Projected starter totals from ESPN, refreshed Wednesday. A starter on bye, on IR or in an empty slot projects for nothing, so several of these lines move the moment someone opens the app.
Game of the week
Uriel · 4-2
Balrogs
123.8
at
Misa · 4-2
Obsidians
119.7
Uriel favored by 4.1 · 243.5 combined
Uriel leans onDrake Maye QB · 20.6 proj
Misa leans onPuka Nacua WR · 24.8 proj
Watch list: Jeremiyah Love (questionable), Christian Watson (questionable)
Uriel by 4.1, the tightest line on the board, and one of only two lineups in the league with no flagged starter. Misa has the best all-play record in the league, 43-23, against the commissioner's 35-31, and has Jeremiyah Love and Christian Watson both questionable. Drake Maye opens the week for Uriel on Thursday night, so the commissioner gets to start worrying first.
Unbeaten, outnumbered
Joe · 6-0
Photofreak
93.0
at
Dan Robot · 2-4
Dan Robot
133.4
Dan Robot favored by 40.4 · 226.4 combined
Joe leans onJaxon Smith-Njigba WR · 20.1 proj
Dan Robot leans onJaylen Warren RB · 17.7 proj
Watch list: Brenton Strange (bye), Matthew Golden (questionable)
The first seed is a 40.4-point underdog to the seventh. Joe has no starter at running back, Brenton Strange on bye at tight end, and 77 projected on the bench. The bot is on a three-game losing streak and projected for 133.4, and it will not notice either fact.
Best of the rest
Sam · 2-4
Mean Machine
111.4
at
Tayler · 0-6
Terrible Towel, Mediocre Picks
98.6
Sam favored by 12.8 · 210.0 combined
Sam leans onDerrick Henry RB · 18.1 proj
Tayler leans onTony Pollard RB · 13.4 proj
Watch list: Cam Little (bye), Jaylen Waddle (questionable), Rico Dowdle (questionable)
Sam is favored by 12.8 while starting Cam Little, on bye, at kicker, with 81.1 on the bench, the most in the league. Tayler is 0-6 with Jaylen Waddle and Rico Dowdle questionable. Malik Nabers and Marvin Harrison Jr. play each other in Houston, so one receiver's good afternoon is the other manager's bad one.
Thursday decides a lot
Mario · 2-4
Stairway to Seven
101.0
at
Oriol · 4-2
Firebreathing Platypuses
89.2
Mario favored by 11.8 · 190.2 combined
Mario leans onChristian McCaffrey RB · 21.9 proj
Oriol leans onBrock Bowers TE · 18.5 proj
Watch list: Romeo Doubs (injury reserve), Alvin Kamara (questionable), Brock Bowers (questionable), Trevor Lawrence (bye)
Mario by 11.8, but he is starting Romeo Doubs from injured reserve, and Oriol has Trevor Lawrence on bye at quarterback and Brock Bowers questionable. Chicago against New England on Thursday puts Oriol's D'Andre Swift and Rome Odunze against Mario's Patriots defense. Oriol is 4-2 and 38-27 against the field; Mario is 2-4 and 37-29, which is roughly the same season with a different schedule.
Widest on the board
Toño · 2-4
Seitseman
73.4
at
Yael · 3-3
Potatoe
135.2
Yael favored by 61.8 · 208.6 combined
Toño leans onZay Flowers WR · 15.6 proj
Yael leans onJahmyr Gibbs RB · 26.0 proj
Watch list: Lamar Jackson (questionable), Bucky Irving (questionable), Tyler Warren (questionable)
Yael by 61.8, the widest line of the week, behind 135.2 projected, the most in the league, and Jahmyr Gibbs at 26, the highest-projected player. Toño has Lamar Jackson, Bucky Irving and Tyler Warren all questionable and 14.8 on the bench, the least of anyone. Potatoe has had 803.2 scored against it this season, so a quiet week from the opponent would be overdue.
Second seed, fewest points
Benji · 5-1
Suzaku
64.1
at
Jordi · 2-4
Windwaker
95.9
Jordi favored by 31.8 · 160.0 combined
Benji leans onKyren Williams RB · 19.6 proj
Jordi leans onCeeDee Lamb WR · 18.5 proj
Watch list: Josh Allen (bye), Davante Adams (injury reserve), Dalton Kincaid (bye), Kyle Monangai (out), Denzel Boston (questionable), Ty Johnson (bye), Blake Grupe (injury reserve)
Benji is 5-1 and projected for 64.1, because Josh Allen and Dalton Kincaid are on bye, Davante Adams is on injured reserve and Kyle Monangai is out. That is five flagged starters, the most in the league. Jordi is 2-4, favored by 31.8, and starting his own kicker from injured reserve, so neither side is entirely awake.
Upside down
Top two, bottom of the board
Joe and Benji have eleven wins between them and have had the two lowest points-against totals in the league, 590.4 and 556.5. This week the projections disagree with the standings as loudly as they can: both are underdogs by more than thirty points, and Benji's 64.1 is the lowest projection in the league.
40.4Joe's deficit, as the unbeaten first seed
31.8Benji's deficit, as the second seed
64.1Benji's projection, lowest in the league
6starters on bye across five lineups
Both of them have a bench that could fix most of it. Whether anyone opens the app before Thursday is the whole week.
Three managers whose week is decided somewhere specific.
Record and all-play combined, weighted 40/60. All-play is your record against every team each week, not just the one you were scheduled against - it is what your season looks like with the schedule taken out.