Devine, Shaheen meet with stark contrasting playoff histories

CANTON, OHIO — One is dealing with a case of déjà vu. The other is back where he belongs. Sixth-seeded David Devine and No. 3-seed Ryan Shaheen are set to meet in this weekend’s opening round of the 2018 Tiger Township Fantasy Football League Playoffs, and they do so with some glaring differences in their past. Shaheen (9-4) enters the contest after narrowly missing a first-round bye for the second consecutive season, and he’s forced to quickly regroup before entering the win-or-go-home nature of the postseason. The lone Founding Father in this year’s playoff field, Shaheen says last week’s regular-season finale loss to Team Rax, a matchup in which he scored just 114 points, didn’t provide the feeling of disenchant like the one he endured in 2017. But the man is only human - there's no telling how much he really is thinking about being able to grab just one more elusive victory to earn the right to watch Round 1 in comfort. “We knew we’d have to go through some tough teams, and we’re just adding an extra one to our schedule,” Shaheen said. “Last year when we dudded in Week 13, I knew my team was fake. I’m more confident in this year’s team; we have more players.” Speaking of confidence, Devine’s qualification into the playoffs officially closes the book on his one-year tournament hiatus, and he also feels good about his club. Certainly, one would be hard-pressed to find a league member that would say he missed Devine being in the title race, but there's little chance that will keep Devine up at night. The Young Bulls (7-6) have proven time and time again that they relish in this time of year. Devine largely does so with a razor-shape frame of mind. “I think all six teams have a pretty good chance at (a title),” Devine said. “I’m one of the six teams, and I think I have a legitimate chance. … If you just have a chance, then anything can happen. I know that as well as anyone.” The two franchises met in Week 9, a 173.6-153.1 victory for Shaheen. In the affair, the Muenstars received 40 points from quarterback Drew Brees and a combined 61.2 out of his two running backs. That, however, doesn’t matter a whole lot now, especially given Shaheen’s recent woes in the postseason. He hasn’t won a playoff game since 2013, the year he fell to eventual champion Joe Mitchin in the semifinals. Mitchin won the contest, 147-134, and was aided by 24 spurning points from kicker Dan Bailey. Devine, meanwhile, hasn’t lost a first-round matchup since 2013 (not counting 2017, in which he failed to qualify). No wonder he had some brow-raising comments toward his opponent heading into the matchup. “If I had to pick one, it’d be him," Devine said of Shaheen. "I think I lucked out with my draw.” Still, Shaheen likes the make-up of his group. Brees has dazzled all season, as has wide receiver Adam Thielen. The key will be to get offensive player Mitch Trubisky back in the lineup for the this week’s challenging matchup. The Mentor native hasn’t suited up in the last two weeks, forcing Shaheen to stick backup Chase Daniels into duty. “The dude has been playing out of his mind fantasy-wise,” Shaheen said of Trubisky. “Chase Daniels is just not the same. So, Trubisky better be stepping on the field, or we may not have any chance.” For Devine, there’s no denying there have been some obstacles in his campaign as well. The season-ending loss to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was perhaps his biggest hurdle, and it left the 2014 champion in a world of hurt. “I thought the season was over at that point,” Devine admitted. Since then, though, Devine has used the services of offensive player Baker Mayfield and wide receiver Julian Edelman, who both came over from a trade with C.J. Julian. Both have provided a welcomed spark. So, how will this one go? Several questions will need to be answered to figure that out, like how will running back Aaron Jones fare following the recent firing of Packers coach Mike McCarthy? Another - will Shaheen be able to block some big points from Devine’s quarterback Kirk Cousins with the help of Thielen? Can Brees carve up the Tampa Bay defense? Will Trubisky see the field? Can Devine’s wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins be able to duplicate his 10-catch, 169-yard performance he had against Indianapolis earlier in the year? And what about Devine’s most prized weapon, running back Alvin Kamara? “He’s one of those guys that can kill you single-handedly,” Shaheen said. All of those factors will be important to see if Shaheen can get back to his winning playoff ways, or if Devine jumpstarts another potential run.