CFFL Fantasy Bowl XLI

 

FANTASY BOWL XLI

Fez's Ferrets 48 - Stamm's Sinistars 32

The Ferrets did it!  The Ferrets did it!!  For 41 years they have been striving for their first ever Fantasy Bowl and they finally did it!  

The game started out slow and with Gibbs getting shut out on Christmas Day the Ferrets were a little nervous.  RJ Harvey and Jonathan Taylor were able to get TDs for the Sinistars, but then the Ferrets began the onslaught.  

In a bold move, the Ferrets decided to bench long time starter Dak Prescott in favor of Trevor Lawrence, who in the past few weeks have outscored Dak.  This move can be dangerous, for typically when one benches a regular starter for someone who has had  a few good weeks it usually backfires.  But not this time.  Lawrence ran in TWO TDs for the Ferrets while Dak only had 8 points.  

Lawrence running in one of his two TDs!

But the MVP of the game was Ja'Marr Chase.  Chase hadn't scored since Week 7, but the Ferrets kept him in the line up every week.  With the lights shining bright, Chase stepped up and caught two TD passes!  Add in a McBride and Hunter Henry TD and this game was over.  Only a 3 TD performance by Joker Face London would bring the Sinistars the trophy.  London would not score a single point and the Ferrets capture their first championship 48-32!

Chase the Fantasy Bowl MVP

The Ferrets are one of the original 3 franchises that started the CFFL back in 1985, along with the Chislers and Wrecking Crew.  They began as the Wening's Wimps and only posted 4 winning seasons in their first 9 years before changing their name to the Fez's Ferrets.  Things wouldn't get much better and prior to this year they had an overall sub .500 record.  

The Ferrets have been plagued with bad luck drafting top players only to see them get hurt.  In 2023 they drafted Travis Kelce after he had scored 12 TDs the year before.  That year? 5 TDs. They drafted Jonathan Taylor in 2021 after he had scored 20 TDs.  That year?  4 TDs and an injury riddled season.  They drafted Derrick Henry in 2021.  He did score 10 TDs first 7 weeks of the season!  But then went on IR rest of the season.  In 2017, maybe one of the most devastating draft picks, the Ferrets drafted David Johnson the year after he scored 20 TDs.  He would blow out his knee in the very first game!  I could go on and on.

But alas, the Ferrets are now on top of the Fantasy Football world as World Champions of the Cherry Fantasy Football League!  Congratulations!

Ferret fans flood the streets in celebraion!

CFHL Week 1 2025-26

The puck has dropped on another season of the CFHL!  

Krampus vs. Goon Crew 4-2-1

The Krampus always start the season out on fire, with it being Krampus season.  Taking down the Goon Crew thanks to Kucherov's 4 goals and Vasilevskiy's 2 wins and SV% of .940!

Greek Empire vs Raisins 4-3

The battle of California to start the season saw the Greek Empire coming out on top of a close one.  They beat the Raisins by only one hit, but dominated Assists 19-5 led by McDavid's 5 helpers.

Assassins vs. Checkers 6-1

The Checkers are going to need some offensive help, as they only had 3 goals, assists and PPP.  No surprise that Draisaitl led the Assassins with 3 goals and 4 PPPs.

White Mambas vs. Slapshots 4-3

Another team that starts out fast, the Mambas, doing it again beating the Slapshots.  It was close, with Mamba winning goals, assists and PPP while Slapshots got hits, blocks (by1) and goalie wins.  Sam Reinhart had 4 assists for the Mambas

Who Gives a Puck vs. Space Monkey 4-1-2

The defending champs are out of the gates in the win column despite no goalie stats.  Bertuzzi was a nice surprise getting 3 goals and 4 hits.  

3 Stars of the Week:

Number 1 Star:  Nikita Kucherov, F, Krampus - 4g, 2a, 2PPP, 3 hits

Number 2 Star:  Eeli Tolvanen, F, Greek Empire - 2g, 4a, 8hits, 2 blocks

Number 3 Star: Matthew Knies, F, Goon Crew - 3g, 2a, 2PPP, 6 hits, 1 block

Goon of the Week:  Kiefer "Sutherland" Sherwood, F, Checkers - 16 hits

CFFL Playoffs Round 2

 The stage is set for Fantasy Bowl XLI.  But how did we get here?  Here is a look at last week's uneventful semifinal battles.

Sinistars 28 - Animals 17

The Animals offense sputtered out in the semifinal tilt with the Sinistars, getting no points from any of it's offensive players.  Only point they were manage to drum up was 11 points from their kicker Fairbairn.  The Sinistars didn't do much better getting just one TD pass from Mayfield and 6 points from a wild TD catch by Michael Wilson.  The score was 11-10 going into MNF and Sinistars had Jonathan  Taylor and their kicker.  It wasn't long before kicker Pineiro put the Sinistars ahead and Jonathan Taylor scored to put them ahead for good.  The Animals did manage a pick 6 in the game but was too late. 

Ferrets 25 - Chislers 14

In the 3rd episode of this Northern rivalry, the Ferrets would come away victorious and the Chislers QB Josh Allen would be a huge disappointment.  Last year's MVP Josh Allen, who just last week scored 12 points and has had weeks of 30 points, had a big goose egg in the game.  Plus Chisler kicker Jason "Michael" Myers would only have 2 points.  That would spell trouble for the Chislers.  Once again the Ferrets went with Prescott instead of "Jack-o-lantern head" Lawrence and almost proved costly.  Dak had 8 points, while Lawrence had 18 on the bench.  However he still led the game 19-14 late.  Chislers  had Henderson, but Ferrets had Hunter Henry on Sunday Night.  Henderson would leave the game with an injury and Hunter Henry caught a TD pass to seal the victory for the Ferrets.  

Henry slams the door on the Chislers

Fantasy Bowl XLI Preview:  Ferrets (-4) at Sinistars

The Ferrets are clearly having one of their best season ever.  They won the North Division and now are playing in only their second Fantasy Bowl in their 41 year history.  The last time they made it to the Fantasy Bowl was in 2007 in FB XXIII where they lost to the Krauts 38-28.

The Sinistars are playing in their 3rd Fantasy Bowl.  In 2019 the Sinistars beat the Cocktails in FB XXXV 34-18.  Then just two years ago in Fantasy Bowl XXXIX the Sinistars faced off against the Animals but lost 58-32.  Now they face another opponent from the North.

How do they stack up:

Quarterbacks:  Lawrence vs. Mayfield

Well the Ferrets pulled the trigger benching Prescott for Lawrence.  The Sinistars with no other choice, go with Mayfield again, who has been somewhat disappointing this year.  

Advantage: Ferrets

Running Backs: Corum and Gibbs vs. Irving and Taylor

Good battle at RB here.  Corum getting the start could be the difference late Monday Night.  Sinistars keep Irving in versus RJ Harvey.  

Advantage: Sinistars

Wide Receivers:  Chase, Henry, McBride vs. Collins, Wilson, Waller

Chase was the number one pick by the Ferrets and has been a bust.  Henry and McBride however have not.  Waller for the Sinistars has come out of no where.  Nico Collins is strarting to hit is stride.

Advantage: Even 

Special Teams/Defense: Aubrey, Patriots vs. Pineiro, Browns

With defenses you never know.  But these kickers are good.  Aubrey is one of the best around and play the pitiful Commanders on Christmas day.  So Ferrets are hoping to start out with a big lead.  Pineiro has been a good addition as well.

Advantage: Ferrets

Prediction:  Will the move of benching Prescott in favor of Lawrence come back to bite the Ferrets?  How many times have any of us finally decide to start a player that has been scoring every week only to have them burn us?  The injury to Davante Adams will have a big impact on the Sinistars' scoring, but still have some fire power.  This one will be close and could come down to Blake Corum on MNF.  Can't believe I'm saying this but I think the Ferrets finally come away with their first championship in 41 years!

Ferrets 35 - Sinistars 29

CFFL 2025 Playoffs Round 1

 

Winter is coming!  All three teams in the North advanced to the semi-finals and set up another classic match up between Ferrets and Chislers!

Animals 48 - Whales 26

Animals continue to impress with in season moves.  This week they picked up Colby Parkinson and he promptly scored 2 TDs in the rout of the Whales.  "Flying" St. Brown also scored twice and kicker Fairbairn booted in 16 points!  Hurts and A.J. Brown connected again for a 10 point connection but wasn't enough for the Whales as they exit the playoffs in the first round.

Sinistars 40 - Juggernauts 35

It was a barn burner between Eastern Bloc foes with the Sinistars surviving.  They did bench Mahomes in favor of Mayfield and turned out to be the right move as Mayfield scored 9 points vs. Mahomes' 6.  They will be stuck with Mayfield now as Mahomes tore his ACL.  They also suffered a blow as Adams went out with a hammy and likely not playing in the next round.  Jacobs and Purdy both had 12 points for the Juggs, but needed just one more TD and couldn't get it.  

Ferrets 32 - Krauts 31

The defending champs go down in dramatic fashion!  It appeared that starting Dak Prescott spelled doom for the Ferrets as he couldn't manage a single point, while on the Ferrets bench was Trevor Lawrence and his 26 points!  Would have been a rocking chair victory for the Ferrets.  It appeared to be over as the Cowboy game wound down on Sunday Night.  But with time running out, Ferret kicker Brandon Aubrey kicked an almost meaningless FG to end the game, but won the Ferrets game 32-31!!! The crowd at the Ferret Den in Ann Arbor stormed the field in celebration!

Chislers 42 - Warbirds 16

Chislers' cruised in the first round easily beating the Warbirds 42-16.  Allen and TreVeyon Henderson each had 12 points and Chisler kicker Jason "Michael" Myers had 18 huge points.  Knox was on the bench wasting two 10-point connections that the Chislers thankfully didn't need.  

Round 2 Playoff Match ups:

Animals at Sinistars (-7) - This was going to be the possible Fantasy Bowl match up, but with the Animals losing the North division title, these two teams meet in Round 2.  Adams out.  Drake "Joker Face" London likely out, the Sinistars are a little short handed.  Darren Waller scored twice last week on the bench for them.  Can he produce again?  Also, I don't think Parkinson will score twice again for the Animals and Rice production will now be reduced due to Mahomes injury.  Sinistars appear to stay with Taylor and leaving RJ Harvey on the bench.  

Prediction:  I feel Sinistars move on to the Fantasy Bowl and are too much for the Animals.

Chislers (-1) at Ferrets - These two split the regular season series, with the Ferrets scoring 70 points on them in Week 7.  Could be interesting to see if Ferrets make the switch at QB, starting Lawrence over Prescott.  Knox in to keep that 10-point connection alive for the Chislers with Josh Allen.  Ferrets a dangerous team with Gibbs, Chase, McBride and Tony "Clifford" Franklin.  

Prediction:  Could this be the year of the Ferret??  It might be as they defeat the Chislers and move onto Fantasy Bowl XLI.

Loser bracket for the Number 1 pick next year:

Lunatics at Legion

Bees at Killers

CFFL Week 14 and Playoffs

🏆2025 CFFL Playoff Preview

The 2025 CFFL Playoffs are now set!  The quest for a Fantasy Bowl Championship starts this week!  The Krauts begin their defense of their title!  

🔥How We Got Here

The North was the most interesting.  The Ferrets were in the driver's seat needing only to win and make sure the Chislers didn't outscore them by 5 points or more.  Ferrets took care of business beating the Animals 39-30 by scoring 39 points on Thursday!  Gibbs  had 18 huge points in the win.  The Animal loss dropped them all the way to the 8th seed.  Chislers had a nice tune up game against the pathetic Wrecking Crew who are so glad the season is over.  The Chislers draw the 5th seed at 9-5 losing the total points tie breaker to the Ferrets.

Gibbs scored 3 times early for Ferrts

The Warbirds already had the South won and is looking ahead to the playoffs, losing the final regular season game to the Dragons 37-25.  Joe Burrow had 16 points in the loss for the Warbirds and looks like he is poised for a playoff run.  What turned out to be a meaningless game, the Dominators and Bees played in a shoot out with the Dominators winning 47-40 behind 2 Puca "Tuukka" Nacua TDs.

Puca finished strong for Dominators

In the East the Sinistars, while already had division wrapped up, lost to the Juggernauts 27-19 subsequently losing the Number 1 seed to the Whales.  Juggernauts got a 12 point performance from back up Tyler Shough to propel them into the playoffs at the 7th seed.  A bright spot in an otherwise dismal season the Cocktails won their finale beating the defending champ Krauts 40-37.  Jordon Love connected with Watson for two 10-point connections!  Krauts get the 6th seed and begin their title defense.

Probably the one and only time you will see this guy
in the newsletter...

And finally in the West, the Whales won in OT vs the Lunatics 41-34.  They were on the road but the Lunatics had no back ups scoring, so the Whales won on the 7 points Grupe kicked.  They also got 12 points from Chase Brown and JSN!  Their head to head win earlier this season against the Sinistars solidified their Number 1 seed in the playoffs.  

Is he the next Jerry Rice?

🏈Here are the Round 1 Playoff Matchups:

8. Animals (8-6) at 1. Whales (10-4) - If Jalen Hurts continues to struggle this could be a closer game than most think.  But I would bank on the Whales advancing behind JSN!  Lamar has been a bit of a disappointment too for the Animals. 

7. Juggernauts (8-6) at Sinistars (10-4) - Nothing like a back to back rematch to start the playoffs.  Juggernauts just beat the Sinistars last week and now will have Purdy and Kittle back.  Sinistars have lots of fire power, including 3 RBs that can score at any time (Taylor, Irving and Harvey) plus Davante Adams!  What should be interesting is if the Sinistars make a move at QB and bring in Mayfield for Mahomes...

6. Krauts (8-6) at Ferrets (9-5) - This has the making of the best match up of Round 1.  Both teams have so many players that can score.  Ferrets with Prescott vs. Krauts Stafford.  Gibbs vs. Henry AND McCaffrey.  Can Ja'Marr Chase finally live up to being a first round pick for the Ferrets?   If so it could be the difference! The Krauts hammered the Ferrets in Week 9 38-17.

5. Chislers (9-5) at Warbirds (8-6) - The Warbirds get the unfortunate luck of facing the Chislers in the first round.  It will take all the Warbirds got to get past the Josh Allen led Chislers and now he has Knox  for the dreaded 10-point connection.  But with Burrow back, it may give the Warbirds a shot!  Chislers edged the Warbirds 28-25 back in Week 3.

But wait there is more...The loser bracket to see who gets the number one pick in next years draft.  The bottom 8 will play a playoff of their own with the winner getting first pick in next year's draft.  Here are the match ups...

Wrecking Crew at Killers

Lunatics at Dominators

Cocktails at Legion

Dragons at Bees

CFFL Week 13

🏈 CFFL Week 13 Recap

One week left in the CFFL regular season!

All divisions except the North have crowned their champions. The North, however, is absolute chaos with three teams tied at 8–5 and everything on the line. Before diving into playoff math, here’s a quick look at what went down last week:

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WEEK 13 RECAP

Ferrets 32 – Wrecking Crew 16
Ferrets cruise behind a 20-point outing from Prescott and Aubrey, while the Crew continue limping to the finish line.

Chislers 24 – Animals 20
Chislers’ win creates a three-way tie in the North. Josh Allen returns with 10 much-needed points.

Warbirds 29 – Killer Bees 23
Warbirds clinch the South. Burrow tosses 2 TDs in his return from injury to seal it.

Dominators 37 – Dragons 3
Dominators win again without QB help. Seahawks defense drops 12. Dragons deliver a completely lifeless performance.

Sinistars 60 – Cocktails 36

Statement win. Mahomes posts 16 while Harvey and Adams both score twice. Sinistars look like the team to beat.

Krauts 30 – Juggernauts 22
Veterans McCaffrey and Henry carry the Krauts, who lock up a wild card and look ready to defend their title.

Killers 35 – Lunatics 14
Killers stay alive thanks to kicker Borregales erupting for 15 points.

Whales 34 – Legion 19
Hurts and A.J. Brown connect for a pair of 10-pointers early as the Whales control this one throughout.

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DIVISION OUTLOOK

North Division – Three-Way Tie (8–5)

Animals, Ferrets, Chislers — all still alive.

If Animals beat the Ferrets →
Animals win the North (even if Chislers also finish 9–5, Animals win on division record after a H2H split).

If Ferrets beat the Animals AND Chislers win →

Ferrets and Chislers split H2H and would have identical division records.
Tiebreak goes to points scored, where Ferrets currently lead by 4 points.
– If Chislers outscore Ferrets by 5+, the Chislers win the North.
– Otherwise, Ferrets take the crown.

Other Divisions

• South Champion: Warbirds

• East Champion: Sinistars

• West Champion: Whales

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WILD CARD PICTURE (Seeds 5–7)

Three of these four North teams will be wild cards: Chislers, Ferrets, Animals, Krauts.

Krauts are locked in thanks to a massive cushion in points scored over potential 8–6 threats (Killers, Juggs).

Animals could drop as far as the 8th seed if they lose and the Juggernauts win based on total points.

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FINAL PLAYOFF SPOT SCENARIOS

Juggernauts

• Clinch with a win.

• Hold a 21-point lead over Killers and a 14-point lead over Animals.
  

Killers

• Get in with a win + Juggernaut loss.

Killer Bees

• Sneak in with a win AND losses by both Juggs and Killers.

• Bees currently have a 20-point edge over Juggs and 41-point edge over Killers.

Dominators and Legion

• Eliminated. Even at 7–7, their 317 and 323 total points respectively, puts them too far behind.

🏆 CFFL Power Rankings — Week 13

1. Sinistars (10–3)

Taylor for the Sinistars leads all RBs
with 104 pts and hasn't scored in 
3 weeks!

Absolutely terrifying right now. They just dropped 60, Mahomes is heating up, Adams is dominating again, and Harvey looks legit. The clear Fantasy Bowl favorite.

2. Whales (9–4)

Locked up the West and trending upward. Hurts-to-A.J. Brown is a weekly cheat code, and JSN has emerged as a star. Dangerous team with a high floor.

3. Warbirds (8–5)

South champs and playing consistent football. Burrow’s return stabilizes the offense, and the RB depth is outrageous. This team’s built for January.

4. Krauts (8–5)

Here they come… again. Stafford, McCaffrey, and Henry are rolling, and the defending champs look every bit like a team ready for a title defense.

5. Chislers (8–5)

Allen again leads league in scoring with a 14 point 
lead over second place

A huge win to force the three-way tie in the North. Josh Allen is back from the dead, and when he’s on, the Chislers can beat anybody.

6. Ferrets (8–5)

They’re streaky, but when they hit, they hit big. Prescott and Gibbs give them a scoring ceiling few teams can match. Massive showdown with the Animals coming.

7. Animals (8–5)

They’ve stumbled the last few weeks, but still control their North title destiny. Lamar must get back on track — the offense is too inconsistent right now.

8. Juggernauts (7–6)

Tough loss, but still holding the inside track on the final playoff spot. Mac Jones is erratic, but the roster has just enough juice to hang on.

9. Killers (7–6)

Hanging on by a thread and fighting hard. The QB issues limit their ceiling, but this team finds ways to scrap. Must win + Juggs loss gets them in.

10. Killer Bees (6–7)

Still alive — barely. They need help, but the talent is there to score 35+ any given week. Caleb Williams at least gives them hope.

11. Dominators (6–7)

Adams is the leading WR with 84, 
30 more points than the next WR!

Somehow respectable despite literally never scoring with their QB. Defense has carried them, but the playoff door is effectively shut.

12. Legion (6–7)

Too inconsistent. The offense can look explosive or comatose. Now needing a miracle to get into the dance.

13. Lunatics (3–10)

Lots of effort, lots of close losses, lots of field goals from Butker. Unfortunately, not much else.

14. Dragons (5–8)

Falling apart at the wrong time. Three points last week? Absolutely brutal.

15. Wrecking Crew (3–10)

A rare bright spot with their best scoring output of the year a week ago — but too little, too late. A proud franchise limping toward the finish line.

16. Cocktails (2–11)

Two months ago, they were talking “second-half run.” Now they’re looking at the draft board. Injuries wrecked any hope they had.