The Heist of the Year

VOP walked in 4-0, the lone perfect record in the East. dRuNkies came in 3-1 looking for the statement win. What unfolded was one of the strangest 25-point wins you’ll ever see, because for most of the week, Villa Olga was the clearly better team — and they still lost. Through Saturday, VOP had outscored dRuNkies on four of six days and held a small lead heading into the final Sunday. Then dRuNkies dropped 81.5 points on Sunday while VOP managed only 36.6. A 45-point single-day swing flipped the entire matchup.

VOP’s bats actually out-hit dRuNkies. Jordan Walker (44.5) and Matt Olson (43.5) led the way, with Brice Turang adding 30.5 from second base. The top three put up 118.5 from the heart of the order. Munetaka Murakami (20.0), Cal Raleigh (19.5), and the Ohtani bat (11.0) chipped in. The bats were not the problem.

The pitching was the autopsy. Kyle Harrison led at 24.6, Braxton Ashcraft 22.1, Ryan Weathers 19.5, Cade Smith 18.9, deGrom 14.6. Then the wreckage: Andrew Painter (-0.5), Hogan Harris (-3.1), Connelly Early (-7.6). 11+ points handed back from three roster spots in a matchup decided by 25.

dRuNkies’ staff, by contrast, was deep and clean. Clay Holmes was the ace at 30.6. Gregory Soto, of all people, was the unsung MVP at 25.0 from the pen. Peralta (16.6), Kochanowicz (15.6), O’Brien (12.2), May (9.6), Suárez (8.4), Weaver (8.0), Leiter (8.0), Woo (0.6). Not a single pitcher in the negatives. That’s the mark of well-managed staff — Espinal didn’t get caught with a stinker bringing the bottom out.

Ben Rice was the offensive MVP at 39.5 despite a Day-To-Day tag. CJ Abrams added 29.5 from short, Christian Walker 27.0, Tucker 17.5, Muncy 17.0, Mauricio Dubón 16.0. The bottom of the lineup was barely treading water (Vientos 4.0, Riley 0.5, McNeil 0.0, Adames -0.5), but the top six did more than enough.

SAJOMA Sets the Bar

Pay attention to the daily ledger here, because this is wild. Los Playeros actually outscored SAJOMA on Tuesday, Wednesday, AND Thursday — three consecutive days. After Thursday’s games, Playeros LED the matchup 182.5 to 173.8. Then the bottom fell out. Friday: SAJOMA 58.2, Playeros 32.0. Saturday: SAJOMA 122.2 points. Playeros 31.5. SAJOMA gained nearly 91 points in 24 hours. By Sunday morning, the matchup was buried under five feet of dirt.

The brutal part for Playeros: their bats were genuinely good. Pete Alonso (37.5), Ian Happ (31.5), Drew Romo (28.0) at catcher, Steven Kwan (18.5), Naylor (16.5), Harper (16.0), Wilson (16.0), Ramírez (13.5). Los Playeros’ bats actually outscored SAJOMA’s 240.0 to 212.0 — by 28 points. The hitting was a winning unit.

The pitching wasn’t even close. Eovaldi (31.7), Wrobleski (21.6), Adam (21.0), Baz (19.9), Lee (12.2), Senzatela (5.1) gave them six positive contributors. Then comes the wreckage: King (-0.4), Holmes (-0.5), Wacha (-5.5), Santana (-14.5), Lowder (-17.2). Five pitchers in the negatives, four by significant margins. Roughly -38 points from the bottom four roster spots alone. You cannot win a fantasy week giving back nearly 40 points from your pitching.

SAJOMA, meanwhile, set the league standard. Chase Burns dropped 50.3 — the second-best pitcher week in the entire league behind Luzardo’s 64.0. Kris Bubic and Shota Imanaga matched at 30.7 each. And the staff-defining moment: Seranthony Domínguez somehow put up 30.6 from the bullpen. Strahm 22.3, Webb 15.7, Sabrowski 15.1, Arrighetti 14.5, Miller 12.3, Skenes a quiet 3.5. Ten pitchers. Not one in the negatives. Six arms at 14.5 or higher. That is championship-caliber pitching depth.

The bats backed it up: Bellinger (37.0), O’Hearn (25.0), Salvador Pérez and Drake Baldwin both 22+ at catcher (a luxury), Ildemaro Vargas (19.0), Daulton Varsho (16.5), Sam Antonacci (16.0), Bauers (15.5), McGonigle (15.0). Even Ketel Marte at a brutal 5.5 didn’t matter. 225.7 from the staff is what wins championships.

The West’s Other Undefeated Falls

This was effectively over by Wednesday night. After three days, REM GEM led 187.5 to 83.6 — a 104-point cushion before the matchup was even half over. Then Thursday happened, and Los Lobos posted 6.1 points. SIX. That’s not a typo. An entire roster of MLB players combined for six fantasy points in 24 hours. Even a Friday explosion of 95.8 (Lobos’ only day over 35) couldn’t close the gap.

Lobos’ offense had a really rough week, and that’s putting it kindly. Otto Lopez led the team at 22.5. When your top hitter is at 22.5, you have a problem. Dillon Dingler 19.5, Jarren Duran 19.0, Manny Machado 18.5 (a real disappointment for a top-30 player), Yandy Díaz 14.5, Riley Greene 13.0, Brandon Nimmo 11.5, Isaac Paredes 10.0. Then a cliff: Hyeseóng Kim 4.0, Spencer Steer 1.0, Dom Smith 0.0, Daylen Lile -1.5, Zach Neto -2.0. 13 position players, 130.0 total points — basement-level offense.

The pitching held up reasonably well but couldn’t overcome the offensive collapse. McClanahan (28.6), Skubal (19.7) despite an IL15 tag, Bednar (15.3), Joe Ryan (12.3), Tyler Rogers (12.2), Devin Williams (12.2). McClanahan and Skubal did their jobs. The back-end starters (Bibee 4.5, Rasmussen 3.5, Yesavage 1.4, Roupp -2.9) gave Lobaton almost nothing — a combined 6.5 from four pitching slots. Lobos’ identity is “elite top-2 starters and good closers,” but they need real depth at the back of the rotation OR a much better offensive supporting cast — preferably both.

REM GEM’s lineup was the story. Alec Burleson dropped 49.0 — the third-highest hitter total of the entire week. William Contreras added 40.5 from catcher. Oneil Cruz 21.0, Bobby Witt Jr. 18.5, Nico Hoerner 18.0, Trea Turner 16.5, Arozarena 15.0, Caballero 12.5. The top three bats put up 110.5 by themselves — nearly matching Los Lobos’ entire 13-man offense.

REM GEM’s pitching had MORE disasters than Lobos. Williams (35.1) was fantastic, Schlittler (31.6) a depth-piece gem, Erceg (26.3) elite from the pen. But Soriano (-1.5), Santillan (-6.9), and Brady Singer (-11.0) all blew up. -19.4 from the bottom three roster spots. Yet REM GEM still cleared 109 from pitching because their top three combined for 93. The lesson: when your top three pitchers have huge weeks, you can absorb a lot of damage at the back end.

Luzardo Steals the Show

Dynasty’s 391.3 was the second-highest team total of the entire week (behind only SAJOMA), and it was driven almost entirely by an absolutely dominant Tuesday-Friday-Saturday combo: 70.7, 86.2, and 90.3 points. Three days over 70 points is title-contender territory, and Saturday’s 90.3 was the second-highest single-day output any team had all week.

Jesus Luzardo dropped 64.0 points — the single highest pitcher score in the league this week and frankly one of the best pitching weeks anyone will have all season. Two starts of pure fantasy gold. Max Meyer added 35.7. Mitch Keller 31.7. Dylan Cease 23.6. Muñoz 8.2 from the bullpen. Yamamoto a quietly disappointing 2.5. Pete Fairbanks at -7.3 was the lone real disaster, but with Luzardo doing what he did, it didn’t matter. When you get 64 points from one pitcher, you can absorb a lot of bad days elsewhere.

Byron Buxton went absolutely supernova for 53.0 points — the second-highest hitter total of the entire league this week. Julio Rodríguez (34.5) had a real bounce-back from a slow start. Ryan Jeffers (24.0) gave them big positional value behind the plate. Vlad Jr. (20.5), Correa (18.5), Perdomo (18.0), Jeremiah Jackson (15.5), Wilyer Abreu (13.5), Arenado (13.0), Freeman (12.0). Top-heavy but explosive.

F/S had another stacked offensive week. Shea Langeliers (41.5) led — an enormous catcher week. Chase DeLauter (38.5), Mickey Moniak (33.5), Brandon Lowe (26.5), Bo Bichette (19.0), Pasquantino (16.0). Eighteen hitters total, 210.5 points — that’s a winning offensive number on most weeks.

The pitching is what sank them. Bryan Baker led the staff at 21.3 from the pen. Spencer Strider posted 1.0 points — one — for what should be a top-5 fantasy SP. Kevin Gausman (-2.1), Chase Dollander (-2.8), and Kenley Jansen at a brutal -12.0. Eleven pitchers, 64.5 points combined. Dynasty’s staff put up 163.3. A 98.8-point gap on the mound was the matchup.

A Sleeping Giant Wakes Up

TakeOver won every single day except Saturday in a 65.8-point thumping. By Friday night, TakeOver led 240.9 to 189.9 — a 51-point cushion. The Rebels’ only day over 50 (Saturday’s 68.4) just narrowed the gap to 24; with both teams in the low 30s on Sunday, the margin held.

Kazuma Okamoto led TakeOver at 43.5. Bryan Reynolds added 36.0, Pete Crow-Armstrong 27.0, Casey Schmitt 17.5, Luis Arraez 16.0, Michael Busch 15.5, Hunter Goodman 14.5, Yordan Alvarez 13.0. A balanced lineup with no real soft spots until the very end of the bench. Max Fried (33.8) was the staff ace, and Will Warren’s 32.3 was the surprise of the week — the kind of week-winning depth-pitcher performance that wins matchups. Sanchez (18.0), Varland (14.2), Alcántara (11.6), Megill (10.2), Vesia (9.9). Only one pitcher in the red, and barely (Sheehan -0.2). Excellent staff management.

Aaron Judge (42.0) was the only real bright spot for the Rebels — a top-five hitter performance for the week, but he didn’t have nearly enough help. Xavier Edwards 21.5, Ernie Clement 16.0, Miguel Vargas 15.5, Junior Caminero 13.5, Taylor Ward 12.0. James Wood (6.5) and Rafael Devers (8.0) were both quiet. Judge plus 14 mostly-quiet bats went 171.5 — almost 50 points behind TakeOver’s offense.

Wheeler did his job at 30.6 with a quality start. Hancock provided a sneaky 27.7 (one of the best depth-arm performances of the week). Framber Valdez 17.6, Glasnow 8.9. Roki Sasaki at 5.6 is a top-15 SP underdelivering badly. Helsley (8.1) and Miller (7.1) chipped in despite IL15 tags.

The Titans Stay Buried at 0-5

The 72-point margin masks a matchup that was actually winnable on the offensive side for T-Ball. The bottom fell out on the mound, as it has every week of this season. Tuesday was the budget-buster: NCS 88.7 vs T-Ball 50.8, a 38-point single-day swing that essentially decided the matchup before it ever felt close.

Here’s the maddening part: T-Ball Titans’ bats actually played well. Ozzie Albies led at 43.5, Juan Soto added 32.0, Moises Ballesteros 24.5 from DH. Then the depth: Jung 19.5, Elly De La Cruz 19.0, Aranda 15.5, Roman Anthony 14.0 (despite a Day-To-Day designation), Kurtz 13.0, Troy Johnston 12.0, Cam Smith 10.0. 14 position players, 219.0 points combined — a top-five offensive showing for the week. On most weeks, this offense wins.

The pitching is the disaster on repeat. Jacob Misiorowski was the only real positive at 28.2. Taj Bradley salvaged 18.7. After that? Robert Suárez 9.2 from the closer slot (a real letdown), Cole Ragans 6.2 (brutal start for a top-15 SP), Eury Pérez 4.5, MacKenzie Gore 1.7 (borderline disqualifying for a top-25 SP), Tolle -0.2, Pagán -1.9. Ten pitchers, 80.3 points, two negatives. That’s not a roster issue — Ragans, Misiorowski, Bradley, Suárez, and Gore are real names — that’s an active management issue or a horrendous run of luck on starts.

NCS was the model of balance. JJ Wetherholt led at 31.0. Maikel Garcia 29.0. Kyle Schwarber 28.5. Willson Contreras 26.0. Liam Hicks 23.5. Adley Rutschman 18.5, TJ Rumfield 17.0, Bogaerts 15.0, Acuña 14.5 (despite an IL10), Suzuki 12.0. Eight different hitters at 14.5 or higher, with no single bat dominating. That’s how you build a sustainable offense.

Chris Sale was a beast at 34.7 with a clear quality start. Davis Martin a sneaky 19.9, Tanner Scott 18.3 locking down the bullpen, Edward Cabrera 17.9, Rico Garcia 14.5, Lugo 12.6, Matz 12.6 (despite IL15), Ray 10.3, Morillo 10.2. The black hole: Michael Soroka -16.7. Single-start meltdown of the worst kind. But NCS still cleared 134 because the rest of the staff had no other significant negatives. Resilient roster-building.

The East Logjam & What Wins in This League

The East Division is now a three-way tie at 4-1. SAJOMA, VOP, and dRuNkies all share first place. dRuNkies holds the head-to-head over VOP from this week’s matchup, which already becomes a critical tiebreaker. SAJOMA hasn’t played either of them yet, which makes the next few weeks of East crossovers absolutely must-watch — those head-to-heads will be the most valuable currency in the division all season.

The West has REM GEM and Los Lobos tied at 4-1, with REM GEM holding the head-to-head. TakeOver (3-2) is right behind them and trending up after the Week 5 win — that team has a real chance to climb into the top two if they keep getting balanced production.

The two winless teams are interesting case studies because they both have legitimately competitive offenses. T-Ball put up 219.0 batting points; Los Playeros 240.0. Top-half offensive lines in this league. Both teams are losing because of pitching staffs that are not just bad but actively bleeding points. T-Ball’s staff scored 80.3 with one positive contributor at 28.2 (Misiorowski) and a sea of single-digit and negative arms. Playeros’ staff scored 73.4 with -38 from the bottom four pitchers.

The single best individual performances of the week, for the record:

• Jesus Luzardo (64.0) for The Dynasty — the league’s top scorer at any position
• Byron Buxton (53.0) for The Dynasty — second overall, top hitter of the week
• Chase Burns (50.3) for SAJOMA — second-best pitcher week in the league
• Alec Burleson (49.0) for REM GEM — second-best hitter week in the league

Three of those four came from teams that won their matchups, and the fourth (Buxton) helped power Dynasty to the league’s second-highest team total in a runaway win. Stars matter, but in fantasy baseball, depth wins championships. The teams winning consistently aren’t just the ones with stars — they’re the ones whose tenth roster spot isn’t actively losing them the matchup. SAJOMA: zero negative pitchers. dRuNkies: zero negative pitchers. That’s the lesson of Week 5.

Revenge of the Top-Heavy

After watching TakeOver lose Week 3 because their stars were carrying water for a leaky lineup, they flipped the script entirely. REM GEM, the league’s most balanced roster, ran into the buzz saw. The daily breakdown is wild: TakeOver was actually trailing by 35.4 points heading into Apr 24, then dropped a nuclear 129.0-point Friday — the highest single-day output of the season. From there, REM GEM never recovered.

The TakeOver roster bounced back top to bottom. Michael Busch (34.0) and Yordan Alvarez (32.0) led the way, but the real difference from Week 3 was the middle of the lineup carrying weight: Kazuma Okamoto (22.5), Luis Arraez (20.5), Carter Jensen (19.5), and Gunnar Henderson (18.5) all delivered 18+ points. The pitching was the bigger story. Max Fried’s 36.8 was an ace performance, but the stunner was Louis Varland posting 31.4 — a streamer-level arm producing top-end SP value. Will Warren (24.6), Emmet Sheehan (22.3), and George Kirby (21.6) gave them four arms above 21. Even Sandy Alcántara bounced back to 19.6 after his Week 3 disaster. Only Vesia (-1.6) and Sánchez (-5.8) blemished the staff — a far cry from last week’s four negative arms.

REM GEM, meanwhile, suffered exactly the kind of week that had been waiting in the wings. Michael Harris II (36.5) and Bobby Witt Jr. (35.0) were brilliant, but after that the lineup that produced 13 contributors in Week 3 went strangely quiet. Trea Turner contributed 1.5 points across an entire week. One and a half — from a top-15 player. The pitching was equally rough: Gavin Williams crashed back to earth (10.6), José Soriano dipped to 8.5, Luis Castillo posted 7.5, and Logan Gilbert (0.4) and JoJo Romero (-4.5) brought up the rear. When even the deep-roster format works against you, this is what it looks like.

The Pitching Apocalypse

After winning Week 3 with five quality starts and elite depth, the dRuNkies’ staff imploded in Week 4. Just look at the pitching line: Gregory Soto (22.2), Luke Weaver (16.9), Clay Holmes (14.7), Eduardo Rodriguez (10.5), Jack Leiter (6.5), Freddy Peralta (3.9), Ranger Suárez (-2.2), Riley O’Brien (-3.8), Walker Buehler (-11.4), and Bryan Woo (-11.7).

Four pitchers in negative point totals. Including the Week 3 hero Riley O’Brien crashing from 44.4 to -3.8 — a 48.2-point swing from a single arm. Walker Buehler at -11.4 and Bryan Woo at -11.7 represent two more disaster starts. The total pitching output of 45.6 points for a full week is, candidly, almost unthinkable from a roster this talented.

The lineup wasn’t the problem. Christian Walker (38.5) had a monster week, Max Muncy (31.0) re-emerged, Ben Rice (20.5), Andy Pages (20.0), and Agustín Ramirez (16.5) gave them five 16+ contributors. The hitters posted 181.0 — a perfectly fine total. The pitching just couldn’t hold up its end.

SAJOMA, by contrast, was the most balanced team in the league this week. Kevin McGonigle (39.5) and Drake Baldwin (37.0) — both rookies — torched the league. Ildemaro Vargas at 32.0 from the utility slot is the kind of waiver-wire steal that wins championships. Brooks Lee (30.0) gave them a fourth 30+ point bat. SAJOMA had six bats above 22 points — that’s not a fantasy week, that’s a Murderers’ Row. The pitching was equally lethal behind Skenes (36.7), Imanaga (24.9), Chase Burns (21.9), Mason Miller (15.2), and Matt Strahm (15.2). Aaron Nola at -12.1 was the only blemish — and even that wasn’t enough to keep them from a 138.8-point pitching total.

Decided by 6.4 Points

Another wire-to-wire dogfight for F/S, and this time they came up just short. F/S led by 56.3 points after Apr 21. Then VOP dropped a 93.3-point Apr 22, and F/S managed exactly 1.0 point on Apr 24 — the lowest single-day total of any team this week. F/S responded with an 89.6-point Apr 25 to take the lead back, but VOP’s 75.2 closeout on Apr 26 swung the matchup by the final 6.4 points. This is the kind of loss that haunts a fantasy manager all season.

F/S had another stacked offensive week. Sal Stewart (37.5) is officially a star — back-to-back massive weeks. Tyler Soderstrom (30.5) is producing like a top-10 1B. Vinnie Pasquantino (28.5) has finally arrived. Shea Langeliers (23.5), Mickey Moniak (21.0), Bo Bichette (16.5), Chase DeLauter (16.0), and Corbin Carroll (14.0) gave them eight bats above 14 points. The pitching staff partially redeemed Garrett Crochet, who bounced back from -25.5 to a positive 30.6. Nolan McLean’s 26.5 is a streamer find. But Merrill Kelly’s -13.9 was the swing point in a 6.4-point loss. One single bad start cost F/S this matchup. Again. That’s becoming a theme.

VOP got another monster Ohtani week — 26.0 batting plus 20.6 pitching for 46.6 combined. Matt Olson posted 45.5 points. Cal Raleigh (29.0) at catcher is positional gold. Alex Bregman (28.0) and Munetaka Murakami (26.5) gave them five bats above 26. Even with Trevor Rogers (-7.5) and Reynaldo Lopez (-13.9) blowing up at the back end of the staff, the offense was simply too deep to lose.

The Wolfpack Stays Perfect

Los Lobos became the league’s first team to reach 4-0, and they did it in the most balanced fashion possible. The Titans actually had a better single-day outing (97.5 on Apr 25), but Lobos’ floor was extraordinary — they didn’t have a single day below 36.2, while the Titans had three days below 38.5. That’s the difference between a 4-0 team and a 0-4 team in microcosm.

The Titans, despite the loss, posted 328.2 — their best week of the season. Elly De La Cruz finally exploded for 37.0, the kind of week that’s been baked into his draft cost. Ozzie Albies (36.5), Nick Kurtz (35.0), and Jonathan Aranda (34.0) added enormous value. Samuel Basallo (32.0) from the catcher slot is positional gold. Moisés Ballesteros (26.0) and Josh Jung (22.5) round out seven hitters above 22 points. That’s the lineup the Titans drafted. The problem was the pitching once again. Cole Ragans (32.6) was finally the SP1 they needed, and Payton Tolle (23.6) was a brilliant streamer pickup. But Misiorowski (15.6), Gore (6.5), Pagán (2.1), Pérez (-1.8), De Los Santos (-2.4), Bradley (-7.7), and Chandler (-10.6) was a disaster zone. Three pitchers in the negative. Bradley and Chandler combining for -18.3 alone is enough to swing a tight matchup.

Los Lobos’ top performers were Riley Greene (39.0), Isaac Paredes (37.0), and rookie Daylen Lile at 35.0 — the Lile pickup is officially a league-altering waiver claim. Manny Machado (23.5), Yandy Díaz (23.0), and Zach Neto (16.5) gave them a solid second tier. The pitching was less spectacular than usual — Skubal had a quiet 7.6 — but Drew Rasmussen (26.6), Tyler Rogers (25.7), Shane McClanahan (23.5), and Landen Roupp (21.5) covered.

The Rebels Find Their Rhythm

The Rebels finally cashed in their massive scoring weeks for an actual win. NCS led after Day 1 and Day 2, then the Rebels' Apr 22 and Apr 24 outbursts (50.0 and 49.6) effectively decided the matchup. NCS came roaring back with a 78.1-point Apr 26, but it was too late — the Rebels had built the lead and managed it.

NCS got another huge Seiya Suzuki week (41.0) — he's emerging as their MVP. Ronald Acuña Jr. (24.0) is showing flashes. Wetherholt (21.5), Liam Hicks (21.0), Willson Contreras (20.5), Kyle Schwarber (19.5), Chandler Simpson (18.0), and Xander Bogaerts (17.5) all delivered 17+. That's eight bats above 17 — the most balanced offensive week NCS has had all season. The pitching, however, was catastrophic. Chris Sale (33.6) was excellent, Seth Lugo (17.0) and Edward Cabrera (14.7) were okay, but Robbie Ray (7.5), Rico García (6.3), Tanner Scott (3.6), Anthony Núñez (3.1), Paul Sewald (-7.5), and Steven Matz (-8.7) bottomed out as a group. Total pitching output: 78.1 points. That's not enough to win matchups in this league.

The Rebels actually got outproduced 242.0 to 215.0 on offense — James Wood's 36.5 was the breakout, finally arriving as the star his prospect pedigree promised. Junior Caminero (33.0) continues his ridiculous start. Aaron Judge (23.0) and Iván Herrera (23.0) tied at the next tier — Herrera is officially a top-3 catcher this season. Taylor Ward (21.0) and Spencer Torkelson (21.0) added another tier. Ernie Clement (17.5), Yainer Díaz (14.0), Xavier Edwards (14.0), and Gary Sánchez (12.5) chipped in. The Rebels had eleven hitters above 12 points — a stunning distribution. The pitching was thin, though: Tyler Glasnow's 39.8 was a phenomenal start, but Roki Sasaki (10.5) and Jakob Junis (10.3) were the only other meaningful contributors. Total pitching: 70.6 points — even worse than NCS. Both staffs were ugly. The Rebels won this on lineup depth alone.

The Cinderella Win That Wasn't

PLAYEROS finally broke through? Not quite. The Dynasty got the win they desperately needed, but the daily breakdown reveals a wild ride. PLAYEROS' Apr 24 collapse — 11.0 points on a day the Dynasty scored 45.7 — was the death blow. That mirrors PLAYEROS' Week 3 collapse on the second-to-last day. There's a pattern emerging: this is a roster that struggles when even one of their big four (Ramírez, Harper, Alonso, Naylor) has an off-day, because the supporting cast doesn't pick up the slack.

The Dynasty got production from places that haven't shown up all year. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (29.0) finally looked like a first-round pick. Carlos Correa (25.5) was excellent. Julio Rodríguez at 24.5 is a return-to-form moment Dynasty owners have been waiting for since Day 1. Wilyer Abreu (22.0) was the surprise — a 22-point week from a fourth outfielder is the kind of contribution that pushes you over the line. Geraldo Perdomo (18.5), Ryan Jeffers (17.0), and Byron Buxton (14.0) all chipped in. The pitching was led by Andrés Muñoz (25.3) out of the closer role, Dylan Cease (24.5), and rookie Max Meyer at 21.7. Yamamoto dropped to 11.7, but the depth carried. The Dynasty also benefited from cleaner negatives: only Ezequiel Tovar (-4.0) hurt them on the hitting side.

PLAYEROS got a stunning 50.3-point pitching performance from Justin Wrobleski — a streamer pickup that absolutely paid off. But beyond that, the staff was a wasteland. Michael King's 18.6 was fine, but Jason Adam (13.2) and Dennis Santana (7.2) were the only other positive contributors. Shane Baz (4.3), Jack Flaherty (2.0), Will Vest (-2.5), Michael Wacha (-3.8), and Nathan Eovaldi (-5.4!) blew up. Eovaldi going negative after his 29.2 in Week 3 is brutal volatility. The lineup had Naylor (28.0), Harper (27.0), Gleyber Torres (23.5), Ian Happ (20.5), and Ramírez at a quiet 19.5 — but Pete Alonso (12.0) and Marcell Ozuna (-5.0) underperformed badly.

Two Teams Still Perfect. Three Teams in Crisis.

Lobos and VOP are the only undefeateds, and both are doing it differently. Lobos win with depth (no superstar going off, just six contributors at 20+ every week). VOP wins with stars (Ohtani, Trout, Olson, Murakami) plus enough waiver-wire pitching to fill in. They are the two best teams in the league through four weeks — full stop.

The pitching volatility problem is league-wide. Look at the negative point totals from this week alone: Bryan Woo (-11.7), Walker Buehler (-11.4), Reynaldo Lopez (-13.9), Merrill Kelly (-13.9), Aaron Nola (-12.1), Bubba Chandler (-10.6). Six different starters posted -10 or worse in a single week. Pitcher streaming and lineup management is now the single biggest factor separating contenders from pretenders.

The basement teams are running out of time. PLAYEROS and the Titans are 0-4 and need wins immediately. F/S has lost two of three by single-digit margins and shouldn’t panic. The Dynasty’s win over PLAYEROS feels less like a turnaround and more like a coin-flip the right way.

The real story: roster depth wins weekly leagues. The four undefeated/one-loss teams (Lobos, VOP, dRuNkies, SAJOMA, REM GEM) all featured 8+ players above 15 points this week. The four 0-4/1-3 teams (Titans, PLAYEROS, F/S, Dynasty, NCS) all had multiple players post negative totals. It’s not the stars — every team has stars. It’s the bottom of the bench.