How the People Won (and How We Keep Winning)

Once again, the fantasy football gods made us wait until the very end for a resolution, but once again, you, the Internet emerged victorious.

The People's Pigskin recorded a 54-45 victory over Tinks Revenge, raising our record to 2-1. Here's a breakdown of the results.

Trent Edwards, QB. The stats: 20 of 35 passing for 156 yards, 1 interception, 2 rushes for 13 yards, and 5 fantasy points. The Buffalo Bills have to be disappointed in those stats. His longest completion against the New Orleans Saints was only 18 yards. And none of his completions went to Terrell Owens, who, to his credit, refused to throw anyone under the bus afterward.

Matt Forte, RB. The stats: 21 rushes for 66 yards, 6 catches for 40 yards, and 10 fantasy points. These are not the stats of a first-round fantasy pick, but they are getting better as the season progresses.

Steve Slaton, RB. The stats: 12 rushes for 76 yards, 3 receptions for 37 yards, and 10 fantasy points. Again, not the type of production the Houston Texans would want from their primary running back, though he is clearly being targeted.

Donald Brown, Flex. The stats: 14 rushes for 40 yards, 1 reception for 72 yards, and 11 fantasy points. These numbers were mostly generated late in the game, as the Indianapolis Colts played keepaway with the Arizona Cardinals. Still, that was the highest point total among our starters.

Chad Ochocinco, WR. The stats: 5 receptions, 54 yards, and 5 fantasy points. Our favorite baby kisser also had several drops, but his Cincinnati Bengals did pull out a victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers and are an early contender for Most Improved Team.

Brandon Stokley, WR. The stats: 0 receptions, 0 yards, and 0 fantasy points. The Denver Broncos didn't need his help in whipping the Oakland Raiders. Hopefully, things will be different this week against the Dallas Cowboys.

Kellen Winslow, TE. The stats: 3 receptions, 14 yards, and 1 fantasy point. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked like a JV squad against the New York Giants on Sunday. It was so bad that the Bucs will start Josh Johnson instead of Byron Leftwich at quarterback this week. We have to hope Johnson knows that a good tight end can be a young quarterback's best friend.

Nick Folk, K. The stats: 2 for 3 on field goals, 1 PAT, and 6 fantasy points. I have to admit I got nervous when Folk missed his first field goal attempt of the night, since our team was docked a point. But Nick was solid the rest of the way and managed to avoid a Mora-style tirade.

Philadelphia Eagles, D/ST. The stats: 1 fumble recovery, 14 points allowed, and 6 fantasy points. The Eagles controlled the Kansas City Chiefs all day long and remain the top-scoring defense in fantasy football.

Bench. Kurt Warner got 13 points, while Greg Jennings got 10, so you Warner fans (or anti-Stokley fans) can go ahead and feel vindicated.

Our defense provides us with our first bye week challenge of the season. The Eagles are off this week (music to the ears of both Donovan McNabb and Andy Reid, I'm sure), so we need another defense. Rather than waiving the top-scoring defense in fantasy football, the plan is to bench the Eagles, waive Rashard Mendenhall (call us when/if your team figures out its running game), and pluck a defense off the waiver wire. Here are the leading candidates.

New Orleans Saints. Believe it or not, this defense racked up 12 fantasy points last week and are sixth in fantasy points this season. They face the New York Jets this week.

San Francisco 49ers. Mike Singletary is clearing putting his stamp on this team, which got 11 fantasy points from its defense last week. They face the St. Louis Rams this week.

Cincinnati Bengals. Yes, Carson Palmer got the headlines, but his defense also played a major role in the Steelers upset, getting 9 fantasy points for their effort. They face the Cleveland Browns this week.

Once again, we have until Thursday morning to get the waiver requests in, so this poll will close Wednesday night. Please vote now.

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Early Results and Monday Preview

It was an ... interesting Sunday for the People's Pigskin. Thanks to a second-half surge by Donald Brown, who was fed the ball as the Indianapolis Colts tried to squeeze the clock, our team currently enjoys a 10-point lead over Tinks Revenge. For those of you who voted for benching Brandon Stokley, the Denver Broncos receiver was held scoreless. But then again, so was Terrell Owens; he was held without a catch for the first time in 185 games. And if I were on his team, I wouldn't be smiling either.

I've always enjoyed fantasy games where the issue wasn't settled until Monday night. So somebody cue Hank Williams Jr. -- we're ready for more football. Tinks Revenge will have DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers. We will counter with a kicker, Nick Folk of the Dallas Cowboys. If Folk can stay within 9 fantasy points of Williams, the People's Pigskin will emerge victorious.

A more detailed analysis is coming Tuesday. Until then, feel free to comment or answer Sunday's poll question.

Gameday Thoughts

As we get ready for our epic clash with Tinks Revenge, here are some random thoughts, some of them related to fantasy football.

Guess who's coming to kickoff? A lot is being made about Michael Vick's return to active duty. Of course, most of the fuss is being made by folks who don't talk about fantasy football for a living. You would be insane to put Vick into your fantasy lineup at this point, and your sanity would also be questioned if you played Kevin Kolb, given the possibility that he'll get pulled for Vick (or even Jeff Garcia) on any given play.

No Brownie points for you. How far behind the curve are the Cleveland Browns? Most teams take care of their rookie pranks during training camp. This team waits until week 3 of the regular season to pull a prank that starts a locker room fight. Of course, if I were the Browns, I'd worry less about pranks and punches than I would about who's going to carry the ball with Jamal Lewis hurt. And we don't have to worry about discipline issues in Cleveland, right? After all, this is the place that issues four-figure fines for forgetting to pay for a $3 water bottle. Any prank or fight that caused serious damage would likely be punished this way.

Fantasy triage. By this point every year, no matter how many rules are changed or how many hits are outlawed, every fantasy team is dealing with injuries. ESPN is even offering a blog just for keeping track of the wounded warriors. As of 10:45 a.m. EDT, we know that Donovan McNabb, Jamal Lewis and LaDainian Tomlinson are out. Matt Hasselbeck is doubtful (which, for fantasy players, is just as good as being out). Brian Westbrook, Clinton Portis, Marion Barber, Wes Welker, Randy Moss and a cast of thousands are questionable.

What does this mean? It means if you're a serious fantasy player, you're either watching a pregame show so you can set your lineup at the last minute, or you're driving the people around you crazy because you're worrying about your lineup.

Isn't fantasy football fun? ;)

Anyway, we'll be back later with an early look at our results. In the meantime, here's a new poll. Enjoy your Sunday.

[polldaddy poll=2045824]

The People's Choice - Week 3

Once again, you, the Internet, have spoken in our grand fantasy football democracy experiment. We asked what we should do with the lineup, and the majority of you said Trent Edwards should start in Kurt Warner's place. So he shall.

Since Tinks Revenge is playing DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers and we have Nick Folk of the Dallas Cowboys, this Landshark Maniacs clash won't be settled until Monday night's game between the Panthers and the Cowboys.

As far as the other poll is concerned, it's unanimous: You, the Internet, say betting on NFL games should be legal. Frankly, I'm not surprised, since you are following a fantasy football blog, after all.

We'll be back Sunday (hopefully before game time) with another poll and pregame thoughts.

Saturday Morning Reading

Don't forget to vote on our lineup and the gambling question. While we wait for college football (aka the fantasy football scouting league) to get started, here are some links to visit.

Signs you have too much money. In fantasy football, "insurance" usually means drafting the backup for your stud running back in the event of injury. But these folks are taking it a step further -- they will sell you a policy that will pay you money if your team's star suffers a season-ending injury. (Be warned: This link offers no geckos, no cavemen, no former "24" actors, and no women named "Flo" who heart insurance.)

And this is different ... how? Right now, betting on NFL football games is legal in only two U.S. states: Nevada and Delaware. But when we were in Atlantic City last weekend, I noticed brochures for a Tropicana Football League. In a nutshell, you pick which teams will win each week, and if you pick correctly, you can win cash and "EZ Slot Dollars" (essentially, reward points that can be used at the Tropicana casino and hotel). Anyone who's read this far can figure out my stance on gambling, but I'm wondering why this is allowed in an Atlantic City casino but, say, going to the casino and betting $50 on the Packers is not.

Commitment to incompetence. The Oakland Raiders decided that the way to get Rich Gannon (now a CBS analyst) to stop pointing out his former team's flaws was to try to ban him from pregame production meetings. The Raiders relented (likely after hearing from someone in Roger Goodell's office) but maintain that the problem is not the message but the messenger. In case someone with the Raiders is reading this, let me say something: I think that your team botched the Lane Kiffin firing, that your first-round draft pick has been a bust so far, and that JaMarcus Russell (the quarterback you kept in the starting lineup while letting Jeff Garcia walk out the door) couldn't hit a cow in the rear end with a snow shovel right now. Are you going to try to ban me, too?

How lame is lame? Unlike the Raiders, I'm willing to listen to opinions that disagree with my own. For example, I'm willing to post a link to this blogger who asked which hobby is lamer: fantasy football or fan fiction (writing or posting stories exploring topics such as what would happen if Harry Potter married Hermione). His verdict: fantasy football is lame, but fan fiction is even lamer.

(I'm glad we won that matchup, at least.)

We'll be back later with the verdict on our lineup.

Fearless predictions: week 3

Another week, another 3-2 record for the fearless predictions, leaving us at 6-4 for the season. Time to tempt fate with another batch of forecasts for the Landshark Maniacs league.

Peoples Pigskin vs. Tinks Revenge. Yes, I see the 2-0 record for Tinks, and I see the name "Drew Brees" in her lineup. Neither fact scares me. You, the Internet, will rally us to another win.

Southern Rebels vs. Hawaiian Surfriders. The Surfriders, of course, are the team formerly known as the Hawaiian MaiTai Guzzlers, famously chosen here in this blog as "my personal favorite among the league names." I don't know if this is a Johnson-to-Ochocinco vanity move on the Hawaiians' part. All I know is that as long as Adrian Peterson is on the roster, I'm picking the Surfriders to win.

Northeast Dragons vs. Houston Wreckin' Crew. The Crew did the smart thing having Felix Jones ready to go in case Marion Barber's injury is truly serious. That kind of preparedness will be rewarded with a Crew victory.

T-Bay Jacks 151rum Stumblrs vs. D.C. Destroyers. It's the three words that no fantasy player ever wants to hear: "game time decision." And it looks like Percy Harvin will be under that category this Sunday. That may be enough to doom the Stumblrs and give the Destroyers the edge in an otherwise close matchup.

Big Lough O vs. Ravens Fan T Sizzle. The two previous opponents of the People's Pigskin face each other. We know that both teams are strong. What we don't know is how Fred Jackson can be expected to produce 32 points. This one goes to the Lough Os.

Don't forget to help us pick our lineup, and remember to vote in our gambling poll. More later.

Pick the People's Team - Week 3

Thanks to your votes, the People's Pigskin picked up Brandon Stokley off the waiver wire. Now it's time to set our lineup for this week's game against Tinks Revenge. She brings an imposing lineup, but I think it can be beaten.

Quarterback. Right now our starter is Kurt Warner, and my gut feeling is to stick with him, even though ESPN's "experts" expect him to get fewer points than Trent Edwards.

Running back. OK, last week's switch blew up in our collective faces, so for the moment we have Matt Forte and Steve Slaton back in the starting slots. Waiting in the wings (should you, the Internet, will it) is Rashard Mendenhall.

Flex. Our current lineup features Donald Brown, the rookie from UConn who has earned regular playing time for the Indianapolis Colts. Here's hoping Peyton Manning & Co. don't make a habit of holding the ball for less than 15 minutes. Again, Mendenhall waits on the bench.

Wide receiver. Since we got him, I see no reason not to use Brandon Stokley right away. Also, I'd say Chad Ochocinco deserves another starting spot, even if he did rig that "Lambeau Leap" thing by planting Bengals fans in the end zone. Waiting in the wings is Greg Jennings, who got a grand total of 0 points last week.

Again, no changes at tight end (Kellen Winslow), kicker (Nick Folk, playing Monday night) or defense (Philadelphia Eagles).

Here's the poll for this week's lineup. Feel free to leave a comment if you think we should do something else. And remember to vote in our gambling poll. We'll be back later with predictions for the Landshark Maniacs games.

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The People Speak on Waivers

Well, I guess I should attach Gus Johnson-narrated videos to every potential waiver wire pick from now on.

You, the Internet, have spoken, and you have asked that the People's Pigskin pick up Brandon Stokley on waivers. So we will drop Josh Morgan to make room for the Broncos reciever. Thanks for voting. We'll be back later with predictions and a poll on how to adjust the lineup for this week's game against Tinks Revenge.

How We Did (and What We Do Next)

The People's Pigskin is now 1-1 after a 67-50 loss to Big Lough O. Kudos to the Os, who are now also 1-1. Here's a breakdown of our team's performance.

Kurt Warner, QB. The stats: 24 for 26 passing, 243 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 17 fantasy points. The press may be gaga over Kurt's record-setting accuracy, but a stellar accuracy percentage does not translate into stellar fantasy stats. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but you'd think a game like that would have delivered something more.

Derrick Ward, RB. The stats: 9 rushes for 32 yards, 1 reception for 5 yards, and only 3 fantasy points. Clearly, this player will have a ceiling at Tampa Bay. But one would hope it's not this low.

Jamal Lewis, RB. The stats: 14 rushes for 38 yards, 1 reception for 8 yards, and another 3 fantasy points. This against a Denver Broncos team that, despite its 2-0 record, still seems vulnerable.

Chris "Beanie" Wells, Flex. The stats: 7 rushes for 44 yards, 1 fumble lost, and 2 fantasy points. With a day like that, he's going to remain behind Tim Hightower on the depth chart for a while.

Greg Jennings, WR. The stats: 0 catches, 0 fantasy points. He was targeted five times and didn't make a single catch. The only Packers-related people who covered themselves in glory this week were the fans who didn't flip the bird when Chad made his leap.

T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR. The stats: 4 receptions, 62 yards, and 6 fantasy points. In fantasy, it's not just about the health of your players. It's also about the health of your player's teammates. Matt Hasselbeck's rib fracture will certainly hurt T.J.'s value for weeks to come.

Kellen Winslow, TE. The stats: 7 receptions, 90 yards, 1 touchdown, and 15 fantasy points. At least we know we can get points from the tight end spot.

Nick Folk, K. The stats: 1 field goal, 4 extra points, and 8 fantasy points. The best part: If he hits the scoreboard at Cowboys Stadium, his fantasy points won't be hurt at all.

Eagles D/ST. The stats: 1 interception, 1 safety, 48 points allowed, and minus-4 fantasy points. We have no right to expect 35 fantasy points from the defense every week, but even if we had gotten a decent day from the Eagles, we would have been in the running for a win, despite the lack of production elsewhere. This game was brutal for those wearing green. I'm not ready to panic, though. Drew Brees is off to a stellar start this year, and I have to think the Eagles will bounce back now that Drew is in the rear view mirror.

I'm not ready to sit still, though. As baseball managers like to say, it's time to make a change. The People's Pigskin plans to dump Josh Morgan, who didn't get so much as a target this week and clearly isn't part of the 49ers offense right now. And this wouldn't be the People's Pigskin if we didn't have a poll. Here are the three contenders to take his WR spot from the waiver wire.

Brandon Stokley, Denver. He has 21 points this season and a penchant for long touchdowns, as Cincinnati learned in week 1.

Louis Murphy, Oakland. This rookie Raider has come up with 16 points of his own (while the other one has only 1) , and his value doesn't fall when JaMarcus Russell throws a pick.

Chansi Stuckey, N.Y. Jets. This guy has 15 points, and since Mark Sanchez isn't peeing his pants in big games, he could have some value.

We have until Thursday to make waiver wire requests, so this poll will close Wednesday night. Please vote now.

[polldaddy poll=2022265]

The Good, the Bad, and the People's Results

First of all, Dover Downs was worth the driving and ferry time. The Race and Sports Book, which now takes NFL parlays of at least three teams along with horse bets of all stripes, is small enough not to be intimidating but big enough to handle the NFL crowd. There are as many TV screens as you'll find in a large sports bar. The chairs were comfortable, the staff was friendly and helpful, and we won enough money to make back what we bet.

The one issue with this place, which clearly is still figuring out how to do things. The screens were covered with NFL games at 1 p.m. EDT, but at about 4:30 I counted five screens that read "Thank You for Watching NFL Sunday Ticket," three others with a DirecTV logo screen saver, and one showing ... a dog show. If I were running this facility (or a sports bar/restaurant/book of similar size), I would have one person whose primary job -- whose only job, in fact -- is to keep football on the TV screens. When one game ends, that person would be in charge of getting another one on right away. If there were five games on at 4 p.m. (as there were this Sunday), that person would be in charge of making sure all five was available for viewing.

Now, the ugly: the People's Pigskin took it on the chin this week, losing to Big Lough O by a score of 67-50. I'll have a more extensive analysis later, but for now let's say that the Eagles defense giveth, and the Eagles defense taketh away.

I also wanted to get this poll up, so folks could chime in on the gambling issue. More later.

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