The Entrants
The Bookie and Wise Orangutan have decided to release their original Home Teams before the 2015-16 Fibonacci Stakes. With the new additions, Jets and Panthers, the entrants are:
Slate of Games
The slate of games for the Fibonacci Stakes II includes five head-to-head contests this month (again, the first tiebreaker). The feature contest is the clash of Big and Little Tuna’s currently undefeated Home Teams in Leg 4 of the race. In Leg 1, The Bookie’s new steed, Panthers, host Minds Blank’s Packers for the position in the NFC playoff race. Lastly, beginning in Leg 2, B-Reezy’s Bears challenge The Strategist’s Rams, Big Tuna’s Broncos, and Minds Blank’s Packers in successive weeks.
B-Reezy has long odds to win the Stakes but the string of games in the mid-week of the season could break other Analysts’ hopes.
Home teams owned by an Analyst are in bold. The team at the left is the visiting team; the team at the right is the host (playing at home). There are several featured games (now subject to broadcast flexing): four Thursday night games including two on Thanksgiving, one Sunday night game, and two Monday night games. The Seahawks are on a bye in Leg 1, the final Bye of the season for the Analysts’ Home Teams.
The Bills in Leg 3 are the only un-owned opponent that appears two weeks in a row. The Bills may be taken for the Fibonacci bonus if picked in both Leg 2 and Leg 3.
Analysts have at least 6 games to select from each week and 8 games in the final week of the Fibonacci Stakes, likely insuring that the race will be wide open through the final stretch!
Picks
Remember: Every Analyst has a bias for his or her Home Team and may not pick the sponsored team to lose. Analysts do not have to pick his or her Home Team to win, but the second tiebreaker remains the number of correct Home Team selections. See the Fibonacci Stakes rules for more.
Email three picks to The Bookie before each leg (week) of the Race. The first picks are due on Saturday, November 7.
Resources
Check the current playoff standing of Home Teams.
Check the ELO predictive model win strength of Home Teams.
Note on Strategy
Week 1 of the Fibonacci Stakes may look unimportant, but which teams Analysts pick in week 1 determines directly how many points Analysts may earn in Week 2. The number of points possible in the first two weeks (max = 5) is based on the number of the same teams taken in both weeks. Then, those choices in week 2 may influence week 3 and so on — so do not be fooled by the first week’s point value!
Of course, Analysts may pick any three teams each week and there is NO additional benefit for holding a team three weeks in a row. Since the base value of a trifecta goes up each week, *bonus* points are more valuable in the early weeks than in the final weeks.
Since 8 to 14 points are possible in the final two weeks, no Analyst will be eliminated before the fourth week. Analysts who earn any points in weeks 2, 3, or 4 will most likely be in a position to win in the final week.
Analysts will be looking behind to their prior week’s picks to maximize *bonus* points and may want to look ahead to the next’s week’s games to see which teams are likely to win two weeks in a row or the next week.
The schedule for the month will also matter as Bye weeks and head-to-head competition will interrupt consecutive picks and win streaks.
