July 16, 2026
By Sam Weiger

Don't assume for a moment that this week carries no weight just because all 12 playoff spots are already locked in. Squads hungry for momentum and players chasing top spots on the stat sheet with major awards on the line make for a slate full of consequential, entertaining regular-season closers.

Oakland Spiders at Salt Lake Shred | Friday Night Frisbee
Friday, July 17 - 9:00 PM/ET - Watch link

Having never beaten Salt Lake before this year, can Oakland pull off the improbable and finish a three-game sweep of their rival?

A win Friday wouldn't just finish off the Shred season series for Oakland, it would also mean a perfect sweep of the entire West Division. The Spiders sit at 7-0 within the division this season, outscoring West opponents by an average of 10.29 goals per contest.

Yet their last divisional clash, a road trip to face the Shred, came down to a single goal and nearly slipped into overtime. Salt Lake has dropped back-to-back one-goal decisions to the two teams above them in the West standings, and given how their key contributors have been trending upward, I'd expect the Shred to either drop this one in a nail-biter or pull off the win.

The stakes may be low here, but this matchup carries real significance for Salt Lake, who badly needs some positive energy with their opening playoff matchup just over a week out. They haven't knocked off a single elite squad all season, so can they finally break through here?

It may sound repetitive by now, but turnovers remain the Shred's turnover problem no matter how this game plays out. A team that finished under 16 turns in eight games last season has managed just two sub-16-turnover outings heading into this postseason (both against Oregon), and that's far from encouraging.

It's been tough to single out individuals, but Ben Ashton and Eugene L'Heureux rank among the least precise throwers on the roster, making them names to track on Friday.

L'Heureux completed only one of four attempts back in Week 11, and the week before that, Ashton was the primary culprit behind key mistakes at crucial moments.

Friday offers a prime bounce-back chance for L'Heureux, Ashton, and the rest of the Shred roster against a Spiders squad that may lack their usual edge. Oakland has already claimed victory in this matchup two times, and even though the top overall Championship Weekend seed remains within reach, it's tough to see that as a major driving force. Beyond that, nothing's really on the line for them, plus they've already clinched a first-round bye, so momentum matters less.

Still, Walker Frankenberg is someone to keep an eye on in Oakland's season finale. He's completed just 87 percent of his throws across his last two outings while averaging four throwaways per game in that stretch. Frankenberg has had rough patches in both areas during past high-pressure games, and he's a player who could swing playoff contests either way. If Oakland wants to see one player sharpen up before the Divisional Championship, it's him.

One Big Number:
82.75 - Ashton’s completion percentage in his two games against Oakland this year is 82.75 percent.
51.8 - Two of Frankenberg's least productive offensive outings this year have come within his last three games (versus Salt Lake and Minnesota).

DC Breeze at Atlanta Hustle | Game of the Week
Saturday, July 18 - 7:30 PM/ET - Watch link

Much like Salt Lake, DC wants nothing more than to head into the playoffs with some momentum behind them.

The Breeze, locked into the East's third seed, get a valuable warm-up against a Hustle squad that may be eliminated from contention but will still play with plenty of urgency.

Given the teams, DC will draw most of my attention, and Sean Mott is the player I'm zeroing in on. Mott has gone unusually silent the past couple of contests, his first two games facing his old team, so it'll be worth watching whether he can find his rhythm in the finale.

Also worth tracking is Jasper Tom, who exploded for a season-debut performance matching his career-best five goals against Philly last week. If the returning veteran can sustain that form against Atlanta, he becomes a real wildcard for DC's playoff opener.

But DC's offense isn't the lone area I’ll be watching, as their team-wide numbers look shaky across several critical categories. The Breeze rank just eighth league-wide in break rate at 34.22 percent, eighth in offensive efficiency, 13th in defensive efficiency, 15th in huck completion rate, ninth in completion percentage, 11th in huck turnovers per game, 13th in red zone defensive efficiency, and 12th in Tot-aEC per game, and that's not the full list.

So a more well-rounded performance is the goal here, particularly with two championship-caliber teams standing between DC and Championship Weekend.

For the Hustle, it's the defensive side that's been the bigger concern. They've struggled mightily to slow down playoff-bound opponents this year. Atlanta is surrendering 21.71 goals per game to postseason teams this season, so head coach Tuba Benson-Jaja is surely hoping for a strong defensive showing in the team's final game.

Brett Hulsmeyer, Lukas McClamrock, and Will Selfridge are three names I'll be watching closely. Hulsmeyer turned in an active performance versus Carolina, notching two blocks and making his presence felt throughout. McClamrock, as I noted last week, is overdue for a big defensive night more than anyone on the roster, and with this being his last opportunity, he's an easy player to monitor. Selfridge, more of a hybrid contributor, is excellent at offering tight marking whenever he's matched up on an opponent and excels at reading passing lanes and anticipating throws, so his defensive impact can be huge no matter what shows up in the box score.

One Big Number:
1 - Mott has racked up 34 assists on the season but just one across his last two games.
19.64 - Even with DC seeking improvement on both sides of the disc, their goals-against average of 19.64 stands out as the most alarming figure for a unit known for shutting teams down.

Players Gunning for Awards and Regular Season Stat Races

Tobe Decraene, Alex Atkins, and Austin Taylor

As usual, the 2026 UFA MVP chase is shaping up to be a thrilling race. Tobe Decraene sits in prime position to capture back-to-back MVP trophies, but with multiple challengers closing the gap heading into the postseason and an added game to make up ground statistically, his finale against his old Montreal squad is a golden opportunity to pad his numbers.

Decraene has already wrapped up the regular-season crown for total scores, and another dominant performance would likely give him the assists title as well. He's also locked in a tight race for the season yardage crown against two players with plenty riding on this weekend: Alex Atkins and Austin Taylor.

Atkins and Taylor have bigger fish to fry than just a yardage title this week, and Taylor arguably has the most at stake. With this marking his last game of 2026, he'll want to close strong to bolster his case for a third First Team All-UFA nod. Atkins, meanwhile, still has a real shot at MVP and a second First Team selection, and he's drawing a vulnerable Philadelphia defense he already torched earlier this month.

Chad Yorgason, Daan De Marrée, Jordan Kerr

Other major contenders in the MVP and First Team All-UFA conversation include Chad Yorgason, Daan De Marrée, and Jordan Kerr. Yorgason continues chasing an elusive First Team nod, and he's once again hovering right around the cutoff. A big performance from him, helping topple a stacked Oakland squad, would boost his First Team chances significantly. He currently ranks third leaguewide in Total Adjusted Expected Contribution (Tot-aEC), a metric that will likely carry real weight in MVP and First Team considerations.

Kerr, sitting fifth in Tot-aEC, has caught fire in recent weeks. MVP might be a stretch, but a First Team nod is well within reach if he emerges as a major difference-maker for Salt Lake alongside Yorgason. As for De Marrée, currently not on the roster for the finale, he faces the greatest urgency to deliver if he does suit up. If he plays and keeps up his exceptional receiving stretch (358.25 receiving yards per game across his last four), the reigning Rookie of the Year, currently second leaguewide in Receiving aEC per game, has a realistic shot at MVP and First Team honors.

Max Pettenuzzo and Ricky McLeod

Max Pettenuzzo and Ricky McLeod stand out as the two strongest Rookie of the Year candidates. For Pettenuzzo, Week 13 is his last shot to cement himself as the frontrunner, since his season ends here. One more standout game could see him finish as the league's top-scoring rookie despite missing the playoffs entirely. A big yardage day against Indy would also give him a real shot at passing Ezra Biedler-Shenk for the most total yards among rookies.

McLeod's ROTY case rests on standout defensive playmaking rather than scoring. The Seattle standout paces the league with 21 blocks, but barring a miracle postseason run, he's got no more than three games left to build on that number. Saturday's matchup against a struggling Oregon Steel squad gives him a prime chance to pad his totals. A big showing here could also boost his chances for a Defensive Player of the Year nomination.

Will Wettengel, John Randolph, and Lander Decraene

With Defensive Player of the Year likely coming down to the playoffs, I'm turning my attention to the First Team All-Defense race, which includes Will Wettengel, John Randolph, and Lander Decraene. Wettengel is the one I'm watching most closely this week, since like McLeod, he likely has three games max remaining to build his case for a second straight First Team nod. Coming off a seven-block outing against Madison in Week 11, Wettengel now leads the league in blocks per game at 2.29, and another strong defensive showing would put him in great shape.

Randolph, who is undoubtedly a First Team candidate and has a stronger postseason outlook, has been relatively quiet since his standout four-block game against Boston in Week 7. He remains a dangerous D-line presence capable of vaulting himself into serious First Team and DPOY contention at any given time. Lander Decraene faces a similar situation, and while he’s a longer shot for DPOY, his remaining games will determine whether he lands a First Team nod or potentially sneaks into the ROTY conversation.

Pieran Robert and Elliot Hawkins

With Alec Wilson Holliday, the league's leading goal-scorer, expected to sit out in Week 11, the door opens for Pieran Robert to claim the regular-season goals crown. The Radicals standout is fresh off his best game of the year, a seven-goal explosion against Pittsburgh. Sitting five goals behind Holliday, Robert would need a six-goal outing to claim the title outright. He also has an outside shot at Most Improved Player given his major scoring jump, though it's a long shot.

Elliot Hawkins remains the clear frontrunner for Most Improved. His stat line this season is absurd: 8.71 total scores per game (first in UFA), 6.71 assists per game (first in UFA), a +6.57 plus/minus per game (first in UFA), 711.14 total yards per game (second in UFA), 8.0 Tot-aEC per game (first in UFA), 4.4 Thrower aEC per game (first in UFA), and a player impact-possession score of 47.6 (first in UFA). Numbers this extreme could even push Hawkins into the First Team All-UFA discussion with a strong close to the season and a solid postseason run.