Dirty Birds def Battle Angels, 136.3 - 104.3
The Dirty Birds have been here before, a whopping four times now: champs of Catch the Damn Ball! While we haven’t had any back-to-back winners yet, this was two of three for Birds, and represents the closest two titles we’ve had in CTDB history. After finishing 5-8 last season, Birds came right back to become the second highest PF team this year (while facing the softest opposing scheduled) and earned a first round bye after starting off the season 7-1. Despite a tepid 1-4 finish to the year, once the playoffs hit, all it took was two epic games from Todd Gurley and Dirty Birds were headed for another parade.
What a quick rebuild! The only player left over from that 2015 championship team was Gurley, as old stalwart Adrian Peterson was cut from the keeper roster prior to this year. And despite losing basically every trade he made before the draft — 2017 #1 Leonard Fournette for Dalvin Cook, Travis Kelce for TY Hilton, acquiring Des Bryant and Jimmy Graham, etc — and suffering season ending injuries to Odell Beckham Jr. and Cook, Jon’s team still steamrolled through the year. What a game, fantasy football!
It wasn’t all Gurley’s work this season though, as LeSean McCoy once again proved his star status, and Dak Prescott and Philip Rivers alternately time in the starting quarterback slot. With no receiving game to speak off -- Hilton led the team with Delanie Walker placing as the #6 TE -- the Birds turned to new rules that allowed three RBs and continually ran Gurley, McCoy, and Jerick McKinnon out there.With Beckham and Cook returning next year, could Birds go for a repeat and really cement themselves as the greatest ever in CTDB history? With a league leading four titles, they have temporarily taken the lead, but we all know that the mythical G.O.A.T. title tends to change every few years. Note: This marks the fourth season in a row that Jon has won something, from the Toilet Bowl in 2014 and 2016 to titles in 2015 and 2017. What a run!
As for our runner-up, Battle Angel was looking to grab their second title (their last one was in 2008) and looked like they were in great position to do it. Likely ROY Alvin Kamara was the pickup of the season and Angel was coming off a 142.8 week in the conference finals. Alas, Kamara was stifled in the Super Bowl and while Vu made the right choice of Cam Newton over Drew Brees, the rest of his vaunted receiver core didn’t quite come to play, especially Jarvis Landry. The good news is that after leading the league in wins this year, Battle Angel is firmly back in proper contention after going 16-10 in the last two seasons, after participating in the pre-draft blockbuster of 2016.
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