Five teams at 2-5 and one kicker short of a win
Welcome to the Game of Throws Weekly. We showed up in Week 7, and the league didn't make a great first impression. Teams averaged 127.04. Five of the twelve teams are 2-5. Uncs had the top score at 159.08, and Team Depubes had the bottom at 97.62. Meanwhile To Infinity and Bijan! is 7-0 with the third-most points in the league and the best luck in it. Somebody check the Wi-Fi in that house.
The NFL helped nobody. Lamar Jackson missed a third straight game, so Lamar-a-Lago played another week without its namesake. Kansas City scored three points in Seattle, and anyone who started a Chief paid for it: Patrick Mahomes scored 6.0 for Caseyz Gay, and Harrison Butker kicked LeJawns out of a win. Tony Pollard ran for 129 yards and three touchdowns, and for once the guy who owned him actually started him.
The worst decisions were the cheap ones. LeJawns lost by 2.54 with a kicker and a defense that scored 1.0 combined, and both had better options sitting on waivers. Lamar-a-Lago had the winning lineup on its own bench. Caseyz Gay benched Matthew Stafford during the game he broke the Rams' touchdown record, to start Mahomes during the game Kansas City forgot how to score. That's the week. Let's get into it.
Scoreboard 6 games · tap a stat for the chart
Game of the week · decided by 2.54
J.Gordon Retirement HomeOGBrotato12 · 3-4
113.28
LeJawnsChaunciliscious · 2-5
110.74
LeJawns got 28.44 from Drake Maye and 27.7 from Zay Flowers, then gave it all back at kicker and defense. Harrison Butker scored 3.0. The Baltimore defense gave up 35 to Cincinnati and scored −2.0. Chad Ryland was on waivers averaging 9.83 to Butker's 9.0, and scored 11.0. The Tennessee defense was on waivers averaging 6.83 to Baltimore's 6.50, and scored 6.0. Either one wins this game. LeJawns is now 2-5, and the kicking game is a big reason why.
J.Gordon Retirement Home won with one player. Tony Pollard scored 36.5, the most of anyone this week. The other nine starters scored 76.78 combined. Will Reichard kicked 12.0 on the bench while Matt Gay started for 8.0. Jacoby Brissett, picked up Thursday, started and scored 16.48. Fair play to the retirement home: they found a QB who's been benched more times than most of us have been dumped.
The bench was the better team
Super Ja'Marrio BrothersRedLeader1331 · 6-1
148.22
Lamar-a-Lagoschmidty1314 · 4-3
135.82
Lamar-a-Lago lost by 12.40 and left 12.70 on the bench. Michael Penix (20.42) sat while Jared Goff started for 17.02. Makai Lemon (19.7) sat while Michael Wilson started for 10.6. The best possible lineup wins this game by 0.30. And Lamar himself missed a third straight game. The team name is about a guy who isn't playing, at a resort nobody in this league can afford. Somehow it's still 4-3, with an all-play record of 30-47.
Super Ja'Marrio Brothers got 69.10 from its running backs and 27.1 from Trey McBride. Ja'Marr Chase scored 17.2. Brock Purdy threw two interceptions and still won. The Brothers are 6-1 and lead the league in points with 993.24. Their only problem is the Week 8 bye list.
Blowout of the week · 51.88
UncsGraybeards · 5-2
159.08
Caseyz GayZrobinson1 · 2-5
107.20
Caseyz Gay started Patrick Mahomes over Matthew Stafford. Mahomes threw for 165 yards in a 20-3 loss and scored 6.0. Stafford threw three touchdowns, set the Rams' career record, and scored 18.5 on the bench. Jalen Coker started and scored 1.9 while Kyle Pitts scored 13.2 on the bench. Caseyz Gay left 30.50 on the bench, the most in the league this week, and has left 208.36 this season, also the most. The all-play record is 20-57. That's not bad luck. That's a guy who sets his lineup like he's picking lottery numbers.
Uncs had the top score of the week, 159.08. Tee Higgins caught six balls for 148 yards and a touchdown (26.8), Dak Prescott added 23.28 and Puka Nacua 21.8. Bo Nix scored 25.18 on the bench and Uncs still won by 51.88. The old guys can still play.
Still unbeaten, still lucky
To Infinity and Bijan!joelawson121 · 7-0
137.96
Team Depubescaseyryandepew · 2-5
97.62
To Infinity and Bijan! is 7-0. Its luck is +2.18, the highest in the league, which means a fair schedule would have it closer to 5-2. Bijan himself scored 16.2. Malik Willis scored 26.02 on the bench in Miami's first win of the season, and Kirk Cousins scored 20.4 on the bench too, while Jordan Love started for 17.96. They left two better quarterbacks on the bench and won by 40.34 anyway. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Team Depubes had the lowest score of the week, 97.62. They dropped the Indianapolis defense on Wednesday to claim the Jets defense. Indianapolis scored 7.0. The Jets scored 1.0 and gave up 28 to a Miami team that hadn't won all year. C.J. Stroud scored 16.52 and nobody else cleared 20. Team Depubes: a name that sounds like an injury report and a roster that plays like one.
The namesake rode the bench
Riley Ried Optionmatthewscorey · 2-5
154.08
The Bakernatorsbsbennett39 · 3-4
111.08
The Bakernators benched Baker Mayfield. Baker came back from a dislocated thumb, went 7-of-11 for 64 yards, and scored 6.66 on the bench. That was the right call, and it's still the funniest thing on this page: a team named after a quarterback it doesn't trust. The bigger mistake was Mason Taylor, who caught two touchdowns for 25.2 on the bench while A.J. Brown (7.8) and Aaron Jones (2.6) started. The Bakernators scored 111.08, their lowest of the season, and they're clinging to sixth place.
Riley Ried Option scored 154.08, its best of the season and the second-highest score this week. Joe Burrow threw four second-half touchdowns for 28.88, and Jameson Williams added 26.1. It's 2-5 with 811.60 points, so this was mostly a reminder of what the team could have been. Too little, seven weeks too late.
Won with the wrong lineup
acrutcher95acrutcher95 · 4-3
130.38
Let Him Cook 🧑🍳Tmilly69 · 2-5
119.02
acrutcher95 still hasn't named its team after seven weeks, and it still wins. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught nine for 150 and a touchdown (31.3), and Luther Burden added 23.7. Caleb Williams scored 22.12 on the bench while Sam Darnold started for 14.98. Caleb Douglas caught a 63-yard touchdown and scored 21.0 on the bench. That's 25.54 left on the bench in a win. Name the team. You've earned that much.
Let Him Cook has lost five straight. The kitchen has been closed since September. Bryce Young threw two interceptions, took five sacks and scored 7.42 at QB. Kenneth Walker was the only running back in the lineup and scored 9.7. Let him cook? Somebody take the spatula away.
The breakdown week 7 + season
Points scored vs. points left on the bench
This is each team's actual score plus the points it could have added by starting its best possible lineup. Two losses would have been wins: LeJawns and Lamar-a-Lago. Caseyz Gay left 30.50, the most this week, and still would have lost.
ScoredLeft on bench
Riley Ried Option
154.08 +10.10
Super Ja'Marrio Brothers
148.22 +8.30
To Infinity and Bijan!
137.96 +10.76
Lamar-a-LagoBest lineup wins
135.82 +12.70
The Bakernators
111.08 +24.60
Let Him Cook 🧑🍳
119.02 +9.10
LeJawnsBest lineup wins
110.74 +16.80
J.Gordon Retirement Home
113.28 +14.00
Where the points came from
These are Week 7 starter points by position group. Caseyz Gay got 6.00 from its QB, the least in the league. Let Him Cook got 9.70 from its running backs, also the least. acrutcher95 got 88.40 from WR and TE, the most.
QBRBWR/TEK/DEF
Super Ja'Marrio Brothers
148.22
To Infinity and Bijan!
137.96
J.Gordon Retirement Home
113.28
Every week this season, by team
Each dot is one week's score. The orange dot is Week 7, and the dashed line is this week's league average of 127.04. Riley Ried Option posted its season high. The Bakernators posted their season low.
Earlier weeksWeek 7
Luck: actual wins minus expected wins
Expected wins come from the all-play record: how you'd do if you played every team every week. To Infinity and Bijan! is the luckiest team in the league at +2.18. Lamar-a-Lago is 4-3 with a 30-47 all-play record. LeJawns (−1.55) and Let Him Cook (−1.45) have been the unluckiest.
To Infinity and Bijan!
+2.18
Super Ja'Marrio Brothers
+1.27
J.Gordon Retirement Home
+0.36
Season bench of shame
This is the total points left on the bench across Weeks 1–7. Caseyz Gay has left 208.36. acrutcher95 has left the least, 115.62.
Super Ja'Marrio Brothers
189.48
J.Gordon Retirement Home
152.16
To Infinity and Bijan!
136.96
Week 7 awards
Player of the weekTony Pollard · 36.5J.Gordon Retirement Home. Almost a third of the team's score, from one guy.
Kicked out of a winLeJawnsHarrison Butker scored 3.0 in a 2.54-point loss. Chad Ryland was on waivers.
Bench of the weekCaseyz Gay · 30.50Stafford broke a franchise record on the bench while Mahomes scored 6.0 in the lineup.
Paper championTo Infinity and Bijan! · 7-0Undefeated and the luckiest team in the league. Both things are true.
Benched the namesakeThe BakernatorsBaker scored 6.66 on the bench. Mason Taylor scored 25.2 next to him.
Low scoreTeam Depubes · 97.62The waiver claim scored 1.0. The player it replaced scored 7.0.
Still unnamedacrutcher95Seven weeks, no team name, 4-3. Imagine what a name would do.
Waiver wire report week 7
Missed adds
A missed add only counts if, over the weeks before, the free agent had averaged at least as much as the starter he'd have replaced, and Sleeper projected him at least as high that week. Hindsight doesn't count.
LeJawnsWins by 5.46
AddChad Ryland, K · 11.0OverHarrison Butker · 3.0
Wk 1–6 avg 9.83 vs 9.00
LeJawnsWins by 5.46
AddTEN D/ST, DEF · 6.0OverBAL D/ST · -2.0
Wk 1–6 avg 6.83 vs 6.50
Both call-outs belong to LeJawns. Either swap wins the game, and both free agents had the better track record before Sunday. Every other free-agent boom was hindsight: Davis Allen (18.0) had averaged 2.05, and nobody gets roasted for missing that.
Waiver winners
J.Gordon Retirement Home · OGBrotato12Picked up Jacoby Brissett on Thursday, started him, and got 16.48 in a 2.54-point win.
Riley Ried Option · matthewscoreySwapped the Philadelphia defense for Denver's. Denver scored 4.0, and Philadelphia scored −4.0 after a Monday-night beating.
Super Ja'Marrio Brothers · RedLeader1331Swapped the Washington defense, on bye, for Cleveland's. Cleveland scored 6.0 in a win.
Waiver losers
Team Depubes · caseyryandepewDropped the Indianapolis defense (7.0) for the Jets defense (1.0), started the Jets, and posted the lowest score in the league.
Uncs · GraybeardsDropped Darren Waller, who scored 12.0, for Tyler Higbee, who scored 3.4 on the bench. Uncs won by 51.88, so the old man's mistake cost nothing this time.
Let Him Cook 🧑🍳 · Tmilly69Claimed Tyrone Tracy, who scored 8.7 on the bench while the starting running back group scored 9.7. Five straight losses.
Grab these before Week 8