Split 2 Recap (Weeks 3-4)

PHASE 7 - Split 2 Recap (Weeks 3-4)

One month down. It’s a a two-manager show as Iron Man and The Scarlet Witch remain undefeated, leaving 3rd-8th wide open for the taking. Who will step up in this fierce march through October?

Injury report (Split 2-3)

Rashee Rice (ACL, IR)

Tank Dell (OHMA)

Trey McBride (OHMA)

Christian Watson (ITS)

Davante Adams (ORH)

Devonta Smith (ORH)

Jonathan Taylor (MIKE)

Austin Ekeler (GMEN)

Anthony Richardson (MAAM)

Zamir White (MIKE)

Joe Mixon (ORH)

Khalil Shakir (OHMA)

Peyton’s Forehead Shiner (4-0)

Peyton was out to show his 2-0 start wasn’t just a fluke, as a low-scoring affair and a razor-thin shootout made us a little hesitant. Long live The King. Derrick Henry eclipsed 30+ points in both contests. In Week 4, that performance allowed Peyton to put together a monstrous 225 point game (the most by any manager so far) to cruise to a 4-0 start.

Split 3 will be a tale of two managers. Firstly, he’ll take on a winless Bradshank Redemption who could still upset him if he’s not careful. That matchup will be followed up against the only other unbeaten manager: the Scarlet Witch. If both managers make it to Week 6 undefeated, one of them will enter Split 3 with their first loss. Week 6 will be a true clash of titans.  So far, his team is as advertised.

Bradshank Redemption (0-4)

Welp. *Throws up hands*. It’s hard to say we were really that wrong in our projection. This is still a great roster. The wins were there, they just weren’t in the starting lineup. 

It’s not exactly going to get any easier. She takes on a 4-0 Peyton’s Forehead Shiner in the first game of the split, albeit with a few players on bye week. Week 6 has her against a 1-3 GMEN with several key pieces on away as well, so her odds to pick up a win there are strong. Taking into account there’s only 3 managers above .500, and 3rd place is 7th in total scoring, we’ll hold off on declaring this season over just yet. The rest of the field she’s up against isn’t exactly looking impressive either. Still, anything short of a sweep in Split 3 will likely spell the end of her playoff chances. 

Odell’s Rusty Hip (1-3)

A late comeback loss followed by an injury riddled week against the top scorer of the season has  the 2022 Champion at a surprising 1-3  in her first month. 

This rough start in mind, she’s only 1 game back from a playoff spot. She’ll take on Sledge Hammer and Is This Soccer on Split 3. Considering how we feel about both rosters, she’ll be considered the favorite if she can nurse her team back to health. We saw what happened when she started 1-2 only two seasons ago. We’re not worried just yet, especially considering the major traffic jam in 3rd-8th. If she can manage at least 1 win in this split, her team remains in play for a playoff run.

Pull The Lever, Gronk! (4-0)

Lol. Lmao, even. It’s laughable, yet deserved praise for how deep this roster is. You know what’s scarier? She’s doing this without AJ Brown and Cooper Kupp. Her hardest decision moving forward will be which star she wants to sub in and use against her next victim. With September in the rear view, she clearly used the offseason to grab the ingredients to every formulae she could get her hands on.

Week 6 will be the biggest test of the season. She’ll start off against Suh-Tang clan, but she faces the current champion and the only other undefeated manager at the time of this writing the following game. Let her cook? No. LET. HER. BREW.

Team GMEN (1-3)

Captain America clearly didn’t put up his shield in his Week 5 defeat by 40+ points to the defending champ. He avenged his loss against another Seel man in Thanos the following week, earning his first win of the season. 

Facing off against ITS and Bradshank in Split 3, he’ll stay the underdog in both. However, there’s enough in him to surprise us with a much needed victory. Anything short of 2 wins sends him further adrift of the postseason. 

Sledge Hammer (1-3)

Well, can’t say we didn’t warn you. Thanos falls in both Split 2 matchups. He’s yet to surpass the current league average score a single time. In our 7th year, he’s also never lost 3 consecutive contests and will hope to stop the bleeding in Week 5. He faces off against Odell’s Rusty Hip and the 2023 Finalist in Suh-Tang Clan in Split 3. With both coming off of losses, it’ll be a scrappy affair in each. 

We’ll reserve our remaining optimism for now until we see it on the field, as Jonathan Taylor missing time will further derail his odds. CMC is expected to return sometime in November. Will it be too late? These next 2 weeks will give us an answer.

Suh-Tang Clan (3-1)

Vision’s luck continues to hold another week. Each game this split he’s had a 95%+ chance to lose at one point during the matchup and in both he came away with the win. The cost of doing business is losing Rashee Rice, arguably his best selection for the remainder of the season. This will be a tough blow to absorb as he is nearly dead last in scoring despite his great record, being one of two managers that has not scored above the league average in a given week. In retrospect, these wins could prove vital in getting him back into the playoffs. 

Up against the best team in the league in the Scarlet Witch and a struggling albeit competitive roster in Sledge Hammer, his reliance on lucky breaks may prove difficult to replicate. This will be a telling Split for the 2023 Finalist, as a four-leaf clover just won’t do in Split 3. 

Is This Soccer? (2-2)

A second close game almost saw him lose at the buzzer again. ITS has been one of the more consistent managers in terms of PPG, though that didn’t help him in Week 4, losing to the Scarlet Witch. 

He’s up against both Medinas in Split 3. Despite their combined 2-6 record, expect considerable resistance. He’s surpassing our projections so far, though that may not be as encouraging as it sounds. A pair of victories would do a lot to improve his favor as a contender. A strong October is in order if he wants to continue defying the writers.

Zach S