. His best shot at passing Beep Bops for the top spot is to win out these final two weeks, and that begins with a face-off against Jeff B. For his part, Jeff B isn't technically eliminated from playoff contention, but his hopes for a Wild Card spot are incredibly slim. It would take his winning these next two, and a whole lot of other players to lose both matches. We'll explore this more next week if necessary, and the only way it can even begin to be speculated about would be for Jeff B to score a win this week.
All right, that'll do it for this early look at Week 17. This week's games don't begin until Sunday, so you have until Saturday night at 8:00 to get your full pick set submitted. Until then, have a great New Year's!
Ok, we're posting this much later than we wanted to, so we'll just get to it. Check the week's pick chart (oh no, we've had our first player no-show in a couple of seasons!), and take a look back tonight to see how things are coming together. Have a great Sunday everyone!
Ten matches down, six left to be decided by MNF. Check back after the Browns/Steelers game to see if anyone else joins Delta Dawgs in clinching their division this week.
All this added up to a pretty crazy week. Of the top eight players in the Power Rankings, six of them posted losses. Lots of eliminated players taking their role of spoiler seriously this week!
Big props going out to StuB -- he picked the Browns last night which was a miss...and it was his first and only incorrect pick on the week! A lot of players put up big numbers this week, including a half-dozen players with a mere two misses, but Stub's 15-of-16 performance was definitely enough to earn him the Player of the Week nod.
Heading into the final week of the season, three more players have punched their postseason tickets -- Fighting Sporks has locked up the NFC West title, while both JPP's Missing Fingers and Alabama Slammers have set themselves up to finish no lower than a Wild Card spot. That means there are three division titles and four Wild Card spots still up for grabs next week -- gotta love the late-season drama! We'll have a full breakdown of all the possibilities in the week 18 preview.
So until then, take a look at the finalized pick chart, see how you look in the updated Standings, and for 18 of you, get a jump on submitting your final picks of the season!
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