Bordes Patrol: Michael locks down the crown with Love and Doubs

Week 4 — Fancy Football IX

The crown stays in the family… of value plays

Congratulations to Michael Bordes, your Week 4 king, posting a season-best 210.4 to edge out Jake Chrystal by 1.8 in a nail-biter. Michael built a perfect blend of chalk and leverage: he rode a surging Jordan Love (30.3) and the slate-busting combo of Omarion Hampton (30.5) and James Cook III (25.5), but the separators were his low-rostered darts — Ashton Jeanty (37.5) and especially Romeo Doubs (29.8) at just three total drafters. Add steady hits from Deebo Samuel Sr. (20.1) and Rome Odunze (16.9), and even a modest Broncos D/ST was enough to seal the crown.

So close: Jake’s Stafford stack almost steals it

Jake Chrystal’s 208.6 would win many weeks. He squeezed value everywhere: a massive Matthew Stafford (30.4) to Puka Nacua (39.0) connection, bargain hero Tommy Tremble (15.2) at TE, plus strong lines from Drake London (28.0), Josh Jacobs (31.7), and Emeka Egbuka (23.1). It turned into a two-horse sprint down the stretch, but Michael’s contrarian pieces held.

Chalk hits, chalk whiffs

• The good: Heavy favorites delivered. Puka Nacua (39.0) and James Cook III (25.5) were nearly must-haves across the league, while popular rookie Omarion Hampton (30.5) stayed scorching.
• The edge: Michael won without Puka by pairing the chalk RB room with low-rostered ceiling plays: Ashton Jeanty and Romeo Doubs were the difference.
• The pain: A few popular names sputtered — A.J. Brown (2.7), Ladd McConkey (2.1), and Keenan Allen (8.7) dragged otherwise solid builds. On defense, the Packers D/ST (-3) and Panthers D/ST (-3) were landmines.

Sleeper signals

• Only three managers clicked Romeo Doubs (29.8) — he was the value of the week.
• Bo Nix (29.7) rewarded the few who went there; Evan Devoe rode him to 6th.
• At TE, penny-pinching worked: Tommy Tremble (15.2) and Dallas Goedert (19.7) both smashed their tags.

Standings watch

Jordan Rana keeps the season lead with a top-5 this week (W4), and Cameron Mahoney remains close behind (also W4). The big leap belongs to the new king: Michael Bordes rockets to 13th overall and claims the league’s top single-week score of 2025 so far at 210.4. Jake’s runner-up pushes him to 4th overall, while Eric Wilde’s podium moves him into 3rd.

Well played, everyone. On to Week 5 — will the chalk keep cooking, or will another Doubs-like dart crown the next king?