Nothing against the Tim Tebow Lovefest known as the Senior Bowl, or the burning question about whether Chad Ochocinco should kick in the Pro Bowl (and whether the NFC can borrow him to play offensive tackle), but it's time to refocus attention on the game that has motivated every NFL player since he put on his first shoulder pads: the Super Bowl.
The People's Pigskin's quest to kick virtual butt in the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge took almost as many hits as Brett Favre took last week. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team scored 89 points. Our three-week total is 314, which leaves us tied for 118,427th overall and 40th in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league.
That's the bad news. The good news is that six of our players from last week are eligible to be used in the Super Bowl. Drew Brees would get triple the points, since we would be using him for the third straight week. Five other players (Pierre Thomas, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Marques Colston and Dallas Clark) would get double the points for their work.
With that in mind, it's time for you, the Internet, to rise to the challenge again and pick our lineup for Super Bowl XLIV. The polls are open and will stay open until Super Sunday. Happy picking. We'll be back with some insight on our upcoming fantasy racing season. By the way, here are the results for our poll on other fantasy sports.
[polldaddy poll=2538706]
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Fantasy Players, Start Your Engines
We'll get back to our quest for glory in the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge in the next post. In the meantime, since I now know the AFC won't be needing to play quarterback in the Pro Bowl, it's time to make an announcement.
The People's Pigskin started as an experiment in fantasy football by democracy. The goal was to determine whether polls by you, the Internet, could produce a fantasy football team that performed just as well as one that based its decisions on "expert" opinions from people paid to have opinions. The experiment has been a success, so we are expanding it into another venture.
Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the People's Pitstop, an experiment in fantasy auto racing by democracy.
Why auto racing? First of all, the NASCAR racing season starts in early February, minimizing the down time for this site. Second, and more importantly, NASCAR racing isn't just for rednecks anymore. What do California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York have in common? Each state will host at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race this year. Fox may play to the redneck crowd by having Darrell Waltrip in the booth, but people have enjoyed watching one person drive faster than the other since Romans were racing chariots.
This experiment, like the last one (which will resume next football season), will rely on you, the Internet, to vote in polls to stock our fantasy racing team from week to week. This time, the venue is Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Auto Racing, and the goal is to win the Friends of From the Marbles league. (The league is named for Yahoo's racing blog From the Marbles.)
The first race is the Daytona 500 on Feb. 14 (yes, Valentine's Day), so we'll get to the mechanics of stocking the team next week. In the meantime, you can learn about NASCAR racing here and read the rules for the fantasy game here.
We'll be back tomorrow with an update on the Internet's favorite football team and the polls for Super Bowl week.
The People's Pigskin started as an experiment in fantasy football by democracy. The goal was to determine whether polls by you, the Internet, could produce a fantasy football team that performed just as well as one that based its decisions on "expert" opinions from people paid to have opinions. The experiment has been a success, so we are expanding it into another venture.
Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the People's Pitstop, an experiment in fantasy auto racing by democracy.
Why auto racing? First of all, the NASCAR racing season starts in early February, minimizing the down time for this site. Second, and more importantly, NASCAR racing isn't just for rednecks anymore. What do California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York have in common? Each state will host at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup race this year. Fox may play to the redneck crowd by having Darrell Waltrip in the booth, but people have enjoyed watching one person drive faster than the other since Romans were racing chariots.
This experiment, like the last one (which will resume next football season), will rely on you, the Internet, to vote in polls to stock our fantasy racing team from week to week. This time, the venue is Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Auto Racing, and the goal is to win the Friends of From the Marbles league. (The league is named for Yahoo's racing blog From the Marbles.)
The first race is the Daytona 500 on Feb. 14 (yes, Valentine's Day), so we'll get to the mechanics of stocking the team next week. In the meantime, you can learn about NASCAR racing here and read the rules for the fantasy game here.
We'll be back tomorrow with an update on the Internet's favorite football team and the polls for Super Bowl week.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The People's Choice - Conference Championships
Another week has come and gone, and once again you, the Internet, have answered the call.
This week the People's Pigskin asked you to pick our lineup for the conference championship round of the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. You can see this week's lineup here. Drumroll, please...
Quarterback. It's unanimous. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team will start Drew Brees and reap the benefit of double points.
Running back. This one's a little more complex. Pierre Thomas is the clear winner for the first spot. The second spot came down to a four-way tie, a first for the People's Pigskin. Names were drawn out of Drew Carey's hat, and the winner is Joseph Addai.
Wide receiver. This time we have a three-way tie for two starting spot. Again, we turn to Drew Carey's hat, and this time the winners were Reggie Wayne and Marques Colston. Sorry, Sidney Rice, but you were the odd man out.
Tight end. A clear winner here: Dallas Clark.
Kicker. This time it's unanimous. You told us to start Jay Feely, and we'll have to hope the wind doesn't affect...oh, wait, all the games are indoors today. Scratch that.
Defense/special teams. We continue to ride the New York Jets, and hopefully we'll benefit from the triple points this squad will generate.
Results can be seen below. We'll be back later with the announcement that was promised in the last post.
[polldaddy poll=2552453] [polldaddy poll=2552457] [polldaddy poll=2552464] [polldaddy poll=2552473] [polldaddy poll=2552477] [polldaddy poll=2552485]
This week the People's Pigskin asked you to pick our lineup for the conference championship round of the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. You can see this week's lineup here. Drumroll, please...
Quarterback. It's unanimous. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team will start Drew Brees and reap the benefit of double points.
Running back. This one's a little more complex. Pierre Thomas is the clear winner for the first spot. The second spot came down to a four-way tie, a first for the People's Pigskin. Names were drawn out of Drew Carey's hat, and the winner is Joseph Addai.
Wide receiver. This time we have a three-way tie for two starting spot. Again, we turn to Drew Carey's hat, and this time the winners were Reggie Wayne and Marques Colston. Sorry, Sidney Rice, but you were the odd man out.
Tight end. A clear winner here: Dallas Clark.
Kicker. This time it's unanimous. You told us to start Jay Feely, and we'll have to hope the wind doesn't affect...oh, wait, all the games are indoors today. Scratch that.
Defense/special teams. We continue to ride the New York Jets, and hopefully we'll benefit from the triple points this squad will generate.
Results can be seen below. We'll be back later with the announcement that was promised in the last post.
[polldaddy poll=2552453] [polldaddy poll=2552457] [polldaddy poll=2552464] [polldaddy poll=2552473] [polldaddy poll=2552477] [polldaddy poll=2552485]
Friday, January 22, 2010
Conference Championship Predictions
Sorry this post didn't get up sooner, but I'm still waiting to hear about the Raiders job.
There's still time to vote on the People's Pigskin lineup for the conference championship round of the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. One reminder: Drew Brees would get double the points if he makes the lineup, and the New York Jets defense/special teams would get triple the points.
Now it's time to do something that thousands of people across the country are doing right now, online and off: make predictions for the National Football League conference championships. Last week's forecasts went 2-2, leaving us with a postseason record of 4-4. It's time to break out of mediocrity.
AFC Championship: Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets. The last time these two franchises met (which wasn't Super Bowl III, no matter what the NFL Network might want you to believe), Peyton Manning and company left the game in the third quarter, ending the Colts' chances for an undefeated season and easing the Jets path to the playoffs.
And how much influence will that have on Sunday's championship game? The same amount of influence that the result of Super Bowl III will have: Jack Squat.
Clearly, Mark Sanchez has defied expectations this postseason. (It always helps to have a solid defense and a running game that doesn't humiliate itself.) Nevertheless, it's still Peyton Manning's world, and the rest of us are just watching it. The one thing this season has shown us is that Peyton could direct touchdown drives even if Robin Williams' character from "The Best of Times" lined up at receiver. This game could come down to somebody leading a 90-second scoring drive at the end. If that's the case, which quarterback do you want? The Colts take this one.
NFC Championship: New Orleans Saints vs. Minnesota Vikings. One team lead the NFL in scoring this season and has the quarterback who threw for the most touchdowns this season. The other team is being led by a quarterback last seen performing "Pants on the Ground." No, I'm not linking to Brett Favre's version or the original. Both songs have gotten far more attention than they deserve.
So has Favre.
Yes, he proved that he can still throw a football down the field. Yes, his interceptions and fumbles dropped considerably this season. However, Drew Brees beat Favre this season in yardage, completion percentage, touchdowns and quarterback rating. If you look at statistics for this postseason, Brees is still beating Favre in percentage and yardage. And given the way Favre handled everything from his signing with the Vikings to his relationship with Brad Childress, Brees has to be leading in one other crucial category: karma. All that adds up to the first Super Bowl appearance in the Saints' history.
Remember to vote in our polls, and do whatever you can to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. We'll be back Sunday with poll results and an announcement.
There's still time to vote on the People's Pigskin lineup for the conference championship round of the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. One reminder: Drew Brees would get double the points if he makes the lineup, and the New York Jets defense/special teams would get triple the points.
Now it's time to do something that thousands of people across the country are doing right now, online and off: make predictions for the National Football League conference championships. Last week's forecasts went 2-2, leaving us with a postseason record of 4-4. It's time to break out of mediocrity.
AFC Championship: Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Jets. The last time these two franchises met (which wasn't Super Bowl III, no matter what the NFL Network might want you to believe), Peyton Manning and company left the game in the third quarter, ending the Colts' chances for an undefeated season and easing the Jets path to the playoffs.
And how much influence will that have on Sunday's championship game? The same amount of influence that the result of Super Bowl III will have: Jack Squat.
Clearly, Mark Sanchez has defied expectations this postseason. (It always helps to have a solid defense and a running game that doesn't humiliate itself.) Nevertheless, it's still Peyton Manning's world, and the rest of us are just watching it. The one thing this season has shown us is that Peyton could direct touchdown drives even if Robin Williams' character from "The Best of Times" lined up at receiver. This game could come down to somebody leading a 90-second scoring drive at the end. If that's the case, which quarterback do you want? The Colts take this one.
NFC Championship: New Orleans Saints vs. Minnesota Vikings. One team lead the NFL in scoring this season and has the quarterback who threw for the most touchdowns this season. The other team is being led by a quarterback last seen performing "Pants on the Ground." No, I'm not linking to Brett Favre's version or the original. Both songs have gotten far more attention than they deserve.
So has Favre.
Yes, he proved that he can still throw a football down the field. Yes, his interceptions and fumbles dropped considerably this season. However, Drew Brees beat Favre this season in yardage, completion percentage, touchdowns and quarterback rating. If you look at statistics for this postseason, Brees is still beating Favre in percentage and yardage. And given the way Favre handled everything from his signing with the Vikings to his relationship with Brad Childress, Brees has to be leading in one other crucial category: karma. All that adds up to the first Super Bowl appearance in the Saints' history.
Remember to vote in our polls, and do whatever you can to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake. We'll be back Sunday with poll results and an announcement.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4767366
Monday, January 18, 2010
About Last Weekend (and the Next One)
The Internet's favorite fantasy football team found itself running to stand still, and in this case, that's not necessarily a good thing.
The People's Pigskin managed to score 108 points this past week in the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. That's 9 fewer points than we scored in the wild card round, despite having four players eligible for double points. The 225 total points leaves the Pigskin tied for 38,805th overall and tied for 14th in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Here is the breakdown.
Drew Brees, QB. The stats: 247 yards passing, 3 touchdowns and 21 fantasy points. Given the pinball numbers the New Orleans Saints compiled against the Arizona Cardinals, one would think Brees' statistics would be stronger than this.
Ray Rice, RB. The stats: 67 rushing yards, 60 receiving yards, 1 fumble and 24 fantasy points. Because he was in our lineup for the second straight week, Rice received double the points for his efforts. And even if the same had held true for the Baltimore Ravens as a team, it wouldn't have been enough to get them to the next round.
LaDainian Tomlinson, RB. The stats: 24 rushing yards and 2 fantasy points. There's plenty of speculation about whether Tomlinson will be with the San Diego Chargers next season. Certainly one place he won't be is in many starting fantasy lineups.
Miles Austin, WR. The stats: 34 rushing yards, 8 receiving yards and 3 fantasy points. It seems the only people reaping fantasy points from the Dallas Cowboys offensive drives played for the Minnesota Vikings defense.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR. The stats: 77 receiving yards and 14 fantasy points. Another player getting double the points for a team that even more help than that getting to the next round. (Maybe the Arizona Cardinals should have borrowed the Vikings defense.)
Jason Witten, TE. The stats: 98 receiving yards and 18 fantasy points. The point doubling made his stats look decent. Unfortunately, that's all they did.
Nate Kaeding, K. The stats: 0 for 3 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 2 fantasy points. In a word, augh. You'd think the San Diego Chargers had signed Lucy Van Pelt to be the holder.
New York Jets, D/ST. The stats: 2 interceptions, 14 points allowed, 344 yards allowed and 24 fantasy points. Unlike the three other players who reaped the benefit of point doubling, the Jets are still playing and still available to us for the conference championships.
Speaking of which, it's time for you, the Internet, to pick the lineup for Sunday's games between the Vikings and the Saints and between the Jets and the Colts. Brees is eligible for double the points, and the Jets defense/special teams are eligible for triple the points. Please vote accordingly, and please remember that you're voting for two running backs and two wide receivers. The lineup polls will close on Sunday.
The People's Pigskin managed to score 108 points this past week in the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. That's 9 fewer points than we scored in the wild card round, despite having four players eligible for double points. The 225 total points leaves the Pigskin tied for 38,805th overall and tied for 14th in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Here is the breakdown.
Drew Brees, QB. The stats: 247 yards passing, 3 touchdowns and 21 fantasy points. Given the pinball numbers the New Orleans Saints compiled against the Arizona Cardinals, one would think Brees' statistics would be stronger than this.
Ray Rice, RB. The stats: 67 rushing yards, 60 receiving yards, 1 fumble and 24 fantasy points. Because he was in our lineup for the second straight week, Rice received double the points for his efforts. And even if the same had held true for the Baltimore Ravens as a team, it wouldn't have been enough to get them to the next round.
LaDainian Tomlinson, RB. The stats: 24 rushing yards and 2 fantasy points. There's plenty of speculation about whether Tomlinson will be with the San Diego Chargers next season. Certainly one place he won't be is in many starting fantasy lineups.
Miles Austin, WR. The stats: 34 rushing yards, 8 receiving yards and 3 fantasy points. It seems the only people reaping fantasy points from the Dallas Cowboys offensive drives played for the Minnesota Vikings defense.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR. The stats: 77 receiving yards and 14 fantasy points. Another player getting double the points for a team that even more help than that getting to the next round. (Maybe the Arizona Cardinals should have borrowed the Vikings defense.)
Jason Witten, TE. The stats: 98 receiving yards and 18 fantasy points. The point doubling made his stats look decent. Unfortunately, that's all they did.
Nate Kaeding, K. The stats: 0 for 3 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 2 fantasy points. In a word, augh. You'd think the San Diego Chargers had signed Lucy Van Pelt to be the holder.
New York Jets, D/ST. The stats: 2 interceptions, 14 points allowed, 344 yards allowed and 24 fantasy points. Unlike the three other players who reaped the benefit of point doubling, the Jets are still playing and still available to us for the conference championships.
Speaking of which, it's time for you, the Internet, to pick the lineup for Sunday's games between the Vikings and the Saints and between the Jets and the Colts. Brees is eligible for double the points, and the Jets defense/special teams are eligible for triple the points. Please vote accordingly, and please remember that you're voting for two running backs and two wide receivers. The lineup polls will close on Sunday.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
The People's Choice - Division Round
Another week has come and gone, and you, the Internet, have spoken yet again. The votes are in for the lineup the People's Pigskin will field in week 2 of the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. Here are the results.
Quarterback. With Aaron Rodgers no longer available, you voted to give Drew Brees the starting spot. His New Orleans Saints take on the Arizona Cardinals in the Saturday afternoon game.
Running back. Everyone voted to keep Ray Rice in the lineup. He gets double the points this round, and his Baltimore Ravens visit the Indianapolis Colts Saturday night. For the other running back spot, it came down to a tie between Marion Barber and LaDainian Tomlinson. A coin was flipped, and the winner was Tomlinson. His San Diego Chargers face the New York Jets in the late Sunday afternoon game.
Wide receiver. There were two clear winners in this pool. One was Larry Fitzgerald, who gets double the points this round. His Arizona Cardinals face the Saint. The other clear winner was Miles Austin, whose Dallas Cowboys face the Minnesota Vikings in the early Sunday afternoon game.
Tight end. The voting produced a tie between Jason Witten and Dallas Clark. Since Witten is worth double the points this round, Witten gets the nod. His Cowboys visit the Vikings.
Kicker. Another position, another tie. This one pits Jay Feely against Nate Kaeding. Another coin was flipped, and the winner was Kaeding. His San Diego Chargers get the Jets.
Defense/special teams. There was a tie here between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets. Since the Jets will get double the points for making it to week 2, they get the nod here for their game against the Chargers.
Thanks for your votes. We have another poll up now that acknowledges that -- gasp! -- there's life after football season. We'd appreciate your vote there, too. The results from our lineup polls can be seen below.
[polldaddy poll=2515097] [polldaddy poll=2515125] [polldaddy poll=2515143] [polldaddy poll=2515164] [polldaddy poll=2515174] [polldaddy poll=2515184]
Quarterback. With Aaron Rodgers no longer available, you voted to give Drew Brees the starting spot. His New Orleans Saints take on the Arizona Cardinals in the Saturday afternoon game.
Running back. Everyone voted to keep Ray Rice in the lineup. He gets double the points this round, and his Baltimore Ravens visit the Indianapolis Colts Saturday night. For the other running back spot, it came down to a tie between Marion Barber and LaDainian Tomlinson. A coin was flipped, and the winner was Tomlinson. His San Diego Chargers face the New York Jets in the late Sunday afternoon game.
Wide receiver. There were two clear winners in this pool. One was Larry Fitzgerald, who gets double the points this round. His Arizona Cardinals face the Saint. The other clear winner was Miles Austin, whose Dallas Cowboys face the Minnesota Vikings in the early Sunday afternoon game.
Tight end. The voting produced a tie between Jason Witten and Dallas Clark. Since Witten is worth double the points this round, Witten gets the nod. His Cowboys visit the Vikings.
Kicker. Another position, another tie. This one pits Jay Feely against Nate Kaeding. Another coin was flipped, and the winner was Kaeding. His San Diego Chargers get the Jets.
Defense/special teams. There was a tie here between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets. Since the Jets will get double the points for making it to week 2, they get the nod here for their game against the Chargers.
Thanks for your votes. We have another poll up now that acknowledges that -- gasp! -- there's life after football season. We'd appreciate your vote there, too. The results from our lineup polls can be seen below.
[polldaddy poll=2515097] [polldaddy poll=2515125] [polldaddy poll=2515143] [polldaddy poll=2515164] [polldaddy poll=2515174] [polldaddy poll=2515184]
Friday, January 15, 2010
Divisional Predictions
There's still time to vote on the People's Pigskin's lineup for week 2 in the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. While you contemplate your vote, it's time for another set of NFL playoff predictions. Last week's version went 2-2, so following these predictions is just as useful a gambling strategy as doing this.
Arizona Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints. Last week against Green Bay, the Cardinals pulled a win out of their orifices (or, more specifically, Aaron Rodgers' hands) in a game where defense seemed to be optional. The Cardinals won't have that luxury this week. The Saints have shown that they don't have to turn a game into a shootout to win. They'll hold serve and send Kurt Warner into the offseason (and possibly beyond.)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts. When we last saw the Ravens, they were running roughshod over the New England Patriots. The Colts have had plenty of time to rest their weary limbs, and Peyton Manning got a sneak peak at the Ravens in week 11, when the Colts won 17-15. If the choice is between Peyton Manning and Joe Flacco (who QB rating last week was 10, which doesn't look as good on a quarterback as it did on Bo Derek), you have to go with Manning. The Colts prevail here.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have the home field, but the Cowboys have the hot streak. They've won four straight games, and Wade Wilson ended a personal playoff losing streak that had extended all the way back to the Music City Miracle. If this were a fantasy football game, you would want Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson and anyone lining up at receiver for the Vikings. But you would move heaven and earth to start the Dallas defense. They'll be the reason the Cowboys win Sunday.
New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers. You remember the line "This one goes to 11"? The Chargers have already gotten there. They've won 11 straight games and get to face Mark Sanchez. Yes, his Jets won last week, but he's still a rookie quarterback, and he still threw 20 interceptions during the season. The prediction here is that the Chargers' run will go to 12.
We'll be back Saturday with the results for our lineup poll.
Arizona Cardinals vs. New Orleans Saints. Last week against Green Bay, the Cardinals pulled a win out of their orifices (or, more specifically, Aaron Rodgers' hands) in a game where defense seemed to be optional. The Cardinals won't have that luxury this week. The Saints have shown that they don't have to turn a game into a shootout to win. They'll hold serve and send Kurt Warner into the offseason (and possibly beyond.)
Baltimore Ravens vs. Indianapolis Colts. When we last saw the Ravens, they were running roughshod over the New England Patriots. The Colts have had plenty of time to rest their weary limbs, and Peyton Manning got a sneak peak at the Ravens in week 11, when the Colts won 17-15. If the choice is between Peyton Manning and Joe Flacco (who QB rating last week was 10, which doesn't look as good on a quarterback as it did on Bo Derek), you have to go with Manning. The Colts prevail here.
Dallas Cowboys vs. Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have the home field, but the Cowboys have the hot streak. They've won four straight games, and Wade Wilson ended a personal playoff losing streak that had extended all the way back to the Music City Miracle. If this were a fantasy football game, you would want Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson and anyone lining up at receiver for the Vikings. But you would move heaven and earth to start the Dallas defense. They'll be the reason the Cowboys win Sunday.
New York Jets vs. San Diego Chargers. You remember the line "This one goes to 11"? The Chargers have already gotten there. They've won 11 straight games and get to face Mark Sanchez. Yes, his Jets won last week, but he's still a rookie quarterback, and he still threw 20 interceptions during the season. The prediction here is that the Chargers' run will go to 12.
We'll be back Saturday with the results for our lineup poll.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
An Overdue Update (and New Polls)
First of all, congratulations are in order (sort of) for Jay Cutler, Matt Cassel and Matt Forte for splitting the votes in our poll on fantasy football's biggest bust. Results can be found at the bottom of this post. We could send them this trophy to commemorate this achievement, but I would worry about how they would split it.
Anyway, on to the results from week 1 of the People's Pigskin's quest to win the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team racked up 119 points, good enough to be tied for 56,791st among all NFL.com players and tied for 19th in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Here's a breakdown of the results.
Aaron Rodgers, QB: 28 for 42 passing for 422 yards and 4 touchdowns, 13 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 fumble, 1 interception and 40 fantasy points (top score among quarterbacks).
Ray Rice, RB: 159 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns and 27 fantasy points (top score among running backs). Also, he's worth double the points this week if we keep him in the lineup.
Ryan Grant, RB: 65 rushing yards, 18 receiving yards and 8 fantasy points.
DeSean Jackson, WR: 14 receiving yards, 1 touchdown and 7 fantasy points.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 6 receptions for 82 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 fumble and 20 fantasy points. (Only Steve Breaston had more among receivers.) Also, Fitzgerald is eligible for double points.
Jason Witten, TE: 27 receiving yards and 2 fantasy points. The good news: He's also eligible for double points.
Stephen Gostkowski, K: 0 for 1 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 2 fantasy points.
New York Jets, D/ST: 14 points allowed, 281 yards allowed, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery and 13 fantasy points. This defense is worth double the points this week.
Now it's time for you, the Internet, to help select the team that will take the field for the People's Pigskin. Remember that you're voting for 2 running backs and 2 receivers, and that Rice, Fitzgerald, Witten and the Jets are worth double the points if we keep them in the lineup. For example, if NFL.com credits Rice with 20 fantasy points this week, the People's Pigskin would get 40 points for his work. It's a reward for being loyal to your players. (Right, Lane?)
The polls will close on Saturday before the first game kicks off. Please vote now.
[polldaddy poll=2461724]
Anyway, on to the results from week 1 of the People's Pigskin's quest to win the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. The Internet's favorite fantasy football team racked up 119 points, good enough to be tied for 56,791st among all NFL.com players and tied for 19th in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league. Here's a breakdown of the results.
Aaron Rodgers, QB: 28 for 42 passing for 422 yards and 4 touchdowns, 13 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 1 fumble, 1 interception and 40 fantasy points (top score among quarterbacks).
Ray Rice, RB: 159 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns and 27 fantasy points (top score among running backs). Also, he's worth double the points this week if we keep him in the lineup.
Ryan Grant, RB: 65 rushing yards, 18 receiving yards and 8 fantasy points.
DeSean Jackson, WR: 14 receiving yards, 1 touchdown and 7 fantasy points.
Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 6 receptions for 82 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 fumble and 20 fantasy points. (Only Steve Breaston had more among receivers.) Also, Fitzgerald is eligible for double points.
Jason Witten, TE: 27 receiving yards and 2 fantasy points. The good news: He's also eligible for double points.
Stephen Gostkowski, K: 0 for 1 on field goals, 2 for 2 on extra points and 2 fantasy points.
New York Jets, D/ST: 14 points allowed, 281 yards allowed, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery and 13 fantasy points. This defense is worth double the points this week.
Now it's time for you, the Internet, to help select the team that will take the field for the People's Pigskin. Remember that you're voting for 2 running backs and 2 receivers, and that Rice, Fitzgerald, Witten and the Jets are worth double the points if we keep them in the lineup. For example, if NFL.com credits Rice with 20 fantasy points this week, the People's Pigskin would get 40 points for his work. It's a reward for being loyal to your players. (Right, Lane?)
The polls will close on Saturday before the first game kicks off. Please vote now.
[polldaddy poll=2461724]
Saturday, January 9, 2010
The People's Choice - Wild Card
You, the Internet, are still speaking, even during the NFL playoffs. The People's Pigskin called on you to pick the lineup for the wild card round for the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge, and here's how you voted.
Quarterback. Your choice for this round was Aaron Rodgers. His Green Bay Packers take on the Arizona Cardinals in the late Sunday game.
Running back. One choice was clear: Ray Rice, whose Baltimore Ravens face the New England Patriots in the early Sunday game. For the other spot, it was a tie between Ryan Grant and Cedric Benson. This one came down for a coin flip (without these officials), and the winner was Grant.
Wide receiver. Here we had clear winners for both spots. The winners are DeSean Jackson, whose Philadelphia Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys in the Saturday night game, and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals.
Tight end. Again, we have a clear winner: Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys.
Kicker. Here we have a member of the New England Patriots, Stephen Gostkowski.
Defense/special teams. This vote came down to another coin flip between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens. The coin was flipped, and the winner is the New York Jets, who get the Cincinnati Bengals in the early Saturday game.
You can follow the People's Pigskin results here. The poll results are below. You still have time to vote on the fantasy football bust of the year. We'll have those results Sunday.
[polldaddy poll=2474129] [polldaddy poll=2474143] [polldaddy poll=2474148] [polldaddy poll=2474157] [polldaddy poll=2474169] [polldaddy poll=2474174]
Quarterback. Your choice for this round was Aaron Rodgers. His Green Bay Packers take on the Arizona Cardinals in the late Sunday game.
Running back. One choice was clear: Ray Rice, whose Baltimore Ravens face the New England Patriots in the early Sunday game. For the other spot, it was a tie between Ryan Grant and Cedric Benson. This one came down for a coin flip (without these officials), and the winner was Grant.
Wide receiver. Here we had clear winners for both spots. The winners are DeSean Jackson, whose Philadelphia Eagles visit the Dallas Cowboys in the Saturday night game, and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals.
Tight end. Again, we have a clear winner: Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys.
Kicker. Here we have a member of the New England Patriots, Stephen Gostkowski.
Defense/special teams. This vote came down to another coin flip between the New York Jets and the Baltimore Ravens. The coin was flipped, and the winner is the New York Jets, who get the Cincinnati Bengals in the early Saturday game.
You can follow the People's Pigskin results here. The poll results are below. You still have time to vote on the fantasy football bust of the year. We'll have those results Sunday.
[polldaddy poll=2474129] [polldaddy poll=2474143] [polldaddy poll=2474148] [polldaddy poll=2474157] [polldaddy poll=2474169] [polldaddy poll=2474174]
Friday, January 8, 2010
Wild Card Predictions
There's still some time to vote on our lineup for the first round of the NFL Fantasy Playoff Challenge. In the meantime, I could offer an extensive breakdown of entertainment's answer to the People's Pigskin: the People's Choice Awards. Of course, that would force us to discuss Mariah Carey's epic speech, and you know what? The less said, the better.
Instead, it's time to offer another set of predictions. This time, the People's Pigskin is taking a crack at forecasting the National Football League playoffs, starting with the wild card round. For those of you keeping score at home, the last round of Landshark Maniacs predictions went 1-4, dropping the season record to 42-33, and we don't have the luxury of blaming it on resting the starters.
N.Y. Jets at Cincinnati Bengals. This is one of three games that are rematches of regular season finales. Everyone is talking about how the Jets beat the Bengals in the finale to earn a playoff berth. However, it seems as if the Bengals were playing possum to some extent, at least to the extent that a Bengal tiger can play a small marsupial. Cedric Benson didn't play at all last week, most of the other Cincinnati starters were out by halftime, and Chad Ochocinco tweaked his knee before the game started. (Yes, we all heard that he's tested the knee and has pronounced himself OK.) Also, the Jets are on the road starting a rookie quarterback who hasn't covered himself in glory since the weather has turned cold. The prediction here is for a Bengals win.
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys. Again, a rematch from last week, when the Cowboys thumped the Eagles and earned a division title and home-field advantage for this week. The inimitable Bill Simmons has already covered what home-field advantage means these days, but Dallas is still a team that won games down the stretch, including one at New Orleans to end the Saints' hopes for a perfect season. The defense has shown up, Miles Austin has taken on the role of No. 1 receiver, and call here is for a Cowboys win.
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots. This is the only wild card game that isn't a week 17 rematch. This is also the one that changed the most as a result of a week 17 injury. Wes Welker's shredded knee may put to rest any talk about forcing teams that have wrapped up playoff spots to play as if the Super Bowl were being held in December, but it also forces the Patriots to do something they don't want to do: run against the Ravens. Ray Rice, on the other hand, should be salivating about facing a defense that inspired their own coach to go for it on fourth down on his own 28 yard line. The Ravens get the win here.
Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals. This one may be the hardest game to predict. This game could also be billed as a fantasy football Pro Bowl. In the end, it should turn into Aaron Rodgers' coming out party. Anyone who had Mr. Rodgers on a fantasy team knows he can put up big numbers against any kind of defense. And anyone who had Greg Jennings on a team knows Rodgers is willing to throw it to anyone on the Green Bay squad. He'll put up more big numbers and lead Green Bay to the next round.
We'll be back tomorrow to unveil poll results.
Instead, it's time to offer another set of predictions. This time, the People's Pigskin is taking a crack at forecasting the National Football League playoffs, starting with the wild card round. For those of you keeping score at home, the last round of Landshark Maniacs predictions went 1-4, dropping the season record to 42-33, and we don't have the luxury of blaming it on resting the starters.
N.Y. Jets at Cincinnati Bengals. This is one of three games that are rematches of regular season finales. Everyone is talking about how the Jets beat the Bengals in the finale to earn a playoff berth. However, it seems as if the Bengals were playing possum to some extent, at least to the extent that a Bengal tiger can play a small marsupial. Cedric Benson didn't play at all last week, most of the other Cincinnati starters were out by halftime, and Chad Ochocinco tweaked his knee before the game started. (Yes, we all heard that he's tested the knee and has pronounced himself OK.) Also, the Jets are on the road starting a rookie quarterback who hasn't covered himself in glory since the weather has turned cold. The prediction here is for a Bengals win.
Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys. Again, a rematch from last week, when the Cowboys thumped the Eagles and earned a division title and home-field advantage for this week. The inimitable Bill Simmons has already covered what home-field advantage means these days, but Dallas is still a team that won games down the stretch, including one at New Orleans to end the Saints' hopes for a perfect season. The defense has shown up, Miles Austin has taken on the role of No. 1 receiver, and call here is for a Cowboys win.
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots. This is the only wild card game that isn't a week 17 rematch. This is also the one that changed the most as a result of a week 17 injury. Wes Welker's shredded knee may put to rest any talk about forcing teams that have wrapped up playoff spots to play as if the Super Bowl were being held in December, but it also forces the Patriots to do something they don't want to do: run against the Ravens. Ray Rice, on the other hand, should be salivating about facing a defense that inspired their own coach to go for it on fourth down on his own 28 yard line. The Ravens get the win here.
Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals. This one may be the hardest game to predict. This game could also be billed as a fantasy football Pro Bowl. In the end, it should turn into Aaron Rodgers' coming out party. Anyone who had Mr. Rodgers on a fantasy team knows he can put up big numbers against any kind of defense. And anyone who had Greg Jennings on a team knows Rodgers is willing to throw it to anyone on the Green Bay squad. He'll put up more big numbers and lead Green Bay to the next round.
We'll be back tomorrow to unveil poll results.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)