Injuries continue to pile up

A slate of awesome matchups dot the schedule for Week 6 as several division leaders square off to stake a claim to the top spots and bragging rights as we make our way through the dog days of October.

Beaters RB Omarion Hampton suffered an ankle injury last weekend and will miss at least four games.

Topping the list of intriguing games are two of the top two teams in the Silent Division as the Recliners try to plant a flag as the division leader and the team to beat as we inch closer to the playoffs. In the other division, the Band Aids try to win their second game of the season against the top dog Gerbils.

The injury gods were not kind to several team owners last week, leaving several scrambling to the waiver wire Wednesday to plug gaps that suddenly blossomed. Case in point is Matt Pringle’s Spread Beaters, who, two weeks ago, were flush with running back depth and talent. Fast forward to October and the Beaters have a M*A*S*H unit in the backfield. Rookie RB Omirion Hampton of the Chargers was placed on injured reserve this week after leaving Sunday’s game against the Commanders in a walking boot. He will miss the next four weeks, at least.

Tampa Bay RB Bucky Irving (Who Dey), ruled out of last week’s road game at Seattle with an ankle injury now looks like he will miss at least the next two weeks with a shoulder issue. And, with Tampa having a bye in Week 9 there is no incentive for the Buccaneers to rush him back for Week 8.

But, with all of the bad news comes a little morsel or two of good stuff. Stars sidelined in Week 1 and placed on injured reserve then have finished their minimum 4-week stay on the shelf and might, soon, return to the practice field. Pringle is closely watching for any update on tight end George Kittle (Go Niners!) and Invaiders manager Vern is hoping there is a Ceedee Lamb sighting soon on the practice field.

The biggest surprise last week was the sudden rise of the Westchester Gerbils to the top spot in the weekly ESPN power rankings for our league. Chuck Nelson’s squad started the year near the bottom (8^th) of the rankings and have steadily been on the rise. The Gerbs moved past the Hermosa Recliners and now sit in the top spot of the rankings. The Recliners have climbed from third initially to the second spot. The only other team on the rise in recent weeks are the lowly Band Aids, who have climbed from 10^th after the draft to the spot Chuck’s team started the season (8^th).

The rest of the rankings show the Packers have dropped from first to third. The Spread Beaters now sit in fourth, and WTNE is fifth. The Invaiders are sixth, the Tirades seventh, the winless Rangers are ninth and Who Dey is now 10^th.

Two Teams on Bye

With two more teams – the Houston Texans and the Minnesota Vikings – on a bye in Week 6, the NFL schedule kicks off Thursday night with the Philadelphia Eagles visiting their rival New York Giants. The early Sunday schedule continues with the Jets and Broncos playing across the pond in London (6:30 a.m. kickoff for those of us in the Pacific Time Zone). The Sunday night game features the Detroit Lions at the Kansas City Chiefs, and then two more games close out the schedule on Monday night – the Buffalo Bills at the Atlanta Falcons (4:15 p.m. kickoff) and the Chicago Bears at the Washington Commanders (5:15 p.m. kickoff).

For planning purposes, note that two key quarterbacks (Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson) and several key producers from the Bills and Ravens are on a bye next week before a byemageddon looms in Week 8. If you are dedicated enough to be reading this portion, bless you. This could be the most important part of this drivel I write this week. It might be wise to check your lineup on Week 8 as six teams – the Jaguars, the Raiders, the Lions, the Cardinals, the Rams and the Seahawks – are vacationing in the Whirlpool and at the beach. An exhausting number of studs won’t be playing that week. That might explain some of the goofy moves I have been making this week in advance of what is coming. If you have a hole that needs plugging in Week 8, act now before the waiver window opens for the Week 8 mess that awaits us.

Game of the Week

Bijan Robinson leads the Recliners against the Beaters this weekend.

Recliners (4-1) vs. the Spread Beaters (4-1), toss ‘em: Welcome back, Bijan. After taking a siesta with a bye last week, Chris’ squad is back to full strength and looking to drive another dagger into the hopes of Matt Pringle’s bunch. And, Bijan might end up being the deciding factor in this one as ESPN has this one penciled out to a dead draw with 99 points on each side of the projected ledger. The heart of the Recliners advantage will start at flex (Bijan), both WRs (Puka Nacua and Jaylen Waddle, and tight end (Trey McBride). Pringle gets the nod at quarterback (Jayden Daniels) and the RB2 spot (Rachaard White at home against the stout 49ers, Go Niners!). The Swami thinks the positional advantages at WR and flex will win out in this one. The Swami does not believe this line at all and says, “take the Recliners and 3.”

Best of the Rest

Westchester Gerbils (4-1) vs. Band Aids (1-4), Gerbils favored by 1: There used to be bottles of booze riding on the outcome of this annual rivalry in years past … no word if anything more than Trojan pride or Bruin bluster is at stake this time around. Chuck gets the positional advantage at RB1 with Jahmyr Gibbs traveling to take on the suddenly porous Kansas City defense, at WR1 with Davante Adams on the road to take on the equally stinky Baltimore Ravens defense, and at flex as he rolls out WR Rome Odunze who travels to Washington, D.C., to take on the Commanders in the Monday Night finale. Bruin Bob gets the advantage at QB with Caleb Williams (fight on!, which must be tough for him to watch), RB1 Javonte Williams and tight end Jake Ferguson at Carolina and the New England Patriots defense at anemic New Orleans. Bob’s late surge is a nice story but Chuck takes care of business in this one. Fight on, and take the Gerbils and 5.

WTNE (3-2) vs. Rangers (0-5), Rangers favored by 7: The early line in this one is a stunner. When the Swami initially saw this matchup, he figured Jordan’s bunch had a bunch of byes that had not been plugged. But, lo and behold, big daddy has a few surprises for Jordan. John gets RB Josh Jacobs back from his bye last week and is favored to outperform Jordan’s RB1 Saquon Barkley. John also has positional advantages at WR2 with Deebo Samuel, flex (WR Xavier Worthy) and the Steelers defense. Jordan gets an edge with the Chargers quarterback, Cleveland RB Quinshon Judkins and WR1 Ladd McConkey, who made his first visit to an endzone last week. The Swami smells something funny with this line and says take WTNE and 5.

Packers (3-2) vs. Invaiders (3-2), Packers favored by 13: The Swami wished he smelled something funny with this line, but the Packers hold positional advantages across the board. Not one Invaider starter is projected to outscore a Packer rival. Jeff gets the edge at RB2 with James Cook at Atlanta, WR2 George Pickens at Carolina, flex (RB de’Von Achane) at home for the Chargers, defense (the Eagles at the New York Giants) and kicker (Brandon Aubrey at Carolina). Swami says take the Pack and 10.

Dog of the Week

Marietta Tirades (2-3) vs. Who Dey (1-4), Tirades favored by nearly 40: The early line is much larger than it should be come game day as Matty has not subbed out the injured Irving (who is listed in our system only as “Questionable,” when it likely should be reading “Out”) and WR Justin Jefferson, who is on a bye this week. Unfortunately for Matty, there are not a lot of viable options on the bench. He still rosters RB Braelon Allen (on injured reserve). RJ Harvey could give him a few points in Irving’s spot and WR Ricky Pearsall (Go Niners! But still carrying a “Questionable” tag) could boost him another 7 points. Even with those subs, this still looks like a 30-point blowout on the horizon. The Tirades, like the Pack in the previous preview, have all of the positional advantages – QB Brock Purdy, RBs Jonathan Taylor and Breece Hall, WRs Ja’Marr Chase and Quentin Johnston, flex WR Emeka Egbuka, the Jacksonville defense and kicker Harrison Butker. Swami says take the Tirades and at least 25.