LINE: Thundabuddies -13
In a bizarre turn of events, Badazz Bri's defense actually showed up last week. In holding their opponent to the lowest weekly score in league history, Bri earned themselves win number 2 on the season in spite of only scoring 56 points. And while it may be coming a little late, I feel like this team is starting to see their luck change for the better. They've won 2 of their last 3 games and they're technically not out of the playoff race yet - though they would need a miracle of epic proportions to make it. Their opponent this week, Thundabuddies, has had their fair share of struggles in inter-league play this year. They're 0-4 in those contests while averaging only 89 pts/gm, and I'm sure they're looking forward to a matchup against Bri, who they've had success against. In their last 7 games against Bri, Thundabuddies is 5-2 and I think it's safe to say they'll be able to tack on another win.
COMMISH'S PICK: Thundabuddies
LINE: Flash Dem TD's -8
This game marks the first time these two have faced off since the SCL Championship Game last year where Flash Dem TD's crushed Dak 154 to 77. After that embarrassing loss, I'm sure Dak has had this date circled on their calendar since the 2019 schedule was released. With Dak currently sitting at the bottom of the Cactus division, and struggling to stay relevant in the playoff race, the stakes aren't near as high this time around. Regardless, upsetting Flash Dem TD's run at the playoffs would surely be a bright spot in a down season. But, they'll have an uphill battle against a TD's team that is 3-1 with an average of 115.8 pts/gm in inter-league play this year. Working in their favor, Baby Got Dak was won 2 of their past 3 games while averaging 121 pts/gm in those contests. My gut tells me they're hungry for revenge and, despite being a bit weak at RB, they'll find a way to come out on top.
COMMISH'S PICK: Baby Got Dak
LINE: Hit Em With The Hein!!! -3
Few teams have struggled as much as Hein!!! has over the past few weeks. Despite being one of the most active teams on the trading blocks recently, they haven't scored more than 84 points in the past 3 weeks and saw themselves eliminated from the Survivor Challenge. Fortunately, after losing 2 in a row, they draw a favorable matchup this week against one of the few teams that's also struggling lately. Over the last 3 weeks, there are only 2 teams averaging less than Hein!!!'s 80.7 pts/gm, and one of those is NH Bounty Hunters (78.3 pts/gm). If you consider that Hein!!! is 4-0 on the road this season and the Bounty Hunters are 1-3 in inter-league play, this looks like the perfect matchup for Hein!!! to get things back on track. Better still is the fact that, if you include playoff games, Hein!!! has taken 4 of the last 5 from the Hunters. There is really no statistic I can find to justify Hein!!! losing this game - which is why I think it's a perfect trap-game. I think the Hunters catch Hein!!! off guard and walk away with the upset.
COMMISH'S PICK: NH Bounty Hunters
LINE: Blue Ribbon -22
With a record of 21-7, no team has been better in inter-league contests than Blue Ribbon over the past 5 seasons. But they just don't seem as dominant this year. They're currently 2-2 in inter-league play and they're getting ready to face Who Is You - one of only two teams that doesn't have a losing record against Ribbon. Moreover, until last week's great showing, Blue Ribbon hadn't broken the 100-point barrier against a Cactus opponent. And while playing at home is usually a positive, Blue Ribbon is only 1-2 when hosting this season. Over the past 3 weeks, these teams have been on contrasting courses. Who Is You has won 2 of their last 3 while Ribbon has dropped 2 of 3. Oh, and then there's the fact that Patrick Mahomes may be returning to play for Who Is You this week. All of this could spell trouble for Blue Ri...meh, who am I kidding? You saw Who Is You last week, right?
COMMISH'S PICK: Blue Ribbon
LINE: Chief Sticky Balls -4
Over the past 3 weeks, these two teams have amassed 772 points - and neither one of them played Bri. Even without a 200-point game to their credit, Chief Sticky Balls is the highest scoring team in the league with 118.2 pts/gm. On the other side of the coin, Los Perros Locos have been red hot lately. With scores of 171 and 145 over the past 2 weeks, they've seen their season average increase to 114.1 pts/gm, making them the 3rd highest scoring team in the league. Looking a little deeper, Chief Sticky Balls has won 3 games in a row while Los Perros Locos is 3-1 against Sagebrush opponents this season. But the recent head-to-head contests between these two have gone the way of the Balls. They've won their last 3 games against Los Perros and they're 3-1 all-time when hosting them. With their ability to score and their history against Perros, it would be easy to take Sticky Balls. However, the Perros will be bringing 6 top-10 players to town and the Balls will be without their vaunted Patriots defense.
COMMISH'S PICK: Los Perros Locos
LINE: Pork Chop Express -5
The Pork Chop Express team that was rolling along to a #1 seed in the Cactus division just a few weeks ago has slowed to a crawl, losing 2 of their last 3. Last week's 89 points was the lowest score of the season for the Chops, and I'm guessing they'll be using that as motivation to try to get themselves back on track. The problem is that they're on a collision course with a RamRod team that is moving in the other direction. Since their record-setting 233-point week 5 performance, Team RamRod has won 4 of 5 games and they've found their way back into the Sagebrush division playoff race. Furthermore, RamRod has had success this year against Cactus opponents, winning 3 of 4 inter-league games so far this season. In recent history, Team RamRod has owned the Chops, winning the last 4 meetings, including playoff games. All of this spells trouble for the Pork Chop Express who are feeling the pain of the bye week more than any other team this week. With 5 top-15 starters taking the week off, I'm guessing they won't have the firepower they need to match RamRod's 131 pts/gm average over the past 5 weeks.
COMMISH'S PICK: Team RamRod
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