The Picks Are In:
The Pick Results Are In:
Fibonacci Bonus Picks:
Teams that Won in Leg 2 and played in Leg 1: Ravens, Browns, Eagles, Football Team, Cardinals, Chiefs, and Buccaneers.
Stumbling, bumbling out of the gates, none of the Analysts scores more than 3 points in the opening stretch of Fibonacci Stakes VIII!
Tied at 3 points each, Big Tuna leads with 1 Correct Home Team Pick over The Strategist, Woody, B-Reezy, and Mo Money.
Tied at 0 points each, the rest of the field watches in astonishment!
The Analysts have submitted their papers and claimed their Home Teams. No Analysts has released or claimed a new Home Team for the next Crown Race.
The Claim Box for Fibonacci Stakes VIII is:
The Slate of Games for Fibonacci Stakes VIII includes thirteen head-to-head competitions, including five in Leg 5. In addition, eight Home Teams will enjoy a bye week during the Stakes. Picking teams going on or coming off a Bye limits the potential for Fibonacci *bonus* points.
Fibonacci *bonus* points can be earned from both Home Teams and un-Claimed Teams. Un-Claimed Teams with a chance at Fibonacci *bonus* points are Saints (Legs 1 and 2), Panthers (Legs 1 and 2), Lions (Legs 2 and 3), Colts (Legs 2 and 3), Saints (Legs 2 and 3), Giants (Legs 2 and 3), Raiders (Legs 3 and 4), Saints (Legs 3 and 4), Patriots (Legs 3 and 4), Raiders (Legs 4 and 5), and Jaguars (Legs 4 and 5). Un-Claimed Teams must be Picked in both listed Legs in order to earn Fibonacci *bonus* points in the second of the two Legs.
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 many featured games: five Thursday games (TNF, including Thanksgiving Day), four Sunday night (SNF), and five Monday nights (MNF). SNF flex scheduling begins this month, so the kickoff time may change for some Sunday games.
Remember: Every Analyst has a bias for his or her Home Team and may NOT pick their Claimed team to lose. Analysts do not have to pick his or her Home Team to win, but *bonus* trifecta points are won only if Analysts include the Home Team in a *base* or *lame* Trifecta. Analysts must Pick Three games from the official Slate of Games. See the Preakness Rules for more.
Email picks in private to The Bookie before each Leg (week) of the Race. Thursday games are due by 4pm EST on Thursdays. All Sunday and Monday Picks are due on Saturdays at 5pm EST. Both deadlines may be extended at the discretion of The Bookie. No Picks for games after kickoffs are accepted.
No revisions (Re-Picks) are possible after the Picks have been released to all Analysts by The Bookie.
The Test of the Computations down the homestretch proves to be a real head scratcher for most Analysts! Seven Analysts earn 0 points, including the three front runners. The winner of Fibonacci Stakes VII is…
Craft Brew! With one of only three *base* Trifectas in Leg 5, he sprints past the competition with 21 points in the homestretch. He Wins with 51 points total. The Strategist limps across the line with an 8-point *lame* Trifecta, giving her just enough (36 points) to secure Place.
Wise Orangutan stalls at 33 points and drops into a three-way tie with Big Tuna (33 points) and The Bookie (33 points), from out of last place with 21-point *base* Trifecta. On second tiebreaker, The Bookie (3 Correct Home Team Picks) and Wise Orangutan (3 Correct Home Team Picks) outrun Big Tuna (2 Correct Home Team Picks) in fifth place. The Bookie (5 Fibonacci bonuses) and Wise Orangutan (5 Fibonacci bonuses) then tie for Show as there is no clear edge for either on third tiebreaker.
Roxy Trot adds a 16-point *base* Trifecta in the final push to earn sixth place at 31 points. Woody and Sponge Mom finish at 30 points each, Woody falling to seventh place two head lengths (2 Correct Picks vs. 0 Correct Picks) ahead of Sponge Mom in eighth place. Atwork nets a 13-point *lame* Trifecta to finish in ninth place at 25 points.
The back of the field struggled to find a second Correct Pick (0 points) in the homestretch. Little Tuna (24 points) falls into tenth place, B-Reezy (19 points) to eleventh, KateTDid (16 points) to twelfth place, leaving Jimmy V (14 points) to close the gates at the finish line.
Atwork: Packers***/Seahawks**/Ravens** (21 points) Jimmy V: Seahawks**/Chiefs/Steelers (11 points) Craft Brew: Saints**/Packers**/Chiefs** (21 points) B-Reezy: Bears***/Seahawks**/Chiefs** (21 points) Roxy Trot: Saints**/Chiefs**/Ravens (16 points) Sponge Mom: Packers**/Seahawks**/Steelers** (21 points) The Bookie: Bills***/Packers**/Ravens** (21 points) Big Tuna:Ravens***/Packers**/Steelers (16 points) Woody: Seahawks***/Packers**/Steelers** (21 points) The Strategist: Chiefs*/Packers**/Seahawks (11 points) Wise Orangutan: Spit BoxcSeahawks/Chiefs/Steelers (6 points) KateTDid: Titans***/Seahawks**/Chiefs (16 points) Little Tuna:Titans**/Steelers**/Chiefs (16 points) * Denotes home team **Denotes Fibonacci bonus ***Denotes Home Team and Fibonacci bonus
1. I am fixing to be Ass of the a Year!! 2. The Buccs are on a bye week, I think they have been on one for the last couple of weeks. 3. May your horse run strait. If not there's always the glue factory!!! 4. Can I pay to win the trophy? 5. This would be easier if i wasn't drinking!🍸
Atwork: Packers***/Seahawks**/Ravens** (13 points) Jimmy V:Seahawks**/Chiefs/Steelers(0 points) Craft Brew: Saints**/Packers**/Chiefs** (21 points) B-Reezy:Bears***/Seahawks**/Chiefs** (0 points) Roxy Trot: Saints**/Chiefs**/Ravens (16 points) Sponge Mom: Packers**/Seahawks**/Steelers**(0 points) The Bookie: Bills***/Packers**/Ravens** (21 points) Big Tuna: Ravens***/Packers**/Steelers(13 points) Woody:Seahawks***/Packers**/Steelers**(0 points) The Strategist: Chiefs*/Packers**/Seahawks(8 points) Wise Orangutan:Seahawks/Chiefs/Steelers(0 points) KateTDid:Titans***/Seahawks**/Chiefs (0 points) Little Tuna:Titans**/Steelers**/Chiefs (0 points) * Denotes home team **Denotes Fibonacci bonus ***Denotes Home Team and Fibonacci bonus
Headed into the home stretch, Wise Orangutan (33 points) has only a three-length lead over Craft Brew, Sponge Mom, and Woody (30 points each). The complete Standings are here.
Leg 5 may award up to 21 points (6 *base* plus 5 *bonus* per Fibonacci Pick). All Analysts are within 21 points of the leader after Leg 4, so technically all are within striking distance of the Win. But…Bye Weeks (Buccaneers) and Box Outs may diminish a few Analysts’ chances.
Scenarios are discussed by (Current Place) Analyst – Current Points (Leg 4 Picks) in the order of current standings. Aside from the current leader, we largely consider outcomes based on *base* Trifectas — the possible outcomes for *lame* Trifectas is too complicated for us to fathom! Also, we are not able to take into account if you are one of the Analysts in strong contention to Win (or to finish in last place!) in the Analyst of the Year, so would rather Pick with that Race in mind.
A unique set of Picks. If he goes for the same three teams, he will hold his lead if all three Win. If only two Win or if he changes even one team, he can be overtaken by Analysts with 28+ points. If he changes two teams, he can be overtaken by Analysts with 20+ points even if every team Wins. On the other hand, if he earns at least 3 points, Analysts with 14 or fewer points are eliminated from the Win. If he earns at least 8 points (*lame* Trifecta with one Fibonacci Pick), Analysts with 19 or fewer points are eliminated from the Win.
A unique set of Picks – Wise O. cannot Box Out due to the +5 Fibonacci bonuses she can earn. She needs Wise O. to change at least one Pick OR to earn no better than a *lame* Trifecta. If she strategically changes even one Pick, she will be counting on Sponge Mom, Craft Brew, and The Strategist to earn less than the 21-point Trifecta. If she ties with Wise O. at 46 points or fewer, she can Win on tiebreakers provided that she keeps the Seahawks for a third Correct Home Team Pick. She currently has tiebreakers over her closest competitors: Sponge Mom, Craft Brew, and The Strategist.
Boxed Out by Woody (same three Picks). Also, she must score more than 3 points to avoid a tie with Wise O. (to which she loses on tiebreakers). In order for Sponge Mom to Win, her best hope is to change one Pick, earn the 16-point *base* Trifecta, and then root for Wise O., Woody, Craft Brew, and The Strategist to finish with less than 46 points. If she earns partial points (*lame* Trifecta) and ties with Wise O., Woody, or The Strategist she will lose on second tiebreaker. If she ties Craft Brew, she needs to hold her tiebreaker advantage. If she ties Little Tuna, she currently prevails on first tiebreaker. Other tiebreakers with Analysts at 20 or fewer points are not considered. Lastly, she can also trail Woody with the same three Picks with the expectation to Place ($).
A unique set of Picks from those ahead of him (only Packers in common). He must score more than 3 points to avoid a tie with Wise O. If he sticks with the same three Picks and all Win, he will be counting on (Wise O.’s) Browns or Bills and (Woody’s) Seahawks or Steelers (forbid the thought!) to lose – or that those ahead of him change at least one Pick. If he changes one Pick, he may lose his advantage over The Strategist. If he changes two Picks (11-point Trifecta), he could expose himself to Big Tuna in a tie at 41 points.
A unique set of Picks. But she shares in common the Browns & Packers with Wise O. and the Packers & Steelers with with Woody and Sponge Mom. If she keeps the same three Picks, she is threading a needle to Win: the Bills must lose (Wise O.), the Seahawks must lose (Woody and Sponge Mom), and the Saints or Chiefs must lose (Craft Brew). She can change one Pick (for a 16-point Trifecta) and overtake the Analysts ahead of her if Wise O. busts and none of the other Analysts earn better than a *lame* Trifecta worth 13 points or fewer.
A unique set of Picks, but due to the Buccaneers Pick she can only earn 16 points (for 40 total). Also she likely cannot take the Seahawks or Packers since it gives Woody and/or Sponge Mom the Box Out (either will earn at least 13 point *lame* Trifectas if they keep the same teams). Titans gives her an advantage over Wise O. and The Strategist if either keeps the Browns (Browns @ Titans in Leg 5). So, she needs a wildcard to replace the Bucs and hope that no other Analysts scores more than 39 points because her tiebreaker portfolio is not strong: she loses on first tiebreaker to Sponge Mom and The Strategist, and has only 1 Correct Home Team Pick.
A unique set of Picks, but partially Boxed Out by Craft Brew. If both Packers and Saints Win, Craft Brew reaches 43 points – more than the 41 Big Tuna can earn with the same three Picks. If he changes one Pick, his maximum total will be 36 points. In that case, he could change the Packers or Saints to a team that avoids a Box Out by the Analysts ahead of him (assuming all do not change Picks!). Also, none of the Analysts above can earn more than 35 points to avoid a decision on tiebreakers (his tiebreaker portfolio is a mixed bag…).
A unique set of Picks. He can reach 40 points with the same three Picks but needs nearly all Analysts above to finish at 39 points or fewer (busted Trifectas) due to a weak tiebreaker portfolio. Changing even one Pick limits his possible total to 35 points.
A unique set of Picks, but due to the Buccaneers Pick she can only earn 16 points for 32 total — one less than Wise O. currently has. She can still Place provided that she change the Bucs to a team not currently Picked by Woody, Sponge Mom and B-Reezy (due to Seahawks in common) or by Little Tuna (due to Titans in common).
Boxed Out by Craft Brew (same three Picks). She can Place with the same three Picks if everyone ahead of her falters and Craft Brew Wins. If she changes even one Pick, the best she can do is Place at 31 points behind Wise O.
A unique set of Picks. The same three Picks can Win if every Analyst above him (except B-Reezy) fails to earn a *lame* Trifecta with their same three Picks. B-Reezy shares Saints and Seahawks in common, so Bears must lose (forbid the thought!) if Jimmy V is to overtake B-Reezy.
Boxed Out for Win or Place by Woody and Sponge Mom (Seahawks and Packers in common). Changing even one Pick will limit his total to 28 points (currently fifth place).
Boxed Out for Win by Wise O. (Bills and Packers) and for Place by Big Tuna (Packers and Ravens). Changing even one Pick will limit her total to 28 points (currently fifth place).
Coming out of the near turn, we have some outstanding nerds driving their steeds hard in the The Test of the Computations!
Despite earning the *base* Trifecta, a couple of cautious Picks nets Wise Orangutan only 9 points, bringing his total to 33 points.
His lead narrows to 3 points, over three Analysts charging from behind with 15-point *base* Trifectas each: Craft Brew, Sponge Mom, and Woody. At 30 points each, Woody holds second place by two head lengths (2 Correct Picks vs. 0 Correct Picks), while Sponge Mom (7 Fibonacci Picks) in third place noses out Craft Brew (6 Fibonacci Picks) in fourth place.
The Strategist (28 points) falls into fifth place after netting 9-point *base* Trifecta. With 9-point *lame* Trifectas, Little Tuna (24 points) drops into sixth place, while Big Tuna (20 points) moves up to seventh place. Rounding out the middle of the field, B-Reezy (19 points) bears down into eighth place and KateTDid (16 points) flutters up one spot into ninth place.
At the back of the pack, Roxy Trot (15 points) surges into tenth place just ahead of Jimmy V (14 points) in eleventh position. Atwork (12 points) in twelfth place edges ahead of The Bookie (12 points) by virtue of Correct Home Team Picks (3 vs. 2).
Atwork: Packers***/Seahawks**/Ravens** (6 *base* plus 9 Fibonacci = 15 points)
Jimmy V: Browns/Saints/Seahawks (6 *base* plus 0 Fibonacci = 6 points)
Craft Brew: Saints**/Packers**/Chiefs** (6 *base* plus 9 Fibonacci = 15 points)
B-Reezy: Bears*/Seahawks/Saints** (6 *base* plus 3 Fibonacci = 9 points)
Roxy Trot: Packers**/Chiefs**/Saints (6 *base* plus 6 Fibonacci = 12 points)
Sponge Mom: Packers**/Seahawks**/Steelers** (6 *base* plus 9 Fibonacci = 15 points)
The Bookie: Bills*/Packers**/Ravens** (6 *base* plus 6 Fibonacci = 12 points)
Big Tuna: Ravens***/Packers**/Saints** (6 *base* plus 9 Fibonacci = 15 points)
Woody: Seahawks***/Packers**/Steelers** (6 *base* plus 9 Fibonacci = 15 points)
The Strategist: Browns/Steelers**/Packers (6 *base* plus 3 Fibonacci = 9 points)
Wise Orangutan: Browns***/Bills/Packers (6 *base* plus 3 Fibonacci = 9 points)
KateTDid: Titans***/Buccaneers**/Seahawks** (6 *base* plus 9 Fibonacci = 15 points)
Little Tuna: Buccaneers***/Titans**/Steelers** (6 *base* plus 9 Fibonacci = 15 points)
* Denotes home team
**Denotes Fibonacci bonus
***Denotes Home Team and Fibonacci bonus
1. Hope the Steeler game still gets played on Tuesday! 2. I had to drop the Steelers...for the Bills!??! 3. Like Wise 4. Good luck 5. Hmmm....my spidey sense is telling me to stay away from the Chiefs-Bucs game
Atwork: Packers***/Seahawks**/Ravens** (3 *lame* plus 6 Fibonacci = 9 points)
Jimmy V: Browns/Saints/Seahawks (6 *base* plus 0 Fibonacci = 6 points)
Craft Brew: Saints**/Packers**/Chiefs** (6 *base* plus 9 Fibonacci = 15 points)
B-Reezy: Bears*/Seahawks/Saints** (3 *lame* plus 3 Fibonacci = 6 points)
Roxy Trot: Packers**/Chiefs**/Saints (6 *base* plus 6 Fibonacci = 12 points)
Sponge Mom: Packers**/Seahawks**/Steelers** (6 *base* plus 9 Fibonacci = 15 points)
The Bookie: Bills*/Packers**/Ravens** (3 *lame* plus 3 Fibonacci = 6 points)
Big Tuna: Ravens***/Packers**/Saints** (3 *lame* plus 6 Fibonacci = 9 points)
Woody: Seahawks***/Packers**/Steelers** (6 *base* plus 9 Fibonacci = 15 points)
The Strategist: Browns/Steelers**/Packers (6 *base* plus 3 Fibonacci = 9 points)
Wise Orangutan: Browns***/Bills/Packers (6 *base* plus 3 Fibonacci = 9 points)
KateTDid: Titans***/Buccaneers**/Seahawks** (3 *lame* plus 6 Fibonacci = 9 points)
Little Tuna: Buccaneers***/Titans**/Steelers** (3 *lame* plus 6 Fibonacci = 9 points)
* Denotes home team
**Denotes Fibonacci bonus
***Denotes Home Team and Fibonacci bonus
Headed into the far turn, Wise Orangutan (24 points) is five lengths ahead of second place The Strategist (19 points). Third place is currently shared by four Analysts at 15 points each. The complete Standings are here.
Leg 4 may award up to 15 points (6 *base* plus 3 *bonus* per Fibonacci Pick). Leg 5 may award up to 21 points (6 *base* plus 5 *bonus* per Fibonacci Pick). To remain in contention in Leg 5, Analysts must be within 21 points of the leader after Leg 4. Currently, Wise O. has a 21 point lead on two Analysts, so they must keep pace or outperform Wise O. in Leg 4.
Wise O. cannot Win this week. The Strategist is too close to be eliminated. He can eliminate other Analysts,however, so we will consider the possible point situation. He has a unique set of Picks from Leg 3 (Browns, Steelers, Seahawks) so no Analyst is Boxed Out unless Picks are changed (his or others).
With a 15-point Trifecta (*base* Trifecta with 3 Fibonacci), Wise O. could reach 39 points. The minimum to remain in contention will then be 18 points after Leg 4. Analysts in third place would then need 3 or more points (*lame* Trifecta or better), while the Analysts at the rear will need 15-point Trifectas, to remain in contention.
With a 12-point Trifecta (*base* Trifecta with 2 Fibonacci), Wise O. could reach 36 points. The minimum to remain in contention will then be 15 points after Leg 4. All Analysts in third place would remain in contention regardless of points earned in Leg 4. Analysts currently below 15 points, will have to make up the difference with a combination of Trifectas and Fibonacci bonuses.
With a 9-point Trifecta (*base* Trifecta with 1 Fibonacci or *lame* Trifecta with 2 Fibonacci), Wise O. could reach 33 points. The minimum to remain in contention will then be 12 points after Leg 4. Those Analysts currently at 11 points or fewer, will then need at least a *lame* Trifecta with 1 or 2 Fibonacci bonuses.
If Wise O. scores less than 9 points, he may give up the lead to another Analyst who reaches 30 to 31 points. Thus, Analysts should aim to reach 9 to 10 points at a minimum to remain in contention for the Win (or Place) in Leg 5.
Wise O. (7 Trifectas) has had three straight Trifectas and will be going for a fourth this week.
If he gets the fourth straight Trifecta, Roxy Trot (1 Trifecta) will be eliminated (6 Trifectas behind with only five weeks to go). Also, KateTDid and Sponge Mom (2 Trifectas) must also earn Trifectas to remain in content for the Win (to be 5 Trifectas behind with 5 weeks to go).
If he does not get a Trifecta, Roxy Trot must earn a Trifecta to remain in contention for the Win (to be 5 Trifectas behind with 5 weeks to go).