Monday, September 5, 2011
Draft Night, Baby!
For the People's League, that optimism will hit its peak at 9 p.m. EST tonight, when we hold our annual draft. By Tuesday, we should have a roster for the People's Pigskin and a new set of polls that will determine our lineup each week. (Remember: You, the Internet, told us to target Adrian Peterson, Aaron Rodgers, Larry Fitzgerald and Jason Witten in our draft, and we will do our best to get them on the roster.)
We came oh so close to winning the People's League championship last year. With your help, we can reach the top.
What we can't do is wait for Mother Nature to stop messing with NASCAR. The Sprint Cup race that was supposed to take place Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway has been postponed until Tuesday morning. We will try to get the People's Pitstop results to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, we are forced to turn our attention to Saturday night's race at Richmond International Raceway, the last chance for drivers to get into the Chase for the Sprint Cup. It's a Saturday night race with a Friday qualifying session, so we have lineup polls up already. They will close Thursday night. Feel free to vote now.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
The People's Choice - Conference/Super Bowl Rounds
Quarterback: In the NFC slot, we have a familiar face. Aaron Rodgers will start for the third -- and fourth -- straight week. On the AFC side, we have a newcomer (to our squad, not to the playoffs): Ben Roethlisberger.
Running back: Both our running backs from the previous round were eliminated, so we have two fresh faces here. From the AFC, we have Rashard Mendenhall. From the NFC, we have the Green Bay Packers rookie James Starks. By contrast ...
Wide receiver: Continuity carried the day in these polls. Greg Jennings and Mike Wallace keep their starting spots from last week.
Tight end: We had a nice run with Todd Heap, but the Pittsburgh Steelers stopped it dead in its tracks. It's appropriate, then, that Heath Miller of the Steelers take his place in our lineup.
Defense/special teams: Yes, there are questions about how effective Troy Polamalu will be this week. But that didn't stop you from selecting the Steelers to take over where the Baltimore Ravens left off.
Kicker: An incumbent has been unseated. Nick Folk was available to you, but you decided you didn't trust the New York Jets kicking game at Heinz Field. You went instead with Mason Crosby, who gets the relatively stable conditions at Soldier Field.
If you haven't noticed already, our lineup is filled with Packers and Steelers. If both teams make the Super Bowl, we'll be able to make a real splash. If the Jets and the Chicago Bears prevail ... well, at least we'll have time to discuss what's been going on in NASCAR.
The poll results appear below, and another Super Bowl poll is now available for voting. Enjoy the games!
[polldaddy poll=4427870] [polldaddy poll=4427874] [polldaddy poll=4427878] [polldaddy poll=4427884] [polldaddy poll=4427887] [polldaddy poll=4427895] [polldaddy poll=4427905] [polldaddy poll=4427913] [polldaddy poll=4427916]
Friday, January 21, 2011
Quick Update, Fresh Polls
Here's a quick statistical breakdown of our divisional round roster.
Tom Brady, QB: 29 of 45 passing for 299 yards, 2 rushes for 2 yards, 2 touchdowns and 19 fantasy points.
Aaron Rodgers, QB: 31 of 36 passing for 366 yards and 3 touchdowns, 2 rushes for 13 yards and 1 touchdown and 33 fantasy points.
Ray Rice, RB: 12 rushes for 32 yards, 7 receptions for 32 yards, 1 touchdown and 12 fantasy points.
Michael Turner, RB: 10 rushes, 39 yards, 1 touchdown and 9 fantasy points.
Mike Wallace, WR: 3 receptions for 20 yards, 2 rushes for minus-2 yards and 2 fantasy points.
Greg Jennings, WR: 8 receptions, 101 yards and 10 fantasy points.
Todd Heap, TE: 3 receptions, 43 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 touchdown.
Nick Folk, K: 4 extra points and 4 fantasy points.
Baltimore Ravens, D/ST: 6 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 defensive touchdown, 31 points allowed and 9 fantasy points.
Now that you know how we got here, it's time to discuss where we go from here. The conference championship games are Sunday afternoon, and we need to fill a roster. Unfortunately, ESPN rules state that the rosters will freeze after the conference championships. The team we pick this week will also represent the People's Playoffs at the Super Bowl. Therefore, our polls are constructed a little differently this time around. The quarterback, running back and wide receiver polls are divided into NFC and AFC spots, in order to maximize the chances of having players who will still be playing in two weeks.
Feel free to vote now, and feel free to encourage your friends, neighbors and acquaintances to do the same. We'll be back with some predictions.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The People's Choice - Divisional Round (and Predictions)
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers returns to our lineup for a second week. He gets the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night. He's joined this week by Tom Brady, who will play the New York Jets late Sunday afternoon.
Running back: Another returning player from last week is Ray Rice, who visits the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday afternoon. This week, he's joined by Michael Turner, who hosts the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night.
Wide receiver: Yet another player makes a second straight appearance for the Internet's favorite fantasy playoff football team -- Greg Jennings, who has to improve on last week's performance. He faces the Atlanta Falcons. The other receiver spot goes to Mike Wallace, who hosts the Baltimore Ravens.
There was no change at tight end (Todd Heap). The defense/special teams and kicker polls came down to ties. We used dollar value as the tiebreaker, and in both cases, the incumbent held off a challenger. The Ravens defense/special teams ($4.5) beat the Chicago Bears ($4.8), and Nick Folk ($4.0) took the kicker spot over Matt Bryant ($4.1).
And here are some quick predictions for this week's games. Last week's forecasts went 1-3, so take this with as many grains of salt as you wish.
Steelers over Ravens.
Packers over Falcons.
Bears over Seahawks.
Patriots over Jets.
Thanks for voting in this week's lineup polls. The results appear below, and a new poll on the Super Bowl is ready to take your votes now. We'll be back with a look at this week's scores.
[polldaddy poll=4374582] [polldaddy poll=4374589] [polldaddy poll=4374593] [polldaddy poll=4374600] [polldaddy poll=4374603] [polldaddy poll=4374611]
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Off to a Wild Start
Anyway, you, the Internet, came through once again. You helped the People's Playoffs rack up an amazing 113 fantasy points during the wild card round of the ESPN Gridiron Playoff Challenge. For those of you who forgot your secret decoder rings, we currently have a 7-point lead in the 9beersfantasysportstavern group.
Here's how the scoring happened.
Joe Flacco, QB: 25 of 34 passing for 265 yards, 7 rushes for 26 yards, 2 touchdowns and 20 fantasy points. The biggest headlines came from the other side of the ball (and we'll discuss that later), but Flacco, who now has four playoff victories on his resume, fully earned his own kudos from authorities like NFL.com's Vic Carlucci.
Aaron Rodgers, QB: 18 of 27 passing for 180 yards, 3 rushes for 4 yards, 3 touchdowns and 19 fantasy points. It's too bad fantasy football doesn't award bonus points for things like awkward congratulations hugs on national TV.
Ray Rice, RB: 17 rushes for 57 yards, 5 receptions for 42 yards, 1 touchdown and 15 fantasy points. It might be going too far to say he made the Kansas City Chiefs look like there were "trying to grab a wet bar of soap," but he did find his way to the end zone.
Jamaal Charles, RB: 9 rushes for 82 yards, 1 reception for 15 yards, 1 touchdown and 15 fantasy points. Charles also crossed the goal line to save his fantasy performance. Unfortunately, he was swallowed whole by Terrence Cody and won't be joining us for the rest of the postseason.
Jeremy Maclin, WR: 3 receptions, 73 yards and 7 fantasy points. Maclin also won't be with us the rest of the way. He ran into a solid Green Bay Packers defense, who gave him one big 44-yard catch and little else.
Greg Jennings, WR: 1 reception, 8 yards and 0 fantasy points. The big difference between Jennings and Reggie Wayne: Jennings had enough sense not to complain publicly about getting only one catch in a playoff game.
Todd Heap, TE: 10 receptions, 108 yards and 10 fantasy points. Maybe the Baltimore Ravens should make sure Heap is matched up against rookie safeties the rest of the playoffs.
Nick Folk, K: 1 field goal, 2 extra points and 5 fantasy points. His big kick was the last one.
Baltimore Ravens, D/ST: 3 sacks, 3 interceptions, 2 fumbles, 7 points allowed, 1 win and 22 fantasy points. That's right; our top fantasy scorer was our defense. They played their hearts out for one of their leaders, Ed Reed, who was playing with a heavy heart. Keep him and his family in your thoughts.
Now it's on to the divisional playoffs. Four new sets of players are joining in the fantasy playoff festivities. And six new polls are available for voting. Once again, they will stay open until shortly before the first game kicks off Saturday, so feel free to vote now.
We'll be back with some more football thoughts.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
The People's Choice - Wild Card
Thanks to all of you who voted on the People's Playoffs lineup for the wild card round of the ESPN Gridiron Playoff Challenge. Our quest to dominate the 9beersfantasysportstavern group begins with this roster. (No need to race to your TV to follow these players; all but one play on Sunday.)
Quarterback. The clear winner in this poll was Aaron Rodgers, who plays the Philadephia Eagles late Sunday afternoon. For the second QB spot, we had a tie between Peyton Manning and Joe Flacco. As the tiebreaker, we chose the player will the lower salary, and Flacco (5.7) beat Manning (6.1) for the spot. He gets the Kansas City Chiefs early Sunday afternoon.
Running back. Again, we had a clear winner: Ray Rice, who plays the Chiefs. And once again, we had a tie for the second spot. In this tiebreaker, Jamaal Charles (5.8) edged LeSean McCoy (5.9). Charles plays the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Wide receiver: Yes, we had one clear winner again: Greg Jennings, who faces the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. And once again, we have a tie for second. Jeremy Maclin (5.6) beats Dwayne Bowe (6.1) by virtue of the tiebreaker. He faces Jennings' Green Bay Packers.
Tight end: This time, there was only one spot available, and it came down to a tie between two players. Todd Heap (4.8) beat Jacob Tamme (4.9) and gets the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Kicker: Another poll, another tie. Nick Folk (4.0) beat David Akers (4.2) to give us our only Saturday player. He faces the Indianapolis Colts.
Defense/special teams: Yes, even this one resulted in a tie to be broken by salary. And, believe it or not, the Baltimore Ravens (4.5) had a lower salary than the New Orleans Saints (4.6). They get the Kansas City Chiefs.
By the way, if you would have liked a different outcome, one solution would be to get a friend to vote on these polls, too.
Speaking of polls, a new one about the wild card teams is now available for voting. Enjoy the games, everybody.
Friday, October 29, 2010
A People's League Halftime Report
(Yes, I realize this isn't quite the halfway point for the fantasy season. Work with me here.)
Most valuable fantasy players: Right now, only one player in this league is averaging over 20 points per game: Peyton Manning of the People's Pigskin (20.2). Excuse us while we congratulate ourselves. If you want to go by total points, Aaron Rodgers of Feely Her Up ... is leading the way with 129.
Surprise of the year: Here's what ESPN predicted for Arian Foster in its season preview: 456 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns. So far he has 6 touchdowns and leads all running backs by averaging 19.3 fantasy points a game. The nuckin' futs must be proud.
Disappointing player, non-injury category: The futs probably also thought Larry Fitzgerald was a steal in the third round, even with Kurt Warner working on his foxtrot. So far he's found the end zone twice and is averaging 7.2 fantasy points a game, ranking him 40th among wide receivers.
Disappointing player, injury category: Plenty of potential picks here, but this has to go to Ryan Grant, whom the Hudson Valley Hawks picked in the second round (right before the futs picked Foster) and lost to injury in the very first game, after he scored 4 points.
Best late round pick: Yes, the futs are getting this award, too. They got Kyle Orton in the 14th round, after 6 kickers came off the board. So far, Orton has scored 11 touchdowns and is averaging 17.6 fantasy points a game, good enough for 3rd place among quarterbacks.
Most curious stat: Home must be paradise for the Fighting Amish. They're 5-0 so far in "home" games and 0-2 in "away" games.
Quick reminders -- The People's Pigskin needs a lineup for its matchup against the aforementioned nuckin' futs. We've already picked up Jason Hanson to be this week's kicker. The rest of the starters will be determined by the polls, which will close Sunday morning.
Also, the People's Pitstop needs to pick drivers for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway. Those polls will close tonight. Please vote now.
We'll be back with the NASCAR poll results.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
An Overdue Update (and New Polls)
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
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]
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Fearless Predictions - Week 13
It's too bad these predictions are ineligible for the playoffs. They went a solid 3-2 last week, boosting the season record to 34-26.
Peoples Pigskin vs. D.C. Destroyers. Yes, I see the Q that appeared this morning next to Steve Slaton's name. You know what? Even if he doesn't produce, the other players will, and the end result will be a face-saving Pigskin victory.
Tinks Revenge vs. T-day jacks 151rum stumblrs. We have some dueling Qs here (DeAngelo Williams and Visanthe Shiancoe), but the biggest injuries may be to Donovan McNabb's receivers. Chalk up a win for the Revenge here.
Ravens Fan T Sizzle vs. Northeast Dragons. Steven Jackson will get his share of points, but so will Aaron Rodgers, who will fuel a bounceback victory for the Dragons.
Hawaiian Surfriders vs. Big Lough O. Justin Forsett was a shrewd pickup, and Tom Brady seems like the kind of guy who will take out his frustrations over a lousy game by shredding his next opponent. That adds up to a win for the Lough Os.
Houston Wreckin' Crew vs. Southern Rebels. One of the things for which I was thankful last week was that I did not have to ask myself "What on earth is up with Jay Cutler?" this fantasy season. The Rebels bring too much to the table and roll to a win here.
There's still time to vote in our polls. We'll be back with more thoughts tomorrow.