USAFL fans, we have reached the final four! For the first time since the divisional structure was implemented, a Premier Division team failed to reach the semi-finals. Three teams for the United States Division and the division champion from the Commonwealth will all promote next season, but not before one is crowned USAFL Champion.
The Strokes and the Whitefish both come into this week off of upset victories and look to repeat history as the lower seeds typically find a way into the USAFL Bowl and send a season’s worth of effort from the top seeds down the drain.
Two division rivals meet for a third time this week as the 9-5 Strokes visit the U.S. Division and USAFL Regular Season Champions, the 9-5 Holy Penguins. These two squads split the regular season at 1-1 with the Holy Penguins putting up an astonishing 173 points against the Strokes in Week 2, but the Strokes got revenge in Week 13 with a 119-109 victory that help keep the Pens from achieving a 10-win season.
Just like Shakira's hips, the stats don't lie. The Penguins have been the most potent offense not only this season but as one of the best in history. Yet, the final leg of the regular season was not a storybook ending for the Pens as they finished 1-3 and barely held on to their third league championship. The season changed course for these two teams in Week 9 as offensive production steadily increased for the Strokes and decreased for the Penguins due in part to a series of injuries.
The Strokes 4 game winning streak, second only to the Koalas in the league, is all thanks to outstanding play by Jalen Hurts and Christian McCaffrey with incredibly strong roleplayers in Miles Sanders, Kennan Allen, and Zay Jones. A dark cloud looms over the Strokes; however, as Jalen Hurts, hurts his shoulder and may not suit up this week. This leaves the offensive production in the hands of Derek Carr. The Penguins will need the dynamic duo of Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs (keystones to two previous championships) to have boom days in order to keep up with the speedy Stroke offense.
Key Matchups:
Josh Allen/Stephon Diggs vs. Derek Carr/Christian McCaffery
These four players take center stage in this semi-final matchup. Despite six other players contributing to each team, the win or loss will fall on the shoulders of these four players. Allen heads to the Windy City in below-freezing weather, but he has no problem playing in bad conditions, as he tallied 36 fantasy points in the cold Buffalo weather last week. He is an elite QB1 against a Bears D that is 24th against fantasy QBs. Although limited in practice yesterday, the Penguins QB looks primed to start as usual.
On the other side of the field, the Strokes may be at a disadvantage as MVP candidate Jalen Hurts remains questionable this Wednesday afternoon. He will likely be ruled out if he remains sidelined on Thursday. Instead, the Strokes will rely on Derek Carr who had a solid performance last week completing 20 of his 38 pass attempts for 231 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Sadly, unlike Josh Allen, Carr does not thrive in the winter elements and is 0-6 when the game-time temperature drops below 37 degrees and will need to deal with potential snow in Pittsburgh this Saturday.
The Pens stud wideout Stephon Diggs has only 13 fantasy points over his last 2 games but looks to rebound against a weak 26th-ranked defense against fantasy wide receivers. With only 60 yards recorded last week, the Pens will need stronger production to move on past the Strokes. Meanwhile, although questionable, Christian McCaffrey seems poised to start this Saturday. McCaffrey has 76 fantasy points over his last 3 games, he is an elite RB1, even against a strong defense that is 5th against fantasy backs over the last 5 weeks.
Comments