Lineup Blunders
LTF starts yet another inactive player
💨 LTF started Breece Hall at running back on Sunday, and Hall was inactive. 💨 LTF lost 82.0 to 110.6. It is the 16th inactive 💨 LTF has started since it joined the league in 2016, the most of any franchise.
This season’s two are Hall and 🎣 DTTW’s Terry McLaurin in week 4. Per game it is no closer at the top. 💨 LTF has started an inactive in 9.4 of every 100 games, 🕳️ TBH in 7.7, and nobody else reaches 6.5.
- Worst
- Bad
- Fine
- Great
| Franchise | Per 100 games |
|---|---|
| 💨 LTF17 in 172 games | |
| 🕳️ TBH14 in 183 games | |
| 🗿 Mitch7 in 110 games | |
| 🎣 DTTW11 in 185 games | |
| 🍆 ZJ5 in 186 games | |
| 🦅 Pwns2 in 75 games | |
| 🧪 CLI4 in 182 games | |
| ⏪ RTRO4 in 186 games | |
| ⚜️ K&G3 in 183 games | |
| 👨🍳 M&R3 in 186 games | |
| ⚽ TPC2 in 182 games | |
| 🏎️ M&N1 in 188 games | |
| 🦞 Dougnone in 184 games |
At the other end, 🦞 Doug has never done it. 🏎️ M&N has done it once since 2015, in 2017, and it was a kicker on a bye.
December is when it happens
Of the 72 inactives started since 2015, 32 came in the postseason, and 22 of those in the consolation games. The postseason is 16% of the games and 44% of the inactives.
💨 LTF’s 2024 is the purest example. Theo Johnson went on injured reserve, and 💨 LTF started him at tight end anyway, four weeks running: the last week of the regular season and all three consolation games. Alvin Kamara, scratched, joined him in the lineup for the last two. That is six inactives in four games, and 💨 LTF won three of them, finishing with the 9th Place Game, 115.7 to 86.9.
A year later it went one better. In the 2025 11th Place Game, the game that decides the Sacko, 💨 LTF started DK Metcalf, who was on injured reserve. It lost 71.0 to 121.6 and took the Sacko. Metcalf was not the difference, since it lost by 50.6. Three Sacko games have had an inactive in them. ⏪ RTRO started an injured-reserve Hunter Henry in 2017 and won anyway, 109.1 to 89.0. 🍆 ZJ started a scratched James Robinson in 2020, lost 89.5 to 123.9, and took the Sacko.
The 2020 3rd Place Game had inactives on both sides. 🕳️ TBH started a scratched Keenan Allen and a scratched kicker. ⚜️ K&G started a scratched DeVante Parker. 🕳️ TBH won anyway, 147.3 to 77.4.
The ones that cost a game
The record has benches from 2018. Since then, six games have been lost by less than a bench player at the same position scored.
- ⏪ RTRO, 2019 week 13: Julio Jones was scratched, and Curtis Samuel scored 15.7 on the bench. ⏪ RTRO lost to 🎣 DTTW 71.6 to 87.2, by 15.6, in Rivalry Week.
- 💨 LTF, 2018: it started a scratched Jamison Crowder twice and lost both. In week 6 Marquise Goodwin scored 30.3 on its bench, 102.4 to 116.8. In week 10 it was Derrick Henry with 17.8, and 💨 LTF lost by 2.0, 106.2 to 108.2.
- 🕳️ TBH, 2020 week 4: Davante Adams was scratched, and Ronald Jones scored 19.6 on the bench. 🕳️ TBH lost by 17.8, 111.0 to 128.8.
- 🎣 DTTW, 2018 week 4: Randall Cobb was scratched, and DeSean Jackson scored 17.2 on the bench. 🎣 DTTW lost by 6.4, 142.6 to 149.0.
- 🕳️ TBH, 2025 week 15: Alvin Kamara was scratched in the Consolation Ladder, and DJ Moore scored 22.1 on the bench. 🕳️ TBH lost by 14.3, 65.6 to 79.8.