The Red Hornets beat the Lanniesters 169.8-127.0 in Week 7, which is the kind of game where one team rode a historic fourth-quarter comeback and the other team started a defense that scored negative points.
Dan's Hornets came out firing with Bo Nix dropping an absurd 42.75 points—and if you watched that Broncos-Giants game, you know this wasn't some smooth, polished performance. Nix spent three quarters getting shut out 19-0 at home, looking like he'd never seen a football before, then suddenly remembered he plays for Sean Payton and orchestrated the most ridiculous comeback in NFL history. The Broncos scored 33 points in the fourth quarter alone after being shut out through three. Thirty-three points. In one quarter. After scoring zero in the previous three.
Chris Olave contributed 26.8 points in his first career two-touchdown game, catching passes from Spencer Rattler because apparently that's where we are as a society now.
"I was thinking about how I was going to answer questions if we got shut out," Nix admitted after the game. That's the quarterback Dan rode to 42.75 fantasy points.
DeVonta Smith added 35.3 points in a game where he literally called his own number at halftime. Smith told anyone who would listen that he saw something in the Vikings' defense and knew a deep ball would work. Sure enough, he caught a 79-yard bomb—the longest of his career—and finished with 183 yards. Chris Olave contributed 26.8 points in his first career two-touchdown game, catching passes from Spencer Rattler because apparently that's where we are as a society now.
D'Andre Swift chipped in 20.8, and Carson Wentz—yes, Carson Wentz—threw for 14.45 points in the superflex like it's still 2017 and he's still relevant.
Lannie's Lanniesters, meanwhile, put up a thoroughly mediocre 127.0 points in a league where teams are averaging 140.6. That's 13.6 points below average, which doesn't sound like much until you realize it's the difference between winning and losing by 43.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 29.1 points in a game where the Chiefs absolutely demolished the Raiders 31-0. Mahomes was perfect on the opening drive—6-for-6 for 88 yards and a touchdown to Rashee Rice. He finished 26-for-35 with 286 yards and three touchdowns, spreading the ball around like the MVP he claims to still be. In most weeks, that's more than enough.
This was not most weeks.
Jake Ferguson added 25.4 at tight end, and Trevor Lawrence contributed 20.6 in the superflex. These are all perfectly fine performances that deserved better than what they got.
The real problem for Lannie was that his running backs collectively forgot how to gain yards. Kyren Williams managed 8.5 points. David Montgomery put up 5.9. J.K. Dobbins contributed 9.0. When your three running backs combine for 23.4 points and your opponent's quarterback—who spent three quarters getting shut out—alone scores 42.75, the math isn't mathing.
And then there's the Washington defense, which scored -1.0 points. Negative one. Starting a defense that actively costs you points is the fantasy football equivalent of paying someone to punch you in the face.
"We scored 127 points," Lannie said, sounding like a man trying to convince himself that below-average is still respectable. "Mahomes threw three touchdowns. That should be enough."
Should be. Wasn't.
The loss drops Lannie to 2-1 on the season, which is still fine but also means the early dominance is over. The Hornets improve to whatever record they have now, and more importantly, they cut into the Lanniesters' all-time series lead. The head-to-head now sits at 15-16, with Lannie barely hanging onto the advantage in a rivalry that dates back to 2007.
Some weeks you score below average and still have a chance. Some weeks you score 13.6 points below the league average and lose by 43 because your opponent's quarterback spent three quarters looking like he'd never played football, then suddenly turned into 2013 Peyton Manning for fifteen minutes.
Welcome to Week 7, where Dan had the second-best scoring week in the league and Lannie learned that Patrick Mahomes throwing three touchdowns in a shutout isn't enough when Bo Nix decides to score 33 points in a single quarter.