By: Mehak Khosla, MCHS Life and News Editor
Who was chopped from the block this week? This is the fourth year of the staff’s fantasy football league, and it has been getting more and more competitive each year.
“We play a Guillotine league, meaning every week someone gets eliminated and ‘chopped’ from the block,” said math teacher Michael Tsan, who also serves as league commissioner.
The league started with 18 teachers, and now, at the end of week six, there are 12 teachers left. History teacher, Dave Bapstist, is the most recently eliminated teacher.
Photo courtesy of Michael Tsan
In first place is social sciences teacher Gabriel Rhoades, and in last place is fellow social studies teacher Robert Parker.
And, of course, fantasy football is never complete without the creative team names, competitive teachers, or a big upset. Teachers shared their favorite team names and moments so far:
Best team name:
Sacks in the City – Ms. Maravilla
Better call Paul – Mr. McKenna
Invalid Team Name – Mr. Parker
Most competitive:
Mr. Tsan
Biggest upset:
Mr. Reaker
Most stacked team:
Mr. Rhoades
Last year’s winners have fallen to the bottom. Science teacher Austin Reaker, whose name was added to the coveted trophy after winning last season, was eliminated from the league in week five.
About his early loss, Reaker said, “Some days you put in your best, and the best is not good enough.”
Photo courtesy of Mehak Khosla
Another previous winner, counselor Jonathan Aguilar, is currently in sixth place.
Regarding his feelings about his current position, Aguilar said, “I had to go on autodraft, so I’m hoping for the best.”
Photo courtesy of Mehak Khosla
But the Fantasy heartbreak doesn’t end there. Key NFL players like Burrow, Lamar, Nabers, and more have affected the teams heavily. These injuries left teachers scrambling to fill in their spots, and for some, it has brought their season to an end.
Quarterback Joe Burrow went down with a wrist injury in week two. He averaged 18 points a game, but education specialist Alicia Carew was able to pick up Baker Mayfield, who was shockingly good this season, which helped her team stay up and running.
For others, it was harder for the teachers to bounce back. In week four, quarterback Lamar Jackson hurt his hamstring, and math teacher Araceli Catalan was eliminated from the league. Lamar is not only known for his arm, but his run game as well. Losing him was painful for all fantasy teams that had him.
Jesse Ybarra, who works in maintenance, faced a similar heartbreak. In week four, wide receiver Malik Nabers tore his ACL. He quickly became one of the highest-scoring players in fantasy. And with his injury, Ybarra was eliminated.
Some teachers managed to hang on pretty well. P.E. teacher Shannon Bubar has CeeDee Lamb, a top-five wide receiver. And with an average of around 17 points a game, it was a big loss. But with players like Tetairoa McMillan and Quinshon Judkins, she was able to keep up with points.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Rhoades has managed to keep the number one spot even after losing Terry McLaurin. McLaurin injured himself at the end of week three and averaged about nine points a game. But after having players like Justin Jefferson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Breece Hall, and Jake Ferguson, his team is hard to beat.
But not everyone is that lucky. English teacher Samantha Wainwright picked up Brock Purdy as the quarterback who got injured in week one. She also picked up JJ McCarthy to take Purdy’s place. Unfortunately, he went down in Week Two with an ankle sprain. At the same time, Wainwright was eliminated from the league.
This year’s Fantasy Football has been a roller coaster, with all the injuries and surprise breakthroughs. As teachers fight to stay in the league, one thing is for sure – nobody is safe in fantasy football.
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