Joined our NFL playoffs pick'em (the "HasselBracket") yet? It starts next week, so get in!
Let's begin with a moment of Browns for the Cleveland Browns.
What's a moment of Browns, you ask? Basically, yell out your favorite snap count, and after you say "Hike," swing all your limbs uncontrollably at the same time and fall over.
If it's not already the hottest trend of 2017, it will be soon.
The Browns won. The Jags won. The Niners won. The Cardinals won in Seattle. The Elis Eli Faced.
All told, we lost more than half the title pool for the first time this season. To give some historical context, between 2010 and 2015 (six BFIG seasons), we had at least two weeks in each season where more than half the remaining pool was knocked out. 2009 - the year most similar to 2016 given the volume of awful teams - had none, unless you count two of three losing in Week 17.
Now, instead of the possibility of a ludicrously absurd season-ending tie, we simply have the possibility of an absurd season-ending tie.
Shall we take a look at the contenders to be BFIG's next Title Belt holder? Hue bet we shall.
YOUR FINAL 112 BFIG COMBATANTS LOOK LIKE THIS
Who's in the lead? Two brave souls are not only 16-0 in BFIG, but also 12-0 in the Title Belt Tiebreaker (three picks per week; can't pick same team twice; started in Week 13). @nbossert, BFIG vet referred by @Eagles1331 and part of the Nate Regan tree; and @jmanfield, rookie referred by @Nastyboy1956 (our Haynesworth Hustle runner-up) and part of the Grant Tunkel-Jon Shapiro-Kevin Cole-Eben Siegel tree - a very, very large tree.
Has experience mattered? We're left with 51 BFIG vets (45%) and 61 rookies (55%). Overall, the pool was 44% vets to 56% rookies. Answer: Not really.
Will we see our first female champ? In 2010, four of our final 10 survivors were women, all finishing tied for second in Dave Zito's championship season. This year, @Kelseyrohr, @jennwzayas, and @cjmorse19 all have 10 Tiebreaker wins (out of 12). There are 19 people in front of them, but they certainly have a shot.
Will we see the margin of victory record broken? Every year, we track who finishes their season with the largest cumulative margin of victory (MoV) in their picks. The all-time leaderboard looks like this: 290 - Anthony Walker (2014); 288 - Josh Huff (2009); 281 - Alex Harris (2012). Right now, @j8choi has a MoV of 285 - five points ahead of @alyssajones14. His last five games have been victories by 28, 16, 28, 21, and 21 points. Several are within striking distance, so it looks likely the record will fall. (On the other end of the spectrum, @jdp529's 16 wins have netted a 183-point MoV - the lowest of anyone remaining.)
HERE'S THE BFIG SPREADSHEET WITH ALLLLLL THE DATA YOU COULD WANT
All BFIG picks. All Title Belt Tiebreaker picks. All team usage stats (one person still has the Pats!). GET AT ME, COMMISH IS EN FUEGO FOR YOUR FUNFUEGO!
VIEW THE WEEK 17 GOLDEN SURVIVAL SPREADSHEET
Interestingly, the five most picked teams among the remaining Title Belt combatants - Pats, Packers, Lions, Seahawks, Falcons - are most of the squads that have strong incentive to go all out in Week 17. Most of the other games feel like effort toss-ups (Will they care? Will they rest starters? Will Charlie Whitehurst descend from the heavens to throw a fourth quarter interception?), which could make Sunday one of the more entertaining BFIG finales ever.
Though Commish no doubt believes our two BFIG leaders are wise and good and upstanding men, if he had to bet, he'd bet no one goes a perfect 15-0 in the Tiebreaker. It's more a question of how much chaos will reign. Can't wait to find out.
WE'LL LIKELY CROWN AN NBA CHAMP AND A SECOND CHANCE CHAMP THIS WEEK, TOO
BFIG Second Chance: Three left in the race for the Rex Ryan Buffet Plate
The combatants:
- @chrisb - SZN vet, joined 2013.
- @kronan17 - SZN vet, joined 2014.
- @JMB - rookie.
They're playing for $6,000, yes, but for the first time in SZN history, they're playing for immortality. Commish has long said: Anyone who finishes a perfect 21-0 gets admittance into the Hall of Fame. It's the most exclusive club outside the Rodgers Family; Aaron can't get in either of them.
Inaugural NBA Survivor: Also down to three, who are somehow making picks 19 and 20
The combatants:
- @jasoncimino - SZN vet, joined 2015.
- @johnrredding - SZN vet, joined 2015.
- @Snowyowl3 - rookie.
In the NBA, there are typically 10 good teams each season, and maybe three or four really good teams. So the fact these guys have each won 18 straight games is amazing.
Last week, their six collective picks: Magic, Suns, Magic, Suns, Pelicans, Warriors. If you haven't been paying attention, the Magic, Suns, and Pelicans are all awful. Check out the spreadsheet and take a guess at who's gonna emerge with our first-ever NBA title.
Two-Week Survivor IV: Only 24 survived week one
A week that knocks out over half the BFIG title pool is always going to wreak serious havoc in a Two-Week Survivor competition. We went from 1,123 to just 24 thanks to sublime Eli Facing, Brownsing, and Cardinals Christmas Carroling. See what Commish did there? Be here all week.
Can any of the 24 survivors go 10-0, or will the survival gods win their first TWS round of 2016? Only time, and mediocre Week 17 football, will tell.
HOUSEKEEPING: FOOTBALL PICKS LOCK SUNDAY AT 9:50am (PST) THIS WEEK
- Only Sunday games in Week 17, so football picks lock at 9:50am (PST) Sunday morning. DO NOT wait that long to lock your initial pick in, though. Basketball picks lock Friday at 3:00pm (PST). No exceptions.
- If multiple undefeated BFIG'ers tie atop the Title Belt Tiebreaker, we will do a pickoff in next week's Wildcard Weekend playoffs round.
- Have you customized your profile yet? It's cool now, and gonna be reallllly cool soon.
- If you haven't enabled text message pick reminders yet, you're being silly. Like, REALLY silly. They've saved hundreds of people from missing picks. Do it now.
- Kyle (The GM) and I play along with everyone, but of course we can't win any money. And neither can anyone who lives with us. It's written into our official Terms of Service. We lol at basically every DraftKings article that comes out.
- The Green Bay Packers should fire Mike McCarthy.
- But the Green Bay Packers will still win the Super Bowl. In part because Commish loves them.
- And Commish loves you.