2021 Power Rankings-Week 8

## Introduction

It's time for a special Halloween edition of the writeup! It's just like the regular writeup except published on Halloween. Spooooooky!

## Matchup Recap

* Ma ma momma said wins a thriller against Duck Punchers to move into first place (5-12). **Next Matchup: N/A**
* Multiverse of Mattness pulls a second straight upset and sends a short-handed Stupid Idiots home with an L (4-3). **Next Matchup: Week 9**
* Pain Train becomes the first team to complete a Double-Header in 2021 with their win, earning a split against The Shotti Bunch (6-10). **Next Matchup: N/A**
* Papa's Posse sweeps the season series against Sweet Dee, tying up their franchise head-to-head in the process (8-8). **Next Matchup: N/A**
* RIPDab gets the most predictable victory of all-time vs. pathetic Paddock 9 (8-8). **Next Matchup: N/A**

## Stat Chat

* RIPDab becomes the 4th team to reach 80 combined wins.
* The Shotti Bunch becomes the 8th team to reach 50 regular season losses.
* Duck Punchers becomes the 9th team to reach 50 regular season losses.
* Duck Punchers ties their longest streak of consecutive regular season games over 200 (7, 2018).
* Pain Train becomes the 5th team to break 200 points in 90 combined games.
* Ma ma momma said becomes the 4th team to break 200 points in 80 regular season games.
* This is the first time in the matchup between Stupid Idiots and Multiverse of Mattness that the winning team did not break 220 points.

## Team Records by Month

Since week eight finishes on 11/1/21, it goes in the record books as a November game. Thus, we have our final tally of everyone's October results. Some had really strong showings after lackluster starts, while others stumbled.

* Ma ma momma said: 3-1
* Duck Punchers: 3-1
* Multiverse of Mattness: 3-1
* RIPDab: 2-2
* The Shotti Bunch: 2-2
* The Stupid Idiots: 2-2
* Papa's Posse: 2-2
* Pain Train: 1-3
* Sweet Dee: 1-3
* Paddock 9: 1-3

Bit of a surpise to see Multiverse of Mattness up there with the big boys, but the lackluster squad benefited greatly from poor performances and weaker teams in October (two wins were against teams below them in the standings).

Meanwhile, several teams that started hot have cooled slightly. Shotti Bunch and RIPDab had average months of .500 ball, with the wins looking solid and dominant and the losses frustrating and underwhelming. It is worth noting that RIPDab saw the most points against in October (961.11).

Then you have the 1-3 teams. Paddock 9 is obviously out of it. Sweet Dee had her usual tough month of October and notched her 31st loss in the month, joining Papa's Posse as the only other team to break 30 losses in a single month. Pain Train is an anomaly. At 1-3, he still seems like a strong team that could easily hop over Multiverse and Stupid Idiots in the coming weeks.

Updated thru 10/30/21

Duck's 0.771 is the strongest performance in any month by any team.

## First to Worst - A Paddock 9 Story

Look, let's give Pat the credit he is due. He won two years in a row. Regardless of how he did it (i.e. one season he saw the fewest points agains for a champion, the next he bought players with draft picks BUT I DIGRESS), he did it. Nate, Chris, Nick, and Commish can't say the same. But all debts come due and must be paid. While it is CLEAR that Paddock 9 is not going to Threepeat, it must also be said that he is amassing quite a pick haul for 2022. He's accumulated draft picks from three different teams so far and is still wheeling and dealing. At least two of them will have spent their future for nothing (probably me), and possibly all three. But it is part of the risk you take when you are trying to make a run.

All that to say, it's not entirely fair to say Paddock 9 sucks this season, simply because he's intentionally venting all his star-power as the season progresses. But in a vacuum, Paddock 9 does in fact fucking suck. He sucks so bad that I was starting to think he had the potential to be the worst team in LOC history. Let's look at some bad stats.

### Worst Starts Through Seven Weeks (2012-2021)

As we can see, Paddock 9 is not really even in the bottom 10 teams as far as shittiness. But it's important to keep in mind that there has not been a team below 1300 points in four seasons. Scoring is up all around, which leads me to believe that it's an unfair metric for determining just how bad a season Paddock 9 is in store for. His debut in 2011 was a 2-11 12th place crap-fest, and while it's not possible for him to finish lower than 10th it's still possible he could break the record for most regular season losses.

### All-Time Lowest Single-Season Scores

This chart only includes regular season point totals and does not take into account any points scored in the post-season.

It would be pretty impressive if Paddock 9 made this list with the extra game, and I don't think it's possible that any team can ever reach his 2011 record.

## A Ten-Game Double-Header Sweep? Anything is Possible...

From 2012-2020 every team had four double-headers (facing the same team twice). During that span, no one was swept (lost all eight of those matchups). In 2011, Paddock 9 got swept but there were only two double-headers because we had 12 teams.

Now, in 2021, we have FIVE double-headers. We all play half the teams in the league twice. Here is how everyone has done in double-headers throughout LOC history (includes Papa's sweep of Sweet Dee in 2021):

* DH Wins = Won both matchups against the same team
* DH Loss = Lost both matchups against the same team
* DH Sweeps = Won every matchup against every team you faced twice
* DH Swept = Lost every matchup against every team you faced twice

I bring this up because I am wondering: could it be possible that Paddock 9 becomes the first team to get swept in the five double-header era? This week's matchup is pivotal for him. He faces Sweet Dee in the first of their two 2021 matchups (the second is in week 14). Sweet Dee seems to be the team Paddock 9 is most likely to upset in order to avoid the sweep.

But here's the rub: Paddock 9 will need to go 0-7 over the rest of the season to get swept in the double-headers. He has both legs of his Shotti Bunch and Dee matchups left to play, plus rematches against Pain Train, Momma, and Papa. It seems like at some point he should be able to pull an upset, but I've seen crazier things happen in the LOC.

## Survivor

RIPDab took a strike this week after picking Denver against Cleveland on Thursday night. I'm not one to judge, but taking a 3-point favorite on a Thursday Night game in a pretty even unpredictable matchup is a bold strategy.

## Trades By Season

Trades are happening at a crazy clip this year, a welcomed change of pace compared to some older seasons. It's interesting to me that this league basically only knows how to trade players for picks, and it is rare to see a player for player trade. It got me to thinking: How many trades have we had each season and how many of those trades were player for player vs. player for pick?

We've already matched the single-season record for trades, with a few weeks left before the deadline. Let's see if we can push ourselves over the top and get to double-digit trades before this is all said and done!

## Trade Tracker

Starts (Mattness):

* CEH: 2
* Mooney: 3

Starts (Paddock 9)

* Sermon: 1
* Woods: 4

It certainly seems like Commish should have been a little more patient with Robert Woods, but it remains to be seen whether CEH will assist a depleted RB corp during the playoff run in late-November.

Starts (Paddock 9):

* Gordon: 3
* Fuller: 1

Starts (RIPDab)

* Aiyuk: 3
* Ruggs: 0

Gordon has averaged 16.68 points per game, I have no clue why Pat won't srtart him. It's not like his roster is busting with talen.

Meanwhile, Aiyuk is a real piece of shit.

Starts (Paddock 9):

* Kirk: 0
* Reagor: 0

Starts (RIPDab)

* Hopkins: 3
* Williams: 1

Kirk averaging 15.90 on Pat's bench.

Starts (ma ma momma said):

* Dallas Goedert: 1

Starts (Multiverse of Mattness):

* J.D. McKissic: 2

Nothing like a mutually beneficial trade amongst friends.

Starts (ma ma momma said):

* Allen Robinson: 3

Starts (Papa's Posse):

* Mike Davis: 2

Hey, both teams are 2-1 since the trade. That's pretty cool, right?

## Power Rankings - Week Eight

I don't have time for a Halloween theme, just imagine that everything is extra scary.

### 1(1). Ma ma momma said

Momma has had some good seasons, but she's never finished first and earned the Commissioner's Cup. She's got the team to do it in 2021, but a lot will rely on the endurance of Derrick Henry and Ja'Marr Chase. The lineup still has its shortcomings, namely Sam Darnold and the injured Dak Prescott. Hollywood Brown is coming in to provide some relief for a WR corp that seems thin at best and a large chink in the armor at worst.

### 2(2). Duck Punchers

It was their lowest score of the season and it cost them first place. But their schedule lightens up and they are pretty much a lock for playoffs so it's just a matter of fighting for that bye.

### 3(3). RIPDab

RIPDab has played to their opponent all season, or rather their opponent has gone off against them nearly every week. This week they are facing the scrappy Mattness and he is already off to a slow start. If this upset happen, what does it mean for #NateYear?

### 4(4). The Stupid Idiots

Stupid Idiots did Stupid Idiot things this weekend, starting OJ Howard who has 11 total catches from Brady in five games this season. It was a tough week to lose their two best players, especially facing a beatable team. You have to wonder if their giant blurb in last week's writeup was some sort of #MattJinx.

### 5(7). Pain Train

Pain Train might be about ready to give up on his season, but his team sure isn't. They played great against The Shotti Bunch to keep pace just outside the playoff bubble. Of course, now they have to contend with losing their team captain Adams vs. ma ma momma said.

### 6(5). The Shotti Bunch

Up and down season for Shotti so far, with a lot riding on Dallas vs. Minnesota tonight (four players going, including first round pick and starting QB). Basically if this becomes a defensive struggle, Shotti may not have enough power in the rest of his lineup to compensate. Should be fun to watch as Duck will roll out CeeDee Lamb as his last player of the week.

### 7(8). Papa's Posse

Every year Papa goes on a run and it seems like maybe they have been underestimated. They fight hard on the waiver wire and they labor over every start sit decision. It usually pays off for a stretch and then they crash back to Earth after it's clear their roster was performing above their means. One thing that makes me sad is that they don't ever care to pull a Paddock when their season is over and trade for 2022 prospects. They'd rather put out the best lineup every week and fight. I admire that, but it keeps them in this never-ending cycle of being below average, with basically no keepers and no extra draft picks.

### 8(6). Sweet Dee

Starting Sterling Shepard was a bad look and the Fantasy Gods punished Sweet Dee with the worst performance of 2021. If they want to save their season, there's no time like week 8. They are facing Paddock 9, who all but begs teams to beat him. If she loses to him, the outlook is bleak.

### 9(10). The Multiverse of Mattness

Mattness tries his fucking hardest to lose every week. He has consistently made the wrong choice with every streamer option on his team. And this was one of those wins that you felt Multiverse of Mattness needed to have. Byemageddon week, facing a team that had its two best players out, and they still nearly benched the victory. If (and it's a big if) they get CEH and CMC back by week 10 and they both stay healthy, this team is definitely set up nicely to make a run. If (and it's a small if) the duel-stud RBs can't return until late or never, it's game over man. AJ and Kamara cannot carry the entire squad.

### 10(9). Paddock 9

A loss to Sweet Dee will give them yet another week in last place and lock in their holding of the record until at least 2022. It's sad but with all the picks they are amassing, they will be an insufferable force again next year.

## Matchup of the Week - Season on the Line?

We might as well throw Paddock 9 a single bone this season, since he's not going to be of any consequence for the remainder of the year. Sweet Dee really, REALLY needs this win, and Paddock would love nothing more than to play spoiler. It's Paddock vs. Dee, a battle of the last two champions. But you'd never guess judging from their 3 combined wins. Hey, it counts. We got fantasy fireworks coming!