Week 6 Recap
This column went 5-for-5 for the first time all season. Fudge Friends played the only perfect lineup in the league. Haasinator5 left 28.40 points on his bench and lost by 5.20. Trimeniscus in sept is 6-0 on 105.60.
Last week, Kyle Pitts scored 15.2 on Haasinator5’s bench. This week he caught two touchdowns and scored 23.0. On the bench again. Haas lost by 5.20.
He wasn’t the only one. Tom DaBombadil had Colston Loveland (18.5) on his bench in a 12.42-point loss. Two losing teams would have won with their best lineups. One of them lost to Buscho, who scored 105.60, eighth-best in the league this week, and is now 6-0.
The bye weeks took Gibbs, Chase, St. Brown, Jefferson and Burrow off the board, and it showed. The league scored 1,132.96 points, the lowest week of the season by 84.50. The high score was 136.84. Every other week, the high has been at least 162.36.
And for the first time in six weeks, every pick in this column was right. Not every alarm went to plan. The details are at the bottom.
The Matchups
All five, in order of how much they hurt.
Fudge Friends played a perfect lineup. Haas benched 28.40 points and lost by 5.20.
Start with the winner, because it earned it. Fudge Friends scored 136.84, the high score of the week, with a perfect lineup. Their best possible score was 136.84. The only points left on the bench were Kenny Gainwell’s 3.4.
Trevor Lawrence threw for 306 yards and four touchdowns: 28.34. Bhayshul Tuten caught two of them and scored 24.7. Carnell Tate, last week’s 1.6, caught 6 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown: 19.0. Ashton Jeanty 15.8. Xavier Worthy 14.3. With Tyler Warren out, Dallas Goedert started at tight end and scored 12.1. The one quiet spot was Derrick Henry: 17 carries, 58 yards, a lost fumble, 5.0.
Haas had plenty. It was on the bench. Saquon Barkley sat, as expected. Haas didn’t start Courtland Sutton, which was right (3.9). He also didn’t start Keon Coleman (15.9), Alvin Kamara (14.9) or Kyle Pitts (23.0). Tyler Allgeier started at running back instead and scored 5.8 on 18 carries. Terry McLaurin started at receiver, caught one pass for 27 yards, and was carted off Monday night with a knee injury: 3.7.
Pitts for McLaurin wins the game by 14.10. So does Coleman for McLaurin, by 7.00. So does Kamara for Allgeier, by 3.90. Haas’s optimal lineup was 160.04, which would have been the high score of the week by 23.20. He left 28.40 on his bench, the most in the league.
The starters who played well played very well. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught 12 of 16 targets for 134 yards: 25.4. Isaiah Likely 23.9. DeVonta Smith, back from the hamstring, 20.5. Bryce Young, starting at quarterback, threw for 281 yards and two scores: 19.84. Luther Burden 17.5.
Haas is 1-5. He’s fourth-to-last in points scored, and he’s given up 890.20, the most in the league by 40.62. Fudge Friends move to 2-4 and out of the bottom two.
Most left on the bench — 28.40, in a 5.20-point lossBuscho had an off week and won by 12.42. Tom’s bench had 18.5 at tight end.
This column picked Buscho for the first time all season. He made it interesting.
Cam Skattebo started and scored 0.0. He wasn’t hurt. The Giants played him six snaps without a carry or a target after four fumbles this season. Bijan Robinson ran 9 times for 61 yards and lost 8 yards on two catches: 7.3. Christian Watson 9.4. Michael Wilson 7.2.
The rest carried it. Drake Maye threw three touchdowns: 24.3. Chuba Hubbard ran 28 times for 120 yards and a touchdown: 19.1. Denver’s defense scored 14 on Thursday night. George Pickens 13.3. Brock Bowers played through the knee and scored 11.0.
Buscho left 22.60 on his bench. That includes Michael Mayer, 7 catches for 95 yards: 16.5, the hedge this column flagged for Bowers. It outscored Bowers by 5.5. Jakobi Meyers scored 13.3. It didn’t matter.
Here is why. Tom scored 93.18, the second-lowest score of the week. Mahomes threw for 272 yards, no touchdowns and an interception: 11.48. Rhamondre Stevenson, the lead back with Henderson out, ran 14 times for 36 yards: 3.6. Garrett Wilson 8.4. Davante Adams left late in the loss to Arizona with 6.9. Sean McVay said Monday he’ll miss 6 to 10 weeks with a ruptured tendon.
Tom did make one move. Romeo Doubs, last week’s 2.6 in the flex, went to the bench, and Dameon Pierce scored 15.0 in his place. Doubs caught a 42-yard touchdown on the bench, hurt his shoulder on the catch, and went on injured reserve Monday: 12.2.
But Colston Loveland caught 6 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown on the bench: 18.5. This column named him as the fix Thursday. Loveland for Stevenson alone wins the game by 2.48. Tom’s optimal lineup was 113.38. He left 20.20 on the bench.
James Cook (24.3), Pierce (15.0) and Trey McBride (12.3) were the only starters to clear 12. Tom is 3-3 with the second-fewest points in the league. Buscho is 6-0 and has allowed the second-fewest.
Loveland on the bench — 18.5, in a 12.42-point lossChuck fixed his quarterback and led going into Sunday night. Dallas won it for the commissioner.
Chuck did the thing. Joe Burrow went to the bench, and Jordan Love started. Love threw for 276 yards and a touchdown and ran for another: 21.24. Without the switch, Chuck had a zero at quarterback.
He also got the two biggest games in the matchup. Malik Nabers caught 12 of 15 targets for 165 yards: 28.5. Kenneth Walker ran 19 times for 128 yards and two touchdowns: 27.9. Braelon Allen 12.4. Puka Nacua, last week’s 37.7, caught 6 for 80: 14.0.
Two starters didn’t show up. Juwan Johnson was targeted twice and caught nothing: 0.0, and he’s the only tight end on the roster. Kalif Raymond 3.8, with KC Concepcion at 7.9 on the bench. Houston’s defense scored 1.
Sean’s lineup looked nothing like Thursday’s. Rashee Rice went to the IR slot. Quinshon Judkins didn’t play. Omarion Hampton went to the bench. Blake Corum, the fix this column named, stayed on the bench too. In went Jaleel McLaughlin at running back, and Kendrick Bourne and Germie Bernard in the flex.
Bernard caught 11 of 12 targets for 87 yards and a touchdown: 25.7. That’s the high on Sean’s team. Thursday this column wrote that Bernard hadn’t scored for Sean yet. Noted. Bourne 9.7. McLaughlin 9.5. Jaylen Warren, last week’s 42.8, scored 9.8. Kansas City’s defense 16.
Going into Sunday night, Chuck led 96.30 to 94.30. Love was his last player. Sean had Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb in the same game. Dak threw two interceptions and scored 13.02. Lamb caught 9 of 18 targets for 70 yards: 16.0. That was enough. Love scored 21.24, and Sean won by 5.78.
Corum scored 14.0 on the bench, with a receiving touchdown. Corum for McLaughlin adds 4.50. It’s the second straight week he’s scored in double digits on Sean’s bench. This time it didn’t cost anything. Chuck’s best lineup, with Concepcion for Raymond, was 121.64. It still loses by 1.68.
Sean is 3-3. Chuck is 1-5. He’s lost two straight weeks with one of the three cleanest lineups in the league.
Decided Sunday night — 5.78Max picked the right quarterback. Lindeman’s comeback ran out on Monday night.
Baltimore ruled Lamar Jackson out on Friday. Max started Jayden Daniels, who threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns on Monday night: 21.0.
The rest of the lineup was steady. Matthew Golden caught 6 passes for 104 yards and a touchdown: 22.4. George Kittle 17.9. Jalen Coker, back after two weeks without points, caught 6 for 97: 15.7. J.K. Dobbins scored on Thursday night: 13.6. Zay Flowers 12.7. Kyren Williams 9.7.
The miss: Denzel Boston started and scored 2.5. Stefon Diggs scored 16.4 on the bench with a touchdown. That’s 13.90 left there, all of it in one slot.
Max led 79.60 to 59.00 going into Monday. Lindeman had Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey left. Max had Daniels and Kittle. McCaffrey ran for two touchdowns and caught 9 passes: 30.7, the best individual game of the week. Purdy added 17.36. That’s 48.06 on Monday night. Daniels and Kittle scored 38.90. Max won by 11.44.
Lindeman had one decision to make, Jeremiyah Love’s ankle. Love didn’t play. Keaton Mitchell, the fix this column named for the second straight week, started this time. He ran twice for 4 yards: 0.4. Chris Rodriguez, the other option the column named, ran 11 times for 55 yards on the bench: 5.5.
Emeka Egbuka scored 17.8. A.J. Brown, back from injured reserve, caught 3 of 10 targets for 5.7. Rome Odunze scored 6.9 on the bench. Lindeman’s optimal lineup was 113.86. It still loses by 4.64.
Decided Monday night — 11.44The lowest score of the season. Louie won by 49.28 with his better quarterback on the bench.
This column picked Louie “narrowly.” He won by 49.28.
Without Jahmyr Gibbs, Conte scored 75.00, the lowest score in this league all season. The old low was 83.38 in Week 2. MarShawn Lloyd, in Gibbs’s spot, ran 8 times for 10 yards: 1.0. Emanuel Wilson, Seattle’s lead back on Thursday, ran 14 times for 52: 5.2. Jacksonville’s defense scored 1 in London.
Josh Allen threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 1 yard: 18.3. That was the high on the team. Mike Evans caught 3 passes for 94 yards and then left Monday night late in the second quarter grabbing his Achilles: 12.4. Nico Collins 10.9. Parker Washington 10.4. Brenton Strange 9.4, which was the right tight end; Harold Fannin Jr. scored 1.9. Jaylen Waddle 6.4.
Khalil Shakir scored 13.4 on the bench. Conte’s optimal lineup was 84.00. It loses by 40.28.
Louie got 23.0 from D’Andre Swift, with two touchdowns, 21.1 from Jonathan Taylor, and 20.3 from DK Metcalf, who caught 11 of 15 targets for 93 yards. Tetairoa McMillan 14.6. Drake London 12.2.
And he played the wrong quarterback, a week after playing the right one. Tyler Shough threw three touchdowns and ran for a fourth on the bench: 26.96. Matthew Stafford threw for 222 yards and two scores: 16.88. RJ Harvey, benched after last week’s 0.7, scored 14.6. Tucker Kraft 8.7, with Jake Ferguson at 3.3 starting. Louie left 23.18 on the bench and won by 49.28.
Louie is 5-1. Conte is 3-3, still fourth in points, and has given up 849.58, second-most in the league.
Lowest score of the season — 75.00The Numbers
Week 6 scoring, top to bottom.
| Team | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fudge Friends | 136.84 | W |
| Haasinator5 | 131.64 | L |
| louieyu2000 | 124.28 | W |
| hodoryourhorses | 123.32 | W |
| Champion of the Sun God | 118.50 | W |
| Burrow My Face in TDs | 117.54 | L |
| alindeman | 107.06 | L |
| Trimeniscus in sept | 105.60 | W |
| Tom DaBombadil | 93.18 | L |
| ChrisConte47 | 75.00 | L |
High score
Fudge Friends — 136.84, with a perfect lineup
Low score
ChrisConte47 — 75.00, lowest of the season
Closest margin
Fudge Friends over Haasinator5 — 5.20
Biggest blowout
louieyu2000 over ChrisConte47 — 49.28
Best individual game
Christian McCaffrey — 30.7, in an 11.44-point loss
Most left on the bench
Haasinator5 — 28.40, in a 5.20-point loss
Standings
Through six weeks.
| # | Team | Record | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Trimeniscus in sept | 6-0 | 836.90 |
| 2 | louieyu2000 | 5-1 | 807.54 |
| 3 | Champion of the Sun God | 4-2 | 862.14 |
| 4 | ChrisConte47 | 3-3 | 803.96 |
| 5 | hodoryourhorses | 3-3 | 789.26 |
| 6 | Tom DaBombadil | 3-3 | 705.80 |
| 7 | Fudge Friends | 2-4 | 755.70 |
| 8 | alindeman | 2-4 | 646.60 |
| 9 | Haasinator5 | 1-5 | 751.84 |
| 10 | Burrow My Face in TDs | 1-5 | 736.98 |
Trimeniscus in sept is 6-0 and second in scoring. He’s also given up 694.02 points, second-fewest in the league. Champion of the Sun God leads in points by 25.24 and is two games back. Louie is one back. The three-way tie at 1-4 is over: Fudge Friends got out, and Haasinator5 and Burrow My Face in TDs are both 1-5, 14.86 points apart.
The Early Exits
Three starters in this league got hurt mid-game, plus one on a bench. Statuses as reported Sunday and Monday; check practice reports before Thursday.
| Player | Status | Who it hits |
|---|---|---|
| Terry McLaurin | Left knee — carted off in the first quarter Monday night with an air cast; no diagnosis yet | Haasinator5 got 3.7, lost by 5.20 |
| Davante Adams | Ruptured tendon — out 6 to 10 weeks, per Sean McVay | Tom DaBombadil got 6.9, lost by 12.42 |
| Mike Evans | Achilles — left late in the second quarter Monday night, did not return; no diagnosis yet | ChrisConte47 got 12.4, lost by 49.28 |
| Romeo Doubs | Shoulder — hurt on a touchdown catch; placed on IR Monday, earliest return Week 12 | Tom DaBombadil, on the bench |
Also not playing in Week 6: Lamar Jackson (Champion of the Sun God — ankle, ruled out Friday), Jeremiyah Love (alindeman — ankle), Quinshon Judkins (hodoryourhorses), Rashee Rice (hodoryourhorses, IR), Saquon Barkley (Haasinator5, IR), Tyler Warren (Fudge Friends), and David Montgomery and Kyle Monangai (Burrow My Face in TDs). None was in a starting lineup. Cam Skattebo (Trimeniscus in sept) was starting and healthy; the Giants gave him six snaps and no touches. And Jalen Hurts, on Tom’s bench, is reportedly out for the season after a diagnosis of blood clots in his lungs.
Three Things We Learned
What Week 6 actually told us.
Buscho wins the bad weeks too
Last week he set the season high. This week he started a running back who never touched the ball, scored 105.60, eighth in the league, and won by 12.42. He’s 6-0. Only one team has given up fewer points.
Pitts belongs in the lineup
Kyle Pitts has scored 38.2 points on Haasinator5’s bench in two weeks. Haas won the first of those games by 0.90 and lost the second by 5.20. Likely is the tight end. Pitts can play flex.
Bye weeks are a scoring tax
Four teams on bye took the league from 1,372.10 points last week to 1,132.96. The high score fell to 136.84. ChrisConte47, without Gibbs, scored 75.00. Depth beat stars this week: Fudge Friends won with a perfect lineup and nobody over 28.34.
Preview Accountability
Week 6 picks went 5-for-5. Season total: 18-for-30.
| Matchup | Pick | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Tom DaBombadil vs. Trimeniscus in sept | Trimeniscus in sept | Right — by 12.42 |
| Champion of the Sun God vs. alindeman | Champion of the Sun God | Right — by 11.44 |
| louieyu2000 vs. ChrisConte47 | louieyu2000 (narrowly) | Right — by 49.28 |
| hodoryourhorses vs. Burrow My Face in TDs | hodoryourhorses (if Burrow stays in) | Right — by 5.78; Chuck started Love, Sean benched Rice |
| Fudge Friends vs. Haasinator5 | Fudge Friends | Right — by 5.20 |
The conditional on Sean’s game never came into play. The upset scenario needed Chuck to start Love and Sean to keep Rice. Chuck started Love. Sean didn’t keep Rice. The straight pick stands.
The Five Alarms
All five flagged starters sat. Three of the fixes got used, and two of those worked. The two that were ignored scored 14.0 and 15.9 on benches.
Burrow on bye (Burrow My Face in TDs): right, and followed. Love started and scored 21.24. Without him, Chuck loses by 27.02 instead of 5.78. The note on the flex held up too: there was no clear upgrade over Raymond (3.8). Concepcion was the best one, at 7.9.
Rashee Rice (hodoryourhorses): right problem, fix not used. Rice and Judkins both sat. Corum, the named fix, scored 14.0 on the bench. Sean went with McLaughlin (9.5), Bourne (9.7) and Bernard (25.7). That beat the column’s version, and the reasoning deserves a mark against it: it waved off Bernard because he “hasn’t scored for Sean yet.” He was Sean’s best player. Corum would still have added 4.50 in McLaughlin’s spot.
Saquon Barkley (Haasinator5): right, and ignored. Barkley sat. The column said don’t lock in Sutton on Thursday, use Coleman instead. Sutton scored 3.9. Coleman scored 15.9, on the bench. It said Kamara would move to running back. Kamara scored 14.9, on the bench, while Allgeier scored 5.8. Either one wins the game. The reasoning on Coleman, more targets with DJ Moore out, also held: he caught a touchdown.
Lamar Jackson (Champion of the Sun God): right, and followed. The call was Daniels if Lamar wasn’t limited by Friday. Lamar was ruled out Friday, and Daniels scored 21.0. Coker, called ready, scored 15.7. The column was too quick to set aside Stefon Diggs, though: he played and scored 16.4 on the bench.
Jeremiyah Love (alindeman): right problem, wrong fix. Love didn’t play. Mitchell, the column’s first choice, started and scored 0.4 on two carries. Rodriguez, the second choice, scored 5.5. The case for Mitchell leaned on one 5.9-point week on a bench. That’s the same thin evidence that sent the column to RJ Harvey last week. It cost 5.1 in an 11.44-point loss, so it didn’t decide anything.
What the column got right
All five picks, including the first one for Buscho. All five alarms: every flagged starter sat. Love over Burrow (21.24). Daniels over Lamar (21.0). Coleman over Sutton (15.9 to 3.9). Loveland as Tom’s fix (18.5, enough to win). Mayer as the Bowers hedge (16.5, more than Bowers). And Fudge Friends’ backfield as the edge over Haas: Tuten and Jeanty scored 40.5.
What it got wrong
Louie “narrowly,” by 49.28. “Allen can flip it by himself” — he scored 18.3. Stevenson as New England’s lead back (3.6). Mitchell as alindeman’s fix, for the second straight week (0.4). Bernard as dead weight in Sean’s flex (25.7). Corum as the fix (14.0 on the bench, in a win). Five correct picks with a couple of these reasons attached is a good week, not a perfect one.