Week 3 NFL Picks, Predictions & Best Bets | NFL Picks Against the Spread | NFL Props | Survivor
Chris Meaney
Week 1 of the NFL has come and gone as we officially have some solidified standings under our belts in the Hall of Fantasy league.
If you are unfamiliar with the league, they do a fantastic job of laying everything out clearly and concisely on their home page:
“The HOFL consists of 10 Football Franchises representing key markets throughout the U.S. Teams will be managed by a dedicated Front Office of fantasy experts who will compete on behalf of their respective Stakeholders.”
For more information, I wrote up the ins and outs of the entire league, including who is involved. You can read it here.
In regards to this piece, in particular, this will be a weekly piece highlighting where things stand in the league, a check-in on FTN’s own Jeff Ratcliffe’s team, and a matchup to look forward to in the upcoming week.
Stake Rankings
The biggest draw to the HOFL is a fan’s ability to stake a team and have skin in the game without needing to keep up with the day-to-day management. Below is a reminder as to where teams ranked heading into the season in terms of the total stake, with the Vegas Pocket Kings being the league leaders.
| Stake Rank | Team (GM) |
| 1 | Vegas Pocket Kings (Jeff Mans) |
| 2 | Ohio GOATS (Michael Fabiano & Bob Harris) |
| 3 | NY Bodega Cats (Scott Engel & Raphael Rabe) |
| 4 | LA Sidekicks (Christopher Harris) |
| 5 | Chicago Hogmollies (Jeff Ratcliffe) |
| 6 | Texas Y’allers (Sigmund Bloom & Joe Bryant) |
| 7 | Boston Barflies (John Paulsen & Jennifer Eakins) |
| 8 | Atlanta Hot Wings (Graham Barfield & Joe Dolan) |
| 9 | Seattle Haze (Melissa Jacobs & Pat Fitzmaurice) |
| 10 | Philly Powderkegs (Adam Caplan) |
With the Vegas Pocket Kings being the preseason favorite, they also found themselves as one half of last week’s matchup of the week. Were they able to deliver for their stakeholders against FTN’s own Jeff Ratcliffe?
Week 1 Recap – Hall of Fantasy League
Last week’s matchup of the week was a clash between two well-respected managers in the fantasy industry, Jeff Mans and the aforementioned Ratcliffe. The latter, however, was able to pull off an upset in quite the fashion.
Ratcliffe got the scoring off to a scorching start thanks to a career game from Deebo Samuel, while the late games on Sunday saw that level of production continue, as Tyreek Hill posted 31.6 fantasy points and Teddy Bridgewater was able to handle the Giants for his Superflex spot.
While Mans got the week off to a hot start with a nice game out of CeeDee Lamb, he didn’t have much else to write home about, as he was also on the receiving end of duds from Allen Robinson, Mark Andrews, and Mike Davis. He was also, unfortunately, on the receiving end of Raheem Mostert’s season-ending injury.
With Ratcliffe off to a 1-0 start and the crowd-favorite Mans starting the season 0-1, below is an overarching view of how the league looks after Week 1:
For those tracking the GMs at home, the following GMs started the season 1-0:
- Jeff Ratcliffe (Chicago Hogmolies)
- Sigmund Bloom and Joe Bryant (Texas Y’allers)
- Adam Caplan (Philly Powderkegs)
- Scott Engel and Raphael Rabe (NY Bodega Cats)
- Graham Barfield and Joe Dolan (Atlanta Hot Wings)
While these five teams will look to keep the momentum going, the remaining five teams will desperately attempt to find the win column in Week 2 in a league where you can’t afford to drop games given the strength of the analysts running the teams.
Matchup of the Week – Week 2 – Hall of Fantasy League
There are a few matchups that possess two undefeated teams, but one matchup that sticks out is the one between the undefeated Philly Powderkegs and the 0-1 Boston Barflies given how close the projections are, yet how lopsided the individual player matchups feel.
With the Barflies desperate for a win, let’s dive into the matchup. The rosters are listed below, with the Powderkegs on the left and the Barflies on the right.
| Matthew Stafford | QB | Josh Allen |
| Dalvin Cook | RB | Joe Mixon |
| Nick Chubb | RB | Javonte Williams |
| Calvin Ridley | WR | DJ Moore |
| Keenan Allen | WR | Robert Woods |
| Jarvis Landry | WR | Tyler Lockett |
| Dallas Goedert | TE | George Kittle |
| Miles Sanders | FLX | Jaylen Waddle |
| Myles Gaskin | FLX | Tyler Boyd |
| Baker Mayfield | SFLX | Aaron Rodgers |
| Harrison Butker | K | Jason Sanders |
| Washington Football Team | DST | New England Patriots |
As I alluded to above, the projection system views this as a closer matchup, with the Barflies projected for 136.96 points and the Powderkegs projected for 124.75. Strictly looking at this on paper, it would look like the team with the position players like Cook, Chubb, Ridley, and Allen would be heavy favorites. It looks like the elite dual-QB pairing of Allen and Rodgers paired with an elite tight end (Kittle) gives the Barflies some optimism.
Week 2 Overview – Hall of Fantasy League
Looking at the league as a whole, below is a preview of the Week 2 matchups.
With so much stake on the line, every week counts. How many teams will find the win column in Week 2? How many will remain undefeated? Check back next week to find out.
Looking to stake a team? Download the HOFL app in the Apple App Store to start!
