i don’t want you like a best friend: a tswift-pimms playlist
i don’t want you like a best friend: a tswift-pimms playlist
link
this is the pimms playlist i spent more than a year working on from like, 2018 to the end of 2019! as such, it only contains music up through lover, not anything from folklore or evermore. @permets-2 finally poked me into posting the liner notes, which I gave up on because tumblr formatting was fighting me, so please know i haven’t actually looked at them since 2019 and there might still be missing things? idk.
this playlist is absolutely dedicated to my beloved @faiasakura, who did her own version of an all-tswift pimms playlist completely independently (we actively avoided comparing notes, lol), which can be found here!
i don’t really go here lately but i hope this is of interest to someone!
Prologue
1. Don’t Blame Me (reputation)
for you, I would fall from grace
Just to touch your face
If you walk away, I'd beg you on my knees to stay
…
Lord save me, my drug is my baby
I'll be usin' for the rest of my life
Act 1: The Q
2. Gorgeous (reputation)
a crush
Ocean blue eyes looking in mine
I feel like I might sink and drown and die
…
You're so gorgeous
I can't say anything to your face
'Cause look at your face
And I'm so furious
At you for making me feel this way
But what can I say?
You're gorgeous
3. Treacherous (Red)
something magnetic, pulling them both in
And I'll do anything you say
If you say it with your hands
And I'd be smart to walk away
But you're quicksand
…
Your name has echoed through my mind
And I just think you should, think you should know
That nothing safe is worth the drive
And I will follow you, follow you home
4. Dress (reputation)
a shared and precious secret: love, desperate and messy and everything. But also: the scrutiny, the frenetic anxiety, the fear.
I’m spilling wine in the bathtub
You kiss my face and we're both drunk
Everyone thinks that they know us
But they know nothing about—
All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation
My hands are shaking from holding back from you
5. Tied Together With a Smile (Taylor Swift)
the pressure builds; jack’s anxiety gets worse
Hold on, baby you're losing it
The water's high, you're jumping into it
And letting go, and no one knows
That you cry, but you don't tell anyone
That you might not be the golden one
And you're tied together with a smile
But you're coming undone
6. Long Live (Speak Now)
the glory, the playoffs, the memorial cup: the golden boys of hockey, on top of the world
Long live the walls we crashed through
All the kingdom lights shined just for me and you
I was screaming, long live all the magic we made
And bring on all the pretenders
One day, we will be remembered
…
Hold on, to spinning around
Confetti falls to the ground
May these memories break our fall
7. State of Grace (Red)
the 34 days, inside kent’s euphoria
This is a state of grace
This is the worthwhile fight
Love is a ruthless game
Unless you play it good and right
These are the hands of fate
You’re my Achilles heel
this is the golden age of something good and right and real
8. Cruel Summer (Lover)
(that golden season and its dark underbelly)
So cut the headlights, summer's a knife
I'm always waiting for you just to cut to the bone
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
And if I bleed, you'll be the last to know
-
Said, "I'm fine," but it wasn't true
I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
And I snuck in through the garden gate
Every night that summer just to seal my fate (Oh)
And I scream, "For whatever it's worth
I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"
9. Haunted (Speak Now)
the overdose: kent finds jack on the bathroom floor
Whoa, holding my breath
Won't lose you again
Something's made your eyes go cold
-
Come on, come on, don't leave me like this
I thought I had you figured out
Something's gone terribly wrong
You're all I wanted
10. I Know Places (1989)
kent in the waiting room, holding on hope
Something happens when everybody finds out
See the vultures circling, dark clouds
Love's a fragile little flame, it could burn out
It could burn out
…
Lights flash and we'll run for the fences
Let them say what they want, we won't hear it
Loose lips sink ships all the damn time
Not this time
Act 2: The Fallout
11. The Story of Us (Speak Now)
kent goes to the draft; jack won’t answer his calls
Now I'm standing alone in a crowded room
And we're not speaking
And I'm dying to know
Is it killing you like it's killing me?
Yeah, and I don't know what to say
Since the twist of fate, when it all broke down
And the story of us looks a lot like a tragedy now
…
The battle's in your hands now
But I would lay my armor down
If you say you'd rather love than fight
12. Last Kiss (Speak Now)
jack and kent, the same realization from opposite sides
So I'll go sit on the floor
Wearing your clothes
All that I know is
I don't know how to be something you miss
I never thought we'd have a last kiss
Never imagined we'd end like this
Your name, forever the name on my lips
13. Death By A Thousand Cuts (Lover)
Starting to live with the devastation and the broken heart
Saying goodbye is death by a thousand cuts
Flashbacks waking me up
I get drunk, but it's not enough
’Cause the morning comes and you're not my baby
I look through the windows of this love
Even though we boarded them up
Chandelier's still flickering here
’Cause I can't pretend it's okay when it's not
It's death by a thousand cuts
14. If This Was A Movie (Speak Now)
regrets and memories
Last night, I heard my own heart beating
Sounded like footsteps on my stairs
Six months gone and I'm still reaching
Even though I know you're not there
I was playing back a thousand memories, baby
Thinkin' 'bout everything we've been through
Maybe I've been going back too much lately
When time stood still and I had you
15. Cold as You (Taylor Swift)
the grief and pain become anger and bitterness
And when you take, you take the very best of me
So I start a fight cause I need to feel something
And you do what you want cause I'm not what you wanted
…
You put up walls and paint them all a shade of gray
And I stood there loving you and wished them all away
And you come away with a great little story
Of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you
Interlude 1: Jack
16. I Almost Do (Red)
kent doesn’t know as much as he thinks he does (but jack doesn’t either)
I bet you think I either moved on or hate you
‘Cause each time you reach out, there’s no reply
I bet it never, ever occurred to you
That I can’t say hello to you
And risk another goodbye
…
Oh, we made quite a mess, babe
It’s probably better off this way
And I confess, babe
In my dreams, you’re touching my face
And asking me if I want to try again with you
And I almost do
Act 3: Coming of Age in Vegas
17. New Romantics (1989)
vegas; teammates; living in the moment; drinking, dancing, and self-destructing
We're all here, the lights and boys are blinding
We hang back, it's all in the timing
It's poker
He can't see it in my face
But I'm about to play my Ace (ahh)
We need love, but all we want is danger
We team up, then switch sides like a record changer
The rumors are terrible and cruel
But honey, most of them are true
…
Heartbreak is the national anthem
We sing it proudly
We’re too busy dancing (yeah) to get knocked off our feet
Baby, we're the new romantics
The best people in life are free
18. Begin Again (Red)
kent starts to move on
And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid
I think it's strange that you think I'm funny 'cause he never did
I've been spending the last eight months
Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end
But on a Wednesday in a cafe, I watched it begin again
19. The Way I Loved You (Fearless)
all the drinking and dancing and dating still feel empty and hollow; he just wants to feel again; he just wants that love back
I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain
It's 2 AM and I'm cursing your name
I'm so in love that I acted insane
And that's the way I loved you
Breaking down and coming undone
It's a roller coaster kind of rush
And I never knew I could feel that much
And that's the way I loved you
…
He can't see the smile I'm faking
And my heart's not breaking
'Cause I'm not feeling anything at all
And you were wild and crazy
Just so frustrating
Intoxicating, complicated
20. The Lucky One (Red)
kent parson: the loneliest boy, so alone at the top of the world
You had it figured out since you were in school
Everybody loves pretty, everybody loves cool
So overnight, you look like a sixties queen
…
And they tell you that you’re lucky, but you’re so confused
'Cause you don’t feel pretty, you just feel used
And all the young things line up to take your place
—
Another name goes up in lights
You wonder if you’ll make it out alive
21. Come In With The Rain (Fearless)
(starting to move on is not the same as letting go)
I’ve watched you so long, screamed your name
I don’t know what else I can say
…
But I’ll leave my window open
'Cause I’m too tired at night to call your name
Just know I’m right here hoping
That you’ll come in with the rain
Act 4: Implosion
22. Out of the Woods (1989)
memories he can’t escape of a love like a car crash
The night we couldn't quite forget
When we decided, we decided
To move the furniture so we could dance
Baby, like we stood a chance
Two paper airplanes flying, flying, flying
And I remember thinking
-
Are we out of the woods yet? Are we out of the woods yet? Are we out of the woods yet?
…
You took a Polaroid of us
Then discovered (then discovered)
The rest of the world was black and white
But we were in screaming color
23. Red (Red)
Kent decides to go to epikegster
Loving him is like driving a new Maserati
Down a dead-end street
Faster than the wind, passionate as sin
Ending so suddenly
…
Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes
Tell myself it's time now, gotta let go
But moving on from him is impossible
When I still see it all in my head
In burning red
Loving him was red
24. The Last Time (Red)
didja miss me? (something tentative; something a little bit hopeful on both sides)
Find myself at your door
Just like all those times before
I’m not sure how I got there
All roads they lead me here
I imagine you are home
In your room, all alone
And you open your eyes into mine
And everything feels better
25. The Archer (Lover)
kent tries to extend an olive branch but it’s still covered in thorns
Combat, I'm ready for combat
I say I don't want that, but what if I do?
'Cause cruelty wins in the movies
I've got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to you
…
I've been the archer, I've been the prey
Who could ever leave me, darling
But who could stay?
…
And I cut off my nose just to spite my face
Then I hate my reflection for years and years
26. Bad Blood (1989)
jack’s answer to kent’s wounded lashing out
Oh, it's so sad to
Think about the good times
You and I
…
’Cause baby, now we've got bad blood
You know it used to be mad love
So take a look what you've done
’Cause baby, now we've got bad blood, hey!
27. Breathe (Fearless)
kent, driving away from epikegster
I see your face in my mind as I drive away
'Cause none of us thought it was gonna end that way
People are people and sometimes we change our minds
But it's killing me to see you go after all this time
…
And we know it's never simple, never easy
Never a clean break, no one here to save me
You're the only thing I know like the back of my hand
…
And I can't breathe without you, but I have to
Breathe without you but I have to
28. All Too Well (Red)
despite all the pain, there’s an irresistible nostalgia for what they had all those years ago—for when things were so much simpler
Maybe we got lost in translation
Maybe I asked for too much
But maybe this thing was a masterpiece
'Til you tore it all up
Running scared, I was there, I remember it all too well
And you call me up again just to break me like a promise
So casually cruel in the name of being honest
I'm a crumpled up piece of paper lying here
'Cause I remember it all, all, all
Too well
…
Time won't fly, it's like I'm paralyzed by it
I'd like to be my old self again
But I'm still trying to find it
Interlude 2: Kent
29. Fifteen (Fearless)
a memory, a reflection
'Cause when you're fifteen and somebody tells you they love you
You're gonna believe them
And when you're fifteen and your first kiss
Makes your head spin 'round
But in your life you'll do things greater than
Dating the boy on the football team
But I didn't know it at fifteen
…
When all you wanted was to be wanted
Wish you could go back and tell yourself what you know now
Back then I swore I was gonna marry him someday
But I realized some bigger dreams of mine
Act 5: Moving On, Growing Up
30. Clean (1989)
finally learning to be his own person, separate from that shared past
There was nothing left to do (Oh-oh, oh-oh)
When the butterflies turned to
Dust that covered my whole room
So I punched a hole in the roof (Oh-oh, oh-oh)
Let the flood carry away all my pictures of you
…
The water filled my lungs, I screamed so loud
But no one heard a thing
…
Rain came pouring down
When I was drowning, that's when I could finally breathe
And by morning
Gone was any trace of you, I think I am finally clean
31. 22 (Red)
friends and freedom, and real joy in that this time around
It feels like a perfect night
To dress up like hipsters
And make fun of our exes, uh-uh, uh-uh
It feels like a perfect night
For breakfast at midnight
To fall in love with strangers, uh-uh, uh-uh
…
Yeah
We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time
It's miserable and magical, oh, yeah
Tonight's the night when we forget about the deadlines
It's time, oh-oh
32. So It Goes… (reputation)
[a doomed love can still be a good one]
'Cause we break down a little
But when you get me alone, it's so simple
'Cause baby, I know what you know
We can feel it
…
And all the pieces fall right into place
Getting caught up in a moment
Lipstick on your face
So it goes…
…
I'm yours to keep
And I'm yours to lose
You know I'm not a bad girl, but I
Do bad things with you
So it goes…
33. Dancing With Our Hands Tied (reputation)
[a doomed love can still be a good one]
I, I loved you in secret
First sight, yeah, we love without reason
Oh, twenty-five years old
Oh, how were you to know?
…
Could've spent forever with your hands in my pockets
Picture of your face in an invisible locket
You said there was nothing in the world that could stop it
I had a bad feeling
…
I'd kiss you as the lights went out
Swaying as the room burned down
I'd hold you as the water rushes in
If I could dance with you again
34. Wildest Dreams (1989)
[a doomed love can still be a good one]
He's so tall and handsome as hell
He's so bad, but he does it so well
I can see the end as it begins
My one condition is
…
Say you'll remember me
Standing in a nice dress
Staring at the sunset, babe
Red lips and rosy cheeks
Say you'll see me again
Even if it's just in your
Wildest dreams, ah-aah, haa
34. Shake It Off (1989)
At the top of his game, at the top of his sport, and actually happy at long last
I never miss a beat
I'm lightning on my feet
And that's what they don’t see, mm, mm
…
But I keep cruisin'
Can't stop, won't stop groovin'
It's like I got this music in my mind
Saying it's gonna be alright
…
'Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
35. Holy Ground (Red)
Remembering with enough distance and experience to appreciate what was, not ache from it
Spinning like a girl in a brand new dress
We had this big wide city all to ourselves
We blocked the noise with the sound of, "I need you"
And for the first time, I had something to lose
And I guess we fell apart in the usual way
And the story's got dust on every page
But sometimes, I wonder how you think about it now
And I see your face in every crowd
…
'Cause darling, it was good
Never looking down
And right there where we stood
Was holy ground
Act 6: Reunion
36. ME! (Lover)
reconnection, reconciliation, re-appreciation
I know I tend to make it about me
I know you never get just what you see
But I will never bore you, baby
(And there's a lot of lame guys out there)
…
'Cause one of these things is not like the others
Livin' in winter, I am your summer
Baby doll, when it comes to a lover
I promise that you'll never find another like me-e-e
37. This Love (1989)
an unexpected reawakening
Tossing, turning
Struggled through the night with someone new
And I could go on and on, on and on
Lantern, burning
Flickered in my mind, only you
But you were still gone, gone, gone
…
Been losing grip, on sinking ships
You showed up just in time
…
This love is good, this love is bad
This love is alive back from the dead, oh-oh, oh
These hands had to let it go free, and
This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh
38. End Game (reputation) (ft. ed sheeran as jack)
After all this time, there are things they aren’t ever going to let go of again, no matter the trouble they bring
I got a bad boy persona, that's what they like (what they like)
You love it, I love it too 'cause you my type (You my type)
You hold me down, and I protect you with my life
…
I don't wanna touch you, I don't wanna be
Just another ex-love you don’t wanna see
I don’t wanna miss you (I don't wanna miss you)
Like the other girls do
I don’t wanna hurt you, I just wanna be
Drinking on a beach with you all over me
I know what they all say (I know what they all say)
But I ain't tryna play
…
I wanna be your end game (End game)
I wanna be your first string (First string)
I wanna be your A-Team (A-Team)
I wanna be your end game, end game
39. You Are In Love (1989)
something real; something sacred; something to build a life on
You can hear it in the silence (silence), silence (silence), you
You can feel it on the way home (way home), way home (way home), you
You can see it with the lights out (lights out), lights out (lights out)
You are in love, true love
You are in love
…
You kiss on sidewalks
You fight and you talk
One night, he wakes
Strange look on his face
Pauses, then says "You're my best friend"
And you knew what it was, he is in love
40. Change (Fearless)
when the two biggest hockey players of their generation come out of the closet—together—are in love with each other—it changes more lives than just theirs
So we've been outnumbered, raided, and now cornered
It's hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair
We're getting stronger now, finding things they never found
They might be bigger but we're faster and never scared
You can walk away, say we don't need this
But there's something in your eyes says we can beat this
…
'Cause these things will change
Can you feel it now?
These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down
This revolution, the time will come
For us to finally win
And we'll sing hallelujah, we'll sing hallelujah
Oh, oh
41. Call It What You Want (reputation)
When it stops mattering what anyone else thinks
All my flowers grew back as thorns
Windows boarded up after the storm
He built a fire just to keep me warm
All the drama queens taking swings
All the jokers dressing up as kings
They fade to nothing when I look at him
And I know I make the same mistakes every time
Bridges burn, I never learn
At least I did one thing right
I did one thing right
I'm laughing with my lover, makin' forts under covers
Trust him like a brother
Yeah, you know I did one thing right
Starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest night
…
My baby's fit like a daydream
Walking with his head down
I'm the one he's walking to
So call it what you want, yeah
Call it what you want to
42. Lover (Lover)
love
We could leave the Christmas lights up 'til January
And this is our place, we make the rules
And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear
Have I known you 20 seconds or 20 years?
…
Can I go where you go?
Can we always be this close?
Forever and ever, ah
Take me out, and take me home
You're my, my, my, my lover
43. New Year’s Day (reputation)
love
You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi
I can tell that it's gonna be a long road
I'll be there if you're the toast of the town, babe
Or if you strike out and you're crawling home
…
Don't read the last page
But I stay when it’s hard or it’s wrong or we're making mistakes
I want your midnights
But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day
44. Daylight (Lover)
Building a new life in the daylight
My love was as cruel as the cities I lived in
Everyone looked worse in the light
There are so many lines that I've crossed unforgiven
I'll tell you truth, but never goodbye
…
I once believed love would be (burning red)
But it's golden
Like daylight, like daylight
Like daylight, daylight
…
I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you
I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you
I've been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night
And now I see daylight, I only see daylight
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The 2020 Andre Johnson Sweepstakes League write-up
Friends of the Andre Johnson Sweepstakes League, welcome. I am pleased (no really, I am excited) to bring you a breakdown of the AJSL as it blessed our lives in the one-of-a-kind year of 2020. Below you will find a mix of analysis and lighthearted fun aimed at taking a first pass at what the heckfire happened this year from start to finish. We’ve got analysis on the draft, injuries and schedule plus some fun awards to give out. I won’t buffalo you any longer, lets get to it.
Draft Day Analysis
Draft day analysis interpretation: I tried to objectively pick the best teams based on my personal draft rankings (subjective draft rankings, objective draft analysis…sort of follows?). Here’s the methodology: I assigned a value to every player for above average play (in 0.25 increments). It’s essentially five tiers (+0.0 = starter, but could be replaced; +0.25 = contributing starter; +0.5 = solid starter; +0.75 = strong starter that will create a positional advantage; +1.0 = elite starter providing a distinct positional advantage). This all makes sense in my head, and it should make more sense when you look at the table. I then added up points for each team’s best possible starting lineup according to my points system and voila; Dave Stark’s handicapping of the AJSL.
A couple of notes:
· Players are listed in the positions as there were drafted, with highest spend creating the starting lineup. For my points system, I subbed in bench players if they had a higher value than the starter.
· I cheated on Christian McCaffrey’s value: he was a +1.25 in my book. Clearly the best player in the game with even higher upside than the traditional studs.
A few things that turned out like I thought
· The running QBs outside of Lamar (Dak, Kyler, Russ, and DeShaun all avg 22.0+ fantasy pts/gm and sit top 7 at QB)
· The QBs at +0.0 (Baker, Carr, Danny Dimes, Kirk Cousins, and Jimmy G basically ride the merry-go-round from one bye week fill-in to the next. Tannehill and Cousins maybe qualify as +0.25 players now, but neither averages over 20+ pts/gm)
· Jonathan Taylor +0.0 (His value has been everywhere this year. Marlon Mack was the only reason I had him ranked this low. When Mack went down I pegged him for +0.75 with the possibility to go +1.0…and then nothing materialized until late into the year)
· Devin Singletary +0.0 (Started hearing whispers of Zack Moss splitting carries + Josh Allen hogs goal line rushes)
A few places where I was dead wrong
· Stefon Diggs +0.0 (Turns out, Josh Allen actually got better - +10% Completion % in 2020)
· Josh Allen +0.5 (Averaging 24.7 pts/gm which would have been the QB2 overall last year by almost 3 pts/gm. Currently QB4)
· Kyler Murray +0.75 (Not nearly high enough on him. Averaging 26.5 pts/gm as the QB1 overall. Playing at a +1.0 level)
· DK Metcalf +0.25 (Seattle hired their lead chef to work full time)
· Lamar Jackson +1.0, Mark Andrews +0.75 (Uhhh, why is this team broken?)
· Kenyan Drake +0.75 (Beware the extravagant 8 game sample size that says someone is a world-beater)
· Zach Ertz +0.75 (Is this the cliff year at 30 years old? How did Tony G catch 83 balls at age 37?)
· Aaron Rod Gers +0.25 (Yeah he’s a +0.75 guy now…should have known that drafting the backup QB would light a fire under Aaron: we’ve only seen this from Alex Smith and Joe Flacco in 2 of the last 3 years…Wait, why hasn’t this applied to Wentz yet?)
· Davante Adams +0.75 (Good golly, A-Aron’s resurgence means Davante is almost on +1.25 level when he is healthy)
· Keenan Allen +0.25 (This was all about Tyrod…then we found out that Justin Herbert was interning specifically for Keenan Allen and the Chargers med staff decided to euthanize Tyrod)
· TJ Hockenson +0.0 (2nd year leap puts him at TE3 overall. $20 player next year?)
· Chris Herndon +0.0 (When you read too many draft articles, you begin to believe that an Adam Gase coached player might actually become an average contributor at his position…ha!)
Injury-ruined seasons
· Saquon, Michael Thomas +1 (Biggest team-killers to date by far)
· CMC at +1.25 (Still overall #1 when he plays)
· Dak at +0.75 (Was playing like a true +1 on par with Mahomes before going down)
· Zeke at +1 (Dak died and then Dallas decided to start “Gucci DiNucci”…yeah that didn’t go well)
· OBJ +0.5 (Traded to Cristian’s team where he put up a combined 3.5 fantasy pts in 2 games started)
· Courtland Sutton +0.25 (After space-cadeting Sutton’s auction bid, we got our “Ball don’t lie” moment a few weeks later. Trevor is shrugging as he reads this.)
Great, let’s move on. Luck, imagined as either dice rolls or Luck Dragons depending on who you talk to, plays a pretty big part in fantasy success every year. Too many injuries? See you next year. Tough schedule? Hope for a good tiebreaker and maybe you can sneak into the playoffs with the #4 spot. These are probably the most talked about facets of the game since they are beyond our control and create the classic “if only I didn’t have that injury back in high school, i’d have crushed you guys” cop-out that we’ve all heard for years. Let’s see who really has a case to be upset, shall we?
Let’s start with one of my favorites – every team’s record if we played in a league where the top 6 scores secured a win each week (in lieu of head to head matchups). This is a much more “fair” look at how your team performed on a weekly basis when you throw out the schedule which is always a subject of scrutiny, consternation, and conspiracy theories each season.
There you have it. Good news is, the top 5 in our league standings would be the exact same top 5 if we played the other way. The schedule hasn’t defrauded anyone of a 2020 playoff spot. Bad news is, the bottom of this list is mildly shocking. Cristian has struggled all year for wins and this shows that his team hasn’t been half bad – but he has essentially lost out on 4 wins due to schedule. Yikes. Phil on the other hand was in playoff contention up until week 12, whereas his team has the fewest expected wins in the league….Of course for those with conspiratorial thoughts, you’ll notice the Stark brothers combine for +7 “lucky” wins due to schedule. Of course the Stark wife had to bite the bullet to make it look fair (-2 “lucky” wins). I’ll let everyone digest that and make their own judgments. (Where is that clause in the constitution involving starting a new league without the commish? This is evidence!)
The next “luck metric” that dominates our chat conversation and generally elicits “I got screwed, feel bad for me” self-pity arguments would be games lost to injury. Everyone knows it sucks and everyone experiences it to some degree every year. And if you play long enough, you will get hit by the double ACL tear/broken collarbone/never-healing ankle injury to all of your star players and be left at a severe disadvantage. It’s gonna be okay Sport, put on a brave face and hit the waiver wire. Come back next year and clap secretly at 3pm on Monday when Schefty tweets the next guy’s RB1 season-ender. (After the large exhale that it didn’t happen to your RB1 of course.) Ending rant, just know that if you experienced the injury season from hell, the rest of the league knows that it’s part of the fantasy business and are very relieved that it didn’t happen to them. Empathy runs high, sympathy runs low. (And I just removed my ability to ever complain publicly about my team’s injuries by writing this now.)
After all the talk has subsided, let’s check facts. First table: mid-game injuries. These are games where players play a much reduced role and typically produce dreadful fantasy finishes. There’s a bit of subjectivity here (if a player plays 3 quarters and gets hurt, I don’t count that as a mid game injury. But if he plays ½ or less of his normal playing time, it would count.) I also add mid-game benching to QBs because they fit the description as fantasy wreckers due to an unforeseen cutback in playing time. Here is the Commissioner’s official list:
Congrats on that title Jason, I know you were hoping for it. Just know, you weren’t THAT far ahead of the rest of us. Mon and Trevor on the other hand can only blame poor performance on their season’s disappointments (or better yet, the schedule!)
So I buried the lead a bit on Mr. Montgomery here, because the next table should give him his share of justice on 2020 injuries.
So the above list is missed games + mid-game injuries for drafted starters and traded players updated through week 13 (except for those with season long injuries – I went ahead and added week 14 there). Jason, there’s your proof. Nobody deserves to bellyache more than you, friend. 19 of those games were from QBs (Dak/Jimmy G) which added to a smattering of missed games from the rest of the roster (Godwin 4, Ridley 3, Aaron Jones 2). I haven’t tracked this before, but I imagine that this year was significantly worse than others (more soft tissue injuries and COVID positives were the biggest culprits.) The hope is that 2021 gives us a bit of a reprieve here.
Before we conclude, I recognize that there is a portion of the audience who prefers the entertainment value of this yearly endeavor, so I’m going to do my best to hand out a few fun awards. Without further ado, the 2020 AJSL Dundees (this award style hasn’t possibly been overdone, right?)
Dundee to The Scorned Lover: Mr. Jordan Swavely on behalf of Henry Ruggs.
While I wrote this tribute in his farewell on the group chat, it bears repeating: 7 pts or less scored by Ruggs in 6 straight games, starts him again for a 7th week and only a 50 yard bomb on the last play of the game saves Ruggs from another 3 point performance. Totaling the points for those 7 starts, Ruggs scored 36 points for a 5.1 average. Ruggs averaged 3.4 targets/gm in these contests. You do you, Swave. Go and get your man.
Dundee for the Best Team Name: Mr. Greg Poelman, ShlongBarry Sanders
Any reference including a dong and our beloved college town is going to score high on both the Dude and Nostalgia scales. Plus a Barry Sanders nod, we like that.
Dundee for the Best Team Picture: Mrs. Monica Stark on behalf of Presidential Security
Any time you can get combine Greg Poelman and The Donald in Photoshop and it doesn’t even look that fake, you have my attention and affection. And now you have a Dundee to go along with it. Well done.
Honorable mention: Monica’s Team, Bring Out Your Dead
Golden Tickets to the Winning Waiver Warriors: Mr. Scooter Nelson, James Robinson; Mr. Blake Grundy, Justin Herbert; Mr. Jack Holmer, Justin Jefferson
Since everyone is bidding for the “winning lottery tickets” of the waiver pool, we’re going to give out Golden Tickets to those that struck waiver wire gold this season. Scooter milked 11 starts out of Robinson who averaged 17.6 pts/gm during that span. Robinson has been the RB4 overall since the week 2 pickup. Grundy picked up Herbert for week 3 and never looked back, banking 10 starts at 22.5 pts/gm (He’s the QB7 in that time frame). Holmer nabbed Jefferson before Week 4 and was rewarded with the WR4 from that point on. Impressively he only benched him once, refusing to play him against his beloved Bears. This is the dream of every late Tuesday night and you guys reaped the spoils. Well done, gents.
Dundee to the Wounded Wavier Warriors: Mr. Phil Stark, Devonta Freeman; Mr. Jack Holmer, Darrell Henderson; Mr. Trevor Allison, Nyheim Hines
Big money, No whammy. That’s the goal. Of course more times than not, the reality is…more like this. Phil emptied out the pocketbook early on in the season after the Saquon injury to grab his replacement with a winning bid of $78 on Devonta (next highest bid: $15). Devonta responded with five games played, two of which resulted in 1 point showings. Then he followed Saquon to IR and Soape picked up the true workhorse of the Giants backfield in Wayne Gallman, who hasn’t pickup up less than 10 points in six straight games. Ouch. It took $54 to secure the rights to Darrell Henderson after week 2, seemingly the new Rams lead RB. Unfortunately Jack’s faith manifested at the wrong times: 5 starts of Henderson yielded 6.3 pts/gm, while Henderson’s two strong games (18.5 and 20.3 pts) were enjoyed on Holmer’s bench. Not fun. $46 was the bid that beat out 7 other bidders after week 1 for Nyheim Hines’s services, after which Trevor was rewarded with 5 straight games of 8 points or less. After cutting him loose over the bye week, Hines busted out for four double digit games in six tries, music no doubt to Trevor’s ears. A Dundee for your troubles, boys.
The “Fantasy Football Was A Lot More Fun Last Year” Dundee: Mr. Cristian Driver
For every obvious reason. Where did that championship belt get to?
Dundee for a Fun and Easy Season: Mr. David Stark
Injuries, COVID surprises, bad schedules, underperformance? Didn’t seem that big of a deal to me.
Dundee for Most Attempts to Defeat a Hornet’s Nest: Mr. Jason Montgomery
Similar to our favorite Office handyman Nate, Jason was tasked with eliminating the danger of his crumbling fantasy season created by the aforementioned injury bug. Both hailing from the historically-rich metropolis of “La Philadelphia”, what ensued after Jason’s 4-0 start pairs Nate and Jason together even further. Jason utilized a league-high 20 unique waiver pickups that entered the starting lineup this season. Results were bleak; the fast start was followed by a 2-7 record that signaled victory to the opposition. Maybe try the bow and arrow next time?
Receiver Corps Dundee of Excellence: Mr. Joel Soape
It only took 3 name changes to figure out which WR was needed (Red Solo Kupp -> Mike’d Up -> The Adams Bomb) , but Soape finally landed on the right guy for the job by calling on Davante Adams and his 22.1 pts/gm this year (easily the WR1 in this metric). Somehow Corey Davis (left for dead after last year) has had a career resuscitation on this team as well, dropping a 30 burger in week 12. The Receiver Corps salutes your dedication to their fraternity, Mr. Soape.
That’s all for now guys. Full disclosure, I have another 1k-2k words written that takes a deep dive into each of our performances at 1) waiver pickups, 2) positional scoring, and 3) sit/start decisions. Maybe this would be most helpful for a post-season article as it encompasses your overall strategy and ability to aid your team’s output. Look for that at some point in the future. For now, I hope you enjoyed this meaty entrée. Thanks for another great season and allowing me to bring you another fun recap, everyone!
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