Vampire League Week 11 – Vampire Smash!

The week was here. The Count had taken up the call of the Ghould Hunt – and two of the biggest hitters in the Vampire League were facing off. So who came out as the victor? Did Harry manage to best the Daywalkers? Or did Stormula take a bite out of the league leader?

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 

Ordinarily, it’s quite quiet on a Thursday night game. But not this week. The Vampire had two massive players taking part, compared to just one titan on the other team. As the dust settled on the Seahawks – Cardinals game, the score was close. But the Vampire must have been cursing his luck as it could have been wider. 

Daywalkers Quarterback Kyler Murray seemed to get a big hit during the game, and looked to be struggling with his throwing. That, combined with the Seahawks managing to keep him bottled up on carries, meant an output not seen from Murray for several weeks. His 269 yards and 2 touchdowns, and 5 carries for 15 yards, gave him just 20.26 points. 

His big target DeAndre Hopkins, another acquisition from previous Vampire victories, didn’t fare as well as a result of Kyler’s malady. Just 5 completed catches from 8 targets gave 51 yards – and 10.1 points. 

Harry’s only player was Tyler Lockett, and the Seattle wide man was not left out of the action. Lockett completed all his 9 targets for 67 yards and a touchdown. That 21.7 points kept the gap closer than the Vampire would have wanted. It was still all to play for in Week 11, but was that ‘Advantage Ghould Hunt’?

SUNDAY SCHEDULE

With no-one playing in the Monday Night game, it was coming down to the Sunday Slate. This was the second half of the battle – and it was likely that the winner would get a bye to the playoffs. A Week 14 respite was at stake. 

And there were definitely some fireworks! DeShaun Watson continued his freedom from Bill O’Brien by contributing toward three of his team’s touchdowns. Passing two and rushing in a third, Watson added a huge 31.36 points for Ghould Hunt. It’s what we normally expect from Kyler, but it was the Texans QB who delivered this week. 

Both of Harry’s Running Backs found the endzone as well, as Alvin Kamara and Clyde Edwards-Helaire both ran in scores. Kamara only added 45 yards on the ground, whereas CEH also added on one reception for 8 yards in addition to his 69 carry yards. Together, they contributed 31.2 points. 

The Vampire’s Running Backs also got rushing touchdowns, keeping the contest in the balance. Aaron Jones also picked up 41 ground yards and four receptions for 30 yards; Mike Davis 64 ground yards and 2 completions for 15 more in the air. Their combined score? 33 points. The Vampire’s Running Backs got the edge in that department. 

The Wide Receivers also kept things interesting. Although Lockett also got that helpful point boost for Ghould Hunt, Jarvis Landry did not manage to deliver. His 2 receptions for 23 yards only added a further 4.3 points – and gave Harry 26.3 points for his wide men.

Whereas Chase Claypool had a good day for the Vampires – 4 receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown. Adding that onto Hopkins’ return? 26 point exactly. Another closely run race in a position. 

THE DIFFERENCE MAKERS

The biggest swings outside of the Quarterback came further down the rosters. Not ordinarily that important, the Defenses played a big role in how the match developed. On Harry’s team? The Patriots. A team who have been affected by so many opt outs have not performed as well as previous year. This week, the Houston offense put 27 points past them – giving them the only bagel of the matchup. 0 points. So, in a way, DeShaun Watson’s selection saved this match for Harry.

On the Vampire’s side? The Dolphins, who have been dominant in recent weeks. But their weakness is against the run game – and the Broncos took real advantage. Melvin Gordon’s touchdowns reduced the points that the Dolphins picked up. And the Fins D came away with only 7 points. 

The Kickers also came into play in this match as well, with both getting double figures. Justin Tucker delivered 10 points, and Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship got a huge 13 points.

With all those players, that gave approximately a 2 point gap. Which brought it down to the Tight Ends. 

TIGHT AT TIGHT ENDS

Harry’s prime pick Travis Kelce has been the Tight End 1 of the season, and a leading performer for Ghould Hunt. On the Daywalkers, Dallas Goedert has returned from injury to become the lead TE at the Eagles.

Both caught touchdowns, and both had a big day. But it was the Chiefs’ Tight End who helped Harry clinch this match. Kelce caught 8 of 10 targets for 127 yards and the touchdown – and under-armed a pass for four yards…and 26.86 points.

Goedert only managed four completions for 77 yards and his score, giving a respectable 18.7 points. But it wasn’t enough. The Ghould Hunt became only the third team to beat the Vampire and kept their position at the top of the league on 9-2. The Vampire slips to 8-3, but still threatens in third position.

After all said and done, it transpires that the matchwinner Kelce was the one that Vampire would have picked to take under his wing. A lucky escape for Harry, as Kelce literally balled out for his spot in the team. 

So, with two games left, who has the Vampire got left to pick from? His two choices – ‘BUF the Vampire Slayer’, the team led by the FF Blues Brother…and SourBeerFan’s self titled team. Both sit in the top half of the table – so a tough match either way. But who’s up for a revenge match in Week 12?

NEXT WEEK…WE DANCE

It will have to be another week’s wait for the Blues Brother, as the Vampire has selected to have SourBeer on the Thanksgiving weekend. There had been a long thought process behind the Count’s choice, but he has eventually settled on his final schedule in his push for a bye week.

Team SourBeer has got some tasty treats to serve up if the Daywalkers get the win. Big Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Allen, both doing well in their own rights, are the Quarterbacks to choose from. 

Keenan Allen and Julio Jones are both having standout seasons from the wide positions as well. And, with Kenny Golladay out, SourBeer’s Marvin Jones could also be a valuable asset going into these final few weeks. But Odell Beckham Jnr has been out on IR and unavailable. 

Like Beckham, Zach Ertz is also out on IR as it stands, so that leaves only Dan Arnold as the only viable Tight End. And Will Lutz and the Bears for the rest of the roster. 

You’ll notice I’ve saved the Running Backs until last. Well, that’s because last week it was really just ‘Running Back’. Dalvin Cook has had a monster season, but he was the only one available in Week 11. Lynn Bowden was out, Ryquell Armstead has COVID and David Johnson sits on IR. Thankfully it looks like Lynn Bowden returns this week, but his predicted points currently stands at 1.13.

Can he make that much of a difference? Only this match will tell. And how these players perform could determine whether the Daywalkers reach those coveted bye week slots. 

One things for sure, 

You Can’t Count out the Count!

@5YardRob