Vol. 1, No. 5
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Week 6 Recap, Weeks 4 and 5 in Brief
The Gazette Returns From Injured Reserve
Two missed issues, one explanation, and a Week 6 in which five backup quarterbacks outscored their starters and the commissioner won with his stars on the bench.
By Chet Grindstone, Senior Draft Correspondent, The Thunderdome Gazette
Readers will have noticed that the Gazette did not publish after Week 4 or Week 5. The paper owes the league an explanation, and it is this. On the Monday after Week 3, the Gazette's newsroom was listed as Out with a hamstring. League rules do not allow Out designations on injured reserve, so the paper could not be stashed. It stayed in the active lineup and scored 0.0 for two straight weeks, a tradition this league already understands, most recently from Trogdor's flex slot. The newsroom has since been upgraded to Questionable, which in the Thunderdome is the same as healthy.
The hiatus had one measurable benefit. The Gazette's lineup advice department, which entered the break at 1 for 6, published nothing for two weeks and therefore went undefeated. It has never been better. The paper also notes, without drawing conclusions, that its absence coincided precisely with the two worst weeks of the commissioner's season.
The league did not wait. In three weeks, ChalupaBatman went from 0-3 to 3-3. The Cobras lost a game. tjflaig won one. The Decepticons posted the lowest score in league history and then, two weeks later, the highest score of Week 6 with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Saquon Barkley, and Jeremiyah Love combining for 0.0. And the backup quarterback caucus, founded in this paper in Week 2, held its strongest meeting yet.
The Missing Weeks / In Brief
What happened while the paper was on the bench.
| Wk | Winner | Pts | Loser | Pts | Margin |
|---|
| 4 | Trogdor the Burninator | 136.66 | tjflaig | 113.50 | 23.16 |
| 4 | Cobras | 112.24 | NW HJ Monsters | 94.80 | 17.44 |
| 4 | The Snoqualmie Mint | 105.62 | Punt Intended | 86.92 | 18.70 |
| 4 | Daraiders | 97.48 | Decepticons | 53.72 | 43.76 |
| 4 | ChalupaBatman | 92.26 | Ed's Broken Tractor | 88.78 | 3.48 |
| 5 | The Snoqualmie Mint | 140.38 | Decepticons | 83.80 | 56.58 |
| 5 | ChalupaBatman | 120.86 | Daraiders | 111.04 | 9.82 |
| 5 | Trogdor the Burninator | 120.72 | Punt Intended | 115.60 | 5.12 |
| 5 | Ed's Broken Tractor | 117.88 | Cobras | 78.44 | 39.44 |
| 5 | NW HJ Monsters | 116.26 | tjflaig | 90.74 | 25.52 |
Week 4: The Floor Gives Way
The Decepticons scored 53.72, the lowest total in Thunderdome history, breaking ChalupaBatman's Week 1 mark of 58.22. Emanuel Wilson scored 24.0 on the Decepticons' bench. Trogdor posted the week's high, 136.66, behind Tetairoa McMillan's 31.2, one week after winning with two empty slots. Daraiders benched Jared Goff, who scored 20.5, for Trevor Lawrence, who scored 13.1, completing a third straight wrong quarterback call. Kyle Monangai, the injury-report pick from round 8, scored 27.0 for Ed's Broken Tractor, on the bench.
Week 5: The Cobras Lose
The undefeated Cobras started Tyler Shough, who scored negative 0.2, with Jalen Hurts at 13.0 on the bench, and lost to the Tractor by 39.44. Hurts has since gone to injured reserve. Drake Maye scored 39.5, the second best individual total of the season behind only Josh Allen's 40.8 in Week 2. The Mint beat the Decepticons by 56.58, the largest margin of the season.
The Scoreboard / Week 6
| Winner | Pts | Loser | Pts | Margin |
|---|
| Decepticons | 109.92 | Trogdor the Burninator | 76.68 | 33.24 |
| ChalupaBatman | 109.60 | The Snoqualmie Mint | 93.36 | 16.24 |
| Cobras | 94.82 | Daraiders | 81.24 | 13.58 |
| NW HJ Monsters | 75.78 | Ed's Broken Tractor | 70.02 | 5.76 |
| tjflaig | 76.42 | Punt Intended | 75.70 | 0.72 |
The Grades / Week 6
In standings order. Grades measure Week 6 decisions only. Bye weeks are not decisions. Benching your best quarterback is.
Cobras
jonnie555, 5-1, 94.82 points
B-
Kenneth Walker scored 25.9 and D'Andre Swift 19.0, and the Cobras beat Daraiders by 13.58. With Jalen Hurts on injured reserve, the Cobras claimed Aaron Rodgers and started him. Rodgers scored 16.0. Tyler Shough scored 27.0 on the bench, the second best individual score of the week. The Cobras' only loss this season came in Week 5, when they started Shough at negative 0.2 over Hurts. In Week 6 they benched Shough and he scored 27.0. The team has now been wrong about Tyler Shough in both directions. Bijan Robinson scored 5.3. The best possible lineup was 112.00.
Best start: Kenneth Walker, 25.9. Third best score of the week.
Worst decision: Aaron Rodgers over Tyler Shough, 16.0 to 27.0. 17.18 points left on the bench in a 13.58 point win.
Record: 5-1. 676.50 points for. Power rank 1, unchanged. Still the best team. No longer the best managed.
The Snoqualmie Mint
CalViv6, 4-2, 93.36 points
C-
The Mint lost by 16.24 and left 18.64 points on the bench, which is the game. On Friday the Mint claimed C.J. Stroud to replace Jacoby Brissett, then started Brock Purdy. Purdy scored 17.4. Stroud scored 23.0 on the bench. Alvin Kamara scored 12.9 in reserve while Rhamondre Stevenson started and scored 3.6. Luther Burden added 9.5 on the bench. Bhayshul Tuten scored 20.7 and George Kittle 12.9, and the two tight end lineup that won Week 3 managed 19.9 combined. The best possible lineup was 112.00, which would have won by 2.40. The Mint still leads the league in points for. It just stopped using them.
Best start: Bhayshul Tuten, 20.7. The steadiest back on the roster.
Worst decision: Rhamondre Stevenson over Alvin Kamara, 3.6 to 12.9. The single swap worth 9.3 in a 16.24 point loss.
Record: 4-2. 702.18 points for, first in the league. Power rank 2, unchanged.
NW HJ Monsters
rsh3ll, 4-2, 75.78 points
C
A 5.76 point win over the Tractor with a quarterback decision this paper predicted three weeks ago, in reverse. In Weeks 1 and 2, the Monsters started Jayden Daniels and Patrick Mahomes outscored him from the bench. Daniels returned from his elbow injury, and in Week 6 the Monsters started Mahomes. Mahomes scored 10.5. Daniels scored 21.0 on the bench. The Monsters have now been wrong at quarterback starting either man. Jonathan Taylor scored 19.1 and Tyler Bass, claimed Sunday, scored 17.0. On Tuesday the Monsters released Bass. The Bass claim had already cost Emmett Johnson his roster spot, ending the Monsters' long relationship with the handcuff to a Kenneth Walker they never owned.
Best start: Jonathan Taylor, 19.1. The only skill player above 11.
Worst decision: Patrick Mahomes over Jayden Daniels, 10.5 to 21.0. Two quarterbacks, two directions, three wrong weeks.
Record: 4-2. 581.68 points for. Power rank 4, up one. Winning games with the fifth most points in the league.
Daraiders
darock77, 3-3, 81.24 points
B-
With Jared Goff on bye, Daraiders finally had only one quarterback to choose from, which guaranteed the right answer. Daraiders had chosen wrong in Weeks 2, 3, and 4. Trevor Lawrence scored 27.3, the best individual total of the week. The rest went less well. Tyler Higbee, claimed Saturday, started at tight end and scored 0.2 before being released Wednesday. Stefon Diggs scored 10.4 on the bench while Garrett Wilson scored 4.4. Brandon Aubrey scored 1.0. Daraiders also hold the league's collection of former Decepticons: Deebo Samuel for ten days, Colston Loveland for five, and Kaelon Black, still rostered.
Best start: Trevor Lawrence, 27.3. The best score of the week, from the only quarterback available.
Worst decision: Garrett Wilson over Stefon Diggs, 4.4 to 10.4. 5.96 points left in a 13.58 point loss. Not the difference, but noted.
Record: 3-3. 595.98 points for. Power rank 3, up one. A .500 team with the fourth most points.
Trogdor the Burninator
jacobposey40, 3-3, 76.68 points
C
Trogdor rosters three quarterbacks and started the middle one. Matthew Stafford scored 16.9. Bryce Young scored 19.8 on the bench. Caleb Williams scored 16.5 on the bench. RJ Harvey scored 11.6 in reserve while Kyren Williams started and scored 6.7, and Jalen Coker scored 9.7 on the bench while Rome Odunze scored 3.9. Juwan Johnson scored 0.0 at tight end. The lineup was full this time, which the Gazette acknowledges as progress. On Wednesday Trogdor released Coker to claim kicker Trey Smack. The paper told Trogdor to use Coker in Week 2. Trogdor has now officially declined.
Best start: Matthew Stafford, 16.9. The best starter on the roster, and the second best quarterback on it.
Worst decision: Matthew Stafford over Bryce Young, 16.9 to 19.8. Three quarterbacks is a lot of chances to pick the wrong one.
Record: 3-3. 575.78 points for. Power rank 6, up three. Won three straight from Week 3 through Week 5, including the one with seven players.
Ed's Broken Tractor
OldFordTractor, 3-3, 70.02 points
B
The lowest score of the week and the most forgivable one. Jahmyr Gibbs and Chase Brown were on bye, and Lamar Jackson and Justin Jefferson scored 0.0 under injury designations. The Tractor's bench scored 0.0 in total, which means the lineup was optimal. Better: after three straight wrong tight end calls to open the season, the Tractor solved the coin flip by playing both coins. Isaiah Likely scored 17.9 at tight end. Harold Fannin scored 0.9 in the flex. The tight end slot finally hit. The flex did not. It counts. Sam Darnold, added in Week 5, scored 11.0. The Tractor also handed the Cobras their only loss, in Week 5, by 39.44.
Best start: Isaiah Likely, 17.9. The first correct tight end start of the season.
Worst decision: None available. There was nobody on the bench who scored a point.
Record: 3-3. 551.18 points for. Power rank 8, down two. Holding the sixth seed by points for, again.
ChalupaBatman
FFBOYZ, 3-3, 109.60 points
A-
Three weeks ago, the Gazette's final power ranking advice to ChalupaBatman read: start Herbert, then ignore the Gazette and start Maye. ChalupaBatman ignored the Gazette. Drake Maye has since scored 26.2, 39.5, and 23.8, and ChalupaBatman is 3-0 in those weeks. Herbert was released in Week 5. Week 6 was a 16.24 point win over the Mint: Maye 23.8, Christian McCaffrey 21.7, Ka'imi Fairbairn 11.0, and Dameon Pierce, claimed last Thursday, 11.0. The lineup left 4.70 points, all of it Blake Corum's 12.0 behind George Pickens' 7.3. De'Von Achane was released after his season-ending injury, which is the only roster move this paper will not grade.
Best start: Drake Maye, 23.8. Three straight weeks above 23.
Worst decision: George Pickens over Blake Corum, 7.3 to 12.0. A 4.70 point rounding error in a 16.24 point win.
Record: 3-3. 524.82 points for. Power rank 7, up three. Out of the playoff spot on points, and closing.
Punt Intended
stevets, 2-4, 75.70 points
D+
Punt Intended lost by 0.72. Jordan Love scored 20.2 on the bench. Josh Allen scored 18.3 as the starter. The difference, 1.9, would have won the game. So would Carnell Tate, who scored 13.0 on the bench while TreVeyon Henderson started and scored 2.0, and while Derrick Henry started and scored 4.0. The best possible lineup was 87.70. Starting Allen is defensible every week. Henderson, started on this paper's advice in Week 3, has now scored 2.9 and 2.0 in the two starts the Gazette has reviewed. On Sunday morning Punt Intended released Rico Dowdle for the Tampa Bay defense, which closes the Dowdle file. Brenton Strange scored 4.4 on the bench. He remains revived.
Best start: Josh Allen, 18.3. Outscored by his own backup, which is both the joke and the problem.
Worst decision: TreVeyon Henderson over Carnell Tate, 2.0 to 13.0. In a game lost by 0.72.
Record: 2-4. 625.56 points for, third in the league. Power rank 5, down two. Three straight losses with the third most points scored. The schedule and the lineup are working together.
Decepticons
Megatron1414, 2-4, 109.92 points
A-
The commissioner's best score of the season came the week Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Saquon Barkley, and Jeremiyah Love combined for 0.0, between the Cincinnati bye and two injury designations. The replacement lineup scored 109.92: Kirk Cousins 18.5, Germie Bernard 14.7, DeVonta Smith back at 13.5, the Kansas City defense 15.0, and Colston Loveland 12.5. Loveland was released on October 7, spent five days on Daraiders, and was re-claimed by the Decepticons on Saturday. The lineup was optimal. The win was by 33.24. Then on Wednesday the Decepticons released Cousins, the quarterback who produced this, for Omar Cooper Jr. Week 4's 53.72 remains a league record. So, now, does the tight end count: six different tight ends rostered since September 23.
Best start: Kirk Cousins, 18.5. Claimed on a Wednesday, started that Sunday, released the next Wednesday.
Worst decision: None in Week 6. The bench scored 1.1. The Gazette checked whether this was legal.
Record: 2-4. 496.76 points for, last in the league. Power rank 10, down two. The high score of the week, from the team with the fewest points this season.
tjflaig
tjflaig, 1-5, 76.42 points
C+
The first win of the season, by 0.72. James Cook scored 21.3 and Chuba Hubbard 18.1, and that was enough because Punt Intended left 12.00 points on its own bench. tjflaig's lineup had a hole of its own: Cam Skattebo started at running back and scored 0.0 while DK Metcalf scored 9.3 on the bench. The kicker was Eddy Pineiro, who scored 5.0 and arrived last week from the Decepticons' waiver discards. tjflaig has now rostered six kickers this season: Dicker, McLaughlin, Butker, McPherson, Nick Folk, and Pineiro. Folk was claimed and released on the same day. Josh Jacobs scored 0.0. The pick remains. It is now the league's longest running bit.
Best start: James Cook, 21.3. The steadiest player on the roster since August.
Worst decision: Cam Skattebo over DK Metcalf, 0.0 to 9.3. Won anyway. That is new for this team.
Record: 1-5. 568.26 points for, more than three teams with better records. Power rank 9, down two. The schedule finally blinked.
Superlatives / The Hardware
The Caucus Goes Five for Five
Shough 27.0 over Rodgers 16.0. Stroud 23.0 over Purdy 17.4. Daniels 21.0 over Mahomes 10.5. Love 20.2 over Allen 18.3. Young 19.8 over Stafford 16.9. Every team that rostered an active backup quarterback in Week 6 started the one who scored less. Bench quarterbacks combined for 127.5 points, more than any team in the league scored. The caucus is now the most reliable unit in the Thunderdome. Nobody starts it.
The B-Team Award
Decepticons, 109.92, the high score of the week, with Burrow, Chase, Barkley, and Love combining for 0.0. The starting lineup included a quarterback claimed the previous Wednesday, a receiver named Germie Bernard, and a tight end re-signed on Saturday. The commissioner's office has asked that no conclusions be drawn about the A-team.
The Ignore the Gazette Award
ChalupaBatman, who followed the instruction to ignore the Gazette and start Drake Maye. Since then: 26.2, 39.5, 23.8, and a record of 3-0. The advice department has asked that this be counted as a correct call. The Gazette's editors have ruled that it counts as a correct call about the advice department.
The Kicker Exchange Program
Harrison Butker: released by tjflaig on October 1, claimed by the Decepticons on October 14, scored 12.0 in Week 6. Eddy Pineiro: released by the Decepticons on October 11, claimed by tjflaig on October 14, scored 5.0 in Week 6. The two teams have traded kickers through the waiver wire without ever speaking. The Decepticons won the exchange by 7.0 points. Kickers rostered this season: tjflaig six, Decepticons five.
The Tight End Odyssey
Colston Loveland: drafted by the Decepticons, released October 7, claimed by Daraiders October 10, released October 15, re-claimed by the Decepticons October 17, scored 12.5 on October 18. He has returned to the team that drafted him, which is more than can be said for Kyle Pitts, Terrance Ferguson, Kenyon Sadiq, Mike Gesicki, or Pat Freiermuth, all of whom passed through the same roster on the way.
The 0.72 Point Game
tjflaig 76.42, Punt Intended 75.70. Jordan Love scored 20.2 on Punt's bench and Carnell Tate scored 13.0. Either one decides it. tjflaig's first win of the season was delivered by the opponent's backup quarterback, who did not play.
Bits: Retired This Week
Emmett Johnson, the handcuff to a running back on another team, released by the Monsters on Sunday. The mitten has been removed. Jalen Coker, whom this paper urged Trogdor to use, released for a kicker. Rico Dowdle, released by Punt Intended. Remaining in service: the pick (Jacobs, 0.0), the caucus, and Brenton Strange.
Standings / After Week 6
Record, then points for. Top six make the playoffs.
| # | Team | Manager | W-L | PF |
|---|
| 1 | Cobras | jonnie555 | 5-1 | 676.50 |
| 2 | The Snoqualmie Mint | CalViv6 | 4-2 | 702.18 |
| 3 | NW HJ Monsters | rsh3ll | 4-2 | 581.68 |
| 4 | Daraiders | darock77 | 3-3 | 595.98 |
| 5 | Trogdor the Burninator | jacobposey40 | 3-3 | 575.78 |
| 6 | Ed's Broken Tractor | OldFordTractor | 3-3 | 551.18 |
| 7 | ChalupaBatman | FFBOYZ | 3-3 | 524.82 |
| 8 | Punt Intended | stevets | 2-4 | 625.56 |
| 9 | Decepticons | Megatron1414 | 2-4 | 496.76 |
| 10 | tjflaig | tjflaig | 1-5 | 568.26 |
Four teams are 3-3. ChalupaBatman, three weeks ago 0-3, sits 26.36 points behind the Tractor for the last playoff spot.
Power Rankings / Week 6
Movement is against the last published rankings, after Week 3. The paper regrets the gap. The rankings do not.
1Cobrasunchanged5-1 and still the class of the league, but the perfect lineups are over. Hurts is on injured reserve and the quarterback room is now Shough and Rodgers. Start the one the Cobras are about to bench.
2The Snoqualmie MintunchangedThe most points in the league, 702.18, and a Week 6 loss built entirely from the bench. Stroud or Purdy is now a weekly question. The Week 11 bye remains on the calendar.
3Daraidersup 1Fourth in points, 3-3, and the quarterback problem solved itself when Goff went on bye. Goff returns this week. The problem returns with him.
4NW HJ Monstersup 14-2 with the fifth most points. Taylor is the engine. Daniels is healthy and on the bench, which is the one place on this roster he cannot help.
5Punt Intendeddown 2Third in points and 2-4. The roster is a playoff roster. The lineup is not. Start Tate. Start anyone but Henderson.
6Trogdor the Burninatorup 3Three wins in a row from Week 3 through Week 5, a full lineup in Week 6, and three quarterbacks. Pick the right one and this is a top four team.
7ChalupaBatmanup 3The hottest team in the league. Maye has been the best quarterback in the Thunderdome for three weeks. The Gazette will not advise further. It has learned.
8Ed's Broken Tractordown 2A bye week gutted the lineup and the Tractor played it perfectly anyway. Gibbs and Lamar come back. So does the tight end question, unless both keep starting.
9tjflaigdown 21-5 with more points than three teams above it. Cook and Hubbard are real. The kicker of the week is Pineiro. The pick is still Jacobs.
10Decepticonsdown 2The high score of Week 6 and the lowest points total of the season. Burrow and Chase are back. The question is whether the team that scored 109.92 without them can score more with them.
Parting Shot
The Gazette spent two weeks scoring 0.0 in an active lineup slot, and the league did not notice the difference, which is the most Thunderdome sentence this paper has ever printed. In its absence, the worst team became the hottest, the best team learned to lose, and the commissioner set the league's record for fewest points before setting the week's high with his starters on the bench. Through all of it, one thing held: somewhere on a Thunderdome bench, a backup quarterback outscored the starter, and nobody played him.
The Gazette has been activated from injured reserve and will reconvene next week, hamstring permitting.