Week 1’s recap and a look ahead at Week 2’s action

The first week of FPF is always special. Not only does it allow us to feel those FPF blues once again, but it also gives us a very different perspective on how things will turn out.

Every season, we get newcomers who shock the division, veterans who fall flat and quickly toss the season away and formerly struggling team that’ll make their first ever playoff appearance. All in all, every season is different and Winter 2017 is, well, no different.

I could start rambling on about random stories, but that’s never really been my motto; I’m all about contents and firing shots.

Let’s dive right into it.

Week 1

The good, the bad and the terrible.

I like to file teams in certain order (with mine being in the 3^rd category after week 1’s fiasco), but I also love to see teams emerge from the pack and surpass my expectations. It’s why I do this, really.

So, please, if you aren’t happy with how I’ve been talking about you so far; impress me. Go out there, and let your play do the talking; I’ll quickly redact my words.

Thoughts of the Week

Writing a divisional and a league-wide article is much more time consuming than I anticipated.
Alex Holowach and GM Kolethras is like a match made in Heaven. It’s going to be a great season for the Division 4 podcast.
My Facebook today is basically 3 things : People complaining about Trump, football players discussing the arrival of Durant to the Alouettes and a few mentions of the NFL’s Divisonal Playoff rounds. I guess no one does anything fun on a Friday morning.
From the looks of things, Division 4B seems to have more parity, but it’s still too early to tell.
I don’t think it’s possible to love yourself more than Peeze loves Peeze. Except maybe Kanye.
Nice try Doston, but last year was all luck. Also, your beers were sitting in the stands beside me. I drank them; warm beer’s no fun.
I gotta admit, those Damps 25/8 jerseys are pretty nice.
I’ve said it over and over again; Cowboys are losing this week.
Mud Dogs changed their QB and are still as impressive as before. I’m wondering it takes credit away from whoever’s throwing the football.
More and more people are starting to recognize me around the field. I guess I can’t say stupid stuff anymore and get away with it.
Division 4 is blessed with amazing parity and matchups.
With all these players missing week 1, I’m left to wonder whether they really are on the team, bailed or simply couldn’t make Week 1’s game.
I’ve mentionned it below, but how does Joseph Sifakis already have 6 sacks? That’s some people’s career-high.
Why am I not surprised Jad Aridi has the most receptions?
6 receivers in 4A surpassed the 100yards mark. Only 3 did in 4B.

Recaps

Division 4A

Damps 25/8 took on Frosty Bronsons on Wednesday night at Hebert and let me tell you, I was surprised by how this game went down. I expected a close one and it was as close as it gets. With 2 early interceptions, I was anticipating Damps to put this one to bed early, but Andrew Treffeisen struggled in the first half to move the ball down field against a gritty secondary. Bronsons managed to keep it close and gain a lead due to Thomas Zorko being a thorn in the opposing QB’s side most of the night as a rusher and Danny D’Amour (who doesn’t feature on the stats sheet due to not having a number) was everywhere on defense. With a late score from James Nowakowski, Damps were down by 6 with very little time left on the clock and couldn’t make up the score in time. Nonetheless, a great game that’ll set the tone.
Gotham Knights made an off-season change at QB and allowed Bruce Candussi to return as the pivot; it paid dividends right off the bat. In fact, Gotham Knights’ offense was near perfect aside from one stellar play from Jonathan Grizzley to pick off Bruce Candussi late in the 2^nd half. The new tandem of the Candussi brothers on offense seems to be way too efficient in the redzone as Mikey ended with 3 Tds, all redzone plays. Although the game was over, No Name used the extra time to build on their offense and Michael Roy might have found a new favorite redzone target in Johnny Symonds who caught the last 2 touchdowns. Seeing how the game ended, morale should be high for both teams regardless of Wednesday night’s results.

Division 4B

Mean Machines got off to a great start against STL Cougars: Daniel Goloff’ passes don’t seem impossible to catch anymore and their defense is syncing really well. With 3 players recording an interception, that defense elevated their game since last season to make a push in Division 4B this season. On the flip side, STL Cougars looked a bit rusty coming out of the gates, but managed to get things going and Erminio Iadeluca found his groove after a few drives that he’ll be able to build on for future games. Sure, a loss is never fun to go home from, but both teams showed promise for the weeks to come.
The Alpha T’s took the field against Green Lantern Corps who was depleted of their two star players (Kevin Lubin who bailed out last minute and Mendy Cardichon who’s out of town for work) and it showed on the field. Jerson Previllon took the snaps for GLC in a stronger division than he’s used to against, possibly, the best defense in the division; it was one of those nights you’d rather forget. The Alpha T’s defense looks faster than last Spring’s (somehow) and Jesse Dupuis continues to light up the scoreboard under center; these guys were an early favorite and this only elevated their stocks.

Players of the Week

Division 4A

Joseph Sifakis (Junkyard Dogs): 6 sacks as a rusher is impressive numbers. Add up a touchdown offensively and he had himself a night to remember. Oh, they won too.
Justin McLean (Still Still Teamless): Not only did he make me look bad with 2 Interceptions, but he also torched my defense for 86 yards and 3 Tds. Pretty strong start.
Julian McLaren-Thompson (The Commission): 117 receiving yards, 2 Tds, 1 interception and 2 Pds. I guess it’s safe to say Julian was everywhere on Saturday night.

Division 4B

Laurent Dubreuil (Mud Dogs): 100 yards receiving and 4 Tds is more than enough to put a big ol’ target on your back for the weeks to come.
Jordan McInnis (Obamacare): His chemistry with his new QB takes 0 time as he lit up the scoreboard with 103 receiving yards and 3 TD in their opener.
Marc-Antoine Vallée (The Alpha T’s): Coverage sacks or not, Vallée had a monster game finishing with 5 sacks including one for a safety.

Power Rankings

Division 4A

The Tide (1-0): Doug McKernan hasn’t lost a step and his defense is as good as it gets.
Still Still Teamless (1-0): With Justin tandem will wreck havoc amongst most defenses this season. Lonnie Johnson might have found himself a perfect receiving corps.
Les Maloudes (1-0): Winning without your starting QB is quite the impressive feat. Beating another team part of my Power Rankings at the same time makes it even more.
Backyard Bullies (1-0): Backyard Bullies are the real deal this season.
The Commission (1-0): I had my doubts about The Commission coming in, but seeing how they perform without Eddy Lee present, I no longer do.
Frosty Bronsons (1-0): Although they started poorly, they handled themselves perfectly and got away with a W. Great game.
TOPSZN (1-0): I’m not sure whether their offense is scarier than their defense and it’s a pretty strong defense.
Gotham Knights (1-0): The way Gotham Knights performed in the redzone is enough to have me believing in this team.
Junkyard Dogs (1-0): As long as Jason Rossie plays safe and their defense continues to be this efficient, there’s no reason Junkyard Dogs shouldn’t be considered contenders.
69ers (1-0): 69ers have been known for their defense prowess, but the way Shea Harbour came out of the gates this season could change our perspective.

Division 4B

Mud Dogs (1-0): They were #1 coming into the season and after week 1’s performance, they remain my top choice.
The Alpha T’s (1-0): There’s no denying just how strong this defense really is.
Get Off My D (1-0): The addition of Ryan Aridi and Rod Mashtoub to this roster is enough to push them over the top.
The U (1-0): Dustin White looks just as good as he did all season last Winter. With that defense, they might actually defend their title once again.
Obamacare (1-0): Jack Zergiotis seems to be the perfect fit for Obamacare.
Gators (1-0): Eddy who? I never thought I’d say they filled the absence this quickly and this well.
Mean Machines (1-0): Their week 1 performance has me convinced.
Team Ethnik (1-0): Angelo Garofalo is a name I’ll be tired of mentioning this season.
Rancerz (0-0-1): Technically still undefeated, they aren’t out of my top 10 just yet.
A-Squad (1-0): Their defense remains as strong as it used to be, but can they elevate their offensive play once again?

FlagPlus Fantasy Football

Last Week’s Winners:

Louis-Philippe Paquette vs Francis Lapointe : Francis Lapointe

Jason Rossie vs Travis Moses: Jason Rossie

Steve Sanner vs Shawn Steen : Steve Sanner

Michael Treffeisen vs Federico Alzamora: Michael Treffeisen

Gabriel Poisson vs Vincent Marquis: N/A

Josh White vs Jean-Felix Daloze: Josh White

Anton Sakiz vs Jeff Rosenblatt: Jeff Rosenblatt

Mathieu Houle vs Mendy Cardichon: Mathieu Houle

Division 4A

The Head to Head

Patrick St-Amand (ZOO) vs Vincent Lauzon (MVE): Arguably the best player on each team, they’ll both have to elevate their game if they want to walk away with the W on Saturday night.

Position Matchup

Doug McKernan (The Tide) vs Jahlani Gilbert-Knorren (TOPSZN): After an impressive week 1, both Qbs have a much tougher matchup this week. Competing against some of the best in the division, how will they fare?
Pascal Nkengue (Golden Flashes) vs Maxime Lemieux (Flying Weasels): Both Dbs recorded at least one interception so far this season. Can their defensive play push their team into the W column for week 2?
Francis Lapointe (Aztec Sasquatches) vs Jonathan Grizzley (No Name): Both of these guys are known for their stellar play in higher divisions. Can they keep it up against one another in 4A this week?

Division 4B

The Head to Head

Paul Santache (Game Changers) vs Marc-André Paradis (Rancerz): Both players have had impressive seasons in the past and proved their dominance in FPF. Who’ll have the biggest impact on Sunday?

Position Matchup

Laurent Dubreuil (Mud Dogs) vs Arthur Vie (Les Blues Branleurs): Both of these receivers need to have a big game if their offense wants to succeed. Can Dubreuil repeat?
Santino Sparagna (STL Cougars) vs Julien Laporte (Sphinx): With 7 and 9 receptions respectively last week, both receivers are a main cog in their team’s offense. Who’ll have the biggest impact in week 2?
Jeremie Lavoie-Patry (Jagerbomb) vs Kevin St-Pierre (Gators): Both rushers have proving their worth a long time ago. Which will have a game-changing impact on their game this week?

Picks of the week

There it is. The smell of sweet, sweet victory is back. Going 9-2 in 4A and 7-4 in 4B propels me to a fantastic 16-6 against Yannick Doston’s mediocre 14-8. It’s not like I own a crystal ball or anything…!

Division 4A

ZOO vs MVE: MVE

Backyard Bullies vs Big Tds: Backyard Bullies

Past Our Prime vs 69ers: 69ers

The Tide vs TOPSZN: The Tide

5-Star vs Frosty Bronsons: Frosty Bronsons

Les Maloudes vs The Commission: Les Maloudes

Bad Case vs Damps 25/8: —-

Golden Flashes vs Flying Weasels: Flying Weasels

Eskimo Brothers vs Nonna’s Sauce: Eskimo Brothers

Still Still Teamless vs Junkyard Dogs: Still Still Teamless

Aztec Sasquatches vs No Name: Aztec Sasquatches

Gotham Knights vs Nobodies: Gotham Knights

Division 4B

The U vs V-Cieux: The U

The Alpha T’s vs Fuzzy-Kittens: The Alpha T’s

Falcons vs Sandlot Saints: Sandlot Saints

Mud Dogs vs Les Blues Branleurs: Mud Dogs

Blue Chips vs Small Chips: Blue Chips

Vikings vs Obamacare: Obamacare

Green Lantern Corps vs Team Ethnik: Team Ethnik

STL Cougars vs Sphinx: Sphinx

Game Changers vs Rancerz: Rancerz

A-Squad vs J’s: J’s

Jagerbomb vs Gators: Gators

Get Off My D vs Mean Machine: Get Off My D

That sums it for this week’s article. It’s always a pleasure to write and hear back from you guys. After all, the content is meant 99% for you. I keep a percent for me; ranting here and there is fun after all. You can always reach me via twitter @DagenaisFPF or via email ([email protected]). I’ll be at Lachine every Sunday night and Hebert every Wednesday night scorekeeping so you can stop by and chat. Don’t hesitate. Until next time…! Eagle had basically ONE job on Thursdays, yet, YET, failed. C’mon man. I mean, let us know if it’s too much for you to handle…