At the halfway point, here are the leaders in average points per week, broken down by position.
QB
1. Oliver – 31
2. Spencer – 27.66
3. Sean – 27.65
4. Max – 25
5. Cam – 24
Average - 23
6. Evan – 22.35
7. Doak – 22.34
8. Shelby – 21
9. Corey 20.7
10. Brian – 20.05
11. Coleman – 20.02
12. Kennedy – 15
So like I alluded to in a previous note, Mahomes is elite, but it’s not as significant as having Allen or Lamar in recent years. Obviously it would be a significant improvement for Coleman in the aggregate, but Coleman is also coming off a week where he had two QBs score over 32 FP.
Evan and I were pacing alongside Spe and Sean before suffering two straight weeks of dismal QB play. Shelby and Corey appear quite low but are coming off 30+ FP performances from their starters.
Kennedy, good god.
RB (and per RB)
1. Sean – 60 (20-30)
2. Spencer – 52 (17)
3. Max – 45 (15)
4. Doak – 43 (14-21)
5. Shelby – 41 (14)
Average - 37
6. Evan – 36 (12-18)
7. Coleman – 34.7 (17)
8. Corey – 34.4 (17)
9. Kennedy – 31 (10-15)
10. Oliver – 24 (12)
11. Cam – 23 (12)
12. Brian – 19 (7-19)
So other than Sean going wild and Kennedy dealing with injuries and trades, this list is mostly about how many RBs you’re starting. Spencer and Sean have the best RB rooms and start three, Max, Shelby, and I have okay RBs and start three, Evan has two good RBs, Coleman has two good RBs, Corey has Bijan but starts Chubb because of injuries, Oliver had the SkatteBus but also starts Kamara, Brian mostly starts one good RB.
WR
1. Sean – 39.8
2. Cam – 39.4
3. Oliver – 35
4. Brian – 34.5
5. Evan – 34.2
6. Corey – 32
Average - 30
7. Coleman – 27
8. Shelby – 26
9. Spencer – 24
10. Doak – 22.7
11. Max – 22.6
12. Kennedy – 22.3
Again, Sean is an all-time outlier. Cam and Brian start 3.5 WRs per week; Oliver starts 3; Evan, Corey, and Coleman start 2.5; Shelby, Spencer, Max, and I start 2; Kennedy starts 2.5, but they suck.
TE
1. Brian – 12.6
2. Oliver – 12.3
3. Cam – 12.1
4. Sean – 11
5. Max – 10
6. Corey – 9.5
Average – 9.1
7. Doak – 9
8. Evan – 8
9. Coleman – 7.5
10. Spencer – 7.4
11. Kennedy – 5
12. Shelby – 3
It’s a gross position, evidenced by the top three teams each being .500 or below, and I’ve gotta emphasize here there is no good reason why Shelby didn’t even bid on Justin Herbert’s TE. Even worse that it would have only cost $10.
K
1. Cam – 11
2. Shelby – 10.5
3. Spencer – 10.18
4. Sean – 10.11
5. Doak – 9.85
6. Kennedy – 9.81
7. Max – 9.5
8. Oliver – 9.1
Average – 9
9. Coleman – 8
10. Evan – 6.68
11. Corey – 6.65
12. Brian – 6.4
…K
DL
1. Spencer – 16
2. Oliver – 14
3. Cam – 12.5
4. Kennedy – 12.1
5. Shelby – 11
Average – 10.5
6. Coleman – 10.3
7. Max – 10
8. Brian – 9.4
9. Sean – 9.2
10. Doak – 8
11. Evan – 7
12. Corey – 4
Spencer has started two DLs most weeks, while Oliver has started three DLs most weeks, but Spencer would still be averaging as many FP as Oliver here if it was just Brian Burns, who has been amazing. Cameron’s starting Hutch and Parsons together with their byes behind them, but he got to this 12.5 average with only two weeks of them starting together. He will be at the top of this list by the end of November. Corey is feeling the loss of Parsons hard, but he could probably recover quickly by starting an EDGE instead of DT. I’m glad we finally have a position where Sean isn’t in the top four.
LB
1. Evan – 22
2. Sean – 20.4
3. Brian – 20.1
4. Kennedy – 20
5. Coleman – 17
Average – 15
6. Corey – 14.37
7. Cam – 14.31
8. Doak – 13.4
9. Shelby – 13
10. Max – 10
11. Spencer – 9
12. Oliver – 4
It should come as no surprise that Evan would have the best LBs. Beyond that, all I can say is I have no feel for how to analyze IDP. It’s pretty arbitrary to separate DL from LB in certain cases. I’m not pulling from the LB starting slot for these numbers. I’m more or less separating off-ball LBs from the rest. Four of the five bottom teams are only starting one LB most weeks. Max didn’t start an off-ball LB until Week 4.
DB
1. Doak (finally) – 14
2. Brian – 10
3. Evan – 9.1
4. Spencer – 9
Average - 8
5. Cam – 7.78
6. Shelby – 7.75
7. Oliver – 7.5
8. Corey – 7.3
9. Kennedy – 6.5
10. Max – 6.4
11. Coleman – 6.3
12. Sean (finally) – 6
I’m starting two elite DBs. It’s not making up for deficits elsewhere. Evan is going to crush us in this category by the end of the year. Travis Hunter had been scoring between 5 and 10 every week, then he went off for 23 before the bye. He should be the Jags’ WR1 going forward and absolutely make good on the second-round price tag.
IDP
1. Brian – 40
2. Evan – 39
3. Kennedy – 38
4. Doak – 37
5. Sean – 35.7
6. Spencer – 35
7. Cam – 34.5
8. Coleman – 34.3
Average – 33
9. Shelby – 32
10. Max – 27
11. Corey – 26
12. Oliver – 25
Yeah, so Oliver’s triple-DL strategy not working out so much. Betting on sacks is very volatile, especially sacks off the waiver wire. So our best three teams are top-half IDP scorers, but two of the top three teams are nearly guaranteed to miss the playoffs. Of all the positions, K and IDP are the two lists where league average skews toward the bottom.
1. The Fleeb Must Be Rubbed
Average Pos. Rank: 3rd
Best Player: Jonathan Taylor (#2 overall, 12 FP behind Mahomes)
Best Move: stacking Cowboys
Worst Move: dropping $50 FAAB for Boutte and Tillman
Outlook: Undisputed, runaway champ
2. Aubrey’s Boot Barn
Average Pos. Rank: 4th-5th
Best Player: Bo Nix (QB6, ahead of Maye and Dak)
Best Move: keeping Bo Nix
Worst Move: benching Bo Nix
Outlook: Stacked, versatile lineup with two QBs, two bell-cow RBs, three target-hog WRs, and an elite TE. Seems to have solved IDP through the opportunistic Parsons add, the fuck-you bid for Lake, and a solid snipe of Oluokun. At 4-4, it’ll be tough sledding for Cam to get a bye, but if he sneaks into the 3-seed, he could avoid playing Sean until the finals.
3. Interdimensional Sports
Average Pos. Rank: 5th
Best Player: Jalen Hurts (QB4), CMC (RB2)
Best Move: passing on Josh Allen
Worst Move: dicking around at WR and TE
Outlook: Spencer is second in scoring thanks to the Hurts-DeVonta stack and the CeRBerus of CMC, Achane, and Etienne. Feels suuuper precarious. Three of the smallest skill players, plus two dudes in Hurts and CMC who take more hits than most guys at their respective positions. At 7-1, it’s nearly impossible to miss the playoffs, especially with the points cushion. Spencer doesn’t neeed to go get that elite WR or TE, but if you don’t, you’re relying on luck when it comes time to face Sean in the playoffs.
4. The Mooch
Average Pos. Rank: 6th
Best Player: Mahomes (#1 overall), SkatteBus (dead)
Best Move: Kimani Vidal for $1, Harvey fo’ free
Worst Move: overall IDP strategy, $169 for Kelce
Outlook: well, he’s blowing it by insisting on Trey Hendrickson, who scores 1 FP every other week. But at 3-5, Oliver is the cream of the lower class. He’s realistically a stud RB and IDP away from being able to go toe-to-toe with anyone but Sean. In his mind, he’s one loss away from stocking the 2026 war chest, but he should be making a godfather offer for Bijan and JSN to take this thing into overdrive.
5. Baken and Egbuka
Average Pos. Rank: 6th
Best Player: James Cook (RB3), Rashee Rice (WR3)
Best Move: getting James Cook for free, drafting Baker in the 15th last year, drafting Hunter in the 2nd, Eggs in the 3rd. Take your pick. Evan is crushing.
Worst Move: dicking around at RB behind Cook
Outlook: To me, it depends on Baker, and it’s not looking good. As soon as national media agreed to take his MVP campaign seriously, defenses adjusted. In the last two weeks, Baker doesn’t have a rush attempt, and the Bucs have allowed more sacks to the Lions and Saints than they did to the Texans and Eagles. He’s not able to get his feet set, he’s not able to get loose for a run, and he’s missing a lot of big throws. Evan should make the playoffs. But once he gets there, does he start Baker or Darnold?
6. D’Ont Even Trip, D’Awg
Average Pos. Rank: 6th
(to be clear here, I used the collective IDP rank, so I’m not cheesing the #1 DB rank to be tied with Evan here)
Best Player: not gonna jinx it
Best Move: trading up for an extra 1st
Worst Move: starting Andy Dalton, spending $72 on Burrow and Henley only to drop them after a couple weeks, dropping Diggs, keeping Tee Higgins when I could have taken Sean’s offer for James Cook, and on and on and on
Outlook: I feel weirdly confident. My team is weird. It’s kind of bad, but I have a starting lineup where everyone can consistently score double digits. I have three bonafide high-ceiling players in Lamar, Henry, and Swift. I have a couple of more historically high-ceiling players in DJ Moore, Tee, Jameson, and Watt. I have DB1, a solid TE, and if the Commanders can figure their shit out by December, I might even have depth at RB. And though the Panthers passing game is probably dead on arrival, there is just the slightest chance that T-Mac is a high-ceiling player, the obvious candidate to lead the team in targets and TDs. And Corey can attest to the fact that I’ve already thrown a 2026 2nd in a trade offer. I’m delusional enough to take a run at Sean with this roster. The risk is worth it for so many reasons.
7. OshKosh B’Josh
Average Pos. Rank: 6th-7th (don’t)
Best Player: Josh (QB3), Davante (WR7)
Best Move: Jordan Mason fell off in Week 8, but he managed like 15 ppg before that, and Max got him in the 7th. Max also scooped Chaad and got a couple 20-pointers while Mason and Jacobs were on bye. Picking up Boswell post-bye brought a lot of points but not a lot of wins (Boswell scored a quarter of Max’s 108 points in his most recent loss).
Worst Move: Like… everything else? Everything except JK. Nico is a bust, Kincaid’s a roller coaster. The IDP room is dog shit. Sterling Shepard is a truly insane add in a shallow league that scores return yards.
Outlook: At 5-3, Max sits in fourth place, but averaging just 120 FP over his last three, he’s looking likely to miss the playoffs. Allen and Jacobs can only take you so far if no one else can get above 20 FP, especially if your IDPs can’t get over 20 FP as a collective. With White and Mason falling back due to their teams’ starters returning, you’re treating Rashid Shaheed as a starter. That’s not gonna cut it.
8. Brian
Average Pos. Rank: 6th-7th
Best Player: Kraft (TE1), Chase (WR5), Daniels (QB12)
Best Move: Kraft, for sure. I’m also really into the Woody Marks and Marcus Jones moves. Marks is averaging 12 ppg his last four games, and Marcus Jones has been in double digits for five straight games, barely edging out Tykee for DB1.
Worst Move: Spending $39 on one week of Bam Knight comes to mind. Spending $18 on Cam Ward is inefficient because there was never any reason to assume anyone else would bid, but assuming Ward is on Brian’s roster for good, that’s a cheap keeper who could ascend. The 2-3 turn of TreVeyon and Marv cost way more and actively lost games. The TreVeyon pick is fine. Brian was in a tough spot at RB in that position, and luckily TreVeyon is breaking out now. Marv over Egbuka doesn’t make any sense in our league.
Outlook: Brian is realistically one loss away from elimination, but he’s only 60 FP behind Mac, who’s sixth in scoring. Brian might just fuck around and get scorching hot. Kraft, Chase, Verse, Branch, and Marcus Jones are elite, Daniels has scored 20+ FP in every game he’s played, Henderson and Marks are taking over their backfields, BTJ is going to eat with Hunter on IR, and Marv sucks but could not suck for a few weeks in a row. If Godwin comes back after the bye, that solves the Marv issue. All you need now is a kicker, and if that’s the case, then you’re probably a playoff contender.
9. Shelby
Average Pos. Rank: 7th
Best Player: Herbert (QB5), Gibbs (RB5), Rome (WR8)
Best Move: Herbert in the 12th is the kind of pick that wins leagues. The problem is Shelby spent a 2nd on Joe Burrow and a 3rd on RJ Harvey. If she had hit on those picks, and she still got the Rome and Deebo value picks, then she’d be cruising. Instead, she’s on the brink of elimination with half the season left.
Worst Move: Hockenson in the 6th was already pretty rough, and then you find out that Tucker Kraft went seven picks later. Then to be streaming TE for weeks and not take a shot on Gadsden when you have the stack with Herbert, it should be a lesson learned. But AJ Barner is actually a fucking baller, so TE wasn’t Shelby’s worst move, nor was $40 for Franklin or even dropping Franklin and Harvey. It was the 2nd for Burrow, not because he got hurt but because a QB like Burrow needs to lead the league in TDs to crack the top five, and the only way a QB is worth a 2nd or higher is if he can finish #1 by a wide margin. I do respect the Burrow-Brown stack. Flacco and Brown combined for 60 last week. So the Burrow pick is excusable, but Shelby’s draft was sharp, and she’s made good waiver moves.
Outlook: Loser-leaves-town match with Corey this week, a couple wild cards, and a showdown with Sean on Herbert’s bye week. So she’s losing a 7th game before the season ends, but unlike two weeks ago, she’s solid enough in scoring that she can sneak into the playoffs with that record.
10. Corey
Average Pos. Rank: 8th-9th
Best Player: JSN (WR1), Bijan (RB4), Bucky (RB12)
Best Move: the pre-draft trade to be able to keep JSN was prophetic. Coming out of the draft with Bijan, Bucky, Evans, GW, JSN, and Bowers gave Corey an elite roster even with questions at QB and IDP. Bijan and JSN have been trying to hold this thing together, but it’s just not possible when injuries have robbed Corey of his next five best players.
Worst Move: not playing waivers is bad, but Corey hasn’t had the roster flexibility to make many moves. Dropping Parsons wasn’t great, but aside from one 24-point explosion, Parsons has been under 7 FP every week. Dropping McLaughlin cost you two games: Week 3 he outscored your kicker by 10 and you lost by 7. Week 6 he outscored your kicker by 1.2 and you lost by 1.02. Imagine being 4-4 right now by just not dropping a kicker you drafted in the 7th Round!
Outlook: Corey gets Bowers back this week, I think he gets Bucky and Wilson back next week, so even if he loses this week, if either Stroud or Stafford is legit, if Corey can just not completely bomb all his IDP spots, he has an improving roster and a favorable schedule. I’d say Corey is in the top half of the league in terms of teams I don’t want to face in the playoffs (because I’m assuming Mike Evans comes back Week 15.)
11. Coleman
Average Pos. Rank: 8th-9th
Best Player: Lamb, Kyren, Love-ish
Best Move: the winding road to QB dominance, leaving the draft with only Sam Darnold and working the wire for Jordan Love and eventually Joe Flacco.
Worst Move: not closing out the Breece Hall trade offer. Since the trade, Hall has scored 16, 20, 10, 7, and 38. Keenan has scored 6, 10, 4, 24, and 8, and he was on Coleman’s bench for the 24. Coleman would have the same record either way, and actually would only have a better record if he had started Keenan Week 7, so he’s doing pretty well in the worst move rankings.
Outlook: Coleman’s 5-3, his roster is pretty good, but his schedule sucks, he’s not going to win a points tiebreaker, and most of his bye weeks are yet to come. I think he needs to win three more games, but I’m only expecting him to win two.
12. Kennedy
Average Pos. Rank: 9th
Best Player: Gadsden and Garrett (damning)
Best Move: leaving the draft with three bell-cow RBs, eventually getting a 2nd and 4th to move on while those RBs’ 2025 value depreciates.
Worst Move: somehow leaving the draft desperate for help at QB (Murray, Purdy, Penix) and WR (Zay Flowers and two nothings from nowhere).
Outlook: Kennedy waiver-wired his way to a functional starting offense, adding Caleb, Tracy, Addison (via trade for a guy he got off waivers), Gadsden, Jauan, Stevenson, Monangai, and Tre Tucker. Yeah, it’s gross; he’s ranked 12th. But what that group did in the first half should be very different from what they do in the second half. Tracy’s the starter, Addison and Jauan get QB upgrades. Monangai is starting this week with Swift out, and who’s to say how long Swift is out. Maybe they’re holding him out this week so they can trade him. All I’m saying is that Kennedy can play spoiler and compete for the #1 pick. But he also technically has a shot at making the playoffs unless he loses this week.
Man of the Match: Lamar and Henry already combined for 50, so that’s the bar for Kennedy’s Caleb-Monangai combo. If they can match, then Tyrone Tracy becomes the deciding factor as the highest upside player in this whole matchup.
Man of La Mancha: with Swift ruled out, I’m either going 4-WR or starting Bill in a brutal matchup. Even if I go 4-WR, I haven’t decided any of the four, and I’m positive the fantasy gods will punish me for picking wrong. If I pick the wrong WRs, I’m going to lose to a team starting “Michael Hoecht.”
Dragons: DJ Moore being a de facto RB with Swift out; Kennedy realizing STA-KC is a free ticket to 20 FP this week with Pacheco out.
Windmills: Jameson Williams getting fed because the Lions OC insists he will; “Michael Hoecht’s” 12 FP last week
Resolution: Kennedy loses largely due to a lack of TDs.
Man of the Match: Ja’Marr Chase has 42 targets in his last two games. Kimani Vidal has 41 carries in the Chargers last two blowouts (Chargers play Tennessee this week).
Man of La Mancha: Devin White’s worst game of the season, his only game under 9 FP (he scored 4), came the last time he was in Oliver’s starting lineup. Bam Knight doesn’t actually start for the Cardinals, and if he’s starting for Brian, that means TreVeyon Henderson is sitting.
Dragons: Henderson getting massive volume as the Pats rout the Falcons, Marv hitting a season-high solely because he plays Dallas, BTJ returning to his former glory with Travis Hunter out; Nik Bonitto feasting on a bad Texans o-line, Kelce feasting on a sketchy Bills middle, Kittle feasting on smelling salts and the blood of his enemies.
Windmills: Mahomes vs. Daniels being a marquee matchup, Oliver’s Monday night magic, Bam Knight in general
Resolution: Brian comes to his senses checks the news, starts Henderson, torches Oliver at every position but RB and K.
Man of the Match: Jahmyr Gibbs vs. Vikings LBs, AJ Barner vs. Bobby Wagner, Justin Herbert vs. a turtling Titans team; JSN needs 50 in primetime for Corey to have a shot.
Man of La Mancha: classic Stafford collapse in a good on-paper matchup. Saints DC Brandon Staley knows McVay’s offense intimately, has enough roster talent to stuff the run, take away first reads, and force Stafford to get creative, which is when bad things happen.
Dragons: JSN appears to be matchup-proof, and the Commanders suck anyway, Kyle Pitts against a tragic Pats middle, Chase Brown redemption tour
Windmills: Stefon Diggs redemption tour, Brock Bowers elite status, Deebo’s ability to play his style while playing injured
Resolution: Corey cobbles together an IDP group, possibly by trading some bye weekers, but it’s not nearly enough, such that he probably should have just tanked this week, but he needs every point he can get to stay alive for an unlikely tiebreaker scenario.
Man of the Match: Darnold comes off the bye against a broken Commanders defense, outscores Josh Allen to give Evan an important edge. Josh Jacobs faces a Panthers defense that allowed 45 FP to James Cook last week; Jacobs outscores Evan’s three RBs combined to level the playing field. Evan’s IDPs deliver the dagger.
Man of La Mancha: whoever Max is forced to flex between Shaheed and Mason despite Sterling Shepard being an easy drop with a starting RB available on the wire. Aaron Jones and David Montgomery fighting desperately to get above 5 FP.
Dragons: Rashee Rice and Justin Jefferson establishing themselves as the engine of this team when Cook has a bad matchup. Evan’s IDPs doubling up Max’s. BOZ.
Windmills: the projection of a Chiefs-Bills shootout, Nico Collins as an elite WR, Davante as the Rams’ redzone answer.
Resolution: Evan wins close in a matchup that falls way short of its projected points because that’s just how Max’s season is going.
Man of the Match: Jordan Love solidifying himself as Coleman’s permanent starting QB. Ashton Jeanty realizing the Raiders’ losing culture is in his sphere of influence.
Man of La Mancha: Coleman getting less from two Chargers WRs than Cam gets from one, Chris Olave eating shit in Tyler Shough’s first start as the Rams D threatens a shutout. Joe Flacco is one hit away from flat-out retiring.
Dragons: Cameron’s team coming to fruition across the board; Ladd is the Chargers WR1 again, Brandon Aubrey breaking the record for longest kick is a matter of when not if.
Windmills: the Cowboys’ offensive dominance and Lamb and Ferg’s slam-dunk 30 FP per game combined, Drake London being a force against any team with a legitimate corner.
Resolution: Cameron is likelier to get double digits from everybody than Coleman is to get double digits from half his team. Should be a 50-point win for Cam.
Man of the Match: CeRBerus showdown with huge points for all six.
Man of La Mancha: Dart, Pittman, and Shakir going triple-pumpkin (pumpkin-turkey?) in Spencer’s one shot to take down Sean for the 1-seed. Rico Dowdle outscores Jonathan Taylor (again).
Dragons: doesn’t matter who Sean starts at QB, super matters that he gets to face Spe when the Eagles and Bucs are on bye (lowers Spe’s ceiling by a solid 20 FP).
Windmills: Jaxson Dart having fewer than three undocumented concussions already this season, the illusion that Sean’s lineup is set without Puka and Van Ginkel in it
Resolution: Sean breaks the pseudo-tie and holds the 1-seed all the way to the playoffs.
