Getting a Jump on Weekend Reading

First and foremost, thanks to those of you who voted on which kicker we should use this week. I've attached the results of that poll to the bottom of this post, but I'll spare you some suspense. The winner is Nick Folk (yes, the same Nick Folk who started the year on our roster). Looks like Ahman Green isn't the only person getting a second chance this season.

As you ponder how to vote in our other polls (on the righthand side of this page), here are a few links for your fantasy football viewing pleasure.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Ronnie Brown. Everyone is looking for a way to show their Halloween spirit. And, of course, the National Football League is looking for a creative way to get its hands on your revenue. The solution: officially licensed NFL pumpkin-carving kits. Why put a jagged smile on your Jack O'Lantern when you can put the Carolina Panthers logo on it instead?

(One warning: If any of your trick-or-treaters drafted Jake Delhomme, they may be tempted to do this.)

And we used to hike 10 miles in the snow to get our stats. The good folks at TC Sportsline offer an interesting post this week: "Fantasy Football: Are We Really Better Off?" It's basically a look at how fantasy football worked before the Internet made instant stat updates possible. The verdict: Technology has made fantasy football better:

"Putting aside the fact that its integrity is tested by misinformation, pied-pipers and their unfortunate sheep, and monotonous harmonizing of strategy on a catastrophic level, I think fantasy sports and those players who play the game how it was meant to be played are stronger and will prevail over the rest."

This is your brain online. Any questions? The next time Grandpa gets on your case about your love for fantasy football (or for the Web in general), point him to this article about a study showing one benefit of the Internet for newcomers: improved brain function. Says one of the authors:

"We found that for older people with minimal experience, performing Internet searches for even a relatively short period of time can change brain activity patterns and enhance function."

I can only assume that this older American was not part of the study.

We'll be back tomorrow with a Landshark Maniacs preview. Here are the results of the kicker poll.

[polldaddy poll=2140621]