Bush League Division

Rob Fredericks is proof that trash talk doesn't necessarily require profanity, personal attacks, or a league disciplinary hearing. Rob is one of the nicest guys in the TCT, but he enjoys mixing it up in the group chat with playful, family-friendly jabs. Unfortunately, his primary rival is Veda Edwards, who operates under a considerably different content rating. Rob might throw out a PG insult; Veda might tell him to eat her ass. Rob, ever the gentleman, somehow maintains his composure.

Rob's fantasy career also comes with an unresolved investigation. At his first TCT draft in 2024, he brought his son Maddux and the two drafted together. Rob promptly went 11–5 and reached the Septic Tank Championship, raising questions about who was actually responsible. Maddux has since joined the league with his own team, and annoyingly for investigators, both Fredericks seem to be pretty good at this. The case remains open.

Rob followed his rookie success by moving into the Bush League and finishing 3rd in 2025. He's now established himself as a capable manager in his own right—unless, of course, Maddux is secretly still providing consultation.

Commissioner’s Verdict: Smart, competitive, unfailingly nice, and perhaps the only TCT manager capable of participating in a trash-talk battle while maintaining courtroom decorum. Rob will happily trade jabs with Veda, although only one side of that rivalry could safely be printed on a children's menu. As for whether Rob or Maddux deserves credit for the Fredericks family's fantasy success, the Commissioner finds the evidence inconclusive.

TCT Manager Score: 116

TCT Career

• Bush League Division: 8–9
• Septic Tank Division: 11–5
• Overall: 19–14
• Championships: 0

Dario “Cande” Candelaria was a TCT fan before he was a TCT manager. A Marine Corps brother of the Commissioner, Cande spent years listening to The Commissioner’s Desk Podcast from Pennsylvania before finally joining the league in 2022. In other words, he listened to the TCT like it was a radio show and eventually climbed through the speakers and became one of the characters.

And character is the appropriate word. Cande is basically a cartoon brought to life. He's constantly joking, screwing around, and making sure everyone around him is having a good time. More importantly, he's incredibly dedicated to the league. The man will make the trip from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts just to attend TCT events. His commitment has occasionally exceeded the commitment displayed by his fantasy teams—particularly the 2022 squad that went 3–13—but he's improved considerably since.

Unfortunately, despite that improvement, Cande has spent his entire career in the Bush League. Four seasons. Countless ridiculous team names. Zero promotions. At this point, Tommy Rego escaped and Cande appears to have inherited the property.

Commissioner’s Verdict: Cande is the kind of manager every league needs. Maybe not because of the 28–37 record, but because he'll drive several hundred miles just to show up, make everyone laugh, and be part of the TCT. He's a Marine, a former podcast fan, a dedicated league member, and a real-life cartoon character. The fantasy résumé still needs work. The entertainment résumé is Hall of Fame caliber.

TCT Manager Score: 87

TCT Career

• Bush League Division: 28–37
• Overall: 28–37
• Championships: 0 

Al Casteel takes fantasy football very seriously. He prepares, studies, drafts his team—and then approximately six minutes after the draft ends decides he absolutely hates everything he's done. Nobody has less confidence in an Al Casteel roster than Al Casteel. This inevitably leads him to the trade market, where negotiations somehow become even more difficult.

Trading with Al is an experience. Send him a reasonable offer and he'll counter with something so aggressively one-sided that you'll wonder if he accidentally selected the wrong players. Al doesn't want to win a trade. He wants to 1000% win the trade, preferably while leaving the other manager questioning why they ever opened the conversation.

For years, Al had the résumé to support some swagger. He spent eight straight seasons in the Champion’s Division, reached the 2018 Championship, and used to be one of the louder trash-talkers in the group chat. Then came 2024: Backroom. Then 2025: Bush League. Curiously, the trash talk has gotten quieter with each change of address.

Commissioner’s Verdict: Al is serious about fantasy, perpetually dissatisfied with the team he personally drafted, and possibly the worst person in the league to negotiate a trade with. But beneath the pessimism is a good guy who's been competing in the TCT since 2016. The swagger may have quieted during his descent from Champion’s to Backroom to Bush, but don't worry: his trade-counter demands remain championship caliber.

TCT Manager Score: 493

TCT Career

• Champion’s Division: 62–61
• Backroom Division: 6–10
• Bush League Division: 8–8
• Overall: 76–79
• Championships: 0

Chace “Jizzy” Jabotte is a TCT original, the Commissioner’s co-host, and living proof that being extremely good at talking about fantasy football does not necessarily translate to being good at fantasy football. If Chace managed teams as well as he performs on The Commissioner’s Desk Podcast, he'd have approximately a million championships. Instead, he has zero.

On the show, Jizzy is the perfect comedic counterpart to the Commissioner’s straight man. He's somehow endearingly dumb and surprisingly smart at exactly the same time—a wacky collection of hot takes, bizarre observations, and accidental comedy that has become essential to the podcast. He's also obsessed with Batman, which unfortunately has made him a frequent target whenever Batman calls into the show. Imagine worshipping a superhero your entire life only to finally get his attention and discover Batman thinks you're a joke.

Then there's fantasy football. Chace began in the Champion’s Division, eventually fell to the Backroom, climbed back up, fell back down, and has now reached the Bush League. Jizzy claims this is intentional research for the podcast. After eleven seasons and a 76–96 record, the Commissioner is beginning to admire his commitment to journalism.

Commissioner’s Verdict: Chace is one of my best friends, my co-host, and an irreplaceable part of the TCT. He's funny, ridiculous, occasionally brilliant, occasionally astonishingly dumb, and infinitely better behind a microphone than behind a fantasy roster. The championships may never come, but Jizzy has something most managers don't: job security. I need a co-host, and apparently Batman isn't interested.

TCT Manager Score: 359

TCT Career

• Champion’s Division: 44–64
• Backroom Division: 16–16
• Bush League Division: 16–16
• Overall: 76–96
• Championships: 0

Veda Edwards entered the TCT in 2024 as something of an unknown. Two seasons later, she's a champion, the first female title winner in league history, and one of the few people capable of turning a completely innocent fantasy football conversation into something that probably requires an age-verification screen.

In her rookie 2024 season, Pepburrowoni Nipples went on a perfect postseason run and defeated Rob's Legal Eagles in the championship game, making Veda the first female champion in TCT history. She moved up to the Bush League the following season and finished seventh, but she's shown herself to be an active manager who stays prepared and continues making moves throughout the season. Is she an elite fantasy football mind? The Commissioner isn't prepared to go that far yet. But she owns a championship, so unlike most people claiming to know what they're doing, she at least has evidence.

Veda has also become a strong podcast guest, although listeners may occasionally forget they're listening to a fantasy football show and wonder whether they've accidentally dialed a 900 number. Her trademark velvety rasp has been repeatedly identified by both the Commissioner and listeners as the perfect voice for a completely different industry. Now Veda and Zach have added a baby to the household, meaning both Edwards managers enter the season facing fantasy football's most dangerous opponent: sleep deprivation.

Commissioner’s Verdict: Veda showed up, immediately started talking filthy trash, beat Rob Fredericks for a championship, became the first female champion in TCT history, and somehow developed a secondary career as the league's unofficial 900-number operator. That's a productive first two seasons. The jury is still out on just how good she ultimately becomes at fantasy football, but she's prepared, she's active, and she's already accomplished something nobody can ever take away from her. Just don't start trash talking unless you're prepared for the conversation to become TV-MA.

TCT Manager Score: 170

TCT Career

• Bush League Division: 8–8
• Septic Tank Division: 10–7 | 🏆 2024 Champion
• Overall: 18–15
• Championships: 1

Timmy Calvao is a veteran fantasy football manager, a longtime member of the TCT, and perhaps the league’s greatest example of why consistency is overrated. When Timmy is good, he's really good. When Timmy is bad, everyone begins wondering whether he has considered retirement—which is convenient, because Timmy has usually already announced that he has.

Timmy’s career has been a roller coaster through the TCT hierarchy. He spent his early years competing near the top of the Champion’s Division, eventually breaking through and winning the 2021 Champion’s Championship. Things then went considerably less well. Timmy fell into the Backroom, finished dead last, dropped into the Bush League, and responded by immediately going 12–4 and winning another championship in 2024. Apparently Timmy needs either a championship belt or complete organizational collapse. Mediocrity simply does not interest him.

He isn't one of the league's loudest trash talkers and generally doesn't go looking for trouble in the group chat. But if somebody comes after him, Timmy is more than willing to defend himself and go back and forth. His preferred form of league drama comes during the offseason, when he inevitably threatens to retire. This has become an annual tradition: Timmy announces he's had enough, and the Commissioner informs him that his resignation has been denied. At this point, Timmy retiring from the TCT has roughly the same credibility as a professional wrestler announcing his final match.

Commissioner’s Verdict: Timmy is a great guy, a legitimate fantasy veteran, and one of the strangest managers to evaluate. He's capable of competing with the best managers in the league and owns a Champion’s Division belt to prove it. He's also capable of crashing through multiple divisions before suddenly remembering how fantasy football works and winning another one. After two championships and nine seasons, one thing is certain: Timmy will eventually retire from the TCT. The Commissioner will let him know when.

TCT Manager Score: 916

TCT Career

• Champion’s Division: 52–42 | 🏆 2021 Champion
• Backroom Division: 11–21
• Bush League Division: 12–4 | 🏆 2024 Champion
• Overall: 75–67
• Championships: 2

Steve Estrella is one of the elder statesmen of the TCT, a league original, and perhaps the clearest explanation for why Chace Jabotte is the way he is. Steve is Chace’s father, and after spending about five minutes around the two of them, it becomes very obvious that Chace did not develop his personality independently. This is genetic.

Steve has been around long enough to experience nearly every version of the TCT, including two trips to the Champion’s Division championship game in 2017 and 2019. Unfortunately, both ended the same way: with Steve finishing second. He has never quite captured a title, but an 88–84 career record and multiple deep playoff runs make it hard to dismiss him as anything other than a legitimately capable fantasy manager—at least when fantasy football is receiving his full attention.

That last part has become increasingly important. In recent years, work and life have taken more of Steve’s attention, and fantasy football has slowly moved down the priority list. Draft night itself has also become a logistical operation. While younger managers arrive at the Tavern armed with laptops and spreadsheets, Steve arrives requiring glasses and a headlamp just to see what the hell he’s drafting. At this point, the Tavern draft looks less like fantasy football and more like Steve is preparing to descend into a coal mine.

Commissioner’s Verdict: Steve is a great guy, a TCT original, and one of the league’s true elder statesmen. He has come painfully close to a championship twice, survived more than a decade of fantasy football, raised Chace Jabotte, and now needs specialized lighting equipment to complete a draft. That alone should qualify him for some kind of lifetime achievement award. Steve may not dedicate quite as much time to fantasy as he once did, but as long as the headlamp has batteries and someone remembers to add him back to the group chat, Portuguese mosquitos 2.0 lives on.

TCT Manager Score: 616

TCT Career

• Champion’s Division: 54–54
• Backroom Division: 34–30
• Overall: 88–84
• Championships: 0

Kat Downey joined the TCT in 2024 through her husband, Nick Downey, which means she entered the league with two immediate disadvantages: she was brand new to the TCT, and she had Nick explaining things to her. Somehow, she survived both.

Through two seasons, Kat has shown all the traits you want from a fantasy manager. She comes to the draft prepared, works the waiver wire, makes roster moves, and is even willing to get involved in trades. The Commissioner still isn't ready to make any sweeping declarations about how good she ultimately is—two seasons simply isn't enough of a sample size. Winning the 2025 Septic Tank Championship in year two, however, is a pretty convincing way to make an early argument.

Kat also happens to be married to one of the biggest trash talkers in league history, so remaining completely innocent was never really an option. Nick Downey has spent years stirring up arguments, attacking the waiver wire, appearing on the podcast, and generally making sure peaceful league conversations don't remain peaceful for very long. Kat may be her own person, but living in the Downey household means trash talk has presumably become less of a hobby and more of a survival skill. More impressive than the championship may be the fact that she possesses the patience of a god required to live with Nick every day.

Commissioner’s Verdict: The sample size is still small, but Kat has done just about everything right so far. She prepares, stays active, works waivers, considers trades, and already owns a championship after only two seasons. Whether she develops into one of the league's better long-term managers remains to be seen. What we already know is that she can handle fantasy football pressure—and if she can handle being married to Nick Downey, the Septic Tank was never going to scare her.

TCT Manager Score: 170

TCT Career

• Septic Tank Division: 19–14 | 🏆 2025 Champion
• Overall: 19–14
• Championships: 1

Matt Gill joined the TCT in 2024 and quickly established himself as one of the league’s more recognizable personalities, partly because he's a good guy and partly because an alarming number of people think he looks like Shane Gillis. Whether Matt considers that a compliment has not been officially determined, but at this point the resemblance has become part of the scouting report.

As a fantasy manager, Matt appears to have mastered the art of doing exactly enough. He stays active on the waiver wire, manages his roster, and has shown himself to be perfectly competent without giving the impression that fantasy football has consumed his entire existence. That philosophy reached its absolute peak during his 2025 playoff run, when No Casamigos!! reached the championship game after winning the semifinal 99.08–99.06. Two hundredths of a point. Matt did not dominate. Matt did not overwhelm. Matt simply survived by the smallest amount mathematically available and moved on.

Matt occasionally participates in the group chat, but his greatest contribution to league communication may be his ability to generate a meme at absolutely ridiculous speed. Give the group chat an event, an argument, or somebody saying something stupid and there is a strong possibility Matt already has an image ready before everyone else has finished typing.

Commissioner’s Verdict: Matt is a great guy, a capable fantasy manager, and possibly the league’s foremost expert in accomplishing exactly what is required and absolutely nothing more. He'll work the wire, occasionally jump into the chat, produce a meme before anyone understands what just happened, and apparently win playoff games by 0.02 points when necessary. Two seasons isn't enough to determine Matt's ultimate ceiling, but reaching a championship game this early is a strong start. Now we find out whether he can survive without Frank Hill—or whether Bert really does need Ernie.

TCT Manager Score: 63

TCT Career

• Septic Tank Division: 16–17
• Overall: 16–17
• Championships: 0

Mike Quinn has been a member of the TCT since 2022. Allegedly.

The Commissioner has never met Mike Quinn. He has never attended a TCT event, always drafts online, rarely speaks in the group chat, and has never called into The Commissioner’s Desk Podcast. Four seasons into his TCT career, there is remarkably little evidence that Mike Quinn actually exists. This has naturally led to several competing theories: Mike is the dummy account of another manager, the ghost of a long-deceased fantasy football legend, or simply a character the Commissioner invented and has somehow forgotten inventing. At this point, all possibilities remain under investigation.

What makes the mystery even stranger is that Fuel Man suddenly became good in 2025. After three losing seasons in the Bush League—including a 4–12 disaster in 2024—Mike moved to the Septic Tank and went 11–5, finishing third. His championship hopes ended in appropriately bizarre fashion when he lost his semifinal to Matt Gill 99.08–99.06, a two-hundredths-of-a-point defeat. Fuel Man then responded by scoring 152.42 points in the third-place game, presumably because supernatural entities do not process disappointment normally.

Commissioner’s Verdict: Who the fuck is Mike Quinn? Seriously. Four years. Never met him. Never seen him at an event. Never heard him call the podcast. Barely heard from him in the group chat. For all the Commissioner knows, Fuel Man is being operated from a server farm somewhere in Nebraska. What we do know is that somebody—or something—has been setting Mike Quinn’s lineups since 2022, and recently it has gotten considerably better at fantasy football. Until Mike physically appears at a TCT event, the Commissioner is officially listing his status as existence unconfirmed.

TCT Manager Score: 66

TCT Career

• Bush League Division: 18–30
• Septic Tank Division: 11–5
• Overall: 29–35
• Championships: 0