The league made a long-overdue fix this year, moving the playoffs from Weeks 15-17 to Weeks 14-16. The old format had the championship landing in Week 17, the final week of the NFL regular season, when playoff-bound teams routinely rest their starters and fantasy rosters turn into a guessing game of who's actually going to play. Nobody wants to lose a championship because someone's star running back got the night off in a meaningless game. Three playoff weeks became three better playoff weeks, and the championship moved to Week 16 where it belonged. The rest of the season followed suit.
Week 13 first. Derek put up 218.2 points against Bernard Lynn, the highest single-game score in the history of this league. It still stands. It wasn't just the season high, it was a 90-point beatdown, the biggest blowout of the year, delivered at the exact moment it needed to be, going into the playoffs. Bernard Lynn has now been on the wrong end of two of the most memorable weeks this league has ever produced, and he was there for both of them, and he can't do a thing about it.
Derek rode that momentum straight through the bracket, winning the championship over Andrew Vinz 161.18-133.42 as the 3-seed. Regular season high scorer. Champion. Owner of the all-time scoring record. December was very good to Derek Hilmer. The other eleven months were negotiable.
Andrew Vinz made his second championship appearance as an 8-seed, which at this point should just be considered his natural habitat. The man cannot be trusted to impress you in the regular season and cannot be stopped once the bracket opens. He finished runner-up, which is either a moral victory or a complete waste of time depending on how you look at it.
Jeft Cavey, regular season champ at 10-3, finished 5th. Of course he did. Ryan Wingerson finished 6th. The regular season leaderboard continues to be entirely decorative.
And last place belongs to Grant Andersen, who went 1-12 and made Paul Loveland's 43.44 in Week 10 look like a competitive performance by comparison. One win. Twelve losses. The league's worst record, the league's worst points total, and somehow still not done yet. Grant would be back.
Wk13
Wk8
FINAL STANDINGS
| Finish | Owner | Record | Points For | Points Against | Reg. Finish | Net Payout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derek Hilmer | 9-4 | 1,846.0 | 1,527.0 | 3 | +$275 | |
| 2 | Andrew Vinz | 6-7 | 1,429.5 | 1,501.6 | 8 | +$100 |
| 3 | Matthew Beyer | 9-4 | 1,688.2 | 1,518.0 | 4 | $0 |
| 4 | Bernard Lynn | 10-3 | 1,662.9 | 1,531.5 | 2 | $-50 |
| 5 | Jeft Cavey | 10-3 | 1,677.8 | 1,440.0 | 1 | $0 |
| 6 | Ryan Wingerson | 7-6 | 1,552.3 | 1,513.9 | 5 | $-50 |
| 7 | Paul Loveland | 7-6 | 1,441.8 | 1,543.6 | 6 | $-50 |
| 8 | Derek Burns | 7-6 | 1,414.3 | 1,393.5 | 7 | $-50 |
| 9 | Dennis Lynn | 5-8 | 1,484.8 | 1,564.6 | 9 | $-50 |
| 10 | Jarod Hilmer | 4-9 | 1,329.7 | 1,457.9 | 10 | $-50 |
| 11 | Scott Langer | 3-10 | 1,447.0 | 1,661.5 | 11 | $-50 |
| 12 | Grant Andersen | 1-12 | 1,268 | 1,589 | 12 | $-50 |