Tartan Fantasy: shakeups in Week 4

As someone from Manhattan, Kansas, a town where college football is everything (Go Cats!), I should probably be a bit more ashamed that I’ve only ever seen one football game. Professional football is a whole new can of worms, and my can opener is dull and rusty. I don’t understand the game. I don’t know the players. I don’t even know how many points you get if you score a touchdown or what it means to be a running back.

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this is my first time playing fantasy football. This is also my first time losing a game, and I’ve got to say, it hurt more than I thought it would. This third week saw some interesting changes as some teams dove to the cellar while others arose from the grave. Here’s a recap:

Last Manning Standing over futbol 109.94 to 69.70

Publisher Caleb Miller’s team Last Manning Standing scored the most points in the league for the second week in a row to defeat my team, futbol, by over 40 points — tragic. My team moves to a (now tarnished) record of 2–1 while Miller’s moves to a 2–1 record as well.

Like last week, Last Manning Standing had solid performances all around: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo scored 22.34 points with 251 passing yards, 23 rushing yards, and two touchdowns. New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara scored 19.00 points with 124 receiving yards and 66 rushing yards, and Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard scored 14.60 points with 61 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards, and one touchdown. Even Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen added 11.60, 11.40, and 10.50 points, respectively.

My team futbol was, quite frankly, humiliated. Though Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton made up for lower total yardage by scoring four touchdowns and contributing a solid 29.60 points, it was not enough to make up for the two starters (Panthers tight end Greg Olsen and Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon) who both scored zero points.
Slugs over Pillbox 97.10 to 75.06

Even though all the players on Pillbox Editor Izzy Sio’s team Pillbox contributed to this week’s final score, Pillbox remains winless and drops to eighth place as Operations Manager Adam Tunnard’s team Slugs moves to a 2–1 record and claims fourth.

Tunnard’s team Slugs earned 19.90 points from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (who finished the game with 265 passing yards, 13 rushing yards, and two touchdowns) and 19.70 points from Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (who finished with 137 receiving yards and one touchdown).

Sio’s team racked up 25.26 points from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, 19.60 points from Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley, and 18.40 points from Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson. Unfortunately, Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen and Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs were only able to capture seven catches out of a total 17 combined targets and, ultimately, let the team down.

Gin and Bear It over newz 103.14 to 88.58

Sports Editor Marika Yang’s team Gin and Bear It moves to a 1-2 record while News Editor Nora Mattson’s team newz faces its first loss and moves to a 2-1 record.
Yang’s team beat its projected 87.27 points by almost 16 points to secure its first win of the season. The team saw some solid performances from Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (who scored 25.14 points with 411 passing yards, 27 rushing yards, and three touchdowns), Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch (who scored 14.60 points with 54 rushing yards and a touchdown), and Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker (who scored 13.00 points).
Mattson’s team was carried by two players: New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (who scored 17.70 points with 82 rushing yards, 35 receiving yards, and one touchdown) and Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (who scored 17.48 points with 262 yards passing yards, 10 rushing yards, and two touchdowns). Regrettably, Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman and Tennessee Titans running back Dion Lewis dropped the (figurative) ball and only logged 87 yards on 29 touches between them.

TARTAN FANTASY over mmichelle123 94.70 to 85.54

Photo Editor Lisa Qian’s team TARTAN FANTASY beat Pillbox Editor Michelle Madlansacay’s team mmichelle123 by less than 10 points. TARTAN FANTASY settles into fifth place with a 2-1 record while mmichelle123 drops to sixth place with a 1-2 record.

Like Miller’s team Last Manning Standing, Qian’s team TARTAN FANTASY brought in points from multiple solid performances. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson scored 25.00 points (with 385 passing yards, 36 rushing yards, and two touchdowns), Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey scored 19.40 points (with 184 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards), and Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard scored 14.10 points (with 61 rushing yards, 20 receiving yards, and one touchdown).

Madlansacay’s team mmichelle123 has averaged more per game in losses (92.40 points) than in wins (92.02 points). Ravens running back Alex Collins, New Orleans Saints placekicker Will Lutz, and Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown scored 13.40, 13.00, and 11.20 points, respectively. The quarterback, Kirk Cousins of the Vikings, only contributed 10.04 — a significant drop from the 33.50 points he scored last week.

In Week 4, TARTAN FANTASY goes up against futbol, mmichelle123 competes with Last Manning Standing, Gin and Bear It faces Pillbox, and in the most exciting matchup, Slugs plays newz.

My team futbol still holds the record for average points scored per week (100.35), so I’m hoping for a good week to bounce back. Pick up your copy of The Tartan (or check us out online at thetartan.org) next Monday to see how Week 4 of the Tartan Fantasy League goes down!