FRISCO, Texas - The MLS Cup playoffs aren't the only thing the FC Dallas squad is gearing up for. The NFL season is here which means the Fantasy Football season is now in full swing and, of course, the FCD squad has its own league.
With the help of FCD Team Administrator Tanner Holley (who's also a member of the league), we've been given the inside scoop of how Week 1 played out. Here's a roundup of the opening matches.
But first some background. It's a 12-team league and the Team Managers include: Paul Arriola, Lucas Bartlett, Antonio Carrera, Edwin Cerrillo, Ben Cross (assistant coach), José MartÃnez, Juan Gonzalez (player care manager), Tanner Holley (team admin), Paxton Pomykal, Maarten Paes, Juan RÃos (athletic trainer) and Ema Twumasi. Arriola and Pomykal are co-commissioners.
Without further ado, here's the Week 1 results:
Matchup 1, Ema Twumasi vs. Juan Gonzalez
- Team Twumasi: 93.03
- Team Gonzalez: 66.26
Ema Twumasi, who was criticized by Paxton Pomykal for reaching for Lamar Jackson in the second round, earned a big win over Player Care Manager Juan Gonzalez thanks to 34.9 points from Justin Jefferson and 20.22 from his guy, Lamar Jackson. It's just Week 1, but Twumasi is already getting some strong performances from his top two picks.
Matchup 2, Edwin Cerrillo vs. Juan RÃos
- Team RÃos: 118.82
- Team Cerrillo: 97.0
Athletic Trainer Juan RÃos earned a big win over Homegrown midfielder Edwin Cerrillo with a combined 40+ points from his wide receiver duo of Stefon Diggs and A.J. Brown. Cerrillo will look to bounce back with a strong receiver corps of his own with Ja'Marr Chase and Tyreek Hill.
Matchup 3, José MartÃnez vs. Antonio Carrera
- Team MartÃnez: 134.74
- Team Carrera: 102.46
It was the battle of the Fantasy Football rookies as defender José MartÃnez and Homegrown goalkeeper Antonio Carrera went head to head. It was MartÃnez who won out on the back of huge performances from his QB Josh Allen with 31 points, as well as 25 apiece from Davante Adams and DeAndre Swift. He might be new to the game, but José MartÃnez will be a force to be reckoned with this season. Carrera may have lost the matchup but he definitely won the best team name contest with the classic "Hot Chubb Time Machine", referencing his second-round pick Nick Chubb.
Matchup 4, Ben Cross vs. Tanner Holley
- Team Cross: 137.0
- Team Holley: 108.7
It was an all-staff battle in this one and assistant coach Ben Cross crushed team administrator Tanner Holley by nearly 30 points. Holley shouldn't feel too bad, however, as Cross' 137 points was the league-high for Week 1. With Patrick Mahomes, Saquon Barkley and Cooper Kupp all starring, Team Cross looks like the team to beat early on.
Matchup 5, Paul Arriola vs. Lucas Bartlett
- Team Arriola: 89.9
- Team Bartlett: 63.96
Paul Arriola may count himself lucky this week as he earned a win despite not breaking 90 points. But hey they all count the same. On the other side, Lucas Bartlett will be disappointed his team didn't have a stronger showing despite 25 points from his #1 pick Jonathan Taylor. Any time your kicker (Ryan Succop) is your second-highest scoring player, you're gonna have a bad time.
Matchup 6, Maarten Paes vs. Paxton Pomykal
- Team Paes: 99.98
- Team Pomykal: 94.72
Upset Alert! FCD goalkeeper and new fantasy manager Maarten Paes defeated fantasy veteran Paxton Pomykal by just five points in what was the closest matchup of the week. Team Paes was led by 23 points from Colts' receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and, surprisingly, the Miami Dolphins Defense who added 19. While it's a setback, the experienced Pomykal knows that Week 1 results can often be misleading. In any case, Pomykal will be a guest on 105.3 The Fan this Thursday at 1:30PM to breakdown his opening day matchup. Make sure to tune in!
Week 2 Game of the Week
There's a spicy matchup ahead in Week 2 with two undefeated teams going at it: Team Arriola vs. Team Twumasi. Arriola is coming off a big win over Lucas Bartlett and Twumasi is flying high after handing staff member Juan Gonzalez his first L.
Arriola will be hoping his first round pick Christian McCaffrey gets back up to speed after a slow performance in Week 1 while Twumasi will be looking for more of the same from his top choice Justin Jefferson. Either way, only one team can stay undefeated and, if the projections are any indication, Team Arriola should be looking at 2-0 to start the year.
Projection:
- Team Arriola: 112.5
- Team Twumasi: 92.5
