The Turkish Tornado: Murat’s Record Start

This is, without question, finally Murat’s year. It’s been an astounding 23 years since he captured the CBPFFL, but this season has all the inevitability of a Trump impeachment. 

Murat has been on the cusp of victory many times. He’s finished in the top three an amazing six times in the last nine years, runner-up three times. Last season was perhaps the most heart-breaking, as James Conner, the unquestioned free agent pick-up of the year, was almost enough, but a late season run by Gene snatched the trophy from Murat’s fingers. All the close calls make it only a matter of time.

This week, Murat smashed the all-time weekly score. The previous weekly high (since the advent of 21^st Century rules and record keeping) was my own 2011 championship team, in a season that produced two weeks of identical 215 points. But Murat shredded that like a tornado through wet toilet paper. 

QB- Russell Wilson	37
RB- Ezekiel Elliott	16
RB- Austin Ekeler	21
W/T- Julio Jones	7
W/T- Adam Thielen	32
Flex- Amari Cooper	39
Flex- Will Fuller	53
K- Mike Nugent	9
D/ST- Philadelphia	35
TOTAL	249

This is a record that will stand for a good, long while. An incredible five players scored over 30 points! A record, despite his first-round pick limping out a lowly seven. But Will Fuller was the play that earned the record. Murat swapped in Houston’s second WR (after Hopkins, my own first-rounder) for a back-up Giants RB, that put up 27 the week before, managed one (!) miserable point, before exiting with a concussion. That single decision earned Murat 52 points, 100 jelly beans, and a record that will stand for many years.

            So, barring the most phenomenal flame-out in the history of Fantasy Football, Murat will take The Caggiano this December. 

• Murat has averaged 170 points through five weeks and built a 193 point lead over a hungry horde of owners in second. The record for total score is (again) my own 2011 team, that averaged about 150 each week. And that was a 10 team league with a TE slot we no longer use!
• Poor Holden, barreling towards last place and next year's top pick, on pace for third worst finish all time, sits an insurmountable 386 points behind, as Murat has outscored him by an average of 77 points (!) every week. 
• Murat's low score this season has been 130 (!), higher than two teams have yet to score. 
• In five weeks, Murat has finished with the top score twice, second twice, and a low rank of 5th once.

            Murat drafted a nightmare team, with a nearly perfect first eight rounds:

Player	Pos	Draft	Current Position Rank
Russell Wilson	QB	Round 6	1
Ezekiel Elliott	RB	Round 2	11
Austin Ekeler	RB	Round 8	2
Julio Jones	WR	Round 1	7
Amari Cooper	WR	Round 4	4
Adam Thielen	WR	Round 3	14
Will Fuller	Flex	Round 7	8
Philip Lindsay	Ben	Round 5	12

Five weeks into the season, with the narrow exception of Thielen, every single player ranks as a first string starter. The most any other owner drafted during the first eight rounds is three. Murat did not miss on a single important pick. A couple owners whiffed on five of these picks.

Murat has had to watch his NYC crew capture three titles, as his mantel gathers cobwebs.

So, Cheers to Murat, well done.

The Year of Trophies

The 2017-18 sports season was the greatest of my life.

I managed to capture my 5^th CBPFFL title, and the first in six years. The Caggiano is a hard trophy to win, and it felt good to see it back on the mantel; some people have waited 23 (and counting) years for that feeling.

Also, my Villanova Wildcats claimed their second NCAA Basketball Championship in three years. They were a fun team to watch and I’ve never felt more confident about one of my teams in the finals as I did as they rolled over Michigan.

My own beer-league hockey team won back to back seasons. It was the first time I managed to pose for a title picture in that league and was the greatest group of teammates I’ve ever lucked into. Go Shade!

Finally, after 44 years, my beloved Capitals drank, and drank, and drank from Lord Stanley’s Cup. They partied so hard the NHL instituted new rules for protection of the oldest trophy in sports, including banning the “Cup Stand,” credited to Ovechkin and his teammates.

I would’ve traded my fantasy win, ‘Nova’s title, and my own hockey team, and even agreed to never see these fantastic feats ever accomplished again, for this single Caps victory. Lucky me, I got them all…

Most CBPFFL titles are won with a virtually flawless draft, but I won my 2017 title with the waiver wire. Smaller pieces came my way, as I found the leg of Greg Zuerlein and the punishing Baltimore D off the wire: they finished as K1 and D/ST2 overall. Murat abandoned Zach Ertz too early, and he finished as a WR2 for the season, despite missing time with an injury. Most importantly, I snagged the free agent of the season: Alvin Kamara, who finished as RB3 overall. As a former Tennessee Vol, and current New Orleans Saint, Kamara fast became my favorite NFL player as he led my team to victory. 

But time passes…I kissed the trophy one more time and mailed it to NYC for its new owner…Villanova saw four started drafted into the NBA and busted out of the NCAA early…my heel is giving me problems and making me nervous about playing hockey…and, finally, the Caps resumed their choking ways and saw St. Louis become the newest first-time Cup champions. It’s all over…but at least I tasted it, and it was unforgettable.