Journey to the Centre of the Earth – A study in CNFL II evolution. Week 3 Preview

Will you just look here at how things have changed in such a short space of time.
When award winning reporters and troubadours Bob & Carl left for their hush hush top secret fact finding mission to see whether the North Pole was really a suitable place to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games, only to discover a long lost tribe of sabre toothed albino cannibals dwelling under the earth’s crust, who then captured and continually prodded them carved stalactites only feeding them herring soup and krill vol au vents, great things were predicted for Ttttaylor, and the Super Swedes were still very much Super.

Carl & Bob head North

But after two weeks in this icy wilderness at the mercy of these snow loving maniacs, Bob & Carl  managed to escape using only a tea spoon and their bare hands to burrow to the earth’s core and utilise the volcanic gasses to propel them back to the office, only to find that the CNFLE II formbook has been summarily tossed into the fire and a new script has been penned with the Yoda the Welsh Wizard taking Max Boyce’s top billing to be the CNFLE II headline act after a brace of mightily impressive performances.

For some though, week 3 represents the final opportunity to lay claim to Divisional bragging rights before heading off, knapsack on the back, into the unchartered territory of inter conference chicanery over the following eight weeks. By the time these Coaches resume the bread and butter of divisional rivalries in week 12 much wheat will have been sorted from equally large quantities of chaff.

The Coaches will know by now the potential strengths and weaknesses of their own squad and be acutely aware of the need to constantly improve their squad in an NFL landscape that seems forever fluid as ‘real life’ NFL Coaches modify and adapt their own game plans to catch the opposition unawares, often at the expense of consistent fantasy production. Never has a season been more about rotation at such an early stage of the season, and as a consequence has forced the needy fantasy coaches to look deep into the free agent markets over the past two weeks.

One thing is certain, to lose ground at this early stage to your divisional rivals by placing blind faith in high draft picks who are simply not performing will almost certainly mean a premature end to the season, and ultimately lead to fantasy coaches everywhere crying uncontrollably onto a plate full of ‘whatmighta’ beans. Interesting fact, no team has started the season zero and three and made it to the playoffs in CNFLE history. Beware Swedes, Lottery, Ttttaylor & Factory, the tide of history is against you should you come a cropper again this weekend.
With so much at stake this week, the matchups couldn’t be more appetising, and where better to start this weeks’ preview but with the unquestioned Game of the week. Yoda from Wales up against The Bone Rocks.

Game of the Week.

The Bone Rocks vs Yoda from Wales

There can be only one.

A battle between the unbeaten teams in Division two. Both teams will be eager to maintain their good form and move into the inter conference games as the front runner in what is clearly the Group Of Death.
Bone continue their policy of weekly QB rotation and brings back Carson Palmer for this one as last weeks incumbent, Ryan has a tricky away tie at the ball hawking Saints. Palmer should be good for a few points against a hapless Panthers outfit. Yodas decision to invest an early round draft pick in Matt Shaub seems to be paying off thus far and Houston will have plenty of success against a Dallas D that is in disarray.
Edge : Yoda

Gore and Brown is a useful tandem threat in the running back department for the Bone Rocks given the uncertainty that surrounds many of the tailbacks for other teams, but when compared with Peterson and surprise (for some) package Arian Foster who both have favourable matchups at home against the Lions and Cowboys respectively is doesn’t look quite so appealing. Brown will struggle against the Jets. Peterson will run wild.
Edge : Yoda

Here things start to get interesting. Bone start traditional heavyweights Megatron and Jennings in slots 1 & 2 and bring in the useful Josh Morgan off the waiver wire to fill the third spot, this trio should be good for a minimum 35 points as the Lions will be forced to throw early and the Pack, well they just throw and throw and throw. For Yoda, can Austin Collie continue his early season form? Can Marshall get the better of the Jets defensive backfield schemes with Revis whining about his hammie? Too many questions in the Yoda camp at wideout for me.
Edge : Bone

Two of the tight end big hitters step up to the plate in this matchup as Big Vern takes on ‘Bill’ Gates. Gates wins every time, but not by much this week.
Edge : Yoda

Bone stick with the Raiders boot man Janikowski and hope that the 49ers D can make a mess of the overachieving chiefs in Arrowhead. Yoda has the free scoring Packers kicker in the Windy city and the Pats D, which although not an elite outfit should be good enough to maul the hapless Bills offense. Edge :  Yoda
It’s hard not to back the little green fellow after the first two weeks, and this game will be won and lost in the backfield. The disparity between the running back tandems should prove a gap too great for the Bone to be able to bridge without a large crane and some silver sky hooks.
Verdict : Yoda by 13

Division 1

Tim Riggins Bench Warmers v Super Swedes

You're 2-0? Seriously? 2-0?

Well the form book really has been torn asunder in Division one with the Rookie head coach leading the way after two gutsy victories. The perhaps fortunate win in week one was followed up however by an impressive victory against the much vaunted Baptists. For the irrepressible Coach P and his Swedes, it’s back to the drawing board for week 3, as the familiar sluggish start  has meant that this game is a must win matchup for the Scandinavian maestro.

The equation for the Swedes is simple. Sunday = Win. Mojo and Romo must start performing, although both will be up against it against Philly and Houston. White has a tough matchup against the Saints, but may get to see a lot of action late on. Crabtree and Floyd have to take advantage of their weaker opponents to make up for the fact that Forsett will be limited against Riggins Chargers D!

Key players for the Riggins boys will be the usual suspects wideouts Johnson and Wayne, as the receiving corps has effectively carried a non existent Bench warmer ground attack thus far. The love invested in CJ Spiller seems to have been woefully misplaced as Lynch has taken back the Buffalo starting role. Cutler will also need to keep spraying the ball around in the Martz-ball offence for Riggo to keep that winning feeling but could struggle against a good Green Bay D. Look for Gonzo to come to the party in the Big Easy this week as the Falcons have to chase the game late on.

The lack of big play receivers will ultimately hurt the Swedes more than the Riggins running game shambles.
Verdict : Riggins to extend the Swedes pain by 6.

Bryants Baptists v Royale with TD’s

A 3 point game?

Both teams sit at one win and one loss. A loss for Bryants boys this week and it’s a two game skid, a win for Royale and its two wins on the spin. Neither team can afford to fall behind in a division that’s too close to call and with a rookie who pays no respect to experience.

The Baptists bravely bench Mendenhall and Charles this week to make way for the in form Forte and ‘jumping action’ Brandon Jackson who is now the lone wolf in the backfield up at Lambeau. Interestingly they both face off against each other, but nonetheless both should score heavily. McNabb should consolidate his impressive start at the Redskins with another good total. Questions arise with the receivers though. Will Smith gel with Clausen? Will Colston see enough of the ball? We think yes, both should do fine. Finley is touted to score heavily against a Bears D that is hit or bust.

Rivers and Rice will lead the scoring for Royale, with the potential for Rice to score a bundle against the still woeful Browns. Jackson faces the Redskins who contained both Dallas & Houston backs reasonably well. Jackson is a different animal of course and is at home, but the Skins will key in on him as Bradford finds his feet and this will limit the St Louis bruisers fantasy production until the passing game becomes credible. The receivers need to play well to contribute, but keep an eye out for Shiancoe against the Lions. As Favre’s only viable target at this time, he is slated to score well over the season.

The matchups favour Royale, previous form suggests Baptists have the edge. Rice to run the Browns ragged.
Verdict : Royale by 3

Division 2

Its A Lottery v Ttttaylor

Walter.  The Lottery expect big things.

Well, where do you start with this match up, the winners still gets a shot, but the vanquished will need a CNFLE II miracle to make it through to the post season. It was always going to be a tough ask in this division, but the disappointing start made by pre season favourites Tttaylor caught everyone off guard. Lottery have made changes. The heat is on.

A mixture of bad luck and necessity has meant the week 3 Lottery line up bears little resemblance to the team that started the season with so much hope. Brees and Austin have been as good as advertised and should do well again, and the new look ‘run first’ Colts has helped Addai showcase his talents and he will see more action against the Broncos who historically defend the pass well (although Miles Austin may disagree). Olsen and Washington get their first start, but the real value this week is in Walter (the softie) who should make hay while the sun shines in that corridor of mass production that appears between the backs and linebackers weekly in the Cowboys D. Hillis needs to step up after Grant went down for the season. But can he? The decision to run only 4 players on the bench perhaps highlights the state of things in Buffalo .... sorry, Team Lottery. Will the Lottery look to trade Vick for a quality running back?

What happened to Tttttaylors boys? Nothing short of a catastrophic start means that another loss cannot be tolerated. To be fair however, it may not be quite a bleak a landscape as it first appears. Beaten by an outstanding Yoda in week one, and undone by CJ’s non performance last week. Johnson should see a much more positive return to form against the Giants who made Addai look like a world beater last week. Benson will be the ball hog once the Bengals get ahead of the Panthers. Dez Bryant looks like an integral part of the Dallas O moving forward, and could be the rookie of the season if the Pokes get their act together. Flacco should improve his numbers against the Browns. It all looks good for Ttttaylor this week. But then that’s exactly what the bookies thought at the seasons start.
Ttttaylor tttto be tttttoooo stttrong for Lottttttttery.
Verdict : Ttttaylor by 14

Division 3

The Hairy Frog Disco v Seventy Nine FC

The Disco's team shop.

If it wasn’t for the great French resistance in week 1, then Seventy Nine FC would also be unbeaten at this stage. If it wasn’t for the stellar performance by the Disco’s lucky steel curtain D last week, then they might not, if my aunt was a man she’d be my uncle. Exactly. They are, it did, it happens. Defence wins championships, or so they say. And this matchup will define the pecking order in division 3 for the rest of the season. Is it to be a Disco cakewalk, or a three way fight to the bitter end?

The Disco wait with baited breath on the fitness of Beanie Wells and Michael Turner this week. If Wells is fit it could affect the production of surprise package Tim Hightower, and Turner could be eased into action in an attempt by the Falcons to avoid last years injury problems. Brady will carry the torch this week against a hapless Buffalo and ‘85’will be a consistent threat against the Panthers early, but could fade as the Bengals run to close the game. Nicks  production will be erratic as there are many mouths to feed in New York, but look out for Broncos Demaryius Thomas this week. Touted as the ‘new Brandon Marshall’, last week’s performance suggests that he will play a big part in the redemption of Kyle Orton. Although the Steelers should help the final total, the Disco shouldn’t rely on another lucky 35 point haul this week.

Can Manning pick his way around the Broncos pass D? Of course he can, and will be the staple points scorer for 79FC. Best has been a revelation thus far but will struggle to post 20+ points this week against a Vikes D that will be eager to improve. The Reggie Bush injury means that Thomas will now be numero uno big cheese in backfield in the Big Easy and see plenty of the rock. With Wayne shadowed by Champ Bailey in the Colts matchup, it’s up to Garcon to prove he is the undisputed no.2 especially after Austin Collie outperformed him last week. Larry F will jump all over the Raiders and the Vikes will batter the Lions every which way to Sunday. Points will come from all directions this week for the 79ers.

Consistent scoring from all areas will ultimately bring an end to the Disco luck, in what will be a high scoring encounter. Although a conflict of interests in Best v Vikes will help the Frogs keep it close.
Verdict : Niners by 7

French Leader v The Fear Factory

French Leader rides again.

After the elation of week one, the tricolour was left drooping forlornly as French Leader were foist upon their own defensive petard last week. How fickle ye football gods are! Fear factory have made multiple changes this week in an attempt to spark some life into a forlorn factory outfit.

After last week’s selection blunder, Coach Laurent brings back in LeSean McCoy. Whether he will score as heavily as last week remains to be seen, but his relationship with Vick will define the French charge this week. Rodgers will score his usual 30+ points, and Welker and Boldin should contribute nicely. McFadden could be about to show everybody what all the fuss was about and will be licking his lips at the prospect of facing a Cards D that allowed 300 ish yards against the Falcons last week. The Ravens will step it up again against a Browns team still unsure of its identity. A good score is on the cards.

Wholesale changes this week for the Factory as they try to forget the performances of the past two weeks. ‘The season starts here’ demanded Coach Botond. Favre becomes waiver fodder as Josh Freeman takes over the play calling for FF this week. Be warned however he is up against the #1 D in the lucky Steelers so patience will be required. Maroney and Lynch have both seen their value rise, Lynch due to the inability of the Buffalo line to open holes, and Maroney in the new orange colours of Denver, and have been snapped up of the waiver wire last week to replace the ineffectual Ryan Matthews and Knowshon Moreno. Surprisingly Nanee replaces NY Smith to partner the disappointing Moss bros in a receiving corps desperately in need of some scores.

The French to parade through the Champs Elyses once more as there is too much to do for a completely untested top 3. More agony at the Fear Factory. This division to be a three way tie by the end of week 3
Verdict : Leader by 10

And there we have it once again for this week. The crystal ball brought back from the centre of the earth predicts Wins for Yoda, Tim Riggins Bench Warmers, Royale, Ttttaylor, Seventy Nine FC and French Leader. Riggins and Yoda are to remain unbeaten, there will be a three way tie in Division 3, and I am afraid it’s back to the drawing boards for the Swedes, Lottery and the Factory.

As a result Bob & Carl are off down the bookies to place a small wager with official bookmaker Vasco De Gama who is currently offering the following odds on the eventual winner.

Carl & Bob place their bets.

Yoda from Wales                     2/5
The Bone Rocks                      7/4
Tim Riggins Bench Warmers     3/1
Seventy Nine FC                      4/1
The Hairy Frog Disco               4/1
French Leader                          4/1
Royal with TD’s                       5/1
Bryants Baptists                       7/1
   Ttttaylor                                   8/1   
Super Swedes                        12/1
Its A Lottery                          16/1
Fear Factory                          20/1

Anyone wish to bet a couple of Carltons* on who might be the winner? (Please bet responsibly).
Good luck for the week 3 gentlemen.

CW & BB

* A Carlton is the imaginary currency of the CNFLE II. Each Coach starts with an credit account of 10 Carltons that they can use over the course of the season on hypothetical wagers without damaging the ‘real life’ finances unduly.