It seems like a good time to do a little team-by-team analysis, since I have some down time.* Some of this was done earlier in the season, but we now have all the details for support. I'll start with my own tea,, because I'm nothing if not self-serving.
*It should be noted that I'm at my in-laws in Iowa, which means two things: 1) This time would probably be better spent socializing; and 2) I'm on an incredibly slow internet connection owing to the rather middle-of-nowhereness location that is the in-laws place.
MVP
Wes Welker -- It would be easy to say Peyton Manning, here, but that seemed a little too obvious. Plus, Manning was very unManning-like early on, and had he contributed a little more, then, my team's W/L record might be more impressive. Welker, on the other hand, was gold in our PPR league -- he had only one game during the fantasy season, both regular and post, with less than 6 catches -- and added 4 100-yd games in the final 7 and a TD in each of last two. Granted, I was out of the playoffs for the final two, but it was still nice to see him add TDs. For a team that looked like it had a great WR corps to start the year, this position was a real weakness. Welker was the lone bright spot.
LVP
Was there a bigger bust than Torry Holt? Players like Kevin Walter, DeSean Jackson, Ted Ginn, and even his own teammate, Donnie Avery, had better seasons, and Holt was a third-round pick.
Probable Keeper
Kevin Smith (7th Round) -- Smith played fairly well down the stretch, and this team can only get better, right? The most attractive thing about Smith is that he was the featured back once the Lions came to their senses, which is a valuable commodity these days.
Ronnie Brown remains a possibility. In a perfect world, we'd find that the Dolphins were saving Brown's newly repaired knee for next season, but the fact remains that Brown split carries with Ricky Williams, only once toting the rock more than 20 times. What's worse, the Dolphins were quite successful, leading me to believe that they aren't going to scrap the RBC approach anytime soon.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
national conference playoff matchup breakdown
West Meadows Molesters vs. Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
WMM pulled out probably one of the greatest, luckiest wins in this league's history. His team has been called a "house of cards" and "lucky", but he is just one game away from the superbowl. Team V4P got help from EVERYONE last week, even sub-average players, and posted the week high; a good thing in the first round of the playoffs. Can he do it again?
QB -
Cassel v. Rodgers - Counting on players getting their first starts earlier in the year, not many QB's have been better in the past 4 weeks. Cassel plays a little tougher pass DEF in the Oakland Raiders, making his matchup not so great. Rodgers gets a sweet matchup against a JAX team that has been mailing it lately and should have no problem posting a really nice score. Prediction - Cassel has a good game, but nothing close to those 70 point games he's had. Somewhere around 35 should be expected. Rodgers goes crazy; going for the bonus and 3 TDs on his way to 50+ point game.
RB -
Antonio Pittman / Reggie Bush v. DeAngelo Williams / Dominic Rhodes - if one matchup is going to be the difference between a loser and winner, this will be it. Bush has already played, posting an ugly 5.6 point game. And when your other starter is Antonio Pittman, you can't expect anything more than poor game. If he puts up more than Bush, it will be shock. On the other hand, no other RB has been as amazing as Williams the past 6 weeks, 6 straight weeks of 30 points. Yikes. Rhodes will split some carries, but might see more action than Addai. Prediction - The tag team of pittman and bush isn't exactly the Legion of Doom. 10 points combined is probably whats happens and is not how you win playoff games. Williams explodes once again versus a weak DEN team, 30+ points once again. Rhodes ends up getting more of the caries late in the game in a blowout, grabbing a late TD and topping 12 points.
WRs -
Ike Hilliard/Larry Fitzgerald/Benard Berrian - T.J. Houshmandzadeh/Deion Branch/Santana Moss - WMM traded for Fitzgerald earlier in the season; now he'll need him to carry a weak WR corp if he expects to keep playing next week. Fitzgerald has been quiet lately, his other WRs have been even more so. V4P got some unexpected results from some WRS who have been tough to have in your starting lineup. Prediction - Fitzgerald gets back to excellence this week with the bonus and a TD, but the other forget to show up. None one the Team V4P WRs have bad games, but none of them have great games - no bonuses and 1 TD between them.
TEs -
Donald Lee v. John Carlson - Donald Lee has benefited from being a red zone target, with tds in 3 of his 4 games. John Carlson has flashed some excellence in his rookie season. In a PPR league, he has been great with 6 and 8 catches in his last 2 games. He also plays a horrible RAMS DEF that should allow a td and some yards. Prediction - Both have good games, with a each getting a TD. Carlson will get 2 more catches and 24 more yards.
D/ST -
Arizona v. NE Pats - The 'Cards have been sorta of feast or famine this year with 6 games over 20 points 6 games under 10 points, including 3 games with negative points. This week they face AP, which is never nice, but also get to face a bad Tarvaris Jackson. New England has been overrated this year, with an aging defensive corp and just bad play. The last 4 games have been less than average, not scoring more than 5 points in any of the contests. But this week they face a Oakland team that is banged up and not exactly a juggernaut. Prediction - Neither of these teams have a dream matchup, but are facing QBs that give up some TOs and allow a few sacks. Lets say both of these squads top out at about 10 points apiece.
Ks -
Reed v. Longwell - For some reason, Reed plays best on the road, which is good for this week. He also plays the Ravens, who dont allow many TDs, also good for a kicker. Ryan "Longshanks" Longwell will be kicking indoors against a team that allows a lot of points. That adds up to make a sweet matchup. Prediction - Reed will be the bulk of the offense for the Steelers this week. 4 FGs and a xp will create his 2nd best week of the year. Longwell will be on the field this week - 3 FGs and 3 XPs sounds about right.
Final Prediction -
Team V4P has just enough sweet matchups, mostly Rodgers and Williams, to overcome any freak point blowups from the West Meadow team, who lacks even 1 player that can consistently be counted on for that HUGE game you need in the playoffs. Team V4P rides nice games from his QB and RBs, but neither team might go over 150 points total, and Pedro can expect to punch his ballot to the Championship Game. 145 - 119.
WMM pulled out probably one of the greatest, luckiest wins in this league's history. His team has been called a "house of cards" and "lucky", but he is just one game away from the superbowl. Team V4P got help from EVERYONE last week, even sub-average players, and posted the week high; a good thing in the first round of the playoffs. Can he do it again?
QB -
Cassel v. Rodgers - Counting on players getting their first starts earlier in the year, not many QB's have been better in the past 4 weeks. Cassel plays a little tougher pass DEF in the Oakland Raiders, making his matchup not so great. Rodgers gets a sweet matchup against a JAX team that has been mailing it lately and should have no problem posting a really nice score. Prediction - Cassel has a good game, but nothing close to those 70 point games he's had. Somewhere around 35 should be expected. Rodgers goes crazy; going for the bonus and 3 TDs on his way to 50+ point game.
RB -
Antonio Pittman / Reggie Bush v. DeAngelo Williams / Dominic Rhodes - if one matchup is going to be the difference between a loser and winner, this will be it. Bush has already played, posting an ugly 5.6 point game. And when your other starter is Antonio Pittman, you can't expect anything more than poor game. If he puts up more than Bush, it will be shock. On the other hand, no other RB has been as amazing as Williams the past 6 weeks, 6 straight weeks of 30 points. Yikes. Rhodes will split some carries, but might see more action than Addai. Prediction - The tag team of pittman and bush isn't exactly the Legion of Doom. 10 points combined is probably whats happens and is not how you win playoff games. Williams explodes once again versus a weak DEN team, 30+ points once again. Rhodes ends up getting more of the caries late in the game in a blowout, grabbing a late TD and topping 12 points.
WRs -
Ike Hilliard/Larry Fitzgerald/Benard Berrian - T.J. Houshmandzadeh/Deion Branch/Santana Moss - WMM traded for Fitzgerald earlier in the season; now he'll need him to carry a weak WR corp if he expects to keep playing next week. Fitzgerald has been quiet lately, his other WRs have been even more so. V4P got some unexpected results from some WRS who have been tough to have in your starting lineup. Prediction - Fitzgerald gets back to excellence this week with the bonus and a TD, but the other forget to show up. None one the Team V4P WRs have bad games, but none of them have great games - no bonuses and 1 TD between them.
TEs -
Donald Lee v. John Carlson - Donald Lee has benefited from being a red zone target, with tds in 3 of his 4 games. John Carlson has flashed some excellence in his rookie season. In a PPR league, he has been great with 6 and 8 catches in his last 2 games. He also plays a horrible RAMS DEF that should allow a td and some yards. Prediction - Both have good games, with a each getting a TD. Carlson will get 2 more catches and 24 more yards.
D/ST -
Arizona v. NE Pats - The 'Cards have been sorta of feast or famine this year with 6 games over 20 points 6 games under 10 points, including 3 games with negative points. This week they face AP, which is never nice, but also get to face a bad Tarvaris Jackson. New England has been overrated this year, with an aging defensive corp and just bad play. The last 4 games have been less than average, not scoring more than 5 points in any of the contests. But this week they face a Oakland team that is banged up and not exactly a juggernaut. Prediction - Neither of these teams have a dream matchup, but are facing QBs that give up some TOs and allow a few sacks. Lets say both of these squads top out at about 10 points apiece.
Ks -
Reed v. Longwell - For some reason, Reed plays best on the road, which is good for this week. He also plays the Ravens, who dont allow many TDs, also good for a kicker. Ryan "Longshanks" Longwell will be kicking indoors against a team that allows a lot of points. That adds up to make a sweet matchup. Prediction - Reed will be the bulk of the offense for the Steelers this week. 4 FGs and a xp will create his 2nd best week of the year. Longwell will be on the field this week - 3 FGs and 3 XPs sounds about right.
Final Prediction -
Team V4P has just enough sweet matchups, mostly Rodgers and Williams, to overcome any freak point blowups from the West Meadow team, who lacks even 1 player that can consistently be counted on for that HUGE game you need in the playoffs. Team V4P rides nice games from his QB and RBs, but neither team might go over 150 points total, and Pedro can expect to punch his ballot to the Championship Game. 145 - 119.
American Conference playoff matchup breakdown
#2 Avalon Park Assassins vs. #1 Wings of Pastrami
You figured that at least 1 of these team would be in the Conference Finals, and it cant be too surprising that both are fighting it out for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. WOP won the low-scoring, head to head in the regular season. But that was with a still healing Tony Romo and a healthy Marion Barber. Those roles are now reversed, but can APA find an other way to pull through? Lets see...
QB -
Romo vs. Garrard - After last weeks debacle, WOP just wants his QB to stay in the whole game. GB DEF's has not been great lately, but Garrard doesn't have many weapons and cant be expected to do much. Since coming back from injury, Romo has been hot and cold. Posting two games of 50+ points, but also two games of sub 20 points. He faces a pissed off NYG this week and the 'boys are the verge of self-destructing. Prediction - Garrard will be just less than average, throwing for a scoring and for less than 200 yards, but also an INT. Romo might have to will his team to a victory this week. He wont throw for 300 yards, but count on at least 2 TDs.
RBs -
Matt Forte / Maurice Jones-Drew v. Marion Barber / Chris Johnson. - Forte played already, posting a good score, but not great, which was expected against a weak NO DEF. MO Jones-Drew's ship has come in; fred taylor went on the IR this week and plays against a soft GB run DEF. If he doesn't get 20 carries and 5 catches, its will be disappointing. Will he or wont he? That is the big questions surrounding Marion Barber this week. Guts tells him to play, his body might so no. Whatever his choice, its a risk putting him in the lineup against a tough NYG DEF. Chris Johnson faces a HOU DEF that held him in check earlier in the season, but that was before he melted some faces throughout the year. Back to back 100+ games should be the norm for him. Prediction - I predict Forte will have low yardage and get a td, about 14.8 points. MJ DREW will blow up and 30+ total points, thanks to the bonus and 2 tds. Barber plays, but doesn't reach 10 carries or 10 points. Chris Johnson does what he do, going for 110 yards and 1 td.
WRs -
Randy Moss/Reggie Wayne/Steve Smith v. Brandon Marshall/Laveranues Coles/Steve Breaston - WOP's squad should be considered the best in the biz. Though a little inconsistent, each guy on this corp has the ability to blow up, no matter the defense. They have combined for 12 bonuses this year. In comparison, APA boasts a team with talent, but a little underachieving, tallying only 6 bonuses between the 3 players. Each WR plays with a QB that can get them the ball, but not usually enough to be dominating. Prediction - Wayne bounces back and Smith continues his hot streak as both grab the bonus and TDs against very weak DEFs. Moss gets slowed down and shutout of the end zone, but still get 5 catches for 57 yards. Marshall does the damage out of the 3, getting 80 yards and a TD. APA's other have average games, neither topping 70 yards or a TD.
TE -
Tony Gonzalez v. Owen Daniels - This position is the big separator - if Tony Gonzo can have another huge game compared to the average game expected from Daniels, it will a big step in APA's journey to a win. Gonzo plays a SD team that allows the most points to TE's, a great sign that he'll blow up. Daniels struggled as late, but had a nice game with Schuab back. TENN is average against TE's, which is the type of game you can expect from Daniels. Prediction - Gonzo goes Gonzo; expect a bonus and a TD grab. anything less would be uncivilized. Daniels will get his standard 55 yards from 5 catches. Anything more would be gravy.
D/ST
Indy v. Washington - At this writing, the WOPs are going with the Colts, who have posted back to back huge games, 35 and 40 points, and are facing a horrible Detroit Lions that actually do have a few weapons. With Bob Sanders back, the colts have been real nasty and stingy. The Redskins also face a weak offensive team in the CINCIN Bengals. They have never had a dominant game this season, but rarely get smoked. Consistent and average is what they are, which is not bad. Prediction - INDY D/ST comes back to earth a little, but still post a 20+ game with 2 ints and 3 sacks. Washington has their best game of the year, but since they don't get many TOs, a 15 point posting will be the ceiling.
K - Gostkowski v. Mare - The New England kicker sits on top the points ladder going into the last weeks of the season. 3 of the past 4 weeks, he has topped 10 points. Count on that again when facing a terrible Oakland team. Mare is facing a team that will allow him to get lots of kicking opportunities, but maybe not many FGs chances. Prediction - Gostkowski gets a few of each, just reaching 10 points. Mare goes a little more wild in a shootout, reaching 12 points.
FINAL PREDICTION - Both teams do better than last week and both show why they made it this far. WOPs dont get much from the QB spot, but the rest of the team shows up with 3 bonuses and multiple TDs, 4 more than last week. APA gets expected great showings from a few players, but a questionable stud RB and just an average D/ST are the difference. Final Score - 175 to 156
You figured that at least 1 of these team would be in the Conference Finals, and it cant be too surprising that both are fighting it out for a chance to go to the Super Bowl. WOP won the low-scoring, head to head in the regular season. But that was with a still healing Tony Romo and a healthy Marion Barber. Those roles are now reversed, but can APA find an other way to pull through? Lets see...
QB -
Romo vs. Garrard - After last weeks debacle, WOP just wants his QB to stay in the whole game. GB DEF's has not been great lately, but Garrard doesn't have many weapons and cant be expected to do much. Since coming back from injury, Romo has been hot and cold. Posting two games of 50+ points, but also two games of sub 20 points. He faces a pissed off NYG this week and the 'boys are the verge of self-destructing. Prediction - Garrard will be just less than average, throwing for a scoring and for less than 200 yards, but also an INT. Romo might have to will his team to a victory this week. He wont throw for 300 yards, but count on at least 2 TDs.
RBs -
Matt Forte / Maurice Jones-Drew v. Marion Barber / Chris Johnson. - Forte played already, posting a good score, but not great, which was expected against a weak NO DEF. MO Jones-Drew's ship has come in; fred taylor went on the IR this week and plays against a soft GB run DEF. If he doesn't get 20 carries and 5 catches, its will be disappointing. Will he or wont he? That is the big questions surrounding Marion Barber this week. Guts tells him to play, his body might so no. Whatever his choice, its a risk putting him in the lineup against a tough NYG DEF. Chris Johnson faces a HOU DEF that held him in check earlier in the season, but that was before he melted some faces throughout the year. Back to back 100+ games should be the norm for him. Prediction - I predict Forte will have low yardage and get a td, about 14.8 points. MJ DREW will blow up and 30+ total points, thanks to the bonus and 2 tds. Barber plays, but doesn't reach 10 carries or 10 points. Chris Johnson does what he do, going for 110 yards and 1 td.
WRs -
Randy Moss/Reggie Wayne/Steve Smith v. Brandon Marshall/Laveranues Coles/Steve Breaston - WOP's squad should be considered the best in the biz. Though a little inconsistent, each guy on this corp has the ability to blow up, no matter the defense. They have combined for 12 bonuses this year. In comparison, APA boasts a team with talent, but a little underachieving, tallying only 6 bonuses between the 3 players. Each WR plays with a QB that can get them the ball, but not usually enough to be dominating. Prediction - Wayne bounces back and Smith continues his hot streak as both grab the bonus and TDs against very weak DEFs. Moss gets slowed down and shutout of the end zone, but still get 5 catches for 57 yards. Marshall does the damage out of the 3, getting 80 yards and a TD. APA's other have average games, neither topping 70 yards or a TD.
TE -
Tony Gonzalez v. Owen Daniels - This position is the big separator - if Tony Gonzo can have another huge game compared to the average game expected from Daniels, it will a big step in APA's journey to a win. Gonzo plays a SD team that allows the most points to TE's, a great sign that he'll blow up. Daniels struggled as late, but had a nice game with Schuab back. TENN is average against TE's, which is the type of game you can expect from Daniels. Prediction - Gonzo goes Gonzo; expect a bonus and a TD grab. anything less would be uncivilized. Daniels will get his standard 55 yards from 5 catches. Anything more would be gravy.
D/ST
Indy v. Washington - At this writing, the WOPs are going with the Colts, who have posted back to back huge games, 35 and 40 points, and are facing a horrible Detroit Lions that actually do have a few weapons. With Bob Sanders back, the colts have been real nasty and stingy. The Redskins also face a weak offensive team in the CINCIN Bengals. They have never had a dominant game this season, but rarely get smoked. Consistent and average is what they are, which is not bad. Prediction - INDY D/ST comes back to earth a little, but still post a 20+ game with 2 ints and 3 sacks. Washington has their best game of the year, but since they don't get many TOs, a 15 point posting will be the ceiling.
K - Gostkowski v. Mare - The New England kicker sits on top the points ladder going into the last weeks of the season. 3 of the past 4 weeks, he has topped 10 points. Count on that again when facing a terrible Oakland team. Mare is facing a team that will allow him to get lots of kicking opportunities, but maybe not many FGs chances. Prediction - Gostkowski gets a few of each, just reaching 10 points. Mare goes a little more wild in a shootout, reaching 12 points.
FINAL PREDICTION - Both teams do better than last week and both show why they made it this far. WOPs dont get much from the QB spot, but the rest of the team shows up with 3 bonuses and multiple TDs, 4 more than last week. APA gets expected great showings from a few players, but a questionable stud RB and just an average D/ST are the difference. Final Score - 175 to 156
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
playoff matchup, positional breakdowns and predictions
lets take some time and go through the 4 playoff games...
West Meadows Molesters vs. Huey Ramas
The Molesters have the better record (9-4 to 7-6) but Huey Ramas scored 100+ more points in the regular season. The Molesters hold a 2-0 advantage in head to head matchups during the regular season but can they make it 3-0?
QB -
Cassel v. Cutler - both face a weak pass defense, but cassel holds the juicier matchup, at least on paper, as Seahawks have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks the past five weeks and has the better weapons. And before last week, Cassel was making people consider trading Tom Brady (idiots). Cutler has been inconsistent but has shown his ability to come through with huge games. KC is little better against the pass, but not much. Prediction - Cassel comes through with a slighty better game.
RBs -
Bush / McFadden v. Thomas Jones / SJAX - Bush is still a little rusty and Pierre Thomas has shown he is worthy of stealing some touches. McFadden has 1 good game, but is facing a SD Def that has been less than stellar all year. Thomas Jones was acquired through a late season trade and has been straight cash homey, with 100 yards in 3 of the past 4 games and 6 tds. SJAX has been hurt a lot, but with 21 carries last week, one would think he can continue to do his thing. Prediction - Jones / SJAX both come through with 20+ point games.
WRs -
B. Berrian / Larry Fitzgerald / Harry Douglas v. Roddy White / Amani Toomer / Ted Ginn Jr. - Interesting matchups here; both teams have a stud #1 WR, both have a WR who have been feast of famine all year (berrian / ginn) and both have someone tied to the success of Matt Ryan. The wild card here is "Not A" Toomer. With Burress out for the season, Eli might look to solidify that connection and look his way a lot. Molesters WRs may the better matchups, but Ramas' stronger WR corp will get the looks and probably more points.
TE -
Donald Lee v. Bo Scaife - Neither one of these guys can be considered top flight TE, but scaife at least had some big games. Matchups are pretty neutral and neither are top options for their QB. Prediction - neither get the bonus, but Scaife gets a TD
D/ST
ARI v. TENN - Which one faces the worse QB? Hard to say. But the Titans have been strong all year long. And home against Ken Dorsey? Yikes. Prediction - Titans come through with a near shutout, only allowing a 2nd half FG and grab 30 points.
K -
Elam v. Bironas - Both have been solid all year. Elam plays in a dome in what expects to be a shootout. Bironas might have some tricky winds on the road and the Titans might score some TDs. Prediction - Both grab double digits, but Elam has a season high.
FINAL PREDICTION - The Molesters get the coveted 10 point bonus. It wont matter. Ramas has dropped two 200+ games in the past 4 weeks. He wont get there this week, but his matchups are favorable and his players are consistent enough to take advantage. Final Score - 168 to 140
Hoof Hearted v. Avalon Park Assassins
Same record. 12 points separating them. stud players in multiple positions. last 2 undefeated teams. Its too bad this matchup happens in the 1st round as it probably could be the championship if they were in different conferences. One of these team will have a very disappointing, very short playoff run.
QB -
Romo v. Eli Manning - Romo has lead many a team to great records this year. One of the top QBs in the game, it not unreasonable to expect 300 yards and a few TDs. But this matchup couldn't come at a worse time. Versus a monster PITT Def? on the road? Without Barber? Expecting more than 30 points could be too much. On the flip side, little brother eli has out performed big bother lately, proving better than his mid-season play of game manager. Hoof Hearted could really use a big game again, or at least not worse than the last time he faced Philly. Prediction - Both QBs play good, but nothing crazy. "Even Steven" points-wise.
RBs -
Lynch / Peterson v. Benson / Johnson - If Hoof Hearted is going to beat a tough Assassins, it will come via the RBs. Lynch was average last time he faced Miami but has played better as of late. The matchup of the week is AP versus Detroit. Peterson could blow up for 50+ points - Hoof Hearted will need a big day from AP. He can't afford to mess this up. Benson is an interesting matchup versus a INDY DEF who is easy to run, though Bob Sanders is back. Chris Johnson, great in the beginning, average in the middle, faces an average CLEV def. The potential for a big game is there. Prediction - Both Lynch and AP do what they do and run wild. Benson gets a TD but less than glorious yards. Johnson makes more sparks as potential ROY and grabs 100+ yards but it wont be enough to keep up with AP.
WRs -
Terrell Owens / Greg Jennings / Hines Ward v. Brandon Marshall / Laveranues Coles / Steve Breaston - TO, Jennings and Ward have the potential to go for 3 for 3 on the bonus any given week. Except maybe this week. Tough of matchups for all 3. If anyone of them can get a TD, it would be real nice. Marshall, Coles and Breaston have as much ceiling as the other WR corp, maybe just not the track record. The highlight here is the matchups - all face teams with decent PASS DEF, but horrible team that you can gather yards and TDs in a hurry. Prediction - If it wasnt for the matchups, "THE T.O. GANG" could do some damage. But this week, Assassins can expect some big games.
TEs -
Witten v. Gonzo - Anything less than a stellar game for either TE is sad news. Both have the ability to grab big points, but facing each other, they could just cancel each other out. Prediction - the matchup for witten is tough but could be nice if Romo needs to dump the ball short. Gonzo should win the battle of the points, but not by much.
D/ST -
Cowboys v. Jets - Cowboys will have their hands full with a PITT team on the road. But bad weather could produce some TOs. Jets have been one of the surprises this year, but had a relapse of sorts versus the Broncos in the rain. This week, all they need to do is focus on stopping Gore. Prediction - Neither dominate, but the Cowboys get a few fumbles, giving them the edge.
Ks -
Crosby v. Gould - At home, Crosby has been nice and consistent. Gould is on an offense that has been a little less than. Prediction - Crosby gets a few extra points plus the coveted FGs, making for a double digit day.
FINAL PREDICTION - The game of the week will produce a loser that will not be happy to be leaving after the first round. Hoof Hearted might have the best matchups during the first round. And faces a team with some of the toughest. Hoof Hearted will avenge a regular season loss and move forward. Final Score - 188 to 135
Bradford Brawlers versus Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
Ahhh...it was just last week when TV4P pulled out a squeaker of a victory, which made them 2-0 versus the Brawlers. Pedro has had 2 rough weeks going into the playoffs, posting scores of 111 and 115. Brawlers has been just as consistent; 2 scores of 130+, right after 2 scores of sub 90 points. Who will turn it on for the playoffs?
QBs -
Brees v. Rodgers - It well documented what Brees does for a team; when he is on, its simply awesome. Rodgers has been consistent as above average, regularly posting scores in the 30's and higher. Both have matchups that could be really nice, but...Prediction - Brees dares teams to turn the game into a shootout. In a dome, its tough to not expect Brees to grab 50 points. Rodgers will be good, but Brees will be awesome.
RBs -
Grant / Peyton Hillis v. DeAngelo Williams / Larry Johnson - Grant was the poster child of bust earlier this season. he has been okay recently, but injuries take away any real upside. Hillis has been the poster child of late season pick up wunderkin. Both have matchups that are nice. Every week, DeAngelo was supposed to be replaced. Hasn't happened yet, and wont happen the rest of the season as he has scored 30+ for 4 weeks in a row. When LJ has played, he has actually been okay. When he played Denver last time, he blew up. Could it happen again? Prediction - Williams and LJ are going to somehow combine for 4 TDs. Hillis will drop off, but not as bad as Grant. Not good news for the Brawlers.
WRs -
Calvin Johnson / Davone Bess / Lee Evans v. T.J. Houshmandzadeh / Deion Branch / Santana Moss - Brawlers corp represents some young talent that might be twice as good if they had a decent QB throwing to them. Bess has been great PPR league pickup for this late in the season. CJ might have rough go but is TOO good to completely shut down. Evans is back and forth and frustrates owners with who shows up. Team V4P would have been in good shape in this was 2 years ago. Now? All these WRs are in bad situations, or worse, hurt, and cant be expected to bring much to the table. Prediction - Megatron and company do some good. Luckily, the other WR corps doesn't do much at all.
TEs -
Dallas Clark v. John Carlson - Clark has been in mini slump this year. Carlson has taken some rookie lumps this year, but has shown some great talent too. He blew up last week against the cowboys and Hassleback might look to him again as his new security. Prediction - Clark will get a few catches and a few yards. Nothing special. Carlson should get his 2nd awesome game as a rookie, though it will mostly come at garbage time. But who cares when it comes, as long as it counts.
D/ST -
Broncos v. Chargers - Denver has been plagued by injuries to their main men and have been less than average all year. The Chargers could play the same card, but have been far more disappointing. Drafted as the 1st D/ST then dropped and picked up late, SD has the talent. And this week they face OAK. Which could pay dividends. Prediction - DEN faces a KC team that killed them last time. SD gets an Oakland squad that has played better as of late. Neither will do great, but DEN might not get past 5 points.
Ks -
Brown v. Longwell - Brown seems to get a few chances every game, regardless of opponent. Having AP on your team, gets you at least close to the endzone each drive and Longwell gets to kick in a dome against a horrible team. Guess who scores more this game? Predicition - Brown will get 10 points. AP wont score all the TDs, so Longwell will have more XPs than FGs and will still get double digits and then some.
FINAL PREDICTION - This battle is going to be a close one. Both have good players with good matchups. Both can expect decent overall scores and need better than average games from palyers who havent done much lately (Clark and Deion Branch) The difference will be Brees. If Brees does throws down his usual 50+ point game, it will be too much for TV4P. Final Score - 155 to 147
Bourne Ulceration versus Wings of Pastrami -
This matchup will result in some nice bragging rights for a good 9 months. WOP has been hotter than a pistol, entering the playoffs on a 8 week win streak and the 2nd highest scoring team in the league. The BU's come into the Bid Dance as the only sub .500 team, but ride a wave of 2 impressive weeks of team high scores (followed by a season low) Can the BU's create another perfect storm of scores and upset the WOP's?
QBs -
Frerotte versus Peyton Manning - the WOP's have ridden the Gus Bus a few times this year with average results. Which is what you have to expect, any against a lowly Lions team. Why pass when you can run with AP? That will probably be the case this week too. Manning, as a 1st round pick, has been disappointing. But the regular season doesn't matter and his matchups couldn't be better. A 60 point game (something Peyton hasn't done all year) is not out of reach. BU needs a big one. Prediction - Gus Frerotte doesn't throw in th 2nd half and garners a 23 point game. Manning shows why he is still the best, getting 55 points in an INDY romp.
RBs -
Matt Forte / Steve Slaton v. Lendale White / Portis - The combo of Forte/Slaton has been rookie gold, catapulting the WOPs to the top this year. Both have been strong of late and are true #1 backs on their respective teams. And both face some of the worse rushing DEFs this week in GB and JAX. Expect good things. When White and Portis are good, they are good. In other words, both have the ability to get TDs and 30 point games. The only problem now is that Portis has been hurt the past few weeks and faces a nasty BALT def. And when Lendale isn't eating twinkies, he has been in the end zone, especially last week. But this week, the Titans might lean more on Chris Johnson and leave LenDale on the sidelines with some leftovers. Prediction – Forte and Slaton both run wild and grab the bonus, 4 catches each and a TD each. White gets enough to make him “startable” but plays 2nd fiddle to CJ. Portis toughs it out and gets a TD, but less than 60 yards total.
WRs –
Randy Moss/Reggie Wayne/Steve Smith v. Wes Welker/Lance Moore/Dwayne Bowe - Moss, Wayne and Smith are top 10 WRs and each week have the potential to melt their opponents face off. Their matchups range from awesome to just okay. Each should be get their standard 15 points and at least 1 of them should dominate. Welker and friends have been great for a PPR and each have had streaks of goodness this year. But all 3 of them are coming of poor showings last week. Moderate rebounds should be in the card this week though. Prediction - Moss and Wayne grab the WR headlines of the week, getting the bonus and 3 TDs between them. Smith wont get shutout, but wont do what he did last time against the TAMPA D/ST. Welker can't shake the cobwebs from getting smoked last week, but still Gets 6 catches for 55 yards. Moore ends his streak of TDs but get some good targets. Bowe's outcome depends on if Champ B plays. I say he does and shuts Bowe down.
TEs -
Dustin Keller v. Tony Scheffler - Keller qualifies as someone who is peaking at the best time possible, going from dud to stud just in time for the playoffs. Though SF is tough against TEs, Keller will get a lot of targets since Farve wants to makeout with him and have his babies every week. Or at least it seems that way. Scheffler seems to showup and disappear at random times. He stunk last time he faced KC, but lately, TEs have had some good success. Predication - Keller finds a way to have a decent game; 50 + yards but no TDs. Scheffler decides to play this time and creates a nice day for himself, finding the endzone and 70 yards.
D/ST -
Indy v. TB - The Colts have been the victim of missing Bob Sanders. Oh, and not being that great anyways. Getting Sanders back and facing a horrible CINCIN team will help a whole lot. Tampa has been dominate all year long, rarely not getting a TO or letting in a bunch of points. Prediction - Indy plays better than their season average an sack Fitzpatrick 4 times and get a fumble on thier way to 20 point day. Tampa slows down both DeAngelo and Steve Smith but dont generate the TOs like usual. But another 20+ day is managable.
K's -
Gostkowski v. Rackers - Not as awesome as last year, Gostkowski still gets a lot of opps, but isnt trusted still to go for any 50 yarders. Against Seattle, he might get more XPs than FGs but still..cmon...he'll get a lot of points. Rackers has been great and versus St Louis he might get his season high. Prediction - Gostowski gets on the field for 6 kicks, bu 4 will be for XPs. Rackers will boot his way to a 15 point day.
FINAL PREDICTION - The WOPs will not get high points from their non-QB position, something scary for a league that places emphasis on that spot. And playing Manning is equally as scary. But every other player on the WOP's should outscore their counterpart on the BU's team. Player bonuses and the #1 seed bonus will be too much for an upset. Final Score - 172 to 135
West Meadows Molesters vs. Huey Ramas
The Molesters have the better record (9-4 to 7-6) but Huey Ramas scored 100+ more points in the regular season. The Molesters hold a 2-0 advantage in head to head matchups during the regular season but can they make it 3-0?
QB -
Cassel v. Cutler - both face a weak pass defense, but cassel holds the juicier matchup, at least on paper, as Seahawks have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks the past five weeks and has the better weapons. And before last week, Cassel was making people consider trading Tom Brady (idiots). Cutler has been inconsistent but has shown his ability to come through with huge games. KC is little better against the pass, but not much. Prediction - Cassel comes through with a slighty better game.
RBs -
Bush / McFadden v. Thomas Jones / SJAX - Bush is still a little rusty and Pierre Thomas has shown he is worthy of stealing some touches. McFadden has 1 good game, but is facing a SD Def that has been less than stellar all year. Thomas Jones was acquired through a late season trade and has been straight cash homey, with 100 yards in 3 of the past 4 games and 6 tds. SJAX has been hurt a lot, but with 21 carries last week, one would think he can continue to do his thing. Prediction - Jones / SJAX both come through with 20+ point games.
WRs -
B. Berrian / Larry Fitzgerald / Harry Douglas v. Roddy White / Amani Toomer / Ted Ginn Jr. - Interesting matchups here; both teams have a stud #1 WR, both have a WR who have been feast of famine all year (berrian / ginn) and both have someone tied to the success of Matt Ryan. The wild card here is "Not A" Toomer. With Burress out for the season, Eli might look to solidify that connection and look his way a lot. Molesters WRs may the better matchups, but Ramas' stronger WR corp will get the looks and probably more points.
TE -
Donald Lee v. Bo Scaife - Neither one of these guys can be considered top flight TE, but scaife at least had some big games. Matchups are pretty neutral and neither are top options for their QB. Prediction - neither get the bonus, but Scaife gets a TD
D/ST
ARI v. TENN - Which one faces the worse QB? Hard to say. But the Titans have been strong all year long. And home against Ken Dorsey? Yikes. Prediction - Titans come through with a near shutout, only allowing a 2nd half FG and grab 30 points.
K -
Elam v. Bironas - Both have been solid all year. Elam plays in a dome in what expects to be a shootout. Bironas might have some tricky winds on the road and the Titans might score some TDs. Prediction - Both grab double digits, but Elam has a season high.
FINAL PREDICTION - The Molesters get the coveted 10 point bonus. It wont matter. Ramas has dropped two 200+ games in the past 4 weeks. He wont get there this week, but his matchups are favorable and his players are consistent enough to take advantage. Final Score - 168 to 140
Hoof Hearted v. Avalon Park Assassins
Same record. 12 points separating them. stud players in multiple positions. last 2 undefeated teams. Its too bad this matchup happens in the 1st round as it probably could be the championship if they were in different conferences. One of these team will have a very disappointing, very short playoff run.
QB -
Romo v. Eli Manning - Romo has lead many a team to great records this year. One of the top QBs in the game, it not unreasonable to expect 300 yards and a few TDs. But this matchup couldn't come at a worse time. Versus a monster PITT Def? on the road? Without Barber? Expecting more than 30 points could be too much. On the flip side, little brother eli has out performed big bother lately, proving better than his mid-season play of game manager. Hoof Hearted could really use a big game again, or at least not worse than the last time he faced Philly. Prediction - Both QBs play good, but nothing crazy. "Even Steven" points-wise.
RBs -
Lynch / Peterson v. Benson / Johnson - If Hoof Hearted is going to beat a tough Assassins, it will come via the RBs. Lynch was average last time he faced Miami but has played better as of late. The matchup of the week is AP versus Detroit. Peterson could blow up for 50+ points - Hoof Hearted will need a big day from AP. He can't afford to mess this up. Benson is an interesting matchup versus a INDY DEF who is easy to run, though Bob Sanders is back. Chris Johnson, great in the beginning, average in the middle, faces an average CLEV def. The potential for a big game is there. Prediction - Both Lynch and AP do what they do and run wild. Benson gets a TD but less than glorious yards. Johnson makes more sparks as potential ROY and grabs 100+ yards but it wont be enough to keep up with AP.
WRs -
Terrell Owens / Greg Jennings / Hines Ward v. Brandon Marshall / Laveranues Coles / Steve Breaston - TO, Jennings and Ward have the potential to go for 3 for 3 on the bonus any given week. Except maybe this week. Tough of matchups for all 3. If anyone of them can get a TD, it would be real nice. Marshall, Coles and Breaston have as much ceiling as the other WR corp, maybe just not the track record. The highlight here is the matchups - all face teams with decent PASS DEF, but horrible team that you can gather yards and TDs in a hurry. Prediction - If it wasnt for the matchups, "THE T.O. GANG" could do some damage. But this week, Assassins can expect some big games.
TEs -
Witten v. Gonzo - Anything less than a stellar game for either TE is sad news. Both have the ability to grab big points, but facing each other, they could just cancel each other out. Prediction - the matchup for witten is tough but could be nice if Romo needs to dump the ball short. Gonzo should win the battle of the points, but not by much.
D/ST -
Cowboys v. Jets - Cowboys will have their hands full with a PITT team on the road. But bad weather could produce some TOs. Jets have been one of the surprises this year, but had a relapse of sorts versus the Broncos in the rain. This week, all they need to do is focus on stopping Gore. Prediction - Neither dominate, but the Cowboys get a few fumbles, giving them the edge.
Ks -
Crosby v. Gould - At home, Crosby has been nice and consistent. Gould is on an offense that has been a little less than. Prediction - Crosby gets a few extra points plus the coveted FGs, making for a double digit day.
FINAL PREDICTION - The game of the week will produce a loser that will not be happy to be leaving after the first round. Hoof Hearted might have the best matchups during the first round. And faces a team with some of the toughest. Hoof Hearted will avenge a regular season loss and move forward. Final Score - 188 to 135
Bradford Brawlers versus Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
Ahhh...it was just last week when TV4P pulled out a squeaker of a victory, which made them 2-0 versus the Brawlers. Pedro has had 2 rough weeks going into the playoffs, posting scores of 111 and 115. Brawlers has been just as consistent; 2 scores of 130+, right after 2 scores of sub 90 points. Who will turn it on for the playoffs?
QBs -
Brees v. Rodgers - It well documented what Brees does for a team; when he is on, its simply awesome. Rodgers has been consistent as above average, regularly posting scores in the 30's and higher. Both have matchups that could be really nice, but...Prediction - Brees dares teams to turn the game into a shootout. In a dome, its tough to not expect Brees to grab 50 points. Rodgers will be good, but Brees will be awesome.
RBs -
Grant / Peyton Hillis v. DeAngelo Williams / Larry Johnson - Grant was the poster child of bust earlier this season. he has been okay recently, but injuries take away any real upside. Hillis has been the poster child of late season pick up wunderkin. Both have matchups that are nice. Every week, DeAngelo was supposed to be replaced. Hasn't happened yet, and wont happen the rest of the season as he has scored 30+ for 4 weeks in a row. When LJ has played, he has actually been okay. When he played Denver last time, he blew up. Could it happen again? Prediction - Williams and LJ are going to somehow combine for 4 TDs. Hillis will drop off, but not as bad as Grant. Not good news for the Brawlers.
WRs -
Calvin Johnson / Davone Bess / Lee Evans v. T.J. Houshmandzadeh / Deion Branch / Santana Moss - Brawlers corp represents some young talent that might be twice as good if they had a decent QB throwing to them. Bess has been great PPR league pickup for this late in the season. CJ might have rough go but is TOO good to completely shut down. Evans is back and forth and frustrates owners with who shows up. Team V4P would have been in good shape in this was 2 years ago. Now? All these WRs are in bad situations, or worse, hurt, and cant be expected to bring much to the table. Prediction - Megatron and company do some good. Luckily, the other WR corps doesn't do much at all.
TEs -
Dallas Clark v. John Carlson - Clark has been in mini slump this year. Carlson has taken some rookie lumps this year, but has shown some great talent too. He blew up last week against the cowboys and Hassleback might look to him again as his new security. Prediction - Clark will get a few catches and a few yards. Nothing special. Carlson should get his 2nd awesome game as a rookie, though it will mostly come at garbage time. But who cares when it comes, as long as it counts.
D/ST -
Broncos v. Chargers - Denver has been plagued by injuries to their main men and have been less than average all year. The Chargers could play the same card, but have been far more disappointing. Drafted as the 1st D/ST then dropped and picked up late, SD has the talent. And this week they face OAK. Which could pay dividends. Prediction - DEN faces a KC team that killed them last time. SD gets an Oakland squad that has played better as of late. Neither will do great, but DEN might not get past 5 points.
Ks -
Brown v. Longwell - Brown seems to get a few chances every game, regardless of opponent. Having AP on your team, gets you at least close to the endzone each drive and Longwell gets to kick in a dome against a horrible team. Guess who scores more this game? Predicition - Brown will get 10 points. AP wont score all the TDs, so Longwell will have more XPs than FGs and will still get double digits and then some.
FINAL PREDICTION - This battle is going to be a close one. Both have good players with good matchups. Both can expect decent overall scores and need better than average games from palyers who havent done much lately (Clark and Deion Branch) The difference will be Brees. If Brees does throws down his usual 50+ point game, it will be too much for TV4P. Final Score - 155 to 147
Bourne Ulceration versus Wings of Pastrami -
This matchup will result in some nice bragging rights for a good 9 months. WOP has been hotter than a pistol, entering the playoffs on a 8 week win streak and the 2nd highest scoring team in the league. The BU's come into the Bid Dance as the only sub .500 team, but ride a wave of 2 impressive weeks of team high scores (followed by a season low) Can the BU's create another perfect storm of scores and upset the WOP's?
QBs -
Frerotte versus Peyton Manning - the WOP's have ridden the Gus Bus a few times this year with average results. Which is what you have to expect, any against a lowly Lions team. Why pass when you can run with AP? That will probably be the case this week too. Manning, as a 1st round pick, has been disappointing. But the regular season doesn't matter and his matchups couldn't be better. A 60 point game (something Peyton hasn't done all year) is not out of reach. BU needs a big one. Prediction - Gus Frerotte doesn't throw in th 2nd half and garners a 23 point game. Manning shows why he is still the best, getting 55 points in an INDY romp.
RBs -
Matt Forte / Steve Slaton v. Lendale White / Portis - The combo of Forte/Slaton has been rookie gold, catapulting the WOPs to the top this year. Both have been strong of late and are true #1 backs on their respective teams. And both face some of the worse rushing DEFs this week in GB and JAX. Expect good things. When White and Portis are good, they are good. In other words, both have the ability to get TDs and 30 point games. The only problem now is that Portis has been hurt the past few weeks and faces a nasty BALT def. And when Lendale isn't eating twinkies, he has been in the end zone, especially last week. But this week, the Titans might lean more on Chris Johnson and leave LenDale on the sidelines with some leftovers. Prediction – Forte and Slaton both run wild and grab the bonus, 4 catches each and a TD each. White gets enough to make him “startable” but plays 2nd fiddle to CJ. Portis toughs it out and gets a TD, but less than 60 yards total.
WRs –
Randy Moss/Reggie Wayne/Steve Smith v. Wes Welker/Lance Moore/Dwayne Bowe - Moss, Wayne and Smith are top 10 WRs and each week have the potential to melt their opponents face off. Their matchups range from awesome to just okay. Each should be get their standard 15 points and at least 1 of them should dominate. Welker and friends have been great for a PPR and each have had streaks of goodness this year. But all 3 of them are coming of poor showings last week. Moderate rebounds should be in the card this week though. Prediction - Moss and Wayne grab the WR headlines of the week, getting the bonus and 3 TDs between them. Smith wont get shutout, but wont do what he did last time against the TAMPA D/ST. Welker can't shake the cobwebs from getting smoked last week, but still Gets 6 catches for 55 yards. Moore ends his streak of TDs but get some good targets. Bowe's outcome depends on if Champ B plays. I say he does and shuts Bowe down.
TEs -
Dustin Keller v. Tony Scheffler - Keller qualifies as someone who is peaking at the best time possible, going from dud to stud just in time for the playoffs. Though SF is tough against TEs, Keller will get a lot of targets since Farve wants to makeout with him and have his babies every week. Or at least it seems that way. Scheffler seems to showup and disappear at random times. He stunk last time he faced KC, but lately, TEs have had some good success. Predication - Keller finds a way to have a decent game; 50 + yards but no TDs. Scheffler decides to play this time and creates a nice day for himself, finding the endzone and 70 yards.
D/ST -
Indy v. TB - The Colts have been the victim of missing Bob Sanders. Oh, and not being that great anyways. Getting Sanders back and facing a horrible CINCIN team will help a whole lot. Tampa has been dominate all year long, rarely not getting a TO or letting in a bunch of points. Prediction - Indy plays better than their season average an sack Fitzpatrick 4 times and get a fumble on thier way to 20 point day. Tampa slows down both DeAngelo and Steve Smith but dont generate the TOs like usual. But another 20+ day is managable.
K's -
Gostkowski v. Rackers - Not as awesome as last year, Gostkowski still gets a lot of opps, but isnt trusted still to go for any 50 yarders. Against Seattle, he might get more XPs than FGs but still..cmon...he'll get a lot of points. Rackers has been great and versus St Louis he might get his season high. Prediction - Gostowski gets on the field for 6 kicks, bu 4 will be for XPs. Rackers will boot his way to a 15 point day.
FINAL PREDICTION - The WOPs will not get high points from their non-QB position, something scary for a league that places emphasis on that spot. And playing Manning is equally as scary. But every other player on the WOP's should outscore their counterpart on the BU's team. Player bonuses and the #1 seed bonus will be too much for an upset. Final Score - 172 to 135
playoff winners - week 1
Wings of Pastrami
Hoof Hearted
Huey Ramas
Bradford Brawlers
Last Week : 5-1
Overall : 35 -19
Hoof Hearted
Huey Ramas
Bradford Brawlers
Last Week : 5-1
Overall : 35 -19
Sunday, November 30, 2008
updated playoff seedings
not to steal Tim's thunder regarding playoff breakdowns, but the National Conference is locked up (correct me if I'm wrong Tim)
#1 West Meadows Molesters (division winner, best record)
#2 Team VOTE 4 PEDRO (division winner)
#3 Bradford Brawlers (best record, won head to head with Huey Ramas)
#4 Huey Ramas (highest points per game average)
the American Conference is waiting on 1 game. Again, correct me if I'm wrong.
If Wings of Pastrami wins, it looks like this -
#1 Wings of Pastrami (division winner, best record)
#2 Avalon Park Assassins (division winner)
#3 Hoof Hearted (best record)
#4 The Bourne Ulceration (highest points per game average)
If Wings of Pastrami loses, it looks like this
#1 Avalon Park Assassins (division winner, won head to head with Hoof Hearted. If that is tie breaker. Division records were tied. If the tie breaker is points per game, APA still gets #1 seed.)
#2 Hoof Hearted (division winner, won head to head with Wings of Pastrami)
#3 Wings of Pastrami (best record)
#4 The Bourne Ulceration (highest points per game average)
#1 West Meadows Molesters (division winner, best record)
#2 Team VOTE 4 PEDRO (division winner)
#3 Bradford Brawlers (best record, won head to head with Huey Ramas)
#4 Huey Ramas (highest points per game average)
the American Conference is waiting on 1 game. Again, correct me if I'm wrong.
If Wings of Pastrami wins, it looks like this -
#1 Wings of Pastrami (division winner, best record)
#2 Avalon Park Assassins (division winner)
#3 Hoof Hearted (best record)
#4 The Bourne Ulceration (highest points per game average)
If Wings of Pastrami loses, it looks like this
#1 Avalon Park Assassins (division winner, won head to head with Hoof Hearted. If that is tie breaker. Division records were tied. If the tie breaker is points per game, APA still gets #1 seed.)
#2 Hoof Hearted (division winner, won head to head with Wings of Pastrami)
#3 Wings of Pastrami (best record)
#4 The Bourne Ulceration (highest points per game average)
Friday, November 28, 2008
week 13 winners
Northeast Narcotics
Fighting Cocks
Hoof Hearted
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
Huey Ramas
West Meadows Molesters
Last Week : 4-2
Overall : 30 - 18
Fighting Cocks
Hoof Hearted
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
Huey Ramas
West Meadows Molesters
Last Week : 4-2
Overall : 30 - 18
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
six of one, half dozen of another
I just wanted to see how the season scoring broke down in "halfs"
Wings of Pastrami
Weeks 1 - 6 points scored: 857.7 (142.9 average)
Weeks 7 - 12 points scored: 858.5 (143.1 average)
pretty consistent huh? Hilarious. The trades I made didnt really improve my team during the regular season. I just hope that they make a difference in the playoffs. Before my last week outburst, my average was 134.9 through the 5 games before that.
Bourne Ulceration
Weeks 1 - 6 points scored: 745.5 (124.25 average)
Weeks 7 - 12 points scored: 858.5 (145.1 average)
BU has improved 20 points in the second half of the season. That bodes well moving into the playoffs. Just an FYI - your scoring average BEFORE these last 2 weeks of great scores was 122.6.
Wings of Pastrami
Weeks 1 - 6 points scored: 857.7 (142.9 average)
Weeks 7 - 12 points scored: 858.5 (143.1 average)
pretty consistent huh? Hilarious. The trades I made didnt really improve my team during the regular season. I just hope that they make a difference in the playoffs. Before my last week outburst, my average was 134.9 through the 5 games before that.
Bourne Ulceration
Weeks 1 - 6 points scored: 745.5 (124.25 average)
Weeks 7 - 12 points scored: 858.5 (145.1 average)
BU has improved 20 points in the second half of the season. That bodes well moving into the playoffs. Just an FYI - your scoring average BEFORE these last 2 weeks of great scores was 122.6.
Playoff Update -- Week 13
Things have cleared up a little in both conferences, with spots, if not seeds, being somewhat solidified. With no further adieu, I present to you the current playoff picture:
American Conference
#1: Wings of Pastrami (10-2)
#2: Avalon Park Assassins (10-2)
#3: Hoof Hearted (9-3)
#4: Bourne Ulcerations (134.7 ppg)
National Conference
#1: West Meadows Molesters (8-4)
#2: Team Vote 4 Pedro (7-5, 1-0 vs. Brawlers)
#3: Bradford Brawlers (7-5)
#4: Huey Ramas (127.3 ppg)
Hoof Hearted is the only team currently locked into a seed. For all intents and purposes, the Ulcerations are locked into the 4th seed in the AC, as they are up 152.1 points on the next closest team, EGB. The Ramas, too, look fairly assured of the 4th seed in the NC, courtesy of their 36.3- point advantage over the Narcotics. (It should be noted, though, that the difference between their two scores this last week was 36.7, so this thing ain't over, yet.)
In the NC, we have a huge game this week between the Brawlers and Team Pedro, with the winner taking the division. If the Molesters lose and the Brawlers win, the Brawlers get the top seed via a H2H win over the Molesters in Week 5. If Team Pedro wins, the Molesters are the top seed no matter what, via their H2H win last week against Team Pedro. So the Molesters have more than just sibling rivalry as an excuse to root against the Brawlers this week.
American Conference
#1: Wings of Pastrami (10-2)
#2: Avalon Park Assassins (10-2)
#3: Hoof Hearted (9-3)
#4: Bourne Ulcerations (134.7 ppg)
National Conference
#1: West Meadows Molesters (8-4)
#2: Team Vote 4 Pedro (7-5, 1-0 vs. Brawlers)
#3: Bradford Brawlers (7-5)
#4: Huey Ramas (127.3 ppg)
Hoof Hearted is the only team currently locked into a seed. For all intents and purposes, the Ulcerations are locked into the 4th seed in the AC, as they are up 152.1 points on the next closest team, EGB. The Ramas, too, look fairly assured of the 4th seed in the NC, courtesy of their 36.3- point advantage over the Narcotics. (It should be noted, though, that the difference between their two scores this last week was 36.7, so this thing ain't over, yet.)
In the NC, we have a huge game this week between the Brawlers and Team Pedro, with the winner taking the division. If the Molesters lose and the Brawlers win, the Brawlers get the top seed via a H2H win over the Molesters in Week 5. If Team Pedro wins, the Molesters are the top seed no matter what, via their H2H win last week against Team Pedro. So the Molesters have more than just sibling rivalry as an excuse to root against the Brawlers this week.
Friday, November 21, 2008
week 12 weiners
Wings of Pastrami
Avalon Park Assassins
Bradford Brawlers
The Bourne Ulceration
Floating Turtleheads
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
Last week: 5-1
Overall: 26-16
Avalon Park Assassins
Bradford Brawlers
The Bourne Ulceration
Floating Turtleheads
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
Last week: 5-1
Overall: 26-16
Thursday, November 20, 2008
MVPs for each team
Not just the highest scorer (though it could be) but the player that combined with draft pick value, week-to-week consistency, rising to new heights, making for a injured player, etc. Who was vital to the team's success. Or for those teams that suck, who was the bright spot that made them feel good each week.
Wings of Pastrami - Matt Forte. maybe a few options, forte has zero games under 10 points and has secured a spot on the "never bench" list. Because of his involvement in the Bears' passing game, this rookie has been a more than solid player after MJ Drew has been up and down and turner was traded. Also nice is that he never splits carries in a league where the dreaded RBBC is getting more common.
Hoof Hearted - Adrian Peterson. The most dangerous non-QB fantasy player with our scoring system. Has 30+ 4 games this year and strikes fear in every opponent as he can crush any team by himself. One complaint - could catch more balls.
Estelle Getty's Boobs - Andre Johnson. Cooled down as of late, Johnson had an incredible run of 6 weeks that, if nothing else, got the boobs to decent scores and kept him in the playoff race. If schaub hadn't gotten hurt, you can only wonder what would have been...
Avalon Park Assassins - Marion Barber. A few options maybe, but Barber has only only 2 games less than 10 points. In a season with many RBs that have been disappointing, his consistency, mixed with some really nice highs scores makes him the no-brainer starter.
The Bourne Ulceration - Dwayne Bowe. Tough not to pick clinton portis (he is the #1 RB), but Bowe was picked as the backup #4 WR for this squad and will probably end the year as the best of the bunch. He has never "blown" up due to a weak KC offense, Bowe has delivered consistency to a position that has been tough for the BU all year.
Fighting Cocks - Kurt Warner. Though he traded for him, Warner has single-handedly kept him in games or won him weeks. It took a a bold move to get him, but it paid off in terms of points scored.
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO - Aaron Rogers. Acquired after week 2, Rogers has had no stinkers and 6 games over 30 points (2 over 50 points). He may be better in fantasy than in real life, his weapons allow him to have at least a good week and an above average game without really trying.
Bradford Brawlers - Drew Brees. Breaking records and the main reason bradford is still in the playoff race. Simply put, no other teams success depends on 1 player more than brees. With an incredible 6 games of 50+ points, Brees is only paced by one other QB (warner), the best of the bunch for a position critical to success in our league.
Northeast Narcotics - Frank Gore. Some predicted a drop-off in production. Some thought he would suffer with Mike Martz. But so far, so good. With only 1 bad week (7.6 points) has been a solid start even when not hitting the bonus, with 6 tds so far.
West Meadows Molesters - Larry Fitgerald. the #1 WR to boot, he also has 5 bonus game and not game under 10 points. Probably 1 of 2 WRs in Fantasy you would never ever bench.
Huey Ramas - Jay Cutler. Two games of 68 points show what he can do when the leash is off. Has hit the bonus 50% of games played. not too shabby for the QB HR selected as his backup.
Floating Turtleheads - Anquan Boldin. When he plays, he is money. No single digit games all year, Boldin has 5 games over 25 points, amazing for a WR (especially, with no bonus for 10 catches). He 10 TDs has been pretty sweet; for this year anyways.
Wings of Pastrami - Matt Forte. maybe a few options, forte has zero games under 10 points and has secured a spot on the "never bench" list. Because of his involvement in the Bears' passing game, this rookie has been a more than solid player after MJ Drew has been up and down and turner was traded. Also nice is that he never splits carries in a league where the dreaded RBBC is getting more common.
Hoof Hearted - Adrian Peterson. The most dangerous non-QB fantasy player with our scoring system. Has 30+ 4 games this year and strikes fear in every opponent as he can crush any team by himself. One complaint - could catch more balls.
Estelle Getty's Boobs - Andre Johnson. Cooled down as of late, Johnson had an incredible run of 6 weeks that, if nothing else, got the boobs to decent scores and kept him in the playoff race. If schaub hadn't gotten hurt, you can only wonder what would have been...
Avalon Park Assassins - Marion Barber. A few options maybe, but Barber has only only 2 games less than 10 points. In a season with many RBs that have been disappointing, his consistency, mixed with some really nice highs scores makes him the no-brainer starter.
The Bourne Ulceration - Dwayne Bowe. Tough not to pick clinton portis (he is the #1 RB), but Bowe was picked as the backup #4 WR for this squad and will probably end the year as the best of the bunch. He has never "blown" up due to a weak KC offense, Bowe has delivered consistency to a position that has been tough for the BU all year.
Fighting Cocks - Kurt Warner. Though he traded for him, Warner has single-handedly kept him in games or won him weeks. It took a a bold move to get him, but it paid off in terms of points scored.
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO - Aaron Rogers. Acquired after week 2, Rogers has had no stinkers and 6 games over 30 points (2 over 50 points). He may be better in fantasy than in real life, his weapons allow him to have at least a good week and an above average game without really trying.
Bradford Brawlers - Drew Brees. Breaking records and the main reason bradford is still in the playoff race. Simply put, no other teams success depends on 1 player more than brees. With an incredible 6 games of 50+ points, Brees is only paced by one other QB (warner), the best of the bunch for a position critical to success in our league.
Northeast Narcotics - Frank Gore. Some predicted a drop-off in production. Some thought he would suffer with Mike Martz. But so far, so good. With only 1 bad week (7.6 points) has been a solid start even when not hitting the bonus, with 6 tds so far.
West Meadows Molesters - Larry Fitgerald. the #1 WR to boot, he also has 5 bonus game and not game under 10 points. Probably 1 of 2 WRs in Fantasy you would never ever bench.
Huey Ramas - Jay Cutler. Two games of 68 points show what he can do when the leash is off. Has hit the bonus 50% of games played. not too shabby for the QB HR selected as his backup.
Floating Turtleheads - Anquan Boldin. When he plays, he is money. No single digit games all year, Boldin has 5 games over 25 points, amazing for a WR (especially, with no bonus for 10 catches). He 10 TDs has been pretty sweet; for this year anyways.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
An Enigma Wrapped in a Riddle and Smothered in a Speacial Sauce: The National Conference Playoff Picture
If the American Conference is fairly well settled, the National Conference will go down to the wire with some exciting matchups in the regular season's last two weeks. It makes my head hurt thinking about the possible W/L combinations and the seeds that go with them, but here is an attempt at a breakdown:
Team Vote 4 Pedro - Currently holds the #1 seed, but anything can happen. If Team Pedro goes undefeated in the final two weeks, they hold the top spot. There is a scenario where Team Pedro misses the playoffs altogether. (This happens if they finish the year 7-6, the Brawlers finish 8-5 or better, the Molesters finish 7-6 or better, and the Ramas finish 7-6 or better and continue to outscore Team Pedro.)
Most intriguing matchup remaining: Both weeks. Week 12 against the Molesters will likely determine who gets the top spot in the NC and the 10-point bonus that comes with it, even though there is an outside chance the Ramas could still capture the #1 seed. Week 13 against the Brawlers could determine the division winner and its secured playoff spot.
West Meadows Molesters – This team currently holds the #2 seed. Of all of the NC playoff contenders, the Molesters have the lowest average score, meaning there’s a chance they could miss the post-season if they stumble. However, they need just one win in the last two games to secure a divisional title and the playoff spot.
Most intriguing matchup remaining: Week 12 against Team Pedro.
Bradford Brawlers – This team is the current #3 seed, but is being attacked on all sides (their record and their average score). The team is in the playoffs right now via a H2H win against the Ramas, but if they ultimately finish with a record worse than the Ramas and can’t catch the Narcotics in total points, they would miss the playoffs. Amazingly, if this team wins out and Team Pedro drops their final two contests, the Brawlers could slide all the way up to the #1 seed, courtesy of a H2H win over the Molesters. Bottom line: This team should be rooting against the Ramas.
Most intriguing matchup remaining: Both weeks. While the Week 13 contest could decide the division winner, the Week 12 contest against the Narcotics might be more important, even if that importance is related to the two teams’ scores rather than the actual W/L outcome. The Brawlers needs to make up a little ground on the Narcotics in the scoring department, and this H2H matchup will make it easy for them to scoreboard watch.
Huey Ramas – This team is the current #4 seed based on average score. However, there is a scenario where they could still capture the #1 seed. (They win out, Team Pedro finishes 8-5, and the Molesters finish 7-6.) This is the highest scoring team in the NC, so their playoff spot looks pretty safe, it’s just a matter of finding out where they finish.
Most intriguing matchup remaining: Week 13 against the Assassins. It’s the two divisions’ highest scoring teams going H2H. The Assassins are still hoping for a #1 seed, too, so a loss here would hinder, if not completely extinguish, that goal.
Northeast Narcotics – This team is currently not in the playoffs, but was in as recently as last week. Since they hold a higher scoring average than the current #3 seed Brawlers, they should be the Ramas biggest fans, as they need the Ramas to steal that #3 seed based on record. There is no scenario where this team gets in on record.
Most intriguing matchup remaining: Week 12 against the Brawlers.
Floating Turtleheads – This team is currently not in the playoffs. This doesn’t mean the Turtleheads have nothing to play for, though. Their remaining games are against teams very much in the thick of things (the Ramas and the Molesters), so they could wreak havoc. Also, a win or two might prevent the Turtleheads from having to pony up someone's entry fee next year, as they only trail EGB by one game and they own the potential “cellar-dweller” tiebreak over the Cocks with their H2H win.
Most intriguing matchup remaining: Week 13 against the Molesters. A Molester’s win over Team Pedro in Week 12 makes this matchup much less significant, but if the Molesters have to have a win in Week 13 to make the playoffs (a possible scenario), the Turtleheads could be the ultimate spoiler.
It's All Over But the Seeding: The American Conference Playoff Picture
With the exception of the ever-changing 4th seed, the playoff picture is pretty much settled in the American Conference, and even that 4th spot looks a little more secure with the Ulcerations nearly 200-point outing last week. Below is a breakdown of the current American Conference playoff picture going into the final two weeks.
Wings of Pastrami – This team has secured a playoff spot and currently has the #1 seed. There are a number of scenarios that could put them anywhere from the 1 seed to the 3 seed. Their magic number to clinch the #1 seed over Dan is 2, while their magic number over Kent is 1.
Most intriguing remaining matchup: None, really. The Week 12 matchup against EGB puts some divisional bragging rights on the line, but not much at stake from the WOP’s standpoint.
Avalon Park Assassins – Has a playoff spot secured and can do no worse than the #2 seed courtesy of its divisional title. The team could regain the #1 seed if it finishes with a better 2-game record in the last two weeks than WOP.
Most intriguing remaining matchup: Week 13 against the Ramas. The Ramas are likely in the playoffs no matter what, but there’s a chance a division title could be on the line between two new owners in the National Division 2 as the Molesters try to hang on, so the outcome of the Assassins-Ramas game could be significant.
Hoof Hearted – Has a playoff spot secured and can do no worse than the #3 seed, which it currently occupies. A #1 seed is still possible if the team finishes with a better 2-game record than the Assassins and the WOP. Like the Assassins, this team will be watching the standings rather than the scoreboard the last two weeks.
Most intriguing remaining matchup: None, really. Individual scores and the results will be significant, but nothing really hinges on the individual outcomes of this team’s remaining two games.
Bourne Ulcerations – This team is the current #4 seed based on average score, and is the only team currently in the playoffs to not have a spot sewn up. There is no scenario where this team could get better than the #4 seed. The Ulcers lead EGB by a total of 67.3 points and the Cocks by 118.2 points. Theoretically, these three teams all share playoff hopes. Practically, it’s going to take a big effort by either of the two who are currently on the outside looking in.
Most intriguing remaining matchup: Week 13 against the Cocks. Depending upon the Cocks' performance in Week 12, there’s an outside chance this matchup has playoff implications that hinge on the two teams’ scores rather than the actual W/L result.
Estelle Getty’s Boobs – This team is not currently in, but one big week could change that.
Most intriguing remaining matchup: Week 12 against the WOP. A natural rivalry, with both owners being in Alaska, this matchup is only mildly intriguing. If the Boobs don’t make the playoffs, they can still play spoiler and help sabotage the WOP’s hopes of a #1 seed.
Fighting Cocks – This team is not currently in, and it would take a minor miracle to change this.
Most intriguing matchup remaining: Week 13 against the Ulcerations. As mentioned above, there’s a sliver of a chance that this game has playoff implications. At the very least, there’s a chance this matchup determines who finishes in the division cellar. It should be noted that both of the Cocks' final two games are against divisional opponents, so there's some natural intrigue there.
Wings of Pastrami – This team has secured a playoff spot and currently has the #1 seed. There are a number of scenarios that could put them anywhere from the 1 seed to the 3 seed. Their magic number to clinch the #1 seed over Dan is 2, while their magic number over Kent is 1.
Most intriguing remaining matchup: None, really. The Week 12 matchup against EGB puts some divisional bragging rights on the line, but not much at stake from the WOP’s standpoint.
Avalon Park Assassins – Has a playoff spot secured and can do no worse than the #2 seed courtesy of its divisional title. The team could regain the #1 seed if it finishes with a better 2-game record in the last two weeks than WOP.
Most intriguing remaining matchup: Week 13 against the Ramas. The Ramas are likely in the playoffs no matter what, but there’s a chance a division title could be on the line between two new owners in the National Division 2 as the Molesters try to hang on, so the outcome of the Assassins-Ramas game could be significant.
Hoof Hearted – Has a playoff spot secured and can do no worse than the #3 seed, which it currently occupies. A #1 seed is still possible if the team finishes with a better 2-game record than the Assassins and the WOP. Like the Assassins, this team will be watching the standings rather than the scoreboard the last two weeks.
Most intriguing remaining matchup: None, really. Individual scores and the results will be significant, but nothing really hinges on the individual outcomes of this team’s remaining two games.
Bourne Ulcerations – This team is the current #4 seed based on average score, and is the only team currently in the playoffs to not have a spot sewn up. There is no scenario where this team could get better than the #4 seed. The Ulcers lead EGB by a total of 67.3 points and the Cocks by 118.2 points. Theoretically, these three teams all share playoff hopes. Practically, it’s going to take a big effort by either of the two who are currently on the outside looking in.
Most intriguing remaining matchup: Week 13 against the Cocks. Depending upon the Cocks' performance in Week 12, there’s an outside chance this matchup has playoff implications that hinge on the two teams’ scores rather than the actual W/L result.
Estelle Getty’s Boobs – This team is not currently in, but one big week could change that.
Most intriguing remaining matchup: Week 12 against the WOP. A natural rivalry, with both owners being in Alaska, this matchup is only mildly intriguing. If the Boobs don’t make the playoffs, they can still play spoiler and help sabotage the WOP’s hopes of a #1 seed.
Fighting Cocks – This team is not currently in, and it would take a minor miracle to change this.
Most intriguing matchup remaining: Week 13 against the Ulcerations. As mentioned above, there’s a sliver of a chance that this game has playoff implications. At the very least, there’s a chance this matchup determines who finishes in the division cellar. It should be noted that both of the Cocks' final two games are against divisional opponents, so there's some natural intrigue there.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Playoff Update -- Week 12
With two regular season weeks left, Fantasy Goodness is prepared to call three teams playoff eligible. The top three teams in the American Conference are a lock for the playoffs; it's just seeds that are left to be determined. There are a lot of intriguing storylines as the playoffs approach, but first, let's take a look at the playoff picture as of today:
American Conference
1) Wings of Pastrami -- 9-2 (H2H win over Avalon Park Assassins)
2) Avalon Park Assassins -- 9-2
3) Hoof Hearted -- 8-3
4) Bourne Ulceration -- 130.5 ppg
National Conference
1) Team Vote 4 Pedro -- 7-4
2) West Meadows Molesters -- 7-4
3) Bradford Brawlers -- 6-5 (H2H win over Huey Ramas)
4) Huey Ramas -- 132.1 ppg
While the top three seeds in the AC are locked, there’s still a chance Hoof Hearted could win the division. If HH and WOP share a W/L record, HH gets the tiebreak courtesy of a 2-0 H2H record. The worse the Assassins could do is the #2 seed, since they have the division sewn up. The Ulcerations took a big step towards securing their fantasy fate with a 91.4 point victory over the Boobs, leaving BU 67.3 points ahead of the Boobs with two weeks left.
In the NC, after a nice one-week stay in the playoff picture, the Narcotics are bounced as the Brawlers victory over the Ramas put them back in the playoffs as the WC based on record. The Ramas slid back to the #4 seed, but their spot in the playoffs looks pretty solid with a high average score and a decent record.
I'll put up another post soon discussing the many interesting developments regarding the playoff picture.
American Conference
1) Wings of Pastrami -- 9-2 (H2H win over Avalon Park Assassins)
2) Avalon Park Assassins -- 9-2
3) Hoof Hearted -- 8-3
4) Bourne Ulceration -- 130.5 ppg
National Conference
1) Team Vote 4 Pedro -- 7-4
2) West Meadows Molesters -- 7-4
3) Bradford Brawlers -- 6-5 (H2H win over Huey Ramas)
4) Huey Ramas -- 132.1 ppg
While the top three seeds in the AC are locked, there’s still a chance Hoof Hearted could win the division. If HH and WOP share a W/L record, HH gets the tiebreak courtesy of a 2-0 H2H record. The worse the Assassins could do is the #2 seed, since they have the division sewn up. The Ulcerations took a big step towards securing their fantasy fate with a 91.4 point victory over the Boobs, leaving BU 67.3 points ahead of the Boobs with two weeks left.
In the NC, after a nice one-week stay in the playoff picture, the Narcotics are bounced as the Brawlers victory over the Ramas put them back in the playoffs as the WC based on record. The Ramas slid back to the #4 seed, but their spot in the playoffs looks pretty solid with a high average score and a decent record.
I'll put up another post soon discussing the many interesting developments regarding the playoff picture.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Week 11 winners
Wings of Pastrami
Fighting Cocks
Bradford Brawlers
Northeast Narcotics
The Bourne Ulceration
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
LAST WEEK: 4-2
OVERALL: 21-15
Fighting Cocks
Bradford Brawlers
Northeast Narcotics
The Bourne Ulceration
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
LAST WEEK: 4-2
OVERALL: 21-15
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
regarding playoff schedules
a few nuggets from espn fantasy regarding good and bad fantasy playoff schedules -
*it's almost unfair that Brady Quinn, Daunte Culpepper and Ryan Fitzpatrick face the hardest schedules from here on out. If you were still hoping that Braylon Edwards would come around, forget about it.
*Peyton Manning's down year ends now. His next five weeks are a gift to his fantasy owners as he faces Houston, San Diego, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit. If you own the combo platter of Manning and Wayne, you are looking at a deep run in the fantasy playoffs.
*if somehow the team that took Randy Moss in the first round of your league still has a prayer at making the playoffs, I'd be hoping against hope that he's not on your side of the bracket.
*If Tory Holt doesn't become relevant again within the next two weeks, feel free to cut him. It's a last stand for fantasy relevance for him.
*it's almost unfair that Brady Quinn, Daunte Culpepper and Ryan Fitzpatrick face the hardest schedules from here on out. If you were still hoping that Braylon Edwards would come around, forget about it.
*Peyton Manning's down year ends now. His next five weeks are a gift to his fantasy owners as he faces Houston, San Diego, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Detroit. If you own the combo platter of Manning and Wayne, you are looking at a deep run in the fantasy playoffs.
*if somehow the team that took Randy Moss in the first round of your league still has a prayer at making the playoffs, I'd be hoping against hope that he's not on your side of the bracket.
*If Tory Holt doesn't become relevant again within the next two weeks, feel free to cut him. It's a last stand for fantasy relevance for him.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Playoff Update -- Week 11
Some more changes to the ever-evolving playoff race:
American Conference
1) Avalon Park Assassins -- 9-1
2) Wings of Pastrami -- 8-2
3) Hoof Hearted -- 7-3
4) Estelle Getty's Boobs -- Avg. score = 126 ppg
National Conference
1) West Meadows Molesters -- 7-3
2) Team Vote 4 Pedro -- 6-4
3) Huey Ramas -- 6-4
4) Northeast Narcotics -- Avg. score = 124.8 ppg
The Boobs increased their cushion as the 4th seed in the AC and now hold that spot by 23.6 points over the Ulcerations. After two weeks of impressive scores, the Cocks also lost ground and now stand 88.4 points behind the Boobs. While there may be some jockeying among the top three spots, the three teams in the playoffs based on record are pretty much established in the AC. Of importance is that Hoof Hearted owns the tiebreak over WOP, should WOP stumble at all down the stretch. Also, as the WOP continue to win, they're putting more pressure on the Assassins for that #1 spot and the first-round point advantage that comes with it.
In the National Conference, courtesy of a 180-point explosion, the Narcotics have busted onto the scene as the Brawlers have dropped out. The Narcotics currently hold a 6 point advantage over the Brawlers, but all of these spots are tenuous. (Think the Narcotics could use the extra 10 points they lost when Gore got stuffed on Monday night?) The Ramas and Team Pedro are probably the closest things to locks, as their average scores should keep them in contention if they falter in the W-L department. The team who should be looking over their shoulder is, ironically, the #1 seed Molesters. Every team in Division 1 has a higher average score, so should the Ramas pass them in record, the Molesters would be on the outside looking in. Luckily for them, they own the tiebreak with the Ramas via their 2-0 H2H record against them.
American Conference
1) Avalon Park Assassins -- 9-1
2) Wings of Pastrami -- 8-2
3) Hoof Hearted -- 7-3
4) Estelle Getty's Boobs -- Avg. score = 126 ppg
National Conference
1) West Meadows Molesters -- 7-3
2) Team Vote 4 Pedro -- 6-4
3) Huey Ramas -- 6-4
4) Northeast Narcotics -- Avg. score = 124.8 ppg
The Boobs increased their cushion as the 4th seed in the AC and now hold that spot by 23.6 points over the Ulcerations. After two weeks of impressive scores, the Cocks also lost ground and now stand 88.4 points behind the Boobs. While there may be some jockeying among the top three spots, the three teams in the playoffs based on record are pretty much established in the AC. Of importance is that Hoof Hearted owns the tiebreak over WOP, should WOP stumble at all down the stretch. Also, as the WOP continue to win, they're putting more pressure on the Assassins for that #1 spot and the first-round point advantage that comes with it.
In the National Conference, courtesy of a 180-point explosion, the Narcotics have busted onto the scene as the Brawlers have dropped out. The Narcotics currently hold a 6 point advantage over the Brawlers, but all of these spots are tenuous. (Think the Narcotics could use the extra 10 points they lost when Gore got stuffed on Monday night?) The Ramas and Team Pedro are probably the closest things to locks, as their average scores should keep them in contention if they falter in the W-L department. The team who should be looking over their shoulder is, ironically, the #1 seed Molesters. Every team in Division 1 has a higher average score, so should the Ramas pass them in record, the Molesters would be on the outside looking in. Luckily for them, they own the tiebreak with the Ramas via their 2-0 H2H record against them.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Potential Keepers
Here's a list of attractive keepers for each team. For those teams whose keeper was questionable, I listed a few:
Estelle Getty's Boobs: Matt Ryan (13th round)
Avalon Park Assassins: Chris Johnson (13th round)
Team Vote 4 Pedro: Jake Delhomme (10th round)
Huey Ramas: Jay Cutler (8th round)
Wings of Pastrami: Steve Slaton (14th round)
Bourne Ulcerations: Ronnie Brown (8th round); Dwayne Bowe (6th round)
NE Narcotics: Eddie Royal (14th round)
Floating Turtleheads: Brandon Jacobs (6th round); Felix Jones (9th round)
Hoof Hearted: Tim Hightower (10th round -- FA addition); Adrian Peterson (1st round -- this year's keeper)
Fighting Cocks: Chad Pennington (13th round); Brian Westbrook (1st round -- this year's keeper)
Bradford Brawlers: Drew Brees (2nd round); Ray Rice (10th round); Donnie Avery (18th round)
WM Molesters: Phillip Rivers (9th round); Darren McFadden (3rd round)
Estelle Getty's Boobs: Matt Ryan (13th round)
Avalon Park Assassins: Chris Johnson (13th round)
Team Vote 4 Pedro: Jake Delhomme (10th round)
Huey Ramas: Jay Cutler (8th round)
Wings of Pastrami: Steve Slaton (14th round)
Bourne Ulcerations: Ronnie Brown (8th round); Dwayne Bowe (6th round)
NE Narcotics: Eddie Royal (14th round)
Floating Turtleheads: Brandon Jacobs (6th round); Felix Jones (9th round)
Hoof Hearted: Tim Hightower (10th round -- FA addition); Adrian Peterson (1st round -- this year's keeper)
Fighting Cocks: Chad Pennington (13th round); Brian Westbrook (1st round -- this year's keeper)
Bradford Brawlers: Drew Brees (2nd round); Ray Rice (10th round); Donnie Avery (18th round)
WM Molesters: Phillip Rivers (9th round); Darren McFadden (3rd round)
Friday, November 7, 2008
week 10 winners
Wings of Pastrami
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
Fighting Cocks
Bradford Brawlers
Avalon Park Assassins
Huey Ramas
Last week:4-2
Overall:17-13
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
Fighting Cocks
Bradford Brawlers
Avalon Park Assassins
Huey Ramas
Last week:4-2
Overall:17-13
players starting this week that probably shouldn't be
Mark Bradley
John Carlson
Darren Sproles
Visanthe Shiancoe
Rams HC
Bobby Engram
Steve Breaston
Braylon Edwards
David Garrard
Ted Ginn Jr.
Robert Royal
John Carlson
Darren Sproles
Visanthe Shiancoe
Rams HC
Bobby Engram
Steve Breaston
Braylon Edwards
David Garrard
Ted Ginn Jr.
Robert Royal
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Playoff Update -- Week 10
Now that I've been straightened out regarding the proper playoff format (gee, you'd think I'd remember that after nearly a decade in the league -- speaking of which, how long have we been a league? Are we celebrating 10 years, yet?), here are the updated playoff standings.
American Conference
1: Avalon Park Assassins (Division 2 winner, best record)
2: Wings of Pastrami (Division 1 winner, 2nd best record)
3: Hoof Hearted (WC based on record)
4: Estelle Getty's Boobs (WC based on avg. score)
National Conference
1: West Meadows Molesters (Division 2 winnner; best record)
2: Team Vote 4 Pedro (Division 1 winner, 2nd best record via 1-0 record against Bradford Brawlers)
3: Bradford Brawlers (WC based on record -- same record as Huey Ramas, no H2H matchup, yet, and has a higher avg. score than the Ramas)
4: Huey Ramas (WC based on avg. score)
American Conference
1: Avalon Park Assassins (Division 2 winner, best record)
2: Wings of Pastrami (Division 1 winner, 2nd best record)
3: Hoof Hearted (WC based on record)
4: Estelle Getty's Boobs (WC based on avg. score)
National Conference
1: West Meadows Molesters (Division 2 winnner; best record)
2: Team Vote 4 Pedro (Division 1 winner, 2nd best record via 1-0 record against Bradford Brawlers)
3: Bradford Brawlers (WC based on record -- same record as Huey Ramas, no H2H matchup, yet, and has a higher avg. score than the Ramas)
4: Huey Ramas (WC based on avg. score)
- The Ulcerations have dropped out of the playoff picture with this update and now trail EGB by 14.5 points in the avg. score department.
- The 3 and 4 slots with the National Division will likely be decided by the H2H matchup in Week 11. This isn't real significant, since the odds of both of these teams making the playoffs is good, but the 4 seed must face the 1 seed, which gets a point-advantage.
- With a modest 2-game winning streak, the Narcotics have put themselves back in the playoff hunt, record-wise. (They're 43.5 points behind the Ramas, so they've got work to do, point-wise.) Unfortunately, they're 0-3 within the division so far, so tie-break scenarios look bleak.
A Story About a Man Named Brady
Well, I nabbed Quinn off of the waiver wire. With Peyton playing much better as of late and having a history of durability, I'm not sure I see Quinn starting much, if at all, for me this season. Quinn's most promising matchup probably comes this week against a Broncos team that has given up the fifth most fantasy points to QBs. Given that Manning faces a Pittsburgh defense this week, it's tempting to pencil Quinn in, but I'd feel more comfortable seeing him play a whole regular-season game before I trust him in my lineup.
It may be quite presumptuous to look that far ahead, but Quinn's playoff schedule isn't doing him any favors, either.* He faces Tennessee, Philly, and Cincy in the three weeks of our playoffs, while Manning gets Cincy, Detroit, and Jacksonville, so there's not much chance he starts in any of those weeks.
*This is even more presumptuous considering I'm not even a playoff team right now. I still feel good about my chances, but that's for a different post.
No, this move isn't likely to pay many immediate dividends.* But my thinking was several-fold. First, given the Browns' weapons (which I think are still there, even if they haven't performed well this year), Quinn could be a really good QB this year. In a league where depth at QB is thin, it would be nice to have a contingency plan.
*I suppose I do have until the end of the week if I want to move him in a trade, so he might bring an immediate dividend were that to happen.
Quinn is also a decent keeper candidate now. If he performs as well as Anderson last year, getting him at the cost of a 10th round pick is a bargain.
The move was a bit of defense as well. Some of the leading teams might be in the hunt for QB help, and I viewed this as a way of blocking potential moves. Below is the current QB situation for some of the top teams in the league:
It may be quite presumptuous to look that far ahead, but Quinn's playoff schedule isn't doing him any favors, either.* He faces Tennessee, Philly, and Cincy in the three weeks of our playoffs, while Manning gets Cincy, Detroit, and Jacksonville, so there's not much chance he starts in any of those weeks.
*This is even more presumptuous considering I'm not even a playoff team right now. I still feel good about my chances, but that's for a different post.
No, this move isn't likely to pay many immediate dividends.* But my thinking was several-fold. First, given the Browns' weapons (which I think are still there, even if they haven't performed well this year), Quinn could be a really good QB this year. In a league where depth at QB is thin, it would be nice to have a contingency plan.
*I suppose I do have until the end of the week if I want to move him in a trade, so he might bring an immediate dividend were that to happen.
Quinn is also a decent keeper candidate now. If he performs as well as Anderson last year, getting him at the cost of a 10th round pick is a bargain.
The move was a bit of defense as well. Some of the leading teams might be in the hunt for QB help, and I viewed this as a way of blocking potential moves. Below is the current QB situation for some of the top teams in the league:
- The Assassins are waiting out the Romo injury, but he'll probably be back after the bye, so help is on the way. The Cowboys have not been good without him, but there's little reason to believe they won't right the ship when he returns. If they don't, Quinn would have been an attrative option.
- The WOP have been successful playing the matchups, but the team is carrying four healthy QBs right now (and one on IR) and might like to pare that down with one competent QB (which we are admittedly not sure Quinn is, yet).
- Hoof Hearted is skeptical enough about Eli Manning that they started Ryan Fitzpatrick a few weeks ago. Fitzpatrick is no longer on the team's roster, but JaMarcus Russell, he of the 2.2 point game last week, still is.
- Estelle Getty's Boobs have the inconsistent Brett Favre on the roster, and as of now, the team has Matt Ryan starting this week. Both of those QBs are fine options, but both are inconsistent.
I don't know if any of these other teams put in waiver claims for Quinn, but I'd like to think that it was worth using my #2 waiver priority to grab him.
Finally, if Quinn does make a splash, I have the Quinn-to-Edwards connection that can make for some sweet fantasy scores. One of my first seasons in this league I had Manning and Harrison, and it was fun to watch those two put up big scores together.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
trades
This season, our league has been pretty active on the trading. I have made 6 (yes 6) trades this season and ever team has at least 1. Lets take a peek and judge my 6 starting with the most recent-
1)
RICH traded Kevin Curtis, Phi WR to Pastrami
WOP traded Ben Roethlisberger, Pit QB to Brawlers
*I wanted to get rid of Roethlisburger in the worst. Granted I was trying to move him at after a stinker of a game, but I thought the trade deadline was soon approaching and was willing to move him for 50 cents on the dollar. I targeted WRs and D/st who I thought would have really big 2nd halfs that were so far disappointing. I was happy to get Curtis, whose schedule is nice and will be a great 4th WR or even a decent enough replacement if one of my 3 studs gets hurt. And I also am putting a lot of stock into Garrard, Schaub, and Ferotte - Crap, who would thought I would be saying that in the pre-season? Will see how this plays out.
2)
PATE traded Steve Smith, Car WR to Pastrami
WOP traded Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ WR to Cocks
WOP traded Michael Turner, Atl RB to Cocks
*I had 4 top 20 RBs and wanted to move one. I looked through the matchups for the rest of the year, who had the most trade value and also keeper potential. I determined that Burner Turner was my best chip to move and I also wasnt too keen on his playoff schedule (NO, TB, MIN). Also, I wanted to keep Forte and Slaton as keeper guys. For turner, I wanted to get back a stud WR - I went after Fitzgerald and Steve Smith. With Delhomme giving him lots of targets, Smith is having a sweet year (averaging 102 yards per game) and I think of him as someone who has 100 yard potential every game, no matter the matchup. I loathe him as a person, but this year looks like he is going to be a top 5 WR. Not bad to match up with Randy Moss and Wayne every week. Cotchery looked to be somewhat of a disappointment (i drafted him in the 4th round) I thought his 2 TD game was a fluke. I thought he could rebound but didn't need him if i was getting smith. Since the trade, Turner has 2 crappy games, Cotchery had a stinker and a great game. Smith has played in one game and got his season high! Awesome. still love this move.
3)
WOP traded Eagles Coach, Phi HC to Assassins
HAWK traded Colts D/ST, Ind D/ST to Pastrami
*I need a D/ST -any D/ST- for a bye week play. And they got me -4 points (ugg). And I think you can grab a decent HC play on the waiver wire. No biggie. But they might not last on the roster long. Don't love them or hate them. But hopefully I dont need them to start.
4)
PATE traded Reggie Wayne, Ind WR to Pastrami
PATE traded Darren Sproles, SD RB to Pastrami
WOP traded Kurt Warner, Ari QB to Cocks
WOP traded Donald Driver, GB WR to Cocks
WOP traded Heath Miller, Pit TE to Cocks
*In terms of straight value, I probably "lost" this trade. But I was (still am) convinced that Warner does not play a full season and I wanted to try to sell him high. QB is the 1 position that can win or lose a week, so it hurts a little to see warner still be really good. He has 2 average a game a 1 amazing game. Driver has done little since I moved him and miller wouldn't be starting any games with daniels on my roster. Wayne has had 2 great games and 2 bad games since the trade. I wanted him since I believe in Peyton Manning for the 2nd half of the season and I think he'll do awesome in the fantasy playoffs (CLE, CIN, DET) so I'm not sweating what he does right now. But I still think he'll help a lot now as well.
5)
BOOB traded Justin Gage, Ten WR to Pastrami
WOP traded Ricky Williams, Mia RB to Boobs
*Ricky Williams has been below average to average all year. Gage has been a decent surprise but hurt most of the time. An okay 5th WR for depth. I guess I "won" this trade. Shrugs.
6)
BOOB traded Heath Miller, Pit TE to Pastrami
WOP traded Matt Jones, Jac WR to Boobs
*First trade of the season. I did it when it looked like Owen Daniels would be disappointing. I ended up moving Heath Miller when Daniels showed that his is legit, a real top 5 TE. Jones has had a pretty nice season so far, but now he'll be missing 3 games for a suspension. I probably "lost" this trade, but it didnt hurt me either. Thank goodness.
1)
RICH traded Kevin Curtis, Phi WR to Pastrami
WOP traded Ben Roethlisberger, Pit QB to Brawlers
*I wanted to get rid of Roethlisburger in the worst. Granted I was trying to move him at after a stinker of a game, but I thought the trade deadline was soon approaching and was willing to move him for 50 cents on the dollar. I targeted WRs and D/st who I thought would have really big 2nd halfs that were so far disappointing. I was happy to get Curtis, whose schedule is nice and will be a great 4th WR or even a decent enough replacement if one of my 3 studs gets hurt. And I also am putting a lot of stock into Garrard, Schaub, and Ferotte - Crap, who would thought I would be saying that in the pre-season? Will see how this plays out.
2)
PATE traded Steve Smith, Car WR to Pastrami
WOP traded Jerricho Cotchery, NYJ WR to Cocks
WOP traded Michael Turner, Atl RB to Cocks
*I had 4 top 20 RBs and wanted to move one. I looked through the matchups for the rest of the year, who had the most trade value and also keeper potential. I determined that Burner Turner was my best chip to move and I also wasnt too keen on his playoff schedule (NO, TB, MIN). Also, I wanted to keep Forte and Slaton as keeper guys. For turner, I wanted to get back a stud WR - I went after Fitzgerald and Steve Smith. With Delhomme giving him lots of targets, Smith is having a sweet year (averaging 102 yards per game) and I think of him as someone who has 100 yard potential every game, no matter the matchup. I loathe him as a person, but this year looks like he is going to be a top 5 WR. Not bad to match up with Randy Moss and Wayne every week. Cotchery looked to be somewhat of a disappointment (i drafted him in the 4th round) I thought his 2 TD game was a fluke. I thought he could rebound but didn't need him if i was getting smith. Since the trade, Turner has 2 crappy games, Cotchery had a stinker and a great game. Smith has played in one game and got his season high! Awesome. still love this move.
3)
WOP traded Eagles Coach, Phi HC to Assassins
HAWK traded Colts D/ST, Ind D/ST to Pastrami
*I need a D/ST -any D/ST- for a bye week play. And they got me -4 points (ugg). And I think you can grab a decent HC play on the waiver wire. No biggie. But they might not last on the roster long. Don't love them or hate them. But hopefully I dont need them to start.
4)
PATE traded Reggie Wayne, Ind WR to Pastrami
PATE traded Darren Sproles, SD RB to Pastrami
WOP traded Kurt Warner, Ari QB to Cocks
WOP traded Donald Driver, GB WR to Cocks
WOP traded Heath Miller, Pit TE to Cocks
*In terms of straight value, I probably "lost" this trade. But I was (still am) convinced that Warner does not play a full season and I wanted to try to sell him high. QB is the 1 position that can win or lose a week, so it hurts a little to see warner still be really good. He has 2 average a game a 1 amazing game. Driver has done little since I moved him and miller wouldn't be starting any games with daniels on my roster. Wayne has had 2 great games and 2 bad games since the trade. I wanted him since I believe in Peyton Manning for the 2nd half of the season and I think he'll do awesome in the fantasy playoffs (CLE, CIN, DET) so I'm not sweating what he does right now. But I still think he'll help a lot now as well.
5)
BOOB traded Justin Gage, Ten WR to Pastrami
WOP traded Ricky Williams, Mia RB to Boobs
*Ricky Williams has been below average to average all year. Gage has been a decent surprise but hurt most of the time. An okay 5th WR for depth. I guess I "won" this trade. Shrugs.
6)
BOOB traded Heath Miller, Pit TE to Pastrami
WOP traded Matt Jones, Jac WR to Boobs
*First trade of the season. I did it when it looked like Owen Daniels would be disappointing. I ended up moving Heath Miller when Daniels showed that his is legit, a real top 5 TE. Jones has had a pretty nice season so far, but now he'll be missing 3 games for a suspension. I probably "lost" this trade, but it didnt hurt me either. Thank goodness.
week 9 winners
Wings of Pastrami
Avalon Park Assassins
Huey Ramas
Fighting Cocks
West Meadows Molesters
Floating Turtleheads
Last week: 3-3
Overall: 13-11
Avalon Park Assassins
Huey Ramas
Fighting Cocks
West Meadows Molesters
Floating Turtleheads
Last week: 3-3
Overall: 13-11
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
best pick / worst pick
here is the best pick and worst pick of the first 10 rounds of the draft. this is based on 1 persons opinion, only compared within that round, trying not to count injured players and only through the first 8 weeks of the season.
Round 1
Best - Marion Barber
Worst - lots of stinkers and not counting Brady, I'll go Grant
Round 2
Best - Drew Brees (Portis is a close 2nd)
Worst - a few bad ones here too, but Larry Johnson stands out
Round 3
Best - Andre Johnson has been a beast this year
Worst - palmer has been hurt, so I'll say Holt or James (at least McFadden is a potential keeper)
Round 4
Best - Antonio Gates
Worst - Chad Johnson hasnt been hurt, so he gets it (but Laurence Maroney only went on the IR last week so...)
Round 5
Best - Roddy Roddy Piper White (did anyone expect this - bonus 4 times already)
Worst - Derek Anderson (but only because Braylon was a keeper and not really a pick)
Round 6
Best - Santana Moss (4th in WR points)
Worst - Javon Walker
Round 7
Best - Matt Forte (keeper potential)
Worst - San Diego D/ST (1st DEF off the board)
Round 8
Best - Kurt Warner (2nd in QB points)
Worst - SEA D/ST (allowed 25 points 4 times this year)
Round 9
Best - Phillip Rivers (in the same round as Schaub and Bulger)
Worst - Jabar Gaffney (Really?)
Round 10
Best - Aaron Rogers
Worst - Jon Kitna (kinda an injury but really was benched)
Round 1
Best - Marion Barber
Worst - lots of stinkers and not counting Brady, I'll go Grant
Round 2
Best - Drew Brees (Portis is a close 2nd)
Worst - a few bad ones here too, but Larry Johnson stands out
Round 3
Best - Andre Johnson has been a beast this year
Worst - palmer has been hurt, so I'll say Holt or James (at least McFadden is a potential keeper)
Round 4
Best - Antonio Gates
Worst - Chad Johnson hasnt been hurt, so he gets it (but Laurence Maroney only went on the IR last week so...)
Round 5
Best - Roddy Roddy Piper White (did anyone expect this - bonus 4 times already)
Worst - Derek Anderson (but only because Braylon was a keeper and not really a pick)
Round 6
Best - Santana Moss (4th in WR points)
Worst - Javon Walker
Round 7
Best - Matt Forte (keeper potential)
Worst - San Diego D/ST (1st DEF off the board)
Round 8
Best - Kurt Warner (2nd in QB points)
Worst - SEA D/ST (allowed 25 points 4 times this year)
Round 9
Best - Phillip Rivers (in the same round as Schaub and Bulger)
Worst - Jabar Gaffney (Really?)
Round 10
Best - Aaron Rogers
Worst - Jon Kitna (kinda an injury but really was benched)
so the real playoffs look like this
American Conference
#1 Avalon Park Assassins
#2 Hoof Harted
#3 Wings of Pastrami
#4 The Bourne Ulceration
(Estelle Getty's Boobs 10 points behind WC)
National Conference
#1 West Meadows Molesters
#2 Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
#3 Bradford Brawlers
#4 Huey Ramas
(Northeast Narcotics 53 points behind WC)
#1 Avalon Park Assassins
#2 Hoof Harted
#3 Wings of Pastrami
#4 The Bourne Ulceration
(Estelle Getty's Boobs 10 points behind WC)
National Conference
#1 West Meadows Molesters
#2 Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
#3 Bradford Brawlers
#4 Huey Ramas
(Northeast Narcotics 53 points behind WC)
Playoff Update -- Week 9
While the participants are still the same, there has been some movement in the seeds. HH is currently the #3 seed, down from the #2. The Molesters have moved into that #2 spot. Huey Ramas and the Brawlers also swapped spots, with the Brawlers moving up to the #6 and the Ramas moving down to the #7.
#1 Seed: AP Assassins (Division winner, best record)
#2: WM Molesters (Division winner, shares 2nd best record with HH, but has H2H win against HH)
#3: Hoof Hearted (Division winner via H2H sweep of WOP)
#4: Team Pedro (Division winner via H2H victory over Brawlers, 4th best record)
#5: WOP (Best record, non-division winner, Amer. Conf.)
#6: Brawlers (Best record, non-division winner, Nat'l Conf.)
#7: Huey Ramas (Nat'l Conf. WC based on avg. score -- 124.2)
#8: Ulcerations (Amer. Conf. WC based on avg. score -- 123.9)
The swapping of seeds up top is important since we decided to award bonus points to the top 2 seeds. Also of note, there are 1.7 total points separating the Ulcerations and the Ramas. This is significant because right now, the outcome of that points battle would determine who faces the Assassins (avg. score -- 147.9) and who faces the Molesters (avg. score -- 117.6). Finally, the Boobs, at 1-6, are only 10.2 total points behind the Ulcerations for the final playoff spot.
Of those currently on the outside looking in, the Boobs and the Narcotics are the only teams within 100 total points of the #8 seed, and the Narcotics are still in contention for the division title, but they only have one more contest against a divisional opponent, a Week 12 tilt against the Brawlers.
While our WC system technically keeps any team in the playoff hunt, it's looking less and less likely that the Tutleheads and the Cocks will get in. The Cocks' 160+ point outburst this week still only raised the team's average score to 108.9 (it was below 100). All things equal, the Cocks would have to average about 150 points for the rest of the year to catch the current 7 and 8 seeds, while the Turtleheads would need an average of 146 per contest from here on out--a score it has yet to put up.
#1 Seed: AP Assassins (Division winner, best record)
#2: WM Molesters (Division winner, shares 2nd best record with HH, but has H2H win against HH)
#3: Hoof Hearted (Division winner via H2H sweep of WOP)
#4: Team Pedro (Division winner via H2H victory over Brawlers, 4th best record)
#5: WOP (Best record, non-division winner, Amer. Conf.)
#6: Brawlers (Best record, non-division winner, Nat'l Conf.)
#7: Huey Ramas (Nat'l Conf. WC based on avg. score -- 124.2)
#8: Ulcerations (Amer. Conf. WC based on avg. score -- 123.9)
The swapping of seeds up top is important since we decided to award bonus points to the top 2 seeds. Also of note, there are 1.7 total points separating the Ulcerations and the Ramas. This is significant because right now, the outcome of that points battle would determine who faces the Assassins (avg. score -- 147.9) and who faces the Molesters (avg. score -- 117.6). Finally, the Boobs, at 1-6, are only 10.2 total points behind the Ulcerations for the final playoff spot.
Of those currently on the outside looking in, the Boobs and the Narcotics are the only teams within 100 total points of the #8 seed, and the Narcotics are still in contention for the division title, but they only have one more contest against a divisional opponent, a Week 12 tilt against the Brawlers.
While our WC system technically keeps any team in the playoff hunt, it's looking less and less likely that the Tutleheads and the Cocks will get in. The Cocks' 160+ point outburst this week still only raised the team's average score to 108.9 (it was below 100). All things equal, the Cocks would have to average about 150 points for the rest of the year to catch the current 7 and 8 seeds, while the Turtleheads would need an average of 146 per contest from here on out--a score it has yet to put up.
Friday, October 24, 2008
week 8 winners
Wings of Pastrami
West Meadows Molesters
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
The Bourne Ulceration
Floating Turtleheads
Hoof Hearted
Last week 4-2
Overall 10-8
West Meadows Molesters
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
The Bourne Ulceration
Floating Turtleheads
Hoof Hearted
Last week 4-2
Overall 10-8
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Manning vs. Campbell, The Sequel
Two weeks ago, I chose to sit Peyton Manning in favor of Jason Campbell, as Manning was struggling and Campbell had a nice matchup. Manning went off against the Ravens, and even though I won, the decision to sit my stud QB backfired.
Now I find myself in the exact same situation. Manning laid an egg again last week, and Campbell has a juicy matchup against the Lions. Manning faces a VERY tough Titans defense, yet, I have a gut feeling he'll play well. Also, I could see the Redskins getting up big in this game and running the ball (good for me as a Portis owner), giving Campbell one of those respectable, but not great, 20-25 point games. I'll probably go back and forth on this decision right up until game time.
Now I find myself in the exact same situation. Manning laid an egg again last week, and Campbell has a juicy matchup against the Lions. Manning faces a VERY tough Titans defense, yet, I have a gut feeling he'll play well. Also, I could see the Redskins getting up big in this game and running the ball (good for me as a Portis owner), giving Campbell one of those respectable, but not great, 20-25 point games. I'll probably go back and forth on this decision right up until game time.
Playoff Update
Time for our weekly (from here on, anyway) playoff update. If the playoffs were to start today, here's how it would shake out. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)
#1 Seed: AP Assassin (Division winner, best record)
#2: Hoof Hearted (Division winner, 2nd best record)
#3: WM Molesters (Division winner, 3rd best record)
#4: Team Pedro (Division winner, via a H2H victory over Bradford Brawlers, 4th best record)
#5: WOP (Best record non-division winner)
#6: Huey Ramas (Best record non-division winner, Natl Division)
#7: Bradford Brawlers (WC based on Avg. Score)
#8: Bourne Ulceration (WC based on Avg. Score, Amer. Division)
Currently, Estelle Getty's Boobs is 9.5 points behind for a WC spot.
#1 Seed: AP Assassin (Division winner, best record)
#2: Hoof Hearted (Division winner, 2nd best record)
#3: WM Molesters (Division winner, 3rd best record)
#4: Team Pedro (Division winner, via a H2H victory over Bradford Brawlers, 4th best record)
#5: WOP (Best record non-division winner)
#6: Huey Ramas (Best record non-division winner, Natl Division)
#7: Bradford Brawlers (WC based on Avg. Score)
#8: Bourne Ulceration (WC based on Avg. Score, Amer. Division)
Currently, Estelle Getty's Boobs is 9.5 points behind for a WC spot.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
questions for each team
at the half-way mark of the season (kinda), below is a pressing question (or 2 or 3 or 4) for each team...
1. Avalon Park Assassins
will they stay undefeated if Romo misses the next 2-3 games? Will Roy E Williams be a fantasy black hole? Wll Chris Johnson hit a rookie wall during the fantasy playoffs?
2. Hoof Hearted
can eli manning be trusted enough that Jamarcus is your only backup? Do TO and Witten continue to get a high number of targets? do they have the 2nd funniest name in the league?
3. Wings of Pastrami
have they traded away too much positional "depth"? are 4 qbs really needed? will the 2 rookie running backs be good enough in december?
4. West Meadows Molestors
when will the magicial run of bush and mcnabb run out? why do they have 2 kickers? will they have any starting RBs in November?
5. Vote 4 Pedro
will both their top picks be the busts of the year (LJ and Addai)? is Deion Branch really worth owning?
6. Huey Ramas
is S-Jax really back? Is Roddy White for real? can sammie morris be awesome the rest of the year?
7. Bourne Ulceration
will any of his WR end the year in the top 20? what happens if peyton is just average this year? will he ever score over 150 points?
8. Bradford Brawlers
does any team's success depend more on one player (brees)? can a team make the playoffs without at least 1 solid RB? will holding on to galloway and curtis pay dividends?
9. Northeast Narcotics
can philip river really save the day? does any team have a more under-achieving WR squad (holmes, harrison, chad ocho cinco, mason)? can they get more consistent scoring (103, 143 and 78 points scored last weeks)?
10. Estelle Getty's Boobs
Has any team had worse luck ("keeper" injured in 1st game, 1st pick disappointing, most points scored against, etc)? Can a team make the playoffs with 1 win? Is Orton better than farve for the rest of the year?
11. Fighting Cocks
Will a healthy westbrook matter to this teams playoff chances? does any team have more 2nd fiddles (mo morris, jerry porter, donald driver, leron mcclain, kolby smith, matt leinart)?
12. Floating Turtleheads
will they win a game? How good would they had been with Tom Brady? will they pay attention in December?
1. Avalon Park Assassins
will they stay undefeated if Romo misses the next 2-3 games? Will Roy E Williams be a fantasy black hole? Wll Chris Johnson hit a rookie wall during the fantasy playoffs?
2. Hoof Hearted
can eli manning be trusted enough that Jamarcus is your only backup? Do TO and Witten continue to get a high number of targets? do they have the 2nd funniest name in the league?
3. Wings of Pastrami
have they traded away too much positional "depth"? are 4 qbs really needed? will the 2 rookie running backs be good enough in december?
4. West Meadows Molestors
when will the magicial run of bush and mcnabb run out? why do they have 2 kickers? will they have any starting RBs in November?
5. Vote 4 Pedro
will both their top picks be the busts of the year (LJ and Addai)? is Deion Branch really worth owning?
6. Huey Ramas
is S-Jax really back? Is Roddy White for real? can sammie morris be awesome the rest of the year?
7. Bourne Ulceration
will any of his WR end the year in the top 20? what happens if peyton is just average this year? will he ever score over 150 points?
8. Bradford Brawlers
does any team's success depend more on one player (brees)? can a team make the playoffs without at least 1 solid RB? will holding on to galloway and curtis pay dividends?
9. Northeast Narcotics
can philip river really save the day? does any team have a more under-achieving WR squad (holmes, harrison, chad ocho cinco, mason)? can they get more consistent scoring (103, 143 and 78 points scored last weeks)?
10. Estelle Getty's Boobs
Has any team had worse luck ("keeper" injured in 1st game, 1st pick disappointing, most points scored against, etc)? Can a team make the playoffs with 1 win? Is Orton better than farve for the rest of the year?
11. Fighting Cocks
Will a healthy westbrook matter to this teams playoff chances? does any team have more 2nd fiddles (mo morris, jerry porter, donald driver, leron mcclain, kolby smith, matt leinart)?
12. Floating Turtleheads
will they win a game? How good would they had been with Tom Brady? will they pay attention in December?
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Other Hawkins Power Rankings
1. Avalon Park Assassins
The seriousness of Romo’s injury could affect this ranking, but until someone knocks this team off, it is the undisputed king. The Assassins arrogantly trotted out a TE on a bye last week and still threw the NL1 division-leading Pedros over the mountains last week. This team’s biggest weakness might be its depth, as Romo’s injury shows: Dan Orlovsky is the slated starter should Romo be a no-go. But this is the case with most teams in a deep 12-team league, so it’s hard to fault the AP Assassins for that.
Average Margin of Victory: 34.2 points
Interesting Fact: The Assassins have one win of less than 1 point, two wins by less than 4 points, and three wins by less than 10 points. Yet, they also have scored wins of nearly 99 and 70 points.
2. Hoof Hearted
Another team without a real glaring weakness among the starters, although there is a loose correlation between the score Peyton’s little bro puts up and Double-H’s score. Should Eli return to his inconsistent self—and last week’s performance certainly suggests it’s possible—the team can look to JaMarcus Russell as its savior. Yikes. Hoof Hearted are coming off their first loss of the year, and it was an ugly one, so this spot in the rankings might also be tenuous.
Average Margin of Victory: 8.8 points
Interesting Fact: With Witten and Jennings, Hoof Hearted is one of only two teams to have two players who rank #1 in fantasy points for their position. (The Bourne Ulceration is the other, with Titans HC and Portis.)
3. Wings of Pastrami
The only thing keeping the WOPs from the #2 ranking is an 0-2 head-to-head record against nemesis Hoof Hearted. While Hoof Hearted has taken care of inter-divisional business, WOP has dropped those only two divisional contests. Otherwise, WOP has outscored his 5-1 rival and is coming off a respectable 140+ output. The spotlight is on the QB position for this team, as well. So far, with Big Ben getting beat up, WOP has been surviving on a Gus Frerotte wing , and this week it looks like a Matt Schaub prayer. This might work through the middle part of the schedule, but as the playoffs near, you wonder if the team would take back the Kurt Warner deal. It’s worked out well so far, though, as this is one of the league’s better teams.
Average Margin of Victory: 27.9 points
Interesting Fact: This team has only one contest decided by single-digits, a heart-breaking 0.4 point loss to Hoof Hearted. No other game has even been within 20 points.
4. Team Vote 4 Pedro
This is a team that knows when to have a bad game, as their lowest scoring games correspond with those games in which they’ve had the highest score against them (103.4-165.8 and 84.5 to 183.4). The other four games have produced a solid 137.5 pp/g average. Aaron Rodger’s success has buoyed this team against the nearly bustworthy performance of its first round pick, Addai, and a somewhat unspectacular season from T.J. Howsyourmama. The boom-and-bust trend continues with the inspiring play (minus last week’s performance) of Santana Moss versus the unpredictable play of LJ. In the end, Team Vote 4 Pedro registers as the “best” of a clear second tier of teams.
Average Margin of Victory: -11.6 points
Interesting Fact: Team Pedro one of three teams to be undefeated on the road and within the division. (AP Assassins and Hoof Hearted are the others.)
5. Bourne Ulceration
This team could easily be 4-2, but it ran into a buzz saw in Week 2, as a 154 point effort was snuffed out by the Assassins’ 224 point onslaught. But things are looking up for the Ulcers, as Peyton Manning and Braylon Edwards finally put up the kind of games that their owners were expecting last week. With Portis performing like a clear #1 RB and Ronnie Brown looking like pre-knee injury Ronnie Brown, the RB position has become less of a question-mark, which bodes well for this team going forward.
Average Margin of Victory: -8.7 points
Interesting Fact: The Ulcers is the only team to see its scoring improve four weeks in a row.
6. West Meadows Molesters
It’s hard to put any team that has scored 52 points in a game in the top half of the league, but the bottom line is that there is some firepower here. The Molesters are perfect within their division, and McNabb and Bush are making those draft day scoffs look ridiculous. McNabb’s play allowed the team to make a trade for stud Larry Fitzgerald, a fine weapon from that aerial show in Arizona. If McNabb can keep it up, this team should do just fine.
Average Margin of Victory: 12.3 points
Interesting Fact: Is the only team in the league not to have more than 140 points score against them in a game.
7. Huey Ramas
Take the Week 1 debacle out, and this team has been the very definition of solid, averaging 133.3 points in the weeks since the sub-100 point disappointment. The combination of Jay Cutler, Roddy White, and the Titans’ D has produced fine results. If Steven Jackson and Plaxico Burress start performing with consistency, look out. Being in the division with the lowly Turtleheads has also helped keep this team at .500 within the division.
Average Margin of Victory: 6 points
Interesting Fact: Is one of two teams currently on a win streak.
8. Bradford Brawlers
Despite the .500 record and the fact that the Brawlers are only one of three teams without a sub-100 points scoring game, this team ranks this low because it’s high game score is 134.5, the second lowest high score. Translation: Not much outburst potential here. The other knock on this team is that it’s pretty much a one-man show. Drew Brees has accounted for 49 percent of this team’s total points (nearly HALF) in three of the six weeks, and it’s no coincidence that Brees’ worst game was the Brawlers worst game. This one-sided attack is a dance with death.
Average Margin of Victory: 8.8 points
Interesting Fact: At 3-0, the Brawlers and the Assassins are perfect in their contests against their brothers.
9. Estelle Getty’s Boobs
Believe it or not, this team, at 1-5, is a playoff team were the regular season to end today. This is due to their 140+ average score. The lousy record is more a reflection of the tough breaks the team has faced, and with a 200+ point outburst in week 4, there’s proof this team has ability. Getting Colston back should provide a shot in the arm, and getting LT untracked would really make this team dangerous.
Average Margin of Victory: -14.7 points
Interesting Fact: This is the only team to have 140+ points scored against them four times, all losses.
10. Northeast Narcotics
Not much to say about this 2-4 team. The recent trade for Rivers, though, did help them snap a three-game skid and helped them achieve their highest point total of the season. With Gore playing well and a stout Vikings D, there are some pieces in place. Maybe last week was a sign of things to come.
Average Margin of Victory: -12.2 points
Interesting Fact: This is one of two teams to have at least 118 points scored against them every week. (Estelle Getty’s Boobs is the other.)
11. Fighting Cocks
The Cocks are flaccid right now. (Too easy.) They came out of nowhere and put up 165 on the Boobs in Week 5, and they’re still the lowest scoring team in the league. The move for Kurt Warner was a good one at the time, and it might give the Cocks a lift, but another way to look at that trade is that Derek Anderson’s ineptness cost the team one of the best WRs in the game, in Reggie Wayne. Now, with Anderson having a stellar game last week, the trade looks even sketchier. If Anderson is for real, the Cocks do have a rare luxury in this league, though, with depth at QB.
Average Margin of Victory: -19.1 points
Interesting Fact: This is the only team in the league to score under 100 points three times.
12. The Floating Turtleheads
Like their first-round pick, this team has been knee-capped by injuries. Tom Brady is out for the year; Nate Burleson is out for the year; Willis McGahee looks less than 100%; Anquan Boldin had his head knocked around; Reggie Brown has missed time; and Felix Jones is out for an extended period. Undoubtedly, the Brady injury made this an uphill battle, but the other injuries have doomed this team. With a roster that looks like a NFL practice squad, the Turtleheads are no longer floating, they’re drowning.
Average Margin of Victory: -31.3 points
Interesting Fact: The Turtleheads have lost every game by at least 7 points.
The seriousness of Romo’s injury could affect this ranking, but until someone knocks this team off, it is the undisputed king. The Assassins arrogantly trotted out a TE on a bye last week and still threw the NL1 division-leading Pedros over the mountains last week. This team’s biggest weakness might be its depth, as Romo’s injury shows: Dan Orlovsky is the slated starter should Romo be a no-go. But this is the case with most teams in a deep 12-team league, so it’s hard to fault the AP Assassins for that.
Average Margin of Victory: 34.2 points
Interesting Fact: The Assassins have one win of less than 1 point, two wins by less than 4 points, and three wins by less than 10 points. Yet, they also have scored wins of nearly 99 and 70 points.
2. Hoof Hearted
Another team without a real glaring weakness among the starters, although there is a loose correlation between the score Peyton’s little bro puts up and Double-H’s score. Should Eli return to his inconsistent self—and last week’s performance certainly suggests it’s possible—the team can look to JaMarcus Russell as its savior. Yikes. Hoof Hearted are coming off their first loss of the year, and it was an ugly one, so this spot in the rankings might also be tenuous.
Average Margin of Victory: 8.8 points
Interesting Fact: With Witten and Jennings, Hoof Hearted is one of only two teams to have two players who rank #1 in fantasy points for their position. (The Bourne Ulceration is the other, with Titans HC and Portis.)
3. Wings of Pastrami
The only thing keeping the WOPs from the #2 ranking is an 0-2 head-to-head record against nemesis Hoof Hearted. While Hoof Hearted has taken care of inter-divisional business, WOP has dropped those only two divisional contests. Otherwise, WOP has outscored his 5-1 rival and is coming off a respectable 140+ output. The spotlight is on the QB position for this team, as well. So far, with Big Ben getting beat up, WOP has been surviving on a Gus Frerotte wing , and this week it looks like a Matt Schaub prayer. This might work through the middle part of the schedule, but as the playoffs near, you wonder if the team would take back the Kurt Warner deal. It’s worked out well so far, though, as this is one of the league’s better teams.
Average Margin of Victory: 27.9 points
Interesting Fact: This team has only one contest decided by single-digits, a heart-breaking 0.4 point loss to Hoof Hearted. No other game has even been within 20 points.
4. Team Vote 4 Pedro
This is a team that knows when to have a bad game, as their lowest scoring games correspond with those games in which they’ve had the highest score against them (103.4-165.8 and 84.5 to 183.4). The other four games have produced a solid 137.5 pp/g average. Aaron Rodger’s success has buoyed this team against the nearly bustworthy performance of its first round pick, Addai, and a somewhat unspectacular season from T.J. Howsyourmama. The boom-and-bust trend continues with the inspiring play (minus last week’s performance) of Santana Moss versus the unpredictable play of LJ. In the end, Team Vote 4 Pedro registers as the “best” of a clear second tier of teams.
Average Margin of Victory: -11.6 points
Interesting Fact: Team Pedro one of three teams to be undefeated on the road and within the division. (AP Assassins and Hoof Hearted are the others.)
5. Bourne Ulceration
This team could easily be 4-2, but it ran into a buzz saw in Week 2, as a 154 point effort was snuffed out by the Assassins’ 224 point onslaught. But things are looking up for the Ulcers, as Peyton Manning and Braylon Edwards finally put up the kind of games that their owners were expecting last week. With Portis performing like a clear #1 RB and Ronnie Brown looking like pre-knee injury Ronnie Brown, the RB position has become less of a question-mark, which bodes well for this team going forward.
Average Margin of Victory: -8.7 points
Interesting Fact: The Ulcers is the only team to see its scoring improve four weeks in a row.
6. West Meadows Molesters
It’s hard to put any team that has scored 52 points in a game in the top half of the league, but the bottom line is that there is some firepower here. The Molesters are perfect within their division, and McNabb and Bush are making those draft day scoffs look ridiculous. McNabb’s play allowed the team to make a trade for stud Larry Fitzgerald, a fine weapon from that aerial show in Arizona. If McNabb can keep it up, this team should do just fine.
Average Margin of Victory: 12.3 points
Interesting Fact: Is the only team in the league not to have more than 140 points score against them in a game.
7. Huey Ramas
Take the Week 1 debacle out, and this team has been the very definition of solid, averaging 133.3 points in the weeks since the sub-100 point disappointment. The combination of Jay Cutler, Roddy White, and the Titans’ D has produced fine results. If Steven Jackson and Plaxico Burress start performing with consistency, look out. Being in the division with the lowly Turtleheads has also helped keep this team at .500 within the division.
Average Margin of Victory: 6 points
Interesting Fact: Is one of two teams currently on a win streak.
8. Bradford Brawlers
Despite the .500 record and the fact that the Brawlers are only one of three teams without a sub-100 points scoring game, this team ranks this low because it’s high game score is 134.5, the second lowest high score. Translation: Not much outburst potential here. The other knock on this team is that it’s pretty much a one-man show. Drew Brees has accounted for 49 percent of this team’s total points (nearly HALF) in three of the six weeks, and it’s no coincidence that Brees’ worst game was the Brawlers worst game. This one-sided attack is a dance with death.
Average Margin of Victory: 8.8 points
Interesting Fact: At 3-0, the Brawlers and the Assassins are perfect in their contests against their brothers.
9. Estelle Getty’s Boobs
Believe it or not, this team, at 1-5, is a playoff team were the regular season to end today. This is due to their 140+ average score. The lousy record is more a reflection of the tough breaks the team has faced, and with a 200+ point outburst in week 4, there’s proof this team has ability. Getting Colston back should provide a shot in the arm, and getting LT untracked would really make this team dangerous.
Average Margin of Victory: -14.7 points
Interesting Fact: This is the only team to have 140+ points scored against them four times, all losses.
10. Northeast Narcotics
Not much to say about this 2-4 team. The recent trade for Rivers, though, did help them snap a three-game skid and helped them achieve their highest point total of the season. With Gore playing well and a stout Vikings D, there are some pieces in place. Maybe last week was a sign of things to come.
Average Margin of Victory: -12.2 points
Interesting Fact: This is one of two teams to have at least 118 points scored against them every week. (Estelle Getty’s Boobs is the other.)
11. Fighting Cocks
The Cocks are flaccid right now. (Too easy.) They came out of nowhere and put up 165 on the Boobs in Week 5, and they’re still the lowest scoring team in the league. The move for Kurt Warner was a good one at the time, and it might give the Cocks a lift, but another way to look at that trade is that Derek Anderson’s ineptness cost the team one of the best WRs in the game, in Reggie Wayne. Now, with Anderson having a stellar game last week, the trade looks even sketchier. If Anderson is for real, the Cocks do have a rare luxury in this league, though, with depth at QB.
Average Margin of Victory: -19.1 points
Interesting Fact: This is the only team in the league to score under 100 points three times.
12. The Floating Turtleheads
Like their first-round pick, this team has been knee-capped by injuries. Tom Brady is out for the year; Nate Burleson is out for the year; Willis McGahee looks less than 100%; Anquan Boldin had his head knocked around; Reggie Brown has missed time; and Felix Jones is out for an extended period. Undoubtedly, the Brady injury made this an uphill battle, but the other injuries have doomed this team. With a roster that looks like a NFL practice squad, the Turtleheads are no longer floating, they’re drowning.
Average Margin of Victory: -31.3 points
Interesting Fact: The Turtleheads have lost every game by at least 7 points.
week 7 winners
winners this week:
Wings of Pastrami
Huey Ramas
Avalon Park Assasins
Estelle Getty's Boobs
Northeast Narcotics
Hoof Hearted
Last week: 3-3
overall: 6-6
Wings of Pastrami
Huey Ramas
Avalon Park Assasins
Estelle Getty's Boobs
Northeast Narcotics
Hoof Hearted
Last week: 3-3
overall: 6-6
Monday, October 13, 2008
What Idiot Sits Peyton Manning?
Despite breaking the age-old rule about sitting your studs, I pulled off the W this week. It’s nice to get back to .500, but more importantly, this victory keeps me within a game of the WC based on record. Additionally, the team put up over 150 points without anyone really going off.* All of my regular position players put up double-digits, except for Torry Holt.** I’m hoping Holt or Edwards steps up, because I imagine that Lance Moore might see his value drop a little when Colston gets back.***
*Clinton Portis did, however, put up a season-high 36.8 points and has rushed for 100+ yards in three straight contests. I couldn’t be happier that he fell to me in the second round.
**If Portis is a pleasant surprise (and that might be overstating a second-round pick), Holt has been a huge disappointment. He’s yet to catch more than 6 passes and has not topped 17 points in any game this season. How good would Brandon Marshall or Andre Johnson look with that pick instead of Holt?
***I’m guessing that EGB is REALLY missing Colston at this point. That passing offense is cooking, and he’s missing out. It would be different if someone like Edwards or Holt went down, since those offenses are struggling anyway and I wouldn’t really miss their production, but Adam hasn’t benefitted from the Saints’ pass-happy game plan.
I can’t decide what I’m happier about, at this point, that my team scored big without overly relying on any one player (see Brees, Drew), or that Manning had his finest game of the season in a week when everyone, including me, had written him off? Both are great signs, and I’m eager to see what Edwards does tonight against the G-Men. Part of me hopes the Browns’ offense stinks again, so that Brady Quinn gets his shot, and because I have Edwards on the bench. But of course I’d be happy to see Edwards and Anderson (or better yet, Edwards and Quinn) re-establish their chemistry and get back to their old passing ways. I really feel like my team is improving, and it’ll be interesting to see if the next few weeks bears that out.
*Clinton Portis did, however, put up a season-high 36.8 points and has rushed for 100+ yards in three straight contests. I couldn’t be happier that he fell to me in the second round.
**If Portis is a pleasant surprise (and that might be overstating a second-round pick), Holt has been a huge disappointment. He’s yet to catch more than 6 passes and has not topped 17 points in any game this season. How good would Brandon Marshall or Andre Johnson look with that pick instead of Holt?
***I’m guessing that EGB is REALLY missing Colston at this point. That passing offense is cooking, and he’s missing out. It would be different if someone like Edwards or Holt went down, since those offenses are struggling anyway and I wouldn’t really miss their production, but Adam hasn’t benefitted from the Saints’ pass-happy game plan.
I can’t decide what I’m happier about, at this point, that my team scored big without overly relying on any one player (see Brees, Drew), or that Manning had his finest game of the season in a week when everyone, including me, had written him off? Both are great signs, and I’m eager to see what Edwards does tonight against the G-Men. Part of me hopes the Browns’ offense stinks again, so that Brady Quinn gets his shot, and because I have Edwards on the bench. But of course I’d be happy to see Edwards and Anderson (or better yet, Edwards and Quinn) re-establish their chemistry and get back to their old passing ways. I really feel like my team is improving, and it’ll be interesting to see if the next few weeks bears that out.
Friday, October 10, 2008
week 6 picks
winners this week-
Wings of Pastrami
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
The Bourne Ulceration
Hoof Hearted
Huey Ramas
Estelle Getty's Boobs
LAST WEEK 3-3
OVERALL 3-3
Wings of Pastrami
Team VOTE 4 PEDRO
The Bourne Ulceration
Hoof Hearted
Huey Ramas
Estelle Getty's Boobs
LAST WEEK 3-3
OVERALL 3-3
Thursday, October 9, 2008
who versus who
Ryan (pensacola, FL): Manning vs Ravens....or Frerrote vs Lions?
SportsNation AJ Mass : (11:22 AM ET ) "You have to start Peyton Manning" would be the answer most folks would type. And if I have both, he's who I start, because why draft him if you don't start him every week? But the better matchup and the likely better day? Gus. It all depends if you're gutsy enough to pull the trigger, and willing to live with being woefully wrong.
SportsNation AJ Mass : (11:22 AM ET ) "You have to start Peyton Manning" would be the answer most folks would type. And if I have both, he's who I start, because why draft him if you don't start him every week? But the better matchup and the likely better day? Gus. It all depends if you're gutsy enough to pull the trigger, and willing to live with being woefully wrong.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Gus Frerotte
I hard to take a long hard pause when starting Gussy Gus last week. Much to my surprise, he almost brought me a victory. He only scored 7 points less than Peyton Manning and is projected to 33 points this week as well. Not too bad for a waiver wire, laughable pickup when it happened.
In a global sense, he is projected as #9 this week on ESPN, ahead of such high draft picks as Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers, Carson Palmer, Matt Hassleback, and Marc Bulger.
All that said, he is hard to trust and hopefully won't be on my team much longer. He is starting this week versus the lowly Lions (also since Big Ben on the Bye Week and Garrard has a tougher matchup)
Viva La Frerotte (at least this week)
In a global sense, he is projected as #9 this week on ESPN, ahead of such high draft picks as Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers, Carson Palmer, Matt Hassleback, and Marc Bulger.
All that said, he is hard to trust and hopefully won't be on my team much longer. He is starting this week versus the lowly Lions (also since Big Ben on the Bye Week and Garrard has a tougher matchup)
Viva La Frerotte (at least this week)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
bummer of a loss
last week was one of those weeks that so many little things went wrong, it added up to a big loss. 2 players missed the bonus by less than 5 yards. I started the wrong kicker*, his HC had a the greatest comeback in the last 2:10 and I had to count on Gus Ferotte to bail me out on a MNF (he almost did). I scored high (a close 4th highest, 2 points away from 2nd highest) so I was pleased. But a W would have made me please-ier.
*how many times can you blame a kicker? Not many. So I'm using that excuse this time.
*how many times can you blame a kicker? Not many. So I'm using that excuse this time.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Week 5
Well, I'm putting all of my eggs in Lance Moore's basket. (That sounds a little creepy.) I'll need a yardage bonus or some catches and a TD if I'm to split the Hawkins Bros. regular season series. If you had told me that Manning, Portis, and Brown would all go for about 30 points, I'd have been fairly confident in a W this week. Unfortunately, my D/ST laid an egg, and for the second week in a row, the Pack cost me 5 points for my HC.* If both of those "players" break even, I in much better shape come Monday night.
*How good of a coach is Jeff Fisher? He never seems to have any studs, yet he consistently fields winning teams. If only I'd learn to start him weekly...
My team seems to plateau around 115 points each week, and that's not good enough to realize any success. If Edwards and Holt can return to 2007 form, I'll feel pretty good about a Manning, Portis, Brown, Edwards, Holt, and Welker lineup. If that doesn't happen, though, it could be a disappointing season.
*How good of a coach is Jeff Fisher? He never seems to have any studs, yet he consistently fields winning teams. If only I'd learn to start him weekly...
My team seems to plateau around 115 points each week, and that's not good enough to realize any success. If Edwards and Holt can return to 2007 form, I'll feel pretty good about a Manning, Portis, Brown, Edwards, Holt, and Welker lineup. If that doesn't happen, though, it could be a disappointing season.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
upset weekend
seahawks over the giants in real NFL football
Northeast Narcotics over Team VOTE 4 PEDRO in fake football
AND
OJ Simpson over Lawrence Phillips in idiot moves in life. (this probably isnt a HUGE upset)
Northeast Narcotics over Team VOTE 4 PEDRO in fake football
AND
OJ Simpson over Lawrence Phillips in idiot moves in life. (this probably isnt a HUGE upset)
Friday, October 3, 2008
5 GOOD AND BAD
5 studs this week
1 of the A. Peterson's (guess which one)
It's not A TOOMER
Steve Clean Slaton
Peyton Danny Maning
Marion the Barber of Seville
5 busts this week
Willis McGoo McGahee
Santana Damn it I'm not Randy Moss
Reggie H.W. Bush
Andre 3000 Johnson
Orange Julis Jones
1 of the A. Peterson's (guess which one)
It's not A TOOMER
Steve Clean Slaton
Peyton Danny Maning
Marion the Barber of Seville
5 busts this week
Willis McGoo McGahee
Santana Damn it I'm not Randy Moss
Reggie H.W. Bush
Andre 3000 Johnson
Orange Julis Jones
it will happen one day
one day, someone will die a fantasy football death. http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/sep/29/upset-fantasy-football-player-arrested-allegedly-t/
WOP-FC Trade Breakdown
A little breakdown of the trade between the Wings of Pastrami and the Fighting Cocks*, who swapped some heavy fantasy hitters on Thursday.
*Before I breakdown this trade, let me make an appeal to Pate to change his team name. Now, I'm all for loyalty, and if my memory serves me correctly, Pate has been the Fighting Cocks since day one. As someone who reluctantly changed his team name last year (long live the Ragin' Rubergs), I get that tradition is worth something. But my reasons are twofold: First, can't we all admit this team name is a little junior highish. It's like that guy on your softball team that always wears the number 69. Okay, it's a reference to naughty anatomy; we get it. On a more practical level, a name change might make it easier to shorten his team name in posts like this, rather than being forced to choose between Cocks and FC.
In this trade, Pate got Brenda Warner's husband, Donald Driver, and Steeler TE Heath Miller.* WOP received Reggie Wayne and Darren Sproles in return. I think Reggie Wayne is the biggest name of this group, certainly if you use the place they went in the draft as a judge**, but there were some valuable pieces moved around here.
*The trade resulted in Pate being over the roster limit, forcing one-time fantasy stud Alge Crumpler into homelessness.
**This is a terrible way to judge a trade, by the way. I hate it when owners put too much weight on where a particular player was drafted, as if there’s some matrix of draft picks that must be used to make a trade equal, like a player taken in the first round equals a second-rounder and a third-rounder. I shouldn’t need a conversion chart to make my trades. Players’ values change the minute games start being played. (See: Moss, Randy)
Even if WOP garnered the biggest name, I applaud Pate for making a move to improve his team. The Cocks are currently last in the league in scoring and are one of two teams to have multiple double-digit scoring weeks. Quarterback has been a particular dark spot for the Cocks, as Derek Anderson looks more like the backup to Charlie Frye that he was at the beginning of last year than the Pro Bowler he was at his apex. Warner gives him a guy who is capable of single-handedly winning matchups, as it’s rare to find a player who can turn the ball over 6 times and still score nearly 50 fantasy points. If Warner remains the starter in Arizona, he’s got all the weapons he needs to be successful: two legitimate #1s at WR (assuming Boldin is healthy), a questionable ground game (assuming James is still using a walker to plod through the running lanes that may or may not be there), and a porous defense that has them often playing catch-up. But will he remain the starter? That’s the concern that makes this such a high-risk, high-reward deal. Warner put up great numbers last week against the Jets, but his TOs affected the outcome of the game, a loss for the Cards.* I think this puts his status as starter in question, and with Leinart breathing over his shoulder as the presumable future of the organization, I’d be worried about Warner holding a clipboard before too long. If he remains a starter, then this was a good trade for Pate.
*It didn’t hurt that the mid-90s version of Brett Favre showed up at the game and threw for half a dozen TDs. These are just the kind of days that kill Favre owners. He puts up numbers like this just often enough to make a case for himself as a fantasy starter all year, and then in the playoffs, when the weather gets cold or the stakes get high, he dooms someone’s fantasy teams. What? I’m not bitter.
Speaking of QBs, this does leave WOP dangerously thin at the position. I’m of the mindset that any trade that forces you to pick up and start Gus Frerotte should be heavily scrutinized. With Big Ben laying in a heap at midfield a good portion of the games and David Garrard throwing more INTs through 4 games than all of last year, it was, in many ways, a bold more for WOP, too. What it gives him, though, is one of the game’s premier fantasy WRs. If Randy Moss returns to pre-Tom-Brady-injury form, and Jerricho Cotchery continues to emerge, this could be a formidable WR crew come playoff time.
It should be pointed out, though, that Donald Driver is no slouch, and while he is a downgrade from Wayne, he’ll produce enough to be a reliable 2/3 WR, so this reduces the loss a little.
Darren Sproles was the throw-in of this trade to equal things out a little. There’s not much value here if he’s not starting, as it’s difficult to pencil a player in based strictly on his return skills. But if Tomlinson were to go down with an injury, a notion that is not completely implausible at this point, it would be a huge bonus for WOP.
In the end, I think WOP got the best player in the deal, but Pate maybe “wins” the trade in that it addresses some of the team’s serious concerns. As a division opponent, I hope Warner finds himself bagging groceries again shortly, and I’m happy to see half of my Manning-to-Wayne connection go outside the division.
*Before I breakdown this trade, let me make an appeal to Pate to change his team name. Now, I'm all for loyalty, and if my memory serves me correctly, Pate has been the Fighting Cocks since day one. As someone who reluctantly changed his team name last year (long live the Ragin' Rubergs), I get that tradition is worth something. But my reasons are twofold: First, can't we all admit this team name is a little junior highish. It's like that guy on your softball team that always wears the number 69. Okay, it's a reference to naughty anatomy; we get it. On a more practical level, a name change might make it easier to shorten his team name in posts like this, rather than being forced to choose between Cocks and FC.
In this trade, Pate got Brenda Warner's husband, Donald Driver, and Steeler TE Heath Miller.* WOP received Reggie Wayne and Darren Sproles in return. I think Reggie Wayne is the biggest name of this group, certainly if you use the place they went in the draft as a judge**, but there were some valuable pieces moved around here.
*The trade resulted in Pate being over the roster limit, forcing one-time fantasy stud Alge Crumpler into homelessness.
**This is a terrible way to judge a trade, by the way. I hate it when owners put too much weight on where a particular player was drafted, as if there’s some matrix of draft picks that must be used to make a trade equal, like a player taken in the first round equals a second-rounder and a third-rounder. I shouldn’t need a conversion chart to make my trades. Players’ values change the minute games start being played. (See: Moss, Randy)
Even if WOP garnered the biggest name, I applaud Pate for making a move to improve his team. The Cocks are currently last in the league in scoring and are one of two teams to have multiple double-digit scoring weeks. Quarterback has been a particular dark spot for the Cocks, as Derek Anderson looks more like the backup to Charlie Frye that he was at the beginning of last year than the Pro Bowler he was at his apex. Warner gives him a guy who is capable of single-handedly winning matchups, as it’s rare to find a player who can turn the ball over 6 times and still score nearly 50 fantasy points. If Warner remains the starter in Arizona, he’s got all the weapons he needs to be successful: two legitimate #1s at WR (assuming Boldin is healthy), a questionable ground game (assuming James is still using a walker to plod through the running lanes that may or may not be there), and a porous defense that has them often playing catch-up. But will he remain the starter? That’s the concern that makes this such a high-risk, high-reward deal. Warner put up great numbers last week against the Jets, but his TOs affected the outcome of the game, a loss for the Cards.* I think this puts his status as starter in question, and with Leinart breathing over his shoulder as the presumable future of the organization, I’d be worried about Warner holding a clipboard before too long. If he remains a starter, then this was a good trade for Pate.
*It didn’t hurt that the mid-90s version of Brett Favre showed up at the game and threw for half a dozen TDs. These are just the kind of days that kill Favre owners. He puts up numbers like this just often enough to make a case for himself as a fantasy starter all year, and then in the playoffs, when the weather gets cold or the stakes get high, he dooms someone’s fantasy teams. What? I’m not bitter.
Speaking of QBs, this does leave WOP dangerously thin at the position. I’m of the mindset that any trade that forces you to pick up and start Gus Frerotte should be heavily scrutinized. With Big Ben laying in a heap at midfield a good portion of the games and David Garrard throwing more INTs through 4 games than all of last year, it was, in many ways, a bold more for WOP, too. What it gives him, though, is one of the game’s premier fantasy WRs. If Randy Moss returns to pre-Tom-Brady-injury form, and Jerricho Cotchery continues to emerge, this could be a formidable WR crew come playoff time.
It should be pointed out, though, that Donald Driver is no slouch, and while he is a downgrade from Wayne, he’ll produce enough to be a reliable 2/3 WR, so this reduces the loss a little.
Darren Sproles was the throw-in of this trade to equal things out a little. There’s not much value here if he’s not starting, as it’s difficult to pencil a player in based strictly on his return skills. But if Tomlinson were to go down with an injury, a notion that is not completely implausible at this point, it would be a huge bonus for WOP.
In the end, I think WOP got the best player in the deal, but Pate maybe “wins” the trade in that it addresses some of the team’s serious concerns. As a division opponent, I hope Warner finds himself bagging groceries again shortly, and I’m happy to see half of my Manning-to-Wayne connection go outside the division.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Full Throttle Fantasy Football - week 5
Winners -
Northeast Narcotics
Avalon Park Assasins
Bradford Brawlers
Fighting Cocks
Floating Turtleheads
Wings of Pastrami
Northeast Narcotics
Avalon Park Assasins
Bradford Brawlers
Fighting Cocks
Floating Turtleheads
Wings of Pastrami
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