The Top Ten: Week 17
Commentary: With just one week left in the regular season, the only divisional race that has been decided is the West, where Teddy KGB ran away with the crown. In every other division, there is still something to play for, and because there are some wild card bets still floating around, the overall title has not been decided yet, though Kimmy Gibbler looks tough to bet right now.
In the battle for the final playoff spot, Rick Moranis, Ron Mexico, and Kenny Powers each need a big Week 17 performance and to hope that Mr. Marbles, Gordon Bombay, or The Phoenix falter down the stretch. Face and Art Schlichter also still have a shot, but need to have a lot of things happen for them on top of winning $500 this week. Boss Hardigan has a miniscule chance, too, since he can use his wild card bet this week. But, he would need to win $1,000 and have Mr. Marbles lose $500, and on top of that, pass all of the franchises just listed.
Speaking of wild card bets, here’s who still can use the big one in Week 17:
East: None
North: Bayonnaise; Boss Hardigan
South: Kiko Garcia; The 21th Precinct; The Notorious ABT; Will Cover
West: None
(Total; previous ranking)
1. Kimmy Gibbler ($1,700; 1)
Kimmy extended her lead in the division and the for the overall title, but she’s not out of the woods yet. She won $500 and will surely make the playoffs, but just has one more week to collect the big cash prize before the playoffs.
2. Kiko Garcia ($800; 3)
Kiko won $300 and clinched a playoff spot. Since he has his wild card bet left, he can still overtake Kimmy for the division and overall titles. Worst case scenario, if Kiko lost $1,000, he would still make the postseason.
3. Teddy KGB ($500; 2)
Teddy has clinched his division and will be returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2007 (the inaugural FMFL season). He’s been able to rise above the fray in the West and could be the sole representation for the division in the playoffs.
4. Bayonnaise ($400; 4)
Bayonnaise won $100 and remains first in the North. More importantly, when San Francisco failed to cover on MNF, his lead over The Phoenix grew to $600. The ‘Naise still has his wild card bet left and a playoff spot clinched, and could catch Kimmy if the chips fell the right way, but he will likely take the conservative approach and try to protect his division lead.
5. Will Cover ($100; 5)
Will went up $100 and is another top ten franchise that hasn’t used his wild card bet. He’s likely to go without it in 2013. If he doesn’t use it, he’s clinched a playoff spot. If he uses it, he opens himself up to the possibility of missing the playoffs.
6. Karl Farbman ($0; 8)
A huge week for Karl, as he won $500 and took control of the East. Karl has clinched a playoff spot and has a $400 lead on Bombay with one week to go.
7. The Phoenix (-$200; 7)
The Phoenix will look at Week 16 as a missed opportunity, as noted above. He won $100 but a Monday night win could have put him right up against Bayonnaise in the division race. The Phoenix hasn’t clinched a playoff spot yet. If he loses $500, it opens the door for someone to catch him in the wild card chase. But if he wins $500, he could overtake Bayonnaise for the North title. He seems to be between a rock and a hard place heading into Week 17.
8. Gordon Bombay (-$400; 6)
The bad news is that Gordon lost $300 and dropped back to second place in the East. But the good news is that he’s still in playoff position and only $400 behind Farbman, so he can still jump ahead with a big finale. And, as long as he doesn’t lose $200 or more, he’s in the playoffs.
9. Mr. Marbles (-$700; NR)
Marbles won $300 and now holds the final playoff spot. The playoff clinching scenario for Mr. Marbles is simple: win $100 and he’s in the postseason. Anything negative and he opens the door for a handful of franchises to sneak into the January dance.
10. Rick Moranis (-$1,200; 10)
Rick had the opportunity to solidify his playoff spot in Week 16 but instead he lost $300 and is on the outside looking in right now. He needs a $500 week and some help to get into the postseason.
Others receiving votes: Ron Mexico; Kenny Powers; Face: Art Schlichter
Dropped out: Ron Mexico
