MLB Round 2 Preview
Playoff Matchups
2nd Round
Win’s Up Doc (1) vs Sporty Strauss (5)
Wait ‘Til Next Year (2) vs $traight Cash Homie (3)
5th Place Game
Cooper Troopers (4) vs Ornery Otters (6)
Consolation Playoffs
The Pullies (7th) vs MN Moose Knuckles (10th)
The BamO’s (8th) vs Las Cabras (9th)
Last-Place Game
Shepherd Goods Choppers (11th) vs DTC Porkchop Express (12th)
Season-Long Standings (Min/Max)
Sporty Strauss
Minimum of 31 points
Maximum of 37 points
Win’s Up Doc
Minimum of 27 points
Maximum of 33 points
Wait ‘Til Next Year
Minimum of 22 points
Maximum of 28 points
Las Cabras
Minimum of 21 points
Maximum of 24 points
Ornery Otters
Minimum of 20 points
Maximum of 21 points
MN Moose Knuckles
Minimum of 17 points
Maximum of 20 points
The BamO’s
Minimum of 16 points
Maximum of 19 points
DTC Porkchop Express
Minimum of 16 points
Maximum of 18 points
Cooper Troopers
Minimum of 15 points
Maximum of 16 points
$traight Cash Homie
Minimum of 13 points
Maximum of 19 points
The Pullies
Minimum of 13 points
Maximum of 16 points
SG Choppers
Minimum of 13 points
Maximum of 15 point
ROUND 1 RECAP
Las Cabras (9th) - 455 points
DTC Porkchop Express (12th) - 370 points
MN Moose Knuckles (10th) - 485 points
Shepherd Goods Choppers (11th) - 395 points
Notes: Tanking works!! That’s the big takeaway here in this first round of the playoffs. Las Cabras (9) and the MN Moose Knuckles (10) played hardball in trades, not willing to ship their players off unless they got prime value. The SG Choppers (11), on the other hand, were the first team to sell, and they were rewarded in the tanking race. Not only did they get the best returns for their MLB players, but they sucked enough early on to build a team of absolute incompetence. It takes some time to experiment with tanking, and the Choppers and DTC Porkchop Express (12) both got a head start over the MN Moose Knuckles and Las Cabras this season.
We will see if it ends up with the Choppers taking last place (and the first overall draft selection) or if DTC Porkchop Express actually moves up into the top-5 Strauss selections. Either way, committing to the tank early in these seasons paid off.
DTC and the Choppers would surely like to send big shout-outs to their very best tankers on their rosters. For DTC Porkchop Express, Seth Brown, Bobby Witt Jr., Raimel Tapia, Jonathan India, Austin Gomber, Nabil Crismatt, and PARTICULARLY Zach Thompson are his most valuable least valuable player. For the Choppers, Sean Murphy, Joe Ryan, Jorge Lopez and Tanner Scott contributed to his L with Joe Ryan probably being the primary reason he lost.
On the other side of the tanking coin, someone has to win. The Moose Knuckles got too much out of Shane Bieber (70 points!) and both Michael Harris and Vinnie Pasquantino, each of whom were in the 30s on the week, far higher than anything on the opposing Choppers side. Las Cabras can thank their win to Steven Kwan (30 points) and their starting pitchers, many of whom had close to over over 30 points on the week. Too bad those teams didn’t sell more of those players for next-to nothing or else they’d have had a chance to outpace the 11th or 12th seeds.
$traight Cash Homie (3) - 480 points
Ornery Otters (6) - 410 points
On the flipside, $traight Cash Homie (3) had every reason to tank for the #1 overall Strauss pick, but he’s now gunning for the MLB Championship. With a win this week, he effectively ends the possibility of getting last place, BUT if he loses and both the Choppers and the Pullies win, he’d STILL clinch last place, absurdly enough.
Led by guys like Aaron Judge (30 points this week), $traight Cash Homie just had too good of a draft, even with a bounty of busts. He has several key acquisitions balling for him too, and its a well-built roster that should compete next year as well.
But the Ornery Otters (6), who lost in this matchup, are in complete no-man’s land. The best they could expect to happen is to tie for 4th place with Las Cabras and get a measly $250, but even then they’d need help. Likely, they’ll finish as the 5th place team, which is the worst place to be in the League of Leagues – the worst Strauss Pick for a team that didn’t place at the end of the season.
Sporty Strauss (5) - 550 points
Cooper Troopers (4) - 445 points
But we’re burying the lede here! After all of this… this year long endeavor into fantasy sports, we have the biggest matchup to date. A matchup that COULD decide who wins the League of Leagues. A matchup of legend. A matchup of titans. A matchup of bitter rivals.
We are FINALLY getting the Sporty Strauss (5) vs Win’s Up Doc (1) showdown.
Scenarios are outlined below, but Strauss should be thanking his lucky ‘Straurss’ for Alex Bregman (41 points), Manny Machado (39 points), Chris Bassit (58 points) and an assortment of starters who didn’t suck. This team is still very good, and he absolutely put a pounding on Mr. Wedding Man.
ROUND 2
Win’s Up Doc (1) vs Sporty Strauss (5)
Win’s Up Doc: Projected… 530 points
Sporty Strauss: Projected … 500 points
GAME LINE: Win’s Up Doc -30 vs Sporty Strauss
Win’s Up Doc Lineup:
C – William Contreras (2.8ppg; 5 plays) – 14 proj. points
1B – Freddie Freeman (3.8ppg; 7 plays) – 26.6 proj. points
2B – Jose Altuve (3.4ppg; 7 plays) – 23.8 proj. points
3B – Nolan Arenado (3.6ppg; 6 plays) – 21.6 proj. points
SS – Xander Bogaerts (2.9ppg; 6 plays) – 17.4 proj. points
CF – Jarren Duran (2.3ppg; 0 plays)
CO – Kyle Tucker (3.2ppg; 7 plays) – 22.4 proj. points
CO – Luis Arraez (2.9ppg; 6 plays) – 17.4 proj. points
DH – Josh Bell (3ppg; 7 plays) – 21 proj. points
UTIL – Jose Abreu (3ppg; 7 plays) – 21 proj. points
UTIL – Wilmer Flores (2.8ppg; 7 plays) – 19.6 proj. points
UTIL – Hunter Renfroe (2.8ppg; 7 plays) – 19.6 proj. points
UTIL – Carlos Correa (2.7ppg; 6 plays) – 16.2 proj. points
UTIL – Jeremy Pena (2.4ppg; 4 plays) – 9.6 proj. points
SP1 – Yu Darvish (WAS) – 29 proj. points
SP2 – Tyler Anderson (MIA) – 26.5 proj. points
SP3 – Michael Wacha (@BAL) – 24.5 proj. points
SP4 – Max Scherzer (@ATL) – 23 proj. points
SP5 – Carlos Rodon (ARI) – 22.5 proj. points
SP6 – Jose Berrios (BAL [or @NYY]) – 21 proj. points
SP7 – Merrill Kelly (@SF) – 21 proj. points
SP8 – Merrill Kelly (STL) – 21 proj. points
SP9 – Alex Cobb (ARI) – 15 proj. points
SP10 – Kevin Gausman (@NYY) – 15 proj. points
RP1 – Edwin Diaz (6.6ppg x2) – 13.2 proj. points
RP2 – Emmanuel Clase (5.2ppg x2) – 10.4 proj. points
RP3 – Seranthony Dominguez (5.1ppg x2) – 10.2 proj. points
RP4 – Rafael Montero (5ppg x2) – 10 proj. points
RP5 – Paul Sewald (4.8ppg x2) – 9.6 proj. points
RP6 – Raisel Iglesias (4ppg x2) – 8 proj. points
Sporty Strauss Lineup:
C – Alejandro Kirk (2.7ppg; 5 games) – 13.5 proj. points
1B – Joey Votto (2.3ppg; 6 games) – 13.8 proj. points
2B – Jon Berti (3ppg; 6 games) – 18 proj. points
3B – Manny Machado (3.5ppg; 6 games) – 21 proj. points
SS – Amed Rosario (2.8ppg; 7 games) – 19.6 proj. points
CF – Mookie Betts (4ppg; 7 games) – 28 proj. points
CO – Charlie Blackmon (2.9ppg; 6 games) – 17.4 proj. points
CO – Taylor Ward (2.9 ppg; 6 games) – 17.4 proj. points
DH – Alex Bregman (3ppg; 7 games) – 21 proj. points
UTIL – Andrew McCutcheon (2.8ppg; 7 games) – 19.6 proj. points
UTIL – Justin Turner (2.7ppg; 6 games) – 16.2 proj. points
UTIL – Isaac Paredes (2.6ppg; 7 games) – 18.2 proj. points
UTIL – JP Crawford (2.4ppg; 4 games) – 9.6 proj. points
UTIL – Nick Castellanos (2.3ppg; 0 games)
SP1 – Justin Verlander (@CHW) – 28 proj. points
SP2 – Dylan Cease (@CLE) – 22.5 proj. points
SP3 – Tony Gonsolin (@MIL) – 22 proj. points
SP4 – Josiah Gray (CHC) – 21.5 proj. points
SP5 – Chris Bassitt (@PHI) – 21.5 proj. points
SP6 – Johnny Cueto (@CLE) – 21 proj. points
SP7 – Adam Wainwright (@ARI) – 20 proj. points
SP8 – Dylan Cease (HOU) – 17.5 proj. points
SP9 – Brandon Woodruff (LAD) – 15.5 proj. points
SP10 – Edward Cabrera (SD) – 15 proj. points
RP1 – Ryan Helsley (7ppg x2) – 14 proj. points
RP2 – Kenley Jansen (6ppg x2) – 12 proj. points
RP3 – David Robertson (5.1ppg x2) – 10.2 proj. points
RP4 – Evan Phillips (4.7ppg x2) – 9.4 proj. points
RP5 – Craig Kimbrel (4.4ppg x2) – 8.8 proj. points
RP6 – Will Smith (3ppg x2) – 6 proj. points
Notes: The scenarios are very simple here: if Sporty Strauss (5) WINS this matchup, he clinches victory in the inaugural season of the League of Leagues. Then, if Win’s Up Doc (1) WINS all of MLB, he wins the League of Leagues. There’s no middle ground here. This matchup is huge for each team, but it is NOT over if Win’s Up Doc takes the victory. We’ll still have one more showdown after this.
For the matchup itself, the projection is still very close despite all of Sporty Strauss’ injuries. Win’s Up Doc clearly has the better lineup, but that margin isn’t significant, especially if Machado and Bregman keep up their hot streaks. The main difference between the squads is the SP matchups. Sporty Strauss simply does NOT have any great starters with plus matchups, and he has some tough decisions on his hand towards the bottom of his SP list for the week. Luckily, he does have choices, because he built his team with a bounty of SP depth for this particular scenario.
Win’s Up Doc has some great matchups, but not quite as much depth. He might be forced into some unadvantageous situations, especially if Berrios draws the Yankees instead of the Orioles. The difference in playing those lineups can’t be understated, so the Blue Jays’ choice of starters in those games could make all the difference in this massive LoL showdown.
No matter what, get the popcorn out. Every night is going to be dynamite between these two teams. Every start matters. Every relief appearance matters. This is what it’s all about, so congratulations for all of us on the entertainment.
Wait ‘Til Next Year (2) vs $traight Cash Homie (3)
Wait ‘Til Next Year: Projected… 485 points
$traight Cash Homie: Projected … 535 points
GAME LINE: Wait ‘Til Next Year +50 vs $traight Cash Homie
Wait ‘Til Next Year Lineup:
C – Willson Contreras (3ppg; 5 plays) – 15 proj. points
1B – CJ Cron (3.1ppg; 6 plays) – 18.6 proj. points
2B – Jean Segura (2.8ppg; 7 plays) – 19.6 proj. points
3B – Jose Miranda (2.5ppg; 6 plays) – 15 proj. points
SS – Jake Cronenworth (2.8ppg; 7 plays) – 19.6 proj. points
CF – Brandon Nimmo (2.8ppg; 7 plays) – 19.6 proj. points
CO – Juan Soto (3.5ppg; 7 plays) – 24.5 proj. points
CO – Kyle Schwarber (3.1ppg; 7 plays) – 21.7 proj. points
DH – Christian Yelich (3ppg; 7 plays) – 21 proj. points
UTIL – Darick Hall (3ppg; 7 plays) – 21 proj. points
UTIL – Nico Hoerner (2.5ppg; 7 plays) – 17.5 proj. points
UTIL – Mike Yastrzemski (2.3ppg; 7 plays) – 16.1 proj. points
UTIL – Marcell Ozuna (2.2ppg; 0 plays)
UTIL – Alek Thomas (2.2ppg; 0 plays)
SP1 – Shane McClanahan (KC) – 31 proj. points
SP2 – Gerrit Cole (TB) – 24 proj. points
SP3 – Jacob deGrom (@ATL) – 23.5 proj. points
SP4 – Marco Gonzales (@OAK) – 20 proj. points
SP5 – Gerrit Cole (TOR) – 19 proj. points
SP6 – Kyle Wright (NYM) – 18 proj. points
SP7 – Kyle Wright (HOU) – 18 proj. points
SP8 – Adrian Sampson (@BAL) – 16.5 proj. points
SP9 – Aaron Ashby (@CHC) – 15.5 proj. points
SP10 – Yusei Kikuchi (SEA) – 15 proj. points
RP1 – Devin Williams (5.5ppg x2) – 11 proj. points
RP2 – Pete Fairbanks (5.1ppg x2) – 10.2 proj. points
RP3 – Ryan Yarbrough (5ppg x2) – 10 proj. points
RP4 – AJ Minter (4.7ppg x2) – 9.4 proj. points
RP5 – Andres Munoz (4.4ppg x2) – 8.8 proj. points
RP6 – Ryne Stanek (3.6ppg x2) – 7.2 proj. points
$traight Cash Homie Lineup:
C – Keibert Ruiz (2.1ppg; 5 plays) – 10.5 proj. jpoints
1B – Vladimir Guerrero (3.3ppg; 7 plays) – 23.1 proj. points
2B – Brendan Rodgers (2.8ppg; 6 plays) – 16.8 proj. points
3B – Austin Riley (3.5ppg; 7 plays) – 24.5 proj. points
SS – Andres Gimenez (2.6ppg; 7 plays) – 18.2 proj. points
CF – Aaron Judge (4.6ppg; 7 plays) – 32.2 proj points
CO – Yordan Alvarez (4.1ppg; 7 plays) – 28.7 proj points
CO – Anthony Santander (2.9ppg; 7 plays) – 20.3 proj points
DH – Christian Walker (2.8ppg; 7 plays) – 19.6 proj points
UTIL – Christopher Morel (2.8pp; 6 plays) – 16.8 proj proj points
UTIL – Austin Hays (2.7ppg; 7 plays) – 18.9 proj points
UTIL – Oneil Cruz (2.7ppg; 6 plays) – 16.2 proj points
UTIL – Gleyber Torres (2.6ppg; 1 plays) – 2.6 proj points
UTIL – Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (2.5ppg; 0 plays) – 0 points
SP1 – Luis Castillo (@LAA) – 28 proj. points
SP1 – Luis Castillo (@OAK) – 28 proj. points
SP2 – Sean Manaea (@MIA) – 23 proj. points
SP3 – Sean Manaea (WAS) – 23 proj. points
SP4 – Martin Perez (@MIN) – 22 proj. points
SP5 – Nick Pivetta (@PIT) – 21.5 proj. points
SP6 – Nick Pivetta (@BAL) – 21.5 proj. points
SP7 – Zac Gallen (@SF) – 20 proj. points
SP8 – Jose Urquidy (@CHW) – 19 proj. points
SP9 – Dane Dunning (OAK) – 19 proj. points
SP10 – Frankie Montas (TOR) – 16 proj. points
RP1 – Daniel Bard (5.4ppg x2) – 10.8 proj. points
RP2 – Wil Crowe (4.3ppg x2) – 8.6 proj. points
RP3 – Anthony Bass (4.1ppg x2) – 8.2 proj. points
RP4 – Camilo Doval (3.9ppg x2) – 7.8 proj. points
RP5 – Ian Kennedy (3.6ppg x2) – 7.2 proj. points
RP6 – Aroldis Chapman (2.8ppg x2) – 5.6 proj. points
Notes: Don’t ignore the stakes in this game either. $traight Cash Homie (3) clinches NOT getting last place with a win in this game, and he’s got the projection to boot. In general, this matchup will be a fascinating referendum on two different approaches, Wait ‘Til Next Year (2) elected not to trade ANY draft capital away for MLB assets this year, even SPs, instead trusting his MLB knowledge to find spot starts this week with favorable matchups.
$traight Cash Homie, on the other hand, traded for the best MLB asset to change hands this season – Luis Castillo who has TWO (!!!) plus matchups this week. That trade could singlehandedly win Jack this fascinating showdown, and the rest of his starting pitching is ROCK SOLID. With Frankie Montas projected as his SP10, that is by far the best SP10 on the week and it’s why $traight Cash Homie has such a high projection – favored to win by 50 points.
But Wait ‘Til Next Year won’t go quietly. In season-long, Kyle still has a range of outcomes from 2nd place to 4th place. With a win AND a Win’s Up Doc loss, Wait ‘Til Next Year could procure 2nd place (or a 2nd place tie) by winning all of MLB in the championship game. If he loses this week, now he’d need to fend off Las Cabras for 3rd. There’s a lot of $$ on the line for Kyle right now, so expect him to use his bag of tricks and compete hard with Jack in this pivotal League of Leagues showdown.
This is going to be fun.
5TH-PLACE GAME
Cooper Troopers (4) vs Ornery Otters (6)
Cooper Troopers: Projected… 435 points
Sporty Strauss: Projected … 475 points
GAME LINE: Cooper Trooper +40 against Ornery Otters
Notes: What a fitting 5th-place game! Both of these teams probably deserved to make the playoffs (though people will still quibble with the Cooper Troopers’ points output), but neither were as good as the other 4 teams, so these landing spots are spot on.
Now, both squads face off in a game where one team has more on the line than the other. The Cooper Troopers (4) are still VERY MUCH ALIVE for last place if they lose this game and the SG Choppers win! They’d both be tied with 15 points and would await what would happen to The Pullies and $traight Cash Homie. If both of those teams win this week, a joint tie for last place would ensue.
For the Otters, there’s not much at stake other than potentially tying Las Cabras for 4th place and getting a $250 payout… and that is what the projections foretell here!
CONSOLATION TOURNAMENT
The Pullies (7) vs MN Moose Knuckles (10)
The Pullies: Projected … 460 points
MN Moose Knuckles: Projected… 500 points
GAME LINE: The Pullies +40 over MN Moose Knuckles
Notes: The MN Moose Knuckles (10) are somehow favored to win this game despite a 2-start week from Shohei Ohtani. Slightly unfortunately, that forces The Pullies (7) to bench Ohtani twice from their lineup, which really shows the great weakness of this team. The Pullies seemed to put very little effort into improving their squad this season whether by trade or on the free agent wire, and it really shows right now.
And they have much to play for! A loss in this game, based on all of the other projections out there could CLINCH last place for The Pullies. That gives the MN Moose Knuckles something to play for. Making The Pullies take last place would be a sweet treat to an otherwise forgettable Moose Knuckles season.
So make no mistake about it… based on this week’s projections, The Pullies are projected to take last place with either 13 or 14 points season-long.
The MN Moose Knuckles would probably still like to lose this game, but they won’t be moving around the standings all that much with a win. All bets are off in this strangely fun Consolation Battle.
The BamO’s (8) vs Las Cabras (9)
The BamO’s: Projected… 495 points
Las Cabras: Projected… 460 points
GAME LINE: The BamO’s -35 over Las Cabras
Notes: Another strangely intriguing matchup! Las Cabras are now caught in a little bit of no-man’s land as tankers with a minimum points total the same as the Ornery Otters. This means that Las Cabras have OFFICIALLY cashed out this season. They’ll go no lower than a tie for 4th place. This means that they should turn their sights towards 3rd place, which they could CLINCH a tie of with a WIN this week and a Wait ‘Til Next Year LOSS. Then they’d be playing to take 3rd place next week.
The BamO’s don’t have anything to play for, but they also don’t have their own draft 1st round picks. So they’ll try to make their season seem a little bit better by winning a couple games, depriving Hall of a stellar asset and proving that their year wasn’t as bad as it seems.
LAST-PLACE GAME
Shepherd Goods Choppers (11) vs DTC Porkchop Express (12)
Shepherd Goods Choppers: Projected… 450 points
DTC Porkchop Express: Projected… 420 points
GAME LINE: SG Choppers -30 over DTC Porkchop Express
SG Choppers Lineup:
C – Adley Rutschman (2.8ppg)
1B – Andrew Vaughn (2.9ppg)
2B – Ramon Urias (2.3ppg)
3B – Yandy Diaz (2.6ppg)
SS – Bo Bichette (2.7ppg)
CF – Trent Grisham (2.1ppg)
CO – Teoscar Hernandez (2.9ppg)
CO – Eloy Jimenez (2.3ppg)
DH – Sean Murphy (2.4ppg)
UTIL – Kyle Farmer (2.4ppg)
UTIL – Luis Gonzalez (2.3ppg)
UTIL – Yuli Gurriel (2.3ppg)
UTIL – Jesus Aguilar (2.1ppg)
UTIL – Rougned Odor (1.9ppg)
SP1 – Lance McCullers Jr. (@ATL) – 24 proj. points
SP2 – Sandy Alcantara (SD) – 23 proj. points
SP3 – Sandy Alcantara (@LAD) – 23 proj. points
SP4 – Joe Ryan (KC) – 22 proj. points
SP5 – Justin Steele (@WSH) – 18.5 proj. points
SP6 – Mitch Keller (CIN) – 18 proj. points
SP7 – Joe Ryan (TEX) – 17 proj. points
SP8 – Spenser Watkins (CHC) – 17 proj. points
SP9 – Jordan Lyles (BOS) – 15 proj. points
SP10 – Justin Steele (MIL) – 13.5 proj. points
RP1 – Eli Morgan (5.1ppg)
RP2 – Mitch White (5ppg)
RP3 – Jorge Lopez (4.6ppg)
RP4 – Cionel Perez (4.4ppg)
RP5 – Colin Poche (4.3ppg)
RP6 – Luis Garcia (4ppg)
DTC Porkchop Express Lineup:
C – Jose Trevino (2ppg)
1B – Matt Olson (3.1ppg)
2B – Jorge Polanco (2.8ppg)
3B – Gio Urshela (2.4ppg)
SS – Bobby Witt Jr. (3ppg)
CF – George Springer (3.3ppg)
CO – Seth Brown (2.3ppg)
CO – Aledmys Dyaz (2.3ppg)
DH – Thairo Estrada (2.8ppg)
UTIL – Daniel Vogelbach (2.4ppg)
UTIL – Jonathan India (2.3ppg)
UTIL – David Peralta (2.2ppg)
UTIL – Emmanuel Rivera (2.2ppg)
UTIL – Owen Miller (2.1ppg)
SP1 – Julio Urias (@MIL) – 22 proj. points
SP2 – Julio Urias (MIA) – 27 proj. points
SP3 – Cole Irvin (SEA) – 18 proj. points
SP4 – Reid Detmers (@DET) – 22 proj. points
SP5 – Jose Quintana (COL) – 15.5 proj. points
SP6 – Jose Quintana (@ARI) – 15.5 proj. points
SP7 – Zach Thompson (CIN) – 13 proj. points
SP8 – Pablo Lopez (SD) – 12.5 proj. points
SP9 – JT Brubaker (BOS) – 12.5 proj. points
SP10 – Keegan Thompson (MIL) – 12 proj. points
RP1 – Brooks Raley (4.6ppg)
RP2 – Zach Jackson (4.2ppg)
RP3 – Nabil Crismatt (4ppg)
RP4 – Dillon Tate (3.9ppg)
RP5 – Michael Fulmer (3.9ppg)
RP6 – Joe Mantiply (3.6ppg)
Notes: It all comes down to this. Two teams that have been circling each other in the toilet all season finally take the plunge into the Toilet Bowl game. Both of these teams are AWFUL, but that is mostly by design. DTC Porkchop Express began tanking before the MLB season began, offloading vet NBA talent to build for the future. The SG Choppers both botched their MLB Draft and a plethora of young talent. As a result, he sucked even though he had dozens of stellar pickups on the waivers throughout the year.
Now, these squads finally face each other with quite a bit at stake. With a LOSS, the SG Choppers clinch AT LEAST a tie of last place and would have to do the punishment. With a WIN, the DTC Porkchop Express will have a season-long output of 18 points which could easily put him in the top half of the league when it’s all said and done – that’s no-man’s land.
Craig wants desperately to improve his Strauss Pick, perhaps to get a top-4 or even potentially even top-2 NBA bad boy. But it hasn’t been easy. The Choppers have been just as bad every step of the way once he sold off.
In terms of the matchup itself, DTC Porkchop Express definitely should be favored to LOSE, but the current projection margin seems a bit wide. In a stroke of strange intrigue, BOTH of these teams aces have 2-matchup weeks. But for Dye, Sandy Alcantara has two very bad matchups while DTC’s Julio Urias has two very plus matchups. That could make the difference in this matchup, bringing things far more even.
DTC Porkchop Express probably has a better lineup too, especially if George Springer comes back which my projections are taking into account. But where Craig separates from the Choppers is rotation depth. Craig has truly AWFUL starters and even his okay ones have bad matchups. The Choppers largely have favorable pitching matchups outside of Hurricane Sandy.
As a result, it seems more likely than not that Dye will win this game and perhaps force a massive standings pileup towards the bottom of the league where The Pullies or Cooper Troopers could tie him for last place.