Around the League – Week 5

Congratulations to The Pigskins (Diane), Soleil’s lone undefeated team and new overall leader at 5-0, and to Buzzing Jackets (Eric Strevel) and 2-Min Drill (Jim Meeder), who round out the overall top three at 4-1. Eric also claimed this week’s highest score across both conferences, while Out of my way (Dave) took the AFC scoring crown. Week 5 delivered two first-time winners, matching blowouts, and a finish decided by just 0.18 points. That’s barely enough room to fit a victory dance.

Soleil Standings Watch

The top three in Soleil’s combined AFC and NFC standings after Week 5 are:

1. The Pigskins (Diane), AFC: 5-0, with 576.44 season points.
2. Buzzing Jackets (Eric Strevel), NFC: 4-1, with 647.44 season points.
3. 2-Min Drill (Jim Meeder), NFC: 4-1, with 629.84 season points.

Diane held off Jim’s Fantasy Force (Jim Kappes), 138.40–134.06, and takes over first overall after Barking Dawgs (Michael Parker) handed Serenity Now (Howard / David) its first loss, 112.44–98.30.

Eric leads Soleil in season scoring, with Jim Meeder just 17.60 points behind. Ground & Pound (Carol) and Serenity Now complete the four-team group at 4-1, taking fourth and fifth overall.

Eight teams sit at 3-2, so there’s still quite a crowd waiting for the leaders to stumble.

Soleil High Score: The Jackets Get Their Buzz Back

Buzzing Jackets (Eric Strevel) scored 142.12 points, topping both conferences and defeating Any Given Pam, 132.54.

Eric bounced back from last week’s loss to claim both the NFC scoring crown and first place in the conference.

Pam posted the week’s fourth-highest NFC score and still lost by 9.58 points. A strong lineup, an excellent score, and the wrong opponent—the fantasy football version of picking the shortest checkout line and watching every other one move faster.

AFC High Score: Dave Clears a Path

Out of my way (Dave) scored 140.38 points, defeating Touchdown Dance Denise, 98.46, to claim the AFC scoring crown.

The 41.92-point victory gave Dave his second straight win and moved him to 3-2. Denise led the AFC in scoring last week; this week, Dave took his turn atop the scoring highlights.

Eric finished just 1.74 points ahead of Dave in the battle between conference high scorers. Both earned plenty of bragging rights.

Biggest Wins: Deb and John Make It a Tie

Both conferences produced a largest victory of exactly 43.00 points:

• AFC: Gray-t Gridiron (Deb) defeated Overtime RICHARD, 137.44–94.44.
• NFC: FowlBall (John Fowler) defeated Chris on 3, 134.10–91.10.

Deb and John both improved to 3-2. Richard never got close enough to request overtime, while John followed last week’s closest NFC victory with this week’s biggest. FowlBall seems to have decided that suspense is best left to somebody else.

Closest Finish: Sheila / Mitch Get Their First Win!

Brooke View Trailblazers (Sheila / Mitch) edged Let’s Go!! (Steve), 124.60–124.42, in Soleil’s closest matchup of Week 5.

The margin: 0.18 points.

After losing to Diane by just 1.70 points last week, Sheila and Mitch finally landed on the winning side of a nail-biter. Congratulations on that first victory! They remain last in the AFC on season points, but the view should feel a little brighter.

Steve scored enough to beat plenty of teams this week, but the Trailblazers found that tiny extra fraction. “Let’s Go!!” may have briefly become “Let’s Recheck That!!”

The NFC’s closest finish belonged to 2-Min Drill (Jim Meeder), who defeated Super Bowl or Bust (Kurt), 141.24–135.46, by 5.78 points.

Jim earned his fourth straight win. Kurt posted the NFC’s third-highest score and still fell to 2-3—joining Pam in this week’s “great score, wrong opponent” club.

AFC vs. NFC: One Perfect Record, Four Strong Challengers

The AFC owns first overall through undefeated Diane, while the NFC holds the next four spots: Eric, Jim Meeder, Carol, and Howard / David.

For Week 5:

• Highest team score: NFC—Buzzing Jackets, 142.12.
• Largest victory: A tie—Gray-t Gridiron and FowlBall, 43.00 points each.
• Closest finish: AFC—Brooke View Trailblazers, by 0.18 points.
• Only undefeated team: AFC—The Pigskins, 5-0.

The NFC has strength in numbers near the top. The AFC has Diane. Both sides should have plenty to say in Chat.

Player Highlights

Drake Maye led the AFC’s player highlights with 39.46 fantasy points, while Jahmyr Gibbs topped the NFC with 35.2.

Those are the kinds of performances that make checking your fantasy score considerably more enjoyable.

Marvin Harrison Jr. in the AFC and De’Von Achane in the NFC were each listed at 0 in the weekly highlights. The screenshots don’t explain those zeros, but managers hoping for points from those names had little to celebrate on that scoreboard.

Around the League Notes

The Pigskins (Diane) survived another close game, defeating Jim’s Fantasy Force (Jim Kappes), 138.40–134.06. After winning by 1.70 last week, Diane expanded her cushion to 4.34 points. Apparently, comfortable victories cost extra.

Rumors were swirling that Brooke View Trailblazers (Sheila/Mitch) were looking for a new manager. But after their 124.60–124.42 victory over Let’s Go!! (Steve), maybe they’ll work things out. Nothing saves a job quite like a win—although 0.18 points might earn only a one-week contract extension!

Brown Paper Baggers (Brian) earned their first win, defeating Motor City Cats (Rick), 115.30–103.32. Can Brian take the bag off his head now? Are the “Saints” coming back, or are we still watching the “Aints”?

Ground & Pound (Carol) held off Senior Football (David McCleskey), 91.10–84.82, to reach 4-1. Carol traded last week’s scoring fireworks for a 6.28-point grinder, while David finished with Soleil’s lowest score.

NO Kneelers (Joe) defeated Tipsy Tacklers (Angie), 109.16–94.00, moving to 3-2 and third in the AFC. Angie’s 94.00 points were the conference’s lowest total.

Sunday Funday (Glen) earned his second straight win, defeating Waddle we talking about here (Dan Gillis), 134.08–95.88. Glen improved to 2-3, while Dan remains 0-5 and is now Soleil’s only team still seeking a first victory. Brian and Sheila / Mitch have shown the way, Dan—now it’s your turn to waddle into the win column!

Got a victory speech, a bench-player regret, or a little friendly trash talk? Bring it to Chat. Week 5 supplied plenty of material—and Steve may have a few thoughts about decimal places.