PHASE 7 FINALE - Destiny is All
The Witch melts, Valkyrie goes nuclear, and The King slays Vision thrice for a chance to defend his crown. It’s Champion vs Champion in the final game of 2024. The stage is set for perhaps the most electric championship game yet. Who will be the King of Kings?
“Wyrd bið ful aræd” (destiny is all) - Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
2024 DRAFT RECAP
2024 SFI CHAMPIONSHIP
#1 Peyton’s Forehead Shiner (12-2) vs #2 Odell’s Rusty Hip (9-5)
The King and I
One year ago, he won in the 1st round due to a trio of Lions scoring 80+ fantasy points.
In Round 1 of 2024? Goff, Gibbs, and Sun-God tally over 100 points to send Peyton’s Forehead Shiner to his 4th SFI Championship game in the last 5 seasons. This wasn’t just Peyton’s best game of all time, it was the 2nd highest weekly score in SFI History (1st excluding 2021 expanded formats). Chase and Lamb combined for over 70 in the final game of Round 1 to give him a narrow lead
. He didn’t stop there, totaling 247 Points in Week 2 to cement the statement victory, resulting in the 3rd playoff game Peyton has won by 100+ points. While Thanos will always be his toughest rival, he’s more than met his match this time, up against the highest scoring manager this season. Peyton himself averages 22.5+ points per player in his lineup in the postseason and will need every bit of that history to come to life to be victorious. A dynasty in his grasp; Peyton aims to realize his destiny in the penultimate game of 2024.
King Valkyrie cuts down the Witch in her best week of all time. It was going to be a close game with
Valkyrie trailing in Week 2. Thanks to a combined 75+ points from Lamar Jackson and Davante Adams, she stormed her way to a 3rd Championship game by a 60+ point margin. This, coupled with her phenomenal complementary pieces make her one of the most dangerous managers we’ve seen in the postseason yet.
She’s dropped both games to Peyton this year, setting her up for the perfect opportunity to get her retribution. Averaging over 200 PPG in the last two months, there’s no better manager capable of besting him in gridiron combat than her. With a 3-headed monster at RB and an MVP candidate quarterbacking the show, Valkyrie has all she needs to win her 2nd SFI Championship in 3 seasons.
SFI Finals - Medina Mojito Bowl (Winner’s Bracket, 2nd Tier)
#3 Pull The Lever, Gronk! (8-6) vs #4 Suh-Tang Clan (8-6)
Despite her magic; the sword prevailed and the Witch is dead. It was an amazing season. Sadly, she won’t be able to cap it off with a trip to the finals. After a truly exceptional first week of R1, multiple duds (thanks Kupp) and her opponent’s outrageous performance sealed her fate. The Scarlet Witch isn’t one to be extinguished easily. She’s proven to herself and the league she’s a championship contender moving forward and it may be just a matter of time until we see her in the last dance. Now, she’ll face-off against Vision in the rubber match. Considering how he went out in Round 1, she enters her 4th bowl game as the favorite looking to end her 2nd winning season on a high-note.
For much of Week 1, it really looked like Vision had done enough to win. Things looked promising with a 30+ point lead heading into the final game of Week 1. It seems Ja’Marr Chase took that personally. Not setting his lineup in a pivotal Week 2 spelled the end of him. While it may not have made a difference in the end, it’s still disappointing to see this mismanagement from a playoff team. He’s now dropped 5 consecutive games to the reigning champion. All things considered, this year was one to celebrate. He defied the the preseason predictions by a long-shot and managed to get into the postseason for the 2nd time in only 3 years, tying 4 other managers in appearances. Facing a superior team in the Scarlet Witch and no lineup alterations made at the time of this writing, we’ll anticipate a 4th place finish from Suh-Tang.
SFI Finals - Linda Kay Cheezit Bowl (Consolation Bracket)
#5 Bradshank Redemption (7-7) vs #6 Team GMEN (6-8)
Bradshank wins the tie-breaker against Thanos as Josh Allen putting up nearly 100 in the semifinals sends her to a game to secure the #1 Overall pick for the 3rd time in 4 seasons. We’d hoped to see this type of dominance in the regular season. Alas, we’ll just have to hope this will equip her with the draft capital necessary to replicate the 2nd half of her season in 2025.
She will enter the final contest as the heavy favorite against a fun but ultimately under-equipped GMEN squad.
Despite nearly his entire bench and several players in his starting lineup going down, the GMEN pushed through the adversity and picked up his 3rd postseason victory. Captain America never gives up and this 2-week stretch shows it. His final game is about to be much stiffer competition. Bradshank’s won 5 of her last 6 matchups and shows no signs of stopping. Already down 0-2 against her on the season and his strenuous Round 1 battle, his shield is severely weakened. Consider him the underdog by a significant margin in this one.
SFI Finals (Consolation Bracket, 2nd Tier)
#7 Is This Soccer? (3-11) vs #8 Sledge Hammer (3-11)
It’s more of the same from Dr. Strange in a most unfortunate season, much of which his own doing. While it was a close finish, he’ll move to 0-5 in Round 1 all-time. Frankly, we’ll put as much effort into his writeup as he has managing this 2024 squad. Taking on Thanos in Round 2, expect yet another playoff loss from ITS.
He withstood one explosive performance to hold the lead into Week 2, but he didn’t have enough to combat another by Bradshank Redemption, sending him into the bottom consolation bracket for the first time in his illustrious career. Losing one of his most important pieces in David Montgomery is yet another brutal setback and an overall microcosm of his season. Playing an abandoned 3-10 team, Thanos should dispatch Dr. Strange with ease. The Mad Titan was never one to go down without a fight; expect nothing less from him this time.