Two stunning upsets have left the league’s standings in chaos entering the final week.  Both the Lasershow and Legion shocked the Possums and Armadillos with robust performances.

CP Legion (8-10-5) vs.  RK Possums (16-4-3)

The week’s closest match saw the Possums lose a heartbreaking 5-4-1 decisions to the Legion. Chris relied on good hitting and solid pitching to win by the thinnest possible margin.  Blake Snell probably clinched the Cy Young award with two strong starts.  He did not allow an earned run and struck out 16 in 11.2 innings pitched.  He also earned two wins.  Hyun-Jin Ryu had a clutch win on Sunday to tie the hotly-contested wins category.  Rick dominated strikeouts and WHIP, but Chris had the better ERA.  Both teams pitched the same number of innings, but Chris had one extra save.  Both of these small differences shifted the week late, and the Possums were not able to counter on offense despite leading the league in steals.  Chris delivered the Possums just their fifth loss of the season.

LK Armadillos (17-5-1) vs.  SM Lasershow (6-12-5)

The Possums’ loss gave the Armadillos a chance to eliminate the Lannisters and guarantee themselves at least a share of the title with a victory.  Unfortunately for Larry, the improved Lasershow had other ideas.  Sean led the league in OBP and SLG thanks to great weeks from Christian Yelich and Tommy Pham.  The pair combined for three home runs and two steals.  Kyle Freeland had a pair of nice starts as well.  The Armadillos were not competitive after a series of injuries and offensive slumps.  The Armadillos deployed an absurdly high number of position players (25) and pitchers (12).  This means that only three players on the roster didn’t see action (though the number is higher in reality since some of these players were added and cut within the week).  The Armadillos tried everything they could to get good match-ups, but they couldn’t counter the Lasershow.  Sean’s team has shown a great deal of improvement late in the season.

JK Lannisters (13-4-6) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (5-16-2)

The Lannisters took care of business with a strong performance against the PhoeGnomes.  The Lannisters led the league in home runs and RBI.  Mike Trout contributed four home runs and Manny Machado was hot for the week.  On pitching the PhoeGnomes were never competitive after bad starts form key rotation members.  The dominant win kept the Lannisters alive to the final week.  The loss also dooms the PhoeGnomes to last place, but Heather still has a chance to end the season on a high note versus the Possums

KK Thunderwolves (9-13-1) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (4-14-5)

Kevin and Kyle had a close match this week that Kevin eventually won.  Kyle Hendricks was the Goofballs’ star of the week with two starts, two wins, and 13 strikeouts.  Will Smith had two saves.  Freddie Freeman was also solid on offense with two home runs.  Kyle had a good week from Wil Myers, but the team faced criticism for not starting “Kevin Kramer” and refusing to trade him to the Lannisters for a package including a “Ricky”, “Jeff”, and “Kyle”.

Standings Chaos

The stunning upsets mean that three teams still have a chance to win the title.  There are nine different outcomes for the Possums and Armadillos.  Since the Lannisters face the Armadillos, their chances correlate to the Armadillos win/loss/tie scenarios.

• Possums Win / Armadillos win

The Possums and Armadillos share the title.  The Possums have the fewest losses but the Armadillos have more wins.  Since the records are not the same, the head-to-head tiebreaker does not apply.

• Possums Win / Lannisters win

The Possums win the title outright.  The Lannisters finish in second.

• Possums Win / Armadillos and Lannisters tie

The Possums win the title outright.  The Armadillos finish in second.

• Possums Lose / Armadillos win

The Armadillos win the title outright.  The Possums finish in second.

• Possums Lose / Lannisters win

The Lannisters win the title outright.  The Possums and Armadillos tie for second.

• Possums Lose / Armadillos and Lannisters tie

The Armadillos win the title outright.  The Lannisters and Possums tie for second.

• Possums Tie / Armadillos win

The Armadillos win the title outright.  The Possums finish in second.

• Possums Tie / Armadillos and Lannisters tie

The Possums and Armadillos share the title.

• Possums tie / Lannisters win

The Possums and Lannisters share the title.  The teams would have different records, so the head-to-head tie-breaker does not apply.

There are several interesting things to note here.  The Armadillos will end the year with at least a tie for the most wins.  The Lannisters will at least tie for the fewest losses.  Each team has a way to win the title outright:

• Rick: Possums win and Armadillos lose or tie
• Larry: Armadillos win and Possums lose or tie + Armadillos tie and Possums lose
• Jeff: Lannisters win and Possums lose

Rick and Larry will tie if both teams win or both teams tie, but not if both teams lose since the Lannisters would then win.  Rick and Jeff can tie if the Possums tie and the Lannisters win.  In both cases, Rick owns the in-season head-to-head tie-breaker, but the teams’ records are not the same so they don’t come into play for the official results (although the ESPN site still uses them to sort the rankings).  The shared titles are most likely if the Possums tie, because either the Lannisters or Armadillos could then force a tie.

The Possums appear to have the easier path since they play the last-place PhoeGnomes.  However, Heather will not end the year without a fight.  The Armadillos face a much more perilous task since the Lannisters have been so difficult to beat this year.  Jeff’s team has more ties plus wins (20) than any other team (Rick is second with 19).  The week is also challenging because teams rest starters and position players during the playoff reset period.  The Possums and Armadillos may regret not voting to end the season after Week 24 if some of the exotic outcomes happen.

The rest of the standings are almost set.  The Legion will end the year in fourth place after their heroic effort against the Possums.  The win is another legendary moment for the Legion, who always seem to be in the middle of something.  Kevin avoided last place but will have to live with seventh.  Heather will finish last, but can still try to knock of the Possums and debate draft picks.  The Lasershow and Thunderwolves are tied for fifth, and Sean could end his year on a high note.  Kyle could double his win total from last year and reach at least ten wins for the first time since 2015.  There’s at least a small something at stake in every match, so make the final week count!

 

KK Thunderwolves (9-12-1) vs.  RK Possums (15-4-3)

The Possums needed a win to retain a share of first place.  The Thunderwolves declared their intention to challenge the leaders, and followed through with a good effort.  Rick’s totals were too much, but the match was closer than the score indicated.  Neither team posted good offensive numbers.  Going into Sunday Rick had a lead in steals, but Kyle was close in the other four categories.  Rick had a mini-surge that was good enough to sweep all five categories.  Khris Davis and Joey Gallo each had two home runs.  Xander Bogaerts and Mallex Smith added two steals.  Kyle didn’t have any players with multiple home runs and only three players with more than 10 at-bats with a SLG over 0.500.

Rick had an okay week for pitching, but the totals weren’t great.  Max Scherzer and Corey Kluber struggled in their two starts.  J.A. Happ was solid, though, and Anibal Sanchez had a nice start.  Kyle had room to pick up some categories, but he was doomed by a terrible relief appearance.  Trevor Hildenberger had a 135.00 ERA and 15.00 WHIP for the week after a dreadful third of an inning.  Rick picked up strikeouts, saves, and wins, along with the rate categories.  Although the final score was 10-0, things could have turned out differently for the Thunderwolves if they had a little better luck.  For his part, Rick was able to survive a down week and get a win when he needed one.

KG Capital City Goofballs (4-13-5) vs.  LK Armadillos (16-5-1)

The Armadillos matched the Possums with a workmanlike win against the Goofballs.  Much like the Possums, the Armadillos didn’t have their best numbers but did enough to win.  The Armadillos had a good week from Trevor Story and Robinson Cano, but Kevin countered with a great outing from Juan Soto.  He had four home runs, three steals, and eight RBI.  This was enough to give Kevin wins in SLG and OBP.  Larry took home runs and RBI.

Unfortunately for Kevin, his pitching let him down, just as it has much of the season.  The team didn’t have any spectacular meltdowns but also just one good start from Masahiro Tanaka.  The Armadillos countered with a great start from Mike Foltynewicz.  Craig Kimbrel added three saves to Jose Leclerc’s two, giving the Armadillos another category.  This was enough for a smooth win.  Neither team posted huge totals, but like the Possums, the Armadillos did just enough to win and advance.

The win leaves the Possums and Armadillos tied at the top of the league.  Nothing has changed since last week:  The Armadillos have the most wins and the Possums have fewest losses.  This presents and un-breakable tie and the possibility of a split title.  The two wins all but eliminate the Lannisters, who also won.  For the Lannisters to stay in the race, the Possums must lose or tie next week against the Legion.  The Armadillos must lose or tie against the Lasershow.

For the title situation to resolve, either the Possums or Armadillos will need a loss or tie in the final week.  The following scenarios are in play:

1. Both teams win out – the title is split since the Armadillos have an extra win but the Possums have fewer losses (head-to-head does not come into play since the records are different)
2. One team wins out and the other suffers a loss or tie – the winning team wins the title
3. Both teams win one game and lose or tie one game – the title is split, just like in scenario #1
4. The Armadillos tie two games while the Possums win one and lose one – The Possums win the title because the teams will have the same record, and Rick wins the head-to-head tie-breaker.

The Lannisters are technically still in the race, but need at least a draw from both teams to be in play in the final week.  Until this happens, there is no need to analyze the multiple bizarre possibilities.  The update from last week still applies.  However, it is still possible for both the Possums and Armadillos to lose the title outright if they do not win at least one of their final two games.

Next week, the schedule probably favors the Armadillo.  They face the Lasershow.  Rick meets the Legion.  However, Sean’s play late this season has improved and he is more of a threat.  Despite the improved play, the Legion are still the more dangerous team.  Things change in the final week, where the Possums face the PhoeGnomes and the Armadillos meet the Lannisters.

SM Lasershow (6-11-5) vs.  JK Lannisters (12-4-6)

Jeff managed to stay alive with a narrow win against the Lasershow.  The Lannisters had great pitching and put up the best aggregate stat line in the league.  Stephen Strasburg and Jacob deGrom were dominant and Wade Davis and Pedro Stop picked up relief wins along with a save each.  Sean had a nice week from Trevor Williams and Cole Hamels but the Lannisters tied his strikeout totals despite throwing 14.2 fewer innings pitched.

On offense, Sean had the better OBP for the week and piled up steals.  Christian Yelich continued his good season, and Jackie Bradley Jr.  added two steals.  Yelich had two home runs to go alone with his steals.  The Lannisters countered with big weeks from Mike Trout and Manny Machado.  Justin Upton and Cole Calhoun rallied for home runs on Sunday, and the Lannisters led the league in the category.  The unexpected boost also gave the Lannisters the edge in SLG.  Flipping this category kept the team’s hopes alive for one more week.  Sean posted good numbers, and his improved play should not be overlooked.

CP Legion (7-10-5) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (5-15-2)

The week’s final match saw the Legion take care of business against the PhoeGnomes.  Chris posted the best offensive numbers across the board.  He led the league in steals and SLG and was second in home runs and OBP.  Michael Conforto, Jurickson Profar, and Adalberto Mondesi each had two home runs.  Mondesi added five steals and posted a 0.645 SLG for the week.  Mondesi’s speed and power have caused many owners to take notice of the young player’s abilities.  Heather got nice weeks from Nolan Arenado and Matt Olson, but it wasn’t enough to match the Legion.

Heather put up nice pitching numbers in an effort to come back.  Jhoulys Chacin had two good starts, but Chris Sale was limited to just 4.0 innings pitched.  Mike Clevinger had a good start, but Heather suffered from throwing too few innings.  The Legion were a little more efficient and had more saves.  Chris was able to win the categories he needed to get the win.

Next Week

The league is essentially set up in three tiers.  The title will be decided between the Possums and Armadillos, with the Lannisters on the fringe.  In the middle of the pack, the Legion, Thunderwolves, and Lasershow are all within two games of each other.  At the bottom, the PhoeGnomes and Goofballs are separated by just half a game.

The Armadillos meet the Lasershow while the Possums face the Legion.  Both teams will look to spoil the title chances of the leaders.  The Lannisters face the PhoeGnomes in a game they must win or tie to stay in contention.  Finally, the Goofballs and Thunderwolves meet.  Kyle can maintain his hold on the middle ground while the Goofballs are desperate to finish out of last place.

RK Possums (14-4-3) vs.  LK Armadillos (16-4-1)

The week’s most important match saw the Armadillos meet the Possums with a chance to all but clinch the title.  However, the Possums were just a game behind and could enter a tie with a victory.  Despite a good start from the Armadillos, the Possums were able to take control of the match late in the week and earn a solid victory.  This has unleased chaos on the standings and spawned questions about tie-breakers, scenarios, and the exactly what the ESPN site displays.

Before getting into the standings, the Possums deserve credit for a gritty win.  The Armadillos started out hot with good offensive and pitching stats.  Rick suffered a series of meltdowns early and was out of the running in ERA from the start.    However, his bad starts were short and this allowed him to remain competitive in WHIP thanks to some good starts later, along with decent bullpen work.  Max Scherzer had up and down games, and Michael Kopech injured himself.  J.A. Happ Corey Kluber came to the rescue with good outings.  Meanwhile, the Armadillos piled up strikeouts and saves.  As noted before, they won ERA without much opposition.  Carlos Carrasco was stellar with 14 strikeouts and one earned run in his start.  Spot starters like CC Sabathia were okay, but didn’t pick up wins and hurt WHIP.  This left Larry with a 3-1-1 advantage.  In most weeks, this would be a problem for Rick because his pitching is the team’s strength.

Both teams enjoyed offensive success at the top of their lineups.  Trevor Story exploded for five home runs and Alex Bregman added three more.  The rest of the Armadillos struggled for most of the week, though, and the team needed much better performance from its role players.  Rick had a three home run week from Charlie Blackmon but no other player had more than one.  He still tied the Armadillos because he had nine other players with a home run.  Spot starters like free agent pick-up Jason Kipnis added home runs and RBI in bunches.  Rick took RBI with ease and won steals thanks to a monster four-steal week from Mallex Smith.  The Possums also won SLG and OBP without much trouble.  This was enough for a 5-3-2 win.

The win has created anarchy in the standings.  The Armadillos have the most wins in the league but have lost three of four against the Possums.  The Possums and Lannisters have the fewest losses in the league.  Larry has two fewer ties than Rick, and thus one more win along with one more loss.  If you treat the Possums’ two extra ties as a win, they are in a true tie with the Armadillos.  If you value outright wins more, then the Armadillos are in the lead.  Leaving aside both of these facts, the Possums won the head-to-head tiebreaker.  In the past, this has come into play when teams have exactly the same record.  However, that’s not the case this year since the Armadillos currently have the extra win.

The win also resurrects the Lannisters’ slim chances of entering the mix.  Jeff is now 1.5 games behind both teams with one to play against the Armadillos.  If Rick stumbles and the Armadillos suffer a tie or worse in the next two games, the end result would be catastrophic.  The same situation would arise in reverse if the Lannisters snuck into the tie, because Jeff would have fewer losses and more ties than the Possums!  The Lannisters could finish at 15-4-6.  Rick’s best tied finish would be 16-5-4.  Do you value the avoidance of losses or the capture of wins?  The Armadillos could end the year 17-6-2, also leaving them in a “tie” with both teams.  This nightmare three-team scenario is unlikely but within the realm of possibility.  If either team loses two of the last three, the Lannisters could possibly win the title outright with the same or fewer wins than either other team has right now!

The ESPN site only adds to the confusion.  Right now, the site lists the Possums and Armadillo as having 0.750 winning percentages.  This comes from converting ties to wins – 16.5 “wins” for each team in 22 weeks.  This ignores the idea that two ties versus one win isn’t necessarily equivalent.  Again, do you value loss avoidance or playing for the win?  Is a win and a loss really comparable to two ties?  Should the Lannisters get credit for three whole wins thanks to their six ties?  The Possums have three more actual wins than the Lannisters.  Should that count for something?

The three-team scenario is highly unlikely to come to pass.  However, the specter of a tie at the top of the standings is very real.  The best hope is that one of the top two teams loses or ties and renders the problem irrelevant.  However, if the Possums are the team to lose, this boosts the Lannisters chances of sneaking into the mix since they have one more head-to-head against the Armadillos in the last week of the season.  Jeff has a soft schedule with matches against the PhoeGnomes and Lasershow, so it’s very possible he could win out.  This week, the Armadillos and Possums face the Goofballs and Thunderwolves respectively.  Kyle’s team has played well this year and the Goofballs will never give up.  In week 24, Larry faces Sean while Rick battles Chris.  The Lannisters’ best hope is for a tie from either Kevin or Sean plus a Possums loss against Chris or Kyle paired with a tie somewhere, possibly in the crazy last week versus the PhoeGnomes.

The Armadillos and Possums can both eliminate the Lannisters by winning at least two more weeks.  It’s likely that the final winner will need to either win out or at least avoid a loss.  Rick probably has the edge if he can survive his week against the Legion.  However, losses or ties will be devastating to either team.  The final three weeks promise to be chaotic.  There is no margin for error from either of the two leaders.  Rick managed to get back in the race with his win, but the hard work is far from other.  The Armadillos will seek redemption and hope to avoid a split title.

JK Lannisters (11-4-6) vs.  KG Capital City Goofballs (4-12-5)

The Lannisters won a dominant week against the Goofballs thanks to a two home run and 12 walk week from Bryce Harper.  Despite struggles from Rich Hill and Carlos Rodon, the pitching staff did enough to capture all five categories.  The Goofballs had a nice week from Randal Grichuk, but pitching issues from Dylan Bundy and Brad Boxberger left the team in a deep hole.  The Lannisters’ win keeps them on the fringe of contention.

CP Legion (7-9-5)  vs.  KK Thunderwolves (8-12-1)

Kyle won a solid week against the Legion.  Adrian Beltre supplied three home runs and Rhys Hoskins added another trio.  Chris enjoyed nice weeks from Michael Conforto and Paul Goldschmidt.  It wasn’t enough to overcome Kyle’s good pitching.  German Marquez threw a great game and had 11 strikeouts in 6.2 innings pitched.  Kyle cruised to a 7-2-1 win.

HP PhoeGnomes (5-14-2) vs.  SM Lasershow (5-11-5)

The week’s final match saw the Lasershow continue to display a solid all-around attack.  The team explode on offense and led the league in home runs by a wide margin.  They also won SLG comfortably.  Leading the way was Francisco Lindor – he had five home runs, along with three from Scooter Gennett and Johan Camargo.  Sean’s team has improved a lot this year.  They have shown an ability to at least be competitive each week.  When things click, they are capable of pulling out big wins like this.

Next Week

The hunt for the title continues as the Possums face the Thunderwolves.  The Armadillos meet the Goofballs.  Larry has the advantage this week with Kyle’s recent good play.  Jeff faces Sean and can’t look past the Lasershow – they must win to stay in the hunt.  Finally, Chris and Heather meet in their final grudge match of the year.

CP Legion (7-8-5) vs.  LK Armadillos (15-4-1)

With only two teams left in contention, two battles took center stage for the week.   The first contest paired the Armadillos and Legion.  The two bitter rivals have run on different paths this season.  The Armadillos entered tied for first place while the Legion have run in the middle of the pack. This week saw the Armadillos move into first place with a decisive victory.  The team had the best two-way week of any team.  On offense, Larry led the league in RBI, tied for first in home runs, and was second in SLG.  Tyler White had a monster week with three home runs and 10 RBI.  Alex Bregman was close behind with three home runs and nine RBI.  The Astros’ performance has to sting for the Legion.  Chris tried to counter with a nice week from Michael Conforto, but the Legion’s highest RBI total was just four.  Jose Ramirez had a steal, and it was enough for Chris to take the category.  However, the team was not competitive in any other offensive stat.  Larry took a 4-1 lead into pitching.

The Legion had good saves and strikeout totals.  The team finished in second place for the league in each.  Luis Severino had 10 strikeouts in just 6.0 innings pitched.  Lucas Giolito and Robbie Ray were also strong in their single starts.  Unfortunately, Jared Hughes has a disastrous relief appearance and Sean Newcomb struggled in his start.  This left the Legion with a poor ERA and WHIP.  The Armadillos threw about the same number of innings but had more success picking up wins.  The team also had the better ERA and WHIP thanks to a dominant week from Carlos Carrasco.  Carrasco struck out 11, allowed just six baserunners, and didn’t allow a run in his start.  This was more than enough for the Armadillos to win the two rate categories and pick up an easy win for the week.  Although the score was close up through the weekend, the outcome was never truly in doubt thanks to the pitching performance.  The win kept the Armadillos in first place, pending the results of the Lannisters /  Possums battle.

RK Possums (14-3-3) vs.  JK Lannisters (10-4-6)

After a frustrating season, the Lannisters finally saw success against the Possums.  The Lannisters relied on a strong offensive attack paired with decent pitching to earn a win and cost the Possums a share of the lead.  Five different Lannisters had two home runs for the week.  Manny Machado led the team in RBI with six.  Michael Brantley added two steals in part time work.  The Possums enjoyed a three home run week from Aaron Hicks and Eugenio Suarez had six RBI.  Jonathan Villar had three steals and Rick easily won the category.  However, the team struggled to find much power.  Suarez and Hicks were the only Possums’ regulars with a SLG over 0.425.  In contrast, the Lannisters had five regulars with higher SLGs.  The Lannisters took four categories with relative ease.

On pitching, the Possums suffered through a rare down week.  Outside of Corey Kluber, no pitcher threw more than 5.1 innings.  Mike Fiers, Rick Porcello, and even Max Scherzer had terrible starts and the aggregate team ERA was 4.50.  The Lannisters threw fewer innings but had a good start from Jacob deGrom.  The bullpen was outstanding and did not allow an earned run.  The Lannisters took wins and the rate stats and coasted to a surprisingly easy victory against the league’s top team.  The down week came at a bad time for the Possums, but the team can rebound.  The Possums and Armadillos meet in the biggest week of the season next.  There is more analysis of this match below.

KG Capital City Goofballs (4-12-4) vs.  SM Lasershow (5-11-4)

Kevin’s sad season continued with yet another tie against the Lasershow.  Kevin had great offensive numbers, probably the best in the league.  However, Sean put up the best pitching for the week.  This led to a deadlocked 4-4-2 tie.  Sean’s pitching led the league in strikeouts and ERA.  It was third in WHIP and tied for first in wins.  Eduardo Rodriguez had a great start with 12 strikeouts over 5.2 innings.  Cole Hamels and Zach Wheeler were also solid.  Kevin struggled in rate stats but found two relief victories and managed a tie in wins.  The two teams’ bullpens both struggled and tied in saves.  Overall, Sean took three categories and tied the other two.

On offense, the roles were reversed.  Kevin had a great week Anthony Rizzo and a host of other players.  Only two goofballs had SLGs under 0.450 and three were over 0.690.  Ian Desmond had two steals.  The Lasershow weren’t competitive in the rate stats thanks to the Goofballs’ power.  However, the Lasershow ran wild and led the league in steals.  Francisco Lindor had three for himself and five other players had at least one steal.  This was enough for Sean to win the category and secure the tie for the week.  Both teams were close to the win, and the Lasershow have shown some improved play in recent weeks.  The Goofballs’ bullpen bailed out the team.  Both teams could be dangerous for the league leaders down the stretch.

KK Thunderwolves (7-12-1) vs.  HP PhoeGnomes (5-13-2)

The week’s final match saw the Thunderwolves come alive against the PhoeGnomes.  Kyle posted great numbers on both sides of the ball.  His offense tied for the league lead in home runs and RBI.  He was also near the top in SLG.  Gleyber Torres was the best of the Thunderwolves.  He had three home runs, 10 RBI, and a 0.947 SLG.  Eight other Thunderwolves’ players also had home runs.  Heather enjoyed a nice week from Ronald Acuna, but he had little backup.  Kyle swept all five categories.

On pitching, Kyle also displayed strong stats.  He was near the top in strikeouts, ERA, and WHIP.  Clay Bucholz was dominant in two starts and Aaron Nola struck out 19 over 12.2 innings pitched.  German Marquez had a great start and the bullpen was solid.  Heather didn’t have a chance after a Bud Norris injury and a disastrous Jake Arrieta outing.  Heather tied wins and saves, but Kyle’s overall body of work was too much.  The Thunderwolves improved on their respectable record and have shown real progress lately.  The PhoeGnomes are still searching for answers.

Next Week

Next week features only one match that matters for the standings.  The Armadillos and Possums meet in a massive battle for first place.  Right now, the Armadillos are in the lead by one game.  If the Armadillos win, they will be two games up with three to play.  If the Possums win, they will be tied in the standings but own a 3-1 head-to-head advantage and thus claim the tie-breaker for the title.  A tied leaves the Possums with the tie-breaker edge 2-1-1, but still one game back.

Both teams have equal final schedules.  The Armadillos face the Goofballs and Lasershow, against whom they are heavy favorites.  Meanwhile, the Possums face the Thunderwolves and Legion.  The Possums are still favored, but Chris and Kyle have played closer to the middle of the pack and are more of a threat.  The Armadillos have the advantage here.

However, the final week sees the Possums face the PhoeGnomes and the Armadillos face the Lannisters.  This match is heavily skewed toward Rick, since the Lannisters are still dangerous despite their injuries.  If the Armadillos and Possums are tied after this week, with Rick holding the tie-breaker, they probably have an advantage the rest of the way.  However, if the Armadillos win, they can almost guarantee themselves at least a share of the title.  Everything is one line!