NOTE: [All in the Family is BSB’s fantasy football league, with one catch–the teams have to all consist of players with the same surname. The league consists of The Dix (Johnson), the Jack-O’s (Jackson), the Black Smiths (Smith), Jones & the Last-Name Crusade (Jones), Charlie Brown (Brown), and Big Willie Style (Williams).]
Week Three
Week Three of the inaugural season of All in the Family was a real “show me what you’ve got week,” as each team was in position to really make a statement about their chances of challenging The Dix this year. And, some statements were made loud and clear.
Big Willie Style 50 – The Dix 46
In the huge showdown of 2-0 teams, The Dix were foiled. Big Willie Style has made it known, to anyone listening, that this league is not going to just be a coronation of a couple of Johnsons. We’ve got a season, folks. Big Willie got an incredibly timely performance from the most underappreciated (and underperforming) Williams of the first two weeks–Roy Williams–and it was enough to overcome another big day for Mr. Chris Johnson.
The surprise of the week came from one of the Roy Williams
Like we said in the opening, this win for Big Willie Style (the biggest win in the short history of All in the Family) was fueled completely by their forgotten wide receiver. Roy (DAL), who only started in 5% of Yahoo! fantasy leagues, went for 117 yards and 2 TDs. This made up for the inept performance of the two Mikes (TB & SEA), who only combined for 5 points, and the running backs, DeAngelo (CAR) and Ricky (MIA), who only combined for 9 points. The benching of Cadillac (TB) wasn’t a good move, but it didn’t hurt either, as the Caddy only had 5 points against the Steelers defense. And, the best defense in the league made the difference again, as Tramon (GB) had 7 tackles and a sack on Monday night to lead his team to victory. Mario (HOU) didn’t play on Sunday, which hurt because his backup Kyle (BUF) had 6 points on the bench. Fortunately, this team is good enough for that not to matter.
On the other side, The Dix had a decent game (46 points was the 3rd best total of the week), but in the end, their best player, Chris (TEN), was surprisingly neutralized by Roy Williams’s big day, and the defense for The Dix just isn’t as good as their counterparts for Big Willie Style. Chris had 27 points on 125 yards and 2 TDs, and they even got some garbage points from QB Josh (TB), who came into a blowout against Pittsburgh. Team captain, Andre (HOU), added 7 points and Calvin chipped in with 6, but The Dix just can’t match the depth of Big Willie Style, as they got goose-eggs from the #3 WR, #2 RB, DB, and DL. They only had 4 points total from the defense, which sealed their fate.
We’re not going to get carried away, but Big Willie Style may have established themselves as the team to beat in this league. If they can continue to get production from so many different positions, this team may actually pull off an incredible run in this inaugural season. Task #1 is complete, as they are the first team to beat The Dix at their own game. Roy Williams is clearly the MVP of this week, as he came out of nowhere to make a huge splash in the league.
Jack-O’s 47 – Jones & the Last Name Crusade 38
The second game of the week was a big game for both teams. Jones & the Last Name Crusade is a really tough 0-2, as they have played two tough games against good teams that they could have won, but missed out on. While, the Jack-O’s, who got pummelled by The Dix on opening day, but then beat Charlie Brown in Week Two, were trying to establish themselves as a competitor this year. And, they did just that. Led by DeSean and Stephen Jackson, the Jack-O’s improved to 2-1 and will have a shot at first place in Week Four, as they take on 3-0 Big Willie Style. Jones & the Last Name Crusade added a third tough loss to their season, as they just didn’t have the horses in this one.
DeSean is doing it all for the Jack-O's
DeSean (PHI) had a huge 24 points for the Jack-O’s, which coupled with a workman-like 12 more from team captain, Stephen (STL), was just about enough to hold off a game Crusade team. Brandon (GB) did get the tough start over Fred (BUF) here and it paid off, as Brandon had 4 points, while Fred only would have given 1. Again, the receiving corps is decimated by Vincent’s no-show, as goose-eggs were had by WR2 and WR3 this week. Speaking of decimated by off-the-field issues, the defense continues to get blasted. Tanard (TB) was suspended for the season for use of PEDs and now D’Qwell (CLE), the team’s only linebacker, has been placed on IR and is out for the season. Lawrence (DET)–who replaced Tanard in the starting lineup–picked up a sack for the Jack-O’s defense.
As for the Jones squad, they were carried, as usual, by their stable of running backs. Thomas (KC) led the way with 16 and team captain Maurice (JAX) chipped in with 9. Felix (DAL) had 4 on the bench, so Doogan made a nice coaching decision there. Jacoby (HOU) and James (GB) are a decent couple of WRs, but they only combined for 7 points on this day. And, the defense didn’t come through as much as it has earlier in the season. Pacman (CIN) after a big day last week on the bench, got the start and gave nothing. Dhani (CIN) had a forced fumble as the only real highlight of a poor showing by the Jones defense.
This was a nice win for the Jack-O’s, as they improve to 2-1–in a three-way tie for second place. They do have a tough couple of games coming up, so they needed to get some momentum heading into this rough stretch of games. DeSean Jackson continues to shine, as he gets another game ball this week for the Jack-O’s.
Black Smiths 44 – Charlie Brown 28
Even though the league’s only kicker outscored the league’s only starting QB, the Black Smiths had enough from the rest of the team to take this victory. Charlie Brown is not going to win many games when their running backs don’t come through.
It was a big day for one of the Steve Smiths
The Black Smiths actually had a pretty bad day from their captain, Steve (CAR), on this day, and a mediocre day from their QB Alex (SF), but got enough from “The Other Steve” (NYG) and a surprising 5 points from Brad (NYJ). This was enough to overcome another combined goose-egg from the running backs and TEs. The defense was solid again, as Eric (NYJ) blocked a kick and Will (NO) registered a sack. They did get an interception from Alphonso (DET), but he was on the bench.
Charlie Brown had a rough day, which is going to happen if they don’t get much from their two running backs. Ronnie (MIA) had 5 points and Donald (IND) had just 1. They got nothing else from their offense. Kicker Josh (STL) made 3 FGs for 12 total points, which is a nice bonus, as he is the only kicker in the league. The defense was okay–nothing special, but okay. C.C. (DET), Sheldon (CLE), and Alex (NO) combined for 9 points on the defensive side. They got a goose-egg from Ricky (OAK).
The Black Smiths got a nice win, despite not giving their best showing. They improve to 2-1 heading into their showdown with The Dix in Week Four. The Other Steve (NYG) is the MVP of the week for the Black Smiths, as he had a 100-yard receiving day.
Standings
3-0 Big Willie Style (146 points)
2-1 The Dix (141 points)
2-1 Black Smiths (125 points)
2-1 Jack-O’s (117 points)
0-3 Jones & the Last Name Crusade (105 points)
0-3 Charlie Brown (99 points)
Week Four Matchups
In Week Four, we will get more of a picture of where these teams should be as we have the fourth set of inaugural meetings. It should be a bit of a separation week, as well, as four of the six teams are 2-1 or 3-0 and they all face each other this week.
The Dix (2-1) – Black Smiths (2-1)
Is it possible that The Dix could lose two in a row? It’s certainly possible. With Larry Johnson released and out of football, they have no dependable running back other than, well, the best RB in the game. The Dix are projected to win this game, 56-40, but you never know. The Black Smiths have a much better defense, and they do have that wild card of a quarterback.
Big Willie Style (3-0) – Jack-O’s (2-1)
Will there be a letdown for Big Willie Style after their big win over The Dix last week? We will see, as they face the Jack-O’s, who have won two straight (albeit against winless teams). Big Willie should win this game, as they are projected to take it 46-34. The byes have kicked in, and Big Willie loses their two Tampa players, Mike Williams and Cadillac Williams, but they have a couple decent replacements. The Jack-O’s have their quarterback on the bye, so there is no chance that Tavaris Jackson would get any garbage points in this one. They also have a decimated defense, as Tyson Jackson is on the bye, Tanard Jackson is suspended for the year, and D’Qwell Jackson is on injured reserve. Big Willie, on the other hand, has the best defense in the game. This would be a pretty big upset if the Jack-O’s can pull it off.
Charlie Brown (0-3) – Jones & the Last Name Crusade (0-3)
After Week Four, there will only be one winless team, as the two 0-3 teams battle this week. Jones & the Last Name Crusade is projected to win 40-37, so this one could go either way rather easily. The problem for Charlie Brown is that their only two dependable offensive players, Ronnie Brown and Donald Brown are banged up. They also lost their starting linebacker, Ricky Brown, but their defense is better than that of the Crusade. Also, Charlie has the only kicker, which always helps. The Crusade has Maurice Jones(-Drew), who is the best player in this game, so he could carry them to their first ever victory.
