2022 Semifinals

And then there were four. Two teams were eliminated this past weekend as we head into the semifinal weekend. Division winners coming off a well-needed bye week and have their eyes set on making the finals. Justin took down Spencer behind big games from Josh Allen and Kelce, two of the key pieces we talked about last week. Probst upset Worzie as the sixth seed with massive scoring runs by Kittle McKinnon and Montgomery.

Let's get right into this weeks matchups.

SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS

Jared vs Justin

Jared hasn't lost a matchup since October, peeling off nine straight wins behind his elite core of Jacobs, SQB, Diggs and Chase. Jared's team isn't flawless though. He has struggled to find consistency at QB and TE and his matchup this week may significantly lean on those positions. After making a trade for Herbert midseason, he has yet to get top-tier points from his QB, scoring only 20 points in a single matchup. Meanwhile his TE Hockensen continues to have up and down games without significant production week to week.

On the other side, Justin's team is carried by his QB/TE. Kelce is far and away the best fantasy TE this year, scoring over 8pts more on average per week than the 2nd overall TE. Josh Allen is coming off his season-high scoring week so we can anticipate he scores closer to his mean on Saturday. The real issue for Justin is that half his team is questionable this week. Kenneth Walker, Treylon Burks and Najee are all dealing with lingering injuries and his bench is filled with guys you don't want to be starting in the playoffs. The weather will only make it worse as all three of those players will be outside in temperatures expected to be below 20 degrees. Overall, advantage goes to Jared. His team has been playing consistently better and some of his key pieces are playing indoors this week.

Game of the week to watch for this fantasy matchup: Bills vs Bears

Nathan vs Probst

Nathan comes off his bye week well-rested with a team that looks elite on paper. Burrow has been producing like a top-tier QB, Jefferson is the best WR in the NFL, and CMC is on a tear. Couple that up with guys like Keenan, Andrews, Sanders and Garrett Wilson, and you see why Nathan is looking to win it all this year. But, there is come concern. CMC is still dealing with a knee injury but it has yet to effect his production. Garrett Wilson has Zach Wilson throwing to him. And Burrow has struggled when the weather gets cold. Probst's team has been electric over the past few weeks, scoring 160+ in three of the last five. The issue is that in between those high-scoring weeks his team has underperformed, barely breaking 110. The question is, which team do we get this week?

With Lamar and Deebo still expected to be out, Probst will be leaning on his role players to come up big once again. Guys like McKinnon, Mont G, Pollard and Watson need to stay hot. He also needs Carr to step the fuck up and find ways to get the ball to Davante. For some reason that's been a challenge even though he's half that offense.

Advantage, Nathan. With Deebo and Lamar being out, it requires Probst team to have back-to-back massive weeks which has yet to happen.

Game of the week to watch for this fantasy matchup: Eagles vs Cowgirls

SEASON PREDICTIONS

Last week I failed to get either winning team correct. Spencer and Worzie both lost bringing my season total to 40-27. Here are my predictions this week:

Jared vs Justin: Jared Nathan vs Probst: Probst

Score prediction: Jared 139.2 | Justin 133.6 Score prediction: Nathan 129.3 | Probst 140.1

WEEKLY POLLS

Good luck to everyone this week, except for the ones who I didn't pick to win. Either way, I really don't give a shit because the Chargers are on their way to locking up a playoff bid for the first time since 2018. Bolt up bitches.