The People's Pigskin

Fearless Predictions - Week 12

2011-11-27T11:55:00.001-05:00

While some people are figuring out how to use those last bites of Thanksgiving dinner, fantasy football players are trying to position themselves for the playoffs. And we at the People's Pigskin are trying to lift our People's League predictions up to the .500 mark. We made some progress last week by going 3-2, lifting our season record to 25-29-1. Let's see if we can keep that momentum going.
People's Pigskin vs. VinSethVaughn Bears: The Bears took a 24-11 lead on Thursday, but the Pigskin has the weapons (including Eli Manning on Monday night) to overcome that deficit and extend its winning streak to four games.
Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85 vs. Glen Gardner's Finest: As of this writing, the Finest sport a 22-3 lead. As of this writing, the Finest has not chosen a starting quarterback (with Mark Sanchez available on the bench). The BearDowns have Cedric Benson, LeSean McCoy and Vincent Jackson with tasty matchups, not to mention a five-game winning streak. That streak should extend to six, even with Tim Tebow in the starting lineup.
t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs vs. Arcadia Roses: The Roses lead 19-5. The Roses have the better record, the better fantasy quarterback (Cam Newton), the better fantasy running back (Arian Foster) and better fantasy receivers (Steve Smith and Roddy White). The Roses get the pick.
Team Brotherton vs. LA Lockouts: These two teams are tied at the top of their division. The Brothertons have a 46-26 lead. Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham may make things interesting on Monday night, but Rashard Mendenhall should have a strong enough Sunday night to preserve the win for the Brothertons.
Hudson Valley Hawks2 vs. Minneapolis Fantastic Houll: The Hawks lead this matchup by a score of 24-20. And this matchup might boil down to how you feel about Chris Johnson. He has already wrapped up that Fantasy Bust of the Year award, but this week's matchup against Tampa Bay might be the thing he needs to remind us why the Titans gave him that titanic contract in the first place. Look for Johnson to make the difference in a Hawks victory.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the games. We'll be back with some fresh polls.

The People's Choice - Week 12

2011-11-27T09:10:00.001-05:00

We'd like to thank those of you who were able to tear yourselves away from the joy of shopping long enough to vote on the People's Pigskin lineup for this week. Here are the players who will take the field for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team against the VinSethVaughn Bears.
Quarterback: With Tony Romo voted down on Thursday, you went unanimously with Eli Manning, who will take the field Monday night against the New Orleans Saints.
Running back: After starting Ray Rice on Thanksgiving night, we had only one running back spot left to bestow. Fortunately, you wanted only one running back out there: Michael Bush (hosting the Chicago Bears in the late afternoon).
Wide receiver: The two leading vote-getters this week are the ones who have been getting votes (and points) all season long. Larry Fitzgerald has an early matchup against the St. Louis Rams, and Wes Welker has a late afternoon game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Flex: The third-place finisher in the wide receiver poll handily beat the second-place finisher in the running back poll. Therefore, Plaxico Burress starts for us this afternoon against the Buffalo Bills.
The voters turned back to our usual starters at defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, facing the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night) and kicker (John Kasay, hosting the New York Giants on Monday night). And longtime readers of the blog will recall that Jason Witten started for us Thursday at tight end.
Thanks for voting. We'll be back later with the People's League picks.

A People's Pigskin Thanksgiving (with Polls)

2011-11-24T09:13:00.001-05:00

As this post hits the Web, some of you are watching balloons make their way down Manhattan. Others are preparing your turkeys (hopefully with better results than this). Some are hoping their travel plans don't turn into a Steve Martin movie. And we at the People's Pigskin are preparing for a fantasy football feast. We asked you, the Internet, to help us make some early decisions about this week's matchup against the VinSethVaughn Bears. And here are your piping-hot results.
Quarterback: You treated Tony Romo the way many people treat that canned cranberry jelly that makes its way to so many tables. The majority of you passed on him, so we'll have to go another direction at that position.
Running back: On the other hand, you unanimously reached for Ray Rice the way most of us reach for the pumpkin pie. He'll start for us this evening against the San Francisco 49ers.
Tight end: Since both of the tight ends on our roster have games today, we pretty much knew one would be starting for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team. And the winner is Jason Witten, who hosts the Miami Dolphins in the late afternoon.
As for the rest of our lineup, we still have a lot of decisions to make. So we have whipped up a fresh batch of lineup polls from scratch. They will stay open through Saturday night, so you can vote on them today while waiting for dinner, or you can come back to them later after the crowds have dispersed. Either way, we would appreciate it if you cast your vote and helped this experiment in fantasy sports democracy continue.
Enjoy the games, everybody. And remember your reason to be thankful. If you're having trouble coming up with your own, here's a hint.

Thankful for Another Win

2011-11-23T17:19:00.001-05:00

As you dig in to your turkey tomorrow, the People's Pigskin will be celebrating its third straight win and starting work on a fourth.
The Internet's favorite fantasy football team defeated Glen Gardner's Finest by a score of 92-62. Our season record has improved to 5-6, and we now sit two games behind the division leader in the People's League.
Here is a quick scoring breakdown.
Eli Manning, QB: 18 of 35 passing for 264 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 1 fumble lost and 10 fantasy points. Unfortunately, Manning is making a habit of giving up late turnovers that cost his NFL team even more than they cost his fantasy teams.
Ray Rice, RB: 20 rushes for 104 yards, 5 receptions for 43 yards, 2 touchdowns and 26 fantasy points. The Baltimore Ravens have figured out that they are more likely to win when they find ways to get Rice the ball.
Michael Bush, RB: 30 rushes for 109 yards, 2 receptions for 20 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 fumble lost and 16 fantasy points. The only thing that might slow Bush down at this point is a recovery by Darren McFadden.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 3 receptions, 41 yards, 1 touchdown and 10 fantasy points. It's a good thing Fitzgerald found the end zone. Otherwise, these numbers would be ugly.
Plaxico Burress, WR: 4 receptions, 64 yards and 6 fantasy points. Thursday night was a bad night to be a New York Jet.
Wes Welker, Flex: 2 receptions, 22 yards and 2 fantasy points. Both of Welker's catches came late in the fourth quarter of a game that was decided the moment the Kansas City Chiefs allowed Rob Gronkowski to run free.
Jason Witten, TE: 3 receptions, 85 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Witten's yardage was his highest in a month and a half.
Buffalo Bills, D/ST: 1 sack, 1 safety, 35 points allowed and 2 fantasy points. It's safe to say this waiver wire pickup didn't pan out.
Mike Nugent, K: 1 for 1 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points and 6 fantasy points. Nugent scored 6 fantasy points for the third straight week.
Bench: Tony Romo racked up 23 points on our sidelines. Percy Harvin added 15, and DeAngelo Williams (remember him?) scored 10.
Now, let's talk about Thursday. The National Football League is gracing us with three games, all of which have fantasy relevance. (Even NPR has noticed.) And we need your help setting our lineup. We have four players taking the field on Thanksgiving: Rice, Romo, Witten and Brandon Pettigrew. Our polls are still open and will stay open through Wednesday night. If you'd like to help out, get your votes in now, and encourage your friends/relatives/random holiday visitors to do the same.
We'll be back with the results.

Wrapping Up a NASCAR Season

2011-11-22T21:30:00.001-05:00

Thanks for your patience over the past few days as the people who bring you this fine fantasy sports blog have been on the road. We are back home, and another auto racing season is in the books. The People's Pitstop is proud of its performance over the past 10 months, concluding with a 280-point outing on Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Our season total of 9,550 dropped us one spot to 5th place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Congratulations to Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88 for winning the league.
And here are the final results of 2011 for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team.
Carl Edwards: Started 1st, finished 2nd, 119 laps led and 118 fantasy points. Edwards did everything except what he needed to do to get his first Sprint Cup: win. However, longtime readers will recall that we anticipated that.
Brad Keselowski: Started 5th, finished 20th (1 lap behind the leaders), 11 laps led and 62 fantasy points. Keselowski is certainly someone to watch for 2012. As long as no one asks him about fuel injection.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 12th, finished 15th and 62 fantasy points. As it turns out, 15 was the number to describe Allmendinger's weekend. With his 15th place finish in Homestead, he secured 15th place in the final NASCAR standings.
Bobby Labonte: Started 35th, finished 27th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 38 fantasy points.
Thanks to all of you for helping the People's Pitstop achieve all it achieved this season. And remember that the People's Pigskin still has some meat left on its season. A fresh set of polls are now open for voting through Wednesday night.
We'll be back with the football results.

Fearless Predictions - Week 11

2011-11-20T10:50:00.001-05:00

Without further adue, here are this week's predictions for the People's League. Last week's version of the picks went 2-3, leaving us with a season record of 22-27-1.
People's Pigskin vs. Glen Gardner's Finest: The Pigskin holds a slight lead after Thursday night and should maintain that lead the rest of the weekend.
Hudson Valley Hawks2 vs. Team Brotherton: The Hawks got only a single point from Shonn Greene before he left Thursday's game. The Brothertons should take that break and run with it to a victory.
LA Lockouts vs. t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs: The Buccs got only 3 points from Santonio Holmes on Thursday. DeMarco Murray has a chance to cement his spot in the Dallas Cowboys starting lineup. That should get the Lockouts another win.
Minneapolis Fantastic Houll vs. Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85: If this one comes down to Monday night, Aaron Hernandez is a far better bet to score than BenJarvus Green-Ellis. And the BearDowns are a much safer pick as a result.
Arcadia Roses vs. VinSethVaughn Bears: That donut the Bears got from Eric Decker probably isn't very tasty. Neither is A.J. Green's doubtful status for Sunday. The Roses should roll into the winner's circle here.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the games -- as well as the race. We'll be back when we can with the results.

The People's Choice - Week 11

2011-11-20T10:28:00.001-05:00

Thanks to everyone who voted in this week's polls. Here are the players who will represent the People's Pigskin this week against Glen Gardner's Finest.
Quarterback: Eli Manning edged out Tony Romo. He'll take the field Sunday night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Running Back: Two players dominated this poll. They were Ray Rice (facing the Cincinnati Bengals) and Michael Bush (visiting the Minnesota Vikings).
Wide Receiver/Flex: Two players topped this poll and beat DeAngelo Williams for the flex spot. As you might expect, they were Wes Welker (facing the Kansas City Chiefs Monday night) and Larry Fitzgerald (playing the San Francisco 49ers in the late afternoon).
There were no changes at tight end (Jason Witten against the Washington Redskins). Earlier in the week, you chose Mike Nugent (facing the Baltimore Ravens) and the Buffalo Bills defense/special teams (playing the Miami Dolphins).
We'll be back with the People's League predictions.

The People's Choice - Homestead (and the Final Prediction)

2011-11-19T22:09:00.001-05:00

We at the People's Pitstop would like to thank all of those who have supported us throughout this NASCAR season. The drivers have arrived at their final destination: Homestead-Miami Speedway. And here are the drivers who will represent us there.
A List: Carl Edwards earned the pole (and 10 bonus points for us).
B List: Brad Keselowski (5th) and A.J. Allmendinger (12th) earned starting spots over Jeff Burton and Marcos Ambrose.
C List: Bobby Labonte (35th) earned the final starting spot over David Gilliland.
And, instead of giving you the usual top 10 predictions, we'll end this racing season with the only prediction that matters.
Tony Stewart wins his third Sprint Cup.
We'll be back with the football poll results.

Say Hello to Our New Friends

2011-11-16T12:21:00.001-05:00

This week, we threw a Justin Verlander-level curveball at you, the Internet. We asked you to pick a new defense/special teams and a new kicker for the People's Pigskin to fill in for our regular starters, the Pittsburgh Steelers and John Kasay. You voted, we submitted the waiver wire requests -- and came up as empty as this guy.
So, instead of getting our first choice, the Cincinnati Bengals defense/special teams, we ended up with the Buffalo Bills defense/special teams. They will start for us this week against the Miami Dolphins. Joseph Addai was released to make room for the Bengals.
On the kicker side, we couldn't get Neil Rackers (who has a bye week, anyway), so we went with plan B: Mike Nugent of the Cincinnati Bengals. He'll start for us against the suddenly vulnerable Baltimore Ravens. Danny Woodhead was released to give Nugent a roster spot.
Thanks for your input on those polls. And feel free to vote on the others. The one about Plaxico Burress will close Thursday evening (before his New York Jets kick off against the Denver Broncos). The ones about our NASCAR lineup will close Friday evening. And new football polls will go up as soon as we know whether Burress is starting for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team.

We Have Another Winning Streak!

2011-11-15T10:43:00.001-05:00

It only took until the middle of November, but the People's Pigskin has its second two-game winning streak of the 2011 season.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team beat the Minneapolis Fantastic Houll by a score of 122-74. The win lifted our season record to 4-6, and given the tight standings in the People's League, a playoff berth remains a distinct possibility.

Here are all the juicy details.

Eli Manning, QB: 26 of 40 passing for 311 yards, 2 rushes for 4 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and 16 fantasy points. Once again, our quarterback had a strong day -- right up until the end.

Ray Rice, RB: 1 for 1 passing for 1 yard, 5 rushes for 27 yards, 8 receptions for 54 yards, 1 touchdown and 11 fantasy points. It's a good thing Rice got a chance to throw for a score. The Baltimore Ravens seemed bound and determined to give this game to the Seattle Seahawks by keeping the ball away from Rice.

Michael Bush, RB: 30 rushes for 157 yards, 3 receptions for 85 yards, 1 touchdown and 29 fantasy points. You never want to celebrate a player's injury, but Bush is making the most of his opportunity.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 7 receptions, 146 yards, 2 touchdowns and 26 fantasy points. Who would have thought all Fitzgerald needed to light up the scoreboard was a new quarterback?

Plaxico Burress, WR: 3 receptions, 39 yards, 1 touchdown and 9 fantasy points. Burress made the most of Mark Sanchez's limited (and possibly hesitant) production Sunday night.

Wes Welker, Flex: 6 receptions, 46 yards and 4 fantasy points. The New York Jets defensive plan seemed to be "Use Darrelle Revis to stop Welker and let the New England tight ends run roughshod over us."

Jason Witten, TE: 5 receptions, 37 yards and 3 fantasy points. We don't get fantasy points for having our tight end pass Ozzie Newsome on the all-time reception list. Too bad.

Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 2 interceptions, 17 points allowed and 7 fantasy points. The Steelers clearly are not the fantasy force they once were, though they are doing enough to beat their opponent most Sundays.

John Kasay, K: 4 for 5 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 17 fantasy points. Kasay is used to taking advantage of opportunities, even when they are presented to him by the opposing coach.

Bench: Not that we needed it, but Tony Romo did score 22 points on Sunday. Damian Williams scored 16, and Percy Harvin put up 6 points Monday night.

This week is going to be a busy one poll-wise. Our opponent this week is Glen Gardner's Finest. And, in addition to the bye week holes covered in a previous post, we have a Thursday night player on our roster. Burress and his New York Jets take on the Denver Broncos this week. So we have a poll up on whether Burress should take one of the receiver spots. That poll will close Thursday evening and can be found right below the defense/special teams and kicker polls, which will close today. So please get your votes in now.

We'll be back with the results from those waiver wire polls.

Hot Results from Phoenix (and New Football Polls)

2011-11-14T14:53:00.000-05:00

We'll get to our special football polls in a moment. But first, we picked a heck of a week for the People's Pitstop to have one of its best outings ever.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team racked up an astounding 335 points during Sunday's Chase race at Phoenix International Raceway. The season total of 9,270 left us in 4th place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league, but we got more points than anyone else in the league this week. So, no, we might not win the league, but we got feel what it's like to win a week.

Here is how we got here.

Tony Stewart: Started 8th, finished 3rd, 160 laps led and 106 fantasy points. Stewart got 10 bonus points for leading a lap and 10 more for leading the most laps. But he'll probably focus on the fact that he has turned the Chase for the Sprint Cup into a two-way race.

Kasey Kahne: Started 10th, finished 1st, 14 laps led and 100 fantasy points. Now, that's how you finish a season. Kahne made his 9th and final start for the People's Pitstop. In his nine starts, he scored an average of 51.2 points and had an average finish of 23.3. His worst performance came in Richmond in September, when was collateral damage in a get-together between Marcos Ambrose and Brian Vickers. His best (other than this week, of course) was in Kansas in October, when he finished second to Jimmie Johnson. And it's nice that he got Red Bull Racing something to celebrate before its potential breakup.

Marcos Ambrose: Started 3rd, finished 8th and 79 fantasy points. Once again, all that was missing was leading a lap.

Bobby Labonte: Started 31st, finished 21st (1 lap behind the leaders) and 50 fantasy points. You know it was a good day when the lowest scorer on your fantasy team got 50 points.

The NASCAR folks have one race to go -- at Homestead-Miami Speedway -- and for once, it will be more than simply a coronation. We have one more lineup to field for the People's Pitstop, so the lineup polls are upon once more. Qualifying is Saturday, so these polls will close Friday night. But feel free to get your votes in today.

Speaking of polls, the People's Pigskin has some decisions to make. The bye weeks return this week and will claim both our starting defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers) and our starting kicker (John Kasay). Since we have no backups at their positions on our roster, we need to hit the waiver wire to get their substitutes or replacements. And since this is a fantasy sports democracy, we have polls for you, the Internet, to help us make our choices. Which kicker and D/ST should we pick up? Who should be kicked off the roster to make room for our newcomers? The polls are now open. These polls will close Tuesday evening, since the waiver wire transactions will be processed Wednesday morning. Please get those votes in right away, too.

We'll be back with the football results for this week.

Fearless Predictions - Week 10

2011-11-13T12:28:00.001-05:00

Like the Chicago Bears, the weekly predictions for the People's League took a big step back toward respectability last week by going 4-1, lifting our season record to 20-24-1. One more week like that, and we'll be near the .500 mark. With that goal in mind, here come this week's fantasy football forecasts.

People's Pigskin vs. Minneapolis Fantastic Houll: The Houll used three players on Thursday night and got 11 points. The Pigskin used one player (Michael Bush) and scored 29 points. Mathematics alone point toward another Pigskin win.

VinSethVaughn Bears vs. t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs: Both sides have full complements of players available. The difference here may be in the receivers. The Buccs can get tons of points quickly from Santonio Holmes and Julio Jones. That's enough to pick the Buccs here.

LA Lockouts vs. Hudson Valley Hawks2: The Lockouts got 4 points from Nick Novak on Thursday, while the Hawks got 19 from Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates. Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson seem primed for big outings, and they should drive the Lockouts to another victory.

Arcadia Roses vs. Glen Gardner's Finest: Both teams are 5-4 and have full complements of players. This could easily by the highest-scoring matchup in the People's League. The Finest have the finest of edges here by virtue of a New York Jets defense that can wreak havoc on the New England Patriots.

Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85 vs. Team Brotherton: The BearDowns got 8 points from Vincent Jackson and Sebastian Janikowski on Thursday. The Brothertons have a full complement of players, including a sneaky-good Jermichael Finley playing Monday night. Even if the Brothertons don't wrap up the win on Sunday, Finley should push them over the top.

As always, thanks for reading. We'll be back with some results (and some new polls requiring immediate votes).

The People's Choice - Week 10

2011-11-13T09:24:00.001-05:00

We at the People's Pigskin don't want to be late like DeSean Jackson, so we're going to have to make this quick. Here are the players who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy football team this week against the Minneapolis Fantastic Houll.

Quarterback: You must have liked what you saw last week from Eli Manning, because he's starting again this week in a late afternoon game against the San Francisco 49ers.

Running back: We used one of the two starting spots on Michael Bush (with wonderful results) on Thursday night. This poll produced a two-way tie. Using the projected points tiebreaker, we award the second starting spot to Ray Rice. He faces the Seattle Seahawks in a late afternoon game.

Wide receiver: This poll produced the dreaded three-way tie. (Leave the jokes alone, please.) Again, we look to the projections to help us out. The starting spots go to Larry Fitzgerald (visiting the Philadelphia Eagles) and Plaxico Burress (who has a Sunday night date with the New England Patriots).

Flex: This week's flex battle pits a pair of Patriots against each other. With points projections, Wes Welker edges out Danny Woodhead for this starting spot against the New York Jets on Sunday night.

There were no changes at tight end (Jason Witten, hosting the Buffalo Bills), defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, facing the Cincinnati Bengals) or kicker (John Kasay, matching up against the Atlanta Falcons).

We'll be back later with the People's League predictions.

Fearless Predictions - Phoenix

2011-11-12T23:11:00.001-05:00

Those of you working the night shift will get first crack at this week's predictions for the NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10 at Phoenix International Raceway. Last week's predictions went 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 47-81.

One from the front: No matter how anyone tries to spin it, the Chase for the Sprint Cup has become a two-driver competition. One of the competitors, Tony Stewart, is starting for the People's Pitstop. The other one, Carl Edwards, will start in the 9th spot and is therefore eligible for this pick.

One from the back: It's pretty safe to say that Kyle Busch is ticked off. First, NASCAR suspended him for a Nationwide race and a Sprint Cup race for wrecking Ron Hornaday. Then M&Ms pulled itself off his car for the last two weekends of the season. Then he qualified 34th after having to change an engine. And if there's anything we've learned about Kyle Busch over the years, it's that he does some of his best driving when he's ticked off at the world.

Two from the middle: If Jimmie Johnson wants to make this more than a two-man race, he has to do something pretty extraordinary in Phoenix. He starts 16th this week, but finishing there is no longer an option.

And let's have a shout-out for Paul Menard, who starts 11th in this race. Menard started this year on Yahoo Sports' C List, the list for every random driver who decides to put a car together for a particular race. And after the year he's had, including a win at Indianapolis, it's safe to say he won't be on that list in 2012.

We'll be back with the results of our football polls.

The People's Choice - Phoenix

2011-11-12T18:00:00.001-05:00

We have reached the second to last weekend of the NASCAR season, and, unlike Kyle Busch or David Reutimann, the People's Pitstop has a chance to end its season on a strong note. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy racing team during Sunday's Chase race at Phoenix International Raceway.

A List: There was no doubt about how you, the Internet, felt in this poll. You gave all your votes to the two drivers who have the best chance to hoist this year's Sprint Cup: Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart. And it looks like they'll really have to work to get some separation from each other. Stewart qualified 8th, or one spot in front of Edwards, so he gets the start.

B List: The winner of this week's poll was Brad Keselowski. Jeff Burton tied for second with a surprise latecomer to the party, Marcos Ambrose. The fourth spot on our roster went to Kasey Kahne by virtue of the points tiebreaker. And the surprises did not end there. Ambrose qualified 3rd, earning a starting spot for himself and 3 bonus points for the People's Pitstop. Kahne (10th) earned the other starting spot over Keselowski (12th) and Burton (14th). Kahne will be making his ninth and final start for us of the season. His next start for us will be as a teammate of Jimmie Johnson's.

C List: All the votes in this poll went to David Gilliland and Bobby Labonte. And Labonte (31st) got the starting spot over Gilliland (42nd).

Thanks as always for voting, and don't forget to get your votes in on the fantasy football polls tonight. We'll be back later with some racing predictions.

A Pregame Update (and New Polls)

2011-11-10T18:41:00.001-05:00

The real "Must See TV" starts tonight as NFL Network brings back Thursday Night Football. Our first Thursday matchup inspired the first Thursday night poll of the season for the People's Pigskin. We asked you, the Internet, whether we should start Michael Bush this week. And you voted unanimously to put him into the starting lineup tonight against the San Diego Chargers.

We'd like to thank all of those who voted in that poll. And we have plenty more opportunities to make your voice heard. In addition to the fantasy NASCAR polls, which will close Friday night, we now have a full complement of fantasy football polls. After all, Bush can't carry the Internet's favorite fantasy football team by himself. The football polls will close on Saturday night. Please note that we now need you to vote for only two running backs, since Bush has already claimed a starting spot.

The People's Pigskin halted its losing streak last week. Now we need to build our winning streak into multiple games. And we need your help. So please vote now.

We'll be back with some more relevant thoughts.

The 3.5-Point Question Revisited

2011-11-09T21:08:00.000-05:00

Citizens across America -- at least, the ones who remembered that our democracy functions every year, not just once every four years -- did their patriotic duty and cast votes on all sorts of decisions Tuesday. They voted for legislators, executives, judges and ballot initiatives of every sort.

One referendum that passed in New Jersey covered a topic near and dear to the People's Pigskin's heart.

By a margin of nearly 2 to 1, residents of the Garden State authorized their legislature to amend the state's constitution to legalize sports betting there. Now, before you book your reservations, there are a few things you should know. First, the state still needs to overcome a federal law prohibiting sports betting in all but four states (including Delaware). New Jersey could get Congress to overturn the law, or it could get a court to declare the law unconstitutional. Either effort would take a while. Then, if the state got one of those things to happen, it would still have to work out the mechanics of sports betting. What games would be offered? Who would set the odds? Who would make sure everything was on the up and up? Et cetera.

Longtime readers of this blog know how we feel about the issue. It's silly to allow someone to walk into a convenience store, put a $50 bill on the counter and say, "Give me two Wheel of Fortunes, three Win $500 a Week for Lifes, five Minute to Win Its and 10 dollars on the Powerball," while arresting someone for going to that same counter and saying "Give me Cowboys minus the 3 for $50." And those who worry about betting scandals and game-fixing aren't paying attention. Neither college athletes nor their professional counterparts have needed legalized sports betting to corrupt themselves.

Of course, not everyone thinks that way. While New Jersey residents were passing their referendum, residents of Maine were defeating a casino proposal. Still, it's clear that progress is being made.

Quick reminder: The first fantasy football poll of the week will close on Thursday. We need to know whether the People's Pigskin should start Michael Bush on Thursday night against the San Diego Chargers. Your vote counts, so please make it now.

A Quick NASCAR Update

2011-11-08T13:17:00.000-05:00

The People's Pitstop racked up 280 fantasy points during Sunday's Chase race at Texas Motor Speedway. That leaves us with a season total of 8,935, which is good enough for sole possession of fourth place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league.

Before Kyle Busch tries to wreck us, here's the scoring recap.

Tony Stewart: Started 5th, finished 1st, 173 laps led and 110 fantasy points. It's hard to tell which is more amazing -- that this was Stewart's fourth win in this year's Chase, or that he's still trailing Carl Edwards in the driver standings.

Marcos Ambrose: Started 12th, finished 11th and 70 fantasy points. Ambrose got as close as 2nd place, but late tire changes were not enough to keep him in the top 10 at checkered flag.

Brad Keselowski: Started 8th, finished 24th (1 lap behind the leaders), 2 laps led and 54 fantasy points. It's hard to win a Sprint Cup if you can't avoid other cars on pit row.

Regan Smith: Started 10th, finished 23rd (1 lap behind the leaders) and 46 fantasy points. This was Smith's final start for the People's Pitstop this season. In his nine starts for us, he scored an average of 46.6 points and had an average finish of 22.6. His worst performances for us were his first two, at Phoenix in February and at Dover in May. In both cases, he finished 34th and scored 24 points. His best finish was last month at Martinsville, where he finished 13th and scored 66 points. And yes, we missed out on his single win of the season.

That's 34 races down and two to go. Next up is a Sunday afternoon Chase race at Phoenix International Raceway. Qualifying is Saturday, so the lineup polls will stay open through Friday night. Feel free to get your votes in now.

And, since this is Election Day, we at the People's Pigskin/Pitstop want to urge each and every one of you to get to a polling place and cast a ballot. You may not like all the people on the ballot, but this country would be worse off if we left the critical decisions about who represents us to the zealots. Yes, our troops deserve our thanks for defending our way of life, but a democratic form of government is one of the things that makes their sacrifices worthwhile.

Also, if you hear someone say today, "I don't vote. Why bother? What's the point?"...

Hit that person.

Very, very hard.

An Early Taste of Victory

2011-11-07T20:59:00.000-05:00

The streak is over for the People's Pigskin.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team beat the Arcadia Roses by a score of 105-66. Our season record has been raised to 3-6, and even if we did ruin our chances to draft Andrew Luck, we'll take it.

Here is the most pleasant scoring breakdown we've run in six weeks.

Eli Manning, QB: 20 of 39 passing for 250 yards, 3 rushes for 11 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and 17 fantasy points. No, he doesn't get extra fantasy points for leading a last-minute comeback victory, but those last-minute points count just the same.

Ray Rice, RB: 18 rushes for 43 yards, 5 receptions for 43 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. Considering that he got those statistics against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, you have to call them impressive. And they'd be even more impressive had it not been for a certain holding call.

Michael Bush, RB: 19 rushes for 96 yards, 2 receptions for 33 yards, 1 touchdown and 18 fantasy points. Bush has been the big beneficiary of both Darren McFadden's injury and Carson Palmer's misadventures.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 4 receptions, 43 yards, 1 touchdown and 10 fantasy points. Who would have guessed the way to get Fitzgerald his first touchdown in a month was to get John Skelton under center?

Plaxico Burress, WR: 5 receptions, 79 yards and 7 fantasy points. There had been questions about Burress' back, but there are no questions about his hands.

Wes Welker, Flex: 1 rush for 13 yards, 9 receptions for 136 yards and 14 fantasy points. All that was missing was a touchdown.

Jason Witten, TE: 4 receptions, 71 yards, 1 touchdown and 13 fantasy points. Weeks like this are the reason Witten keeps showing up on "under-appreciated weapons" lists.

Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 1 fumble recovery, 3 sacks, 23 points allowed and 4 fantasy points. Those last two figures were more impressive until Joe Flacco put that last drive together.

John Kasay, K: 2 for 3 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points and 8 fantasy points. Kasay is not the top fantasy kicker anymore, but he remains serviceable.

Bench: We would have been all right with Tony Romo, after all. He scored 20 fantasy points. Damian Williams scored 9, and Danny Woodhead scored 5.

Now, we have to deal with a new fantasy football wrinkle: Thursday Night Football on NFL Network (the same network that told us the greatest touchdown celebration of all time was by Barry Sanders). We have one player involved in this Thursday's match between the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers. That would be Michael Bush. And the decision on whether to play him won't wait until Saturday. So we have a special poll set up for him now. That poll will close Thursday evening before kickoff. Please vote now.

We'll be back shortly with the fantasy racing results.

Fearless Predictions - Week 9

2011-11-06T12:39:00.001-05:00

Now here's something we didn't anticipate. The People's League has something you don't see in hockey or college football anymore: a tie.

But even that result couldn't save these fantasy football picks from a dismal outing. They went 1-3-1 last week, dropping our season record to 16-23-1. Like the New Orleans Saints, we need to make a quick comeback, and here's how we're going to do it.

People's Pigskin vs. Arcadia Roses: We've got Eli Manning reliving his finest hour. That should get the Pigskin an elusive win.

Hudson Valley Hawks2 vs. VinSethVaughn Bears: This one really could go either way. The Bears have a bunch of Monday night players, so a late comeback is always possible. However, Philip Rivers is the type of player who follows up a rotten performance with a great one. He should lift the Hawks to a winning record.

Team Brotherton vs. Minneapolis Fantastic Houll: The Brothertons are on a roll, having won three straight. And the Baltimore Ravens defense/special teams should be much stiffer against Ben Roethlisberger than the Patriots were last week. Make it four straight for the Brothertons.

Glen Gardner's Finest vs. t-bay jacks Youngry Buccs: Expecting Josh Freeman & Company to beat the New Orleans Saints twice this season may be asking a little too much of a team that's still up and coming. Look for the Finest to prevail here.

Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85 vs. LA Lockouts: Cedric Benson is back from his suspension, and he'd like to remind the NFL that it was supposed to miss him last week. He'll run over the Tennessee Titans and life the BearDowns to the upset here.

Thanks again for reading, and enjoy the games. We'll be back with some results.

The People's Choice - Week 9

2011-11-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

Daylight Savings Time is in our rear view mirror, and Thursday night football is just around the corner. (We'll discuss that further on Monday.) In between those two events, you, the Internet, have selected a lineup for the People's Pigskin. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team may be 2-6, but we're putting on a brave face and, with your help, fielding this lineup against the Arcadia Roses.

Quarterback: It's unanimous. You, the Internet, want to see Eli Manning take on the New England Patriots for the first time since this game. Well, you've got it. Eli takes the field late Sunday afternoon.

Running back: There were two clear winners in this poll to select two starters. They are Ray Rice (facing the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night) and Michael Bush (hosting the Denver Broncos in a late afternoon game).

Wide receiver/Flex: Three wide receivers dominated the voting, so all three are going to get starts over the third-place running back (Danny Woodhead). Your winning receivers are Larry Fitzgerald (in a late afternoon game against the St. Louis Rams), Plaxico Burress (visiting the Buffalo Bills) and Wes Welker (in a late afternoon game against the New York Giants.

Yes, the people who run this blog have noticed the "Q"s next to Burress and Welker. All indications are that both players should play today. However, if they can't, we have backups available to plug in, and we'll let you know if we're forced to use them.

There were no changes at tight end (Jason Witten, taking on the Seattle Seahawks), defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, who play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night) or kicker (John Kasay, looking to bounce back against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

Thanks again for your contributions. We'll be back with the People's League predictions.

Fearless Predictions - Texas

2011-11-05T21:52:00.001-04:00

Things you won't see anytime soon include Ron Hornaday inviting Kyle Busch over for Thanksgiving dinner anyone recommending these NASCAR predictions for anything other than "entertainment purposes." Last week's forecasts went 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 45-79. But let's see which NASCAR drivers you should expect to see in the top 10 on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.

One from the front: Everyone has been talking about Tony Stewart's victory last week, and rightly so. But you shouldn't forget that Carl Edwards remains the points leader. He starts in 7th place this week in Texas, where he has won three times in his Sprint Cup career.

One from the back: The usual suspects are occupying the back 10 spaces this week, so we'll go back to last week's selection, Travis Kvapil, who starts 41st. For the reasons behind this decision, see last week's predictions.

Two from the middle: Time for a trivia question: Who got his first Sprint Cup victory in a 2000 race at Texas Motor Speedway? The answer: Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished 9th in the April race here and starts in the 16th spot on Sunday.

For our final pick, we at the People's Pitstop would like to recognize Mark Martin. Sure, he's starting 30th on Sunday, but he has four top-six finishes in his last five races on this track. And he'll get more opportunities here, now that he's agreed to drive for Michael Waltrip Racing. I wonder if they've warned Martin not to touch whatever is being put in the engines over there.

There are still a few hours for you to get some votes in on the People's Pigskin lineup. Your votes will determine who starts this week for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team against the Arcadia Roses. Thanks. We'll be back with the results.

The People's Choice - Texas

2011-11-04T22:08:00.000-04:00

We have reached the last weekend of Daylight Savings Time, one of the few things that last nearly as long as NASCAR season. But before you worry about adjusting your clock, it's time to thank you once again for voting on the polls for the People's Pitstop. Let's see who will be starting for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team during Sunday's Chase race at Texas Motor Speedway.

A List: The voters were paying attention last week in Martinsville. They gave this poll to Tony Stewart, with Kevin Harvick coming in second. And Stewart must still have something left in the tank. He qualified 5th, or 16 spots in front of Harvick, and will start for us this week.

B List: The votes in this poll were all over the proverbial map. In first place, we had a tie between Brad Keselowski and Marcos Ambrose. But maybe the voters were on to something. Keselowski (8th) and Ambrose (12th) earned starting spots over A.J. Allmendinger (26th) and Jeff Burton (31st). Interestingly, Ambrose will be making his first start of the season for us.

C List: This poll has fallen into a predictable pattern. As expected, Regan Smith won the vote over Bobby Labonte. As we might expect by now, Smith (10th) qualified better than Labonte (32nd). Therefore, as Yahoo Sports rules dictate, Smith will be making his ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop on Sunday.

By the way, if you haven't already, feel free to add your voice to the lineup polls for the People's Pigskin. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team is trying to pull out of a tailspin, and we'll need your help to avenge an earlier loss against the Arcadia Roses. Thanks.

We'll be back with some racing predictions.

The Last Time We Visited Texas

2011-11-03T21:51:00.000-04:00

People like to criticize the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball (and, until recently, the National Basketball Association) for having seasons that are too long, but consider this. Back in early April, when baseball was having its opening ceremonies, the NASCAR season was already six weeks old. And now that baseball has crowned a champion for this year, the NASCAR season continues to roll along. This week, it's pulling into Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

And this just might be the cure for what's ailing the People's Pitstop.

Again, turn back to early April. That's when NASCAR held the first of its two Sprint Cup races of the season in Fort Worth. The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team racked up a mind-boggling 376 points in that race.

It would be easy to write that off as the side effect of having race winner Matt Kenseth starting for us. But the truth is that three of our starters finished in the top 10 that day and led at least one lap. And the fourth starter, Juan Pablo Montoya, managed to finish in 13th place.

As the People's Pitstop considers its lineup for this week's race, two of our starters from that golden weekend (David Ragan and Clint Bowyer) are no longer available. Both are victims of the Yahoo Sports "nine starts only" rule. So are two of our bench drivers that week (Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Paul Menard), who both finished in the top 10 that April day. But results like that show you that good things can happen on any given weekend in fantasy sports. Hope doesn't have to be simply a word on a poster. Ask the St. Louis Cardinals about hope. Heck, ask the St. Louis Rams about hope. It springs eternal, even in November.

Our hope is that you'll get your votes in for our lineups. The fantasy NASCAR polls will close later tonight, while the fantasy football polls will stay open through Saturday night. Thanks in advance for your votes and your support.

We'll be back with the poll results.

As Ugly as It Gets

2011-11-01T11:25:00.000-04:00

It's hard to tell whether the People's Pigskin had a worse weekend than Tim Tebow, but they are definitely running neck and neck.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team lost a butt-ugly 81-64 matchup to the LA Lockouts. Our season record is now 2-6, and the losing streak now stands at five games.

Here are all the charisma-challenged details.

Tony Romo, QB: 18 of 35 passing for 203 yards, 1 rush for 9 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception and 10 fantasy points. It would be nice to say Romo's stats would be better if the Philadelphia Eagles let him play more. But the Dallas Cowboys offense stank just as much as the defense. No, Jerry Jones isn't pushing a panic button, but he's probably considering turning down future opportunities to play on Sunday night.

Ray Rice, RB: 18 rushes for 63 yards, 7 receptions for 36 yards, 3 touchdowns and 27 fantasy points. Feast your eyes on the only bright spot in this report. Rice maximized his opportunities in the red zone and produced a season-high fantasy score.

DeAngelo Williams, RB: 7 rushes for 26 yards, 2 receptions for 13 yards and 3 fantasy points. Williams is being paid like a featured back but certainly isn't be expected to perform like one at this point.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 3 receptions, 98 yards and 9 fantasy points. Most of Fitzgerald's points came on one catch early in the game. Other than that, he fully earned his spot on this list.

Wes Welker, WR: 6 receptions, 39 yards and 3 fantasy points. Welker was a victim of a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that had the New England Patriots' collective number on Sunday.

Danny Woodhead, Flex: 0 rushes, 0 receptions and 0 fantasy points. Woodhead, on the other hand, was a victim of Kevin Faulk's comeback.

Jason Witten, TE: 4 receptions, 28 yards and 2 fantasy points. The good news: Witten was targeted 12 times and clearly remains a go-to guy in the Dallas Cowboys offense. The bad news: It doesn't do any good to be the go-to guy if your offense isn't going anywhere.

Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 3 sacks, 1 safety, 17 points allowed and 8 fantasy points. Say what you want about Troy Polamalu's hair, but his slapping the ball out of the end zone did wonders for his team's fantasy score.

John Kasay, K: 0 for 1 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points and 2 fantasy points. You know you're having a bad week when one of the top kickers in fantasy football misses his only field goal attempt of the game.

Bench: This loss could have been different with a different set of starters. Eli Manning scored 21 points from the bench. Percy Harvin scored 10, and Damian Williams scored 6, a week after those two players gave us 1 point combined.

What do we do now? We get ready for our next matchup and hope things will get better. This week's opponent is the Arcadia Roses, who beat the Pigskin 122-86 earlier in the season. And this week's bye week victims are Williams, Brandon Pettigrew and Percy Harvin. And this week's polls are open. They will stay open through Saturday night, which should be plenty of time to round up some friends and get them to vote. Thanks.

This Season's Not Over Yet

2011-10-31T12:36:00.000-04:00

Martinsville Speedway may be one of the shortest tracks on the NASCAR circuit, but it's big enough to alter the Chase race as well as the fate of the People's Pitstop.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored 260 points during Sunday's Chase race at Martinsville. Our season total of 8,655 lifted us into a tie for fourth place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league with SteelerFan4Tony.

As we start dreaming of a top three finish, let's look as this week's results.

Kyle Busch: Started 6th, finished 27th (7 laps behind the leaders), 126 laps led and 58 fantasy points. It just goes to show that one tire flying off your car can ruin your whole day.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 9th, finished 7th and 78 fantasy points. That was Earnhardt's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop this season. In his nine starts, he had an average finish of 15.7 and an average score of 66.3. Strangely, Talladega Superspeedway was the site of his best performance for us (95 points and a 4th-place finish in April) and his worst performance for us (52 points and a 25th-place finish in October). And Earnhardt would probably be the first to tell you that, even though he made the Chase this year, his team is still not where it wants to be. Fortunately, Hendrick Motorsports seems willing to give him another shot in 2012.

Brad Keselowski: Started 3rd, finished 17th and 58 fantasy points. If only Keselowski could have that last restart back.

Regan Smith: Started 26th, finished 13th and 66 fantasy points. It's a truly remarkable finish when you consider that Smith had to overcome the damage he suffered when Dave Blaney got into him early in the race.

That leaves us with three races to make our mark. The next stop is Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway. The polls are now open and will stay open through Thursday evening. Get your votes in now.

We'll be back with the fantasy football results.

Fearless Predictions - Week 8

2011-10-30T12:44:00.001-04:00

To get back to the .500 mark, the weekly fantasy football picks for the People's League need a miracle, or a 5-0 week. That's because last week's forecasts went 2-3, lowering our season record to 15-20. If only the picks could play against Wisconsin this week. But we'll do the best we can with these.

People's Pigskin vs. LA Lockouts. The Pigskin can mount a Sunday night comeback thanks to the presence of both Tony Romo and Jason Witten in the starting lineup. The pick here is for the Pigskin to mount such a comeback and end the losing skid.

Arcadia Roses vs. Hudson Valley Hawks2. Both of these teams currently sport 4-3 records. But one has two players (Dwayne Bowe and Antonio Gates) who should be featured by their offenses on Monday night. Look for the Hawks to ride the prime time performances to victory.

VinSethVaughn Bears vs. Minneapolis Fantastic Houll. One has Tom Brady. The other had Tim Tebow. That's enough to predict a win for the Houll.

t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs vs. Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown 85. In addition to the longest combined team names, this matchup sports Ahmad Bradshaw versus LeSean McCoy. McCoy is the player with the higher ceiling this week, so look for the BearDowns to win.

Glen Gardner's Finest vs. Team Brotherton. Michael Vick plus Calvin Johnson equals a sixth victory for the Finest. Sometimes the math is just that simple.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the games. Some new polls should be up shortly.

The People's Choice - Week 8

2011-10-30T09:44:00.000-04:00

Neither nor could stop you, the Internet, from making your voice heard in this week's fantasy football polls. As a result, the People's Pigskin will field this lineup this weekend against the LA Lockouts.

Quarterback: Eli Manning may have the Dolphins on his schedule, but Tony Romo gets the Sundy night spotlight. Maybe that's why Romo won this week's pool. His prime time opponent is the Philadelphia Eagles.

Running back: Two players tied for first place in this poll, despite their less-than-stellar performances last week. They are Ray Rice (who gets to take out his frustrations against the Arizona Cardinals) and DeAngelo Williams (who gets to do likewise against the Minnesota Vikings).

Wide receiver: It should surprise absolutely nobody that Wes Welker won this week's poll, even if he gets a late afternoon game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It also should surprise few that Larry Fitzgerald came in second, even if he does visit the Baltimore Ravens.

Flex: Danny Woodhead, the third-place finisher in the running back poll, got more votes than Percy Harvin, the third-place finisher in the wide receiver poll. Therefore, Woodhead gets the late afternoon start against the steelers.

Tight end: The People's Pigskin will be busy on Sunday night. That's because Jason Witten won his head-to-head voting battle against Brandon Pettigrew and gets the start against the Eagles.

There were no changes at defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, facing the New England Patriots) or kicker (John Kasay, playing against the St. Louis Rams).

Thanks again for voting. We'll be back later with the People's League predictions.

Fearless Predictions - Martinsville

2011-10-29T21:57:00.000-04:00

It's not Sunday yet. At least, it's not Sunday yet in most of the United States. It's already Sunday evening in China, even though they don't have Faith Hill to inform them of that. But even if it's not Sunday where you are, you can still look forward to Sunday with the help of these predictions for the top 10 finishers in NASCAR's Chase race at Martinsville Speedway. Last week's predictions finished a paltry 1-3, leaving us with a season record of 43-77.

One from the front: Thanks to Saturday afternoon's washout, this week's starting order is being set by driver points. That means Kevin Harvick gets to start in fifth place. He always seems to drive better when he's absolutely ticked off at somebody. And it was awfully nice of Greg Biffle to step into that role for him this week.

One from the back: You won't find someone in this week's bottom 10 with a top 10 finish this season. But Travis Kvapil is probably the next best thing for our purposes. First, he's currently in 35th place (the last spot guaranteed a spot in every race), so he's motivated not to start and park and surrender that spot. Second, he has a name that's fun to try to say out loud. For those of you keeping score at home, it's pronounced KWAH-pul, according to this site.

Two from the middle: Denny Hamlin sits in 11th place and won the truck race that NASCAR was able to run in Martinsville on Saturday after it couldn't run its qualifying session. Oh, and the Virginia native has won four Sprint Cup races at Martinsville. Yeah, there's always that.

If you're nervous about Clint Bowyer having the 13th spot, don't be. It means he's got the highest point total among non-Chase drivers. He has momentum from last week's win at Talladega. And he has a new team owner to impress. (Maybe he can wear the dog suit in those commercials.)

Remember to get your votes in on the People's Pigskin lineup. The polls will close later tonight. Thanks. We'll be back with the results.

The People's Choice - Martinsville

2011-10-29T16:52:00.000-04:00

In addition to wreaking havoc with football games up and down the East Coast, Saturday's storm of rain and snow washed out the qualifying session for this weekend's Sprint Cup race. However, it did not stop you, the Internet, from voting on the People's Pitstop lineup. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team at Sunday's Chase race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.

A List: Somebody must think Jimmie Johnson still has a chance to win a sixth straight Sprint Cup. He won this week's poll over runner-up Kyle Busch. However, with qualifying washed out, the order for this race is set by driver points. Busch (6th) starts one spot ahead of Johnson and will earn a spot in our starting lineup as a result. Let's just hope NASCAR doesn't give out penalties for bad singing.

B List: Because of a computer error, this poll ended quicker than the other two. That might be why we had a four-place tie involving Dale Earnhardt Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne. By virture of points, Keselowski (3rd) and Earnhardt (9th) get starts, while Kahne (14th) and Allmendinger (16th) get spots on the bench. This will be Earnhardt's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop this season. Let's hope he makes the most of it.

C List: To heck with foot injuries, the people said. The winner of this poll was Bobby Labonte. David Gilliland tied for second place with Regan Smith, who gets the roster spot by virtue of the driver point tiebreaker. Speaking of points, Smith (26th) gets the starting nod over Labonte (29th). So much for .

We'll be back later today with predictions for Sunday's NASCAR race. In the meantime, be sure to get those votes in for the fantasy football polls. We need to get the People's Pigskin out of its losing streak, and your votes can help make it happen. Thanks.

Smile When You Say That, Asante

2011-10-28T21:46:00.001-04:00

Maybe it's the impending snowstorm, or maybe it's the stress of a game against the Dallas Cowboys, or maybe he stayed up late the night before watching a World Series game. Regardless of the reason, Asante Samuel lost control of his tongue this week.

(By the way, I know Samuel sort of backed down later from the comments that are the subject of today's post, but wouldn't you like an unhappy athlete to just keep his mouth shut just once, instead of saying something stupid and then spending the next few days retreating from it or deleting it and pretending it didn't happen? Wouldn't you like for one of these folks to think before opening the mouth or the smart phone -- just once? Couldn't they just go home and gripe in the privacy of their own home like everyone else?)

Anyway, Samuel was unhappy that the Philadelphia Eagles spent the shortened offseason signing other defensive backs. Or maybe he's unhappy that Vince Young, another new addition, saddled the Eagles with that laughable "Dream Team" tag. And Samuel decided to tell everyone that he was unhappy with the Eagles front office. Here's what he said, courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"A couple people upstairs might not want me, but who cares. They probably never played football," Samuel said. "It's a business, they run it like a business, so they're going to do what they need to do. So they're upstairs playing with a lot of money, playing a little fantasy football, so they’re doing their thing."

Now, no one would argue that Philadelphia has had a stellar season, especially its defense, which currently ranks 12th in fantasy scoring in standard ESPN leagues. But to throw around the "playing fantasy football" phrase like an accusation isn't entirely fair.

After all, fantasy football players do the same sort of thing general managers do. They assess teams and players and try to determine which players are critical to a team's success and which ones can be allowed to leave via trade or free agency. Sometimes, these decisions backfire (Chris Johnson, anyone?). Sometimes, they work out spectacularly (Cam Newton -- at least in the short term). But not bringing in new players because doing so might hurt other players' feelings doesn't make sense in either fantasy football or the NFL.

Besides, Samuel might not want to bring up the "fantasy" label right now. When ESPN published its list of top 150 individual defensive players before the season began, the "Worldwide Leader" listed four Philadelphia Eagles among the top 150. Samuel was not one of them.

Speaking of fantasy, you have until later tonight to vote in the NASCAR polls on the right. You also have until Saturday night to vote in the football polls. That is, if you don't lose power first.

An Ugly End to a Painful Weekend

2011-10-25T11:02:00.000-04:00

Some weekends, you can do no wrong as a fantasy player. And then there are weekends like the one the People's Pigskin had. The only thing that didn't malfunction for us was the bullpen phone.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team extended its losing streak to four games with a 74-65 loss to Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85. Our season record of 2-5 puts us in the bottom of our division in the People's League.

Here are the (mostly) unpleasant details.

Tony Romo, QB: 14 of 24 passing for 166 yards, 2 touchdowns and 14 fantasy points. If you're a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, it's hard to find a downside to having a rookie running back set the team record for rushing yards in a game. If you're a fantasy football player starting the Cowboys quarterback, finding a flaw in that strategy is much easier.

Ray Rice, RB: 8 rushes for 28 yards, 5 receptions for 35 yards, 1 fumble lost and 3 fantasy points. Rice was on the losing side of one of the ugliest Monday night games in recent history. He was in a position to fuel a comeback for the Pigskin, if only he could find a hole (and hold on to the ball).

Michael Bush, RB: 17 rushes for 99 yards, 2 receptions for 12 yards and 10 fantasy points. The good news is that Bush got most of the carries once Darren McFadden left with a foot injury. The bad news is that, despite the multiple interceptions thrown by both their quarterbacks, the Oakland Raiders eventually had to abandon the run to try to get back into Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 4 receptions, 78 yards and 7 fantasy points. Every wide receiver is dependent on his quarterback. And Fitzgerald's quarterback simply isn't getting the job done right now.

Damian Williams, WR: 1 reception, 5 yards and 0 fantasy points. As a show of gratitude for getting picked up by the People's Pigskin (and many other teams across the fantasy landscape), Williams missed the second half of his game with headaches.

Percy Harvin, Flex: 2 rushes for 8 yards, 2 receptions for 15 yards and 1 fantasy point. At least Harvin got on the fantasy scoreboard before missing the second half of his game with a rib injury.

Jason Witten, TE: 5 receptions, 35 yards, 1 touchdown and 9 fantasy points. Finally, a positive trend -- Witten's touchdown was his third in as many games.

Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 1 interception, 2 sacks, 1 safety, 20 points allowed and 6 fantasy points. Kevin Kolb isn't giving the Pigskin many points through Fitzgerald, but he did provide us some defensive points with his grounding in the end zone.

John Kasay, K: 2 for 2 on field goals, 8 for 8 on extra points and 15 fantasy points. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Pigskin's top-scoring starter was its kicker, who was a beneficiary of a New Orleans dismantling of the Indianapolis Colts.

Bench: Despite all those lousy statistics, the Pigskin could have still walked away with a victory if it had started Plaxico Burress. His three touchdowns on four catches left him with 20 fantasy points -- more than he compiled in his previous five games combined.

Of course, Burress will now take his talents to the bye week, along with Bush. And the Pigskin must dust itself off and get ready for this week's matchup against the LA Lockouts. Obviously, we need your help. The football polls are now open (on the right side of this page, right below the NASCAR polls) and will stay open through Saturday night. Please vote. We need all the help we can get. Thanks.

That Could Have Gone Better

2011-10-24T14:16:00.000-04:00

Talladega Superspeedway didn't give us anything that could be classified a Big One on Sunday, but that doesn't mean it didn't do any damage to the People's Pitstop.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team managed to score only 226 points during this week's Chase race. Our season total of 8,395 dropped us one spot in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league standings, to fifth place.

Here are all the relevant details.

Carl Edwards: Started 9th, finished 11th, 1 lap led and 80 fantasy points. The Edwards team strategy had him spending a lot of time in the back of the pack. But Edwards isn't complaining, since he retained his spot at the top of the driver standings.

Mark Martin: Started 1st, finished 20th, 2 laps led and 72 fantasy points. Martin got 10 points for winning the pole, 10 more points for leading a lap, but no points for having his car find Regan Smith's late in the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 6th, finished 25th, 2 laps led and 52 fantasy points. This blurb from SpeedTV says it all: "When he led briefly, the crowd went wild. Then reality set in."

Bobby Labonte: Started 21st, finished 35th (15 laps behind the leaders) and 22 fantasy points. It wouldn't be the People's Pitstop without a driver limping away from a race.

Time for some honesty. At this point, winning the 9beersfantasysportstavern season title is about as likely as Tony Sparano keeping his current job through New Year's Day. But we're going to keep competing through these last four weeks, because that's what fantasy players do.

And that means it's time to turn our attention to Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. The lineup polls are now open and will close Friday night. Please feel free to get the voting process started right now.

We'll be back with the football results.

Fearless Predictions - Week 6

2011-10-23T11:00:00.000-04:00

Last week's fantasy football predictions for the People's League fared about as well as the Oklahoma Sooners did Saturday night. The forecasts went a chilly 1-4, lowering our season record to 13-17. It's time to start steering these picks back toward .500.
People's Pigskin vs. Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85. Neither quarterback (Tony Romo or John Beck) will set the world on fire, but both teams have a star running back taking the field on Monday night. Somehow, you have to like Ray Rice's chances a little bit better than Maurice Jones-Drew's. The Pigskin's losing streak ends right here.
Hudson Valley Hawks2 vs. Glen Gardner's Finest. Yes, the Finest will get plenty of points from Calvin Johnson, but so will the Hawks, because all those passes will be coming from Matthew Stafford. The Hawks should take this battle of division-leading teams.
Minneapolis Fantastic Houll vs. Arcadia Roses. The top two fantasy-scoring quarterbacks are facing off here. But in the battle of Aaron Rodgers versus Cam Newton, you have to take the player with the cheesy State Farm commercial. Look for a Houll victory here.
LA Lockouts vs. VinSethVaughn Bears. Adrian Peterson gets to take handoffs from a rookie quarterback starting his first NFL game. Drew Brees gets to throw to Jimmy Graham, currently the top-scoring tight end in fantasy football. (Look it up.) The Lockouts have the tools to get a fifth win.
Team Brotherton vs. t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs. ESPN's experts have the defense/special teams matchup here as a "push." The people who bring you this fine Web site would respectfully disagree. The advantage goes to the Baltimore Ravens defense/special teams, who should lead the Brothertons to a Monday-fueled victory.
Thanks as always for reading, and enjoy the games (and the race). We'll be back with some results.

The People's Choice - Week 7

2011-10-23T08:28:00.000-04:00

Bye weeks might have limited the choices, but they did not stop you, the Internet, from coming out to help us halt the People's Pigskin losing streak. Here are the players you chose for our fantasy football showdown against Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85.
Quarterback: With Eli Manning off the proverbial table, you decided that Tony Romo should take the field again this week. He faces the St. Louis Rams in a late afternoon game. Let's hope he fares better against St. Louis than the Texas Rangers pitchers did Saturday night against Albert Pujols.
Running back: This poll had two winners to fill the two available slots. They are Ray Rice (who gets the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night) and Michael Bush (who will help his new starting quarterback -- whoever he is -- deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in a late afternoon game).
Wide receiver: This poll resulted in a three-way tie. Since we have only two starting spots available at this position, we look at projections to break the deadlock. The two victorious receivers are Larry Fitzgerald (playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the late afternoon) and the newly acquired Damian Williams (who plays the Houston Texans and, curiously, is the only Pigskin starter with an early afternoon game).
Flex: In our weekly meeting of third-place finishers we find Percy Harvin facing off against DeAngelo Williams. No need for projections this week. Harvin got more votes and thus will start for his late afternoon affair with the Green Bay Packers.
Tight end: Brandon Pettigrew served us fairly well the last two weeks, but you decided to hand the ball back to Jason Witten. He'll play the Rams in the late afternoon.
No changes at defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, facing the Arizona Cardinals in the late afternoon) or kicker (the ageless John Kasay, who hosts the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night).
Thanks again for voting. We'll be back shortly with predictions for the People's League.

Fearless Predictions - Talladega

2011-10-22T23:56:00.001-04:00

This post is going to be short and sweet, because we want you to get some votes in on the People's Pigskin lineup. But first, we want to give you our weekly predictions for the NASCAR drivers who will finish in the top 10. Last week's forecasts went 1-3, leaving us with a season record of 42-74.
One from the front: If Jeff Gordon is going to climb back into this Chase, this has to be the week he makes a move. He starts 5th at Talladega, a track where he has won six times and finished 18 times in the top 10.
One from the back: It was a gift from the fantasy NASCAR gods when Kyle Busch qualified 34th, or just far enough in the back to qualify for this selection. He won here in 2008, and he sits only 18 points behind the Sprint Cup leader. Speaking of which...
Two from the middle: Kevin Harvick wants this Sprint Cup bad enough to wreck his wife in an ESPN commercial. So something as petty as qualifying 13th won't stop him from finding the top 10.
Another driver hungry for a championship is Tony Stewart, who starts 12th in this race. Regan Smith probaly won't drive below the bottom line to let him win again, but Stewart does have a dozen top 10 finishes here.
We'll be back with the football poll results, so get those votes in while you can.

The People's Choice - Talladega

2011-10-22T17:03:00.000-04:00

When the people of the Internet were not busy stocking up on Halloween candy or dealing with a pile of dead leaves, they were busy helping the People's Pitstop pick a lineup for this Sunday's Chase race at Talladega Superspeedway. Here are the drivers who made it through the votes (and the qualifying session) to start for us this week.

A List: They lead the point standings, and they also led the voting in this week's poll. Carl Edwards was the winner, followed by Kevin Harvick. Edwards also beat Harvick in qualifying (9th vs. 13th) and will start for us as a result.

B List: This poll produced a two-way tie at the top between Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. They were followed by Kasey Kahne and the drive he will soon replace, Mark Martin. But Martin didn't follow anyone on Saturday afternoon. He took the freaking pole, earning us 10 badly needed bonus points in the process. Earnhardt (6th) earned the other starting spot over Keselowski (16th) and Kahne (26th). Don't tell Michele Bachmann about all those sixes, though. She might make a bad joke about them.

C List: Stop me if you've heard this one before. The two top finishers in this poll were Regan Smith and Bobby Labonte. That sounds familiar. What might not sound so familiar is that Labonte (21st) qualified one spot in front of Smith and thus will start for us in his 650th NASCAR Sprint Cup race.

Thanks again for all your votes. We'll be back shortly with some predictions. In the meantime, don't forget about the fantasy football polls on your right, which are still open. The People's Pigskin is looking to halt a losing streak, and we need your help to do it.

The Last Time We Were in Talladega

2011-10-21T20:53:00.000-04:00

Normally on this blog, the "Last Time We Were in" posts are pretty straightforward. After all, the tracks remain the same, most of the drivers remain the same, and the conditions by and large remain, if not the same, then close enough for us to draw conclusions about one race from the one previously run on this track.

But this time, things are different. And not just in the pseudo-marketing "This Is Talladega" sense. Things have changed significantly in the six months since the NASCAR drivers made their last visit to Talladega Superspeedway, the largest oval track on the circuit.

First, we have the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Six months ago, Jimmie Johnson won on this track. Last week, he walked away from a horrible wreck with his body intact, but not his Chase chances. Now, instead of fine-tuning his championship run, he needs to swing for the proverbial fences.

Second, we have the rule changes. The April race was dominated by the recently discovered two-by-two racing pattern, which got less than glowing reviews from everyone involved. Now, NASCAR has tweaked the cars to prevent drivers from partnering up like members of a bobsled team.

(Oh, and if you're worried about the rule changes turning Talladega into a short track, check out these practice speeds.)

Third, and most recently, we have Dan Wheldon. Even though he didn't race in a single stock car race, his death certainly has had an impact on the entire racing community. Even SI has noticed.

Oh, and as far as our performance in the April race in Talladega, the People's Pitstop scored an impressive 367 points, fueled by Johnson's aforementioned victory. Can we repeat that feat? That depends on you. The NASCAR lineup polls will stay open for a few more hours. But the qualifying session is Saturday, so you need to get your votes in now.

We'll be back with the results.

New Polls (and a New Player)

2011-10-20T11:05:00.001-04:00

The people have spoken, and so have the waiver wires.

You, the Internet, were asked to help us pick a new wide receiver to claim off the waiver wires. The winner of this poll was Steve Breaston, but, as Mick Jagger has sang a few times over the decades, you can't always get what you want. Another team was able to snap up Breaston. As a consolation prize, the People's Pigskin was able to acquire another receiver who got your vote in the poll: Damian Williams of the Tennessee Titans.

Now that the waiver wire has settled down, it's time to turn our attention to this week's fantasy football matchup against Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85. Unfortunately, bye weeks mean we will be missing several players: Wes Welker, Danny Woodhead and Eli Manning. Once again, we need your help picking our lineup. The new football polls are now open. They appear on the right side of this page below the NASCAR polls and will close Saturday night. Please feel free to vote now.

We'll be back with more fantasy thoughts.

Learning from Dan Wheldon

2011-10-19T15:08:00.001-04:00

Chances are you've heard and read far more in the past few days about a handshake than about a death.

Most of the injuries that take place in sports are the type than can ruin games, but not lives. Dan Wheldon's death Sunday in Las Vegas could ruin an entire sport.

Auto racing has always been and probably always will be a dangerous sport. But as technology advances, there are things the people who run auto racing can do to reduce the risks. Unfortunately, it took Dale Earnhardt's death to get NASCAR to require things like the Hans device and the Safer barrier. These measures, though imperfectly implemented, have been shown to save lives. For evidence, we need look no further than Saturday night's race in Charlotte, where Jimmie Johnson walked away from the type of wreck that could just as easily have taken his life.

Wheldon's death took place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which has implemented the safety features mandated by NASCAR. None of those features could save Wheldon once his car went airborne over a track already strewn with wreckage. If the folks who run open-wheel racing want to memorialize Wheldon in something other than a chassis, they will ask themselves some hard questions. Was the field for this season-ending race too big for a track that small? Did a $5 million incentive persuade a driver to risk his life needlessly and recklessly? Are there things that can be done to the cars themselves to keep them on the ground in an accident? After all, that's why NASCAR drivers will be using restrictor plates Sunday at Talladega.

Meanwhile, there's something you can do to make sure Wheldon didn't die in vain. From time to time, you might hear somebody say "These safety measures are taking all the fun out of racing." The next time you hear someone say that, hit him.

Very, very hard.

Remember that we are taking votes on the free agent wide receiver poll through Wednesday night. The People's Pigskin needs someone to take the roster spot being vacated by the recently released Mike Sims-Walker. Thanks for voting, and encourage a friend to do the same.

We'll be back with the results of that poll.

Time to Get Some Help

2011-10-18T13:49:00.000-04:00

Once again, the People's Pigskin fell short, though we're getting closer to victory.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team lost to Team Brotherton this week by a score of 84-76. We are now sitting on a three-game losing streak and a 2-4 record.

Before we get to the step we're about to take to turn things around, here's a look at how we got here.

Tony Romo, QB: 27 of 41 passing for 317 yards, 1 rush for 17 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception and 15 fantasy points. Those stats would probably be higher if Jason Garrett hadn't decided the best way to beat New England was to kill the clock (and force his opponent to use timeouts) by running the ball late.

Ray Rice, RB: 23 rushes for 101 yards, 5 receptions for 60 yards and 16 fantasy points. All that was missing this week was the touchdown, which was taken by the vulture Ricky Williams. (Remember him?)

DeAngelo Williams, RB: 12 rushes for 44 yards, 1 reception for 2 yards and 4 fantasy points. One has to wonder if the Carolina Panthers would win a little more if they relied a little less on Cam Newton to carry the offensive workload.

Wes Welker, WR: 6 receptions, 45 yards, 1 touchdown and 10 fantasy points. If this is what happens when the defense focuses all its efforts on taking the best receiver in football out of the game, imagine what happens when the defense has to worry about something else.

Plaxico Burress, WR: 1 reception, 16 yards and 1 fantasy point. Burress looked more than just a little off against a winless Miami Dolphins team on Monday night. Who knew a prison sentence could do that to you?

Michael Bush, Flex: 10 rushes for 28 yards, 1 reception for 9 yards and 2 fantasy points. The good news: Those 10 carries were a season high for Bush. The bad news: None of them took him to the end zone. Whether the new quarterback is good or bad news remains to be seen.

Brandon Pettigrew, TE: 8 receptions, 42 yards, 1 touchdown and 10 fantasy points. Pettigrew was actually targeted several times in the end zone. His relationship with Matthew Stafford is obviously much warmer than Jim Schwartz's relationship with Jim Harbaugh.

Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 5 sacks, 13 points allowed and 10 fantasy points. Now that's more like it.

John Kasay, K: 2 for 2 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 8 fantasy points. Fantasy football players, please note that Kasay, currently tied for fourth among kickers in fantasy scoring this year, was taken in the last round of our draft.

Bench: Eli Manning led the bench with 11 fantasy points, followed by Jason Witten (10), Percy Harvin (7) and Danny Woodhead (2).

Now, let's talk about our receivers. The People's Pigskin welcomes Larry Fitzgerald back from its bye week, but we'll have to say goodbye to Mike Sims-Walker, whom the St. Louis Rams released Monday to make room for the newly acquired Brandon Lloyd. We'll have to waive Sims-Walker and pick up a wide receiver to take his spot. (Before you ask, Lloyd is taken.) That's why we have a new poll today. According to ESPN, the top four wide receivers available to pick up in the People's League are Steve Breaston, Damian Williams, Jacoby Ford and Doug Baldwin. They are featured in our newest poll, which will close Wednesday night. Please vote now. And if you think we should get someone else instead, please fire off a comment.

We'll be back with some more thoughts on what happened Sunday.

Treading Water in Carolina

2011-10-17T14:45:00.000-04:00

Under the circumstances, things could have gone worse for the People's Pitstop on Saturday night. They could have gone better, too.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored only 213 points during the Chase race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Our season total of 8,169 leaves us in fourth place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. We are now just over 100 points away from the current leader, Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88. In other words, it's still anybody's race.

Here's how our team's weekend went.

Carl Edwards: Started 3rd, finished 3rd, 1 lap led and 99 fantasy points. Edwards maintained his spot at the top of the point standings, but he probably lost his spot on Kyle Busch's Christmas card list.

Mark Martin: Started 13th, finished 37th (47 laps behind the leaders) and 18 fantasy points. To the growing list of "phrases you never want associated with your fantasy NASCAR driver," you may add "broken wheel hub."

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 15th, finished 19th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 54 fantasy points. Of course, having your driver's name next to the words "frustrate" and "disappoint" in a NASCAR.com story headline is no picnic, either.

Regan Smith: Started 21st, finished 22nd (2 laps behind the leaders) and 42 fantasy points. Smith might have known he had a better car than the results showed, but someone must have forgotten to tell his car that.

Next up for the NASCAR drivers is the fall race at Talladega Superspeedway. Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday, so our lineup polls for the People's Pitstop will close Friday night. Please feel free to get your votes in early. NASCAR has penalties for a lot of things, but voting early in a lineup poll isn't one of them.

We'll be back with the fantasy football results.

Fearless Predictions - Week 6

2011-10-16T11:00:00.000-04:00

You don't need to hear Hank Williams to be ready for some football. We at the People's Pigskin are always ready for a good game. We're also always ready to pick a fantasy football matchup or two. So, without further ado, here are the predictions for this weekend's games in the People's League. Last week's picks went 3-2, leaving us with a season record of 12-13.

People's Pigskin vs. Team Brotherton. If things hold true to form, Tony Romo should find more passing lanes against the New England Patriots than Donovan McNabb finds against the Chicago Bears. Romo may not necessarily win his game, but he'll help the Pigskin win its game.

t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs vs. Hudson Valley Hawks2. There are injuries, and then there are injuries. Missing LeGarrette Blount and Julio Jones will hamstring the Buccs and help the Hawks go to 5-1.

Glen Gardner's Finest vs. Minneapolis Houll. To pull this one off, the Finest will need the New York Jets defense/special teams to stomp on the Miami Dolphins. Fortunately, the Dolphins feature both a backup quarterback and a coach who's about two days away from hearing "Dead Coach Walking" in the hallway. The Finest will get over the hump on Monday night.

Arcadia Roses vs. LA Lockouts. Don't look now, but the top running back in fantasy football is . And he gets to face a banged-up New York Giants defense. He'll be the difference in a Roses victory.

VinSethVaughn Bears vs. Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85. One of the advantages of loading your fantasy team with players from a single team is that sometimes you'll walk into the Sunday night or Monday night game with enough weapons to erase a major deficit. The Bears have three Chicago Bears in the starting lineup for Sunday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings. That gives the fantasy Bears the ability to come from behind and beat the BearDowns.

Enjoy the games, everybody. We'll be back with some results.

The People's Choice - Week 6

2011-10-16T08:38:00.001-04:00

UPDATED 12:30 P.M. Sims-Walker is surprisingly inactive this week, so we are calling an audible and starting Michael Bush, after all. He faces the Cleveland Browns in a late afternoon game.

As you go through your normal Sunday morning routine, we're glad you've taken a moment to check in with the People's Pigskin. We're also glad you voted on the lineup the Internet's favorite fantasy football team will use in this week's People's League matchup against Team Brotherton.
Quarterback: Both of the quarterbacks on our roster were available again this week, but you liked Tony Romo slightly more than you did Eli Manning. Romo gets the start this week and faces the New England Patriots late Sunday afternoon.
Running back: That long touchdown last week must have really made an impact. The winner of this week's poll is DeAngelo Williams (who plays the Atlanta Falcons). Ray Rice took the runner-up spot and will take on the Houston Texans (minus Mario Williams) in a late afternoon game.
Wide receiver: We have another surprising winner in this poll. That would be Plaxico Burress, who hosts the Miami Dolphins on Monday night. The other starting spot goes to -- who else -- Wes Welker, who plays the Dallas Cowboys in a late afternoon game.
Flex: This week's battle of third-place poll finishers pitted running back Michael Bush against wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker. Using the projected points as the tiebreaker, Sims-Walker (5) edges out Bush (2). He'll get the Green Bay Packers.
Tight end: Despite what happened Saturday night, the Detroit resurgence keeps rolling along. The latest evidence comes from this poll, in which Brandon Pettigrew beat out Jason Witten. Pettigrew welcomes the San Francisco 49ers this week.
There were no changes at defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Jacksonville Jaguars) or kicker (John Kasay, taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a late afternoon game.)
Thanks again for voting. We'll be back later this morning with People's League predictions.

Fearless Predictions - Charlotte

2011-10-15T16:40:00.000-04:00

OK, so the quest to lift our NASCAR predictions to .500 for the season will fall a little short. Big deal. We can still finish this season with a bang. Here are this week's picks for the Sprint Cup drivers to finish in the top 10. Last week's forecasts went 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 41-71.

One from the front: It's hard to ignore Jimmie Johnson (who starts 9th tonight) at this time of year and at Charlotte Motor Speedway in particular. He has a whopping six wins on this track. And he finished 3rd in this race last year on his way to a fifth straight Sprint Cup title. Let someone eles pick another driver from the top 10.

One from the back: The pickings in the bottom 10 are as supermodel slim as ever. This week, we'll take a flyer on Dave Blaney, who starts 35th and has finished in that position or better in the last five races. You don't do that if you're going to start and park.

Two from the middle: Don't count Kevin Harvick out of it yet. He's starting 14th tonight, but he's still 2nd in the points standings. Also, he's finished in the top 10 in five of the last six races this season, and he won the 600-mile race at Charlotte in May. And you have to respect a driver willing to wreck his wife just to star in an ESPN commercial.
For our final pick, we're going to reach all the way back to the 20th starting spot for Kurt Busch. He finished in the top five here in May, and he won a race here last year. Besides, the best way to snuff out questions about your crew chief is to have a strong day at the track.

Remember that you can still vote on the fantasy football polls on right side of this page while you watch the race. The People's Pigskin needs to mount a comeback, and we need your help to assemble the lineup. Please vote now.

We'll be back with the football poll results.

The People's Choice - Charlotte

2011-10-14T21:51:00.000-04:00

Watching the New York Jets implode under the weight of their own hubris has been fun for the last couple of days. But fortunately, you, the Internet, have been busy making selections for the People's Pitstop. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team during Saturday night's Chase race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

A List: This week's poll resulted in a tie between Carl Edwards, the current points leader and defending Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Thursday evening's qualifying session put Carl Edwards in the 3rd starting spot, six points in front of Johnson and high enough to get the People's Pitstop 3 bonus points.

B List: It's a good thing we have four roster spots for this group of drivers, because we had a four-way tie involving Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski and Juan Pablo Montoya. Martin (13th) and Earnhardt (15th) will start, while Keselowski (26th) and Montoya (32nd) will watch the proceedings from the bench.

C List: Another poll, another tie. We're starting to look like John Belushi in the disciplinary hearing scene of "Animal House." This tie was between the new usual suspects, Regan Smith and Bobby Labonte. And if there could have been a tie in qualifying, these two drivers probably would have done that, too. As it turns out, Smith (21st) is one spot in front of Labonte and gets the start.

Remember that the fantasy football polls are still open and will remain open until Saturday night. The People's Pigskin needs all the help it can get in getting its season back on track. Please vote now.

We'll be back with our weekly NASCAR predictions.

OK, This One Hurt

2011-10-11T14:32:00.000-04:00

If you play fantasy football for any length of time, eventually you will suffer a beatdown like the one the People's Pigskin experienced.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team lost to the Arcadia Roses by a score of 122-86. This lowered our season record to 2-3.

Here are the scoring details, which are almost as gory as some of the signs from the Wall Street protests.

Eli Manning, QB: 24 of 39 passing for 420 yards, 3 rushes for 5 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 1 fumble lost and 20 fantasy points. This season, the People's Pigskin seems to be collecting quarterbacks with a propensity for late turnovers.

DeAngelo Williams, RB: 9 rushes, 1115 yards, 1 touchdown and 17 fantasy points. As so often happens in fantasy football, most of Williams' points came from a single play. But we'll take it all the same.

Joseph Addai, RB: 6 rushes for 19 yards, 1 reception for 6 yards and 1 fantasy point. Addai left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury. That's something we'll have to monitor throughout the week.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 4 receptions, 66 yards and 6 fantasy points. Fitzgerald's fantasy points dropped for the third straight week.

Wes Welker, WR: 5 receptions, 124 yards and 12 fantasy points. That point total would be much higher if Darrelle Revis hadn't stopped him from scoring on his 73-yard catch.

Percy Harvin, Flex: 1 rush for 12 yards, 1 reception for 11 yards and 2 fantasy points. Someone on the Minnesota Vikings must have remembered that they had Adrian Peterson on the active roster.

Brandon Pettigrew, TE: 4 receptions, 39 yards, 1 touchdown and 9 fantasy points. That touchdown helped the Detroit Lions reach 5-0 for the first time since this man was president.

Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 1 interception, 3 sacks, 17 points allowed and 6 fantasy points. No one will confuse this year's Steelers with the Steel Curtain, but as long as they keep winning, no one in Pittsburgh will mind.

John Kasay, K: 3 for 3 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points and 13 fantasy points. Don't look now, but the 41-year-old Kasay is now the third-highest fantasy scorer among kickers. We may have a debate about what to do with him when his bye week comes up.

Bench: This report will be short but not sweet. Plaxico Burress scored 4 fantasy points. Everyone else was on a bye week, injured or ignored by his team.

This week, we get several of those bye-week players back, including Jason Witten, Tony Romo and Ray Rice. But we send Fitzgerald to the bench for this week's matchup against Team Brotherton. And we certainly need your help filling out our roster. Therefore, the lineup polls are now open (below the NASCAR polls on the right side of this page) and will close Saturday night. Please do your part to help us turn this ship around. Thanks.

A Kansas Comeback

2011-10-10T10:54:00.000-04:00

Don't count the People's Pitstop out just yet.
The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team piled up 308 points during Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway. The season total of 7,956 lifted us two spots in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league, to 4th place. We are just over 100 points behind the leader, so winning the championship is more than a mere mathematical possibility.
Here are the more detailed results.
Kevin Harvick: Started 14th, finished 6th and 80 fantasy points. These results probably would look even better if we hadn't benched the eventual race winner. Harvick slipped just enough late in the race to trail Carl Edwards in the points standings by a single point.
Kasey Kahne: Started 5th, finished 2nd and 88 fantasy points. The remarkable thing isn't that Kahne got so close to the front but never led a lap. It's that he got so close to the front after an early problem on pit row left him in 40th place.
Brad Keselowski: Started 12th, finished 3rd, 5 laps led and 96 fantasy points. The truly encouraging thing about Keselowski's day is that he was hungry for more when it ended. He'll be somebody to watch next year on the A List.
Regan Smith: Started 16th, finished 24th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 44 fantasy points. Frankly, this is probably as good as we can expect from the C List drivers available to us for the rest of the season.
And if you debated whether to watch this race or the Sunday afternoon NFL games (or if you sprained your finger switching back and forth), this is the week for you. NASCAR is taking its act to Saturday night for a Chase race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The qualifying session is scheduled for Thursday, so we're going to need to pick our drivers by Wednesday night. The polls are now open. Please note that both Kahne and A.J. Allmendinger are down to their last starts for us. And please vote accordingly.
We'll be back with the fantasy football results.

Fearless Predictions - Week 5

2011-10-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

The People's League predictions had a week almost as bad as Ryan Howard's -- and almost as painful. The picks went 1-4 last week, lowering our season record to 9-11. But this is no emergency. We can pull out of it without any trouble at all.
People's Pigskin vs. Arcadia Roses. The top running back in fantasy football faces the top receiver in fantasy football. Our money is on the receiver. Look for Wes Welker to lead the Pigskin to victory.
Team Brotherton vs. VinSethVaughn Bears. Losing Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens defense/special teams to a bye week will prove costly. The Bears should get enough production from their namesake players on Monday night to squeeze out a win.
Hudson Valley Hawks2 vs. Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85. Speaking of Monday night, the mere fact that Mike Tirico & Company are visiting Matthew Stafford should tell you how far he and his Detroit Lions have come. He'll beat the Chicago Bears and help the Hawks go to 4-1.
t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs vs. Glen Gardner's Finest. The People's Pigskin learned the hard way last week never to discount LeGarrette Blount. He and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers will keep on rolling and help the Buccs get the win.
Minneapolis Fantastic Houll vs. LA Lockouts. You have to be impressed with a fantasy team that can bring out six players ranked in the top 10 in their positions -- on the first bye week of the season. The Lockouts get the pick here.
Thanks for reading. Enjoy the games. We'll be back with the results.
R.I.P., Al Davis.

The People's Choice - Week 5

2011-10-09T08:24:00.000-04:00

It's Sunday morning again. And if you're reading this blog, chances are your morning routine includes setting your fantasy football lineup. The People's Pigskin is able to set its roster thanks to you, the Internet. You overcame the many questions that arise during bye weeks and picked this lineup for this week's People's League matchup against the Arcadia Roses.
Quarterback: Tony Romo's much-needed week off helped make this selection easy. You chose to start Eli Manning instead of taking a chance on the waiver wire. Manning hosts the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday.
Running back: There were two clear-cut winners of this poll. Fortunately, there are two clear-cut spots for running backs in the starting lineup. They go to Joseph Addai (who takes on the Kansas City Chiefs) and DeAngelo Williams (who faces the New Orleans Saints).
Wide receiver: As should be expected by now, the winner of this poll was Larry Fitzgerald, who visits the Minnesota Vikings this week. In second place, we have a tie between Wes Welker and Percy Harvin. Turning to the points projections as a tiebreaker, Welker (19) easily beats out Harvin (13) for the starting spot. He'll play in a late afternoon game against the New York Jets.
Flex: This battle between the third-place running back (Michael Bush) and the third-place wide receiver (Percy Harvin) goes to Harvin by virtue of the points projections (13-9). He gets the Arizona Cardinals today.
Tight end: It's always fun to have a fantasy player take the field in prime time to help you cement a win or erase an afternoon deficit. This week, thanks to Jason Witten's bye week, that role falls to Brandon Pettigrew, who will entertain the Chicago Bears on Monday night.
There were no changes at defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, who face the Tennessee Titans) or at kicker (John Kasay, who visits the Carolina Panthers).
Thanks again for your votes. We'll be back later this morning with the People's League predictions.

Fearless Predictions - Kansas

2011-10-08T19:08:00.001-04:00

As we approach Columbus Day, it's time for the NASCAR predictions to chart a course to undiscovered territory: the .500 mark. But it won't be easy. Last week's picks went 1-3, leaving us with a season record of 39-69.
One from the front: The one pick that worked for us last week was Carl Edwards. He starts in second place this week and finished second in Saturday's Nationwide race at Kansas Speedway to Brad Keselowski, who starts for the People's Pitstop. He also has finished in the top 10 the last two times the Sprint Cup drivers have taken on this track.
One from the back: This week, we find Juan Pablo Montoya in 34th place, but this pick is more of a prayer. We are praying that Montoya can avoid all the people who have reason to have grudges against him.
Two from the middle: Here are a few things you should know about Kurt Busch, who starts 17th in this race. His win last week in Dover was his fourth top 10 finish in five weeks. He jumped five spots in the point standings, to a very respectable (and in contention) fourth place. And he finished ninth at the Kansas race in June.
And then we have last week's runner-up, Jimmie Johnson. Yes, he starts in 19th place this week. But he's finished in the top 10 in the last five Kansas races. And speaking of five, there's always this.
There are still a few hours to vote on the People's Pigskin lineup for this week. Get your votes in now. We'll be back with those results.

The People's Choice - Kansas

2011-10-07T18:41:00.000-04:00

Clint Bowyer may be switching teams, but we at this blog are glad that you, the Internet, are demonstrating your loyalty. You turned out yet again to pick a roster for the People's Pitstop. Your votes, combined with Friday's qualifying session, have combined to produce this starting lineup for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team for Sunday's race at Kansas Speedway.
A List: You could call this week's poll the Once and Future Kings poll. There was a tie between Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson. We will start Harvick, who qualified 14th, or five spots in front of Johnson.
B List: Apologies to anyone who voted for Ryan Newman. His appearance in this poll was erroneous, since he's already used up his nine starts for us this season. Among drivers who may still represent the People's Pitstop, the top two vote getters were Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr., followed by Kasey Kahne and A.J. Allmendinger. The two K drivers, Kahne (5th) and Keselowski (12th) will start over Earnhardt (18th) and Allmendinger (22nd).
C List: The new champion of this "everybody else" poll appears to be Regan Smith. He got the most votes, and his 16th-place qualifying spot earns him a starting place over poll runner-up David Gilliland (30th).
Remember that you have until Saturday night to decide what to do this week with the People's Pigskin. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team needs your help to bounce back, so be sure to vote in the polls on the right. Thanks.
We'll be back with your weekly dose of NASCAR predictions.

Your Results May Vary -- by a Lot

2011-10-06T17:54:00.001-04:00

How many points did the star of your fantasy football team score last week?
Would your neighbor be impressed?
One of the strangest things about fantasy football is that there is no standard scoring system for it. Every football fan knows that a touchdown is worth six points, whether it's scored by Local High or the Green Bay Packers. Every baseball fan knows a grand slam scored four runs, whether it's hit in Little League or at Busch Stadium. Every blackjack fan knows that a queen is worth 10, whether she's dealt at a church fundraiser or the Bellagio.
But every fantasy football fan learns sooner or later that all points are not created equal.
To illustrate that point, let's look at Tony Romo, one of the quarterbacks for the People's Pigskin. Last week, in a performance that drew its share of attention, he completed 34 of his 47 passes for 331 yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. In the People's League, that added up to 19 fantasy points, which ranked sixth among quarterbacks that week.
In a Yahoo fantasy league, Romo's stats would have been worth 24.99 fantasy points, ranking him seventh among quarterbacks. (To be fair, Yahoo also notes that Romo was sacked.)
In a Fox Sports fantasy league -- that's right, the same site that told us Jamaal Charles was the best available running back -- Romo's stats would have been worth 25.2 fantasy points. Again, he ranked seventh among quarterbacks.
And in an NFL.com fantasy league, Romo's stats would have inflated Violet Beauregarde-style to 46.37 fantasy points, ranking him fifth among quarterbacks.
Of course, there are many reasons for discrepancies like this. Some leagues emphasize yardage. Some punish players more than others for turnovers. Some offer extra credit for "big plays." And on and on.
And until we have a fantasy sports commissioner, fantasy players will continue to say things like, "He got 25 points, but..."
Remember to vote on the lineup polls on your right. The NASCAR polls will close tonight, and the football ones will close Saturday night. We'll be back with the NASCAR poll results.

Back Down to .500

2011-10-04T14:58:00.000-04:00

The People's Pigskin had almost as bad a weekend as the Philadelphia sports fans.
The Internet's favorite fantasy football team lost to the t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs by a score of 113-98. The final dagger was a touchdown run by LeGarrette Blount, which made what happened to our quarterback irrelevant. (More on that in a moment.) The loss drops our record to 2-2.
Here are the scoring details:
Tony Romo, QB: 34 of 47 passing for 331 yards, 3 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 19 fantasy points. See if this sounds familiar. Romo got off to a blazing start and then took just enough off the table for his Dallas Cowboys to lose.
Ray Rice, RB: 25 rushes for 66 yards, 2 receptions for 64 yards, 1 touchdown and 18 fantasy points. Rice got the only offensive touchdown scored by either team in Sunday night's return (and turnover) fest against the New York Jets.
Joseph Addai, RB: 11 rushes for 41 yards, 1 reception for 7 yards and 4 fantasy points. Addai's Indianapolis Colts had better figure out some way to win that doesn't involve sending Peyton Manning to Lourdes.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 8 receptions, 102 yards and 10 fantasy points. Fitzgerald became the top receiver in Arizona Cardinals history on Sunday. But he lost the spotlight to a receiver who forgot to get tackled.
Wes Welker, WR: 9 receptions, 158 yards, 1 touchdown and 21 fantasy points. Welker -- currently the NFL's leading receiver, by the way -- actually accounted for about two thirds of Tom Brady's passing in a bounceback victory over the Oakland Raiders.
Danny Woodhead, Flex: 2 rushes, 13 yards and 1 fantasy point. Woodhead left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury.
Jason Witten, TE: 8 receptions, 94 yards, 1 touchdown and 15 fantasy points. Witten found the end zone for the first time this season. Just goes to show you don't need a bunch of touchdowns to be dominant in this game.
Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 17 points allowed and 1 fantasy point. It doesn't take long for a team to go from Super Bowl contender to looking long in the tooth. And James Harrison's eye socket fracture certainly won't help things.
John Kasay, K: 3 for 5 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 9 fantasy points. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Bench: Eli Manning scored 18 points in a come-from-behind New York Giants victory. Michael Bush added 13 points, and Percy Harvin (who sat in favor of Woodhead) scored 10.
Now we turn for the first time this NFL season to bye weeks. This week's recipients of a free week off are Romo, Rice, Witten and Mike Sims-Walker. That's why this week's lineup polls (now appearing below the NASCAR polls) look a little slimmer than usual. Nevertheless, we need your help picking a lineup to face the Arcadia Roses. Please feel free to vote now and/or leave a comment about what we should do next. Thanks.

Spinning Our Wheels in Delaware

2011-10-03T20:05:00.000-04:00

There are seven weeks left in the People's Pitstop's quest for supremacy in the 9beersfantasysportstavern fantasy NASCAR league, and we almost that many spaces to make up.
The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team scored 262 points during Sunday's Chase race at Dover International Speedway. Our season total of 7,648 leaves us in sixth place in our fantasy league.
Here are the detailed results.
Kevin Harvick: Started 22nd, finished 10th, 10 laps led and 82 fantasy points. Harvick's strong performance was good enough to put him in a tie with Carl Edwards the top of the point standings with seven races left in the Chase.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 7th, finished 7th, 8 laps led and 88 fantasy points. Allmendinger had a strong car from start to finish, especially for someone out of the Chase, thanks in part to a heck of a save. This was the eighth start for Allmendinger, who now will have the "LAST TIME" warning in our polls.
Martin Truex Jr.: Started 1st, finished 30th (4 laps behind the leaders), 2 laps led and 52 fantasy points. Good thing he got the pole. It was the only way he was going to lead a lap this race. For a more detailed breakdown of his performance, check out this nj.com blog post.
Bobby Labonte: Started 8th, finished 26th (2 laps behind the leaders) and 40 fantasy points. Labonte's slide on a restart ended his chances of contention.
Now we turn to our chances of contention. NASCAR takes its act to Kansas this week, and we have until Friday's qualifying session to field a roster. Therefore, the polls are now open and will close Thursday night. Please get your votes in now.
We'll be back with the fantasy football results -- without any golf comparisons.

Fearless Predictions - Week 4

2011-10-02T10:56:00.000-04:00

As the curtain rises on the first NFL games of October, we bid a fond farewell to September (unless you're a fan of the Boston Red Sox or Atlanta Braves, in which case you might just say "Good @#$%!$ riddance!"). We also give a warm welcome to the latest set of fantasy football predictions for the People's League. Last week's forecasts went 3-2, lifting our season record above .500 at 8-7.
People's Pigskin vs. t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs. This week's game shouldn't get as out of hand as last week's, but the Pigskin should still get enough production from enough sources to handle the Buccs.
Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown 85 vs. Arcadia Roses. Reggie Wayne needs somebody to throw him the ball. And until Curtis Painter demonstrates that he can do that, the Roses will be at an unfortunate disadvantage. The BearDowns should pull this one out.
Glen Gardner's Finest vs. VinSethVaughn Bears. The Finest are counting on Victor Cruz to repeat last week's performance and on Kendall Hunter to make 49ers fans forget about Frank Gore. Getting both things to happen in the same week would be a tall order. The Bears get the pick here.
LA Lockouts vs. Team Brotherton. The Drew Brees vs. Joe Flacco matchup alone would be entertaining. But eventually, the Minnesota Vikings will figure out that their fortunes rest on the shoulder pads of Adrian Peterson. He should have a big day, and the Lockouts should ride him to victory.
Minneapolis Fantastic Houll vs. Hudson Valley Hawks2. Raise your hand if you thought the Tennessee Titans would have a top 10 fantasy defense/special teams this season. They should keep rolling against the Cleveland Browns and help the Hawks win a squeaker.
Thanks again for reading, and enjoy the games. We'll be back with some results.

The People's Choice - Dover

2011-10-02T08:31:00.000-04:00

Once again, we would like to thank you, the Internet, for turning out to vote on the People's Pigskin lineup. Here are the players who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy football team this week against t-bay jacks Young'ry buccs.
Quarterback: Apparently, it doesn't matter if his ribs are broken or his center is being fooled. You like Tony Romo. You really, really like him. He gets the start against the Detroit Lions today.
Running back: One player won this poll running away. That would be Ray Rice, who faces the New York Jets on Sunday night. In second place, we have a tie between Joseph Addai and Danny Woodhead. In situations like this, we used ESPN's point projections as a tiebreaker. Addai (16) gets the second starting spot over Woodhead (11) and will play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
Wide receiver: In this poll, the tie was at first place. Fortunately, we have two of these spots to dish out. They'll go to Wes Welker, who faces the Oakland Raiders, and Larry Fitzgerald, who takes on the New York Giants. Both are late afternoon starts.
Flex: Another week, another tie between the third-place running back and wide receiver. Once again, we use point projections to break the tie. Danny Woodhead (11, in case you skipped the running back section) edges out Percy Harvin (8) and will take on the Raiders in the late afternoon.
No changes at tight end (Jason Witten against the Lions), defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, who visit the Houston Texans) or kicker (John Kasay, who takes on the Jacksonville Jaguars).
Thanks again for voting. We'll be back shortly with the projections for the People's League.

Fearless Predictions - Dover

2011-10-01T22:25:00.001-04:00

Dover International Raceway has a special place in our hearts here at this blog for reasons we've covered in the past. This week, it gets to host a Chase race, and we're proud to bring you yet another set of predictions for which Sprint Cup drivers will finish in the top 10. Last week's predictions went a dismal 1-3, lowering our season record to 38-66.
One from the front: Carl Edwards is fourth in both driver points and in this week's grid. He won this race in 2007, and, if you're into more recent history, he won the Nationwide Series race on this track Saturday.
One from the back: The fantasy racing gods gave us a gift this week by having Jeff Gordon qualify 34th for this race. Yes, that's 10th from the back, so that makes a driver with four Cup championships, four Dover wins, and three wins this season eligible for this pick. Thank you. The obligatory sacrifice is being prepared.
Two from the middle: Speaking of three-time winners this season, Brad Keselowski qualified 15th. Since he's not starting for the People's Pitstop this week, that makes him eligible for this pick.
And we'll keep the "three win" theme going by heading back to 20th place, where we find Ryan Newman. The Rocket Man has three wins on this track and four top 10 finishes in the last six races of this season.
Be sure to get those last-minute votes for the People's Pigskin lineup in while you can. Those polls will close later tonight. We'll be back with the results.

The People's Choice - Dover

2011-10-01T19:03:00.000-04:00

We've reached the month of October, when baseball starts a postseason that seems eternal but will be over long before NASCAR's. Speaking of which, the Sprint Cup drivers take on the Monster Mile of Dover International Speedway this Sunday. Here are the drivers who will represent the People's Pitstop in that race.
A List: Tony Stewart keeps racking up the wins. His latest came in this week's poll, where he beat a bunch of drivers. Kevin Harvick, by virtue of the points tiebreaker, took the second spot on the roster. And, by qualifying 22nd (six spots in front of Stewart), he earned a starting spot for this week.
B List: The winner of this week's pole was Brad Keselowski. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and A.J. Allmendinger tied for second place. Martin Truex Jr. grabbed the fourth and final spot. And then we had qualifying, which pretty much reversed things. Truex took the freakin' pole, earning us 10 badly needed bonus points. Allmendinger qualified 7th, earning himself a start. Earnhardt (21st) and Keselowski (15th) are relegated to the bench.
C List: Most of the drivers in this poll could have taken the week off as far as the voters were concerned. Regan Smith took the top spot again, followed by Bobby Labonte. And, like their B List counterparts, they reversed their order in the qualifying session. Labonte starts in 8th place (eight spots in front of Smith) and starts for us.
Thanks again for voting. And if you'd still like to participate in this little fantasy democracy experiment, take a crack at the football polls on the right side of this page. You can help decide who takes the field for the People's Pigskin this weekend.
We'll be back shortly with some NASCAR predictions.

You Can Do Better. Really.

2011-09-29T22:32:00.000-04:00

If you play fantasy sports, chances are you use a Website. You know, unless you enjoy crunching stats on a calculator every Tuesday morning to figure out if you beat your neighbor.

Every site has its own unique characteristics. And every Website you'll encounter (including this one) is made by human beings, who carry all the same frailties as every other human being.

But sometimes the frailties are more noticeable than others.

The people who bring you the People's Pigskin are involved in another league with some of the people from the 9beersfantasysportstavern site. For the second year in a row, this league is using FoxSports.com as its host. This is because we were promised the site had improved since last year, when it was abysmal.

One of the features of this site is a "Best Available" page. Let's say you need to make a quick roster switch, because somebody was injured or suspended or just isn't living up to his new contract. This page is supposed to show you the three best players available at any particular position.

Please note the use of the word "supposed."

As of Thursday, September 29, the three running backs listed as "Best Available" on this site were Ryan Torain, Ronnie Brown and, holding the number 1 spot on this list, Jamaal Charles. That's right, the Jamaal Charles who's out for the season.

Want a wide receiver? The three receivers listed as "Best Available" on this site were Mike Williams (Seattle Seahawks version), Austin Collie and, again, holding the number 1 spot on this list, Kenny Britt. That's right, the Kenny Britt who limped off fantasy football rosters across the country this past Sunday.

How about a quarterback? One would expect the free agent pickings to be slim, since every decent fantasy player keeps at least two QBs on the roster. But on this site, the three "Best Available" ones are Tim Tebow, Kerry Collins and, though he doesn't sit at number 1, David Garrard. Yes, you guessed it. The David Garrard who was fired right before opening day.

It's safe to say there are still a few bugs.

Remember to vote for the lineup polls. The NASCAR ones close Friday night. The football ones close Saturday night. Thanks.

Sometimes It Just Comes Together

2011-09-27T23:00:00.000-04:00

It's too early to soak ourselves in champagne, but winning like this does feel good.

The People's Pigskin recorded a resounding 133-77 victory over the VinSethVaughn Bears. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team now sports a 2-1 record.

Let's dissect the results.

Eli Manning, QB: 16 of 23 passing for 254 yards, 3 rushes for minus-3 yards, 4 touchdowns and 26 fantasy points. It certainly helped that Victor Cruz picked this week to announce himself to fantasy players.

Ray Rice, RB: 9 rushes for 81 yards, 5 receptions for 83 yards and 16 fantasy points. Rice didn't score any touchdowns, but the Baltimore Ravens didn't need him to.

Joseph Addai, RB: 17 rushes for 86 yards, 1 reception for 2 yards, 1 touchdown and 14 fantasy points. The only possible silver lining to the quarterback problems in Indianapolis is that Addai (who scored the Colts' only offensive touchdown Sunday night) may get more of the workload.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 5 receptions for 64 yards, 1 touchdown and 12 fantasy points. Yet another Pigskin player scored the only touchdown for his team's offense.

Percy Harvin, WR: 2 rushes for 41 yards, 3 receptions for 47 yards and 8 fantasy points. This score certainly would have been higher if Harvin didn't lose his pregame meal late in the game.

Wes Welker, Flex: 1 rush for 19 yards, 16 receptions for 217 yards, 2 touchdowns and 34 fantasy points. With his career outing, Welker gave the New England Patriots everything except a win.

Jason Witten, TE: 6 receptions, 60 yards and 6 fantasy points. Witten made the most of an evening where Tony Romo's biggest problem may have been his center instead of his ribs.

Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 1 touchdown scored, 1 fumble recovery, 1 sack, 20 points allowed and 11 fantasy points. That defensive touchdown alone would have made this a successful fantasy outing.

John Kasay, K: 1 for 1 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points and 6 fantasy points. Kasay was one of the beneficiaries of a fourth-quarter scoring bonanza in New Orleans.

Bench: Some weeks, having three bench players score 11 points each (Michael Bush, Plaxico Burress and Brandon Pettigrew) would be a problem. And then there are weeks like this one.

Now, it's time to put that game in the rear mirror and turn our attention to this week's matchup against the t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs. The polls are now open and will remain open through Saturday night. So please get those votes in, so we can keep this winning streak going.

Caught in a Granite Rockslide

2011-09-26T16:00:00.000-04:00

It was an awful finish to what could have been a great day for the People's Pitstop.
Instead of surging back into contention in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league, the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored only 240 points during Sunday's Chase race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Our season total of 7,386 dropped us two spots in the league standings, all the way to sixth place.
Here's how we got there.
Kevin Harvick: Started 6th, finished 12th, 1 lap led and 78 fantasy points. Spoiler alert -- Harvick, now an ex-owner in the truck series, ended up with the best performance among our starting drivers. And yes, we benched the eventual winner.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 12th, finished 17th and 58 fantasy points. A couple of flat tires helped keep Earnhardt out of contention. This may be where one of the Chase spots was truly wasted.
Clint Bowyer: Started 11th, finished 26th (2 laps behind the leaders), 49 laps led and 50 fantasy points. Bowyer actually looked like he could win this one -- until he ran out of fuel with a few laps left. That's how quickly a great day can turn into a lousy one.
Anyway, that was Bowyer's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop. His average finish during those races was 19.4, and he scored an average of 59.9 points. His best performance was in April at Texas Motor Speedway, where he finished second (his best performance ever on that track) and scored 101 points. His worst performance was in Kentucky, where a wreck left him in 35th place with 22 points. Bowyer just didn't have it this year.
Bobby Labonte: Started 15th, finished 19th (1 lap behind the leaders) and 54 fantasy points. Actually, a top 20 finish is probably the best we can hope for from the C List drivers still available to us.
Well, if we're going to get back into contention for the league title, the time to turn this around is this Sunday at Dover International Speedway. And we clearly need your help. The lineup polls are up and will stay up through Friday night, since we have a Saturday qualifying session. Please vote early and often.
We'll be back with the fantasy football results. They aren't finalized yet. However, as Tom Cruise said to Kelly McGillis, it's looking good so far.

Fearless Predictions - Week 3

2011-09-25T11:30:00.000-04:00

If your idea of "mood music" involves John Facenda, you're in the right frame of mind for another football Sunday. You're also ready for another round of fantasy football predictions for the always challenging People's League. Last week's forecasts went 2-3, bringing our season record to an even 5-5.
People's Pigskin vs. VinSethVaughn Bears. Both lineups have been shaken up by the multiple injuries on the Dallas Cowboys roster, but the Pigskin should be able to overcome its nicks and scrapes and emerge with a winning record.
LA Lockouts vs. Glen Gardner's Finest. This lineup features fantasy stars galore, but the hero of this matchup might be Brandon Marshall, who has fueled Chad Henne's strong start and should find the end zone again against the Cleveland Browns. The Finest have the slightest of edges here as a result.
Arcadia Roses vs. t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs. Michael Turner is a beast, but all the other head-to-head matchups should favor the Roses, who should cruise to the winning column here.
Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85 vs. Minneapolis Fantastic Houll. Rex Grossman will get some points Monday night, presenting some hope of a BearDown comeback. But he won't score enough to overcome the tremendous lead the Houlls should get early from Tom Brady. The Houlls should emerge with a winning record.
Team Brotherton vs. Hudson Valley Hawks2. The amazing thing isn't that the Hawks, with a well-rounded lineup, come into this game with a 2-0 record. The amazing thing is that the Hawks have been able to do this while getting almost no production from Chris Johnson. That should change as Johnson and company face the Denver Broncos. The Hawks' winning streak, on the other hand, should continue.
Enjoy the games, everybody. We'll be back with results.

The People's Choice - Week 3

2011-09-25T08:59:00.000-04:00

On this first Sunday of autumn, we are pleased to report that you, the Internet, came through again. You registered your votes (and, by extension, your concerns) on the People's Pigskin lineup for this week. Here are the players who will take the field for the Internet's favorite fantasy football team as they take on the VinSethVaughn Bears.
Quarterback: You had enough concerns about Tony Romo's midsection to turn his "questionable" status into a "let some other fantasy team take the chance" status. As a result, you decided to start Eli Manning instead. He'll face the Philadelphia Eagles and hope he doesn't face a Miracle of the Meadowlands, Part 3. (Yes, I know the game is in Philadelphia. Work with me here.)
Running back: It's no surprise that the top vote-getter in this poll was Ray Rice. He suits up in the late afternoon against the St. Louis Rams. What might surprise is that the runner-up was Joseph Addai. He gets a few extra hours to prepare for the Sunday night game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Wide receiver: This week's receiver poll resulted in a three-way tie involving Larry Fitzgerald, Wes Welker and Percy Harvin. Since there are two spots labeled "wide receiver," we'll use ESPN's week 3 projections to break the tie. Fitzgerald (19), who visits the Seattle Seahawks in the late afternoon, and Harvin (15), who plays the Detroit Lions, edge out Welker (14). However...
Flex: Since Wes Welker got more votes than the third-place running back (Michael Bush), he gets this spot for his matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
There were no changes at tight end (Jason Witten, who has a Monday night date against the Washington Redskins), defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night) or kicker (ageless wonder John Kasay, facing the Houston Texans).
Thanks for your votes, everybody. We'll be back with the People's League predictions.

Fearless Predictions - New Hampshire

2011-09-24T22:38:00.001-04:00

Like Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, the predictions have been fighting their way back into the realm of respectability. For those of you just joining us, these forecasts tell you which Sprint Cup drivers will finish in the top 10 every week. Last week's predictions went 3-1, lifting our season record to 37-63. Now, let's see how high we can lift that record between now and Homestead.
One from the front: He's ineligible for the People's Pitstop lineup, since he's already started for us nine times, but that doesn't mean we can't benefit somehow from Ryan Newman. He won the last time NASCAR was in New Hampshire, and he starts from the pole for this race.
One from the back: The bottom 10 is the usual driver wasteland, so we'll pick Mike Bliss again. He's starting 40th, but he finished in 25th place last week. That means he's trying to get to the front.
Two from the middle: Many of the drivers we could pick from the middle are already in the People's Pitstop lineup this week. One driver who isn't is Tony Stewart, who starts 20th. He won last week and finished 2nd the last time we were in New Hampshire. If he is a legitimate contender for the Sprint Cup, he'll demonstrate it this week.
For the final pick, we're going to reach deep into the starting order (and the point standings) for Denny Hamlin. He starts 28th, but he can't stay there if he wants to make a run at the Sprint Cup. Fortunately, this is a track that has treated him well. He won at New Hampshire in 2007 and finished in the top five there in the summer.
We'll be back with the results of our fantasy football lineup polls. They are still taking votes for a little bit longer. Get your votes in now.

The People's Choice - New Hampshire

2011-09-24T15:39:00.000-04:00

We at the People's Pigskin have spent the past week trying to figure out the new Facebook layout and trying to figure out the difference between a punctured lung and a collapsed lung. Having failed on both counts, we are happy to report at least one success. You, the Internet, successfully selected another roster for the People's Pitstop.
Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team during Sunday's Chase race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
A List: Considering how last week's race turned out, it should come as little surprise that the two winners of this poll were Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick. The starting spot will go to Harvick, who will start in 6th place, or 14 spots in front of Stewart.
B List: This poll had one clear-cut winner, Brad Keselowski. It also had three drivers tied for second: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer and A.J. Allmendinger. And the qualifying efforts were almost as close. Bowyer (11th) and Earnhardt (12th) earned starting spots over Allmendinger (13th) and Keselowski (16th). For Bowyer, it will be the ninth and final start of the season for the People's Pitstop. Let's hope he makes the most of it.
C List: It looks like this poll will be ruled by Regan Smith and Bobby Labonte until further notice. They got all the votes in this week's poll. Labonte (15th) will start over Smith (17th).
It was a decent showing in the qualifying session, but it wasn't enough to get us any bonus points. In fact, we fell from third place to fourth place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league, where we now trail Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88 by 8 points.
We'll be back shortly with predictions for this race. In the meantime, be sure to vote on the People's Pigskin lineup polls, which will close tonight. We need all the help we can get.

Have We Run Out of Gas?

2011-09-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

Tony Stewart was able to hold on Monday, but the People's Pitstop was not so fortunate.
The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored only 192 points during the rain-delayed Chase-opening race at Chicagoland Speedway. The performance was bad enough that our season total of 7,146 points dropped us from first place to third place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. We trail Jeff Gordon Dupont 24 by 63 points and SteelerFan4Tony by 6.
Here are the unpleasant details.
Jeff Gordon: Started 23rd, finished 24th (2 laps behind the leaders) and 44 fantasy points. Gordon was one of the most notable victims of Monday's fuel-strategy finish.
Brad Keselowski: Started 6th, finished 5th, 4 laps led and 92 fantasy points. By far the brightest spot on our roster, Keselowski had enough sense to lead some laps during a caution midway through the race and enough gas to stay on the lead lap at the end.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 18th, finished 27th (2 laps behind the leaders) and 38 fantasy points. This Tweet might have summed it all up: "Greg [crew chief Greg Erwin] and the boys kept swinging at it, but didn't get where we needed."
Bobby Labonte: Started 11th, finished 38th (31 laps behind the leaders) and 18 fantasy points. And our drivers who weren't running out of fuel were having trouble with their fuel system.
But this race, like the one for the Sprint Cup itself, is far from over. We have a great chance to rebound at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, but we need your help. And quickly. The lineup polls are now open. They will close Thursday night to accommodate a qualifying session scheduled for Friday. Please get those votes in now.

Our First Victory of the Season

2011-09-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's easy to get nervous when you're playing fantasy football against someone who has Michael Vick as a starter, but the People's Pigskin can now breathe a sigh of relief.
The Internet's favorite fantasy football team beat Glen Gardner's Finest by a score of 109-71. That lifts our season record to 1-1.
Here's how we did it.
Tony Romo, QB: 20 of 33 passing for 345 yards, 2 touchdowns and 21 fantasy points. How do you extinguish questions about your ability to perform under pressure? By making a big play in overtime to lead your team to victory. Of course, the pressure questions have been replaced with questions about his ribs, which we'll have to monitor closely this week.
Ray Rice, RB: 13 rushes for 43 yards, 5 receptions for 53 yards, 1 touchdown and 15 fantasy points. Yes, his production against the Tennessee Titans dropped from last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. But he's definitely a keeper.
DeAngelo Williams, RB: 5 rushes for 13 yards, 4 receptions for 23 yards and 3 fantasy points. Yes, it's hard to shine in Cam Newton's shadow, but eventually Williams has to start performing like a player who signed a big contract in the off-season.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 7 receptions for 133 yards, 1 touchdown and 19 fantasy points. Play like this one are what everyone had in mind when Arizona traded for Kevin Kolb.
Wes Welker, WR: 7 receptions, 81 yards and 8 fantasy points. No, Welker didn't get another 99-yard touchdown, but he will remain a fantasy factor as long as he's running patterns for Tom Brady.
Percy Harvin, Flex: 2 rushes for 18 yards, 7 receptions for 76 yards, 1 fumble lost and 6 fantasy points. This shows that you can get just as much fantasy production from a player on a struggling team as you can from a player on a Super Bowl contender.
Jason Witten, TE: 7 receptions, 102 yards and 10 fantasy points. If you're paying attention, you've noticed that four different starters for the People's Pigskin caught seven passes. We're sure that's a coincidence and not some football conspiracy.
Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 5 sacks, 0 points allowed and 13 fantasy points. It seems as if the Seattle Seahawks had the cure for whatever ailed the Steelers.
John Kasay, K: 3 for 3 on field goals, 3 for 3 on extra points and 14 fantasy points. This 53-yarder helped Kasay post a double-digit fantasy score for the second time in as many weeks.
Bench: Joseph Addai, who lost this week's flex faceoff to Harvin, scored 9 points. Michael Bush scored 8 points. We'd give you Eli Manning's score, but he plays Monday night against the St. Louis Rams.
Now that we have that first win, it's time to start working on collecting our second against the VinSethVaughn Bears. To do that, we'll need your help. The polls are now open and will stay open through Saturday night. Please vote now.
We'll be back with NASCAR results when (and if) they become available.

Fearless Predictions - Week 2

2011-09-18T11:00:00.000-04:00

Time to make those last-second adjustments, get your popcorn ready and settle in for another nice, long day of football. Before you get too comfortable, it's time to tell you what will happen this week in the People's League. Last week's forecasts went 3-2, so do with them as you will.
People's Pigskin vs. Glen Gardner's Finest. Yes, Michael Vick is primed for a big Sunday night return to Atlanta. But we at the Pigskin believe we'll prevail anyway, because we're good enough, we're smart enough, and, doggone it, the Internet likes us.
Minneapolis Fantastic Houll vs. t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs. Jack has too many weapons at too many positions to predict anything but a Buccs romp.
Hudson Valley Hawks2 vs. LA Lockouts. Who here foresaw Chris Johnson being ignored last week? Who expects that to happen again? Neither do we. He'll carry the Hawks to a second win.
VinSethVaughan Bears vs. Arcadia Roses. Arian Foster may still not be 100% healthy, but Steve Smith's resurgence means it won't matter. The Roses make it to the win column this week.
Team Brotherton vs. Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85. Both teams have a playmaker playing on Sunday night. DeSean Jackson may get just a few more scoring opportunities than LeSean McCoy. Look for the Brothertons to win in a squeaker.
Thanks for playing, and enjoy the games. We'll be back with the results.

The People's Choice - Week 2

2011-09-18T09:30:00.000-04:00

Before we make the switch from your usual morning beverage to the unofficial beverage of the People's Pigskin, it's time to thank you, the Internet, for another week of input. Thanks to your votes, the Web's favorite fantasy football team has a strong roster to bounce back from last week's loss. Here's who will take the field against Glen Gardner's Finest.
Quarterback: Turnovers aside, Tony Romo showed you enough talent to keep his starting spot. He will visit the San Francisco 49ers late this afternoon.
Running back: The two top vote-getters in this poll were -- no surprise here -- Ray Rice (who visits the Tennessee Titans today) and DeAngelo Williams (who faces the Green Bay Packers).
Wide receiver: Somebody was paying attention on Monday night to something other than Ron Jaworski's language. You gave one starting spot to Wes Welker, who faces the San Diego Chargers late this afternoon. The other spot went to former fantasy football magazine cover boy Larry Fitzgerald. We pays a visit to the Washington Redskins.
Flex: In this week's battle of third-place finishers, we didn't need the projected points tiebreaker. Percy Harvin got more votes than Joseph Addai, so he gets the start. He'll play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There were no changes at tight end (Jason Witten, facing the 49ers), defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, who face the Seattle Seahawks) or kicker (John Kasay, who goes up against the Chicago Bears).
Thanks again for voting. We'll be back a little later with some predictions for the People's League.

Fearless Predictions - Chicago

2011-09-18T05:00:00.000-04:00

We'll have our second fantasy football selection set of the season shortly. For now, let's ease you into your Sunday morning with some predictions for the NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers who will finish in the top 10 at today's Chase-opening race at Chicagoland Speedway. Last week's forecasts went a pedestrian 2-2, leaving us with a season record of 34-62.
One from the front: Kurt Busch has plenty going for him this week. He's starting third, putting him in front of all the other Chase drivers. He has five top 10 finishes on this track. He has finished in the top 10 the last two weeks. And he certainly wouldn't be the first champion in the history of sports to have angry confrontations with reporters.
One from the back: We haven't had a lot of luck lately trying to pick a driver from the bottom 10. This week, we'll try Mike Bliss, who starts 42nd. Since joining the Sprint Cup series in May, his worst finish has been 36th. In other words, he (unlike some other drivers we could select) has avoided the "start and park" disease.
Two from the middle: This is the time Jimmie Johnson, who starts 12th this week. usually puts the pedal to the metal. He has finished in the top 10 in five of the last six weeks. He has seven top 10 finishes at Chicagoland. And then there's the whole "Five Time" thing.
OK, Dale Earnhardt Jr. It's time, in the words of Woody Harrelson to nut up or shut up. You're in the Chase for the first time since 2008. You're at a track where you have won before. You're starting in the 19th spot for this race. If you want to stay in Madison Avenue's sights for something other than your name, you need to produce some results.
And we need to produce some fantasy football poll results and predictions. Those will come shortly.

The People's Choice - Chicago

2011-09-17T21:27:00.001-04:00

Another work week has come and gone, and you, the Internet, found time once again to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup. Your votes, combined with Saturday's qualifying session, give us these starters for Sunday's NASCAR race at Chicagoland Speedway, the first race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
A List: As we've said before, it's hard to bet against Jeff Gordon these days. He won this week's poll, with Kevin Harvick as the runner-up, and he will start by virtue of qualifying 23rd (versus 30th for Harvick).
B List: Brad Keselowski is having a heck of a run these days, too. He won this week's B List poll, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., A.J. Allmendinger and Mark Martin. The only thing Keselowski didn't do was earn us bonus points. He did get a start by qualifying 6th. Allmendinger (18th) beat out Earnhardt (19th) and Martin (25th) for the other starting spot.
C List: This poll resulted in a tie between Bobby Labonte and David Gilliland. The qualifying session turned out...differently. Labonte (11th) easily earned a starting spot over Gilliland (38th).
We'll be back with some predictions for both the NASCAR race and the People's League fantasy football matchups. Speaking of which, you still have time to vote on the players who will take the field for the People's Pigskin this week, so please vote now.

Some Bad Signs Are Easy to See

2011-09-16T20:09:00.000-04:00

Not everyone can win a fantasy sports championship. Somebody has to end up on the bottom. And it's not always that person who abandons the team after two or three bad weeks. Sometimes, it's someone who failed to see the warning signs.
For example, it's a bad sign if your starting quarterback is the subject of a billboard campaign to be replaced by this guy.
It's also a bad sign if your starting receiver has to deal with Darrelle Revis after the receiver's injured teammate called him overhyped. All-Pro defensive backs tend to take their anger out on whichever receiver is handy.
It's certainly not a good sign if you mistakenly based your drafting strategy on Grantland.com's Bad Quarterback League draft. ("Hmm, Simmons says he's worth a first-round pick. I'm glad I...what? Their scoring is based on what?!?)
On a related note, it's not the best of signs if your starting quarterback just inspired Bill Simmons to coin a new term to describe a truly awful play.
Of course, the bad signs aren't limited to fantasy football. They can also pop up in fantasy NASCAR.
For instance, one bad sign would be if your driver's sponsor were planning to pull out of the sport, and most fans responded with a collective shrug.
Another bad sign would be if one of your starting drivers were accused of spinning out on purpose to help your teammate win a race.
It's also a terrible sign if your star driver got suspended for testing positive for marijuana, and your driver reacted by saying it was medical marijuana. (Right, and that stuff in Michael Waltrip's engine was food coloring, too.)
Avoid signs like these, and maybe you can add a trophy like this to your mantle this fall.
In the meantime, help us get our own glory by voting in the lineup polls on your right. The fantasy NASCAR polls will close tonight. The fantasy football polls will close Saturday night.
We'll be back with the racing results.

A NASCAR Playoff Primer

2011-09-14T21:30:00.000-04:00

A NASCAR season that started in February has finally reached its post-season. Twelve lucky Sprint Cup drivers will compete over the next 10 weeks (and you thought hockey had a long playoff) for the right to lift the aforementioned cup, which technially isn't a cup, but we'll save that for another post.

The Chase for the Sprint Cup begins Sunday with a race at Chicagoland Motor Speedway. And here's what the makeup of that Chase can teach us.

First of all, we have to answer the question everyone has been asking since NASCAR unveiled yet another change in its scoring procedure: Do wins matter?

Well, in one sense, they don't. Two drivers -- Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- made it into this year's Chase without winning a single race. Five other drivers, including the winner of the Darlington race and the winners of both Daytona races, are on the outside looking in. Trevor Bayne (who became ineligible the moment he decided to chase a Nationwide Series title) is the fourth Daytona 500 winner in as many years to fail to make the postseason. Bright side: We may be approaching the day when talking heads stop referring to the Daytona 500 as the Super Bowl of motorsports.

In another sense, wins do matter. At least, they matter more than a stellar regular-season performance. In most sports, the top performer of the regular season would be rewarded in some way for it -- a bye week, home field advantage, etc. In NASCAR, Kyle Busch watched his points lead evaporate the moment Kevin Harvick crossed the finish line first last week in Richmond, equalling Busch's win total for the season (four). Both drivers will start the season with 2,012 points.

And if your Chase spot came via the wild card route, wins don't matter at all. You remember Stewart and Earnhardt, who got into the Chase without a single win? They start the Chase with 2,000 points -- the same number as Brad Keselowski, who won three times this season. Jeff Gordon's three wins are worth nine bonus points. Keselowski's are not.

Some wins are more equal than others.

And if Jimmie Johnson manages to win a sixth straight Sprint Cup, no one will notice that he won only one race during the regular season.

Got all that? Good. Now vote on the polls (fantasy NASCAR and fantasy football) on the right side of the page.

The Pigskin's Painful Week 1

2011-09-13T10:48:00.000-04:00

The National Football League's opening weekend did not hurt as much for us as it did for Eric Berry or Nate Kaeding, but it came close enough.
The People's Pigskin dropped a heartbreaker to the Hudson Valley Hawks2, losing by a final score of 84-81. We open the People's League season with a record of 0-1.
Here's how we got here.
Tony Romo, QB: 23 of 36 passing for 342 yards, 3 rushes for 9 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 1 fumble lost and 17 fantasy points. Maybe it's unfair to pin this on him, but Romo was one of the last two players representing the Pigskin, and we had this game won until those two late turnovers.
Ray Rice, RB: 19 rushes for 107 yards, 4 receptions for 42 yards, 2 touchdowns and 26 fantasy points. Rice was clearly our star of the week. His ability to find holes (and the end zone) played a critical in a Baltimore beatdown of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
DeAngelo Williams, RB: 12 rushes for 30 yards, 1 reception for 6 yards and 3 fantasy points. While Cam Newton was setting records under center, Williams must have been wondering whether he could get a little love. The good news: He got more carries than Jonathan Stewart.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 3 receptions, 62 yards and 6 fantasy points. The good news is that Fitzgerald got the most targets from Kevin Kolb. That should mean the reception and yardage figures will go up as the season progresses.
Percy Harvin, WR: 4 rushes for 15 yards, 2 receptions for 7 yards, 1 return touchdown and 7 fantasy points. It's a good thing Harvin found the end zone on special teams, because Donovan McNabb's tenure at the Minnesota Vikings got off to a rough start.
Joseph Addai, Flex: 8 rushes for 39 yards, 2 receptions for 13 yards and 4 fantasy points. The conventional wisdom was that, even without Peyton Manning, the Indianapolis Colts had enough offensive weapons to at least tread water. Maybe not.
Jason Witten, TE: 6 receptions, 110 yards and 11 fantasy points. How many things would have changed if Jim Leonhard doesn't tackle Witten on that late deep catch? Well, for one thing, we would have had enough points to win this game.
Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 1 sack, 35 points allowed, and minus-3 fantasy points. It's not often you hear the words "Steelers" and "completely manhandled" in the same sentence. At least, not with the Steelers as the recipient of said manhandling.
John Kasay, K: 2 for 2 on field goals, 4 for 4 on extra points and 10 fantasy points. So what if he's 41 years old? He might be a keeper.
Bench: Wes Welker racked up 28 points (in bunches). Eli Manning scored 14, and former teammate Plaxico Burress scored 13.
This week, the People's Pigskin licks its wounds and gets ready for a week 2 matchup against Glen Gardner's Finest. We need your help to avoid an 0-2 start. The polls are open (below the NASCAR lineup polls) and will remain open through Saturday night. Please vote now. Thanks.

On to the NASCAR Playoffs

2011-09-13T08:22:00.002-04:00

We'll get to the fantasy football results in just a moment. First, now that we've recovered from chasing Wes Welker, it's time to tell you about the People's Pitstop weekend. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored precisely 200 points Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. It wasn't all that impressive, but our season total of 6,954 is just good enough to keep us in first place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Our lead over Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88 is down to 46 points. Obviously, we'll need all the help we can get this week, but more on that later.
Here is how we did on the last week before the Chase for the Sprint Cup, NASCAR's version of the playoffs.
Kyle Busch: Started 13th, finished 6th and 80 fantasy points. All in all, not a bad effort for someone with nothing at stake. Busch had already secured at least a tie for the top spot in the Chase standings.
Clint Bowyer: Started 5th, finished 22nd (1 lap behind the leaders) and 48 fantasy points. Bowyer came into this race having an outside shot at making the Chase. But then he got to close to you know who.
Kasey Kahne: Started 12th, finished 38th (350 laps behind the leaders) and 16 fantasy points. Given the way Kahne's night went, you might be tempted to say he's ready for his season to end. But then you have to consider the fact that his sponsor is pulling out when his season ends.
Regan Smith: Started 23rd, finished 18th and 56 fantasy points. Sometimes, the best you can hope for from your driver is a post-race headline that contains the phrase "avoids wrecks."
Now it's time for the Chase, which begins this year at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. We have a fresh set of polls available for your voting. They will close Friday night, because the qualifying session is scheduled for Saturday. (Please note the "LAST TIME" next to Bowyer's name. He's down to his ninth and final start for us.)
We'll be back as soon as possible with the football results.

Fearless Predictions - Week 1

2011-09-11T09:25:00.001-04:00

What would a new season of fantasy football be without predictions about which teams will come out of the gates flying and which teams lose their jockey? We are not going to find out. Instead, we'll tell you how week 1 should go in the always competitive People's League.
People's Pigskin vs. Hudson Valley Hawks2: You, the Internet, helped us pick a superb lineup for this week. And you, the Internet, should get the credit as the Pigskin season starts with a win.
t-bay jacks Young'ry Bucs vs. VinSeth Vaughn Bears: The Bears were among the fantasy teams across the country that suffered when Mark Ingram failed to find the end zone at the end of Thursday night's game. That failure may prove the difference in a Bucs win.
Minneapolis Fantastic Houll vs. Team Brotherton: One thing that fantasy players hate more than single-digit starter scores is the letter "Q" next to a starter's name. And Austin Collie's questionable status is compounded by the questionable status of his offense in Kerry Collins' hands. Look for a Brotherton victory.
Glen Gardner's Finest vs. Arcadia Roses: Michael Vick was the MVP of a lot of fantasy leagues last season, and he's showing no signs of being anything else this season. You can ignore all the "dream team" talk, but you can't ignore the potential for the Finest to prevail.
LA Lockouts vs. Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85: The Lockouts already have 53 fantasy points, and that's before Adrian Peterson, the number 1 pick in a lot of leagues this summer, takes the field with his new contract. The Lockouts should hold on to this lead through Monday night.
Take a moment to remember the fallen, and enjoy the games. We'll be back with some NASCAR results and fresh polls.

The People's Choice - Week 1

2011-09-11T09:03:00.002-04:00

We are (finally) ready for the first Sunday of the National Football League season. Before we get this pigskin smorgasbord under way, we need to thank you, the Internet, for voting on the lineup polls that determine who the People's Pigskin will start this week against the Hudson Valley Hawks2. Here are the results.
Quarterback: Some of these choices will be simple. Tony Romo won this poll by a landslide, so he gets the start. He faces the New York Jets on Sunday night.
Running back: We might not have gotten the running we targeted in our draft, but we do have a few that you like. The top two vote-getters were Ray Rice (who plays the Pittsburgh Steelers) and DeAngelo Williams (who visits the Arizona Cardinals).
Wide receiver: We did get our targeted wideout, Larry Fitzgerald. He won this poll and gets the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Percy Harvin finished second, so he gets the other starting spot. He visits the San Diego Chargers today with his new quarterback.
Flex: This spot can go to a running back or a wide receiver. We will give it to the player who finishes third in his poll and gets the most votes. If there is a tie (as there was this week), we will go with the player projected by ESPN to score more points. This week, Joseph Addai is projected to score one more point than Wes Welker, so Addai gets the nod at the Houston Texans.
No surprises at tight end (Jason Witten, who visits the Jets) or defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, who visit the Baltimore Ravens), and we already used John Kasay on Thursday night.
Grab some popcorn. We'll be back shortly with predictions for this week's action in the People's League.

Fearless Predictions - Richmond

2011-09-10T11:00:00.000-04:00

It's going to be a busy weekend for this Website. NASCAR has a Saturday night special at Richmond International Raceway, and most of the National Football League will kick off the 2011 season on Sunday. Before those things, though, we have predictions for the Sprint Cup drivers who will finish in the top 10 tonight. Last week's forecasts went 3-1, lifting our season record to 32-60.
One from the front: Insert the Gomer Pyle "Surprise, surprise, surprise" sound effect here. Jimmie Johnson leads the pack in driver points as the Chase approaches. He finished second last week and starts fifth at Richmond, where he has won three times and finished in the top 10 in the last two races.
One from the back: The usual gang of idiots occupy the bottom 10 spots in this race, and our pick last week (Dave Blaney) developed kidney stones Monday and became the first driver to return to the garage on Tuesday. This week, we'll go with Robby Gordon, who starts 37th and at least has a top five finish at this track on his resume.
Two from the middle: Right now, how can you pick against Jeff Gordon? Last week, he not only won the race at Atlanta, earning sole possession of third place on NASCAR's all-time win list, but he also met Justin Bieber! This week, he starts 17th, but he's not a good bet to finish there.
OK, Tony Stewart. It's time to put up or shut up. True, you're starting 22nd, but you had a strong finish at Atlanta, and you have three wins on this track. You also have a tenuous hold on the 10th and final automatic berth in the Chase, and you can wrap up that playoff spot by working your way toward the front. As Robin Williams said in "Good Will Hunting," it's your move, chief.
Don't forget to get those votes in for the People's Pigskin lineup. Those polls will close Saturday night. We'll be back with predictions for the first week of the fantasy football season.

The People's Choice - Richmond

2011-09-09T20:21:00.001-04:00

There will be no bonus points for the People's Pitstop this week, but we still have a solid lineup. You, the Internet, voted on the NASCAR drivers who should represent us at Saturday night's Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway. Your votes, combined with Friday afternoon's qualifying session, have produced these results.
A List: In the last race before the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins, you split your votes even between a driver who's locked into the Chase (Kyle Busch) and one still fighting to get in (Tony Stewart). Busch qualified 13th, or nine spots in front of Stewart, so he will get the start.
B List: The co-winners of this poll were Brad Keselowski and Clint Bowyer, followed by Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Bowyer (5th) and Kahne (12th) get the starting nods over Keselowski (19th) and Earnhardt (27th).
C List: Two new favorites have settled into the top spots of this poll. Bobby Labonte got the most votes, while Regan Smith finished second. In qualifying, the order was reversed. Smith will start 23rd, or nine spots in front of Labonte.
We'll be back with predictions for this race. In the meantime, feel free to vote in the fantasy football polls still available on the right side of this page. We want the People's Pigskin lineup to be as strong as possible, and we need your help. Thanks.

Our First Result of the Season

2011-09-08T19:21:00.000-04:00

The National Football League is about to kick off another season (if the folks in Washington wrap up in time), and we at the People's Pigskin want to thank you, the Internet, for helping us get things started.
Our first fantasy football lineup poll of the season is completed, and you decided that we should let John Kasay of the New Orleans Saints handle the kicking chores this week. He visits Lambeau Field and the Green Bay Packers tonight.
Please remember that the rest of the polls on the right side of this page are still open. The NASCAR lineup polls will close tonight, and the rest of the fantasy football polls will close Saturday night. Feel free to vote while you watch the game (or the speech -- we at the People's Pigskin don't judge).
We'll be back with the NASCAR poll results.

Your Vacation Is Officially Over

2011-09-07T20:31:00.000-04:00

A generation ago, even the most diehard football fans wouldn't have dared to think that the National Football League could form its own television channel and keep people tuned to it 12 months a year. But these days, you might feel cheated when this channel interrupts its live updates to bring you a Super Bowl rerun.
That's the way sports are these days, especially if you're a fantasy player. When the NFL had its lockout, all we wanted to know was when it was going to end. Now that the lockout and preseason are over, we want to know who's going to play. If you have a fantasy football team, you better not think you can ignore it for six days, come back to it on Sunday and rest assured that your team's fortunes haven't changed.
On Tuesday, if you were paying attention, you learned that the Jacksonville Jaguars had waited until five days before their season opener (and after he appeared at a chamber of commerce luncheon) to fire David Garrard. At first glimpse, this may not seem like a major concern to fantasy football players, since the only reason you would have been starting Garrard is because you had found a bad quarterback league. But football is a team sport, and one player's misfortune affects so many others. Did you spend your late first round pick on Maurice Jones-Drew? Will he now be facing a defense featuring 11 nose tackles? Maybe you took a flyer on a Jaguars receiver in the 13th round. Are you sure Luke McCown even knows that receiver's name?
Then, on Wednesday, if you were paying any attention at all, you learned that Peyton Manning won't be ready to play Sunday. If you rolled the dice and drafted him anyway, do you have a reliable quarterback to start this week? Do you need to go find Kerry Collins (and pray your opponent for this week didn't just get him off the waiver wire just to burn you)? Do all the other Indianapolis Colts players littering fantasy rosters remain valuable now that Collins is calling the shots? If you wait until Sunday to ask yourself these questions, you may find your alternatives to be quite slim.
And those were the relatively easy calls. We haven't even gotten to things like Arian Foster's photogenic hamstring or Ryan Grant's playing time or whether the Cincinnati Bengals really are stupid enough to let Carson Palmer rot on the shelf to make some short-sighted point. Some of these questions may be resolved by the time this post is published. Some of them may still be in the air at 12:59 p.m. Eastern on Sunday.
All of them are why NFL Network won't have to worry about going off the air anytime soon.
Quick reminder: There are polls that need your votes. The kicker poll closes at 5 p.m. Eastern on Thursday. The fantasy NASCAR polls close Thursday night, and the other fantasy football polls close Saturday night. Please contribute your votes to this experiment in fantasy democracy. Thanks.

Hanging in There

2011-09-06T18:48:00.000-04:00

The People's Pitstop scored 222 points in the severely delayed Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It wasn't an impressive outing, but our season total of 6,754 allows us to hang on to the top spot in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. We lead Dale Jr Amp National Guard 88 by 96 points.
Here are the scoring details from a soggy and historic race.
Kyle Busch: Started 3rd, finished 23rd, 19 laps led and 59 fantasy points. Busch found the front early but found nothing but trouble later in the race, including a pass-through penalty that essentially took him out of the running -- and out of first place in the driver standings.
Clint Bowyer: Started 2nd, finished 36th, 8 laps led and 35 fantasy points. Bowyer also got to the lead early in the race, but he couldn't stay away from the wall (or Juan Pablo Montoya).
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 11th, finished 10th and 72 fantasy points. You know you've had better fantasy NASCAR days when your top scorer is someone who makes people say, "Oh, yeah, he finished in the top 10, and he still has a shot at the Chase."
Paul Menard: Started 22nd, finished 18th and 56 fantasy points. That was Menard's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop this season, and his time with us ended, not with a bang, but with a whimper. In his nine starts, he racked up 630 points, or an average of 70 a race. His best performance for us was in Michigan in June, when he finished 4th and scored 94 points. His worst was in New Hampshire, when he finished 24th and scored 44. And yes, we missed out on his first Sprint Cup win. But we'll hear from him next season, when he makes Yahoo's B List (at least).
We at the People's Pitstop have already turned our attention to the upcoming week, including the NASCAR race at Richmond International Raceway. Again, the polls are open, so get started on your voting. Thanks.