You didn’t ask for this but here it comes anyway.

Below is a vibe check for every team in our league as during the first weekend of the Fantasy playoffs.

Blake

 Vibe Check: Cautious Confidence. Feels good to have entered the playoffs at #2, controlling his destiny as the outright winner of a 4-team tiebreaker. But there’s no time to celebrate, with Veronicca shaping up to be his toughest matchup of the year.

 Playoff Strength: Player Matchups. In general, Blake’s roster faces advantageous position matchups that could translate to above-average performance.

 Playoff Weakness: Loyalty. As the Packers continue to show inconsistency week to week, will Blake be able to look past love to avoid loss?

Chelsea

 Vibe Check: Juuuust Missed It. After spending almost the entire second half of the season as divisional frontrunner, a tsunami of injuries at the last moment drowned Chelsea’s playoff fever dream.

 Playoff Strength: An Unhealthy NFL. With 528 injuries around the league, there are lots of young, unrostered players on the wires experiencing breakout seasons. Fresh legs are still available.

 Playoff Weakness: Injuries. With 5 of her 7 best players suffering injuries in the last three weeks, Chelsea needs a waiver rebuild and streaming luck to even have a chance at winning another game.

Jean

 Vibe Check: All I Do Is Win. For the second season in a row, Jean moonwalked into the postseason as the unrivaled #1 seed. Last season she ended just 24 points short of the trophy–could this season be the one?

 Playoff Strength: Consistency. Jean averaged 133 points/game this season, with only one week below the 100 point line. That level of consistency is an essential strength in our playoff 2-game matchup format.

 Playoff Weakness: Matchups. Zac is looking unbeatable these days, averaging 143+ ppg over the past 4 weeks. If Zac has a fifth 160+ weekend, Jean’s consistency might not be enough.

Joe

 Vibe Check: Can’t Catch a Break. Joe averaged 121 points/weekend this season, which is a respectable stat that puts him at the middle of the pack. The problem? Joe’s opponents averaged 133 points/weekend, the highest Points Against in the league by far. Everyone played their best against him. Teams typically scored 8 points above their average when playing Joe.

 Playoff Strength: Regression to the Mean. Statistics tells us that Joe’s opponents will come back to earth eventually. If Joe can keep up his consistent scoring ability, he could plod toward a consolation bracket win.

 Playoff Weakness: Injury Reactivity. Joe’s roster injuries are gametime decisions, which is difficult to manage. Injured players in the starting lineup could be enough to bring him down.

Josh

 Vibe Check: All Talk. Dozens of hours of comprehensive analysis and yet Josh is still in the consolation bracket. Weak sauce.

 Playoff Strength: Adaptability. Josh has steadily improved his team’s performance with near constant improvement week to week (not counting major injuries). If not for a brutal compound of injuries in W12, Josh would be in the playoffs. He has one of the stronger rosters in his bracket.

 Playoff Weakness: Adaptability. Four of Blake’s starters were sourced from trades with Josh, while only three of Josh’s starters were sourced from trades with Blake. There’s more to this story (Josh’s trades improved his overall position strength without sacrificing talent at the traded positions), but methinks the lady doth tinker a little too much.

Kayla

 Vibe Check: I Get Knocked Down And [Can’t] Get Up Again. Our reigning champion wins the award for Most Unlucky Team. The hits kept coming all season, and she could never really field a healthy roster with enough reliability to win.

 Playoff Strength: Healthy Starters At Last. As of this week, Kayla’s prognosis is looking better. Burdy, McCaffrey, Waddle, Goedert, and Gibbs, with more high-ceiling talent on the bench. She couldn’t keep it together in time for the playoffs, but a consolation bracket win is very possible.

 Playoff Weakness: Matchups. Position matchups for the rest of the season are going to be tough. Kayla’s playoff finish will depend on the ability of her best receivers to escape talented shadows.

Veronicca

 Vibe Check: Together Forever. It’s all hearts and roses between Veronicca and her beau, as they walk hand-and-hand into their respective playoffs with strong prospects for a championship.

 Playoff Strength: Dominating Depth. Veronicca has many options to choose from at the skill positions. Week after week, this has given her wiggle room to take chances on key players. Barring injuries, this will continue to work in her favor.

 Playoff Weakness: The Terrifying Randomness of Fate. To live is to lose a slow battle against entropy; the scythe of misfortune often swings without warning. The NFL has averaged 1 injury for every 21 minutes of gameplay–this stat could come for Veronicca next.

Zac

 Vibe Check: Play to the Whistle. With a 143 point/weekend average last month, Zac broke into the playoff race and is primed for a championship run. The MNF Miami loss last week worked in his favor, pushing his stars into more desperate situations.

 Playoff Strength: Cathedral Ceilings. Zac’s weekly points ceiling is higher than any other team in our league. He could legitimately score 200 points in a weekend. One huge game could be enough for a playoff round victory.

 Playoff Weakness: Stamina. Zac’s chance rests on his explosive stars, and his explosive stars are seeing more and more of the injury report as the season grinds on. If they can manage stay healthy, Zac has a shot.